#it's a great place to start building character conflict from
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Ten years ago, the fastest sword across the jianghu was Li Xiangyi's sword. At 15, he defeated the Demon of the Blood Realm, and became the greatest master in the martial world. At 17, he established the Sigu Sect. At 20, he became the leader of the wulin, putting an end to its wild conflicts, and turned into a legend.
— Mysterious Lotus Casebook, Episode 1
"FoBiBaiShi" were a team that already existed ten years ago. Back then, they were originally part of the hall of punishments within the "Sigu Sect", opposing the evil Jinyuan Alliance. Then, the Jinyuan Alliance disintegrated, with the Sigu Sect's leader Li Xiangyi fighting Jinyuan Alliance head Di Feisheng in a battle on the ocean. Both of them disappeared, and the Sigu Sect also disbanded.
(...) "FoBiBaiShi" consisted of four people: Han Fo, Bi Qiu, Bai E, and Shi Shui. These four people were once Li Xiangyi's right-hand men. After ten years, they had already become great modern heroes of the era, whom every disciple of the jianghu longed for. By contrast, Li Xiangyi, who had fought Di Feisheng in a sea battle neither side won, then disappeared with him, had already been gradually forgotten. His reputation today could not compare to that of the celebrated "FoBiBaiShi".
— Auspicious Pattern Lotus House, Chapter 7
I'm absolutely fascinated by the difference in how JXWLHL and MLC chose to first bring up Li Xiangyi. The drama highlights his incredible fame and achievements right from the start, with its general focus being on how a glorious hero comes to live as an ordinary person. The jianghu of the novel, meanwhile, is ever moving forward, and Li Xiangyi ten years after his disappearance is already just a footnote in other people's stories. His introduction serves to place him firmly as a figure of the past. I know the drama and the novel set out to tell two separate stories, but the contrast is still interesting. MLC's theme of how legends become dehumanized and how you can't control your story revolves most around Li Xiangyi's character, while the novel doesn't bother building up his figure like that, simply talks of Li Xiangyi as he exists now in the present (and it seems he barely does, I'd say Li Lianhua himself surpasses Li Xiangyi in fame by this point). I'm not far beyond this point in the novel, so no spoilers please, but I'm excited to continue!
#I can't help but think that drama!llh would be pleased at how book!lxy is talked about by the present day#mysterious lotus casebook#jxwlhl#li xiangyi#meta#ashton originals
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Hello! Do you have any advice for indecisiveness when creating characters? I don't have much trouble with creating conflict, but figuring out my characters is difficult. I'm working on a character-driven story, and I have an internal conflict, I'm just not sure how the story will manifest. The worst part is I can't even find advice online because all character advice is about character development, making your characters complex, etc.... My problem is I don't know what my character is doing. I'm talking about their occupation. Student? Corporate job? Architect? Artist? My conflict is good to go but now I'm stuck here...
As a writer, creating characters who are believable and relatable is one of the most crucial aspects of storytelling. However, many writers struggle with indecisiveness when it comes to creating their characters, especially when it comes to their occupations and how their stories will manifest.
You get to mould your characters into whatever form you like, but it’s easy to suffer from choice paralysis when you’re confronted with the entirety of human experience, both real and imagined. The good news is, if you already know your story conflict, then you can actually narrow down and be a bit more targeted in how you go about creating characters.
Start with the basics
When creating a character, it’s essential to start with the basics. This includes their name, age, gender, physical appearance, and personality traits. These fundamental elements will serve as the foundation for your character and help you build upon them as you develop their story. Come up with these by asking yourself a series of questions with your story conflict and theme firmly in your mind.
Name: Choose a name that fits your character’s personality and background. Consider their age, culture, and the time period in which your story takes place. And don’t be afraid to use a random name generator or even a placeholder—there’s always a chance to change your mind in the editing phases.
Age: Determine your character’s age by how it influences their behaviour, beliefs, and experiences. Would an older or a younger characters respond to their conflict differently? And which better suites the story you want to tell?
Gender: Decide on your character’s gender and how it shapes their identity and interactions with others. Will your story’s conflict play out differently if your character’s gender expression were reversed, or if they were non-binary?
Physical appearance: Describe your character’s physical features, such as their height, weight, hair colour, and any distinguishing characteristics. Unfortunately there’s no easy way to do that. You just have to use your imagination and commit.
Personality traits: Identify your character’s key personality traits, such as their strengths, weaknesses, fears, and desires. These should relate to your character’s goal and conflict in some way.
Explore their background
Once you have a basic understanding of your character, it’s time to delve into their background. This includes their family history, upbringing, education, and any significant life events that have shaped who they are. Their background can feed directly into the conflict, as it can be a great source of pressure for how your plot develops.
Family history: Explore your character’s relationships with their family members, or how not having a family unit around them affects them as a person. Consider how their family dynamics have influenced their beliefs, values, and behaviours and how this can feed into their internal and external conflicts.
Upbringing: Determine where your character grew up and how their environment has shaped their worldview. Did they have a happy childhood, or did they face challenges and adversity? Did this affect their career choices?
Education: Decide on your character’s level of education and how it has impacted their career opportunities and whether it feeds into their internal conflict.
Significant life events: Identify any pivotal moments in your character’s life that have had a lasting impact on their personality and behaviour. Do they have any direct or indirect relationship with your story’s conflict and theme?
Determine their occupation
One of the most challenging aspects of creating characters is deciding on their occupation. This is especially true for writers who are working on character-driven stories and have a clear internal conflict but are unsure how the story will take shape. So how can we make that easier?
Consider their skills and interests: What is your character naturally good at? What do they enjoy doing? Their occupation should align with their skills and interests.
Think about their personality: How does your character’s personality influence their career choices? Are they ambitious and driven, or are they more laid-back and content with a simple life?
Explore their background: How has your character’s upbringing and education influenced their career path? Did they follow in their family’s footsteps, or did they forge their own path? Did they overcome adversity to reach where they are now, or were they barred from certain opportunities because of an educational, physical, or social handicap?
Consider the story’s themes: How does your character’s occupation tie into the overall themes and message of your story? Can their job serve as a metaphor or symbol for something deeper?
Connect the dots
Once you have a clear understanding of your character’s basics, background, and occupation, it’s time to connect the dots and see how these elements influence their internal conflict and the conflict and theme of the overall story.
Identify the internal conflict: What is your character struggling with internally? Is it a moral dilemma, a personal struggle, or a conflict between their desires and responsibilities?
Explore how their background influences the conflict: How has your character’s upbringing, family history, and significant life events contributed to their internal conflict?
Consider how their occupation ties into the conflict: Does your character’s job create additional challenges or pressures that exacerbate their internal conflict?
Think about how the conflict will manifest in the story: How will your character’s internal struggle play out in the plot? Will they face external challenges that force them to confront their internal conflict?
In summary
Creating compelling characters is a crucial aspect of storytelling, but it can be challenging for writers who struggle with indecisiveness. By starting with the basics, exploring your character’s background, determining their occupation, and connecting the dots between these elements and both their internal and the story conflict, you’ll be well on your way to creating characters that will bring your stories to life.
Remember, character creation is a process, and it’s okay to take your time and explore different options until you find what works best for your story. Don’t be afraid to experiment and make changes as you go along. With practice and persistence, you’ll become more confident in your ability to create compelling characters that resonate with readers
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um... what do you think about mio and sena u-u they might b my favorite pairing....
DO LOVE THOSE GIRLS. VERY MUCH.
I think they've got an interesting vibe going on, like, Mio doesn't really treat anyone the way she treats Sena, she kind of has Sena up on this pedestal where she is the perfectest girl that Mio adores :) her favourite :) her bestest girl :) but is failing to really communicate anything about what it is that makes Sena so loveable to her.
And the answer, I think, is pretty straightforward -- Sena is very loyal and sincere in her affection in a way that flatters Mio's ego in a good way -- but since Mio's attempts to get Sena to reveal herself to her the same way Mio feels seen by Sena keep falling flat, she can only really go back to those shallow compliments to return the affection. Talking to Sena is like talking to a mirror, Sena knows how to give Mio the positive reinforcement she needs but doesn't know how to let Mio get to know her, in turn.
And Sena's rock-bottom self-esteem and the idea that she has to be someone likeable to validate her own existence holds her back a lot, and masks that Mio does love Sena for reasons that are entirely unique to Sena. Sena uses sincerity as a mask, and while that leaves all her relationships quite shallow before she learns to communicate better, it's a shallow understanding of the real Sena.
Everything both Mio and Sena do is very heartfelt, Mio with her strong sense of self and Sena with her strong sense of compassion. I think Mio is ultimately good for Sena, because she's like a puzzle, she's someone Mio gets to figure out, someone she gets to have agency with, everything she learns about Sena is new and exciting and it keeps the high of the chase up.... as long as she feels like Sena wants her to do that. And when she doesn't, Mio just goes back to trying to flatter her way into Sena's heart, paying compliments because that's kind of all she can do what with Sena trying to keep her out of her heart.
And Sena does really want to be seen, be validated, she just doesn't know how to get that from people, she just knows how to do the things she wants to others and hope that one of them catches on and does the same thing back. She's just gotten so good at sincere effusive validation that it completely blocks out the part of her that wants that for herself, too. I think people can see that she is quite awkward and anxious, they just misplace that anxiety to be about how she's, like...... bad at things, when that's not her problem, Sena knows she's hot shit, she just doesn't think her skills are worth anything to anyone.
#van's answers#Xenoblade Chronicles 3#SenaMio#MioSena#what I'm saying is -- MioSena and NoahMio are parallels#Sena and Noah are parallels#they express the same sentiments in different ways but I truly feel like they would have a sense of comfort about each other#that they kind of lack with everyone else because with everyone else they need to be trying to BE something#Mio's self-esteem is rock-solid and she doesn't understand why anyone WOULDN'T like themselves tbh#And I like that. It's a breath of fresh air. We love a self-assured cat.#it's a great place to start building character conflict from#rather than needing to deal with the vague miasma of low self-esteem all the time
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Tomarrymort Starter Pack: 10 Recs for Getting Started in Tomarrymort
I've compiled a list of 10 medium to longfic recs that I think represent a great on-ramp to the Tomarrymort ship, as inspired by @sitp-recs’ Drarry for Beginners rec list. These are the fics that I would use to on-board people to the ship — gorgeous writing, superb characterization, and just as enjoyable on the first read as the 20th reread.
As always, I am stunned by the talent in this ship! I tried to pick a good mix of different themes/tropes/settings, with a focus on elements that make for a good introductory work: the characters are recognizable; the setting skews more recognizable; both characters in the ship are a meaningful part of the story; the ship is central to the story; and the fics are for the most part complete (or updated within the last year).
(Standard rec list disclaimers apply: please mind all tags and warnings on AO3 before reading; this blog abides by the age-old fandom axiom of don’t like; don’t read; recs are in alphabetical order by title.)
This is Part 1 of a 3-part series — I also have an Intermediate reading list and Advanced reading list coming up for readers who have been with the ship for a longer time.
For now, please enjoy these 1.3 million words of absolutely brilliant Tomarrymort reads that I hope will keep you hooked until the very last word:
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Tomarrymort Starter Pack Recs
A Dangerous Game by @cybrid (E, 284k, WIP)
Setting: Canon Divergence – Book 5
Premise: If Tom’s diary horcrux gains a body at the end of Harry’s 5th year (instead of his 2nd), and then promptly kidnaps Harry and holds him captive over the summer. Lots of smut ensues.
Why I rec it: The characterization is truly stunning — Tom Riddle is undoubtedly a psychopath — manipulative, thrill-seeking, kind of an irredeemable shithead — but he’s also dazzlingly charming when he chooses to be, someone whose presence Harry quickly grows addicted to. Their relationship can get incredibly toxic and fucked-up at times, but Harry has top-notch instincts and can hold his own against Tom. The plot is absolutely gripping, with the threat of (the main) Voldemort, who has set his sights on reclaiming his wayward horcrux, looming in the background.
A Future Without a Face by @dividawrites (E, 115k, complete)
Setting: Time-Travel (1940s)
Premise: If Harry travels back in time to Tom’s 5th year at Hogwarts, and Tom becomes obsessed with the new transfer student and wants nothing more than to possess him every way.
Why I rec it: A 1940s time travel fic told entirely from Tom Riddle POV! Divida absolutely nails psychopath Tom — how he quickly gets singlemindedly focused on Harry, how the idea of possessing Harry consumes him, how he has no compunctions about doing completely fucked-up and destructive things to achieve his goals. There is so much tension between them from the start, so there’s not much of a wait to see some hot Harry & Tom action — and the conflict and tension only continues to build and build in dramatic fashion throughout the rest of the fic.
Either must die at the hand of the other by @metalomagnetic (E, 260k, complete)
Setting: Post-Canon
Premise: If Voldemort survives the Battle of Hogwarts and is initially kept prisoner in Azkaban, until Harry takes him into Grimmauld Place under house arrest.
Why I rec it: This fic is an incredible exploration of Voldemort at his most terrifying. Even if he starts off the fic with his magic temporarily blocked, he is no less powerful without his magic. The force of his personality is powerful enough for him to chip away at Harry’s initial resistance — @metalomagnetic manages to write one of the most charismatic, brilliantly manipulative, and psychologically devastating versions of Voldemort I’ve ever read. Harry ends up in a good place by the end of the fic, but the journey to get there is a roller-coaster of emotions that have permanently imprinted onto my soul.
In Somno Veritas by ladyoflilacs and @lordansketil (M, 158k, complete)
Setting: Canon Divergence – Book 6
Premise: If Harry starts appearing in Voldemort’s nightly dreams during Book 6, and Voldemort becomes obsessed with Harry after realizing he’s his horcrux.
Why I rec it: This is one of the most unique fics I’ve ever read in this ship! Every scene is told in alternating POV between Harry’s POV and Voldemort’s POV, so you get to see how every scene unfolds from both of their perspectives. Voldemort is so intense and just as terrible as he is in canon, so his character is not at all sugarcoated, and Harry has so much compassion and heart and manages to fall in love with Voldemort anyway. The writing style is gorgeous, with richly detailed and emotionally-laden prose. Also, one thing that pleasantly surprised me is how funny their banter is! There were definitely a number of times where I laughed out loud in the middle of an otherwise really intense scene. Bonus content: also comes with a lovely sequel that made me melt.
Inevitabilities by @shadow-of-the-eclipse (T, 103k, complete)
Setting: Same-Age AU
Premise: If Harry and Tom attend Hogwarts together and go traveling around the world after they graduate. A betrayal leads to their break-up, but after many years, Harry returns to find Tom in Britain, and the two of them are drawn back together again.
Why I rec it: An excellent same-age AU with unhinged dark Harry and just-as-unhinged Tom. Their relationship starts out quite dark and twisted and unhealthy — and only devolves from there. The fic ends with the two of them as equals — utterly devoted to each other — but in an incredibly fucked-up way: “He loves Tom like a forest fire; wild and all-consuming, he wants to devour Tom, to claim him, to mark him, break him.” Isn’t that absolutely breathtaking?
love is touching souls (surely you touched mine) by @toast-ranger-to-a-stranger (M, 34k, complete)
Setting: Time-Travel (1940s)
Premise: If Harry gets thrown back into the mid-1940s and meets Tom Riddle as a young man just graduated from Hogwarts working at Borgin and Burkes.
Why I rec it: When Harry accidentally travels back in time and chances upon Tom Riddle as a fresh graduate, he realizes this is his chance to make a difference. While Harry is only in the past for a brief interlude, he leaves enough of an impression to change the trajectory of Tom’s life. The dynamic between Harry and Tom is rife with tension and witty dialogue, and the story is set during Christmastime, which lends a very festive and heartwarming atmosphere for falling in love with each other.
No Glory by @obsidianpen (E, 254k, WIP)
Setting: Voldemort Wins AU
Premise: If Voldemort figures out Harry is his horcrux when Harry surrenders in the Forbidden Forest, and decides to keep Harry instead of killing him.
Why I rec it: This fic showcases the absolute, terrifying genius side of Voldemort, in a universe where he wins the war and captures Harry at the end of book 7. I am stunned at how skillfully @obsidianpen portrays Voldemort as a brilliant political strategist — the courtroom scene where he manipulates the story and the audience so well stands out as a top 10 fanfic moment in my mind. Harry and Voldemort’s relationship is chilling from the very start, and grows even more unhealthy as Voldemort gets addicted to Harry’s touch due to the presence of the horcrux, but Harry later learns to turn that to his advantage.
The Fire, Burning by @parsimmony (E, 35k, complete)
Setting: Canon Divergence – Book 6
Premise: If Voldemort discovers Harry is his horcrux after Book 6, and kidnaps him to keep him captive by his side in his bed, inside of a lovely greenhouse setting full of friendly snakes on the grounds of Malfoy Manor.
Why I rec it: The prose!! I am swooning over the prose! Harry is Voldemort’s captive in this fic, but he is so much more than that — and the emotions that gradually blossom between them have so much richness and depth and are utterly moving that I’m still drowning in the depths of intimacy that were portrayed. Their relationship unfolds in such a gorgeous and unrushed way, and the setting is so unique too — a lush and overgrown greenhouse that’s exploding with exotic plants and friendly snakes around every corner that imbues the fic with a very romantic, dreamy quality.
the pleasure, the privilege by @being-luminous (M, 20k, complete)
Setting: Canon Divergence – Book 6
Premise: If Voldemort is doused with Amortentia keyed to Harry, and starts sending Harry bizarre and gruesome courting gifts, like the bodies of the Dursleys.
Why I rec it: Breathtaking prose! Voldemort somehow ends up more terrifying when he’s trying to woo Harry than when he’s trying to kill him. Every single sentence had me on the edge of my seat, as Voldemort’s ‘gifts’ become more elaborate and devastatingly dramatic, until Harry basically has no choice but to respond to his overtures. The ending is incredibly clever in how it parallels certain plot elements of book 6, with an added Harrymort twist.
The Untouchable by @treacleteacups (M, 75k, complete)
Setting: Canon Rewrite (Books 1-7)
Premise: If Harry starts out his first year a little bit more suspicious and a little less wide-eyed and guileless, and subsequently gets sorted into Slytherin. He has many of the same encounters with Voldemort along the way as he does in canon, but his interactions with Voldemort will end up leading him down quite a different path.
Why I rec it: A snappy, fast-paced full canon rewrite that still manages to fit in all the essential Tomarrymort plot points, between Horcruxes and Hallows and the major events of books 1-7, in a compact 75k words that doesn’t at all feel rushed. It’s a delightful journey following Harry’s character evolution from an overlooked, peculiar child who relies on wishy-washy wish magic to a confident (and still endearingly peculiar) young man who can challenge and hold his own against the great Lord Voldemort. Voldemort’s obsession with Harry deepens with every encounter that they have, as he finds ways to continually insinuate himself in Harry’s life and his mind and his dreams.
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#Tomarrymort Starter Pack#tomarrymort#tomarry#harrymort#aethon recs#tomarry recs#tomarrymort recs#harrymort recs#hp fic recs#longfic recs#ao3 recs#fanfic recs#2023 reads#2023 recs
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How Authors Write Fictional Wars
Some of our favorite novels include wars. They might stretch over a trilogy or build within a single book. Writing one might seem staggering, but it just takes a different planning approach. Use these tips to write a fictional war for your next story and make your readers feel like it really happened.
Foundational Factors to Consider
1. Your Opposing Sides
Wars always have at least two opposing sides. Start there and develop them before deciding if you need a third or fourth side involved. Cover details like:
What does each side want?
What would each side settle for?
What is each side’s worst-case scenario?
What is each side’s hard no? (What wouldn’t they sacrifice or do to win their cause?)
2. Who Supports the Opposing Sides and Why
As a war progresses, each side loses resources. They start running out of money, soldiers, and whatever public support they had when they started the war due to citizens losing their loved ones or sacrificing for the cause.
Your protagonist and antagonist will need to ask for help eventually. Who would support them and why?
There are numerous reasons why someone might pick one side of a war over another. Politics and economics are often the first things leaders consider. The morality behind each side is another factor.
Consider the American Revolution. Many historians believe America would have lost without France sending money, troops, food, and supplies. Why would France support a budding nation over Great Britain? People argue it was because the French:
Wanted to humiliate the British king
Wanted to hurt their British military rival by partnering with America
Wanted to weaken the British kingdom by ending the colonial taxes they benefited from
Wanted to gain power on a global standing by overcoming Great Britain and rising as America’s first ally
These reasons are great examples of what your novel could include. Another country, kingdom, or group could rise in sudden support for your protagonist or antagonist, ultimately throwing chaos into the determined path of war for better or worse.
3. The War’s Terrain
People can break into battle almost anywhere, depending on your fictional world. Your characters could fight:
On land
On sea
In space
In the air
Underground
Online
Some terrain also comes with other considerations. If your war happens on an ocean, will storms and hurricanes affect battles or the ultimate outcome? How will the soldiers and leaders on both sides deal with the weather?
Note these possibilities as you plan your novel. You can add them in as background or crucial plot devices once you have a skeletal structure in place for your story.
Need help remembering everything you’ve imagined? Try making a map and keeping it wherever you write.
4. What Would Make Each Side More or Less Powerful
There’s always something that could give one side an advantage over the other. It’s often in an unexpected way, although you could make the advantage a goal. The bad guys might feel confident in their ability to win, but they have a secret mission to develop a new weapon just to give them a greater advantage.
Other factors to consider would be one side or another doing something like:
Discovering or enacting a magic system
Eliminating a crucial resource their enemy depends on
Removing funding that makes their enemy able to fight by befriending or overcoming their enemy’s financial backers
Changing the positive or negative public perception of the other side’s reason for fighting to change national morale
Doing something that makes one side’s leaders more or less moral (which could change public perception, the soldiers’ vigor, the leadership’s advisory team together, etc.)
6. What Kinds of Conflict You’ll Write
There are two types of basic conflict you’ll likely write when navigating a fictional war. You may not need both if your story is shorter, but adding both makes the plot more realistic.
First, there’s external conflict. You’ll have at least two opposing sides on some kind of battlefield, sneaking around on spy missions, planning surprise attacks, etc.
Secondly, there’s internal conflict. Soldiers might start fighting amongst each other, people in leadership positions could lose trust in each other, citizens might turn on their country’s cause for one reason or another, etc.
7. What Weaponry Your Characters Will Use
The weapons used in your war depend on numerous factors. It will draw from the genre you’re writing, the time period your story takes place, the advancements made in each civilization’s weaponry prior to the war, and any advancements made while the war goes on.
Examples of these could be:
Guns
Swords
Bows
Bombs
Drones
Armed ships
Armed space ships
You should also consider if one side’s weaponry is more likely to change during the course of the war. That’s more plausible if your story or characters change locations where regional cultures use different weapons. Also if the war spans years, people will naturally develop new weaponry during that time.
If you want extra details to daydream about, think about which weapons will become outdated during your story. Some will prove less useful due to complicated usage or cleaning. They also may not work, like if your science fiction characters follow their enemy underwater, but their laser guns require a dry atmosphere to function.
Include Emotional Plot Arcs
Writing always involves some kind of emotional work that results in a plot arc. It keeps the reader engaged by evoking their core feelings. That’s what makes a novel different from a textbook (in a very basic sense).
Work on details like these to find what emotions will be most present and relevant to your story:
Your overall theme
Your characters and what they experience
The action your characters will go through
How the above action will change your characters by affecting their loved ones
What your characters’ goals mean to them emotionally
If your characters’ will undergo things that change their perception of their world, leaders, country, or themselves
You don’t need all of these things to have an emotional plot arc, but they’re relatable human elements that can drive your plot right into your readers’ hearts.
Avoid Some War Story Tropes
Tropes have a bad reputation that I don’t think is entirely deserved. People recognize them as overdone stereotypes, but sometimes they’re useful.
When you’re writing a war, you’re going to have necessary tropes like:
The hero
The unit or squad
The antagonist
What they undergo and who they become is how you make them fresh concepts for your readers.
Some tropes aren’t helpful because they’re what readers expect from every story. If you give them what they expect, your story isn’t as engaging (unless you get the occasional reader who exclusively reads war novels and never tires of overdone tropes).
Keep these in mind as things to avoid, unless you have an ingenious way to make them a brand-new experience:
One soldier dying in another’s arms
A character dying by going out “in a blaze of glory”
Characters using guns in ways that are obviously wrong (i.e., firing more bullets than the gun-type/model holds)
Getting military rank incorrect (if your characters exist in a real-world, already existing military structure)
Injury-proof characters (even your protagonist will eventually encounter some physical harm, whether it’s illness in bad weather or getting shot on a battlefield)
You can check out this great resource to discover more tropes to avoid/consider as you draft your plot outline.
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If it feels like writing a war over the course of a book or a series is challenging, you’re not alone. There’s a lot to consider to make it have an engaging flow.
Keep notes on things like these to develop your story as much as possible before starting your first draft. You can always go back and add or edit things out as needed while developing it. Writers do this all the time—you don’t need to get any manuscript perfect on your first try.
#writing war#writing warfare#writeblr#writing advice#writing tips#writers of tumblr#creative writing#writing#writing inspiration#writing community#writing help#writing resources#writing action#writing conflict#writing batlles
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Struggling with Setting and Plot
[Ask edited for length]
enzoid23 asked: I can easily make characters/relationships but the setting and plot are difficult for me. I like stories where characters are stuck together in a new place and have to learn to accept it or find a way to escape, which is a basic concept, but I can't figure out how to do it. I'm trying my to avoid copying other stories but I'm not sure where to draw the line between that and inspiration either. There's too many gaps, such as the how and the where and how many characters. I keep throwing in as much stuff as i can whether it fits or not, like a Mary Sue, but it's plot instead of a character.
First, since you asked about copying vs inspiration, start by reading these posts:
Taking Inspiration from Another Story’s Premise
Similarities vs Plagiarism
Plagiarism vs Reference vs Inspiration
Hopefully that will help you get comfortable with borrowing ideas from other sources but making them into something new and unique to you.
Next, being able to come up with characters is great, but unless those characters are rooted in a particular setting or situation, it doesn't help much with world building and plot. And while some writers can find a plot within a setting, I think for most writers its easier to start with the plot, and once you have the beginnings of a premise, it's not too hard to expand a plot from there. As luck would have it, you already have the beginnings of a premise:
People get stuck together in a new place and have to learn to accept it or find a way to escape.
Now we can look at that and start asking questions. Perhaps the easiest question to start with is "do they learn to accept it, or do they find a way to escape?" Which one? Because those are two very different goals. Choosing one and eliminating the other tightens up your premise:
People get stuck together in a new place and have to learn to accept it.
All right... I think the next logical question is who gets stuck together in a place? Is it two people? Three people? Five people? Twenty-six people? One-hundred people? You don't even have to figure out the exact number right now, but just knowing whether this story is about two people, a few people, a small group of people, a bigger group of people, or a huge group of people is going to really narrow things down.
A small group of people get stuck together in a new place and have to learn to accept it.
Okay... where do they get stuck and how? Let's brainstorm... are these modern day boaters, or a misfit bunch of 18th century buccaneers, who become castaways on a remote island? Are they a group of students whose project gets them sucked into another dimension? Are they far-future astronauts who get stranded on an isolated planet? Keep going...
A small group of students get sucked into another dimension and stranded when their science project goes wrong.
Ahoy, there! A PREMISE!!!
Now you can start brainstorming the specific details... who are these students? Middle school/equivalent? High school/equivalent? University? Graduate school? Where and when is their school located? 1926 Chicago? 1980s London? 2077 Kinshasa? 1926 Shanghai?
A small group of middle school students in 1980's London get sucked into another dimension and stranded when their science project goes wrong.
Time to start world building and brainstorming this alternate dimension. Is it going to be an alternate version of our dimension? Will it be a dimension that's similar to a past time/place on Earth? Will this dimension be like a futuristic city? Will it be something fantastical like a place that feels like an alien city, or like Blade Runner meets Ready Player One? Are there other people in this dimension? Or is this group completely on their own?
Now you can start to think about a conflict... what is the problem that must be resolved by the end of the story? Is it simply a matter of figuring out how to survive in this new place? Are they immediately captured by some faction or army or group, and they must escape, or convince someone that they're not dangerous, or win their freedom somehow? What is the specific goal they work toward in order to reach this resolution? What steps must they achieve? Who or what places obstacles in their path, and what obstacles?
Once you know all of this, you can figure out the nitty-gritty details like how many characters, who each one is specifically, and what their role in the story will be. You can look at various structure templates (like Save the Cat! Writes a Novel, Larry Brooks Story Structure, Dramatica, etc.) for guidance... just don't feel like you have to stick to it exactly. You can also read through posts on my Plot & Story Structure master list for more help with plotting.
I hope this post gets you over the hump, though! ♥
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I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!
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Okay, I'll bite, what are your feelings on the trans conner pitch?
Oh boy! Thank you for tossing me this bone because I have a lot of mixed feelings!
I notice that people online are very hot and cold about the Trans Superboy Pitch, they either love it or hate it and that doesn't leave a lot of room for nuance + discussion. So to be respectful to a fellow trans peer in the industry, I want to do a fair review/analysis of Skyrocket: the trans Conner Kent pitch by Magdalene Visaggio.
My general takeaway from the pitch is that I like the premise, but the details fumble the execution for me. I can really feel from reading the pitch that Visaggio cares about Superboy. She understands that he's a very weird legacy character who has struggled to find proper footing in the DC Universe after all these years. An effective legacy character is one who is able to spin off and expand upon the themes of the character whose mantle they carry. But the cheesy whatever-goes 90's-ness of Superboy's original run didn't give future writers a lot to work with in terms of a Superman Legacy Character.
It's why I genuinely believe the later retcon reveal that -part of Conner's DNA is from Lex Luthor- is a fantastic addition to his character. It takes a character who was just kind of screwing off to gentrify Hawaii back into the center of Superman's good vs evil conflict. But now Conner's problem is that his story is too tied to his origin and Superman's shadow. Placing Conner with the Kents in Smallville afterwards made him narratively redundant. What's next for him?
So let's dig into the pitch!
I like what's at the heart of this pitch. It's a very season-3-ATLA-Zuko "honor wasn't all it's cracked up to be" arc and I think that suits Conner's character really well! It's the details I have gripes with:
"Conner has been largely relegated to the Jason Todd of the Superfamily" oof, haha that's not a particularly fair characterization.
The constant comparing of Superman to Christian imagery. He's described as basically "Jesus goddamn Christ" in the pitch. The Tyrannical Kryptonians are named Saint, Shepherd and Savior. No surprise I don't like seeing a character who allegorically represented Jewish immigrants to be constantly compared to Christian imagery and deified.
It's inevitable with pitching to the company, but the pitch is bogged down by a lot of convoluted plot points. I get that it's necessary to pitch event tie-ins and universe hopping shenanigans, but it's a lot.
Leland feels like a plot device in this. I'm sure there were plans to flesh out the brotherly clone relationship between him and Conner so that he can feel like his own character, but from the summary he just kind of revolves around Conner the way the pitch describes Conner revolving around Superman. Oops!
Conner's relation to Luthor and Superman works as a story about legacy, bloodlines and the things parents pass down to their kids. It's best when handled thematically and not literally because it's easy to get into essentialist "good genes" vs "evil genes" near-eugenics talking points. Unfortunately this pitch has a lot of that vibe. Leland has more Lex genes so he's super smart. Conner and Leland are able to start a schism in the Future Tyrannical Kryptonian House by "proving their truer genetic link to the original Superman, unsullied by thousands of years of tinkering" thereby gaining allies. Not great!
The part where Conner wants to find "his own Metropolis" by moving to Dripping Springs, Texas. That's Jinny Hex's field of operations, so is it really his own space? I would've just given Conner a new town so he can better stand on his own and build out a unique cast system.
Okay let's talk about the trans stuff!
I get that it makes for an Iconic Visual Superhero Moment, but I really don't like the part where Conner steps through a magical crystal and pops out the other side as a trans woman. It robs her of having that discovery on her own. The pitch says "I believe that this is as natural a move as Iceman's coming out". And just?? Man, remember when Jean Grey read Iceman Bobby Drake's mind and robbed him of his agency by outing him through that invasion of privacy? For a pitch all about Conner's journey of defining herself, it weirdly robbed her of that moment.
The pitch does such a good job talking about how Conner feels like her whole life revolves around Superman and how pointless wanting to be Superman feels now that Jon Kent has taken the mantle. She has Clark's genes, goes to Clark's hometown school, is raised by Clark's parents and all that. So then why is she eventually named after the women in Clark's life? Constance "Connie" Lara Kent. Clark's Kryptonian mom and human grandma? Was the world so small that she could not name herself after anyone else or come up with a new name? Connie doesn't even get to name herself, her new name is one Martha Kent bestows her with. It's hypocritical, and doesn't have the same impact that Superman giving Superboy a Kryptonian name does.
Speaking of which, this right here is my biggest gripe. It's not in the pitch itself but?? Wait- why go on about how Conner deserves a name that's not given to her and then turn around and make Martha name her? Sure, Connie comes up with the superhero name "Skyrocket" herself but surely she also deserves to name herself considering the thesis the pitch built up about self discovery and agency right?
Also with all due respect, this is the whitest queer take on Conner's identity. I wish white trans people could understand that you can have multiple true names that reflect different parts of you.
When Clark gives Superboy the name "Kon-El" it matters that it's given. It ties so well to the idea of familial acceptance into a nearly-extinct culture. You wouldn't know how to reclaim that part of your identity when that culture's been wiped out, so of course it's an honor to be trusted with a name that preserves Krypton's culture. This is a common practice with diaspora reclaiming cultural names from closed cultures, they are gifted their names by someone more culturally connected. I think the pitch having Martha name Connie is trying to echo this, but it doesn't hit the same without that cultural context. It also undercuts the genuine joy Conner felt from finally having a name he truly identifies with. Conner was only ever referred to as Superboy before then. When Clark gives him the name Kon El, Conner cries out that Kon El is his "real name". It's one of his defining moments, and to have that be diminished by saying "It's still a name someone else gave him" is so disappointing.
Then there's the design.
This is gonna lean more into preference, but I'm not the biggest fan of this design! I get what it's going for but it has too much going on everywhere. It also doesn't have that proto-punk look original Conner had, so it ends up not feeling like him. It's too superhero, and not enough casual-wear-on-a-supersuit that Conner sports really well. I see how it fits in with the everyone-in-Superfam-is-wearing-jackets-era, but I also think those new designs don't look good either. Especially Supergirl's. I feel like Conner should be more punk post transition. No respectability beam for her!
Also the name Skyrocket? It's giving knock off-brand toy vibes to me I'm sorry D: People on twidder suggested Supernova and that sounds way better! Even Visaggio stated she prefers that name so you can't be mad at me for this.
Overall big conclusion feelings!
I've been following Visaggio's work for a while because it's awesome seeing trans people getting picked up in comics. While there are some things about her writing I like, for the most part I've felt like her work isn't my cup of tea. I tried reading up a bunch of interviews she's in to try to understand why her writing wasn't clicking with me, and what I discovered is that we have fundamentally different approaches to queer storytelling.
From Paste Magazine. I get where she's coming from, trans characters deserve to have multi-faceted narratives that don't overly center how they're othered at the expense of further characterization. But also? I just actually find the interior lives of queer people and identity interesting. I like writing the kind of escapism and joy that's informed by surviving and inheriting hardships rather than erasing those things or skipping past it. I think this is why Connie is robbed of her trans discovery in the pitch. Why we don't get to watch her grapple with gender identity in a political way. Queer stories about queer struggles are considered archaic and unnecessary nowadays. It's part of the escapism Visaggio values in her work; to give a place of respite for trans readers from the cruelty they experience in reality, but I don't connect to stories like that personally. Whenever I try to share queer Indonesian art and writing with my peers, I'm often told it's too painful to look at. That our pain doesn't fit the modern expectation for happy, empowering queer stories. "trans people get enough hardships in real life, they don't need that in their fiction" Visaggio still talks about her newest projects like this btw.
I'd love to see a take on Conner that more holistically continues the political immigrant themes of Superman. The white parts of fandom love interpreting Conner's identity crisis as primarily a queer struggle, but it's also one of a person grappling with his mixed heritage. He's a diaspora kid separated by a generation away from Krypton. He has yet to make peace with the Luthor side of his identity, one borne of generational trauma and resentment for one's roots. Instead of a take where his queerness separates him from the pressures of legacy, I want to see a Conner take that has themes that are intersectional about his mixed diaspora and queer identity. I want his superficial punk aesthetic to graduate into actual punk ideals. The anti-establishment and radical love philosophies of punk culture would make such a cool extension of Superman themes and it would make so much sense that someone facing so many intersections of marginalization would be radicalized from their experience. I want a queer Conner who isn't just empowering and idealistic, I want one that also gives space for queer readers to feel like their pain is seen too. Conner isn't "Truth, Justice and the American Way" he's famously "Truth, Justice, My Way".
There's a tendency in media criticism to treat marginalized talent as infallible, and I don't think that fair to creatives like Visaggio. Being able to look at their ideas with nuance instead of essentializing it as being Good or Trash is the best way to respect diverse creativity. And my nuanced feelings are that a white queer person who looks at Conner's story and just sees the queer part and dismisses the diaspora mixed heritage side of him,,, is not going to give me the Conner story I want to see.
#askjesncin#superboy#kon el#conner kent#jesncin dc meta#media criticism#the thing about conner superboy is that his character is a mess#and I love a mess. I could talk about mess all day#this is a long way of saying that white queer people will never be able to give me the queer stories i need
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What awaits you in December?
Attention! This reading is for entertainment purposes only. This tarot reading does not give a 100% guarantee that all the described situations will occur or being ultimate truth. You build your own life and destiny and only you know yourself best.
Paid readings
Pick a pile. Choose one or more pictures. Trust your intuition.
Pile 1: Most likely, you still have things to do, plans and tasks that you want to do or finish before the end of this year. At the beginning of the month you will be doing just that, these days will not be filled with rush, they will flow calmly, you will move at your usual pace. Some of the plans, by the way, you have been planning for a very long time and could not fulfill them in any way, so this month will be a great opportunity to finish what you started.
The second event is associated with a person, primarily of the earthly zodiac sign (this is capricorn, virgo or taurus, but keep in mind that a person may have a completely different zodiac sign, but earthly character traits may be present in it), it may be your mother, sister, close friend, relative, etc. In general, this is a person with whom you had a misunderstanding, a quarrel and you could both worry about it. This month you will be able to find a common language with her, find a compromise and resume previous communication, so I can congratulate you, the conflict will be resolved! You will cope and resolve the situation.
The third event is related to your emotional state, most likely at the end of the month you will get very tired of hard work and the hustle and bustle of the upcoming holidays, you can also burn out and stay in an apathetic state. To avoid this, it would be best to correctly allocate your forces and resources, perhaps you should abandon some plans or solve them next year. If you are still faced with this condition, then the main thing is not to put pressure on yourself, let yourself rest, exhale because of all the turmoil, simply gain strength and do what you did not have enough time for, give yourself something that brings you pleasure and good mood.
Pile 2: Firstly, this month will be a good opportunity for you to get rid of old things, things from the past, and anything can happen here: maybe you will sort out old things here, free up space in shelves and a closet, or you will stop communicating with people with whom you were uncomfortable or with whom interest has faded, you can find a new hobby or a new favorite place for yourself, in general, here the emphasis goes to something new for you.
The next point is connected with your acquaintances, the circle of communication: if you have a project activity with someone now, then you will work hard and eventually you will succeed. This can also be attributed to business, perhaps you will successfully conclude a deal with someone! If this case not about you, then there is a chance that you will go on a trip with people close to you, you can just spend a lot of time actively together!
The third event of this month is connected with those who have exams and final tests coming up: you will study hard for them and be very nervous, because for you all these exams are quite important. It may happen that the teacher will flood you with questions and it will be difficult for you to pass the exam or maybe you were preparing for one topic, but there was something completely different on the test, in general, be careful here and be confident in yourself and your knowledge! For those who work, this period may be filled with deadlines, you will need to do the work in a short time and it is clear that this will be stressful and very exhausting for you, you may have conflicts with colleagues or boss, which will further aggravate the condition. But, you will definitely cope with everything!
Pile 3: Most likely, there have been changes in your life recently, perhaps one of you is moving to another city or another country, changing your profession, place of work, surround by people, in general, you feel melancholy for the places where you grew up, where you spent most of your time and you will miss, nostalgic. But it can also mean that one of you, on the contrary, returns home to your native places and you feel a pleasant nostalgia, because you have been away from home for a long time.
The second moment of the month will be that you will slowly get used to the new, to changes in your life, or vice versa, you are so unaccustomed to the old that you will get used to it again. It is clear that melancholic feelings will still be with you, but you will also find pleasant moments for yourself, there will be things that will please you, bring emotions. You can also suddenly change something in your appearance, like a haircut, hair color or a new style of clothing, you can start doing makeup differently or give up on it altogether, something like that.
The third event of the month is associated with meeting a new person, thanks to whom your experiences can come to naught, he will support you, spend time with you, help you if necessary. But be careful, because there is a chance that he will be hypocrite and will want to get some benefit from you, so choose people carefully!
Thank you for reading! I will be glad of any feedback 🖤
#tarot#tarot reading#pick a card#pick a card reading#tarot cards#pick a pile#pick a pile reading#pac
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can you do a full smut where yn is so overwhelmed and frusturated over some family problems and vinnie makes her relax
yes cause i have family problems rn lolz, i went SO overboard w this, its 1k words lol
┆.° ♡ — NSFW UNDER THE CUT
University sucks. The assignments, the pressure, and it gets even worse when your dad enters the mix
You've been feeling a bit overwhelmed lately. Your dad has been putting a lot of pressure on you to get good grades and make something of yourself, and your boyfriend Vinnie has been trying to be supportive, but he just doesn't seem to understand how stressed out you feel.
Your relationship with your dad has always been strained, your two very different people and whenever you were growing up your dad could never come to terms with the fact that you weren't the perfect angel he wanted as a daughter.
You're sitting on the couch in your apartment, flipping through your phone and trying to distract yourself from your problems, when Vinnie walks in the door. He takes one look at your face and knows immediately that something's wrong.
"Hey, what's up?" he asks, coming over to sit next to you on the couch.
You tell him about the fight you had with your dad earlier in the day. He'd been lecturing you about your grades again, telling you that you needed to work harder if you wanted to get anywhere in life. You were so frustrated that you ended up storming out of the house without saying anything.
Vinnie listens patiently as you vent your frustrations. He knows that your dad means well, but he also knows how much pressure you're under and how you and your dads relationship has always been riddled with problems. When you finish talking, he takes your hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze.
"Listen, I know it's hard right now," he says. "But you're doing great. You're smart, and you're talented, and you're going to go places. Don't let your dad get you down."
You feel a little bit better after hearing Vinnie's kind words, but you're still wound up from the argument. Vinnie notices this too, and he suggests that the two of you do something to take your mind off things.
"Hey c'mere baby." He coos pulling you towards him.
He suggests a movie night just for the two of you and you pick some cheesy hallmark movie to watch with him and he gets the snacks ready as you situate yourselves on your couch.
As the film starts, you try to focus on the plot, but your mind keeps wandering. You feel Vinnie's arm around you, and you lean into him, hoping that his warmth will calm your racing thoughts.
As the show progresses, you find yourself getting more and more into it. The tension builds as the characters face their own challenges and conflicts. You can't help but feel invested in their stories and their struggles.
Suddenly, you feel Vinnie's hand on your leg. You look up at him and see that his eyes are fixed on the screen, but you can tell that he's feeling the same tension that you are. You feel a flush creeping up your neck and a fluttering in your stomach.
As the movie reaches its climax, Vinnie turns to you and gives you a gentle kiss on the lips. You respond eagerly, feeling all of your stress and worries melt away. You let yourself get lost in the moment, enjoying the feeling of being so close to someone you care about.
All the stress and anxiety you were feeling before disappears as you melt into Vinnie's embrace. The show is long forgotten as your body responds to his touch. You feel alive and present in the moment, completely consumed by the passion between the two of you.
"Shit princess, I hate seeing you hurt." He's gentle words compliment the way he pushes you on the couch for you to lay down and he kisses down the column of your neck.
"Vin..." You breath out
"Yes baby," His reply is instant as he locks his eyes with yours.
"Make me feel better."
"Anything for you." The words come out of his mouth like a prayer as lips trail down the curves of your body pulling off your bra and latching onto your nipples.
His kisses trail down to your nipples causing your body to go cold, his tongue rolls your bud and catches your nipples in his teeth.
"Vinnieeee" You whine as he continue the motion, he's so sweet with the way he makes you arch your back and stuff your chest into his face.
His lips finally detach from your chest and he trails his kisses down the plush of your stomach, pulling your shorts and panties of in one swift motion.
The kisses don't stop until he reaches your cunt, his left hand holds your hips down whilst you use your hands to pull his right hand up and start dragging your tongue along the length of his knuckles.
It catches his attention enough that he stops his kisses and sits up, starting intently at your actions.
You take his ring and middle finger into your mouth as you bat your eyelashes up at him, you suck on them not taking your eyes of Vinnie's as he's staring so hard that it looks like he's trying to commit the image to memory.
"Shit baby you look so pretty I'm forgetting what I'm supposed to be doing here" He lets out with a chuckle
You pull his fingers out of your mouth with a pop! and lean up to kiss him before you lay back down.
It's like the kiss rewires his brain since he remembers what he's doing again and situates himself in between your thighs one more.
His tongue drags through your folds, making you squirm above him and he uses both his hands to keep your thighs spread apart for him as the sounds of him eating you out along with your moans echo in the room.
Your thighs tremble and delicate moans fill Vinnie's ears as he sucks your clit causing you to squeeze your legs around his head and just chuckles before continuing with his motions.
It's not long before your jerking your hip forward and arching into his mouth and cumming on his face.
He pushes your legs apart to get up and leans over to you, placing a chaste kiss on your lips before getting up to grab you a towel but not before taking his shirt of and tossing it to you to put it on.
He comes back to see you laying on the couch but instead with his shirt on and he quickly cleans you up and then sits down next to you whilst simultaneously pulling you towards him.
"Oh wait look at this!" He exclaims whilst pulling out your favourite drink from behind him
"Oh my good baby, you remembered!" You beam grabbing the drink and opening it.
"Of course I did, I love you princess." He responds kissing you again.
"You taste like my cum by the way." You say as you pull apart from the kiss
"Good that means I did my job right."
#bella fawns over vhacker#vinnie hacker smut#vinnie hacker x reader smut#vinnie hacker x reader#vinnie hacker imagines#vhackerr#vincent hacker#vinnie hacker oneshot#vinnie hacker#vinnie hacker x you#vinnie x reader#vinnie imagines#vinnie
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ellie's writing tips
hellooo this is just a lil masterpost for the writing tips i have collected over my time writing since it's a question i get often!! this way it's all in one place <3 this is also for my own reference to look back on when i forget them lol
tips for specifically writing long fics
on coming up with a main storyline.
planning out a general idea & premise at the beginning of the fic that helps two characters get closer to one another, such as a forced proximity, some sort of mutual agreement, a mission to complete, etc. is a great way to get the ball rolling on a fic and can create environments between characters that feels connected and necessary rather than forced
on coming up with secondary storylines.
after laying down the main groundwork, building some side storylines adjacent to the main one that will give you options down the line to play with narratively (you don't need to figure out exactly what you want to do with secondary plotlines up front, but having them in place can create flexibility in your story to pivot towards some ideas if you'd like to later in the story)
on planning chapters & scenes.
it's wise to have a general idea for your series, but it's also okay to scrap those ideas if ultimately they don't work. there will be scenes that do not make sense or fit in the way you thought they would've, and making last minute decisions is okay and totally normal. sometimes better answers will find you along the way, and it's only a testament to how well you're getting to know your own story and also your own characters. it's also okay to plan multiple path ideas for your story, and choose whichever one fits best once you get to that point. it's not necessary to have a scene-by-scene in order to start writing! planning is useful, but writing is more important
on finding motivation to continue long fics.
having certain "key" scenes planned out in the very early stages of writing that you know you will look forward to writing can help with finding motivation. it will also help you find momentum to write during points where you might have some writer's block. also, one of the best tips i have seen for writing chaptered fics, is to end your chapters when you still have a little bit left planned. so cutting it like 10% short so that you have an immediate jumping off of point that you can start with for the next chapter
my general writing tips
inspiration. starting off w a concept or idea that you already know you like from a tv show or book works really well for fanfiction! for example if you like spiderman, then you can write a canon-adjacent spiderman au w your fave character from an anime or something. and then maybe once you start writing, your own original ideas start to come into play and you go off of those. i think in the fanfic community, people adore spin-offs & mainstream concept ideas
dialogue. my biggest tip for dialogue would be to just write all of your dialogue for a scene completely stripped down. none of the “he says” & “she says” or action verbs in between, just write it all out like it was a simple text convo w quotation marks. that way the words will sound realistic because you’re only picturing a convo in your head, rather than also trying to juggle all the descriptive prose. then, you can go back in to fluff things up. if it’s meant to be comedic or a fast-paced argument, keeping it relatively stripped down is the way to go, but if it’s something intense or suspenseful then fluffing it up may be the better choice. also, i find dialogue becomes easier the more you write for a specific character, so if it’s not flowing right away, don’t worry!! their words will find you eventually once you get to know the character better :)
on choosing conflicts. characters won’t always act perfect, but i think a great way to make conflict seem realistic is for them to act in character but with flaws, rather than out of character with flaws. maybe make a list of what that character’s good qualities and how those qualities could also work against them, and use the latter to brainstorm realistic conflict that those qualities could put them in (ex: a character is self-sufficient, but that causes them to rely on ppl less when they need it -> they fail to reach out for help in timely manners and leads to mistakes/regrets)
pacing. when starting off a story, don’t be afraid to just jump straight into it! or jump straight into the dialogue and then build the scene gradually as it progresses, rather than [big block of text in beginning of scene that reader must drag their eyes through] and then get to the dialogue. make sure the pacing fits the scene (romantic -> longer paragraphs more focused on subtle details, comical -> short paragraphs n dialogue heavy w simple n relatable diction, etc)
for tone and mood. to get words flowing for different scenes, it can be really useful to get into the environment of those scenes while you’re writing, such as listening to a song that fits the vibe of the scene prior to/during writing, or if its a scene at night, write it w the lights off, or watch a youtube vid w scenery that matches. may sound silly, but it could help!
read more. this is sort of a miscellaneous one but a good way to subconsciously get better at writing is to just read more! your brain kinda learns how to write on its own when you read. also, when i’m reading, if i see words i really like i jot them down in my notes app so i have my own lil vocabulary of words that i know i would like to use in my writing
on writing insecurities. be proud of your writing!! your first draft does NOT have to be perfect. some days the words will flow, but on some they won’t, and that’s okay. don’t get too into your head about “i wonder what readers will think of this plot point or this character action” etc, i think having faith in your own process but also in your readers will bring you a lot of peace as you write :) create what you want to create and the rest will follow!! at the end of the day it’s just a hobby and you should be writing what YOU want to write!! and just get started! ☺️ that’s the easiest way to write—is to just write 🫶🏼💕
use chatgpt. looool ai can be useful in writing too! i usually only use it after i'm completed with a draft, and i just plug select paragraphs into it to see if it can come up with some better words for me to use. it's also useful to come up with logistical details for aspects of your stories for world-building etc
#writing tips#writing advice#writing#writers on tumblr#creative writing#fanfiction#writing fanfiction#just writer things#writing pointers
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Perhaps it was seeing it on a premium large format screen, perhaps it was my mood that day, or perhaps it is because I'm always drawn to the stories of people trapped inside of their contradictions — but I was impressed with "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" last year, especially with its cinematography and editing. I thought bits of the film, particularly the climax, had shots/rhythm evocative of the great Terrence Malick only to find the film's editor Mark Yoshikawa is a frequent collaborator of Malick.
Now I could talk at length about those comparisons, or the sense of gaze of the film (Tom Blyth's eyes are fascinating to track when he's in close-up/medium shot), or the relationship the wider series has with the medium of television. But I'd rather talk about the beginning of one scene near the beginning of the third-act as an example of effective pacing building dramatic tension and establishing character.
Start on this wide shot at a low-angle. "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" uses low-angle shots frequently, which makes sense in a story about insecurity about power/class gaps. Low or high angles means we see something at an unnatural eye-line — which creates a visual power imbalance.
In the background we have a man just barely peaking over the horizon. This is Coriolanus Snow, our boy from the Capitol who comes from a noble family that lost everything in the war. In the first chunks of the film, we learn that Snow wants to restore his family's former glory. He wants to get that power back. The power gap that we see.
But this isn't the Capitol. This is District 12. This is place he was sent because of his failure. He cheated at the titular Hunger Games to win them for his tribute. So what could he be looking for out here to help him with his desire?
POV shot now. Cutting from that low-angle wide to seeing through Snow's eyes. While it isn't the subject of this post, the POV shot is the most direct expression of gaze. Think about cinema's greatest voyeurist Alfred Hitchcock and all his iconic POV shots ("Vertigo"). Nothing gets inside of a character's head like literally showing what they see.
Snow moves toward something — a something we now know was the (relative) perspective of the first shot.
Or, rather, not a something. But a someone:
Now back on Snow. Only this time he isn't obscured in the background but near the center of the frame. The camera pushing in before to emulate his movement seen now in his movement. Going toward the someone seen in the previous shot. Someone we couldn't really see before — but now are getting closer to finding.
Close enough to see her guitar.
Of course, if we were listening we would already know that this is Lucy Gray Baird. For her voice echoes through the forest and calls to Snow. But we're sticking to the visual — where we see him pushing toward someone. Pushing toward her.
Baird was his tribute in the Hunger Games. Living (but not hailing from) District 12, she had the lowest odds to win the Games. But through her own determination and a little bit of a push from Snow, she succeeded in winning the Games.
More importantly — she succeeded in winning his heart, as he did to her.
Go back to earlier: the beginning of "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" establishes Snow's desire as reclaiming his family's lost power. Story is conflict, conflict is character, and character is desire. Think mathematically for a moment: Character is action that is a function of desire. But desire cannot remain static. Pull any book or movie off of a shelf at a library. What a character wants at a start will not be the same thing/only thing they want at the end.
Snow began wanting to reclaim his family's lost power. But through this desire — him cheating the games and getting exiled to District 12, the lowest and poorest district in all the land, runs contrary to this desire. He cannot get more power being among the powerless. Why would he act in such a contradictory manner?
Because once he laid his eyes on Lucy Gray, young Coryo had a new desire in his heart. He didn't want to just reclaim what belonged to him, but he also wanted to protect her.
Like all functional drama, this creates a problem — he wants two things that are mutually exclusive. To protect her requires working against the Capitol which means pushing his family further down the social ladder. But to work on restoring his family means throwing her to the odds, and he can't stand thinking of her brown eyes dying out there.
Speaking of brown eyes...
Now we're on Lucy Gray's face. Focus on her and her playing (notice her eyes looking down and not hyperaware of her surroundings), but with another element in the background. Snow coming on the horizon.
Adapting a work from one medium to another always creates new restraints, but also new modes of expression. Condensing a 450-page novel into a ~2.5 hour film requires conveying the emotional arguments of the work in different ways. As such, "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" focuses more on Snow's desires/contradictions than Baird's (even more than the novel) but we still have to some sense of her internal desire to create a compelling character that isn't just an object for Snow's character journey.
Of course, there is the real basic desire of surviving the Games, but that is lackluster and doesn't create real emotional bite. No, her central desire (at least in the film) comes through that one point mentioned earlier — she lived in District 12, but she did not come from District 12. Baird is a wanderer, or at least before the war was part of a wandering culture. Now she is trapped. Her desire is to get back what she lost; she wants to fly as a bird once again.
Look at the above shot. There is no distress on her face. While Snow got exiled for his actions in the prior chunk of the film, Baird got no punishment. She went back to District 12 and could play her music again. Not free to fly high but freer than she was at the start when she got called to fight in the Games.
This natural landscape Baird and Snow find themselves in during this scene is (metaphorical) paradise. It is the closest place to Baird's desire of freedom. The latter bits of the film's third-act use this idea to great dramatic effect.
Baird and Snow's desires both overlap and conflict. Both want to get something that they lost from the war — Snow his status, and Baird her freedom. But their desires operate in opposite direction. Baird wants to go up (free) while Snow is concerned with what's happening down on the ground among the social community. What Snow wants at the start can only be found in having people beneath him, while Baird's is found in having some space to be in.
But recall — Snow also wants to protect her, and this desire comes through a genuine feeling toward her. At the start it may be boyish attraction to her brown eyes and voice, but what his gaze perceived turned into something more. They both want the same thing of undoing loss.
And it's that sameness that pulls Coryo to Lucy Gray. That sameness that pulls him down the social ladder (he has a famous last name, she has no name) and down the society's hierarchy (he is Capitol, she is District) to risk his future for her. That sameness that pulls him to throw his own life and his chance of getting his past back away. That sameness that keeps him walking.
That sameness that makes her bring this strange man into her world. That sameness that makes her trust him with her everything.
Her personal space out here, far from the suffering in District 12 and the tyrannical bloodshed in the Capitol, now has the presence of that strange man she let inside.
Viewing this natural space as her paradise, she had won this peace but found that her ghost still lingers. A ghost that she doesn't really want to let go of — as evident by her attention going to him, and the unconscious act of her voice calling him here. Remember: nothing in conventional narrative is coincidence or happens spontaneously. Every action a character does is an expression of desire.
Why does she sing? Becuase that's her life. She is a performer. She performed on stage in District 12's bars. She performed when got selected for the Games, which is what first caught Coryo's eyes. She performed for the whole nation to survive in the games. And she performs for Coryo — because she wants to perform for him.
And through this her desire reveals its contradiction. She wants to be free and untethered; to fly like a bird. But she has the same feeling for him that he has for her, and this feeling creates an attachment — a tether. The wanderer found a home.
She could tell him to go away. She could tell him to leave. She could tell him to do whatever. Her words don't matter.
Film is a language of image. Sound (music and dialogue) matter, but ultimately is it a moving picture. A film establishes a character through visual actions. Lucy Gray identifies Coryo, and she stops playing so she can talk to him. So she can go to him. He is pulled into her world — but she is pulled toward him.
Think about the sequence of shots, specifically the POV shots. It is basic movement: start far from the object, and move toward the object. As the character whose POV the camera emulates gets closer to the object, the film cuts back to the opposite side to establish the geography of the scene. But it also creates a little bit of tension — these two forces are coming together and one of them doesn't know it, so what will be the reaction when they come together?
A few frames of static. Coryo stands in anticipation. Waiting to see what she will do.
Go back through these ten shots. Notice they all are of the same vantage point. We see Snow approaching from the horizon, and we see Baird playing her guitar on a rock with Snow coming behind her. While the scene progresses by composing more of the frame around the subject as they get closer together, the core angle remains the same: one shot from him walking and one shot of her point in space. We don't change this basic idea.
Until the scene begins with them coming together to have their first conversation since the Games — which also ends the scene as it shows the distance that remains between them.
They are pulled together, except Coryo stands above her. They both want to be together but they both occupy different places in the social hierarchy that they can never escape. The contradictions of their desires expressed in the blocking of one shot.
#the ballad of songbirds and snakes#snowbaird#tbosas#coriolanus snow#lucy gray baird#film theory#character theory#film analysis#tom blyth#rachel zegler#gifs#didn't revise this at all so i bet there are typos a plenty#it is late#too late
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Request: Our Intertwined Fates
Request Information: A set of possibly two or three parts surrounding one my mutual's favourite, non-companion characters in the game: Rolan. This in a look at how Rolan and Tav's relationship builds over the course of the story from a friendship to something more.
Tav is not referred to by name.
Content Warnings: She/Her Tav
Word Count: 2.1k words
╔═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗
The scent of rust mingled awfully with the flowering bushes surrounding the grove. Something felt wrong about strolling into such a place with goblin blood still drying on her armour and the cling of an abduction over her shoulders.
She did so regardless, muscles strung tight from a battle nearly lost and an argument she could scarcely defuse. Who knew helping somebody out would cause such trouble.
“We’re off to a great start,” she said to nobody in particular. “Barely free of some wretched pod and already we’re wrapped up in another conflict.”
Her companions and her had crashed into this isolated area of coastline just the very morning they stumbled into this grove. How they’d managed to get themselves involved in whatever impossible argument was occurring between tieflings and druids escaped her understanding.
“This really isn’t our business,” she admitted to them when they looked at her. “But I suppose if we’re going there anyway, the least we can do is talk to the head druid? It won’t do any harm.”
She lied to herself like that sometimes.
If somebody asked her for help, she’d never been able to turn them down. Offering her assistance felt negligible in the grand scheme of things and this conflict really seemed to have a solution she could find. It would help also, to have the grove’s knowledge on her side.
Those excuses really didn’t feel genuine when the threat of a tadpole behind her eyes lingered.
Yet despite having it in mind, when she overheard an argument, she couldn’t help herself but stop to listen. The trio of tieflings sounded so irritated with one another as they fought about whether they should remain with the group or forge their own path to the city. A fight they’d clearly gone over before if the exasperation said anything.
“Don’t be ridiculous, we don’t even know these people. I’m not sticking my neck out for every person we come across. With my magic, we have nothing to fear about the path to Baldur’s Gate as long as we leave now.”
“Just because we don’t know them doesn’t mean we should abandon them here. What use are all our spells and blades if we don’t even use them to help people.”
She listened curiously, not planning on interjecting but also wondering about the goal of Baldur’s Gate. Some things unfortunately rarely changed and she couldn’t help but worry for this group. “Does Baldur’s Gate welcome tieflings at all?”
Her question directed itself at nobody in particular and yet, she must have spoken loud enough for them to hear as the three all turned to her with various expressions of disinterest or appreciation. She shifted uncomfortably beneath their gazes and smiled to show she hadn’t meant to get involved.
“More so than other cities,” one of the tieflings answered. “Perhaps they’ll stare but nobody will pull a blade out. It doesn’t really matter either way because I’ll be welcomed. You’re speaking to the recently accepted apprentice of the great wizard Lorroakan.”
Tall, haughty, and certainly pretty enough to be a wizard rather than a fighter, she could tell he had a great deal of trust in what he said.
Maybe even too much.
Lorroakan sounded familiar but she couldn’t place why it felt wrong. A wizard certainly but not one whose name carried very good rumours alongside it. She could share what she knew but to do so felt wrong and so she smiled.
“Congratulations,” she urged. “You must certainly be very talented to earn yourself such a grand apprenticeship.”
“I assure you, I am.”
“Then it sounds as though your help could be invaluable to these people who are blessed with neither magic nor fighting skill.” Her gaze drifted to where children and others attempted to spar with sloppily created training dummies. “Honestly, I believe they’ll need all the help they can get.”
He frowned; caught in the small trap she’d created through his own confidence. She felt a little bad for taking advantage of his arrogance but she hadn’t been lying when she commented on the tieflings.
They probably wouldn’t survive a day against the goblins.
“That’s what I’ve been saying. We have to stay and help.”
The wizard looked between her and the others before he threw his hands up in agitation. “Fine but if we end up rotting on a road because of this, it’ll all be your fault.”
He stormed off and she glanced awkwardly at the others. Perhaps she had overestimated their skills but she doubted their chances even more if they split from the group and tried to do it alone.
But if they died, the weight would never lift from her shoulders.
“Thank you for intervening. Rolan can get obnoxiously stubborn at times but he’s a good person. He’d have regretted choosing to leave later.”
She laughed awkwardly, unsure how to respond beyond offering her name as a means of introduction before hurrying off. They had so many problems to face, far more dangerous than even taking on a slew of unending goblins. Such a thing could wait until after the worm got removed.
One poisoning later and another child rescued and they took on the very task she’d tried to avoid, regardless of Astarion’s unimpressed complaints about it.
They ended up fighting through a, quite frankly, impossible number of goblins after rescuing a massive druid from the dungeons. Followed it with a battle against shadow druids who were disguising themselves as rats. And then still ended up standing exhausted at a party with the blood not fully washed from her hair.
As tired as she was, she couldn’t skulk away into her tent so early into the night. Everybody wanted to speak to her and she was now avoiding Lae’zel as best she could after the gith caught her off-guard with the strangest proposition she’d ever heard. Flattered, but uninterested, she looked around for help and eventually caught Lia’s eyes.
“What are we doing?” she asked.
“Rolan’s going to put on a show for us,” Lia told her, excited and a little teasing. She, like many of the others, appeared a little tipsy as she gestured to her brother. “Watch.”
“Patience,” Rolan chided. “You have no respect for showmanship.”
“Performance issues,” Cal whispered to her and she laughed behind a palm despite the wizard’s glare.
After all the near misses with fireballs through the day though… well, she really hoped whatever magic he wanted to use involved snow or water. Anything she didn’t have to dodge.
He surprised her pleasantly with neither and the small cascade of dancing lights lit up the sky in pretty shades of blue. She’d seen children do similar magic when first learning of their abilities and it never failed to make her smile.
“He can also make them purple,” Cal told her proudly.
She politely clapped and tried to keep her expression supportive of the tiefling trio. Rolan had skill enough to make something of himself in Baldur’s Gate… if his tutor held up to his expectations.
And, of course, the group had to get there first but she had faith. Zevlor, if nobody else, looked well equipped to shield his group from danger.
“You’ll do brilliantly with the proper training,” she complimented when she noticed Rolan’s gaze hover over her for a second longer. “You can ask Gale about some spare scrolls we found while exploring. They may come in use during your travels.”
Rolan straightened his spine beneath the praise, pleased with his successful show. “I have no need for scrolls but I thank you for the offer.”
She laughed and raised her glass to him. “If you say so. The offer still stands.”
She bid the three siblings good luck with their further travel and stepped away to clear her head, finally seeing an opportunity to seek peace and quiet. The shadows provided some solace as she made her way into the forest.
When she came across a small clearing, she settled on a log. It had been a long day filled with unending waves of enemies and her eyes felt heavier than ever.
She’d almost drifted off when she heard footsteps behind her. Footsteps, clumsy and unused to stalking through the dark. At least she knew it not to be an assassin, she imagined.
Although she’d expected Karlach or Gale rather than the tiefling she saw.
“Rolan?” she asked, confused as to why the wizard had followed her and now hovered uncomfortably at the edge of the clearing.
“Lia made a very good point,” he said, straightening imaginary creases from his robes as he spoke. “Scrolls could be useful if we get into a situation where my magic is lacking.”
She frowned for a second before she remembered her offer and waved back at the party with a smile. “Oh, right. Those are with Gale or one of the others. I don’t know what spells they have but any magic is useful, right?”
“Obviously but they’re mainly for Lia’s peace of mind. I don’t think we’ll have any problems when I have my thunderwave to handle threats.”
She smiled. “I’m sure. Make certain to aim for the nearest cliff.”
A wince followed as she remembered shoving a goblin from one of the rafters earlier in the day. She hadn’t appreciated the crunch of bones or the smear of blood… she hadn’t cleared out a goblin camp before the day and it really didn’t suit her.
“With any hope, you’ll have no need of spells at all,” she said. “I think the path to Baldur’s Gate should be open.”
“If it wasn’t, I don’t think they’d be singing your praises so highly,” he scoffed.
He took a few seconds to place the strange jealousy in his voice as not related to handling the goblin camp but rather the heroism of it. Strange, she’d never thought of a battle as something to be envious of. She certainly left with a great deal of pain in her ribs to show for it and little else.
“Something wrong?” she asked, fixing him with a soft gaze.
Rolan shrugged but she noticed the way his tail flicked, irritated, back and forth. He watched everything besides herself, not truly meeting her eyes as he gazed around the clearing.
“Nothing,” he said. “I’m just hoping you haven’t given my siblings any ridiculous notions about going off and being a hero. They’re not the type to walk through a goblin camp with no problem.”
She smiled, understanding his concerns. “I’m sure they’ll be fine. It’s not about being a hero, it’s about giving help where it’s needed and… I suppose it was selfish too. I needed a healer and Halsin was my only option.”
“A healer?” he repeated, gaze lingering over her bruises. “Did he manage to fix whatever’s wrong with you?”
Her heart thudded a little and her stomach sank. He hadn’t been able to do anything for her. Halsin pointed her in a direction and promised to help but he couldn’t remove the tadpole from her head. Every day, she ended up closer than ever to becoming a creature from her worst nightmares and she could do nothing.
Honestly, it may have contributed more to her mood surrounding the party than the actual exhaustion had.
“No, then?” Rolan asked.
She shook her head and tried to shake free of the worries. “Unfortunately, my condition goes a bit beyond his talents but he did give me a way forward. We’re heading toward Moonrise Towers to look for answers.”
‘You don’t sound confident.”
“It’s hard to be sometimes,” she admitted. “But I don’t really have much of a choice in what I do next.”
He coughed, a little awkward as he shifted his weight from side to side. “Well, I mean you’re clearly more than capable of handling things. I’m sure getting to wherever will be easy enough for your little group of heroes.”
She laughed at the unexpected and strange praise. “Thank you, Rolan.”
He nodded and seemed about to turn around and leave so she stood and the movement momentarily froze him. She leaned forward and pressed a small kiss to cheek in thanks.
“You’re going to do great with your studies,” she said. “I’ll be sure to brag to everyone I know once your name becomes renowned.”
Somebody once told her tieflings couldn’t blush but she swore she saw colour darken the tops of his cheeks even in the dim light of the forest.
Taglist: @miwn8
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What’s a good way to start a prologue/chapter 1?
How to Write a Great Prologue or First Chapter
We all know the saying, "You never get a second chance to make a first impression." Well, the same holds true for your writing. The prologue or first chapter of your story acts as the literary handshake, the grand entrance that sets the stage for the entire narrative. Here are some quick tips on how to make a great first impression.
Start with a Bang
The beginning of your story should grab the reader's attention and leave them wanting more. Here are some ways to make your opening unforgettable:
Use strong imagery to set the scene and create a mood.
Start with a shocking or unexpected statement.
Open with a question or a cliffhanger.
Introduce a fascinating character or setting.
Begin in the middle of the action.
Create a sense of urgency.
Establish the Stakes
In order to keep your readers invested in your story, they need to care about what happens to your characters. Here are some methods for creating high stakes early on:
Introduce a problem or goal that your protagonist needs to achieve.
Show the consequences of inaction or failure.
Establish the consequences of success.
Show what the character stands to lose.
Create a ticking clock or deadline.
Use subtext to hint at more significant stakes.
Build Tension
Tension is the key ingredient that keeps your readers on the edge of their seats and turning pages. Here's how to create it:
Use foreshadowing to hint at what's to come.
Create a sense of unease or danger.
Create conflict between characters.
Use dialogue to build tension.
Create a sense of mistrust or uncertainty.
Use pacing and sentence structure to create a sense of urgency.
Develop Characters
Your readers will be invested in your story if they care about your characters. Here's how to make them care:
Give characters a unique voice and personality.
Show their strengths and weaknesses.
Make sure their motivations are clear.
Give them a backstory and a history.
Show, rather than tell, their traits.
Create a character arc that shows growth or change.
Use Setting to Create Atmosphere
Setting can create a mood and a sense of atmosphere that will draw your readers in. Here's how to use it:
Use sensory details to create a vivid picture.
Create a sense of place and time.
Use symbolism to create a deeper meaning.
Show how the setting affects the characters.
Use the weather to create mood and atmosphere.
Use the setting to foreshadow events to come.
By following these tips, you'll be able to craft a prologue or first chapter that will keep your readers engaged and eager to continue reading. And don’t forget, your opening chapter or prologue doesn’t have to be the first thing you write! Feel free to play around with timelines and chapter order - you never know what surprises lie in store once you take a step back from your work and look at it as a whole.
#writers#creative writing#writing#writing community#writers of tumblr#creative writers#writing inspiration#writeblr#writerblr#writing tips#writing resources#creative writing resources#writing help#writing advice#writing tip#how to write#learn to write#write with me#prologue#first chapter#opening chapter#how to write a prologue#howe to write an opening chapter#how to write a first chapter#novel writing#am writing#writers block#writing tips and tricks#writer tips#advice for writers
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The Many Failures of Lila's Writing
There are three main issues with Lila Rossi (or whatever her name is): she was introduced too early, she doesn't fill a unique role in the story, and her lies are too over the top for her to feel like a good villain. Let's go through that list in order because the issues build to create the show's most annoying character even though her setup could have lead to a legitimately great character who we would have all loved to hate.
Issue 1: Lila Shows Up Three Seasons Too Early
Lila is introduced in the final episode of season one and then essentially disappears from the show for a full season. The only time we see her in season two is her brief appearance in season two's finale where she takes on the role of Volpina again in order to help Gabriel fake Ladybug's death. That's also the episode where we learn that Lila has been "in Achu" for some unknown amount of time.
[image: a list of Lila's season two appearances (source)]
Season three sees Lila show up with reasonable regularity (8 episodes, none of which are two-parters) and we get a real conflict with her, truly establishing her as a villain who lies like crazy and who wants to destroy Marinette.
Then season four comes and Lila is once again forgotten about. She shows up more than she did in season two, but only as a background character and most episodes don't see her at all. She doesn't have a single line until the final three episodes of the season and her role in these episodes is exceedingly minor. She does a few petty things to remind you that she's awful, but she's not the focus of the plot. She's just there to remind you that she exists and to establish her and Chloe as coconspirators of some sort.
[image: a list of Lila's season four appearances (source)]
Then season five comes and Lila is back to being an active antagonist. She shows up in almost every episode and we even get her very lackluster defeat.
This is some of the worst pacing that I have ever seen. It's honestly impressively bad. I hope the issue speaks for itself, but in case it doesn't, you don't chop a story up like this without a good reason and, frankly, their isn't one. Lila's introduction, villain setup, and defeat should have all take place over the course of a season or two, forming a mini arc.
Just in case you don't know what that is, most stories have a main conflict that drives the whole narrative (ex: getting the butterfly miraculous back) but within that story you have lots of mini stories. Things that get resolved so that it feels like things are moving forward and so that the audience stays engaged. If you don't get any satisfying resolutions until five seasons in (or more), then the audience will start to get annoyed or just stop watching. It's also a good way to keep expectations from getting built up too high. If every season or every other season has a satisfying conclusion to some big conflict, then you don't leave everything riding on the big finale.
By chopping Lila's story up, you made the audience spend four seasons dreaming of her defeat. Expectations were sky high. She's more hated than Gabe! If she's been introduced mid season 4 and had the exact same story arc, then her lackluster take down would be a mild disappointment and not a major issue for most of the fandom.
Issue 2: Lila and Chloe Should Never have Coexisted
When it comes to story telling, characters fill roles. Ladybug is the lead. Alya is the plucky best friend. Gabriel is the big bad. Etc. Etc.
Generally speaking, you only want one character in a given role. Having two or more characters in the same role leads to character bloat where characters are fighting for screen time because they don't have a clear place in the story. This is especially true for key antagonistic roles. It's a lot easier to balance two best friends than it is to balance two big bads.
Enter Chloe and Lila.
I've mentioned before that I thought that Chloe was going to be redeemed. The reason I thought this was not because of anything to do with Chloe. It was because the show introduced Lila and, narratively speaking, Lila and Chloe are the same character. They're both petty school bullies whose main job is to cause trouble for Marinette while she's at school and to give setups for akumas.
However, in terms of perceived threat, Lila is the bigger badder Chloe. No one but Sabrina likes Chloe. Everyone but Marinette likes Lila. Chloe doesn't make plans. Lila lives to manipulate and plot. If you're going to get ride of Chloe, Lila is who you'd replace her with. That's just how this works.
One of the most well known examples of this type of setup is Zuko and Azula from Avatar the Last Airbender. Zuko is the main antagonist of season one, but season two sees him step out of that role as he starts his journey of self-discovery and redemption. And who is introduced at the end of seasons one? Azula, Zuko's evil, more powerful sister. In season two, Azula fills Zuko's former role, but also makes things feel more serious because she's a bigger badder Zuko.
This brings us back to a big part of issue one. Namely, Lila's ongoing disappearing act. She only does that because of Chloe.
Chloe is a much easier villain to write. She doesn't have to hide anything. She is openly petty and evil. So if you're going to pick a character for a petty conflict, you're going to pick Chloe. The only time Lila gets pulled in is when the drama revolves around lies because Chloe is actually a strikingly honest character. She rarely lied prior to her "friendship" with Lila because, for the most part, Chloe doesn't care if everyone hates her. She only cares about the opinions of a chosen few. (Or, at least, she acts like she does.)
For Lila to work, Chloe needed to be redeemed or written off the show. The best proof of this is seasons five, where Chloe straight up becomes Lila's minion because the writers had to force that relationship if they wanted to have both characters involved in the plot. It's also why season four saw Chloe suddenly obsessed with Marinette when, prior to that, Chloe bullied everyone. The only way to team Chloe and Lila up was to give them a common goal and that didn't exist in the first three seasons.
So, building off of point one, Lila should have been introduced much later and she should have stepped into Chloe's shoes after Chloe either switched roles or completely left the show.
Issue 3: The Lies
I think that we can all agree that Lila is a terrible liar. Even a toddler could see through the BS that spews from her mouth. There are multiple satisfying Lila takedown fics that don't involve clever plots to beat her. They involve Alya or someone else doing a google search because - even with the declining quality of that tool - that's still all that it would take to prove what Lila is.
This is a really bad way to write a character who is supposed to be a master manipulator. Especially when she's going to be the next big bad. They desperately needed to tone her down.
For example, DON'T have her claim to be Ladybug's best friend. Have her claim that Ladybug saved her. That would still go up on the Ladyblog and, more importantly, it would be a lot harder to disprove. I doubt that Ladybug remembers everyone she saves so no one would fault Alya for just taking that at face-value, but Marinette could still instantly peg Lila as a liar.
Tinnitus from saving Jagged Stone's cat? How about tinnitus from being too close to the speakers at Jagged Stone's latest concert? The concert where Lila even got to meet him because she had back stage passes. Once again, hard to disprove. Jagged meets a lot of fans. I doubt he'd be able to tell you that she was lying.
And definitely don't have her openly state that she's a liar. The fact that she did that and was STILL able to manipulate the adult characters is abysmal writing. Especially because it comes right before Lila disappears for a season, giving the impression that her confession essentially defeated her, only for the show to go PSYCH! No one cares about her confession, it meant nothing for the Lila conflict.
I've had someone tell me that they think that Lila's lies were suppose to be a joke and, to be fair, that's plausible. The show relies on a lot of ridiculous humor. If Lila had shown up later, then this might have worked. But because Lila has been around for so long, we've all had time to think about her lies and build up the expectation of how they'd be handled.
I don't just mean Lila being exposed. I mean the fallout of all of her "fans" having to deal with the truth of who Lila really is, an issue that I won't go into here because this is already super long and I think that the issue of how her lies effect characters like Nino and Alya is pretty well understood.
There's also the Chloe thing. Chloe is very over the top, so replacing her with a character who is over the top in a different, more terrifying way would have made some sense. But Chloe's still here and she's more ridiculous than ever, so Lila matching that ridiculous just makes them an annoying duo that we all have to suffer through. Their team up was one of the most forced elements of seasons five. I just do not buy that Chloe would ever subject herself to being someone's minion. When it comes to that team up, the hand of the author is glaring.
Conclusion/Final Thoughts
Manipulative characters are fun. They make for fantastic villains and Lila could have been one of these fantastic villain, especially if Gabriel was played as more sympathetic. If there were lines that Gabriel wouldn't cross, then Lila getting the butterfly would be terrifying. As-is, I don't see how she's any worse than the dude who created Chat Blanc. Plus I'm not even sure why she needs the butterfly. She could already get anything she wanted with minimal effort because her lying powers are so OP. Like, why should I care about that twist? What has changed with the passing of the butterfly? The stakes have not been raised. If anything, they've been lowered.
Lila is just your generic evil villain who is evil for evil's sake. The heroes already hate her. Finding out that she's the big bad is not emotionally devastating. If anything, Marinette should be thrilled that she finally has an excuse to punch Lila.
It's possible that the writers will give Lila an interesting back story, but because she's been around for five seasons, I don't have any faith that they will. I mean, what was the point of introducing her all the way back in season one if you weren't going to use that to set her up in a satisfying way? I've seen people say to just wait and see and wait for what? They couldn't manage to pull off Gabriel's defeat or Chloe's defeat/redemption or Lila's first takedown in a way that was narratively satisfying. Why should I give them a chance to disappoint me with Lila's next take down? Three strikes and you're out!
@tallwriter as requested, there are my thoughts on Lila. As with every character in this show, I think she deserved better. She could have been great. She's one of the worst examples of squandered potential because everything about her was done wrong.
#ml writing salt#ml writing critical#ml season 5 salt#Lila salt#Lila Rossi salt#Lila Rossi deserves better#She's got everything she needs to be the kind of character we all love to hate#Instead I see her and I just go “oh no not her. The writing is so bad when she's around.”
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Sorry if this question has already been asked, but I haven’t seen anything similar anywhere. So I really love world building and characters, and I can spend hours figuring out their intricate details and visualizing them in my head. I would love to start turning them into stories, but that’s where I simply blank and have difficulty coming up with even a basic plot line. How would you recommend coming up with basic plots when you already have worlds and characters thought out?
Making a plot for your world and characters...
I often consider the outline of a story to surround the three pillars of events, environment, and characters. When you are struggling to develop any one of these elements, I find it helpful to examine how the other two are interacting. If you begin (in this instance) with a fairly developed environment and set of characters moving within it, you can analyze the interactions between the two and discern where there might be opportunities for conflict. Approaching plot development this way will primarily put your story in the character-driven category.
A more detailed example might look something like this:
You have an ensemble cast of characters who live in a dystopian society where death has been eradicated during their lifetime. They are all old enough to remember a world before immortality, and society has witnessed cultural conflict in response to this advancement in technology. This could be approached from many angles, such as dissent or advocacy from religious groups, cultural groups with practices related to death, social classes who have lesser access to the technology, political groups who manipulate the issue to their benefit, etc. Each character in your ensemble will have their own personal views and be affected individually by this factor of the environment you’ve put them in, so find the conflict in each of them. Perhaps one of the characters is inheriting a leadership position in a cultural group that advocates against the use of the technology to prolong life as it goes against their beliefs. Maybe another character is of a social class that has limited access to the technology and is going to great lengths to cure a sick family member.
That is the thought process of development that will make it easier to create a central conflict and plot for your story.
Identify unique factors of the environment
Consider your characters’ established place within the environment
Anticipate conflicts between the two
Exploit those conflicts to create tension
Outline the development of all conflicts to find the through line plot of the story
I hope this helps, and as always you can feel free to reach out if you have further questions.
x Kate
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The thing about Imogen and Laudna’s relationship is that I want to like it so bad. Not just because it’s a very important relationship for two PCs that takes up a lot of runtime, but because there are a lot of elements that could be explored in the relationship that I really like the idea of. For instance, how do you navigate a close relationship with someone who can look into your mind? What kind of trust does that necessitate you build, what kind of boundaries do you have to set and how, and what happens if those boundaries are crossed? Is that imbalance in the relationship uncomfortable for Laudna? For Imogen? How would the circlet have changed this theoretical conflict?
But then those elements just… don’t get explored. Nothing gets explored. The relationship is stagnant, nothing ever changes, and the few conflicts that can’t be avoided get smoothed over without actual resolution so that they can go back to the place they started from all the way in episode 1. And there’s nothing to imply that the reason they’re so conflict free is that they worked out the biggest bumps in their dynamic before the stream, they’ve already communicated a lot and set up the most comfortable form of their relationship, and now it’s mostly smooth sailing (and even then, even the longest and best relationships still have conflicts you need to work through). No, everything signals that they’ve just avoid anything that could possibly cause conflict for years. Conflict or some other interruption of the status quo is how things change, and that’s how people grow, but they avoid any break in the status quo at all costs.
And because they avoid conflicts, they never grow in the relationship, they never explore, they never change it, nothing changes. And because the relationship is so important to both characters, because it takes up so much of their time in general and on screen, it feels like it also keeps Imogen and Laudna from growing individually. Both of them, but especially Laudna, had amazing arcs and great growth when they were separated from each other. Way more than when they were together. And even that feels like it’s getting pushed under the rug again, they’re reverting back to episode 1 status quo Laudna and Imogen.
And the worst part is that every time there’s been conflict in the relationship I’ve loved it. The gnarlrock thing, Laudna expressing her frustration at the other half of the party, those were really really good moments. I genuinely loved their dynamic in those moments, I want more of the relationship those moments imply. But they’re few and far between, and when they happen, the two back away from the issue and revert back to the status quo.
And I don’t think this is bad characterization, I think it makes sense for them, and I’ve made posts before about why I think their relationship is that way. But it is so constant, so unchanging, that it just gets tiring to watch. Especially when no other character ever acknowledges this part of their relationship, they all encourage it. Like, the kiss was cute for sure, but what did it do in their relationship? Nothing. If you removed the kiss there would be no discernible before and after.
I don’t begrudge anyone liking the relationship, if you do that’s great. I do genuinely mean that, I am glad that you like their relationship, I really wish I did. I want to like it so bad. But I just don’t. I’m tired of it. I wish the stuff I liked in the potential of their relationship would ever get brought up. If things do change for them, I will be so excited, but based on how it’s been going, they don’t seem like they will anytime soon. This is very lightly edited and way longer than I meant it to be, but the point is that god I wish I loved them, but god I really really don’t.
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