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the-dc-killjoy · 3 years

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4x12 - Old Souls

Wynonna Earp's over. I'll do pretty much anything to get another season, but shows (not that I think that this show could ever get to that point. id still love WE even if it turned into whatever Grey's Anatomy's doing rn) shouldn't overstay their welcome. If this is the end, than it was a damn fine ending!

The cute.

I've been watching Martina sing since I was 11 years old, and it still puts a smile on my face. Rachel was iconic as always, and I'm gonna miss the most recent addition to the Earp family. I can just imagine the chaos of her, her not really but kind of boyfriend, and Randy Nedley on a tiny boat in the middle of nowhere. Poor Nedley. Let's hope Chrissy remains the only one of his many daughter figures to catch mono.

Speaking of mononucleosis- that's such an awful transition that i'm keeping it, I believe that Wayhaught has officially christened the entire homestead. Bedroom, The Stairs, kitchen floor, barn- short of just going to pound town (i'm not getting any better with sex references tonight. am i) in a patch of grass outside, they've got everything covered. Or nothing covered if you know what i mean. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge. Am I getting better now?

The random.

Nedley walking Nicole down the isle, Wynonna walking Waverly down the isle, Doc being Waverly's best man, and Wynonna being Nicole's best friend (no she will not take a secondary title. best friend will go on her tombstone)- sigh, i'm so gay. i can't really explain what that has to do with these circumstances, but i am and this makes me happy. Rachel and Nedley (and Billy was there somewhere right?) being the only people in attendance made this the perfect pandemic wedding even though there wasn't actually a pandemic in Earp land. I was the living embodiment of the pleading face emoji when they panned over the chairs. Doll's chair hurt me. like deeply. like i'm still suffering. there aren't words. fuck, i miss him.

On a lighter note, Waverly said fuck (like eight times)!!! She technically said it already, but chainsmoking-angelic possession doesn't count, right?

I'm glad that Jeremy has this new thing with Damon, but I kinda wish things had worked out with him and Robin. He officiated a wedding, got promoted, and got a handsome date in one afternoon, so I can't be too sad about his adorable self.

Charlotte Sullivan, the jilted dress shop owner/witch, played one of the earliest (in my knowledge at least. this show was my brother's thing not mine) representation of a bi woman in Canadian media. I don't know too much about her Rookie Blue character, but if you can have tolerated the will-they-wont-they, end of the world romance of the main character's kinda mediocre relationships for a couple more seasons, I'm sure you'll find out! By the nature of Canada having 16.87 actors in total, I tend to see a lot of overlap, and I have to infodump about that somewhere. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The Earping callbacks! Wynonna's truck, her motorcycle, the bullet proof vest, Nedley and Nicole's father-daughter thing, Waverly never saying the f-word (and subverting that), i'm all in, even Rachel always being stuck with juice while the adults are drinking- perfect! We had a little bit of the usual supernatural insanity, but this episode was wall to wall fanservice, and it was perfectly in-character fanservice. That's the way to go! It didn't feel forced or awkward and the edited mailbox will make me tear up on rewatch

The relationship. (aka i wanna talk about wyndoc and had no outline when i started this thing)

The Wyndoc goodbye was beautiful. I'm not into the whole you need one person to complete you kinda thing, but the implication that it didn't have to be romantic (implying that Wynonna's person was Waverly) was great. I felt that the scene worked perfectly, and might have been fine leaving it there if there was another season clearly on the horizon. With the fact that this was the series finale (i sighed so hard typing that. my poor lungs), I'm glad that they got their own happy ending.

The analysis.

Nicole's and Wynonna's as individual characters mirror each other in so many ways, but I'm just gonna wax poetic about one: their relationship with the GRT. Wynonna was hurt by the town, badly. She grew up with a steady stream of shitty adults and a few who told her to shake the demons out of her head and embraced the tough love mantra. It made a lot of sense that she left as an adult. Waverly was most likely the only reason she didn't skip town before that.

Nicole had a negative integer of adult role models in her life, with the murdered aunt and uncle and the whatever-the-fuck her parents were trying to be. Sure, a little trip to the Ghost River Triangle left her with trauma that she spent a lifetime repressing, but what's a little surviving a massacre under the six year old girl bridge. Am I right?

In their early lives, these characters had nothing but negative experiences in the aptly named town of Purgatory. Wynonna was drawn back into town by Curtis' letter just in time for her 27th birthday, and Nedley applied for Nicole to start working as a cop. Neither of them directly chose to come back to the Ghost River Triangle, but both of them did have the final say.

Wynonna decided pretty early on that she was going to stay no matter what. She already abandoned her sister once. How could she do it again with all of these monsters lurking in the shadows. As time went on, her circle of people expanded, but Waverly has always been the person that fight through hell and high water for. Even when fighting wasn't necessary, when it hurt her much more than it helped anything, she did it anyways because it was the only thing she could do to protect her sister. Wynonna thought it was the only thing she could do at all. This entire season, she's been fighting a war with herself, and her leaving, Waverly telling her that it was okay to leave, was the first time that took a break, took a breath since she arrived in Purgatory on her 27th birthday. Her child and the man she loves are out in the world, but she will be back with them at her side. Maybe after a quick road trip, maybe after a few years, but she will be back.

Nicole spent a majority of season 1 and 2 feeling like an outsider. Season 3 came with the realization that these people were her family and the Ghost River Triangle was her home. Early season 4 kinda shat all over that, oops. The rest of this season has been her finding her footing again. Nicole was a wandering soul, but she voluntarily staked herself to the land, vowing to protect it and the people within its borders for the rest of her life without the ability to leave, and she doesn't regret it. Her wife, her family, her people are all in this one not-so-sleepy Canadian town.

Nicole found her place, after a lifetime of searching, and Wynonna left, temporarily, after a lifetime of feeling trapped. They might seem like opposites, but both women call the same place home.

Originally, I watched this show was to cope with the ending of Agents of SHIELD (which I kind of used to cope with the ending of Killjoys, which featured Emily Andras as a writer in season 1 and has near identical humor, found family, and a healthy serving of gay and wow this is turning into a bit of advertisement isn't it), but it wormed its way into my heart. I've never quite seen a show like this. Never seemed interested in a western, even a sci-fi western. Never saw the gay couple reach OTP status both in fandom and canon. I've never seen so many fan conventions dedicated to just one show. I usually stay for just one character (and Wynonna has become one of my all time favorite characters), but I find myself connecting with so many of the beautiful people being brought to life on my screen. Wynonna, Waverly, Nicole, Rachel, Dolls, Jeremy, Doc, Nedley and so many other hilarious and heartbreaking characters make this show, and every single human who played a part in this self-proclaimed shitshow deserves a round of applause and a swig of whiskey.

The end.

#wynonna earp #wynonna earp spoilers #wynonna earp season 4 spoilers #wearp meta #wyn #waverly earp #nicole haught #doc holliday #rachel valdez #jeremy chetri #randy nedley #my thoughts #i'll add screen caps in the morning #goodbye my beautiful fuck ups #guess i have to combine my emily andras and michelle lovretta obsessions into watching lost girl #im sad tonight #satisfied with this ending #but still damn sad

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thecaffeinebookwarrior · 7 years

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The Dos and Don’ts of Beginning a Novel: An Illustrated Guide

I’ve had a lot of asks lately for how to begin a book (or how not to), so here’s a post on my general rules of thumb for story openers and first chapters!

Please note, these are incredibly broad generalizations; if you think an opener is right for you, and your beta readers like it, there’s a good chance it’s A-OK. When it comes to writing, one size does not fit all. (Also note that this is for serious writers who are interested in improving their craft and/or professional publication, so kindly refrain from the obligatory handful of comments saying “umm, screw this, write however you want!!”)

So without further ado, let’s jump into it!

Don’t:

1. Open with a dream.

“Just when Mary Sue was sure she’d disappear down the gullet of the monstrous, winged pig, she woke up bathed in sweat in her own bedroom.”

What? So that entire winged pig confrontation took place in a dream and amounts to nothing? I feel so cheated!

Okay, not too many people open their novels with monstrous swine, but you get the idea: false openings of any kind tend to make the reader feel as though you’ve wasted their time, and don’t usually jump into more meaty action of the story quickly enough. It makes your opening feel lethargic and can leave your audience yawning.

Speaking of...

2. Open with a character waking up.

This feels familiar to most of us, but unless your character is waking up to a zombie attack or an alien invasion, it’s generally a pretty easy recipe to get your story to drag.

No one picks a book to hear how your character brushes their teeth in the morning or what they’d like to have for dinner. As a general rule of thumb, we read to explore things we wouldn’t otherwise get to experience. And cussing out the alarm clock is not one of them.

Granted, there are exceptions if your writing is exceptionally engaging, but in most cases it just sets a slow pace that will bore you and your reader to death and probably cause you to lose interest in your book within the first ten pages.

3. Bombard with exposition.

Literary characters aren’t DeviantArt OCs. And the best way to convey a character is not, in my experience, to devote the first ten pages to describing their physical appearance, personality, and backstory. Develop your characters, and make sure their fully fleshed out -- my tips on how to do so here -- but you don’t need to dump all that on the reader before they have any reason to care about them. Let the reader get to know the character gradually, learn about them, and fall in love with them as they would a person: a little bit at a time.

This is iffy when world building is involved, but even then it works best when the delivery feels organic and in tune with the book’s overall tone. Think the opening of the Hobbit or Good Omens.

4. Take yourself too seriously.

Your opener (and your novel in general) doesn’t need to be intellectually pretentious, nor is intellectual pretense the hallmark of good literature. Good literature is, generally speaking, engaging, well-written, and enjoyable. That’s it.

So don’t concern yourself with creating a poetic masterpiece of an opening line/first chapter. Just make one that’s -- you guessed it -- engaging, well-written, and enjoyable.

5. Be unintentionally hilarious.

Utilizing humor in your opening line is awesome, but check yourself to make sure your readers aren’t laughing for all the wrong reasons (this is another reason why betas are important.)

These examples of the worst opening lines in published literature will show you what I mean -- and possibly serve as a pleasant confidence booster as well:

It was like so, but wasn’t.

— Richard Powers

Those of us acquainted with their sordid and scandalous story were not surprised to hear, by way of rumors from the various localities where the sorceresses had settled after fleeing our pleasant town of Eastwick, Rhode Island, that the husbands whom the three Gordforsaken women had by their dark arts concocted for themselves did not prove durable.

— John Updike

The cabin-passenger wrote in his diary a parody of Descartes: “I feel discomfort, therefore I am alive,” then sat pen in hand with no more to record.

—Graham Greene

Indian Summer is like a woman.

— Grace Metalious

If these can get published, so can you.

Do:

1. You know that one really interesting scene you’re itching to write? Start with that.

Momentum is an important thing in storytelling. If you set a fast, infectious beat, you and your reader will be itching to dance along with it.

Similarly, slow, drowsy openers tend to lead to slow, drowsy stories that will put you both to sleep.

I see a lot of posts joking about “that awkward moment when you sit down to write but don’t know how to get to that one scene you actually wanted to write about.” Write that scene! If it’s at all possible, start off with it. If not, there are still ways you can build your story around the scenes you actually want to write.

Keep in mind: if you’re bored, your reader will almost certainly be bored as well. So write what you want to write. Write what makes you excited. Don’t hold off until later, when it “really gets good.” Odds are, the reader will not wait around that long, and you’re way more likely to become disillusioned with your story and quit. If a scene is dragging, cut it out. Burn bridges, find a way around. Live, dammit.

2. Engage the reader.

There are several ways to go about this. You can use wit and levity, you can present a question, and you can immerse the reader into the world you’ve created. Just remember to do so with subtlety, and don’t try too hard; believe me, it shows.

Here are some of my personal favorite examples of engaging opening lines:

"In the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."

-- Douglas Adams, the Restaurant at the End of the Universe.

"It was the day my grandmother exploded."

-- Iain Banks, Crow Road.

“A white Pomeranian named Fluffy flew out of the a fifth-floor window in Panna, which was a grand-new building with the painter’s scaffolding still around it. Fluffy screamed.”

-- Vikram Chandra, Sacred Games.

See what I’m saying? They pull you in and do not let go.

3. Introduce us to a main character (but do it right.)

“Shadow had done three years in prison. He was big enough and looked don't-fuck-with-me enough that his biggest problem was killing time. So he kept himself in shape, and taught himself coin tricks, and thought a lot about how much he loved his wife.”

-- Neil Gaiman, American Gods.

This is one of my favorite literary openings of all time, because right off the bat we know almost everything we need to know about Shadow’s character (i.e. that he’s rugged, pragmatic, and loving.)

Also note that it doesn’t tell us everything about Shadow: it presents questions that make us want to read more. How did Shadow get into prison? When will he get out? Will he reunite with his wife? There’s also more details about Shadow slowly sprinkled in throughout the book, about his past, personality, and physical appearance. This makes him feel more real and rounded as a character, and doesn’t pull the reader out of the story.

Obviously, I’m not saying you should rip off American Gods. You don’t even need to include a hooker eating a guy with her cooch if you don’t want to.

But this, and other successful openers, will give you just enough information about the main character to get the story started; rarely any good comes from infodumping, and allowing your reader to get to know your character gradually will make them feel more real.

4. Learn from the greats.

My list of my favorite opening lines (and why I love them) is right here.

5. Keep moving.

The toughest part of being a writer is that it’s a rare and glorious occasion when you’re actually satisfied with something you write. And to add another layer of complication, what you like best probably won’t be what your readers will like best.

If you refuse to keep moving until you have the perfect first chapter, you will never write anything beyond your first chapter.

Set a plan, and stick to it: having a daily/weekly word or page goal can be extremely helpful, especially when you’re starting out. Plotting is a lifesaver (some of my favorite posts on how to do so here, here, and here.)

Keep writing, keep moving, and rewrite later. If you stay in one place for too long, you’ll never keep going.

Best of luck, and happy writing. <3

#the author speaks #writing #opening chapters #openers #first chapters #plotting #american gods #neil gaiman #douglas adams #the restaurant at the end of the universe #iain banks #crow road #vikram chandra #sacred games

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tmae3114 · 7 years

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Got any favorite Mechquest moments? Favorite mechs? hero in college shenanigans? Tell me all the things tmae3114! Because this game is so underrated and deserves more love.

*kicks down a door* I AM SO READY TO TALK MECHQUEST THANK YOU FOR ASKING ME MECHQUEST THINGS

I am in absolute agreement that this game is underrated and deserves more love!! I have a lot of love to give it but I am only one person and this game deserves more people.

This is under a readmore because it is so very, very long. So long.

I apologise to anyone who is on mobile and has to scroll past this.

Okay! Starting off, a non-exhaustive (haha) list of my favourite moments in MQ:

pretty much the entire Rebel Leader mission because a) it introduces us to Odessa and b) everything she says in it is so good??? but especially

“If you are indeed Slugwrath's loyal servant then crush me with your mecha as a symbol of how the Shadowscythe will crush you... honorless cowards!”

also Sys-Zero getting cured! that’s such a good moment! especially how he was cured because the solution turned out to be giving him the strength to save himself!!

and that what he needed to get that strength was Odessa. it was Odessa calling out to him that gave him the strength to fight his way out of the dark!

(listen I am emotional about Sys-Zero and Odessa and it’s a crime that we didn’t get more about whatever relationship they have? there’s something so significant there. he literally says that as long as Odessa lives, hope lives. he was broken and dragged down into darkness and the only light that could pull him out of it was her and there’s something very significant there and we never get to find out what)

ALSO ODESSA’S SPEECH AFTER SLUGWRATH IS DEPOSED AND SHE GETS ELECTED AS HIS REPLACEMENT

“Only together do we stand a chance! I know in my heart that we can succeed!”

All of Odessa’s dialogue is just so heroic and she’s so good so to keep this list a little shorter let’s just say Every Single Time Odessa Is Involved

(listen Alden is great and all but if I had the chance to swap out the ruler of Greenguard from him to Odessa I would do it in a heartbeat)

OKAY SO TO GET THIS LIST BACK ON TRACK FROM MY ODESSA GUSHING

The bit in the Planet Romero plotline where the hero, Artix & Helia are discussing the plan and Artix retorts that he’s done this before. What is MQ Artix’s past after the Planet Carpenter incident? Why does he have prior experience and confidence in espionage? Other Artixes (Artii? What’s the plural of Artix?) don’t have that! Other Artixes are actively terrible at that!! What is up with you MQ Artix I want to know

(also there’s a point where he says “I know that sacrifices must be made in the never-ending battle against the undead” and what does that mean Artix what sacrifices are you talking about)

(MQ Artix is like. the darkest Artix. something is up with MQ Artix and I Have Questions)

Also the bit in the Romero finale where Artix and Helia share that quick, quiet reconciliation because it just feels so real to me. It’s not some big drawn out emotional conversation, it’s just a small exchange that shows that they’re starting to mend old wounds!

speaking of Romero, Artix being all dramatic about thinking he’s turning into a zombie and going all poetic like “If I am to go, I wish to go knowing that I am leaving the universe in good hands. All I ask is that when I am too far gone, you make it quick and clean, and that my mission will not ever be forgotten!” and then Helia just goes “Oh stop being so dramatic. You’re not turning into a zombie.”

also, the Wormhole Saga

just. the entire Wormhole Saga.

but most especially the bit during Zargon Part Two where you have to decide whether or not to change the past and Sys-Zero literally just. puts his hand over his heart. and asks you to do this with him.

“I can’t order you”

(*whispers* he’s the commanding officer he could totally order you to go through with the plan but his moral code won’t let him-)

I mentioned Sys-Zero getting cured earlier with the Odessa stuff but you know what else I love? The mission where we find him after he was infected! For one thing, the opening cutscene with Sys-Zero on his recon mission is really cool (though, honestly, why did he have fast food with him. who takes fast food on recon missions. Sys-Zero you dork) and the dialogue before you have to fight him is so good (I love characters trying to warn their loved ones when they’re being mind controlled)

and honestly with how much skill the story builds Sys-Zero up as having, the only logical explanation for the hero winning that fight is that Sys-Zero was forcing himself to hold back even through the nanovirus

I’m going to stop myself from going on about Sys-Zero moments or it’ll end up even longer than my Odessa gushing

actually I’ll just stop the list here because you asked other questions too and I should answer those because this list could go on for so long

My interest in things generally tends more towards the storyline than the actual gameplay mechanics (the most I have for things like that in terms of preference is turn-based strategy games) but believe it or not, I do actually have some favourite mechs!

The Golden Wrapped Nubertron was invaluable for me in early gameplay (and still can be, tbh) because it’s optic weapon lowers the level of your opponents, which makes battles far easier. Also I love the flamethrower. Honestly, if it hadn’t been for this mech, I may never have gotten into the game as much as I have, as it’s abilities were vital for helping me beat battles I would’ve otherwise been vastly underlevelled for.

I’m also very fond of the Draconic Guard mech, mostly because I like the spear.

The Dragon Spirit Form mech is also one I really like! I actually spent a decent while grinding for the credits to get the permanent one because I enjoyed using it so much in the mission it’s temporarily available in for plot reasons.

But my absolute favourite mech would have to be the Iron Cook, which is the one that I use as my default. I enjoy every weapon it has available and also just really like the design.

Hmmm... well I have headcanons about the hero being a uni student (and the other GEARS students too) but most of them are angst related to the fact that they’re also soldiers with no training and you specified shenanigans so I guess I’ll just have to come up with some now!

The hero is never, ever late to one of Aleysia’s classes again after the first time. Moreover, they’re always extremely smugly early, and will tell her exactly how early they are when they get there.

Not even battles will keep the hero from being early to Aleysia’s classes

The Hero, with blood and oil smeared across their face and the tips of their hair still smoldering: I’m exactly 0.00000145 microseconds early to class

Aleysia never admits it but she’s actually proud of the hero’s efforts to always be early to her classes and impressed with their timekeeping when they do it, even though she compeltely and utterly aware that the entire thing is an elaborate way of poking fun at how strict she is about not being late

the hero is a certified over-achiever and totally passes out all the time because sleep is for the weak (and those with time to do it)

I mean, being a uni student, the hero is likely somewhere between the ages of seventeen and nineteen circa the start of the game, and just going off of the things you can do in game, they are- a university student- a solider fighting in a galactic war - a volunteer at the local hospital- a pizza delivery person- a member of the local police force

this kid is a complete over-achiever and frankly I am surprised that they can function at all

(”kid” I say about a character potentially my age or older)

[Hero voice] caffeine tablets are functionally the same thing as sleep, right?

the staff & students of GEARS have a bingo game going for “Places I’ve Found The Hero Sleeping That Aren’t Meant For Sleeping”

Sys-Zero is winning but Sarrina is a close second

the hero is notorious for having almost unreadable handwriting and being told to hand in all their assignments typed up

their handwriting isn’t actually all that bad it’s just that they procrastinate and attempt to do their assignments last minute in their mech during a battle

And I wish I could tell you all the things but there are so many things and it’s hard to make up my mind what to talk about!!

If you still want more MQ infodumping from me after reading this monstrosity, just shoot me a few other questions and I’ll keep going! :D I will let loose literally Every Bit Of Information as long as you give me a direction to go in ^_^b

#mechquest #this is. so long.#I knew it would be long when I started but it got SO LONG #THIS IS PROBABLY MORE THAN YOU WANTED OR EXPECTED BUT THIS IS WHAT YOU'RE GETTING #I am like. near incapable. of being concise when MQ is involved #I'm bad at being concise in general but ESPECIALLY when MQ is involved #I hope you enjoy this wordvomit though!!#mermaidmoose #ask

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