#characters vs plot

[matt0044]

While it is interesting to bemoan the lack of filler for a chance...

...I'm not sure if that makes for a good conversation about pacing.

See, I often want to just a show based less on what it could be if XYZ external factors were different like how many episode per season.

Can they convey the stories they wish to tell within 26 episodes per season or 13 episode per season? 10 can seem pretty tight and is becoming the norm.

There's also how some shows seem keen to, rightfully, assume that their show will be lucky to make two seasons. Thus there will likely be a sense that a plotline that could've been delegated for a future season but too many are aware of how companies are allergic to paying taxes like "peasents.

Even so.

While we can take Streaming to task for not giving show even the bare minimum of thirteen episodes, what I care about it how well the creative teams manage with the hand they are dealt with.

Can this "eight hour movie" pace itself well?

Can it feel like a chapter book where its it real page-turner?

Does it know what ideas are important to keep?

Can it give itself time for the characters to just be before the next big plot beat?

Can it juggle characterization with plot progression? A lot of stories are actually more about a character's decisions than just things that happen to them.

I get that good pacing is something terribly hard to judge when pacing itself is only noticeable when it's bad, when it jars you out of the immersion of storytelling. But I feel like if we want to appreciate storytelling better, I think we need to actively be more conscious about these sort of things.

[high-voltage-rat]

I think it's fascinating that the quotes:

"Have you forgotten sir, we were at war? A fight with an alien race for the very survival of our species. I feel I must remind you that it is an undeniable, and may I say fundamental quality of man, that when faced with extinction, every alternative is preferable."

"When you spend every day fighting a war, you to demonize your attackers. To you, they're evil, they're subhuman. Because if they weren't, what would that make you? What I'm trying to say... is I've been afraid to see you for what you really are. You're our brothers. Our sisters. And the things we've done to one another are unforgivable."

"These guys want to use us, take us away from our families, and send us all over the dad-gum galaxy just to test if their agents are ready for the big fight? Well... guess I'm interested in showin' em exactly what a big fight is all about! So I'm not ordering you to go. I ain't even asking. You do what you gotta do, Private."

came from the same series whose standard fare is lines like:

"What in the hell are you two doing?" / "We're being executed by our own men, sir." / "Cut it out."

"I only drink the blood of my enemies, and the occasional strawberry yoohoo."

"You always said I could sleep when I’m dead, Sarge, and guess what? I am dead. This purgatory is about to become purga-snore-y, yawn!"

...and both categories manage to be a poignant statement about the nature of war and what it does to the people in it.

[warpedpuppeteer]

It's interesting how Buck's love interests are all written in a way that ends because of the reason they meet/happen in the first place and then of course, we have Eddie.

Abby, who changes Buck's view of a healthy relationship but then turns around and ghosts him, making him wait for months on end and letting him realize she's not coming back on his own.

Ali, who meets Buck during a dangerous situation in his line of work and then leaves him for how dangerous his work is.

Taylor, who lashes out at Buck for using her as a fake date and saying she thought she could trust Buck to be a friend who then ends up using him for her career and chose to put his friends in danger.

Natalia, who's there to help him embrace and deal with his temporary death but it leads to their break up because of the constant talk surrounding death when Buck's not comfortable with it.

We can't confirm for Tommy till it ends but it's important to note how he offers to get Buck into his interests like flying and muay thai yet doesn't show effort with Buck's interests like dressing up according to the bachelor party theme despite Buck being stressed about it. And we also have the fact that the entire reason they got together was due to Buck's jealousy for Eddie which he then claims to be was for Tommy. Makes me think they are either going to end because of differing interests OR because of the jealousy issue popping up again.

Funnily enough, every scene above has an Eddie parallel:

Eddie co-parents with Buck and not only does this not stop after a dangerous event but Eddie also has Buck down as a legal guardian (healthy relationship - Abby).

Eddie is in the same dangerous line of work and they have each other's backs. This happens right off the bat too.(dangerous job - Ali).

The Lawsuit era and The Dispatch era - both where they "betray" each other but manage to work through it (betrayal/lie - Taylor).

Eddie doesn't pressure Buck to talk about his temporary death until Buck's ready and is more focused about him living than in his death (death doula - Natalia).

Eddie who has different interests than Buck (poker, basketball and UFC/MMA) but also manages to show interest and actively takes part in whatever Buck comes up with; he suggests their outfit for the themed party AND ends up staying there for Buck even when others leave (different hobbies & showing interest/taking part - Tommy).

Absolutely fascinating when you start noticing that Buck's relationships keep failing for one reason or another and then we have him and Eddie who face the same sort of situations but they still come out of it stronger together.

It's clear that there's a reason Buck is able to overcome anything when it comes to Eddie (that conversation with Maddie about being there for each other even at their worst 👀) and we've already established that everything Eddie looks for in a partner is already something he has found in Buck. So really, all that's left is for them to realize that hey, the one I'm looking for is right in front of me! 🤷🏽

And yes, it's been said to death (hah) but you don't find it son you make it. And Buck and Eddie have already made it.

[katieisblank]

I personally hate vat7k fics or posts that have Varian being all angsty and crying over Hugo double crossing them. One, because Varian isn’t one to cry easily, he wouldn’t cry over Hugo, and two, because Varian knows all too well that circumstances can lead people to do bad things and he quite literally comes from the kingdom of second chances. He’s a reformed criminal, his brother figure/hero is a reformed criminal, all his friends are reformed criminals, he knows the power that second chances can hold. Everyone who is a bad person has the potential and capacity to still do good and be good, he himself is a country bumpkin turned terrorist turned shadow ruler turned royal engineer.

And I’ve never seen a fic where Hugo promises he’s good only to break a promise he made, (mostly because Varian would outright deck him for seemingly no reason and tell him to not make promises) and Varian is frankly too smart to have never considered the possibility of Hugo having alternative motives (the guy steals a totem then comes back wanting to be friends??? It doesn’t make sense; obviously Varian would theorize).

Don’t get me wrong, Varian would be absolutely pissed at first and would probably storm into the eternal library out of spite. It just wouldn’t be in a “I’m crying and need to escape this situation” kind of way. More in a “I’m so pissed and I’m so stupid I need to cool off and come back to this later” kind of way. Although he doesn’t get to come back for a while after…

[destructo-range]

'helen is so underdevelopped as a character!' 'helen's boring!' stfu u just don't like her bc she's a woc and because she doesn't behave exactly like michael. yall put so much effort into developping michael's character inside your minds and completely look over her because she's 'poorly written.' stop.

[cologona]

Dick is to Jason that very successful older cousin who your Asian parents always compare you to but whom you only actually see during big holidays. Yeah it makes meeting them again a little awkward, but mostly it just makes you frustrated with/resentful towards your parents.

[rooolt]

the curse of having been very Normal about s2 of dndads is that at any point I can remember real and true facts about the kiddads and feel genuinely sick in my body

[w1f1n1ghtm4r3]

cooking up an idea that involves making a mv (which is probably ridiculously overly ambitious but is it really me if my video ideas arent way out of my skill level) but also involves hitting them with the sheep beam

[vitrall]

I don't think Jayce and Viktor literally died. They were kind of pulled into another dimension/astral plane/whatever you call it. We see older Viktor, and while it could be another Viktor, I think it would be more meaningful if it was our Viktor, finally free from the arcane, going through the universe with Jayce, fixing timelines together. Kind of like a cosmic mission.

[klanced]

you are so lucky to not have watched s4-8

people always ask me 'katie why did you only watch half of voltron??' and i'm just like guys i thought we all agreed that voltron was not a very good show 💀

[theriverbeyond]

i feel like Arcane is a 2 season show that ostensibly was always supposed to be a 2 season show, but somehow walked itself right into the "The Sequel Problem" just by virtue of season 1 being too fucking good. like s1 was THE perfect story imo, the plot was tight enough for good developments and resolutions, and left things open enough for fan exploration while ending in a place where u could easily imagine that this is The End Of The Begining, with all the characters eventually connecting to League of Legends canon. and then they make season 2 which comes out and is like.... a clipshow art showcase yuricocaine binge, which is fine if you're into that I guess, like don't get me wrong this is a technical and artistic banquet, but as a known Hater and Narrative Appreciator I can't help but sit here and be like: I know they "originally planned" this to be 2 seasons, but we are having The Sequel Problem. this just didn't need to exist.

[eppilem]

About AvM Season 5

The finale of AvM S4, Bedwars, has shown us two things:

The internet knows about the sticks. Sure, Greenzilla had fans, but a LOT MORE PEOPLE know about them and their strange abilities. Specifically, minecraft players.

Minecraft players are able to use hacks/cheats to fight against stick figures.

Season 5 will undoubtedly be story oriented again, so that leaves us with the question:

Who will be the antagonist?

With what Bedwars has set up, I think it's possible the Color Gang will be up against a player. Prior to this, the CG have faced entities and sticks alike. But never have they had to face against a player. a human. Even alexcrafter got the short end of the stick in S3.

RGBY spent 99 games in Hypixel. That's a LOT of people to piss off; I doubt it was just the 4 "hackers." And since we have PROOF that players can even the playing field with sticks, who's to say others wouldn't do the same?

Alternatively, the sticks' gamebreaking maneuvers also got the attention of a mod. And with how famous they got, wouldn't other mods of other servers get concerned? How about the Minecraft devs?

The Nether Hub (or as I call it, the "Ethernether") has been shown to be seperate from any player world/nether. (Red and Orange only got into Alexcrafter's world with a teleportation glitch that could've sent them anywhere)

But I think we're about to see that barrier broken.

Whether it be from spiteful players or concerned developers, a new, destructive frontier is approaching. We joke around about how we enslave villagers and pillage their homes, but does that change when they show sentience? And how do you deal with a "bug" aside from removing it entirely?

The Nether Hub is a lawless land that lives in harmony with each of its worlds. It never needed rules. But a server like 2b2t didn't have rules, either. And we know how players turned its land inside out.

Could this be the future of the Nether?

There are multiple ways this can go. Developers/moderators would definitely side against hackers, but would they ally with the CG? With the Nether? Or will they try to wipe it clean, too? Or, perhaps some hackers wouldn't be big fans of the destruction upon seeing the real lives of the portal residents.

All just some food for thought. We've had and exploration arc and a thanos-like teamup, but a war? That would be interesting.

If you couldn't tell, a lot this idea stemmed from the Invincible War. I mean cmon the hackers could FLY. And the CG were fighting like 2 of them at a time. Imagine 50+ players breaking into the Nether like this at ONCE.

[godlygivenanxiety]

y'know what i want in a jilco fanfic? i want jinx to try and be powder again for her sister, to even try and be civil with ekko(somewhere along s1).

i want to see that because i know it wouldn't work.

there's not much to do that would make them ever forget the things she has done, it would forever be silently weighting on their conscience; jinx would mention something about having designed some kind of tech for silco and they would wince, they would make concerned faces at her ideas or bombs, vi would've to convince ekko of jinx not meaning malice when she loses her temper or explodes something in loud arguments.

even if silco didn't fight through hell and back to 'rescue' her, jinx isn't what vi or ekko want her to be and it would only make jinx hate herself more and more, until she either left and silco had to find her somewhere in zaun or they fucked up massively by triggering her so bad(something that vi did do in canon) that she does something as unforgivable as the council attack.

either way, she would find her comfort in silco as she has always done meanwhile silco can finally embrace her tight and let himself admit to her that he was so close of losing it without her near. and it would be such a powerful reunion for the both of them *sighs*

[inksandpensblog]

Still fascinated by how much hate Mitsi gets for the whole "dead fem-coded loved one backstory" thing and all the hangups surrounding that when Purple's mom is arguably a much more egregious instance of the thing everyone is upset about Mitsi for but she ultimately got a pass because...idk, she was The First?

[thisismysafeescape]

Entangled Fates | A JJ Maybank X OC Intoxicating Love Story

Links: Wattpad | AO3

Summary:

Kassandra Grey had been raised to play the part—your typical picture-perfect Kook Princess, living a life of privilege, wealth, and luxury. JJ Maybank was her opposite in every way—reckless, untamed, the embodiment of the free-spirited Pogue lifestyle, where survival meant outsmarting the system and living fast enough to outrun the consequences.

They were two completely different people, living in two vastly different worlds.

It was as simple as that... Or was it?

Kassi, trapped in a life of high expectations and is desperate to escape her volatile, destructive relationships, finds herself undeniably drawn to the Pogue world, seeking freedom and adventure. JJ, with his laid-back yet fiercely loyal nature, becomes her unexpected guide and protector against Rafe's relentless obsession.

What begins as an unlikely alliance spirals into a tangled web of secrets, violence, broken friendships, tested bonds, and an exhilarating treasure hunt that could cost them everything.

And in the midst of the chaos, something even more dangerous ignites between them—an electric, all-consuming love, wild and untamed, burning too bright to be ignored. They crash into each other like a storm, drawn together by an undeniable pull, their connection as reckless as it is irresistible. But love doesn't come without consequences, and in a world built on lies, trusting each other may be the most dangerous gamble of all.

All the while, beneath the surface, something far more sinister lurks—a hidden network of power, corruption, and long-buried crimes woven into the roots of their families. The people they thought they knew—their parents, their mentors, their so-called protectors—are far more than elites and outcasts; they're players in a long-buried game of deception, murder, and greed.

As Kassi, JJ, and the Pogues chase the truth, they begin unearthing secrets that were meant to stay buried—shattering everything they thought they knew about their pasts, their families, and even themselves. The deeper they go, the more dangerous it gets.

The past is clawing its way back—and it's coming for them next.

[beaulesbian]

I hope somehow we get kcd3 and henry in prague. There were at least 3 mentions in kcd2 of it how henry should & wants to go there, plus if they somehow tied it to go there with žižka and see jan hus' sermon in person in betlehem chapel, that would be rlly something. Both for henry as a character and deciding on his path, and for žižka's later life influence