#or like cohesive or realistic plot

[doesnotloveyou]

dj, ily but why do none of your movies make sense??

[embroidered-inkwells]

i think people who tend to have ideas for years and years and don't write have to realize that there's never going to be a good time, there's never going to be the perfect words, and the more you over plan, the more unrealistic expectations you set for yourself, and the more difficult it is to live up to those so you end up losing momentum. it's good to have longstanding ideas, lord knows i do, but at some point you have to put words to page, no matter how bad you think they are, or else you'll never tell the story you want to, and instead you'll let it live in your head for the rest of your life. which is fine, but you might surprise yourself if you put it on the page

[torglives]

lukey confirmed that his keeper slash newt slash general lore is inspired by the maze runner and i genuinely felt a passion arise from within my heart that has been dormant for a couple years now. it hasn’t dominated by blog for a while so many may not know how deep this hyperfixation runs but you’re all about to be VERY aware.

[orphiclovers]

The first scenario of ORV has always fascinated me. "Kill another person to survive." It might be the most common plot point in apocalyptic stories.. Pretty much all of them feature some discussion of morality and how to define it, good and evil, played out by deeply morally grey characters who have to make a choice to kill.

But ORV is a story about stories.

The Star Stream is trying to tell 'the story of an apocalypse' and it does! But in the most crude and unpolished way.

It's almost cynical. 'We are telling an apocalypse story, what's a common plot beat in apocalypse stories? 'No one is innocent and everyone has killed to survive'. Okay, let's make it a literal requirement for everyone to have killed someone to proceed.'

It's robotic, taking a story beat and stripping it down to it's bare essentials, then forcing the incarnations to adapt to it or die.

But the thing is. That's what all writing is. ORV just pulls back the curtain, exposing the internal circutry that makes a story work. Orv doesn't lie to you about the inherent artifice of it all.

The scenarios are perfect little plot arcs, designed to test the limits and reveal the strenghs and weaknesses of incarnations - 'the characters' of the story. It's not some cruel torture, it's literally just the act of storytelling. Writing 101 is put characters through hardship to reveal certain qualities in them or to make them go through character development.

Only difference is that writers usually camouflage the 'scenarios' they give their characters until the circumstances seem 'realistic' and like they happened on their own, like the author isn't forcing their reality to bend this way at all.

Oh, one character didn't lock the door in time due and got bitten by a zombie. And so inevitably this other character has to make the choice to kill them or not. There's as many explanaitions as the author can cook up as to what lead the characters to this moment. How the zombies got there, why these two were in the same vicinity, etc etc.

But, it's all set dressing the author has added to make the audience forget that this is too a 'scenario' given to the characters to test them. There's a time limit and a description and a reward and a penalty for failure, but all of these are cleverly hidden. The time limit can be until the last helicopter leaves in 10 minutes. The unspoken penalty is death. The author arranged how the characters find out some or all of this information in convienient ways.

Star Stream just lays it all out in front you you, straight up. States 'Kill another incarnation or have them kill you' and doesn't attempt to justify the circumstances, because of course, the real reason all this is happening is because the story demands it.

It's a universe that does not hide the author's hand in every tiny little event that happens.

So this too is the question "What if the characters knew they were in a story?" asked yet again. Every single being in the ORV universe knows they are in a story. The system itself makes it obvious - you can look at your own character sheet, you obtain 'stories' when you do something impressive but are constrained by 'probability' and what the audience finds interesting. You're body is literally made up of words written about you're life!

That's why the worldbuilding is so cohesive and so so good. All of it is telling you 'the world is a novel.'

[newtkelly]

do you really think they're gonna get back together

yes, i genuinely do, and here are a few reasons why!

every single time buck and tommy have left things unresolved, they have found their way back to each other. narratively, they are back in the same place they’ve been twice before, and for the story to be cohesively resolved, they will need to have a conversation. obviously, there are a lot of storylines on 911 (and most tv shows) that never get any resolution, so i understand why some might have a cynical take or low expectations for this story to be satisfyingly seen through. however, there are a few factors that indicate a romantic reconciliation.

think back on season eight. aside from the gerrard storyline (which had so much potential set up in buzzkill but let’s not go there rn) and the eddie’s house storyline, buck’s entire season eight arc has been about his relationship with tommy. his boyfriend taking care of him, his boyfriend dumping him, the subsequent loneliness, the baking, the hook-up. more than half of his plot has been about tommy. therefore, i think it is realistic to say it will continue to be.

very thankfully, we know that lou has been on set filming action scenes for an upcoming episode(s), and in the same filming location as oliver. they’re filming scenes together, there’s no doubt about that. okay, it could make sense to bring tommy back again to make amends and help buck “move on,” but i think it’s pretty naive to think they investing all of this plot and screen time into a recurring character is simply for buck to learn a lesson and get on with his life, searching for something from scratch again especially this far along into the series. they’re not bringing tommy back repeatedly on a whim or as filler. structurally, they have put in the groundwork for this relationship to have substance and longevity. that’s the more likely reason he would be brought back again and again and again.

by the end of 8x11, buck and tommy are not on very good terms, but by the same token, tommy has done a tremendous service to buck and buck carries no resentment. he finally has the feeling of home in his new house after a lovely night spent together. even though there’s an ease at home, there’s also an unease that is articulated and important. buck still wants to reach out and clear the air. he is extremely self-aware and knows exactly why he lashed out. this, in addition to the very many mentions of tommy in his absence, serves a purpose - to remind the audience that things are unresolved, and to keep that at the back of the collective mind.

i guess tldr is this:

• we know tommy is coming back because lou has been on set

• more than half of buck’s s8 plot has been about tommy - that is a lot of tv time invested towards giving substance to a relationship

• buck saw a side of tommy that hurt him, and yet he still felt like he should reach out and apologize. he is still thinking about him. and he can finally sleep well because of him

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Compelling Characters

Characters & Goals

“Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.” –Kurt Vonnegut

Characters should almost always have clear goals, even if these goals are not immediately made obvious to the reader.

Without goals, characters lack motivation—that is, they have little reason to do anything interesting.

For this reason, many writers connect the main character's goals to the main conflict in the story. This generally means that the main obstacle to those goals plays a key role in the plot as well (for instance, in the form of a villain).

Often, the main character is most interesting and when confronting his own shortcomings in pursuit of his goals.

There are a few ways to construct this character-plot connection:

CHARACTER-FIRST APPROACH

Constructs a story’s plot for a character that already exists.

It asks a writer to build a character that they find interesting and then assemble the plot around them.

Example: A character who is struggling to overcome a phobia might, as a plot element, come into contact with the thing she fears. Success in this instance would mean that she doesn’t let the fear overcome her.

PLOT-FIRST APPROACH

Starts by defining the major conflicts the writer wants to include in a piece of fiction and then builds a character who will be motivated by those conflicts.

Example: A writer could decide to explore the effect of a catastrophic storm on a city before writing a main character. A character that would feel motivated by this conflict would be one with a connection to the city or to someone living in the city. Therefore, the son of someone who went missing in the storm would likely be a good focal character for this story.

Small Goals & Big Goals

Though it’s important for characters to have at least one big goal, it can be boring for the reader if a character is totally preoccupied with a single motivation.

Strong characters generally have two or more goals of varying sizes that they might confront separately or at the same time.

The reader excitedly anticipates your character's success or failure in achieving their goals.

Believability

Another factor that can contribute to a successful character is an element called “verisimilitude,” also called “believability.”

When writers talk about believability, they talk about whether the constituent parts of a character make sense and feel cohesive.

Example: We might expect a character who gets paid minimum wage to struggle to pay her bills, so if we see her driving an expensive car or spending several hundred dollars on a meal at a fancy restaurant, we would question these details.

There are, of course, stories in which these situations could exist, but the reader would need to know what allowed them to happen (inheritance from a late relative, perhaps, or an irresponsible approach to personal debt).

Suspension of Disbelief

Stories that take place outside of a realistic modern setting will generally require some extra work on the part of the writer to make them believable.

This is because of an idea called “suspension of disbelief.”

This refers to the tendency of readers to challenge details of a story that seem out-of-place, but not to question those details if they are presented with enough contextual justification.

Example: A story contains people who can fly with human-size wings. The reader would need to learn early on that this is a normal event that occurs in the story world. A reader who unexpectedly encounters flying humans three-fourths of the way into a short story could easily be baffled by this development, and might also consider it a cheap cop-out if it's used to resolve a plot conflict.

Adding Physical Detail

In addition to planning your characters thoughtfully, you must also sketch them coherently on the page.

Careful selection of physical and environmental details will make some of your character’s traits visible to your reader without you having to tell them outright what you mean. Examples:

A character who is disorganized might have wrinkled clothing or might consistently arrive late to appointments.

An introverted character might bring a book or notebook everywhere they go and might also stay out of crowded spaces (or feel uncomfortable in those spaces).

Symbolic Meanings

Be aware of the other meanings that a detail can bring into a piece.

A physical detail, especially one that appears multiple times within a work, might also develop symbolic meanings in addition to its literal meaning.

Writing Exercise

In a short vignette, and using only physical details (e.g., characters' clothing, appearance, or body language), make it clear to a reader that a character is experiencing one of the following conditions: worry, hunger, grief, joy, confusion, lack of sleep, anxiety, homesickness.

The word you chose should not appear in your vignette, nor should any synonyms.

Adding Personality

Broadly, “personality” refers to the collection of beliefs, thought patterns, and other mental qualities that dictate a character’s actions.

A personality trait could be the character’s bubbly disposition, their self-deprecating humor, or the fact that they’re always nervous.

When constructing a character, it’s important to think about how she would react in a number of situations.

Here are some questions to help you discover your character’s personality traits:

Is he fond of attention, or does he avoid it?

Is she curious to learn more about a topic/location/person, or does she keep to herself?

How big of a role does fear play in his day-to-day activities?

How does this character react if things don’t go the way she wants them to?

Does he think that he’s more intelligent/less intelligent than others around him?

Does she think she’s average? How would she define “average?”

How does he feel about making decisions?

Does she make decisions quickly or slowly?

Does he tend to regret decisions they’ve made?

It’s helpful to connect these traits to elements from the character’s life or past.

Example: A character who grew up with a controlling parent might have difficulty making decisions once they start living on their own.

Personality traits might also overlap with physical traits.

Example: Talking too loudly or too softly or interrupting others.

It’s also important to make sure that your characters aren’t good at everything they come across.

Doing so will reduce your story’s believability because—let’s face it—no one is good at everything.

To this end, you should allow your characters to fail at something, whether that something is huge or inconsequential.

Writing Exercise

In a short vignette, deliver some news to your character.

The news can be good or bad.

It can affect just the character, or the entire world population, or any number of people in between.

How does this character react?

Who do they tell, if anyone?

How do they interact with the space they’re in (e.g. punch a wall, hug a stranger)?

Try this exercise several times with the same character but different contexts (e.g., the character receiving the news alone versus receiving it in a public place) to see how they react under different circumstances.

CAUTION: Using Fictionalized Versions of Real People

It’s common for writers to borrow details from real life—the shape of a stranger’s chin, a classmate’s clicking of their pen during a quiet exam, or the restaurant server’s shrill laugh, to give just a few examples—but a writer should be wary of recreating an entire person on the page.

There are legal reasons not to do this, of course, but there is also the danger that a story filled with too many real-life people and events will be flat and boring.

Fiction should generally be a healthy mix of the ordinary and extraordinary.

If the mix is skewed too far in one direction, the reader can find the piece too unbelievable or too boring.

Source ⚜ More: Writing Notes & References ⚜ Writing Worksheet: Conflict Lists: 170 Character Quirks ⚜ +600 Personality Traits ⚜ 100 Sensory Words

[ballowvalence]

finished jentry chau last night and i have a lot of thoughts. SPOILERS AHEAD.

the good (broad strokes because there's so much to like in general!):

production quality is off the charts: fantastic animation, beautiful fight scenes, lovely character and world design, music perfectly complements the whole vibe. great style as well!

satisfying narrative arc: no cliffhangers, we get an A to B story line with character growth and progress. jentry ends the series as emotionally more mature than she starts.

interesting characters and engaging exchange and dialogue between them that mostly felt believable and realistic for teens this day and age.

the bad (my gripe in a nutshell):

the showrunners' decided to favor making the show work to what they'd prefer over cohesive character choices. (like they were trying to manipulate jentry's character around hitting plot points, instead of vice versa.)

jentry's forgiveness isn't consistent for her character.

the showrunners decided that the narrative would be more dramatic when/if she didn't forgive others.

gugu lied to her all her life about SO many things. we're given her reasoning, which we're meant to understand and relate to (she didn't want jentry to hate her/her parents), and because jentry loves gugu, she forgives her. i do not forgive gugu! she lied to jentry for 16 years about EVERYTHING.

this ties into how moonie is still alive as well. gugu knew! she could've EASILY have tracked her down. so she CHOSE to never try and reunite them. and MOONIE knew she was jentry's mother. how could you do that to your daughter? and jentry forgives moonie because she loves the POTENTIAL of her mother. what the fuck! i do not forgive moonie! she CHOSE not to be part of her life.

then we come to the only other person who begged for forgiveness for their secrets hurting her.

kit. he lied about who he was and his intentions. however, out of the him, gugu, and moonie, kit is the only one who does not intentionally obscure jentry's ability to figure out his secret, as in jentry is not forced to act for him to confess his truth. with gugu's secrets, she had to work to uncover them, and with moonie, jentry had to work to find her.

he is the only one who comes clean to her after putting his life in danger to save hers, and there's no way he doesn't know how fragile his painted skin is. he KNOWINGLY went to save her from the fire and risked his identity being blown because she was that important to him. (i remind you his death words started with "everything i did was for me." LIKE SAVING HER THEN??? THAT WAS FOR YOU???)

and how does jentry react? poorly, yes, because she hates lies (because of gugu).

but even after that, kit is never actually forgiven. in fact, jentry uses him, and then abandons him when she achieves her goal. it felt so drastically out of whack for her character that i wondered what was happening. then he is ostracized by her, and she rejects even his friendship and acts cold to him. she cuts him off.

it really doesn't make sense for her to not even want to be his friend. she bonded with him during the doppelganger experience. they WERE friends then. then she says she wants to be normal and pursues michael even when he admits to her HE isn't normal. so that's not it either.

only the narrative is what forces her not to forgive him because the showrunners need to hit the plot points of him betraying her and him needing to sacrifice himself later. (which i would argue his sacrifice really doesn't make sense at all. if you watch that scene when kit dies in her place, WHY would he even pretend to be her? if jentry had just worn the robes instead, she would've been able to defend herself as quickly she donned them as is shown after kit-jentry is attacked. it was a needless sacrifice!)

gugu is forgiven in this same episode for her lies. why can jentry forgive gugu and not kit (prior to the betrayal)? it just doesn't fit for her character.

jentry then goes on to immediately forgive moonie for never getting into contact with her. moonie ALSO lied to her her entire life. but somehow this is forgiveable now because it works with the narrative and the plot points.

anyway. that's my biggest gripe with the show.

instead of building the narrative around jentry's character, the show built a narrative and manipulated jentry's character to make it work.

also...

the mogai-human-form design was weirdly sexist?

when possessing mr. cheng, the mogai-cheng form is ugly and malformed and disproportionate. he is not conventionally appealing or attractive. he is not the same size or shape as cheng appeared. he is wearing clothes.

when posessing jentry, the mogai-jentry form is curvaceous and slim and appealing to look at. this form is conventionally attractive. she is the same size and shape as jentry appeared. she is not wearing clothes.

all of these are choices the showrunners made. they could've made mogai-jentry much more unappealing, but they didn't. for some reason, keeping her "attractive/cool" was the choice over what the design could mean. they did make her look dangerous, i guess?

[himejoshiangels]

Duke Thomas fic rec list

I've scowered every tag relating to him, combed thru the 'duke centric tag' at least 8 times, this is what ive come back with, at least my personal faves

necessary reminders - duke pov, outsider pov, and some social media following duke as he gets used to his day job as a vigilante. flows really well, has a good balance of sad and happy, and gets dukes character rlly well

that which you cannot bear - THIS FIC WILL BREAK YYOU duke is kidnapped and its only down from there!! this is like, one of the first duke fics I read and it's still labeled as such in my mind. its well based, sooo cohesive plot wise, and stays completely in character w all its characters, especially duke, while exploring such an interesting facet of him > his tendency to self-isolate, insistence on being independent, and his stubbornness. sooo much good angst just incredible stuff while also staying hopeful and grounded. ALSO duke is an intelligent badass throughout the fic which is an important detail 2 me

signal, n. a divine act - same author as the last one, absolutely insane concepts are explored and its just so well written srsly it's like poetry. digs into some of dukes ideologies so well. if u like holy imagery??? kind of but not rlly?? ig you'll love this

this whole series is just so fucking incredible but something about my bodies made of crushed little stars I don't fucking know it messed w my brain chemistry, I've recced it b 4 bcs it made me cry but read the whole series, it's all duke centric and just so good. Saki writes bruce and duke in a way that fizzes u up w emotion and focuses on such unique facets of dukes character/dynamics and sleep well my little sunshine is soo cute and fun and soft >when earth finds the stars - bonus presignal duke and jason fic, balances being incredibly fun with a realistic zoom in on duke before we are robin. he's quippy and witty and always at the edge of his rope

not mutually exclusive - tired of bruce being kinda shoved into the role of dukes capital F father when that's not quite what their dynamic is? Then this is the fic for you!! Just good duke and Bruce interactions overall, it's sad and hilarious with just incredible dialogue and peak Bruce and Duke interactions

signals and symptoms - a classic sickfic and like one of my fave bruce bonding fic ever ever EVERRR!! really introspective abt dukes character and just so well done

even exchanges - some of u are gonna hate me for reccing an incomplete fic and esp one that doesn't look like it's gonna be finished anytime soon but even exchanges is so formative to my duke characterizationalong with portraying such a fascinating dynamic w him and his new family. it delves into his messy and angsty experiences pre-becoming the signal and is overall written like several subsequent punches to the stomach. promise ur gonna bitch and moan about this fic as much as I do

scientific method - extremely cute fic, watch Duke bond w the bats and slowly get more comfortable with them over time as they all tru to figure out what the fuck this guys powers are. Really fun dynamic wise, the dialogue is crafty and captures the familiarity between the characters. Really realistic about day to day vigilante life and how genius the bats truly are. really slice of life fluffy shit w some bonus sciencey stuff

turn my voice human torch remind people what I’m fantastic for - truly a classic, Duke invites cass to slam poetry night. short n sweet I LOVE BUMBLEBATS RAHHHHHH

tradition - pure duke n bruce ice cream fluff

meal prep - real sad angst one shot ft. alfred

occupational health and safety violations - duke pov reverse robins but it's way out of order

write about flowers (at a time like this) - duke and dick fic where they meet pre we are robin. yes I just found this one yesterday yes I'm absolutely obsessed. it characterizes him so well and understands his thought process and motives and UGHH just tune in yall

sidequest: the viper pit - WE ARE ROBIN DND JUMANJI

signals of fear and hope - duke centric reverse robins, caters TTOME specifically it's so fire

and now here are fics that arent duke centric but he's in it and in character/well written and now forced into the back of the room aka some of my general faves that feature duke

gotham aviary - the batman fic where he just adopts a bunch of em truly adorable like the cutest thing you'll read

I walk the streets at night (with monsters in my mind) - dragon fic, absolutely goated 10/10

fight, flight - cass centric but duke plays a big role, they mean everything to me

[fir-fireweed]

Heyy can I ask you for advice about planning routes for a game? I’m trying to turn a story I’m writing into a game as well but I’m a bit stuck.

Also how do you flesh out characters to feel realistic?

If you have any tips that would be awesome!!

thought to ask you since you turned your book idea into what is now Viatica.

Thanks!!

Sky

Hi Sky! I appreciate you asking me, thank you! Long post incoming!

I’m going to lead with the character discussion, because for me, everything starts there. The scenes, the conflict, the branches… it all evolves naturally if you have really fleshed out characters. Whenever I create an RO I ask myself, “If I removed this character, would the story fall apart?” And the answer needs to be yes. The RO cannot simply be an RO—they need motives, goals, desires, failures, and a valid reason to exist in the story before you even consider them an RO.

This was something I struggled with a lot with Tellus in particular. He couldn’t come back just because everyone liked him. That wasn’t enough. Because originally, yes, the story could exist without him. I had to figure out how to make him relevant and necessary.

I think this is the core reason I can’t get into some IFs. The author will craft a character and think, this would make such a juicy relationship! Well, yes, it would… but what else? Give your characters a hard look, be objectionable. If the answer to the above question isn’t yes, then reflect on them a little more. What are they trying to achieve? What are they struggling with? What are they proud of? What do they regret?

As far as branching, I’ve realized I plan things out differently than most IF authors. I think it’s because I’m mostly a linear novel writer at heart, but I find branching difficult, too. It’s easier for me to write the scene, then go back and look at it and think, “would an MC who is [insert personality trait] act like that?” And then the branching comes from there.

I think it’s ok to start small like this if it’s your first IF and you’re struggling—you don’t need huge plot heavy branches, just small ones that stem from character personalities and interactions. The biggest branch in Viatica wasn’t until the ending, and that also stemmed from asking how the MC would react. If you can do the big ones, great! But don’t feel like you have to. I think it’s more important to have a story that feels cohesive and natural. But again, I have a different background in writing so take that with a grain of salt!

I’ve talked with some authors that use flowchart apps to plot out their story. That might help in your case. I don’t use them myself so I don’t have any to recommend. If anyone has recommendations, feel free to share!

I hope that helped! I appreciate you asking me for advice, and good luck with your story!

[utilitycaster]

Any tips or ideas for GMing the end of the Age of Reclamation? I want to be sure to get all the ramifications of the Divine Gate falling, and of the different social movements that come from the loss of the deities, but most of all I’m curious what someone as invested as I am in the narrative cohesion of Exandria would like to see in it.

Honestly? I don't really have tips - I don't GM anything in Exandria that will touch on it (Netherdeep game scheduling has been rough and I don't run any other games) and while I very much enjoyed EXU Divergence and Wildemount Wildlings I didn't really have much in the way of like, theorycraft/worldbuilding concepts in mind based on them.

Also, not to put too fine a point on it, but one aspect of why I think Campaign 3's plot struggled so mightily is that divinity and organized religion in Exandria were never very well laid out - @the-littlest-goblin has a post about the former, and I know I've touched on the latter a few times. Vasselheim is the cradle of civilization and a religious hub for the prime deities, but there doesn't appear to be any centralized power (Fy'ra and Morrighan do not seem to go through Vasselheim to be named champions) - and why would there be, given that the gods can communicate around anyone who claims to be a mouthpiece? The reality of the presence of the gods was, again as the-littlest-goblin pointed out, not really explored well within the text (and I include any of the texts). I think Matt is rightfully lauded for worldbuilding in terms of political structures, history, geography, and even new systems of magic; but actually, the specific role of religion has always been a weakness that we simply did not see until the role of religion and the gods became a major focus and the narrative infrastructure to support it was simply not there.

So anyway with that in mind: I actually wonder if we'd see Vasselheim actually become much more like our real Vatican/catholic church now that there is no divine voice of say, The Stormlord available to everyone. The idea that pre-Catatheosis Vasselheim was akin to the Vatican was very much not supported and entirely, in my opinion, projection from people who struggled to imagine something wholly unlike our world; but now that Exandria doesn't have gods that can simply talk to you (especially during the decade-plus period at least before the gods are found again), I think more formally organized religion and more authority among religious leaders than previously would feel realistic. I also suspect there will be perhaps increased religiosity in the world - if you cannot feel their presence, you may seek out religion for ritual and community instead. Ironically, I think Exandria might go from a very "religion as personal journey" almost modern attitude to a rather more medieval one.

I also think that false prophets/people claiming to be gods will be at minimum a cottage industry, especially a few years after; I'm unsure if the demons as we saw during the campaign will come back or if the bloody bridge/leylines were part of that problem so you can do whatever fits your particular campaign for now; and I think that some people will lose faith.

It's not all scams and the development of Fantasy Catholicism, though; I think the positives are going to be that the Accord will have established some degree of international cooperation and eroded the isolationism we saw in Campaigns 1 and 2, and of course Ruidians and access to Ruidus itself will open up entirely new perspectives! I think there will be leaps in biological research particularly, given that was the focus of Ruidian science. I would like to think that surviving members of the Grim Verity and the reveals of Ruidus's nature, not to mention the fact that vaulting everything up didn't stop Ludinus, will lead to an opening of said vaults and perhaps even an increased focus on Exandrian historical research; the perspective of the Kryn, now less isolated, will be incredibly valuable here. I also would like to think that the Empire being in some degree of turmoil will resolve, but with the dissolution of the Assembly. My guess is it will just continue in the Dwendal line, but if you want to focus on Wildemount I think you could make an argument for the Empire to follow in the footsteps of Tal'Dorei's relatively recent transition to a council (or for upheaval or even a civil war to lead to that transition). Either way I expect the Clovis Concord and Dynasty to develop more of a relationship and more power on the continent.

I also wonder if the international community will focus again on Aeor (now that Ludinus isn't trying to control access) and if there were be redoubled efforts to address the corruption of the Savalirwood. (Man, Ludinus REALLY fucked Uthodurn over as collateral in multiple ways, huh). It really might be something of an industrial revolution for a world that was already on the cusp of it.

Finally, think about all the sealed things or long-running enchantments that failed - what happens with them? Some might be cool, Umudara; others might be violent require further cooperation to address, like Desirat. This could be a great hook for adventures you run.

[cloudaintfair]

Maybe It’s Not Review Bombing—Maybe the Episodes Just Weren’t Good

It's kind of laughable that a certain faction immediately assumes review bombing when a certain subset of fans leaves bad reviews of the episode—especially when everything about the last 3 episodes or so has featured a lot of questionable writing decisions.

Sure, some of it is review-bombing for the sake of it—because ships exist.

But as someone who doesn't really care which ship becomes canon, I should make a Reddit account and make a post about how ships destroy fan engagement and how being a 'canon ship' matters so little in the grand scheme of things, there are still a lot of things to criticize about the episodes narratively.

Hats off to the actors, though, for delivering amazing performances in their scenes. If there's one thing these episodes got right, it's the acting in each scene—regardless of the writing decisions or overall execution.

IDK if people are just numb or blindly positive, but the last few episodes have had a lot of questionable writing decisions—narratively, character-wise, and everything in between.

Let’s fire off some inconsistencies from the last 3 episodes…

Why did Bobby not exhibit symptoms as fast as Chimney did, if the same explosion compromised both of their gear?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the entire reason Chimney is so distraught is because Bobby kept it a secret that his gear was compromised.

If we really are going for realism here, Bobby should have exhibited symptoms faster than Chimney did, considering Bobby is a lot older than him.

I won't sit here and pretend I’m an expert in the medical field, but shouldn’t Bobby have exhibited symptoms faster because his body is already compromised? He’s a recovering alcoholic—if anything, he should’ve shown symptoms way before Chimney did.

Another thing: why make a big deal out of Bobby doing a surgery in place of Chimney if both of them were infected? The entire reason Chimney was talked out of doing the surgery himself was because of the risk that he could pass the infection to Hen.

If anything, it’s out of character for Bobby to proceed with the operation knowing full well that he was infected too, since it risked the life of one of his firefighters.

The other possibility would be if Bobby noticed that his gear was compromised after the operation was through—but even that has the same problems as the first possibility, just without the added risk to Hen during surgery.

And that’s not even mentioning how Buck and Athena weren’t arrested when they were caught red-handed committing a crime, with Tommy as an accomplice.

Realistically speaking, Athena and Buck should have been arrested, since they committed crimes in plain view of the authorities. There’s such a thing as warrantless arrests.

There are a lot of things that have been bothering me in the most recent episode: Why did the FBI acquiesce to Chimney’s demand to bury the corpse, when they were still reluctant to release it?

Why did we focus more on Athena’s investigation into a dead kid Bobby failed to save, and make the funeral—the supposed plot of the funeral episode—into a subplot? We never even focused on the grief of the characters.

We got more focus on Gerrard’s grief (and yes, I think he was written to be genuine in his speech) than on the grief of the 118’s extended family—barring Chimney and Athena.

We didn’t even focus on the immediate aftermath of the two-parter, like we usually do. Remember when Buck was struck by lightning? We got to see how his life had changed and how he felt after surviving such an ordeal.

I feel like we should’ve focused more on the grief caused by Bobby’s death, instead of what we got.

This episode could’ve been moved to the season finale of the series—or at the very least, the funeral part—while canceling the big-emergency season finale.

With the way the narrative was structured, Bobby’s death was written for shock value rather than for narrative or character cohesion. If Bobby were a female character, his death could possibly be considered fridging.

Operative word being could, because Bobby was still the star—and fridged characters typically serve only as eye candy and/or plot devices for male leads.

That’s not to say Bobby Nash wasn’t serving as eye candy, but he was more than just a plot device for his love interest.

[crownedwille]

S3 alternatives/rewrite ideas: What if the truth about the video came out and August got exposed? What if Hillerska investigations looked different?

My preferred s3 outcome would've been August being actually punished and his actions having tangible consequences so let's think about that! Also 'fixing' a whole lot of other storylines and plot holes that are connected to that so here we go!

Disclaimer: This post is not looking for explanations or defenses in favor of s3 plots so please only interact if you're open and willing to fantasise and theorise and spin this imaginative story further and have fun with it

I also wanna link to this post by @raincitygirl76 that kind of addresses this whole bit and has some really valid points in my opinion.

This post by @resipsaloquitace also mentions some important plot holes I'm addressing here.

The background: Wilhelm has admitted to being in the video with Simon in front of live cameras and phones for everyone to hear and it's probably being spread like wildfire on the internet already. After the first shocked reactions, I imagine the second one would be "who the hell posted that video?"

The fact that apparently no one in all of Sweden or the rest of the world (because we know this 'scandal' has been international news and the crown prince of Sweden coming out wouldn't be any different) has seemed to ask the question of "who did it?" and tried to figure it out is just completely unrealistic. People care! We know they do, the way Wille's scandals were treated before are proof of that! And he wasn't even the heir to the throne yet during one of them! Imagine how much bigger it would be now that somebody did this humiliating thing to their Crown Prince! Wouldn't you want to know as a normal citizen and think there should be justice and consequences for that person?

The conspiracy theories would probably run rampant on social media and if Felice can figure it out after only a few days, then millions of people on the internet will be able to do the same. And millions of people are damn better detectives than just Felice. Not to mention there would probably be journalists diving deeper into this and articles discussing it, wanting to be the one to drop the ultimate exposing story.

Now that that's established, let's get to the alternatives/rewrite part of it: What would a realistic and accurate punishment look like?How would that exposé come along and what would happen when August is found out?

What about Sara's report? What if that actually meant something and the police is now involved and it's tricky and not so easy to brush under the rug? In one way or another, legally or publically, August won't get away with it. Sara is a witness after all. So even if August wouldn't get charged and be registered as a sex offender, there should at least be an effort made and a logical reason be found for that instead of ignoring what happened in the s2 finale because it's inconvenient now. The settlement in the show was too simple and easy for me and I feel like an entire writer's room should've been smart enough and come up with something.

We're talking about a crime committed against the crown prince first and foremost, that won't be taken lightly by the police, it's a matter of the country and if you will, also about politics. They have no political power but we're still talking about the son of the Head of State. They could consider this child pornography and a hate crime committed against the projected future Head of State and August essentially barely gets a slap on the wrist?

And also no mention of his estate Årnäs and Rousseau, the horse he bought? Oh and Alexander who was made the scape goat in the entire thing and then was completely dismissed in s3 like that never happened? I'm definitely open for suggestions how all that could be handled differently and all of these elements that were introduced in the s2 finale could be brought up and tied together in a more cohesive, satisfying way.

Of course this also asks the question - how does it affect August's storyline this season? Is he anxious and terrified of the truth coming out beforehand now that he can no longer control it and it's only a matter of time? And what about him after the truth came out? Will he actually learn from the consequences? Could he realise being rich and of noble birth does not protect you and lets you get away with things? Could it even be a good thing for his character and he could finally understand the real damage he has caused to Wilhelm and especially Simon and try and make up for it? Maybe he could heal even when the world is against him and his perfect image is shattered. Maybe that's exactly what he needs, to reconstruct himself. He doesn't need this facade anymore and has to figure himself out in the future without the pressure and significance he put on titles and performance now that it's no longer important.

Or if you just want to see him be punished and suffer the consequences with no healing in sight, this plot could still work. He will be stripped of his estate and the money, his name will have no worth anymore and be associated with shame and Wille and Simon can get actual justice for the crime committed against them and his place in the royal family will be taken away and they never have to deal with him interfering with their lives again.

And how does the royal court handle it before and after? How do their plans change of making August the back up now that that's no longer a viable option? Would the public question their involvement, would they be accused of covering it up and would the trust in the royal family go down? What kind of constitutional crisis could potentially arise from that? The show didn't dare get into that but let's get into that! Are they trying damage control, bring Simon and Wille into the spotlight to focus on their new progressive, modern royal couple or are they trying to keep them on the down low away from the press? What things might have to change and what will they do to keep Wilhelm in this position? What are they willing to do?

Another part are the Hillerska investigations that were a badly executed and unnecessary added drama plot in my opinion but if we keep it in this rewrite, they could be instead about the video logically. Simon and Wille were filmed in Wille's Hillerska dorm room and the person that filmed them must have been another student so that means the school is responsible and that could be really embarrassing for them.

Would the students be investigated? Would the whole day/the time the video was filmed be investigated? Would the society party be relevant and brought up again? Would the exclusive society that hinged on secrecy be exposed for what it is, promoting elitist, classist behavior and using it to consume drugs and alcohol? It would've been a good way to bring the Society back and also tie it to the s1 storylines since we had no mention of it again after that and it felt like a weirdly dropped plothole.

I bet there is a lot of attention and scrutiny Hillerska would receive after all that. How could they let this recording happen, the school doesn't seem to be safe etc. I think it would've been a logical step and feel more cohesive if the school's reputation was smeared because of the things we know have happened within the show's narrative and make it about that instead of making up a past event that has never been relevant before and was semi-retconning multiple character arcs and was put there as a shocking plot twist for drama.

This is a lot and I'm just putting these questions out there, maybe there's not an answer to all of it or there are a lot more questions to be put and it could be spun even further. And also maybe there isn't a case closed kind of solution to some of them but more an open 'what could happen after the show?' kind of implied ending (the future of Hillerska and the monarchy in the stars for example). And if anyone wants to add ideas or suggestions to this 'rewrite' (or actually rewrite it) I'm all ears!

[archivalspecialist]

ok i will be honest and keep in mind i often do hold the haters spirit as pretentious as i am but i do not care for jonmartin myself as it presents in canon, which is to say i do not think it is compelling. i dont think they ever built up the structure *in the story itself* for their relationship, and instead relied too heavily on the preconceptions of the fan base at the time. like, by banking off the fact that people already shipped them, they failed to add substance themselves within the story to support the idea that these two characters would be romantically involved. because, ultimately, by the time the relationship is suddenly established — it’s just like. oh okay. well. you didn’t build up to this essentially at all and these characters, independently and within the pure context of the story, have no real chemistry. like ok we got martin crushing on jon. but it was never really reciprocated. and then suddenly, they’re boyfriends…! like ok. well i simply do not care. you didn’t make me care. you relied on the idea that i already cared. which is not a strong writing choice toooo be honest like as the writer it is your job to convince me to care by adding elements to your story that preclude and support a given development. which makes season 5 so so so so uninteresting imo. boyfriends with no chemistry trot through the fear-wasteland. and then the individual plots of the episodes aren’t even as interesting as the prior seasons. sigh.

this is also what bothers me with fan portrayals of jonmartin, have it be in fanfiction, fanart, or analysis…. like the way they are characterized and discussed by fans is often so radically divorced from their in-podcast interactions and characterization that it’s nearly incomprehensible as the same thing. they’re not all cutesy and loving. martin strikes jon in-show and is wholly intolerant of his avatarhood, a major aspect of his self, because he sees it as fully contradictory to jon’s humanity. YET he regularly uses jon as an attack dog, or at the least goads him towards the role — taking advantage of his status as an avatar. like, if you enjoy jonmartin, why ignore this? these are interesting scraps of development that the two have, and some of the only development the two have. low keyyyyyy. and these pieces were NOT even acknowledged to their full extent in-show, which is another reason i find the canon of them uninteresting. it was as if there was no confidence in the writing room for these elements to be explored, despite their existence and explicitness. they had no consequence, or were exempt from consequence.

i also don’t like how wishy-washy the team was when commenting on jon and martins relationship and jon’s sexuality in their talk episode. like girl we can telllll you weren’t committed to it even without you saying it’s ’up to interpretation’ or whatever. just a bit cowardly imo. either have a romance between the two, or don’t. you can also really tell here (in s5) that they didn’t like the characters they were playing. which sucks!

but ultimately, the canon of jonmartin is one thing (underdeveloped) and the fanon is another (detached, disappointing in its own right). and it sucks because it could have been good if handled appropriately and with better characterization and dynamics, and better…. writing? relevancy? jon and martin being boyfriends could be excluded from the plot and not only would there be no major overall impact, it would be better overall as far as cohesiveness of character and plot direction goes. sighs. like, even if they wanted to keep the romance element in their horror podcast, something which they originally didn’t even want to have iirc, they could have set up ANYONE ELSE. grabs you. why jon and martin? and don’t answer with fanon interpretation. realistically the more logical and thematically interesting choice would have been jon & jonah/elias but i digress. rips my eyes outttttt

anyway to dispel anyone who might just box this as overt no-nuance haterism, i think it should be said that i am so deeply critical of tma because i loveeeeeee it its my favorite podcast. i love to rip apart my shows. im like a dachshund with their favorite toy. i believe in all of the things i said though do not get it twisted. i am a hater. i loathe my show. but i love my show. ok? duality and nuance? ok. 🌈☮️🌻

[box-fivephantom]

BRIDGERTON SPOILERS

KANTHONY SPOILERS

I’ve had a few hours to process the rest of season 3 regarding to Kanthony, since it was why I am (or rather) was a fan of the show.

I cannot get over how bad the writing was for them was this season, the choices the writers made lead to nowhere. If I’m being honest the whole season didn’t feel cohesive. I understand Kanthony cannot be have much screen time but at least write something that makes sense within their characters.

In season 2 (and somewhat in s1) it was very heavily emphasized how Anthony was burdened with a duty he could not escape, how he wanted and needed a viscountess to fulfill part of those duties, that’s why he was so unhinged all the time. But Kanthony apparently had a 6 month honeymoon, then returned only to leave again for the extended honeymoon and then when they returned now they are to leave for india?? Where are the duties that were so important? What are those duties? How can you easily leave? In s2 Anthony tells Violet that his future bride would be in charge of his sister’s debut in society and suddenly Violet is the one that is still in charge. Kate threw one party (and not even a ball) and Anthony was like ; yeap baby viscountess duties full filled LETS GO TO INDIA.

I get that marrying Kate changed him, made him free in a way. He is no longer burdened but he should still be focoused on his family it’s one of the things Kate and Anthony have in common, they may no longer feel they owe their family but they sure care for them a great deal . Tell me why a man who was so affected by his father’s death, who almost watched his mother and sister die during childbirth, who almost watched his wife die right before his eyes, are you telling me this man would put his pregnant wife on a ship for several months? Wasn’t that journey alone like 6 months? Anthony tells Kate he wants the baby to be born in India but let’s be realistic…that baby is to be born on that ship. Anthony cannot have changed that much to put his wife at that risk, there must be things he still overthinks…the security of his wife and baby perhaps?

I know India it’s a plot device but the writers could have come up with something more realistic and not OOC.

And to give Kanthony a sole plot line: Have a baby. And then NOT SHOW THE BABY AT THE END was foul.

For two years we’ve been told the lack of Kanthony in s3 was because Jonny was so busy filming fellow travelers and with the rehearsals for Wicked but it turns out it was BRIDGERTON who had priority in Jonny’s filming schedule. The problem wasn’t the amount of time they had for filming its was the writing.

I’ve seen Simone has confirmed she’s returning for s4 and Jonny wasn’t at the premiere yesterday so we have no idea if he returning aswell.

[vestaclinicpod]

Audio Drama Sunday - 12th January ✨

I have a long coach journey this evening so expecting to get most of my week’s listening done tonight! Here’s what I’ve listened to so far!

📻 @monstrousproductions Being on nights this week almost always means that I tune in to The Night Folk Network aka Monstrous Agonies! There’s something so soothing about listening in the early hours of the morning and the show never fails to make me feel better about myself 🫶

🔎 @224bbaker (15) Good GOD, I love this show. It’s just so healing to have so many silly things happening in my ears, I listened to it twice. And goodness, look what the cat dragged in this episode (Dr John Watson, I’m referring to you)!!! It is killing me that we might never know what he fumed to Lucius about because Peppermint’s only gone and bloody died!!!!! Not ideal!!! I love how Archie’s attempt at the cold shoulder immediately melted when he realised how dumb James had been. He’s just like me for real!!

Also, due to recent posts on the show’s tumblr, I have accidentally convinced myself that Fitzy is Sebastian Moran in disguise trying to get close enough to kill John Watson. This is based on nothing more than my own headcanons for the guy BUT I will be listening closely for more evidence!!! 👂🕵🏻

🦋 @remnantspod (23) ohh this was a soft one!! Am I right in thinking that Stephen Grenville was the son of Eliza and Andriy?? I don’t know what this means for the overarching plot but it was a very lovely story in itself. It’s nice to have a seemingly lovely person enter the narrative. Honestly, Andriy wasn’t the only one thinking that he’d been shot or something. Head trauma is particularly troublesome in this show!! The acting in this episode gave *just* not enough away for me to be sure if the Apprentice remembers his most recent reincarnation (if that’s even close to the right term). As always, I can’t wait for more!

🗺 Tales From the Low City (14) @tales-from-the-low-city Maybe I was just young and naive when I first started season one of the show but, blimey, things have gotten dark in The Low City. I really love the world building in this show. The actions of individuals and society as a whole fit together so cohesively! The cause and effect makes sense and it makes everything feel gut-wrenchingly realistic. A horrible secret was uncovered at the end of this episode and it seems the residents of the city have a big decision to make about their future . . .

🍾 @ameliapodcast (40) An escape plan! Via Paris! So exciting!! 🍫☕️ How The Interviewer was nimble enough to pull off Sleeping Beauty after months of being in a cell, I’ll never know. I get a cramp just getting up to make another cup of tea.

Have a great week!!

[obsidianpen]

Okay, so a lot of people here have talked about the use of AI and large language models such as ChatGPT, and honestly, I have mixed feelings. On one hand, I think that using them to help you proofread is fine. So spelling, grammar, and that sort of thing. And writers can also do this process themselves obviously, but I don't see the harm in using ChatGPT for this, as long as you are aware that you are giving your data and story over to OpenAI.

When it comes to ideas, bouncing ideas off of an AI can be fun, but only to the extent that they are completely your ideas (meaning the AI didn't come up with the idea for you and you aren't giving the AI information about someone else's ideas). So your idea your choice, but don't use the AI to get the idea for your work and don't give the AI other people's ideas or works. And this only really applies if you don't have anybody either in-person or online to do this with instead.

The last thing I'll say is that AI writing isn't the greatest. It can sound realistic and be cohesive to an extent, but it isn't the same as a real author. I actually tested this a few times because I was curious how it would turn out, and I promise that it is not a substitute or replacement for real authors. I think this is because ChatGPT and other AIs work by predicting what is the best/most likely word to come next in its response based off of the dataset it was trained on. It even has a function that allows some degree of randomness/variability in the next word, rather than only using the top/best next word each time. But this means it isn't coming up with new or inventive ideas. It doesn't come up with plot twists, it can't plan slowly developing arcs across multiple chapters, and it doesn't make the characters interesting to read, have a lot of depth, sound real, or so forth. There are more things too, but I'm just giving a non-exhaustive list of why ChatGPT's writing is not the same as a real author's writing.

Note: I apologize if this isn't clear or if I'm just rambling or if I made any typos. I'm writing this on my phone and have not had ChatGPT or other AI proofread it for me.

hm. I’d say there’s been a lot more discussion about whether or not Tom Riddle has a breeding kink (he does not; just a WAP kink) and about the height difference between Harry and Voldemort in NG (there are charts; they are, somehow, confusing). I don’t want this to be a recurring theme on this blog, so consider this my (very hopefully) last post on this topic.

My opinion on the matter: I don’t agree with your reasoning for using AI. You said you didn’t think it was an issue ‘as long as you are aware that you are giving your data and story over to OpenAI.’ I think you absolutely should care that you’re giving your data and story over to AI!!! You should care. Pretty much just sold yourself there as far as I’m concerned.

I don’t think anyone should be using AI for proofreading. I don’t know how great it is at this, but even if it’s amazing, I think you should be doing this yourself!!! Editing is a skill, and a great one to have. I catch a lot of things when I proofread my own shit; I realize I missed things or screwed things up - not just grammatically speaking but plot wise, which as you said, AI can’t help with anyway. Proofread your own stuff. Proofread your own stuff!!!! And if you want a second set of eyes on your work, ask a real human!!!!!!!!

re: bouncing your ideas off of AI… no!!!! Bounce your ideas off of PEOPLE I promise you will have much better conversations because they will be with someone who can think critically.

and the thing about chatGPT not writing super well… yeah, duh. But what some writers do is use shit like chatGPT as a starting point, then edit. It doesn’t come up with plot twists - unless you feed them to it. No one is arguing that it’s a good as a ‘real author’ but that doesn’t mean people who consider themselves ‘real authors’ aren’t using it. I think this sucks, because, in case we forgot, chatGPT uses theft as its foundation.

(and this isn’t even touching on the environmental shit concerning AI.)

In conclusion: I don’t think anyone should use it for anything creative. At all. Feel free to disagree (and you can post about that on your own blog), but if you lean on AI to edit or create your creative work, you’re only hindering yourself.

Note: I apologize if this isn't clear or if I'm just rambling or if I made any typos. I'm also writing this on my phone and have not had ChatGPT or other AI proofread it for me, nor would I ever.