#Storytelling suggestions

[lemonhemlock]

Do you think there's any way to make Dance of the Dragons work as a conflict for the throne between brother and sister in a way that would make sense for medieval society (Why some Lords would support Rhaenyra's claim over Aegon's?).

i did a little bit here and a whole lot in my backlog of rhaenyra and succession posts

her claim is very weak so she should be spending her time politicking the hell out of everyone, engaging in a whole lot of diplomacy, making allies, currying favours for lords great and small to get them on her side, getting to know the kingdoms intimately, getting to know everybody and their problems so she can leverage possible solutions or financial aid for supporting her claim etc. essentially making herself useful and liked so that more & more nobles organically come to prefer her over aegon because she is a pillar of society or at least someone they could trust and do business with

because otherwise you have looney tunes dynamics consisting in rhaenyra sitting on her arse for years and reach lords still preferring her instead of the hightowers, even though rhaenyra never lifted a finger for any of them

[thewhizzyhead]

how firewatch played around with red herrings and foreshadowing and all to purposely build towards an anticlimactic climax is genuinely one of the smartest ways to implement these kinds of narrative elements because it just fits so, so well with the whole message of the story. all the core characters in the plot don't want to face their real lives especially in terms of accepting the loss of a loved one (in all the different forms said losses take in the game) and so, they isolate themselves in the literal wilderness to escape from their realities and in doing so, they get paranoid. characters worry over being caught and watched and found out and so, they simultaneously leave behind and pursue red herrings until the conspiracies they make all fall apart.

and the game really takes advantage of inflicting such worry onto the player as well by making breadcrumb trails of vague clues that seem to foreshadow to something more sinister because to us, that would make sense given the nature of most mystery-focused video games. but at the end, you reach mundane conclusions because the climax you thought the game would lead up to is simply fueled and brought forth by Ned, Delilah, and Henry's paranoia fuelled by their want to be secure in their escapism. There is no conspiracy, there is no mysterious murderer. There are only the lives they left behind - and the wild fire forcing them to return.

[two-bit-socrates]

I think the reason the empire lost the great war thirty years ago was because most of the Thalmor were marked as essential.

[shesthespinstersimmer]

I have some, but not much. Some are ill fitting, while others don’t quite hit the mark. Just because it’s classified as “masculine“ doesn’t always necessarily mean that’s what my OCs would wear, you know?

Sooooo…. figured I’d try to start this thread. Feel free to add any tips and suggestions to it; maybe I can help others with the same problem too.

Thanks in advance 🖤🤘🏾

[stray-suggestions]

the mirror is broken and cracked. there’s a gaping hole where your face should be.

perhaps this is a better reflection than the original could ever create.

[the-descolada]

I really really like how The Moon on a Rainy Night kinda lets you gradually realize Saki is a lesbian in subtextual ways to start, little moments, and then becomes a lot more clear about it as her own feelings start to become clearer. It's juxtaposed really well with her other anxieties about being a good friend for Kanon, and feels so fucking relatable to a lot of common fears that come along with internalized homophobia.

[absolute-chaos-skykid]

Ok ok ok SEASON IDDEAAAAAA-

I call this one the ✨Season of Stories✨ or smth-

This season's guide is a travelling storyteller who has come to the world of sky to relay their many tales to us skykids, and using their magical storybook (ultimate reward) they transport us straight into the stories and creating an immersive experience for everyone.

Like in Revival, there are no spirits. You unlock them after each quest where the Travelling Storyteller (that's quite literally their name lol) transports you to their story and retells it to you.

During the quests you follow the main spirit (or character) and follow along to their story as the Travelling Storyteller narrates it. It's like reliving memories but with some extra spice added to it, like you relive their memories but you're right there experiencing the memory alongside them. Isn't that cool??

Here's the thing though, some the spirits in this season might not be real.

The Travelling Storyteller has gotten these stories from either word of mouth or from witnessing the story themselves.

There's a chance that some of the spirits kinda sound like this one spirit but also sounds like this spirit either way there are differences and similarities but I like the idea that there's a chance that these people were myths that other spirits they shared when they were alive.

I haven't gotten an idea for the quests yet, or what they spirits are yet but if people like this idea enough I might just draw them!! (or update this post ig-)

Yeah.. So what do you think skyblr-?

[angrybatart]

Coloring this one in later. And probably gonna redo the reverse version because I feel kinda meh about it. (It brings me, the fanartist, joy! And I'm happy that other people liked it! But I want to see if I can make it look better.)

[homosociallyyours]

.

[enchantingepics]

Story Prompt 71

There existed a bond between two individuals. One was a hardened figure, weathered by the trials of time and circumstance. The other, a compassionate soul, whose heart seemed to overflow with empathy for every passing moment.

"You always seem to have a heart for the ones in need," the weathered figure remarked, his voice tinged with a hint of bitterness.

The compassionate soul paused, turning to meet the gaze of his companion. "Isn't that what it means to be human? To feel for others, to share in their joys and sorrows?"

The other scoffed, a cynical edge creeping into his tone. "People die every day, yet you only seem to care when they're dying at my feet."

The words hung heavy in the air, a stark reminder of the divergent paths they had chosen. One, guided by duty and survival, hardened by the harsh realities of life. The other, driven by compassion and empathy, refusing to turn a blind eye to the suffering around him.

[iwoulddieforienzo]

They’re fucking with us

[crookshanks23]

Season 1, Episode 44: Deck Picks

Favorite moment: Glenn pulling the Sun card. The hubris is beautiful.

General thoughts:

Fun intro with Freddie driving to everyone's home to still have this be a physical card-drawing experience even in the midst of a global pandemic.

I was so nervous the first time listening to this. The play this all plays out is insane.

"Rogue is a perfectly fine one to start with". Damn you, Anthony. Perfectly fine, indeed. The way this seemingly inconsequential draw affects season 2 is insane. The poor Oak family. So many thoughts about them.

Glenn fighting a squirrel is one of the dumbest and funniest things ever done on this podcast.

Can't believe that Mr. Mustache got the Fates card. This whole episode is amazing considering that it was all random.

Love the whole discussion with the Moon Card and how the Wish spell works. I know that it can suck sometimes to get lost in the weeds of rules, especially on a podcast like this where things are generally rules light, but it's still fun. Reminds us they're playing a tabletop game.

Everything that happens with Glenn at the end with the Death and Void cards is some of the greatest karmic retribution for the things that happened earlier. The man flew too close to the sun (all the puns intended) and now has to deal with the consequences.

Generally, I love the mess that the deck creates. The Rogue card has the biggest impact on the show as a whole. The Fates and Balance cards bring a fun wrinkle and restore a fan favorite character, and even the Sun card gives us the super fun mech. What a great episode.

Next time... We're off to Meth Bay and one of the... stranger? arcs of the show.

[dkniade]

Not gonna lie, I voted for the platonic option in the poll. My reasoning is that I'd really just like to hang out with some of these characters and get to know them. Character analysis has always been my thing and I'd like to see other's takes on them. I'm hardly one to write it out for myself as much as putting them in situations, but the ones I find are quite nice.

Context: types of reader inserts

Yeah, it’d be interesting to hang out with the characters and see what they’d do. I likewise enjoy how others interpret the characters and how it comes across in their writing. It seems to allow for more diverse scenarios too, which is refreshing to see.

Also, speaking of getting to know characters—

(I ended up talking about the development in Kaeya’s & Albedo’s character story so it got a lot longer than I had expected. Also has some reader inserts I like at the end)

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It seems fan fiction—at least the ones I’ve come across—is written with the assumption that the reader knows about the overall setting/background of the source media. E.g. if someone’s looking for canon-compliant Kaeya-and-Diluc-centric angst/hurt-comfort fic, then it’s generally assumed that the reader knows about the two’s strained past relationship to some degree. So for short reader insert stories (one shots), exposition for the (non-reader) character’s backstory isn’t usually the focus (in my experience)—

(Occasionally I find some where the reader insert’s backstory is just forced straight into the first few paragraphs in a tell-don’t-show fashion like “Your parents were always busy so you always had to take care of yourself but ever since you met [character] your life began to change.” That feels rather dry to read. It’s more fun (and difficult) to scatter bits and pieces of info across the story to imply the reader insert’s backstory.)

—But I think a little exposition for a character background works, so that the story can kind of stand on its own even as fan fiction. Making the context specific when it comes to a scene about why a character is acting a certain way helps set the scene too. Maybe I do it for my stories in general so I don’t forget why I’m writing a character in a way. I tend to forget about character motivation a lot in the middle of writing…

When I say specific context that helps one to know the character… Let’s compare and contrast Kaeya and Albedo’s character stories as examples.

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KAEYA’s Character Details gives basic info on his position in the Knights of Favonius. “目前他担任西风骑士团的骑兵队长，是一位可靠的行动派、深得琴信任的人物。” -> “Currently he’s the Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius. He’s a reliable person who gets things done, a figure who Jean trusts immensely.”

(Official English version: “Kaeya currently serves as the Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius, and is trusted by Jean.”)

*行动派 describes someone who prefers to do things instead of thinking/talking about them. Man of action is closest the equivalent I could find in English… But someone who gets things done works too.

Story 1 is about his reputation(s) in Mondstadt, his love for alcohol and his ability to manipulate his words and get information (there should be a better way to word this…). “It's hard to imagine someone as mischievous, amiable, and wine-loving as Kaeya being the Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius. Hunters and bandits alike are often among Kaeya's drinking buddies. As wary of him as they may initially be, all are ultimately disarmed by his smooth talking, and end up telling him everything he wants to know.”

Story 2 tells us Kaeya’s view on justice and his unconventional/somewhat sadistic choice of methods in getting things done (e.g. triggering a Ruin Guard and putting both his foes and allies in danger, relishing his allies’ momentary hesitation & his enemies’ fear in a life-or-death situation). The ruin guard part is a nice & specific little snapshot that highlights that part of him. I like how it’s told.

Story 3 is another snapshot but it’s rather subtle (so I’m not quite sure how to interpret it). “Kaeya battles against this threat to Mondstadt not only with his sword, but also with his smarts and his wit.” “When Death After Noon is out of season due to lack of supply, the number of reported incidents inside and outside the city show a drastic decrease, and this remains the case until Death After Noon returns to the market...” Given the previous stories that keep on emphasizing Kaeya’s connection to alcohol, one can interpret it as Kaeya dealing with the enemies a lot more when he’s not drinking/at a tavern… Or that it shows how Kaeya uses information given to him to his advantage, hence “his smarts and wit”… We learn a bit more about him.

And then, Stories 4-5 are about his past, but we’re given details of two specific events that impacted him, one for each story. Instead of saying “Kaeya’s relationship with his birth father and Crepus was like this”, it showed bits of dialogue, thoughts, weather conditions… Other characters’ reactions… Story 4 tells us his abandonment at the Dawn Winery, teases his Khaenri’ahn lineage, and how Crepus took him in. This is about his relationship with his birth father, and Crepus. Story 5 tells us his partnership with Diluc and their past reputations as knights. And then, we get Crepus’ death, another major event for him. “It was the first and only time that Kaeya failed in his duty.” We’re finally given background on why Kaeya is seen as reliable in the knights (character details), and why he’s trusted by Jean. And of course through these two scenes we get to learn about his past relationship with his birth father, Crepus, and Diluc.

And then, because contrast is important in having impact storytelling, we get to learn about an inconspicuous list, a break from the intense tragedies of the previous stories. It’s the object that gets highlighted before the Vision story (usually GI character stories have an item that’s discussed before the Vision section it seems). Lovely. Interestingly, it’s also in second person point of view… It’s got a similar nature as story 3. Motifs… First a report by a young knight (story 3), now a list that “meticulously records the details of bandits in the city and further afield, as well as mercenaries and mid-to-senior-level Treasure Hoarder members, listing for each entry a name, position, area of activity, and personal profile.” And then, “Your gut feeling is that Kaeya purposely let you see this list, but you have no way of proving it.” This feels strangely specific. (In Hidden Strife we also get an epistolary storytelling style…) Piecing the context together like this is fun.

And then we get the Vision story, and more details regarding his inner turmoil and an explanation for him concealing the truth (to Varka in Story 4 for example). Basically, it’s a long-winded way of saying, I like how the separate scenes show off different sides of Kaeya, each with a different context.

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ALBEDO’s Character Stories, in comparison, seem to have roughly the same tone all the way through. His Character Details introduce his prowess at alchemy (“This young man displayed the true prowess of alchemy to all, bringing with him a massive corpus of wisdom that even the Sumeru Akademiya did not possess”) and his theme of birth., which he demonstrates.

Like Kaeya’s, Albedo’s Character Story 1 shows his social reputation, but glosses it over in a bunch of surface descriptions of he feels this, he feels that, he is this. (“Albedo's tendency to avoid social interactions does not make him a cold-hearted person. He is sincere and contented when instructing his assistants, Timaeus and Sucrose. He finds pleasure in giving his sketches to the citizens of Mondstadt.”)

His information about Alice, and his past with Rhinedottir and Khaenri’ah, is revealed in a very matter-of-fact and emotionally detached manner throughout Character Stories 2-5 and Albedo’s Artwork– But as I’m writing this, I wonder if it’s a third-person limited narrator? If it’s Albedo himself telling the tale, then it all makes sense as to why it’s told this way, since he—at least a part of him—is methodical…

The Vision section felt underwhelming when I first read it. (I had expected every Vision story to be of Kaeya’s calibre but I’m, of course, wrong, haha)(Saying this now, I wonder how Albedo’s Character Stories would be if Durin/Festering Desire and the Primordial Human Project are included in there too?)

But my point is, I don’t feel there’s a particular emotional climax in the progression of Albedo’s character story. In Story 4, he was abandoned by Rhinedottir—and he genuinely believed every one of her threats to abandon him if he couldn’t finish the assignments.

(“In the past, Albedo's assignments had always been very difficult. He had always believed wholeheartedly that his master would make good on her threat to leave him, should he fail. But this assignment she had left to him was far too hard, far beyond the limit of his abilities. Did this mean, then, that he was fated to never complete it, and thus never see his master again?”)

That should’ve been the climax of his character story, yet where’s the tension? Did it impact Albedo emotionally, and if so, I wonder, couldn’t the story show that a bit more? If it didn’t impact Albedo emotionally, maybe because of Alice’s care, I wonder if they could’ve told us about his views towards Alice some more in his story? The Albedo of the past and the Albedo of the (character story’s) present feels roughly the same, meanwhile the Kaeya of the past went through a lot to become the Kaeya of the (character story’s) present.

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…Back to reader inserts and specific details in showing emotion.

Compared to Kaeya’s character story, maybe how a story unfolds feels different in a one-shot reader insert, which would likely be only one scene (unless it has multiple super condensed scenes). Over the years I’ve learned (from experience and from taking some writing courses) that—

1. Contrast makes emotions hit harder (e.g. we’re repeatedly told how popular, friendly, and mischievous Kaeya is, so perhaps it’s a surprise that his backstory is actually quite dark)

2. How much time elapses between various scenes is important (e.g. Kaeya’s stories 1-3 seem like they could happen across a few days or months, while story 4 suddenly pulls us back to a decade ago, and then some years after in Story 5, and from that point towards we’re slowly experiencing the afternoon of Diluc’s 18th birthday across Stories 5 and Vision. We get a more varied range of experiences this way.)

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I suppose by now I could mention a few reader inserts that I enjoy. (Last one’s NSFW and the line I mention is suggestive)

by wipcore

changing seasons (Kazuha x reader)

This one I like for the Inazuma textile store assistant reader’s implied backstory and how Kazuha subtly changes them as their paths cross. It’s a specific character setting I didn’t encounter before.

only fools are satisfied (Kaeya x reader)

This one I like for the Sumeru scholar reader and Kaeya’s witty dynamic and for how it opens up the conflict and how Kaeya feels straight from the beginning. Again, it’s a unique character setting I rarely see.

by gold-rhine

NSFW First time sub afab! Kaeya x GN Dom! Reader

(It includes Diluc, Ayato, Gorou, and Kaeya separately but I specifically mean the Kaeya section because, let me just quote a line—)

“an intoxicating feverish thrill from how hungrily you rake your eyes over him mixing with both his own arousal and nervousness into a heady, daring mix.”

The alcohol metaphor, the similar feeling you get when reading the line in Kaeya’s friendship Lv 4 Companion Voiceline, “I have to say, though, that chatting with you is quite intoxicating... Actually, in much the same way that drinking is. So, I suppose... I'm just greedy and want to enjoy both of these pleasures at the same time.”

Yet, gold-rhine’s line works in that context while having it be undoubtedly Kaeya. That, is intoxicating.

And yet, it’s not just smut. There’s character development too, and Kaeya’s layers reveal themselves through the progression of the story in a similar way to how his character story progresses except with enough time that one set of emotions (including his trust issues and self-hatred and desire to please) is wonderfully explored.

…

Inevitably I ended up talking about storytelling again. Anyway, thank you for the comment on reader inserts. I think it’s interesting too, how between the line of character analysis and storytelling, in the hands and scenarios of different fic writers, a character can act differently, yet still retain that part of them that makes them them.

[warriorslantern]

One day this man will be hungry, and shit will hit the fan bc he wants a snack

[stray-suggestions]

you pass through another pale green day, the leaves rustling against your window, promising a world outside when you’re ready. for now you go back to sleep.

[spite-and-waffles]

"But it's not like that in canon at all!" ok but have you considered I. Don't. Care