#some plot and pain!!

[chokedraven]

So, in short - I was brushing my teeth when it occurred to me (if you think about it like that, for some reason all good ideas come to me when I brush my teeth) but anyway

B lives alone in his house, he has a boring life and is lonely.

One evening he is sitting in a chair in his room and reading a book when he hears a hoarse whisper, barely audible: "Hey?"

Of course, he gets scared, turns his head, trying to find the source of the sound, when he sees two completely white eyes staring at him from the wall, glued to the faded shape of a human silhouette on the wall. Like a pale shadow.

"Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you," — it mutters.

B, of course, thinks he's going crazy and ignores the shadow as he goes to bed (yes, I think that's reasonable, leave me alone)

The next day, however, the shadow does not go away, on the contrary, it takes on a more intense dark appearance, and resumes timid attempts to talk to B.

B finally gives in and talks to it.

It turns out that the shadow was once a person, a human, A, and then was imprisoned in the shadow in this very apartment (I’ll think of this better later), and so - since then he has been wandering here in the form of a shadow, lonely and intimidated, until B appears.

B sympathizes with the shadow, and even tries to somehow console it, touching the dark form, until... lo and behold! The shadow crawls right out of the wall, taking the form of a guy!

A is too weak, which is clear, since he was imprisoned in his own shadow for a long time, literally. He is thin and lethargic. But, nevertheless, under the good supervision of B, he becomes stronger every day, gaining the strength to live a normal life. His demons still haunt him, but he's ready to move on.

Oh, and at a time when the weight of life and his painful anxieties becomes greater and greater, and B is not around to console him, A again turns into a faded shadow, after which he again needs to be taken out of this state, as a result of which he becomes even more weaker.

So B finds a roommate he never knew he dreamed of, and A a ​​friend he never had.

You know what, I really love this plot. I will write this, get ready. And I will draw it too. Aeh.

[plagalkey]

Your Lie in April AU (by extraentropy)

i, oikawa tooru, told a single lie

and it brought you to me.

[bonefall]

Hey, what makes a character a 'plot device but not a character'? And how do you not do that? I'm trying to do it on purpose but also I need to still make them interesting because it's on purpose, yknow?

A good skill to pick up is to learn to criticise criticism itself. A "plot device" is simply a thing that moves the plot along, it's a neutral literary analysis term! Usually, when people are angry that "a character has been used as a plot device," it doesn't mean they hate plot devices. It means they're gesturing at something deeper.

Runningwind and Bumble are equally plot devices in their deaths. They are both killed by the antagonist to escalate political tension. Runningwind is rarely "accused" of just being a plot device, and yet, we're talking about Bumble for the same thing.

So, why?

Well, Runningwind is just a background character, but in life, he was a part of the community. He was characterized as impatient but responsible. Yet, he wasn't SO important that he died with a bunch of unresolved plot threads.

He is mostly an extension of the entity of ThunderClan. His killing by Tigerstar, and the fear and paranoia that settles on the group after this, feel like a progression of the story insteas of something forced.

Bumble, on the other hand...

Is hated immediately by Gray Wing, when she's established as Turtle Tail's friend. Bumble's abuse at Tom the Wifebeater's hands invites even MORE investment. The rejection is shocking and upsetting. There's a story there about our main characters being imperfect; jealous, bigoted, and judgemental.

But, she is simply killed off. Everything they set up for this character is gone with little personalized fanfare. It's not a tragedy with a lesson about cruelty, or something anyone regrets.

It's just... plot. Gray Wing whinging that no one will like his shitty brother now that his body count is 2.

More than that, in the discussion of women in particular, "Fridging" was coined to give a name to the way women characters often don't get their stories told at all. There is a CULTURAL trend of female characters facing disproportionate violence, for the sake of advancing male plots.

Bumble has a lot going for her. Petal had a lot going for her. Turtle Tail had a lot going for her. Bright Stream had a lot going for her. When they died, they took their potential with them.

It's not always wrong to kill off a character of high potential, mind you. In Gurren Lagann, Kamina's death is sudden and shocking, leaving a massive hole in the hearts of the cast that never heals. Grappling with that loss, but also letting his memory fuel them, is a major theme of that story.

All that to say... there's no formula for avoiding it. You've gotta identify what the deeper issue is, in your specific narrative.

I can't say for certain what that will look like for your story, but here's some things I keep in mind;

When you make characters who exist to die, make sure they're people before you axe them.

Ask yourself; what about them does the cast miss?

If they just miss them because they were (pre-existing relationship), go back to the drawing board.

Fluttering Bird as an example. Who was she? Dead sister. Why do they miss her? Dead sister. No traits until after her death.

Runningwind was short-tempered and helpful. Kamina was a valuable leader who made people believe in a brighter future. Swiftpaw was fiesty and desperate to prove himself. The better characterized, the more profound the loss usually is.

If this is a female character who is dying just to serve the plot, be aware of cultural bias and tropes. How is the gender ratio looking in your cast? Is this happening disproportionately with your girls?

Note how Quiet Rain's litter had both a boy and a girl, but the girl was chosen to be "weaker" and wither away.

And how most of the time in DOTC, whenever a man had to be upset, a girl would get killed for it.

If you ever feel like the character on the chopping block is NOT a full character, ask yourself why it needs to be a character at all. You don't need to spend narrative time building out someone when a literal object of high value might suffice.

"My sister died when I swore to protect her and I can't face my family" = Old. Tired. Ive seen this.

"I lost my heirloom sword when I swore to protect it and I can't face my family." = Fascinating. Why was the sword so valuable? Will they really not take you back? How did you lose it?

When you do kill off "high value" characters, try to make sure you're not leaving too many plot threads hanging. Or at least make a point of how they will never get closure.

[cent-scratchnsniff]

something bad did indeed happen to that man. spent abt 25 minutes trying to find a better picture of that one (1) offical piece with his eyes open that wasnt compressed or tiny

[katerinaaqu]

When people create movies: We must be very careful! We need to be respectful as possible. We shall cast very specifically people who have descent from that area or that look like their parts. What do you mean it is just a cartoon? OF COURSE it matters! And we shall also brag about how ethnically correct our voice actors are. And of course it doesn't matter it is fiction because culture behind fiction is important and it needs to be properly featured. Oh no we shall not feature the diversity we know by evidence it existed in the area because we need to focus on the ethnic identity of the indigenous populations

When people create movies featuring ancient Europe: We cast everything because we need diversity on every corner of Europe! What? What do you mean you have objections because the area did not look like this? Racist! Shut the fuck up is just a movie and the cast is very talented! They need empowering and you don't know what you are saying! It IS accurately depicted you just don't know shit! Aww the movie features myths but you have problem with the inaccurate ethnicity? Racist! It is just fiction! It doesn't matter! Your stories don't matter. They are mainstream anyways so who the fuck cares about something that happened thousands of years ago? No one would understand it anyways.

Me: Incredible! And you manage to fuck both of the above examples up because the "ethnically correct" movies are totally stripped of essence and do not give the real powerful cultures that they represent and the second...there ARE amazing examples that are unknown to the public that wait to be explored that involve both cultural diversity AND amazing stories and yet...yeah...

[cringefail-clown]

you werent supposted to be here

[sukibenders]

Not people talking bad about my girl Helaena just to support Aemond. Like, she had a right to ask him if what he did was worth it because, even if Aegon is atrocious, Aemond is the reason that her son was killed in front of her, the reason that she had to choose which of her children dies, and is the reason why she has to live with that now. While other characters played a part in that, without Aemond killing Luke, Jaehaerys would probably still be there or wouldn't have died in such a cruel way. B&C are sent there to kill Aemond, and when they can't find him they follow through with their next order of "a son for a son". And while Aemond may be smarter and more strategic (and not a disgusting man like Aegon) as prince regent, he is still, as Alicent called out, volatile and brewing with unchecked anger. I wouldn't feel safe having him on the throne just as much as Aegon, but because he served face and is the lesser evil I'm supposed to be okay with it? No, Helaena can question this man as much as she likes, for the rest of her life given what she has to go through. (Also, she literally just asked him a valuable question that deeply needs to be considered, so why are people mad at her?)

[benevolenterrancy]

Can I ask what was your first impression of TGCF and if it turned out wrong or right?

My first impression of TGCF was "this goof continuously ascends to -- and gets kicked out of -- heaven, this is going to be clown town isn't it?"

And honestly I stand by that one, I think I was completely correct**

(**barring the fact that this goof will then go on to experience ever conceivable horror known to man but honestly I mostly expected it after MDZS)

[you-know-cchio]

i feel like yapping and i saw some others doing this so

here are my top 15 sfth longforms:

edit: this was actually so difficult, which is a true testament to the quality of content sfth publish. also my list accidentally turned out to be so long even after some editing, so im putting the entire thing under the cut. feel free to reblog with your own list, i really like seeing which longforms other people enjoy.

15. the meringue haberdashery

people sleep on this one but i really like it. a villain ending played by none other than luke (wo)manning from essex himself??? Immaculate.

14. the angel massacre (patreon livestream)

tom argues with god. poirley goittes. the power of therapy. and none of it is sexual except that brief bit with jigglypuff, onix, and lucario.

13. wild, wet, and worrisome

the play starts with aj asking sam to shut up and ends with sam agreeing to shut up. the plot is simple and the comedy is so effective. big fan of tom's beautiful siren call and no slut-shaming policy. "be happy, find love."

12. keith the delivery guy (patreon - fringe 2024)

luke plays two characters at once while the other three mime ping pong in the background. sam and tom contemplate death. aj is a bad arse fucker with abs.

11. the mystery of the midnight circus

tom plays a slowly deteriorating genius So Well. and the Twist genuinely got me, because i honestly had no idea how they were going to tie together a conclusion. i also have to give sam his flowers for that descent into madness at the end. it was an incredible monologue that gave me the heebie-jeebies the first time i watched it. these guys are all so fucking chaotic but they're also Phenomenal actors.

10. the leftenmost window

honestly for swooping in with a believable explanation for why sam was left on stage while aj and luke talked offstage, tom deserved to do whatever he wanted in that theater. also luke tying the astral projection abilities in with the war story was such a smart decision. like i know these guys have been doing this for over a decade but im always amazed by their ability to pull together a cohesive narrative on the spot. luke's impassioned "darling i love you" monologue was also so so perfect. and i gotta give aj his flowers too. the man was so locked in that he referenced the comment luke made in the beginning about the boer war. an occurrence so surprising that sam even broke character for a brief second to acknowledge it.

9. disco tango at the rugby club (patreon livestream)

aj doesn't know what a hooker is. sam doesn't know what empathy is. luke doesn't know if he'll ever grow to be *this* tall. but all three of them do know how to make math puns. (this is what happens when tom isn't there.)

8. toby's secret pocket

this longform is just a thinly veiled excuse for the four of them to fuck with each other for 35 minutes. and i loved every second of it. luke making sam define comptroller. tom inserting himself in the office scene as a bit only to become the fan favorite character. sam excusing himself from the scene. aj going against his own character's decision to include himself in the investigation so he didn't have to sit on the side for the rest of the show. also gotta give tom his flowers for his Brilliant execution of the final confrontation between don ciciccio and jimmy.

7. strange noises from the hole in the wall

what do you get when you mix a horror/thriller plot with a tom mayo villain? a masterpiece, that's what. also, usually they're confined to a tiny black box with little space between the stage and the audience or, in the case of their specials, they're on a giant stage they can't easily leave. so i loved how the guys used every resource available to them in that venue. stairs on the sides. the tall metal chairs. the circle frog bucket sign. the handheld mics. the space in front of the stage. this longform also centered around a more abstract central concept and they managed to pull off "some amazing special effects". also i learned the british version of "if you see something, say something".

6. the unrelenting aubergine

an Iconic longform, featuring all the classic sfth hallmarks. aj voluntarily introducing a character that slaps him repeatedly. sam being more than happy to oblige. tom taking it upon himself to work in a rather poignant love story. luke tying it all together at the end with the inevitable dick joke. perfect, no notes.

5. drama at till 4 (patreon exclusive longform)

four white men in their mid-thirties portray the awkwardness, turbulence, and angst of navigating teenage girlhood in 20 minutes with surprising accuracy. also, salmon is now reduced.

4. ballet on the battlefield

alexa and janusz my absolute Beloveds who live happily ever after. the two of them escaping through the window at the end was truly an impressive feat. love how tom timed the macarena perfectly so that right as the daydream sequence ends he's facing the kaiser. love aj's extensive range of characters: serious russian, camp german, fast byierd, window foundation. and love luke. end of sentence.

3. snakehips (patreon livestream)

a chaotic spin on the classic western that ends with two men, standing shoulder to shoulder.

2. the milkman

who needs therapy when you can listen to luke manning laugh.

1. the grape depression

perhaps not a surprise given my choice of url. everything from the storyline to the pacing to the acting was absolutely perfect. tom's comedic timing as a loveable, innocent child perfectly balances out the otherwise sobering plot and rather dark climatic twist. aj also absolutely shines in this longform, i really like his serious characters. i know it's not as chaotic as most of their other content, but it is what i show people when they ask about sfth.

[good-soupmens]

Ik the good omens fandom has different takes on God as a character, but I like the idea that she DOES have an ineffable plan, and Heaven is doing their absolute worst job carrying it out.

Most angels never talk to God, and they're usually selfish, they don't do the right thing (only what they're told), and it's even possible they're working under a corrupt power (like the Metatron). I like that theory because Metatron IS the barrier between God and the angels. He could easily lie to them and change plans, and we the audience know that "friendly old man metatron" swindling Aziraphale is not what he seems.

But from the beginning, we see inconsistency. Crowley falls from heaven after asking questions/hanging out with the wrong group while Aziraphale is allowed to lie about the flaming sword and change Heaven's plans. God can see how much he cares about humans and the earth by his actions (Crowley being the same), which makes me think that him getting away with it is intentional, not inconsistent or neglectful. ESPECIALLY if Aziraphale and Crowley run heaven and hell respectively in season 3. They have the power to change things, just like they stopped the world from ending the first time. I think Crowley and Aziraphale ARE the ineffable plan.

Their love could bridge the gap between opposing forces in a way that it couldn't if they were both angels. After all, both heaven and hell think they're doing the better thing while they're both not. Crowley and Aziraphale are the best of both sides.

If bringing them together was God's plan, it'd be a powerful story for queer Christians!! A lot of us have been hurt by the church, but we hold on to God's love, which doesn't fail us. We stay in a religion with a history of fighting queerness not because we're all brainwashed, but because we wholeheartedly believe in a God that loves us. Sometimes I see good omens' heaven as an analogy for toxic churches, and I'd love nothing more than for Aziraphale to realize heaven is working against God. Not to mention God using a gay couple to save the world/save heaven from corruption?? I'd kill for that storyline

Secondly, Aziraphale's devotion wouldn't have been for nothing. If God was awful the whole time, it defeats the times he and Crowley reached out, and the moment in the GOs1 finale where Crowley says, "what if you're going AGAINST God's ineffable plan?" to Gabriel and Beelzebub. (It'd almost defeat the purpose of her being the quirky narrator following their story, too.)

Even Crowley, never fooled by "heaven is all good" calls for God in his time of need ("God listening? Show me an ineffable plan.") (Possibly when he reaches to the sky in order to stop time) (Calling for God before Satan in the burning bookshop) (Looking up and muttering "God" after realizing Aziraphale is going to leave him in s2)

Lastly, after the trauma that both Crowley and Aziraphale went through, with Crowley falling and Aziraphale coming to terms with heaven's corruption (and both being mistreated by their side) it'd be nice to have been for a reason. They have every right to grieve and be angry for all that they went through, and the centuries that they weren't supposed to love each other, but I believe the series will end on a positive, sweet note, like the rainbow after a storm.

Like Job, they're losing almost everything (their relationship as it was, the bookshop, and the life they carved out), but they have each other. I think they'll lose everything to save EVERYONE, and in the end, the reward will top the pain. No holding back, no forces hunting them down, just them together after a PAINFULLY long time with everything they'd wanted.

We know that God doesn't get around to answering many questions, but her speech to Job was in part to say "trust me"

She laid the foundations of the earth. She made every living thing. Job couldn't see past the destruction of his life, but she has a plan. Job is a valuable human being, but he doesn't have the power and knowledge of God. God will share her plan when he can make a whale. Otherwise, he can trust that "Most things are fine in the end"

*Aziraphale voice* That's ineffable!

[tigerbears]

Homestuck Spoilers Out of Context.

[heavens-angriest-winner]

the good part of this episode was that the next episode is not coming out anytime soon

[fisheito]

i can't look at him i can't look at him i can't look at him i won't i can't im not allowed to why is he I CANNOT

[blood-ology]

Screaming and biting things thinking about interview with the vampire season 2

[spghtrbry]

so i’ve been. THINKING lately.

you can find many similarities in both stories but there are also huge differences…

in cain and abel’s story cain murders his younger brother because of his jealousy and because god preferred abel over him, which is obviously similar to how chuck’s pride made him envious of jimmy because he’s more likeable and made their mom laugh etcetera etcetera..but i’d say abel was a pure guy, he didn’t do anything bad, he was like. basically the purest human being at that time (well it’s not really difficult to be the best person when there’s like 4 people in the whole world and two of them literally got kicked out of heaven but anyway). and cain murdered him. which is clearly not the case with jimmy and chuck because obviously in the legal point of view chuck is a better person than jimmy …

and we’ve got esau and jacob, which is i think a really underrated story. i mean i love cain and abel but i think people often forget about those two. esau, (technically) an older brother, always gets tricked by jacob. jacob buys his birthright and steals his father’s blessing that was meant for esau. and esau rages at him because. i mean. that’s not a nice thing to do. but in the end jacob becomes one of the Main Characters in the genesis… personally i think this story is more… idk, specific? there’s just something about the younger brother constantly tricking the older to get what he wants, even though the reasons not always are completely selfish. BUT! in the end esau and jacob made peace which is (spoiler alert😨) not the case with chuck and jimmy ………..and also jacob didn’t really have a redemption arc and esau just. idk. moved on with his life. got a family and all that. so he basically became a normie. but yeah ANYWAYS!

so yeah. i’d really love to hear ur thoughts and opinions on this one because i am a little bit insane about all this stuff as you probably noticed

(also if i messed something up or if im wrong anywhere please lmk lol it’s been a while since ive read the old testament…….)

[yannig]

Would you look at that Huaien: long term consequences of your bullshit that you're not gonna be able to ignore! Who could have foreseen this!