#Depth in Storytelling

[ancientroyalblood]

Exploring the Power of Symbolism in Writing

Writing is a craft where every word, every sentence, and every detail serves a purpose. It’s a canvas upon which authors paint their stories, and, sometimes, the paint they use is not just the ink on the page, but symbols that convey deeper meanings. Symbolism in writing adds complexity and depth, transforming a simple narrative into a profound, thought-provoking experience. In this exploration…

[knightofleo]

Angela Orosco Silent Hill 2

[aerequets]

I didn't really think about this before, but in the iconic proposal scene, twilight thinks "until my mission do us part" and yor thinks "until my killing do us part". twilights bit made sense to me bc he planned to eventually end the family, but for Yor I was kinda like "oh endo must have just needed a parallel and yor doesn't have a specific end in mind so he must've just went with 'until my killing do us part' even if it doesn't make as much sense".

but i realized that maybe by "my killing" Yor didn't necessarily mean her job killing people, but rather HERSELF being killed? like was her life prior to the forgers just doing jobs until an inevitable end? cruise arc showed us that she found her new reason (family) to keep going with garden, but before that, was she just like. waiting for the one job that'd end up killing her?

idk maybe this was really obvious but I didn't realize LOL

[lesparapluies]

Okay WHAT was that!!!! WHY is there suddenly an episode that BREAKS me???? Leaves me GASPING for air...!

Now THAT is good tv. No no, this episode was CINEMA.

[thenationofzaun]

The Warwick lines we deserved:

The Warwick line we got:

"DON'T TOUCH MY DEOUGHTAAAA 😤😤😤😡😡😡"

[shorthaltsjester]

have been thinking about the recent interview about the mighty nein animated series where it was mentioned that the series as a whole would be more of a departure and that vox machina s3 is a similar change versus the more canon retelling they started with in s1 and i’ve seen some negative reactions to it but honestly i’m Psyched to hear that is a change they’ve committed to in their writing and storytelling for the animated series because like. we have the campaigns. and for me the moments in the animation that have fallen the most flat or haven’t felt as fulfilling is when the show has tried to capture the Same Thing as the campaign without having the hundreds of hours of context that supported the moment in the campaign that made it Significant. and it is much much more exciting for me to have a changed story that is changed because it is now. a episodic television show and not a recording of actors playing dnd. like . yes actually Please change the storylines to be storylines and not the whims of game players. yes actually please make a good story in the medium it’s being told in.

[vaguely-concerned]

the idea this game posits that just as much as or even more so than lucanis is having a demon problem, spite is currently having a lucanis problem. is everything to me. spite voice bitch you live like this???

[the-most-humble-blog]

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💄🧨 KILL THE GIRLBOSS — OR KILL THE STORY

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Let’s talk about the word “Girlboss.”

A term born in a boardroom, beta-tested on brunch mimosas, and shipped to an audience that never existed.

It’s a costume. A filter. A pink-tinted hallucination designed to simulate power while defanging character.

🧠 Here’s your free reality check, writer: If your character’s entire vibe is “Some people will love this” — you’ve already written for no one.

Because:

“Some people” don’t buy tickets. “Some people” don’t rewatch scenes for decades. “Some people” don’t carry myth in their blood.

And “some people” sure as hell don’t want to see a movie that feels like a tampon commercial disguised as a Marvel installment.

You wanna write a female character who matters?

Then burn the blueprint the studios handed you. Because that script was ghostwritten by executives who care more about merchandise synergy than myth.

And their screenwriters? Cowards who’d rather cash a check than fight for truth on the page.

📜 Let me show you what made humans worth filming in the first place.

We don’t watch stories about a cow’s peaceful journey around the pasture. We watch stories where a human soul stands between the cosmos and a punch from the f*cking infinity gauntlet.

Because the only question that matters in myth is:

> “What would I do in that body, in that moment, with that weight?”

That’s how myth transfers. That’s how legend moves. Not by t-shirt slogans.

Not by quippy disrespect toward male characters who’ve bled for the cause.

💥 WRITING LESSON: Kill the Girlboss, Save the Story

Erase the term “Girlboss.” Not for cancel culture reasons. For craft reasons. It’s childish. Cringe. Infantalizing. Real power doesn’t self-brand. It radiates.

Never have her declare her own badassery. That’s not a reveal. That’s insecurity. If the audience can’t see it, you failed.

Never have her flippantly disrespect a male hero who’s proven his value over multiple arcs unless the script answers for it. You think fans forgot that he saved her nana in Movie 1, her sisterhood in Movie 2, and took a space-beam to the chest in Movie 3? You think the audience doesn’t notice when the new girl talks like she skipped the war but wants to boss the veterans?

Men and women are not the same. And that’s the point. Stop writing female leads like men with a flat iron. You know who looked cool? Sarah Connor. Doing pull-ups in a concrete monkey cage. Sweaty. Unhinged. Ripped like a prom dress. And when Arnie walked back into her life, even though he was on her side this time — she flinched. She almost pissed herself. Because trauma doesn’t care about plot twists. She pushed through it anyway. Not for clout. For her son.

📌 Write this down. Tape it to your wall. Bleed it into your next script:

> Girlboss is not a compliment. > It’s a warning label. > It means you wrote a child’s idea of power > with none of the scars.

Now, open your notebook. Write “Girlboss.” Draw a line through it. And whisper:

> “I refute the premise.”

Then get to work. Or flounder for two more years under the illusion that writer’s block is anything more than your conscience refusing to publish garbage.

Good day, ma’am. Or sir.

🎯 CTA STACK: This was not advice. This was a literary firing squad. Follow for more truths the studios are too soft to tell you. ➡️ [Your Patreon Link] for scrolltrap screenwriting lessons, cognitive demolition, and raw myth-building power.

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[luna-the-cretar]

I actually really like Andy’s mentality with playing Shepherd, with the whole “bravery isn’t the absence of fear, moreso what you do with it” thing, as well as Shepherd being very out of his element here.

Like Andy asking if he could roll with disadvantage in Death House (I don’t remember what for), even tho he didn’t need to, as well as having Shepherd not take a long rest with everyone after saving the kids, therefore taking a point of exhaustion (as well as Andy roleplaying how exhausted Shepherd clearly is, but is insisting “nah, I’m fine, don’t worry about me”). As well as Shepherd’s lack of self preservation in combat (or other general life or death situations) if he knows that others are also in danger (regardless if he’s in more danger than them)

I just. I really like his character. I like all of Andy’s characters for reasons like this. It’s very easy to boil a character down to one or two character traits, and I won’t lie and say that the other members of the cast haven’t done that (regardless of how much I enjoy their characters), or that Andy hasn’t done that with Torbek to some extent (at least in the beginning, before he truly joined the Krew). But I like that all of his characters are multifaceted, and makes you really think about who they are and why they’re doing this. It’s just. Wonderful character design, and not an easy thing to do.

[celtrist]

I really want to see a more fucked up version of Charlie in canon. Like, okay, I am a die-hard for sweet bubbly girls in media. But I always see how some people make Charlie actually, oh I dunno... demonic? And it's so refreshing for her type of character. I could honestly see her having low empathy (and we kinda see this with how she handled Angel's situation or even Vaggie's nervousness about taking control on an activity). An exploration of that trait (if it was intended) would be interesting to see for a protagonist, especially when her main goal is about helping others. I would love to see her actually have a level of difficulty in understanding others' feelings from the other residents, sinners, and even her father.

But give her a fucked up side. Not a "she gets more power when she's angey uwu", but a "oh, she's a little fucked in the head". It would give so much to her character that she just doesn't have.

@/murmurmurena (don't wanna bother them so slash there we go) has some fun ideas with Charlie. I highly encourage people to check their stuff out! So many fun dark ideas with her character while also still keeping to her canon personality pretty well! Personally, I think Charlie being a bit more naive to her own messed up traits would work best but her also being aware of these traits can make for some interesting character for her.

THIS FIC, "A Game Between You and I". RIGHT HERE WITH THE FIRST CHAPTER. A bit of spoil for the fic here: but I love how they handled Charlie’s absolute ignorance as to why the idea of Russian roulette is horrifying to Angel Dust. It doesn't feel like her being intentionally malicious or aware that she's the odd man out here. This is also a pretty old fic going by only the pilot, but the point still stands that it was such a fun take for her character!

Charlie is one of my favorite characters in the show in part of the POTENTIAL she could have as being the most bubbly sweetheart character while also being the most messed up character in the show. I can't say I have strong confidence with the show's writing and fully expect them to stick with Charlie being the "nice girl but oh no, don't get her angry or she gets scarwy". Which isn't bad for a character mind you, there's just so much more potential to Charlie outside of that trope, especially when you get into the theories of her either being a doll, Roo's biological daughter, or what have you. And for the MAIN CHARACTER of the show, it would be not only interesting but also bring the spotlight back to her.

There's really no question that the side characters steal the show, particularly all the male characters. If I'm honest, Charlie does not feel like she gets a lot of love from the show itself when she's supposed to be the main character. She feels far more flat compared to the rest of the characters (again, the male cast in this "female-lead" show has more depth than most of the female cast currently. I wouldn't be pointing this tidbit concerning the genders of characters if it weren't for the fact Viv defended Helluva's lack of development with their female cast by saying "Hazbin is a female-lead show and Helluva is a male-lead" and Hazbin ended up with it not feeling female lead (to me) and the male cast just completely stealing the show. I don't normally care about gender stuff, especially since I do personally lean interest towards male characters. But using one show as a defense for poor development of the female characters, and then that show not really holding up with no very interesting well-developed feeling female characters irritates me. It's just very clear that these shows don't seem to care much about the female cast :/)

If you like how Charlie is written that's totally fine. PERSONALLY, I just think they're missing so much opportunity with her character by just making her the standard female character type. I honestly don't have a lot of faith they'll actually do something with Charlie's character though. She's a pretty static character in S1 being the same from start to end. Not changing or learning anything to create any development. What does the end of season Charlie do that start of season Charlie wouldn't do? Fight back? Because we see with the pilot (which is the “first episode”) that Charlie does fight people if pushed like with Katie Killjoy and even Valentino. Static characters can work in media depending on the show or their role. But Charlie is the MC of a show about “bettering one's self”. So to have her as a static with not a lot of strong dilemmas for herself (like we see with Angel Husk Al and even Vox) seems silly. Plus, considering Hazbin is telling a whole story and it's not a fun episodic thing, characters are expected to grow on some level. Or else, what was the point of their hero's journey?

[infinitelystrangemachinex]

Veilguard vaguing:

It's not automatically a good thing, actually, that the game de-emphasizes or even outright removes racism against elves, and bigotry against other groups, from the story

[lu-is-not-ok]

It's so refreshing to see someone analyse Wing names and not fall into the "they have to be literal descriptive words" pit. I have no idea why that thought is so prevelant when it has 0 precedence but it's really irritating.

I think it's because it's just Easier to take things literally in a story like this, where fantastical things already frequently take place. It's easier to say that a name is a literal representation of something rather than more of a metaphor, since the latter actually requires some creative thinking LMAO.

I feel like it's kind of part of why so many people who have read the Sinners' sources tend to fall into the kind of speculation that effectively goes "What will PM adapt 1-to-1 and what will they not adapt at all" when like... that's not how PM has been approaching their character sources at all. It's why all of my Canto 8 and by extension Hong Lu speculation primarily hinges on evidence already in the game itself, using DOTRC more so as a supplement rather than direct proof.

Yes, PM's writing isn't always the most subtle. I mean the commentary they include basically bashes you over the head whenever it's included. However they also love their metaphors and allegories and taking a heavily transformative approach. I feel like it's a bit dismissive to treat their writing the way some people do.

[drsilasaslan]

Golden Dreams in Purple Hues An abstract textured surface in deep purples and blues highlighted by a striking gold element. The work evokes intrigue and reflection, enhanced by its complex textures and the interplay of colors. silasAslan.com

[asgardian--angels]

things I wish I could relive for the first time again:

that magical window where you finish a new piece of media, having watched/read it all by yourself with no fandom contact whatsoever, and you are just so happy about it, and full of interesting theories and takeaways, and just in love with it as a gorgeous piece of art.

because I swear to god as soon as you join the fandom for anything, you're bombarded with how you're supposed to view characters and their arcs, how you're supposed to morally and ethically judge the plot and the ways it apparently failed to present the right message, and if you don't you'll either be shunned for not sharing the popular headcanons or you'll be harassed for not criticizing the source material enough.

like how is it that the fans of a piece of media are also the ones being the most negative about it? If I like a show or a movie or a book, well, I liked it. That's kind of the point. I'm actually not here to tear it apart and talk about how it didn't live up to standards other people had! I enjoyed it for what it was, and forcing myself to find negative things to say about it doesn't actually bring me more enjoyment of it or reap any benefit to me. Fandom's a double-edged sword; you want to join a community to share your love for a piece of art, and the price you pay for a modicum of joy is a mountain of negativity. that's one main reason that I never engage with fandom until I'm completely done with a show, because if I was plugged into all of that commentary and discourse during the process, I'd be completely colored by how I'm expected to interpret everything this piece of art is presenting to me without being able to even form my own opinions.

[shorthaltsjester]

i contain multitudes and can say that i am a little :( about vex and percy being teammates with benefits because i think there’s something particularly heartbreaking about the dynamic that was neither of them ever said a thing even though they both were aware of it and it took losing percy for vex to finally admit it and Even Then, she couldn’t say it to percy’s face when they got him back, percy was the one who had to make the first move (that they were both alive for at least) and he was only able to do that because he’d heard her confession, because he never would’ve thought otherwise. to be clear, i also very much enjoy the story being told, i think i just wish they’d maybe committed more significantly to This Is A Campaign-Inspired Story Rather Than A Retelling sooner in the show so that maybe there would be a bit more grounding or set-up for the storylines the narrative is focusing on (and i understand why they wouldn’t), because i think they’re doing very well with percy’s arc for example, because they started with focusing on his and keeping his beats mostly the same and that seems to be much the same case as some of his second wave of meaty character stuff has arrived. but with vex they’ve aimed for the same character beats but it doesn’t always feel as earned or really feel like much character at all; i think saundor particularly was a bit of an :/, since in the campaign it was really a catalyst for vex interrogating her role in the party and her morality and something she struggled to get over and that haunted her far beyond the walls of that tree, but in the show it hasn’t really had a clear impact on vex beyond the scope of the episode itself — syldor certainly has, but the challenge that saundor presented didn’t really have much weight beyond its moment. and obviously a large part of that’s also probably just, 7 protagonists and wanting to expand the perspectives to antagonists and give more room for side characters is a lot of things to cover. and, i say with love, perhaps a bit too ambitious for a 12 episode per season, ~22 minute runtime show if they want their characters to have the kind of depth that really makes campaign 1 shine the way it does.

[worldwidewandress]

"imagine meeting someone who wanted to learn your past not to punish you but to understand how you needed to be loved"