Setting is not merely a place where action happens to take place. Often setting itself can enable action that might not otherwise be taken. Consider how your character might use the setting itself to carry out their objective or strategy. In his book The Craft of Scene Writing, Jim Mercurio says, “A scene really isn’t complete until the writer has found a way to incorporate the setting or has changed the setting so that it contributes to the scene. Just as we did with props, put yourself in the mind-set of your characters, see the world through their eyes, and explore how they would react to and interact with their immediate environment. If two characters are angry at each other, the actions that reveal that anger will vary depending on the location. If a character wants to make another character miserable in a car, as the driver, he might drive recklessly. As a passenger, she might put her feet up on the dash or change the radio station. Anger in an elevator may manifest as a character pressing all of the buttons, crowding the other person into the corner, or, classiest of all, passing gas.” How would your character make use of their setting? Or how can you change the setting so that the character can make use of it?

The Iron Throne

Absolute power corrupts absolutely.  WHAT AN EPIC FINALE. With the onset of Internet memes brilliantly imitating a variety of the emotion we have all endured in these pivotal 80 minutes of the final season: frustration, anger, disappointment, mind-blowing moments of shock, awe and grim satisfaction - we finally reached the fulfilling closure that we spent weeks fearing we were to be deprived of.  In the midst of this overwhelming chemical cocktail, unmet expectations and skepticism gradually simmered in the aftermath of Episode 3. Granted, some of were legit losing our marbles. I mean if you think about the majority of fans that were screaming for D&D’s, even going to the extent of signing a petition to get a HBO remake of the show with ‘competent’ writers - you could tell that most of them had resorted to rabid desperation. From their standpoint, this was duly justified if you take into account having to wait a lengthy 2 years for the final season to air. A huge chunk of this disappointment is attributed to D&D, for seemingly being unable to ‘tie up the loose ends’ and ultimately failing to ‘live up to’ well-thought-out, heavily strategized fan theories. All those late night phone calls discussing prophecies and the role of the Valonqar at great length, mamak sessions spent on grueling debates, fact-checking, re-binging the entire series at length, conjuring alternate realities where characters did the unexpected... couch potatoes were the most frustrated to have yielded nothing of particular significance towards the end. But what an end it was. I am still unravelling from the aftershock that was the finale. For a quick revisit:  TYRION Tyrion is mentioned first and foremost in this piece not only because he is the first character we see trudging through the death and ruin at the beginning of the episode but solely because his character has been central to the entire GoT layout. Tyrion’s character arc plays out flawlessly, its denouement coming full circle to ultimately realistic ending for the last Lannister left standing. His journey began from a royally dismissed and invalidated imp to prisoner, to Hand of the King which provided an opportunity for fans to explore the depths of his honor, bravery, and unparalleled wit. The way in which the final season was written pays homage to Peter Dinklage’s character in the fondest way possible: his trial is the most important aspect of the GoT narrative. No stranger to death trials, Tyrion is once again stripped off his power and ends up in a familiar position. Although this time, the rules have changed - drastically. While we’re on that page, are there rules in the absence of power? Who makes these rules?  Ah, decisions decisions. The power of choice is the frontrunning theme of the finale. “She doesn’t get to choose,” a conflicted Jon says to the incarcerated Tyrion when prodded on Sansa’s allegiance. Tyrion vehemently agrees, but does not hesitate to add “But you do.” With all the subtlety of Littlefinger and Varys delicately shifting the arrangement of chess pieces on a chessboard in their favor, Tyrion rises to the occasion albeit doing so for selfless purposes. Tyrion is well aware of his powers of persuasion - it has been the sole ingredient in the recipe of his survival for all this time. And so with that last sentence, Tyrion sets Jon in motion for the scene that follows.  Tyrion’s trial at Dragonpit is expected, though not entirely at the behest of what looks to be the remaining Lords and Ladies of the Seven Kingdoms. This scene makes it to my list as one of those scenes that fans would have never in a million years been able to imagine. I mean even Robin Arryn, Lord of the Sucklers (though, not because he sucks, but because he SUCKS) who we remember hanging from Lysa Arryn’s nipple in Season 1 is present. Brought forward by Greyworm, Tyrion’s audience includes amongst others, Lady Sansa, Arya Stark, Brandon Stark/Three-Eyed Raven/Seer of the Past, Ser Davos Seaworth, Lord Edmund Tully (Catelyn’s insecure, overcompensating sorry excuse for a brother), Samwell Tarly and Yara Greyjoy.  Amidst the loyalty divide and the challenge of a sudden power vacuum, the Nobles exchange disparate deliberations on the subject of “what happens next?” or rather, “who gets to decide what happens next?” - case in point, Tyrion’s (inevitable) fate. But wait! After the Onion Knight’s justifiable attempt at bargaining a fair compensatory deal with the leader of the Unsullied, Tyrion brings up the subject of choice again.  “It’s not for you to decide,” he tells Greyworm.  Although this statement is met with fervent frustration over the outcome of the Last War, Greyworm makes a good case for why it was probably best for Tyrion to have remained silent. Tyrion agrees. But he isn’t done. He then says what would come to be remembered as the beginning of the most powerful few lines Peter Dinklage will ever utter as Tyrion Lannister. He reiterates again, “It is not for you to decide. [On Jon’s fate] he says, it is “up to our King to decide. Or our Queen,” calling attention to the power vacuum.  The Nobles acknowledge the absence. We then see that there is more to Tyrion’s statement than merely stating the obvious. “You’re the most powerful people in Westeros,” he declares. “Choose one.”  This time, Tyrion is uninterrupted. Nor is he silenced. In fact, the Nobles are actually LISTENING in silence. Tyrion, scoring again with his powers of persuasion. This man undoubtedly has a gift. Even a displeased Greyworm looks to be reluctantly agreeing through gritted teeth. In fact, it is Greyworm who then respects the need for the choice to be made - adding to the already urgent need for free and fair deliberation.  A brief moment of comedic relief suspends the tension in this scene as Lord Edmund Tully, in all his unconvincing bravado, nominates himself as King. Samwell breaks the silence to make a pitch for democracy on all fronts - but even he fails to convince the Nobles. Nobody is able to come up with a favorable solution. Naturally, the Onion Knight asks Tyrion, “who then?”  And we see Tyrion’s character development coming to full fruition. It is only fitting that he had been held prisoner for weeks, as he has had time to explore all available avenues to solve this conundrum. On a note of history and redemption, we see Tyrion addressing the century-long divide between Kingdoms. It is not their bannermen (their living symbols of undying allegiance), nor their accumulated wealth (the financial prowess of their many Houses), or even inanimate objects dedicated to symbolizing pride, honor, and identity. What trumps these? Does power NOT stem from these? Tyrion shakes his head - so apparently not. 

What then?  “Stories,” he says. “There is nothing in the world more powerful than a good story.”  Intertextuality (and introspection!) will tell you immediately that he is referring to the Game of Thrones. This line is not only the centerpiece of the series, but it is also the belief of every single GoT fan that has stuck with the series from when it began right up to its end. Frustrated or angry, satisfied or just borderline pleased... we have all believed that the selling point of GoT boils down to the quality of a great story. Isn’t that why we have waited this long? Isn’t that why we theorize, why we overanalyze, why we criticize but also why we spend all this time?  So what about stories? What is the pull here?  As it turns out, invincibility. Stories are invincible. “Nobody can stop it,” Tyrion says. “No enemy can defeat it.” And of course, the next leader needs to be unstoppable and undefeatable - but not exactly in the way that we are all used to understanding leadership qualities. Stories transcend time and space. Stories, in fact, outlive us all. And on the subject of living, Tyrion remembers the boy who “fell from a tower and didn’t die.” This same boy became the Keeper of Stories, transcending time and space. He became a mystical force of sorts - although never really moving on his own. Tyrion says, “he is our MEMORY,” insisting that Brandon Stark is a personification of an individually experienced yet collective past. That is, in essence, what we all share. It is the one uniting factor we cannot omit. Bran’s lack of interest and impotence only serve to make him the most suitable candidate. Demonstrably, Bran agrees to lead if he is indeed chosen.  Tyrion then succeeds in changing the entire system of governance in Westeros. “From now on, our rulers will not be born,” he says, effectively ending Westerosi feudalism. Tyrion single-handedly masterminds the shift from feudalism to constitutional monarchy. The Nobles, in turn, express their agreement. A sole defector in the form of Lady Sansa does nothing to throw a wrench in this newfound system.  CONSENSUS HAS BEEN REACHED IN WESTEROS. OH, WHAT PEACE AT LAST - and King Brandon the Broken, First of His Name, chooses his rightful Hand, none other than Tyrion himself. At this very minute, Tyrion has not only brought peace to the land but proved himself redeemable despite past failings. There is lots to be done, and new duties to look forward to; but for once the future of Westeros is no longer bleak. (Written by Sebastian, L.R., Published May, 2019)  

- to be continued by Sebastian, L.R. 

Edward.

What has become of you and me

is a mystery.

You were my beginning, my middle, my ending

I lost sight of what it felt like to be in love with you

so consumed by you

touched and felt by you

held by you

We embraced in the darkness

dim light creepin’ through the bedroom from the bathroom floor

wet, water drippin’

this shower is a cleansing ritual

a purification method

a way to sever my connection to the past

while retaining the better parts of me;

while holding tight to the better half of me,

so tight that my fingernails bleed from this intensity

but finally

I feel worthy.

​#tags

Deaf.

“How was your day?,” she’d asked me again, cautiously twirling the ends of her chopsticks into unending circles in one corner of her ceramic dinner plate. She had not eaten a morsel. 

A routine question posed at every meal, surreptitiously agonizing for an answer each time it was uttered. It seemed almost mundane to be wasting the rest of our lives like this. I was a living, breathing creature that no longer felt alive. My eyes blinked, my lungs lifted and deflated in a patterned rhythm, my fingers could feel the solid marble of our tabletop, my feet the parquet that lined our broken kitchen floor..and yet it felt as if I had lost a big chunk of myself a long time ago. I was physically present in this room but mentally exhausted, spiritually drained and emotionally distraught. 

She never looked at me. In fact, I could not recall the last time she had looked at me in the 12 years we had spent co-habiting. Even the bonsais at the edge of our balcony seemed to be living a much more fulfilling existence than this. 

Collision

I bear the weight of your magnetism 

through these tired eyes 

tired mind

unthinkingly exploring the innumerous trajectories of our silent sighs.

Anchors lowered 12 meters deep 

lungs constricting, raspy breathing 

stuck in a sleep paralysis 

a chokehold where I can feel the skin beneath your fingertips.

These emotions are unfamiliar,

foreign, 

undesired,

to be discarded, 

and yet 

we toil to sow discord 

but all these notes played sloppily have ended in 

a simple

unending harmony.

Is there a dissent from this view?

I ask you 

searching the creases of your face 

for a sign of shame, agony or disgrace 

pained or fake enthusiasm 

instead, 

I end up in the solace your embrace

intertwined and dependent,

self-seeking and yet not completely self-assured 

this is probably not the way out of our barren forest 

where nothing seems to thrive but 

weed 

and sorrow 

fungi, algae, bacteria 

feeding off the flesh of dead sparrows

this putrid scent of a life unlived

desires unfulfilled 

are we only edging deeper on the verge of no tomorrow? 

Is there a way out? 

all I hear is my own echo

as if I have traveled through a time-space continuum 

where the dark matter of our love 

ceases to exist

it is but a vacuum

a black hole

how did we get here? 

how do we return? 

Through a thousand fates 

Ten thousand destinies 

A hundred thousand stars and light years pass,

how have we managed to exist at the same time?  

how have our paths managed to collide 

when you and I are nothing 

but parallel lines.

My beautiful nightmare

the demon of my dreams

who quiets the hurricanes, landslides, and thunderstorms

 of our 

soon to be erased past,

how do I release thee from the shackles of thy desire? 

how do I emancipate thee from thy metal detector? 

how do I unchain thee from dealing with the wrath, 

greed, and envy, 

that arises from overindulgence? 

passive temptation, sin without redemption

I lie adrift in the sea of our own destruction

We made this happen.

We designed, co-created, 

sign, sealed and delivered  

disaster 

so gracefully ruined are you and I 

that there is no option for us in the hereafter. 

Be careful when you cast out your demons that you don’t throw away the best of yourself.

Friedrich Nietzsche (via purplebuddhaquotes)

Something worth thinking about.

A good use for my degree.

A thing that I rarely see people talk about here that’s an important thing you can do in sociology:

You can measure oppression.

More accurately, you can measure the results of oppression. There are studies designed to parse out how often specific groups are discriminated against in employment and in housing. There are studies where people look through legal records to determine how often people lose child custody cases due to a (usually sexual or religious) minority status. You can look at disparities in violent crime against different groups. You can look at disparities in mental and physical health. You can look at class disparities as they fall along race and sex and orientation and religious and GID lines. There are a lot of ways that this shit is measured and every minority is oppressed in a slightly different way and intersectionality obviously impacts all of these statistics (ex. pay gaps in race and gender mean woc make less than white women or men of color), but there are real and measurable things that can be researched to determine whether and how a group is oppressed.

So I’m automatically skeptical whenever someone says a given minority group isn’t oppressed. I hop onto jstor or google scholar and try to figure out what’s going on. Every time I’ve done this - specifically for aces, polyamorous people, and nonbinary folks - I’ve found actual scholarly research that indicates some sort of structural oppression.

If you’re in high school or college, you probably have access to at least a few scholarly databases, and if not, you can probably still read the abstracts of articles about this stuff. Please, please make 2018 the year of basing opinions on social issues on actual social science.

Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that ‘my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.’

Isaac Asimov

(via myawesomequotes-com)

Touchè.

Reblogging for "metatextual wankery", I mean how can you come across a phrase like that and not be amused?

Hold up - you mean there are people who watch Fight Club and don’t realise that Tyler Durden is meant to be full of shit?

I mean, his doctrine of radical individualism is a sham that ultimately reduces his followers to faceless conformity. This isn’t deep metatextual wankery - it’s the literal text of the film.

How do you see the film and not get that?

Rewatching this in order.

“The Best Films of the Decade: 1990-1999”

created by Minimal-Pulse-Art [minimal-pulse.tumblr.com]