#writers work really hard

[exewing]

doooodle

[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.

[strryhaze]

jack at the democratic national convention in chicago, illinois. august 1956.

this moment needs to be huge in the jfk netflix series (if it ever happens, that is) because it’s when jack — as a political figure — went beyond the senate halls, beyond massachusetts in the public eye. it’s when he went national. despite the inevitable chaos and defeat of not winning the vice presidential nomination, this moment set him right on the presidential path. and the most important detail in all of this was that it wasn’t planned.

and because of that one detail, this event could make for such an iconic episode. the culmination of it all. the emotion. the drama occurring behind the scenes: joe senior yelling at jack and bobby through the phone and telling them that they have absolutely ruined jfk’s political future which the audience would find incredibly ironic, then the quick, neurotic, almost thrilling pace of bobby and jack trying to gain enough delegates for the vp nomination, jack and jackie’s relationship being on the rocks like never before bc of cheating allegations on BOTH sides (and the divide is unfortunately only exacerbated soon after)

but what would make the episode really shine, especially in a jfk centered series, is that aside from this moment being a monumental event in jfk’s political career, it would also work as a moving force within jfk’s emotional development in the show and demonstrate his state of mind at the time. somewhat fragile but within that fragility, a tough determination moving at high speed, impossible to break.

this spur-of-the-moment decision he made to try and obtain the vice presidential nomination stemmed from jfk’s near death experience in one of the harshest surgeries he’d ever faced. he always put on a good face, but as many biographers have pointed out, genuine fear always resided beneath the smiles and witticisms. two siblings had already died on jack and this time around, it was him that almost didn’t make it — that’s when it became all or nothing for him. and instead of his instincts backfiring on him like his father expected them to, they pushed him onto the political national stage; a stage that would be waiting for him when 1960 rolled around.

[littlest-bugz]

Man :( My uncle kinda bummed me out about my fantasy series.

He's like "well you need humans or elves or something that readers can already relate to" and I'm like

the 10+ species I made was for nothing? The species I made to replace the human population is just,,, irrelevant? Like damn :( I really broke my back making this fantasy realm for 8 years, and I have to change it entirely now because humans need to be there for 'relatability'?

My wee little heart is shattered,, Would literally anyone read a fantasy series that doesn't have humans or elves?

[wickjump]

im gonna start posting fanfic recs btw whenever i find good ones. both here and my (awfully barren) 18+ account. because there are so many good fics out there with so few hits and fewer kudos and sometimes no comments period and it SUCKS because i REALLY LIKE THEM A LOT.. and i hope that by linking them here and yelling at everyone to COMMENT DAMMIT they might actually do it

seriously though any comment means a lot. most people who read a fic don’t even give a kudos. even if the fic wasn’t top tier, if you didn’t dislike it, hand over some kudos!! and if you liked it, comment!!!! even if the comment is one singular heart emoji it will be appreciated. if the comment just says “great fic!” the author will be happy. your comment doesn’t have to be this long winded gushing or analysis.

so many authors quit writing or lose motivation because the comments are few and far in between or just sometimes nonexistent. trust me when i say authors don’t care about how long or cool or smart sounding your comment is i promise!!!

i hope that mmmaybe recommending fics and telling people to comment might help fics i really like get more support maybe. and i, points at you reading this, hope that you will listen!!!at least a little….at least sum kudos….

[mollysunder]

The pacing in s2 really distracted us all from really inspecting how funny and genuinely fascinating Jinx and Viktor's one and only direct interaction was. I don't mean the snark, I mean Viktor had to have known Jinx fired the rocket, either from gossip in Zaun or being literally in a bunch of Zaunites (and Salo's head).

There's no way that Viktor didn't know practically killed him and irrevocably altered the trajectory of his life. In fact, he's likely gotten all kinds of angles on who Jinx is from everyone in the commune. Viktor really could seen from the periphery if his followers' minds the Jinx's growth from Vander's black sheep to Silco's darling terror. And after seeing all the things she's done, he invites her live at his commune!!!!!!

Insanity.

[firesmokeandashes]

All the fanfic readers/writers, after finding out they can't read their before-bed fanfics, and escape reality for a little bit, because ao3 is down:

[agentplutonium]

I will apologize in advance for the person I will become when EPIC: the Ocean Saga comes out tomorrow. Except I’m not sorry. I’m a Classics and Drama major in the making, who is obsessed with music, this is the perfect mix of my special interests. Im gonna be insufferable. Y’all are gonna hate me when I start pulling out analysis of the songs.

[bunnithechubs]

fan- short for the word fanatic fantastic.

[justanotherjaydrawing]

Here it is, the first instalment of my biggest project yet!

If you are the best part of me is a 4k word fic exploring the Miya twins dynamic and addressing the struggles that come with constantly being compared to someone. (more yapping plus bigger images below)

This fic is fairly stand alone so I feel comfortable posting it on its own. Parts two and three are both significantly longer so we will see how I go with posting them, but for now, I hope you enjoy this starting point!

[prettyboykatsuki]

i enjoy writing fic from the bottom of my heart and i also get so much love from people that im very grateful for and feel very blessed by. but man writing takes so long and is . so difficult with is received sometimes with what feels like so much entitlement. it is just weirdly exhausting randomly.

[ewtoxic]

Last thing I’m gonna say because I feel like it’s a little important. Because no matter I do no one is gonna gif the last scene. This is just what I think, I really….dont care if anyone doesn’t get it. As someone who is ummm older than this shows target audience annnnddd as someone with both Complex Trauma and PTSD, JJ’s ending still makes sense to me. I appreciated John B’s narration, because he shines a light on JJ’s best moments and best qualities, while also referencing his trauma. So like, there is no other side. And this is real. There is no true “happy ending” when it comes to trauma disorders, at least not in the way most people think (and I thought at one point as well). I have been told (and I knew it already) that I will need some form of therapy for the rest of my life. Trauma survivors do not get a magical happy ending. You can manage your disorder and find peace. It’s not about having a happy ending, it’s about having a moments of brightness and holding on to them while you’re in the dark. I mean that’s life in general really. And I think it was unbelievably important to show a character that goes through so much be looked at not as someone who got a bad ending and didn’t get the ride off into the sunset with their gf, but as someone who found joy and love and friendship even when experiencing all that pain. JJ’s story is a testament to the complexities of living with trauma and abuse. It’s a beautiful moment for him and the show. Him to die after saying he had everything he wanted and he got his wish. Honestly I think there a lot of important things in those last minutes that people would appreciate if yall weren’t so bent on getting fanserviced to with this show. You got used to how the entertainment industry interacts with social media and it’s made yall unable to really appreciate storytelling.

[cherrygummybears]

waking up and checking the scarnash tag this morning

[sylvieserene]

Fixing history using the power of editing and my editing skills!!

For today we have, New Titans (1980) Issue #100

✨ Wedding Special ✨

@robstarblog @robstaryeah pinging yall just in case so that this doesn't get lost in oblivion (It'd be painful since I worked 5 hours non stop on it lol)

I think the most time was taken by the final panel and adding in the finishing touches since I pretty much had to change everything to the pixel level, quite literally lol (I'm serious, I did)

Welp I hope the results were worth it! And with that, another one gets a good ending!!

I kinda didn't add sleeves in the first two panels of the final page because it didn't look good and looked janky with how I was editing it so yeah please ignore that-

[hyperfixationtimego]

if nobody else got me I know ao3 got me 🙏 can I get an amen

[bumblingbabooshka]

Tom & B'Elanna give off closeted gay vibes in that I think if you asked them to describe their ideal woman and man they would respectively describe a swimsuit model (bonus: who's Not Like Other Girls) and the lead in some sort of romantic novel. Nothing even close to a real person. The most generic you can get about straight romantic and sexual attraction.