#classic 6 act structure

[fresh-bag-of-ham]

a world where they made the 5 full seasons of andor and then after that they just remade rogue one with everyone just 20 years older and also better and with less studio interference or whatever was wrong with it the first time around. in this world they also made 6 master and commander movies. and mcu doesn't exist

[astrofaeology]

Ceres in the Signs

paid readings | Masterlist

ᡣ𐭩 Please support me by reposting, liking, following me and commenting your ceres placement. Ceres (1) named after demetere the goddess of the harvest. This asteroid shows you where you want to be nurtured and how you nurture others

0º is the degree which doesn't have a coresponding sign assigned to it. It's a fresh new degree and will amplify the themes of the sign that it's in

Aries (1,13,25º) nurturing comes through boldness and encouragement. You nurture by inspiring others to be independent, courageous, and take initiative. Your care is active and dynamic, often pushing those you love to face challenges head-on. You thrive on energetic interactions and tend to nurture through action rather than words, showing your support by being a fearless leader and protector.

Taurus (2, 14, 26°) nurtures with a deep sense of steadiness and physical comfort. You show love through creating a safe, beautiful, and stable environment where others feel grounded and cared for. Practical acts like cooking, providing material security, or offering gentle patience are your way of nurturing. Your care is consistent and reliable, emphasizing the importance of comfort and sensual pleasure.

Gemini (3, 15, 27°) nurturing is expressed through lively communication and mental engagement. You nurture by sharing knowledge, exchanging ideas, and keeping things light and playful. Your care often takes the form of attentive listening, helpful advice, or sparking curiosity. You create a nurturing environment through social connection and intellectual stimulation.

Cancer (4, 16, 28°). you embody classic nurturing qualities — emotional warmth, protection, and intuitive care. You instinctively create a homey and comforting space where others feel safe to be vulnerable. Your nurturing is deeply empathetic, often maternal, providing emotional security and nurturing through affection, tradition, and heartfelt attention.

Leo (5, 17, 29°) nurturing shines with generosity, enthusiasm, and encouragement. You nurture by boosting others’ confidence and creativity, often showering loved ones with praise and affection. Your care is dramatic and heartfelt, marked by grand gestures and a joyful spirit. You help others feel special and loved by celebrating their unique talents and light.

Virgo (6, 18° ) nurtures through practical service and attention to detail. You show care by helping others organize, improve their health, and solve everyday problems. Your nurturing is often behind the scenes — quiet, reliable, and focused on making life easier and more efficient. You express love through acts of helpfulness and a desire for order and well-being.

Libra (7, 19°) nurturing is about harmony, balance, and fairness. You care deeply about relationships and create nurturing by fostering cooperation and peaceful environments. Your nurturing style is diplomatic and gentle, often focused on ensuring that everyone feels heard and valued. You show love through partnership and social grace.

Scorpio( 8, 20°) nurtures with emotional intensity, loyalty, and a transformative depth. You provide care through unwavering support, often in times of crisis or emotional upheaval. Your nurturing is passionate and protective, willing to confront darkness to help others heal and grow. You bond deeply and nurture through emotional honesty and resilience.

Sagittarius (9, 21°) nurturing flows through freedom, inspiration, and optimism. You care by encouraging exploration, learning, and growth. Your nurturing style is uplifting and adventurous, inspiring others to broaden their horizons and seek truth. You nurture by giving space while also guiding with wisdom and positivity.

Capricorn (10, 22º) nurtures through responsibility, structure, and practical support. You show care by helping others build a secure foundation and achieve long-term goals. Your nurturing is disciplined and steady, often expressed through dependable actions and setting healthy boundaries. You nurture by teaching resilience and perseverance.

Aquarius (11, 23°) nurturing is expressed through innovation, friendship, and acceptance of individuality. You care by encouraging uniqueness and supporting social causes or group efforts. Your nurturing style is unconventional and detached but deeply humanitarian, focusing on collective well-being and freedom.

Pisces (12, 24°) nurtures with boundless compassion, empathy, and spiritual sensitivity. You care deeply on an emotional and often subconscious level, offering unconditional love and selfless support. Your nurturing is gentle and imaginative, often expressed through creativity, healing arts, or emotional intuition. You nurture by dissolving boundaries and embracing others’ vulnerabilities.

DISCLAIMER: This post is a generalisation and may not resonate. I recommend you get a reading from an astrologer (me). If you want a reading from me check out my sales page.

@astrofaeology private services 2025 all rights reserve

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - Too Much, I'm Getting Tipsy on BL

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

May 2025 Week 4

Ongoing Series - Thai

Knock Out (Fri WeTV ) ep 2 of 12 - It's so much fun! Yay! Sports BL of my heart! FINALLY.

My Stubborn (Sun iQIYI) ep 5 of 10 - Sorn’s characterization = horrified to be in love + horny on the main. Sure thing hon, we happy with that.

Top Form (Thurs WeTV) ep 10 of 11 - Okay yaoi (no expectation of modern BL beats) what's gonna happen next? This 4 act structure? We gonna get a secret ex? Family drama? Where my 合? (OMG I swear I typed that before the phone call!) Ah BL, nothing if not predictable.

Eye Contact (Weds WeTV) ep 2 of 12 - It’s v stupid. Dub-con drunk fling + that many condoms?! That is indeed how he’d walk. Look, here's the thing:

The HS B plot is profoundly silly and unnecessary.

The acting is awful.

It feels like some scenes are too long and others too short.

Then there’s also scenes that are completely missing.

I like it a lot. Which makes me feel stupid. But there it is, just leave me to my sad pathetic little life.

The Next Prince (Sat iQIYI) ep 4 of 14 - Newnu did pretty good on his languages. Cute. SHOES ON BED SHOES ON BED SHOES ON BED. Also true authentic original whipping boy! How exciting to see!

Pit Babe 2 (Fri iQIYI) ep 4 of 13 - AlanJeff made up, thank you BL gods. I like how animal Willy is. Also, it's so nice to see Nut doing the lord's work and kissing boys again. 

My Sweetheart Jom (Fri YT) ep 2 of 12 - I like fierce Saint. I like their chemistry. It's quite enjoyable. Pass me a tiny sandwich to eat with my pinky up because I think this show calls for that for some reason.

Boys in Love (Sun iQIYI ) ep 5 of 12 - Bah, they are stupid cute. I know it's trying to be Lovesick but I get more Make it Right vibes from the characters. This is the parents interfere ep. Also teachers remain current favs. Would like more of them, please?

The BangkokBoy (Sat Gaga) ep 5 of 12 - Stop him from suicide, get his digits, have him help you out with a fist fight saving your sister from human trafficking. As you do. BDE first date, I guess. Honestly, I get where this show is going in the gritty realism department but it's greedy and clumsy in that area and not working great for me so far. However, the tension around that dinner table was aces.

Sweet Tooth Good Dentist (Fri iQIYI) ep 9 of 12 - Omg Jay knew Sant would be a great bf, and he really is. I love how verse these two are.

The Ex-Morning (Thurs YT) ep 1 of 10 - I’m liking it more than I expected to. I actually like a reunion romance, and this is a different setting and an interesting premise. It’s something we’ve not seen at all before in BL. So I’m intrigued. Krist does seem to play exactly the same character in every BL tho.

I Promise I Will Come Back (Mon WeTV) ep 1 of 10 - It's pretty, but a bit slow. The subs are truly terrible. I’m grateful I know enough Thai to understand what is actually being said. But if you don’t, I'm not sure if this one will make sense. It’s one of those classic travel pulps that we get from Thailand, except the acting is above expectations. And the talent pool is different. I don’t know where I’m landing on this one.

Loy Kaew First Love (Fri YT) ep 2 of 6 - Well this certainly is action heavy. A lot of stuff happened. I’m a little confused by all the different characters but OK I guess? 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Sweetheart Service (Korea Fri YT) ep 3 of 12 - I unabashedly love this little charmer of a show. Sugar daddy kitty shopping + language negotiation = fantastic.

Fight for You (Taiwan Fri Gaga) ep 10 of 12 - They are separated so at least some movement and action is happening. But also they are both sadsack tiny idiots. BUT they got an incredibly sweet reunion sequence. I have to say, Taiwan is really showing us how to execute chemistry, it is their crown and they wear it beautifully.

On a totally different note, I like that the brothers (cousins?) in this show all do actually look like they could be blood related to each other for a change.

Moon and Dust (China YT) ep 1 of 6 - Yet another instance of can China get away with it? And even if they do, are they gonna end up happily? Probably not. But this is just cheesy enough for me to watch it without getting too involved and therefore I think I’m gonna be OK no matter what happens in the end.

So, premise?

Creepy younger brother obsessed with older (blood related? maybe even that) brother. Baby boy is ALSO fiercely aggressively unhinged and likely a morality chain just waiting to snap. So... lucky me? It's like Tumblr and BL had a baby. Gay dumpser fires all round!

It's airing but......

Sashes and Hearts (Pinoy YT) 13 eps - Philippines is doing Drop Dead Gorgeous only all gay boys queening their asses off. Doesn't interest me, not sure if it's BL. Finished its run, my opinion remains unchanged, thus I will not be watching. DNF.

Season of Love in Shimane AKA Ai no Kisetsu: The Season of Love (Thai) - Sequel to Kiseki Chapter 2 which I intensely disliked. I won't watch this.

Mission to the Moon (YT) 2 of 12 - I can't keep track too short, too many, too YT. I am watching and will report at end.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Coming Next Month

Wait for it...

But seriously, Thailand is airing 15 BLs right now. 15! Can we really handle any more?

2025 Line Up

BL Announced for 2025 - PART 1

BL Announced for 2025 - PART 2

20 BLs Announced for 2025 That I'm Really Excited About

GMMTV 2025 Line Up - My Totally Biased and Wildly Flawed Feels

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENT

No time, too much just getting regular shots this week. SO MUCH BL.

(last week)

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @sunflower-positiiivity @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire @mestizashinrin @bl-bam-beyond @small-dark-and-delicious @saezurumurmurs

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Horror

Horror is a genre within creative writing that relies on one thing: instilling a sense of fear in the reader.

The horror genre is multifaceted—there is a kind of horror for every kind of person.

For some, the most effective scare is the idea of being trapped in a haunted house. For others, it’s being chased by a serial killer on Halloween.

Some of the best horror comes from scary things that can manipulate an audience’s feelings, creating a sensation of uneasiness and fear that stretches beyond consciousness and permeates deep within the psyche.

Horror writing is sometimes categorized within the broader category of thrillers, but not all horror follows the thriller structure.

Classic horror fiction—whether expressed as a novel, novella, short story, or film—will tap into topics that reliably frighten most humans.

Common topics include ghosts, werewolves, vampires, zombies, serial killers, murderers, and the fear of the unknown.

These horror tropes can often devolve into clichés.

A downside of horror’s popularity is that many horror books and movies recycle old content in non-creative ways, but when properly executed, horror stories can thrill audiences and even provide commentary on the human condition.

Horror Subgenres

1. Apocalyptic - In this subgenre, the world is ending or society is collapsing. When this happens, it’s usually because of some creature, demon, or religious event (while climate-oriented apocalypses are more sci-fi).

2. Body Horror - Involves the mutilation, experimentation, or violation of the human body. It can focus on disease, dismemberment, infestation, sexual acts, or a complete transformation of the physical form.

3. Comedy - Horror and comedy seem so at odds with each other, but they work so well together (kind of like spice and chocolate). A trademark of comedy horror is how the protagonist somewhat stumbles through the story, arriving at the end through luck and ridiculous happenstance rather than skill or growth.

4. Cosmic/Lovecraftian - With its origins largely attributed to H.P. Lovecraft, cosmic horror makes us feel small against a threat that is ancient, massive, and incomprehensible. Cosmic horror looks at intergalactic entities, ancient gods, the machinations of the universe, and how helpless we are against it all.

5. Dark Fantasy - Another crossover, this time with the fantasy genre. In dark fantasy, you have elements of magic, fictional creatures or worlds, and everything else that makes fantasy great, plus you add in a good dose of scares. This can also involve other subgenres, like body horror.

6. Dark Romance - Another crossover genre, dark romance takes the feel-good romance genre and makes it horrific. While this subgenre can simply include morally questionable characters and a grittier tone than most romance, it can also include kidnapping, forced confinement, BDSM, psychological and physical abuse, and sexual violence or sex where there is no consent. Bear in mind that it still needs to include the tenants of romance stories, though.

7. Extreme Gore - Not for the faint of heart, this subgenre includes books that have detailed torture scenes or otherwise disturbing and depraved acts. This genre is all about shocking your audience with how awful your characters act or are treated.

8. Folk Horror - Embraces urban legends and folktales. These range from old pagan gods in the woods to weird rituals performed by isolated groups or villages. Sometimes there is a supernatural element to them, even if the “supernatural” is simply perceived or believed by some characters (e.g., Midsommar).

9. Found Footage/Documentaries - Though this subgenre is more common in films than books, found footage and documentary horror stories are about a crew of people recording their experiences, usually unaware of the true danger they are about to face.

10. Gothic - The great-grandparent of modern horror, gothic horror is the brooding, atmospheric genre containing what most of us would consider classics (e.g., Dracula and Frankenstein). Sometimes you throw in a dash of romance, but these tales tackle topics like death and mortality.

11. Post-Apocalyptic - After some world-ending disaster, how horrifying have things become? Post-apocalyptic horror shows us a world without rules or structure. It can contain unrealistic elements (zombies, demons, etc.) or realistic possibilities (cannibals, gangs, and so on).

12. Psychological - Places the spotlight on trauma, mental health, manipulation, phobias, and everything else that causes you to become stressed and anxious. Home invasion stories (i.e., The Strangers) fall under this subgenre.

13. Slasher - Involves violent horror that is more about a single killer stalking and eventually killing a group of people (traditionally targeting teens and using a blade). This subgenre isn’t necessarily as violent or gory as others, but uses suspense to make the reader hold their breath.

14. Splatterpunk - Is known for its disregard of limits when it comes to violence—both physical and sexual. Gore and depravity are grossly abundant.

15. Supernatural/Paranormal - Some folks separate these two subgenres into different categories, but there is so much overlap that they’re basically the same. If you have to, think of supernatural horror as stories that involve werewolves, witches, vampires, and other monsters. Paranormal horror, on the other hand, involves ghosts, demons, and haunted houses.

Tips for Writing Horror

1. Read more horror. There’s no better way to understand what a good story looks like than to read one for yourself. Read as much as you can so you are aware of what other horror writers are doing.

2. Focus on your own fears. Much like comedy, horror benefits from authenticity. So get personal: If you can scare yourself, you can probably scare an audience.

3. Create three-dimensional characters. Write characters whose character flaws feed the action of the story. All good literature and film contains well-wrought characters with desires, emotions, and a backstory. The more human you make the characters of your story or screenplay, the more their missteps and bad choices will resonate with an audience.

4. Recognize that the real can be scarier than the surreal. Sure, you can make up an army of googly-eyed bad guys or plant a severed head in your main character’s bed, but will you really scare your reader? Not necessarily. In most cases, psychological horror sticks with audiences far longer than a jump scare or gross-out moment in a slasher film. Toying with people’s real-life fears tends to scare them much more than just grossing them out.

5. Use the environment. Scary movies and television shows can use jump-scares as an easy way to frighten an audience, but writing scary literature requires its own method of manifesting fear. Setup your environment in a vivid way to fully immerse your readers into your setting. Vividly describing an enclosed space can elicit feelings of claustrophobia. A dark and quiet house becomes more frightening when a character suddenly hears the creak of an upstairs floorboard. Being an outsider in an unfamiliar place, like a small town with no cell phone service and where everyone knows each other, is already unsettling—and if you add a malicious paranormal force to such a setting, you can enhance the feeling of isolation and ramp up the anxiety of the scenario.

6. Write longer sentences. You can heighten your readers’ fear by writing paragraphs with longer sentences. Periods provide natural pauses for readers to take a breath, but if you stretch out your sentences, you build anticipation for the reader—which they might not even realize until they reach the end of the sentence. By using tactics like this, you immerse the reader into your horror story, making them feel what the main character feels and creating a heart-pounding connection.

7. Make your readers breathe faster. Whereas long sentences can amplify the intensity of a story, short one-sentence paragraphs can force your readers to take more frequent breaths while following your narrative. Crafting abrupt lines builds tension in your scary story writing, making the readers’ eyes move more quickly down the page searching for the relief that the protagonist is safe. This can make your audience breathe faster, contributing to the feeling of panic and anxiety.

8. Leverage fear of the unknown. Fear of the unknown is a common theme that can be tracked throughout many of the best stories in horror fiction and horror movies. When there is something that negatively affects us that we cannot control or properly identify, it creates a feeling of panic and dread. Teasing your readers with something not quite definable or a bad guy no one knows how to stop can increase the level of tension and fear when writing horror stories.

9. Lean into dark imagery and your readers’ collective imagination. Consider what images might be frightening to a reader (and yourself). How much of a description of a clown do you need in order to make a reader feel uneasy? How large and grotesque does a rat need to be? Leaving some of these images more general than specific will allow a reader to fill in the blanks with what is most horrifying to them. Example: If you read the word beast, what do you see in your imagination? Most words carry connotations and personal connections. Allow your words to work for you to create the maximum scare.

10. Want tension? Sprinkle in some foreshadowing. Foreshadowing is a powerful tool in your writing arsenal, but it is particularly effective in horror, especially when writing in third person. Foreshadowing is when an author alludes to a future event by showing us something now. The key to foreshadowing is to use it sparingly. We want to up the tension and the fear our readers are experiencing while they yell at the oblivious protagonist not to open the door. We don’t want the reader to know every single thing that’s going to happen. 

11. Focus on the moment where things shift. You should consider a pivotal scene in your story idea and try to build around that scene or that moment where the plot actually “shifts.” Sometimes that could be reflected in a realization by the protagonist. Other times it can be represented in some type of ironic twist at the end. By looking at that singular element of your story idea, you cut away the fat so that the reader is left only with the most resonant part of the story.

12. Establish the mundane. Mundane is just a fancy way of saying normal, but the message still rings true. Most story structures tell you to start by establishing the Ordinary World: what our protagonist’s normal life is like. This is important for showing us how important the larger conflict is, because it threatens the protagonist’s normal. In horror, establishing the mundane is arguably more important. In a story where connecting with the character and empathizing with them over the godawful stuff you, the author, put them through, the reader needs to understand just how bad life has gotten. Then you can take both your characters and your reader from a place of comfort and familiarity and plunge them into whatever shadowy hell you’ve concocted.

13. Choosing your POV. By choosing to write your story from a first-person perspective, you are putting the reader exactly where your character is. There are 2 types of third-person POV—limited and omniscient. It is advisable to stay away from omniscient. Part of writing a good horror story is withholding information from the reader, which third-person omniscient doesn’t really allow for. Considering the pros and cons of the different points of view, choose the right one for your story.

14. Avoid clichés. Clichés are boring and predictable, and a horror scene that is predictable is likely to not be scary. A good horror story can still use familiar horror tropes, but a great horror story makes them its own. Look beyond the obvious when trying to write a scary scene—what is something readers wouldn’t expect? How can you surprise them with fear? Use enough of the existing tropes to be identifiable as horror, but make sure you insert your own originality into the mix. One of the reasons people gravitate to genres in general is because they have certain expectations for what should happen in the story. Look for ways to flip archetypes on their heads.

15. Practice. If you’re struggling to get a handle on writing a good story that’s scary, practice with story prompts (see some sample prompts below). Writing prompts can expand your range of thinking and open up new avenues of imagination that you hadn’t thought of before.

Horror Writing Prompts

A scary doll comes to life.

A scene from a nightmare comes true the next day.

Days go by, and your parents don’t come home.

You feel yourself slowly becoming a monster.

Your friends start to disappear, and no one else notices.

You’re lost in the woods, and you don’t know how you got there.

You’re inhabited by a ghost that controls you and makes you do crazy things.

You have no reflection in the mirror.

The teacher is a monster, but no one will believe you.

You hypnotize your brother, and you can’t snap him out of it.

A fortune teller reveals that you are evil.

Someone follows you home, and it’s your exact double.

You find a diary that tells the future.

Every time you wake up, you’re a different person.

Your parents explain that you are actually an alien from another planet.

You know someone is watching you day and night from the house across the street.

You realize you are shrinking.

While reading a scary book, you realize that you’re a character in it.

Someone is living in your mirror.

Everyone knows the new neighbors are vampires, and the kids invite you over for a sleepover.

All the cats in a small town vanish in the middle of the night….and all that remains is a set of big, scary teeth smashed into a car door.

A group of friends takes on the zombie apocalypse.

Strange things start happening after the grandfather clock starts to speak.

You finally meet your child’s imaginary friend. Who turns out to be a serial killer.

When a local police officer goes to investigate the haunted house down the street, he finds a young girl who died decades ago.

Sources: 1 2 3 4 5 6 ⚜ Writing Notes & References

[maybe-boys-do-love]

I wasn't obsessed with The Ex-Morning to start, but I trusted it would hit me eventually. You see, the thing I love about Lit Phadung as a director is that he never tries to be above the classic Thai BL aesthetics. The production hallmarks are all there: dialogue-heavy stories with generic comedic scoring and stable cameras theatrically focusing on people rather than any dynamic or poetic cinematography. He chooses works that bring broad, obvious characters to life for us. The work of his I've seen--the full SOTUS series, Love Mechanics, Love in Translation, and currently The Ex-Morning--is remarkably unpretentious, always skirting the line of cheesy. This all sounds hardly complimentary. And yet. And yet!

A few episodes in, his series begin to unobtrusively swell like a tide moving in with the density of the characters and thematic subtext. Episode 6 in SOTUS S inspired me to research and write a whole 20 page essay on the 4 Act structure. Episode 3's where The Ex-Morning hooked me. An example of a master at work in episode 3, we get the shipping-moment where Tam grabs Phi's hand, a perfect example of how Lit layers quiet symbols amongst the cheese of romance. The narrative set-up here gives us classic BL. Blatant skinship edited and closely framed to make it impossible to miss or misread its romantic implication. We even have a fujoshi observer to remind us the gaze we're meant to use.

fighting certain urges about the hair on Singto's hands

But P'Lit and screenwriter Aof--who I've argued appears to have adapted these techniques from P'Lit's work on SOTUS--layer this shot with other visual information. In zooming to the hands, the ring, the mala bracelet, and the act of writing get secretly highlighted amongst the yaoi content. The show has not pushed us hard to think about their meaning yet, but there's been a subtle focus on jewelry and accessorizing already and the Buddhist themes have been an emerging question, too. It's just one of many examples in the series where the questions of materialism, emotional attachments, authorship, and queer embellishments arise without hammering the audience over the head with it.

And then on top of these visual strategies, Lit consistently draws out overwhelming performances from his actors that imbue what might otherwise be camp with a raw humanism, heightening the stories beyond run-of-the-mill romcom plots. With their flawed, conflicted characters and unflinching portrayals, they're tests of empathy.

It's no surprise he's launched the careers of several renowned pairs--Kristsingto, DaouOffroad, YinWar (not their first outing, but the one that elevated them past their peers). In a P'Lit world you get to play a full range of emotions, and he's not interested in requiring violence or high-concept plots to experience those feels. It's pure romcom, with the full breadth of its possibility, which is something I adore.

Lit's not an auteur by the traditional definition. His vision's not singular, his work not so marked by his idiosyncrasies to be easily chosen out of a lineup of his peers. I think it's better for that. He intricately crafts his works so that you don't have your attention drawn to its craft or intricacy, letting the story and characters, which at first might seem silly, take hold of your soul.

[collapsedsquid]

The way J6 failed is also instructive, and helps us understand the reason far-rightist streetfighters declined in relevance as of January 7. Yes, many people brought guns to the Capitol. Yes, many hoped their victory would result in the invocation of the Insurrection Act or some other signal to begin massive retribution against traitors and subversives. But nobody shot at the cops, and exactly one person was willing to stare into a cop’s loaded handgun and step forward. The kitted-up tactical team that emerged from a stairwell in the wake of Ashli Babbit’s death encountered a crowd shocked and demoralized, not energized, by the presence of death and the blood of martyrs. The J6 insurrectionists largely returned to their hotel rooms - some full of firearms - and then their homes, to be later arrested by the FBI. There was no need to shoot or shell holdouts at the legislature, no attempts by sympathetic actors to seize control of other government or media institutions, no militia revolts in the countryside, no effort to sustain or capture the momentum. The J6 prosecutions knocked these organizations back to actions of primarily local relevance as the far-right almost immediately began making gains on more favorable institutional terrains, efforts to mobilize on a national scale, and in DC especially, elicited paranoid theories of false flags and FBI machinations. Neither did hardcore subsets of these groups successfully build violent underground organizations - there were no cagoulards carrying on the leagues’ struggles against the victorious left wing government. Street-fighters became liabilities to classic fascist movements because they became too powerful, and arguably, too fascist. The fascist squads became their own bases of power within the classic fascist movements, capable of threatening party officials and even the leadership cult. There is no Trumpian equivalent to the Pact of Pacification or Stennes Revolt because streetfighters wielded no similar political power within the Trump coalition and advanced no coherent agenda with which to discipline Trump. Nor did the public square - largely demobilized after January 6 - offer much of an opportunity for streetfighters to demonstrate their relevance to the Trump coalition outside of localized demonstrations and confrontations. While the Proud Boys (more so than the Oath Keepers) may have sought to build a kind of neofascist élan, with their vague gestures towards uniform, hazing rituals, and the relative centrality of physical force confrontation to their identity, these efforts largely failed. Contrast with the streetfighters of the interwar era: the old fascist squads, especially the most militant ones, were useful organizational cages for younger members whose belief in force, revolution, and disillusionment with the system left them uninterested in conventional politics and who in many cases saw more to admire, or at least imitate, in revolutionary Communist structures than bourgeois right-wing parties. While the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers certainly attracted a cast of characters ill-suited for conventional politics, they were (and are) more likely to be relatively older men with families, truck payments, and decent jobs; the kind of people you would expect to react to a defeat in the streets and government repression by spending more time harassing people at school board meetings, rather than uncompromising radicals willing to give their lives for a doomed cause (and let alone radicals willing to find a new cause if the old one proves too inclined to compromise).

[nanowrimo]

Beyond the Word Count: A Book Editor's Guide to Writing a First Draft

Every year, we’re lucky to have great sponsors for our nonprofit events. First Draft Pro, a 2023 NaNoWriMo sponsor, is a beautifully designed writing app for fiction writers. Today, they've partnered with Kelly Norwood-Young, former book editor for Pan Macmillan and Penguin Random House, to bring you some pro tips on writing your first draft:

In my career as a book editor, I’ve reviewed hundreds of manuscripts. I've seen the joy of authors creating compelling tales, but also how disheartening it can be to rewrite a disjointed story. I’m here to give you some strategies to address common pitfalls so that you not only reach your NaNoWriMo goal, but also lay the groundwork for a manuscript that truly deserves to be called a gripping novel.

1. Have a plan.

Even if you’re more of a ‘pantser’ than a ‘planner’, it's really helpful to have an outline. I have two favourite approaches for this: the structure-first approach, and what I call the ‘Phoebe Waller-Bridge approach’.  

The structure-first approach

There are a lot of narrative frameworks for story structure, but the most foundational in Western fiction is the three-act structure. Here’s a handy guide that breaks each of the classical three acts into a day-by-day guide to NaNoWriMo: 

8-day guide to Act 1

14-day guide to Act 2

8-day guide to Act 3

The Phoebe Waller-Bridge approach

I love this quote from Phoebe Waller-Bridge: ‘I’ve never thought structure first. I’ve always thought material first, jokes first, character first ... But knowing the end really helps. Then you just go as far away from the end emotionally as you possibly can.’  

Sketch out your major story arcs, your character’s desires and conflicts, and the world they inhabit. The more you know your story's world and inhabitants, the less you'll stray into scenes that lack purpose or create plot and character inconsistencies. 

2. Keep the story moving.

Each word needs to propel your story forward. Superfluous details or tangents that don’t serve the narrative stall the momentum you’re trying to generate for your reader. 

There’s a trick you can use to move your story forward, called the question of reversibility. Ask yourself: How difficult would it be for my character to reverse their decision? The harder it would be for them to turn back, the more you’ve moved the plot forward. 

3. Plant clues carefully.

Plant important elements early and make sure every element, however subtle, serves a purpose (i.e. Chekhov’s Gun). 

Be sure to set up necessary components for your climax so that you can steer clear of Deus ex Machina (having that strong outline will help you here), and avoid red herrings unless they serve a clear, meaningful purpose (e.g. you’re writing a mystery and your readers expect some false leads). Misleading your readers without a payoff can erode their trust.

4. Write for the reader, not yourself.

‘There is only one thing you write for yourself, and that is a shopping list,’ insists Umberto Eco in On Literature. Even if writing, for you, is a therapeutic outlet, a form of self-expression, or a way to leave a legacy, you’re still writing to say something to someone else. Your story simply won’t be as strong if you forget your reader’s perspective. 

5. Keep daily editorial notes for your future self.

While editing should wait until at least December, end each day with a brief reflection, noting any off-course deviations, potential inconsistencies, areas to research further, or moments of inspiration to revisit when you start editing. 

These daily notes will be invaluable during the editing process, helping you to remember insights that are no longer fresh when you come back to the manuscript later.

6. Embrace the first-draft mentality.

There’s a lot you can do to ensure that your first draft is the best it can be before the end of November—but just as important is to understand that all first drafts have flaws.

As a book editor, I've witnessed manuscripts transform, sometimes unrecognizably, from their first drafts. Embrace the uncertainty and creative detours—because it's from this beautiful chaos that your story will find its true voice. 

Kelly Norwood-Young is a seasoned book editor and proofreader with comprehensive experience across various facets of manuscript editing. Her background includes roles at Pan Macmillan and Penguin Books, extending into a successful freelance career working with award-winning authors. Kelly's work, known for its precision and sensitivity to the author's voice, has been integral to the success of both new and established writers globally.

Try out First Draft Pro: All NaNoWriMo participants can use the discount code NANOWRIMO2023 for 20% off a premium subscription to First Draft Pro! Offer expires January 31, 2024.

[elliot]

I played the alleged anti-rpg, moon (1997) approximately 2 years ago; it was a game that took my mind by a storm and inspired a well of creativity unlike any other. After years upon years of being incapable of original work due to a deep rooted dry spell, it was moon that opened the floodgates of my brain back up and enabled me to start making things directly from the heart again.

I’ve played a lot of games, and moon is both a cult classic and one of the most fascinating for a good reason. In the 6~ ish hours you get with it, it communicates such a wealth of abstract thematics that have managed to create a ripple effect present with games we love even today. This post examines the core of the game: the metanarrative relationship that exists between The Hero and The Invisible Boy.

There are major spoilers for the game in this post. Please read at your discretion! 

When moon posits itself as an anti-rpg, what does that term entail?

At a glance– the player assumes it’s a reference to the gameplay system which is structured around “saving” animals/monsters as opposed to fighting them. 

However, what makes the game an anti-rpg in actuality has little to do with this feel good, heartening mechanic: because the very end of the game tells you distinctly that this mechanic will not truly save anything or anyone. Whether you’re killing or saving these monsters, animals, characters, etc. you are still viewing them as metrics, objects of your affection/destruction, numbers and things and targets for your own amusement. The Invisible Boy still has a leveling system, just like The Hero. To allow these creatures and characters to flourish, you ultimately must leave them behind. The game is an anti-rpg, not because you harness the power of pacifism over violence, but because the ultimate act of love for this game, for its characters, for its messaging is to step away from it and internalize what it’s communicated to you in your real life. That’s the only way you can “beat” it.

But to deconstruct this further: the game itself deconstructs the notion of “roleplaying” ala using the protagonist as a self insert through The Invisible Boy. Who is The Invisible Boy, and who is The Hero?

When introduced to the game, you are playing as a young boy who is subsequently also playing as a character: The Hero, who serves as his initial avatar. The first thing the game prompts you to do is enter a name. The title track of the song that plays during this sequence is Entry Song, a seemingly basic reference to “name entry” that doubles as an allusion to the fact that this is the exact moment where both the Invisible Boy and The Hero “enter” the world. The name you enter applies to both characters, a reveal that’s delivered to you at the very end of the game – The Invisible Boy has this name in lower case, while The Hero has it in upper case. Fundamentally the same name but mirrored to each other. The young boy is thrust into the world through the TV screen, losing his corporeal form and therefore becoming The Invisible Boy. His existence is a strange, undefinable thing; for a reason never made known or explicit, The Invisible Boy is capable of seeing dead animals felled by The Hero. This may be due to the metanarrative divide he exists within as a “real” boy who has entered the two dimensional world of the game, but his ability to communicate with the dead transcends his interactions with the slain animals. In the sequence with Tanaka, it’s noted that the Invisible Boy has the capacity for contact with spirits and that “regular people” cannot enter the liminal space that exists between the living and the dead. What does this imply regarding the Invisible Boy? I’ll circle back to this after establishing what we know about The Hero.

The Hero, when you are first introduced to him, only exists at the mercy and control of the boy controlling him; once that boy enters the universe, he seems to act in accordance to his mission regardless and is preoccupied with the notion of leveling up and defeating the Dragon no matter the cost. Of course, easter eggs and lore within the game go on to reveal that The Hero is actually Gramby’s dead grandson, pierced by the White Feathered Arrow and trapped within the cursed armor, which effectively brainwashed him into becoming a bloodthirsty warrior with no real cognizance of what’s going on. The rainbow generator may seem inconsequential, but rainbows often symbolize the bridgeway between life and death.

So what does that have to do with the Invisible Boy?

The simplest way of communicating it is that the Invisible Boy and The Hero quite literally cannot exist without one another. The prologue featuring The Hero (called FAKE MOON) that you go through foreshadows the game’s central plot events but through the lens of The Hero, which are then experienced through the lens of The Invisible Boy. From chasing around the “crazed dog?”, to the fight with Perogon, to boarding the airship, to the mass slaughter of the animals on the moon – the story of the game, whether it’s as The Hero or The Invisible Boy, has already been written into existence. Much of moon is storytelling in reverse, wherein the further you progress, the more you come to understand The Hero’s “reality” during FAKE MOON. The songs that play during FAKE MOON are songs that reappear during REAL MOON with different instrumentals to denote them (1, 2, 3, 4, 5). Same melody and yet it evokes a completely different feeling.

The Invisible Boy follows the same road as The Hero; everywhere The Invisible Boy goes, The Hero is shortly up ahead of him. They take the same steps, meet the same people, activate all of the same plot points. The Hero’s world is rigid and unyielding, limited to an 8 bit soundtrack with environments and people rendered to their simplest forms. The Invisible Boy’s world is a subversion of this, with no soundtrack to guide him – instead you’re given a variety of genre breaking tracks to play of your own accord, with only the sound of your own footsteps to accompany you (The Hero and The Invisible Boy’s footsteps are both used to characterize their presences). The Invisible Boy’s leveling system demands that he talks to and understands other characters, but there’s still a pervasive sense of loneliness that colors his gameplay, a feeling that never quite leaves; much like The Hero’s journey. When Gramby sees The Invisible Boy, she recognizes him as her grandson and uses the inverse of his name, the version of it that exists in all caps. 

Is this to say that on some level, The Invisible Boy and The Hero exist as the same entity in dual points and egos? Possibly. The Invisible Boy is a real person, and The Hero comes into existence because of him. At the end of the game, when The Invisible Boy is slain by The Hero, The Hero dies immediately: because The Hero cannot exist without the Invisible Boy. When The Hero’s armor falls away, you do not see a child.

You see nothing. You see an invisible boy.

Florence speaks often of a recurring motif in this game: rebirth, the bridge between realities, life and death. Dying and being born again. The Hero gets his second chance – as the Invisible Boy. Because the Invisible Boy and The Hero are still a product of their design (the role of the protagonist), they condemn the cast and world to the same fate regardless of the means they take. Shedding their role within the game is the only way they can save anyone. Florence proposes that the dreamscape, the subconscious, is a gateway to another reality – The Invisible Boy’s “promises” to the Moon Queen take place in the dreamscape, where he retains his form as a human child as opposed to The Invisible Boy. The Invisible Boy and The Hero are both bound by their promise to save Love-De-Gard no matter the cost and no matter the sacrifice. On the moon, when you see the Moon Queen in person, she is physically attached to the Dragon The Hero fights: they exist as a dual ego, as two sides of the same coin. The Hero has been following the trail of the Dragon, while the The Invisible Boy has been following the guidance of The Moon Queen. They are one and the same. 

Fiction, stories, games, are escapes to other realities that exist to us and us alone. We, as the player, make out its meaning. Is that meaning steeped in blood? Is it dehumanization? Is it gratification?

While many use the scrapped “ending” as a frame of reference for The Hero’s fate or what he truly is, that’s simply inaccurate; Kimura has talked about this “ending” quite a bit. Here is an interview where he states that not only was this not an “ending” but rather a part of a scenario that you’d clear in order to eventually attain an ending that resolved the scenario in question, but also that it was scrapped early into development because it was not the direction they had wanted to take the game in. Thematically, it’s incongruent with what we’re presented. Here’s another interview where Kimura discusses it, once again stating that it would clash with what the story was presenting as is.

Conversely, there is a vocal theater that was released where you follow along with The Hero, aka the young boy that exists inside of him. Near the end of this theater, you get to hear The Hero actively make the choice to exit the game and open the door; perhaps cementing the idea that The Hero and The Invisible Boy exist as dual egos, hence why neither are shown in the ending credits.

The Invisible Boy and The Hero could be viewed as an elaborate metaphor for our relationship to gaming and art. They could be viewed as a metaphor for how young boys are socialized into violence through gaming. They could be viewed as a literal story of rebirth. They could be viewed as a young boy, learning to navigate the world and himself, at odds with these two facets of himself. They could be viewed as a young boy wanting to learn how to do right by the world, and the creatures he’s come to love. They could be viewed as something so abstract, or something so literal, that the possibilities are endless – but their identities and roles are inextricably linked and form the heart of moon. After finishing, I dug through the game in a relentless pursuit in some attempt to understand what happened to The Hero, how his narrative could be read more mercifully, what the point of this child’s alleged suffering was–

In the end, the answer is simple. You are him and he is you, just as the Invisible Boy is.

[morganski-19]

So I've been going back to this post I made, where I talked about what I think Eddie's arc is going to be this season while looking at the classic three-act structure that is popular in most media.

Which I will put here again, but this time, with what I think has happened already, and what still needs to happen

The red marks things that have already happened, while the blue marks what is yet to come.

The inciting incident happened in episode 4, during the conversation with Weston's dad. Eddie talks about the situation with someone else, and after seeing how resigned and closed off Chris was back in episode 1, this is a good continuation for the set up.

Then, the conversation with Father Brian in episode 6 starts plot point one. This allows Eddie, and the audience, to recognize that he is not allowing himself to try and reconnect with Chris because he does not feel like he deserves forgiveness. This completes the setup stage, as it completes telling the audience of Eddie's inner turmoil, while also establishing the outward conflict between Eddie and Chris.

The rising action then starts, I would say, in that same episode as well, where Eddie reintegrates joy back into his life. This would spark him to try and reconnect with Chris more, now that he is more open to accepting forgiveness, and may even start to forgive himself.

And then it carries through to the midpoint, which is the midseason finale. There is still the outward conflict that was established in episode 1, Chris being kinda closed off, but more importantly, Eddie being kept out of Chris' life. This makes Eddie to want to make a change in order to keep himself in the loop, which is the decision to move to Texas.

Of course, this is not going to happen long term. Personally, I hope they don't go as far as Eddie actually buying a place and selling his house because that would not only cause a lot of problems with the storyline but also with the production as they would need to build new sets and stuff. There is also the problem with Gavin's filming schedule, so I can see them keeping the face-timing aspect for a while longer. So, I can see him almost getting a house, but then something happens to stop it.

But anyway, that ends the red circles and starts my speculation on what will happen with the blue circles. I am going to be focusing just on Eddie and Chris' relationship, and then go into what would happen if they explore Eddie's sexuality this season.

I think that whatever the decision is with Eddie's move to Texas will be plot point 2. Whether that is buying a house, or realizing he can't move, it is not the actual climax.

The pre-climax would be the build to the climax, and would include Eddie trying to reintegrate himself back into Chris' life.

The actual climax would be getting Chris home. Placement-wise, I can see this happening somewhere in the last 4-5 episodes, since there is the whole moving plot, as well as the plots of all the other characters. Personally, I hope the climax includes a confrontation between Eddie and his parents, but knowing this show and the incessant need to have unearned redemptions, I wouldn't be surprised if that didn't happen.

So, plot point two wraps up the house storyline, and the climax wraps up the Chris in Texas storyline, which leaves us with the resolution.

The resolution would be both Eddie and Chris getting back to where they used to be. Eddie opening up and sharing his side that he never got to share, and Chris expelling his anger in a much better route than moving in with his grandparents. I can also see therapy as an option, as Eddie has always been more open to therapy when it comes to Chris. Do I think he himself will be in therapy, no, but I can see that being a route for Chris.

That is what I think will happen with the Eddie and Chris situation, and this is what I think will happen if they explore Eddie's sexuality.

Exploring Eddie's sexuality is something I personally want to happen, and from the clues they've given throughout the season, is a storyline that I think is going to happen. Whether that be in this season, or the next, who's to say really.

But, after the scene with Weston's dad that was heavily alluding to Eddie's own relationship with his father, to his conversation with Father Brian and the first time he's ever said he's straight, the signs are there that they might change something. Especially the latter point, straight people don't have to come out. It's only stated when it is going to be explored, just look at how much Buck said he was an ally while actively on a date with a man.

So, how do I think they could play this out.

From what I've seen from interviews (i haven't read them all fully myself, these are just certain clips I've seen taken out of them) the end of either episode 9 or 10 will leave the character's lives changed. And, I think, in episode 11, Buck's abandonment issues are coming to a head, which is played heavily with the Eddie Texas plot.

So, somewhere in that span, something is happening to change Eddie's life. Whether that is connected to the rest of the team, or solely from his own storyline, we don't know.

Assuming it's from his own storyline, it would be not necessarily a feelings realization, but an inclination toward something different. Maybe something happens and Eddie is assumed gay, and that sparks something. Maybe something happens to Buck and that sparks something. I'm not sure. But, I do think something will cause a spark that leaves Eddie to have to figure out something about himself.

Which I think will play into plot point 2, and either moving away from LA or deciding to stay.

Then, if the climax includes a confrontation with his parents, his coming out can be a part of that. Or, it can be a part of opening up with Chris. Again, I'm not sure.

It could also be part of the resolution, as now that the outward conflict is dealt with, it leaves only Eddie's inner conflict.

Overall, there are a few ways I can see this going, but all of them include the rest of the season. I don't think there is going to be a specific Buddie feelings realization until the latter half of 8b, as it would set up a good storyline to tide audiences over another break. And given how they've ended seasons with certain couples either getting together, realizing their feelings, or having a brand new storyline introduced, I could see that as a large possibility.

I have more thoughts about what I think is going to happen in 8b, but this is really what I think will happen between Eddie and Chris, and what I hope will happen with Eddie's sexuality arc.

[shibiichi]

In what sort of ways does management mistreat them, and why?

Hi! I do not remember which characters this ask is to but I primarily focus on the DCA so I’ll assume it’s to those silly jesters!

(Also I’m SO sorry for taking FIVE-ever to respond</3)

Alrighty! So management for Fazbear Entertainment in my au is much like that of the games. Money first, everything else second. They’d much rather take shortcuts and save on cash than actually address a problem! (Example: Placing generators WITHIN the play structures rather than hiring someone to work with the DCA.) They’ll ONLY address an issue if it will lose them too much money. (Lawsuits mainly. Though this is also why Glam. Bonnie does not return after being decommissioned. He was completely torn apart in my AU, so management decided to cut him completely and replace him with a pre-existing animatronic.)

The DCA specifically is neglected, that is the main way they are mistreated by FE. The DCA, despite being one of the first animatronics added to the plex in this AU, is a B tier robot. (Corporate’s wording)

A Tier: Glamrocks (Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, & Roxy) - (EVENTUALLY Monty)

B Tier: Side attractions (Monty (at first), DCA, DJMM, Cherub (OC) )

C Tier: Staff/Helpers (Staff Bots (all variants), Wet Floor Bots, Puppy Pals (OC), Lady Bird (OC) )

B tiers tend to be put behind the needs of A tiers unless A tiers are ‘lost expenses’. (Cough cough Bonnie cough) B tier animatronics can get more attention however, if they are closely associated with an A tier bot. The DCA has always been a closed act, so they are not given that luxury. It was worse in the theatre days, as Sun and Moon were not even allowed to leave the daycare wing of the plex. Moon was allotted that privilege a full year after the grand opening of the plex, and that’s only because he was upgraded to also be security.

Theatre rules still apply to the DCA after their repurposing, though it’s simply over a different area now. (Before, Sun couldn’t leave the theatre, now Sun can’t leave the daycare.) These rules made sense at the time but now do not due to schedule changes. (Sun was active from 6-12 am, the daycare being open for most of that time and the rest was spent charging or cleaning. Moon 12-6am with naptime being from 1-2pm. Now, however, Moon is only active for 15 minutes at the start of every hour, from 1-6am. Sun is in control for the times inbetween hourly patrols.)

That is one way Sun specifically is treated poorly. He is made to be social, so not allowing him to exit the daycare during these extra hours of the night is cruel and unusual. The virus also cut off his and Moon’d headspace link. Unfortunately, Moon does not fair much better. While Moon is allowed out of the daycare, his time out has been severely cut down. He is also not allowed to interact with staff or A/B tier animatronics unless there is an emergency. This is management’s way of ‘dealing’ with the virus. They’d rather limit Moon’s time out/interactions with others instead of actually taking maintenance requests seriously.

Due to this, Moon is disliked by staff and animatronic alike, described as ‘unstable’ and ‘hostile’. It’s one of the excuses made by corporate as to why they won’t fix Moon, despite these issues clearly having a great impact on BOTH attendants AND the children in the daycare.

The DCA is also just neglected physically. They aren’t as shiny as the other animatronics and they are responsible for cleaning the entire daycare by themselves. Thus, the attendants tend to favor keeping the environment safe rather than cleaning their casings or their room. Hence the attendants having those ever classic ‘children’s hand prints’ on their torso.

BUT!!!! My AU does have a happier conclusion!

All of this has been covering the first 3 points in the DCA story’s timeline! (Theatre, Daycare/Pre-Virus, and Virus) I’ve been specifically focusing more on the 4th part, Post-Virus!

Post-Virus occurs a month or so after Gregory’s night at the plex and Vanessa’s liberation from Glitchtrap/Afton. Ruin does not happen in this AU, rather this follows the princess quest ending more! Due to the high number of damaged (A Tier) animatronics, Fazbear Entertainment is actually put under new management! Vanessa and Gregory work to free the animatronics of the Vanny Virus. (BTW. The Afton Virus is not the same as the Vanny Virus. Afton refers to what Vanessa had, as it is a direct product of Afton’s consciousness via a digital adjacent form. The Vanny Virus was created directly by Vanny to force the animatronics to do Afton’s will. Glitchtrap is not actually present within the Vanny Virus. Rather, the VV acts in two distinct ways depending on sentience. No or weak learning AI/weak sentience allows for compete control. Think Vanny making the staff bots disassemble Freddy. High learning AI/full sentience acts more like dangerous impulses or intrusive thoughts. It pushes personality traits to their extremes, highlighting the worst things in people. Think Moon going from shy, playful, and concerned for others to antisocial, sadistic, and controlling. Animatronics are aware, they can fight back, but doing so takes a great amount of will power. The longer the virus affects a host, the worse symptoms become. A high sentience animatronic can be controlled, but only if said animatronic does not have the will to fight anymore.)

Tangent aside, with Gregory and Vanessa’s help (plus better management), the animatronics within the plex are cured of the Vanny Virus. HOWEVER. Cured does not equal fixed. Remnants of learned behavior and altered programming lay like scars within these characters. The worst affected is Moon, due to him having the virus the longest AND having security features. (Only character that had it longer was Bonnie, but he’s no longer present… for now) Management IS better post-virus, but Moon is treated more like an injured animal than an individual. His hours have been extended to half the night (3-6am) but he has not been approved for naptime yet due to his unpredictable nature. At the very least, Moon can hear Sun again and vice versa! And Sun is allowed out of the daycare to interact with the Glamrocks and others. (Due to his horrible separation anxiety that developed during the virus’ reign. It’s also just fairer.)

Things will get better tho for both attendants!!! It will just take a while for them to heal. Hope this answered your question!! (Like seriously—I yapped forever 😭) tysm for your patience and interest!!!

[ephysalis]

My friend and I just finished our rewatch of Star Trek: TOS. What a fun, fun trip it was.

Purely for my own enjoyment, here are the 10 Star Trek: TOS episodes I liked the most. Heavily steeped in my love of retro cheese and B-Movies.

10. Arena

The Kirk vs A Lizard episode. The rocks are very obviously foam, the fight choreography is peak Trek and the lizardman wears a go-go dress lovingly crocheted by meemaw. At the end a bedazzled space twink shows up. A classic for a reason.

9. The Corbomite Maneuver

Structured like so many other Trek eps (ship gets in predicament, Kirk must pull a solution out of his ass in the 11th hour) but with great twist ending that blew my mind. Showcases Kirk's brand of cleverness very well.

8. Turnabout Intruder

The last episode of the series has a fascinating plot: one of Kirk's ex-girlfriends forcibly switches bodies with him. There's a lot of unfortunate gender discourse but if you decide to view the whole thing as a typically 60s trans allegory, it becomes fascinating. Spock recognizes the captain through a mind meld and defends him in court. Good times.

7. The Cloud Minders

The best episode of season 3 imo. Beautiful painted backgrounds and amazing retrofuturist interiors. The story is a really solid metaphor for classist oppression right until you learn the workers actually ARE violent and stupid because of some gas in the mines. Still loved it.

6. Operation: Annihilate!

The crew visits a planet decimated by alien parasites that look like flying rubber pancakes. Spock gets got and it's very tense and dramatic. Good Spirk vibes, plus I love it when my blorbos suffer.

5. The Way to Eden

The Enterprise picks up space hippies trying to find a fabled paradise planet. The costumes and songs are super enjoyable. A shining example of an ep that was probably extremely cringe back when it aired but has aged like a fine, campy wine.

4. The City on the Edge of Forever

Ok this one isn't underrated, everyone knows it's good and they're correct. Kirk and Spock get stuck in the past together and it manages to be incredibly gay despite Kirk literally dating a woman. Excellent story. Spock wears a beanie.

3. The Trouble with Tribbles

Another one where I agree with the general sentiment: it's silly and fun and I will never tire of seeing Shatner buried in furry little potatoes. The Animated Series episode "More Tribbles, More Troubles" is a hilarious sequel.

2. Amok Time

The Spirk episode that started it all, featuring a fascinating look into the mix of uptight decorum and violent heritage that makes Vulcan culture so compelling. I did particularly enjoy the extremely awkward conversation between Kirk and Spock about "Vulcan biology" at the beginning. "It happens to the birds and the bees..."

1. The Devil in the Dark

Shatner's favorite ep and also mine. The acting is on point and seeing Spock yell "JIM!" with obvious concern on his face is just 👌🏻. I love the retro cheesiness of the paper mache caverns and the alien who looks like a lasagna; I love how testy Bones is about having to do first aid on said lasagna; I love the horror-like story structure and overarching message about understanding others. 100/10.

[alchemicaldesignquery]

Overwatch: Generational Design

Been a while?

Yeah. Life, y'know? Or some form of protomorphic resemblance to such.

So let's kick this off with a long one.

Gonna talk about Overwatch Heroes for a minute. This is a framework for broad traits and values that help serve Design in recognizing how iterations can progress into a new evolution-

Otherwise known as Generational Design.

Think of the heroes in Overwatch as builds; each build tries to accomplish something within the broad context of the game (Matches, Missions, Maps, Skins/Cosmetics, Animations, Lore, etc.), but also in the narrowed contextual categories as well (Ranks, MMR, Roles, Gamemodes, etc.) where specific connotation(s) have their own unique difficulties or-

A Hero can be loved overall in the broad context of the game- in Tracer's case- but as a DPS in the backline, she is going to make the lives of many Support heroes a living Time Loop of misery

Navigating this shift at the Design level is tricky (the mildest possible interpretation here), which is why it helps to have demarcations (points of reference that allow you to understand the context) while traversing that transition of scope between broad and narrow contexts.

As the game updates with new heroes, modes, cosmetics, and developers, the Builds shift to different levels of importance, with each new addition, acting as momentum- this momentum will eventually result in a rupture (Limit Break?) that results in a brand new demarcation or Generation of heroes and other additions, that follow new guidelines and structures in the Design...

...For better or worse.

Early Generations

The initial Generation (1st Gen.) heroes were just the original cast. There was no other iteration or builds to point at for comparison and, by and large, these builds served as a launch pad for a brand new set of types; type of game, type of experience, type of play, type of purpose, etc. etc.

Overwatch was, itself, a demarcation within the industry for a wide variety of precedents and direction. It's impact even now, nearly a decade later, can't be understated.

But those 1st Generation heroes had issues a plenty, many of which were made recently noticeable with the Classic series brought back in '24-'25.

1st Generation Heroes performed with a level of Potency, Versatility and Texture that was abstract, even downright absurd;

You might get tagged with a vaguely purple effect and barely know it, because within a quarter of a second, you're dead to the smallest amount of focus fire after the 50% Discord Orb takes effect, but hey! That lil' Omnic only has 150 health and no mobility, so just jump in there with 6 people and delete him even faster!

You might have Earth Shattered 5 enemies, wiped them out with a quick little Death Blossom, and celebrated with a spray, but forgot about the Angel lady AFK around a corner and now all the enemies are back in the fight and you're down 2 Ults, mid celebratory emote so that's fun!

That Bastion? He's stuck in a corner waiting for people to walk into his line of sight. Might as well not be participating right? Except your team keeps walking past his cubby hole and getting deleted b/c he has no cooldown on his turret form and can self heal anything you throw at him in the meantime!

Lots of bigs swings, limitations, and Try-Try-Again mood.

1st Gen. invited experimenting, with the broader context, by figuring out what you could use the narrow context to get away with. It allowed for a lot of weird dynamics, and concentrated force that, rewarded that experimentation without denying players access to those same solutions. This was the closest and most accurate description of a common refrain from players

"If everything is overpowered, nothing is overpowered"

Which, anywhere outside of an initial game's release, is complete nonsense, that only works based off ignorance. Once a game has been fleshed out by the playerbase, Overpowered becomes leverage for that same concentrated force or-

Dive as a strategy became so omnipresent after a year or so of Overwatch, that the fine art of deleting a single individual on the enemy team demanded too much from players outside of the top end of the game. The result was an introduction of one of the (arguably) worst Metas in the game's history in the form of launch Brigitte's release and the introduction of GOATs, which would inevitably lead the Development team down a road of no return, Design-wise

1st Gen. Heroes are often described as some of the "most fun Overwatch ever was", but a lot of those players are longing more for the co-ordination of concentrated force + high experimentation that allowed for interesting plays...and for errors to be made in earnest, rather than in derision.

1st Gen was also the only Generation, due to the lack of comparative examples, where History/Release date, was the defining trait for it's existence.

The demarcation for 2nd Gen Heroes would make a massive splash onto the scene and Design, with the Introduction of everyone's favourite Grandma...

2nd Generation or "Figuring out Fun"

Ana was the first new hero introduced to the game after the initial cast and brought with her an abundance...an Excess, even, of Design choices and options. Her entire kit was next to unheard of across other games and relatable mechanics and cemented Overwatch as a Design force that could not (easily) be replicated.

For some perspective; Design as a whole is heavily impacted by Precedent. New precedent in mechanics, effects, applications, are unknowns and can't be accurately predicted by Developers or Players. New precedent needs to be tested. A lot.

Ana's Biotic Grenade, just by itself, was the first instance of applied Burst Healing, AoE Burst Healing, Healing Amplification, and Anti-Healing in Overwatch.

A single ability with 4 separate precedents that would impact how Design for future heroes, hero reworks, balance adjustments, maps, and missions would be regarded?

It's little wonder the vast majority of 1st Gen. heroes would be upgraded to 2nd Gen. soon enough (Note: there are still a few left in the game, but only 2 are still considered relevant Design-wise and without constant reproach from the Playerbase).

Potency was the main driving force behind the majority of 1st Generation heroes (Big Swings, levelled out by limitations, and Try-Try-Again attitude), but 2nd Gen. was all about the Versatility; deciding who to target with Bio-nade, Sleep, or Biotic Rifle was entirely on the player. Where to position to maximize the sniper option, while sorting out being isolated vs. easier group up and LoS angles. The options were plentiful for an Ana, to the point that many players did not fully grasp what to do with her at first-

A Sniper that healed and could not headshot was a novel concept that went against decades of FPS' standard, but also proved why Overwatch was such a different game with much broader appeal.

It also showed that the design of the game was willing to take chances, with the reward being a unique perspective and character (Older women as a concept were relatively unheard of as Avatar's for players to actively play) that is thoroughly loved by many.

Ana would give rise to other 2nd Gen. heroes (and inspire reworks and re-designs for a variety of 1st Gen. heroes like Mercy, Symmetra, Roadhog, and Dva, into a 2nd Gen. state) such as Moira, Brig, Wrecking Ball, Sombra, and Ashe.

Regardless of how people felt about the gameplay of many of these newer heroes, the Design strongly leaned toward expanding much of the game's Versatility and just what you could accomplish playing them in those narrow contexts.

Does this mean Ana's release was an unmitigated success for Design? That 2nd Generation was the coming of the Golden Era?

In a word? OhGodPleaseNo

2nd Gen. started to run into problems with the broader context; the Designs that would release in 2nd Gen. inspired too much control in their existence, erasing many of the variances that went along with Maps, Missions, Cosmetics, and Lore.

Sombra's ARG basically took control over Lore for a few weeks/months, relegating many of the 1st Gen. heroes to a Lore-in-Limbo status that saw them barely get a scrap of a mention in any context.

Cosmetics meanwhile, leaned heavily away from those with less followings or dedicated fans and, instead, toward the more "popular" (Read: often times, controversial) heroes.

The introduction of Biotic Grenade also brought with it Anti-heal, which, as a concept, was so disruptive of the choices Design could follow, that it would lead to the future introduction of a variety of sustain mechanics that would be considered a worse direction for the game overall.

Roadhog went from a niche Tank pick that could work in isolated circumstances, to having his Take a Breather provide healing, damage reduction, and allowed him to Move, all while still doing incredible damage with a precise isolation displacement (Hook put you exactly where he wanted you to be, while also doing damage), all because Ana could so easily shut him down, demanding the Design Philosophy update him for the modern era...which also pushed him into the DPS-player favourite that, to this day, is the dominant perspective for his overall Design (whoops...).

2nd Gen. defined itself by Versatility, rewinding the clock on many 1st Gen. heroes while introducing narrow context as a "Run the show" dynamic that many players really enjoyed-

-unfortunately, as with many things, that would inevitably give way to a soul-crushing truth: Versatility breeds innovation and with innovation, dominance follows.

3rd Generation or the "Do Not Die" Era

If you'd asked me back in the day about 3rd Generation I would have probably said a few other options; Brig, Wrecking Ball, maybe even Doomfist were the markers for what would eventually become the starting point of 3rd Generation heroes-

-but I'd have been wrong. Largely in part because the actual start of this Generation, was not with a Hero as much as a conflux of circumstances, both old and new.

For the sake of a finger to point though? Orisa was the hero that would (eventually) define the 3rd Gen.-

-and that feels horrible to say, because of how many negative opinions the Overwatch Community has about this hero, but it did not start with her.

It started as exposure to a meta that, collectively, said the only thing that matters is the Broad Context and how you control it.

GOATs proved that, with enough abandonment of Design (the extended GOATs era was the early start of development for the 'Walk' phase of development that was meant to be PvE), Player knowledge extraction, and extreme concentration of forces?

You could ensure the enemy was never allowed to do anything to you ever again. Texture warped from limitations to prove innovation, into hard restrictions that disallowed any other form of play.

No plan, no strategy, no tactic, no composition, no skin, no lore bite, no nothing was ever going to dislodge 3 Tanks and 3 Supports from that objective. Nothing-...except maybe a mirror match but even then, it was just two unkillable objects throwing nukes at one another for minutes at a time without anyone dying.

That sustain? That value and execution of a composition would make it's way into the philosophy of the Design for the foreseeable future and become a mainstay that got inserted into individual hero Design right up to today.

Orisa's release saw the full on expansion of "Unkillable" but would not really make it into the Player defined dominance until GOATs showed up and persisted for as long as it did. When, eventually (inevitably) the Developers took action against it by implementing 2-2-2, the playerbase had caught onto "Just don't die" as a Design structure, opening the way for Orisa's presence to be felt and known.

3rd Generation was born the day Orisa (and, by extension, the Tank that would prove Overwatch 2's inevitability) came to the forefront of play; Do Not Die was narrowed down from a carefully executed composition, to a single four-legged, behorned bit of Omnic divinity with enough Damage Mitigation to put any other Tank pair combined, to shame.

Deny deny deny was the prevailing philosophy of 3rd Gen. and it showed through the hero releases (Baptiste, Wrecking Ball, Echo, Brig, New Mercy, New-New Symmetra, all had elements of this built into their fundamental designs; bricks in the road to present 3rd Gen.).

Orisa's Barrier, Halt, Fortify, and Super-charger weren't methods of playing the game, as much as they were individual buttons to press that the enemy now had to figure out (if they even could be figured out, as Bap's Immortality Field and Orisa's Fortify would call into doubt).

Most 3rd Gen. heroes went looking for easier to apply/activate denials that put much of the onus and responsibility onto the enemy, which largely contributed to player complaints of "Low Skill".

(Note: Design could have allowed for many of these mechanics to be tempered by further iteration, especially with different applications and activations, but at this point PvE was well and truly chugging along)

3rd Gen. heroes would/remain the standard for Modern Overwatch, especially as the game moved into Overwatch 2, but, as with all things Design, the evolution has come a long way within the Generational regard.

Orisa was the initial finger point moment to 3rd Gen., sure, but not the defining one overall, as both broad and narrow contexts would culminate together to ultimately define it.

We'd also get a major first look at what the future Generation of the game would eventually be; cutting edge, beyond the pale, ahead-of-his-god-damned-time, recognition that would ultimately obliterate any sense of Team-based experimentation?

In favour of the current Gen's all-consuming obsession:

Bloat.

4th Generation or "Thicc is an understatement"

Overwatch 2 is probably the biggest and most obvious demarcation for a brand new generation, and that is partially true; 3rd Generation heroes largely translated over into the format change (with considerable revisions and re-designs across the cast throughout Overwatch 2's current lifetime to update most into 3rd Gen. states), but Denial and Survival remain one of the core concepts of the game, thus making the sequel less of a demarcation and more of a fresh start.

3rd Gen. is still the dominant Generation for this game. That said-

Perhaps it's a testament to how quickly Design Philosophy was being picked up and left behind, or just a culmination of every design decision made up to that point. Nevertheless?

Sigma is the 4th Gen. prototype. Without question.

If Orisa was proof of 3rd Gen. concept, Sigma's release saw a hero so overkit'd, that any attempt to interact with him by anything other than a 3rd gen. (or beyond) hero would have been laughable or-

Attempting to interact with a Sigma during his release days meant having one part of your kit that might have done something, if he was out of a couple of cooldowns and the other Tank was busy with- oh wait no Orisa. It was Orisa. No you weren't getting anything done.

The hero brought about a level of kit supremacy that fit him right in with Overwatch 2 heroes, dubbed often as the first 5v5 appropriate Tank.

4th Generation Heroes are defined not just as cutting edge in their mechanics, but also lacking in exploitable weaknesses. It isn't just survival and existing for them, it's execution of a kit that guarantees a rapidly adjustable value that most other Kits in the game just Do Not Have An Answer For.

When a Tank comes equipped with Denial, CC, High Damage, Broad Coverage, Minimal downtime, Frontline/Off-angle potential, and Compositional Flexibility?

All other heroes in that Generation are bound to be nightmare fuel.

In the same vein that 3rd Gen. Design displaced Versatility with hard denial Texture limitation? 4th Gen. is attempting to overcompensate back into Potency, where it all started, via Bloat.

Sigma proved it was possible. Preferable, even, given Orisa and the Supports at the time, accrued all of the blame for the dread presence that was "Double Barrier" Meta, while he has largely remained unblamed in history.

And with Sigma as the prototype, Overwatch 2's hero releases would steadily iterate and build on 3rd Gen. designs, rapidly accelerating toward 4th Generation as a new standard.

Junkerqueen, Sojourn, and Kiriko all came forward with brutal effectiveness in their releases (with the first 2 receiving no small amount of nerfs to bring them, at least somewhat, back into a 3rd Gen. state), while the likes of Lifeweaver, Illari, Ramattra, and Mauga all maintaining the Deny to Exist canon that was 3rd gen...with some extra spice to ensure their Potency matched the modern day 5v5 format.

All the while Sigma kept comfortable pace with everyone without missing so much as a melodic hum.

You might be forgiven for thinking that's where it would stay. 3rd Generation frustrations of denial, were largely assimilated into the divisiveness that was the 5v5/6v6 debate, much of the Design Philosophy taking a backseat in favour of more immediate concerns (Monetization, Cosmetic availability, Content Creator opinions, Developer newness, and PvE fallout)-

-and then Venture came out.

A brand new DPS with major CC potential, extended invulnerability, hard burst damage, and a terrifying level of backline savagery. 4th Gen. would make itself known in their Design. Once again, modern concerns outside of Design, allowed for them to emerge into the Cast with relatively little impact (Missing Cosmetics are still the main concern for much of the playerbase, to this day)-

-but they were just clearing the obstacles for the inevitable.

Juno's release was hailed as a fresh new presence in Hero Design; dynamic and chock full of value from multiple angles, her playstyle was herald to a new stage of "Fair and Balanced" from much of the playerbase, which, many of the Developers, took as a great sign-

-only to be a dominant presence at the highest ends, that got little pushback from other areas, because she was such a friendly presence in the broad contexts of the game or-

The Playerbase can be entirely forgiving of Design Escalation, if the cosmetic potential, lore, and Bloat all match-up in abundance

Juno isn't an overkit'd Hero by modern Overwatch 2 standards. Absolutely not for 5v5 as a format which is where she and most of the other releases belong. It's one of the major saving graces of the Format.

But it is very difficult not to notice the creeping signs and directions of the game when Venture/Juno are back to back releases.

When you consider just how "upgraded" heroes like Pharah, Roadhog, Doomfist, and Orisa all became with Overwatch 2's progressing Design choices.

And how utterly frightening all this is, in context, with what would reveal itself to be as definitive proof that Generational Design did not end with the sequel's release.

5th Generation? "Wait and See"

Dear Fuckin' God.

If Sigma was the prototype for what Overwatch 2 was going to be?

Hazard is proof there's always more to add.

More mechanics. More effects. More abilities. More inputs. Just...more.

Dominant from release with no discernable counters, even at the gameplay level (especially at the gameplay level), Hazard represents a "Sandbox" philosophy of design that clearly states the future is unlimited.

Broad/Narrow context have never mattered less than with Hazard's release, which single-handedly re-defines every measurable component of the game from Cosmetics, to Map navigation, and on into Lore.

Potency, Versatility, and as minimal Texture as possible, if there is ever going to be a 5th Generation hero era, it will be proven by Hazard's presence.

Sigma's capacity for rapidly shifting value that is difficult to find an answer for, is measurable in Hazard, just in the use of his Jagged Wall; an ability that has persistent knockback, Collision, anti-mobility, unrestricted environmental deployment, persistent burst damage, Tank-level Health, and Offensive/Defensive utility or-

A single ability in Hazard's kit, achieves multiple effects throughout Sigma's entire kit-

-Bloat

Where does it all go from here?

So where does that leave us?

What specific earmark will define the 5th Generation, remains to be seen, but with the addition of Perks as a strong new "Tier of Gameplay Variance", Clash and Flashpoint as flawed gimme Missions that players will consistently struggle with, and New Collabs and Gamemodes from season to season? The possibilities have expanded well beyond traditional Overwatch Design.

Even Freya's most recent playtest, suggests her presence as a 4th Generation hero is all but guaranteed, identifying 4th Gen as the new staple going forward.

Context is no longer a requirement. Lore is an isolated component specific to those who care about it. Loot boxes return gambling values to the foundation of cosmetics, and balance can now be relegated to easily adjusted power-ups only available after you gain enough in-match XP.

New Dawn. New Day. New (types) of Generation.

The Future seems more like "Revolving Door Design", rather than any sort of stable ground to plan on. Still, the playerbase is receptive and responding strongly, so maybe it isn't about stable ground anymore?

Marvel Rivals has proven Overwatch's response; that the team wants to prioritize innovation.

And maybe that is the future.

[absolutebl]

hi!!! do you have favorite bl movies (maybe with happy endings too)?👀❤️

Top 10 BL Movies

(as of end of 2024, in no particular order)

My personal favorites will always have HEAs (or at least HFN). I don't love ambiguous endings and I hate sad ones. I'm going to include the Korean stuff that has been recut as movies, because I can.

1 Seven Days

Japan 2015

AKA Seven Days: Monday-Thursday AND Seven Days: Friday-Sunday

This is a cheat as it's 2 movies, but that's still less run time than your bog standard marvel tent pole these days, so it counts.

One of the best live action yaois ever made, with perfectly structured angst, fantastic characters and acting, and no problematic tropes. The leads have excellent chemistry although it’s low heat there’s still some really cute mutual kisses.

2 Can I Buy Your Love From A Vending Machine

AKA Sono Koi, Jihanki de Kaemasu ka? AKA Vending Machine Sabi Koi

Japan 2023

This movie is utterly adorable, impossibly awkward, and kinda old fashioned. About a cute nerdy little office worker (he's out!) who has a big'ol crush on the tall hulking vending machine guy. They fall in love. And that’s it. And it’s charming. There’s some first name eroticism (because Japan) and there's emphasis on communication (so not Japan) which turns this into an organically loving and talkative relationship. There’s a bit of an age gap and our office cutie may or may not have a muscles fetish (the hot bod, not the shellfish) because (if I’ve told you once I’ve told you 1 million times) Japan always goes kinky. And you know what, I loved it.

3 Restart After Come Back Home

AKA Risutato wa tadaima no ato de

Japan 2020

Atmospheric study in rural Japan meets complex family dynamics built on a romance framework of city boy meets country boy, grumpy/sunshine. It’s beautiful and icy sweet. Slow moving in places but ultimately worth the patience, low heat, low angst, and stunning.

4 His

Japan 2020

His is about being a grown adult and still struggling with coming out. It addresses the consequences choosing a life disingenuous to identity. Nagisa turns up on Shun’s doorstep with his precocious daughter in tow. This is a touch confusing to Shun since they were each others first love and Nagisa broke his heart. Shun has retreated from society, rejecting the world before it can reject him because without Nagisa he never had a reason to fight. Nagisa went the opposite, pretending to be something he was not, ending up with a daughter he adores and a wife who hates him. This movie is beautiful and the setting is unique and interesting but I'm not wild about the ending, it's HFN (happy for now). Honestly, I think I mostly liked this because I have a mad crush on Miyazawa Hio (Shun).

5 After Sundown

AKA Saengrawi

Thailand 2023

It's from Mandee and horror (neither really my thing), yet I liked it. It's oddly sweet and wholesome, for a ghost story. Phloeng and Rawee enter into an arranged marriage for confusing prophetic reasons. Twists of fate demand that they solve the mystery of a past that is haunting Phloeng's family and harming Rawee. Honestly, it makes no actual sense, but it's kinda historical, and very pretty, so I enjoyed it more than I should.

Korean BL that aired as shows but are cut together as movies & great

In some of these cases the movies are better than the originals, in some they are exactly the same.

6 Color Rush

2021

A unique paranormal twist elevates this classic high school drama into a pitch-perfect allegory for the queer coming out experience and one of the best BLs of all time (I will fight you on this).

7 Semantic Error

2022

The ultimate enemies to lovers, also the prettiest. Sexy older boy discovers pouty younger boy has outed him as a slacker, starts out bullying him, accidentally falls madly in love instead. Korea hits it entirely out of the Parks by doing a university BL with everything we expect from BL just done exactly right. Korea's signature quality executed perfectly with added bonus good story, great pacing, stunning visuals, and fantastic chemistry. You cannot ask for more from a BL, let alone a KBL.

8 To My Star

2021

Hwang Da Seul directing this show about a neurotic actor (actual puppy) who takes refuge with a grumpy chef resulting in sparks, cooking lessons, and LOVE! It’s is a touch quirky to get into, but utterly charming once it hits its stride. This is the ultimate grumpy/sunshine pairing plus the most appealing light-filled kitchen of our dreams. I adore this show so much. Limited use of BL tropes makes this feel more of a sweet contemporary gay romance between an actor plagued by scandal and the chef who accidentally adopts him, but the gentleness will appeal to fans of the BL genre.

9 Long Time No See

2017

This originally aired as a series but I have only ever seen it as a movie. So I'm counting it.

Catfishing assassins on either side of a turf war fall in love not knowing they are on opposite sides. Or do they? Suspenseful plot, good fight sequences, mature characters, hot sexitimes, and even hotter beating the shit out of each other and kissing while covered in blood (this came from KOREA?), plus an HEA. One of the greatest hidden gems of the BL genre.

10 Wish You: Your Melody in My Heart

2020

Set in the music industry featuring a talented singer and the pianist who falls in love with him (and his music), this is subtle and achingly adorable. High production, low heat, short run, very tame, and Korea, so all the pretty. Slow burn and lots of pining.

(source)

[pinkeoni]

When I would have byler get together (if it were up to me)

I think that byler getting together is a 2-step process.

Step 1) Have them both realize that the other one likes them back, and establish this to the audience as well. This would probably be done through some kind of confession.

Step 2) Have both of them realize that they deserve to be together.

I don’t expect byler to solve homophobia, but it is an obstacle that is keeping them apart, and they need to overcome their internal conflicts to be together. Will needs to realize that he does deserve to have happiness, and Mike needs to realize that he’s at his best when he is being himself. Byler is different from other couples, and I wouldn’t want them to be treated the same as say a relationship like Jancy. Maybe a kiss can happen at step one, but there would have to be a personal development between the first two steps before they can be together together.

Realistically there are way more steps before this esp concerning Mike, including establishing to the audience that he is gay, breaking up mileven and establishing that he loves Will. This would likely require some build-up in the first half of the season.

But where would I put these steps in the story?

Byler being together together, being boyfriends and established, is something that I can only see happening at the very end. Although those two developments I mentioned I can see happening a lot earlier.

So this is a breakdown of the three act structure:

Pretty standard stuff. Not every story follows this exactly although ST follows pretty classic storytelling rules.

I would put step one around the midpoint. This might not be exactly in the middle of the season, I would likely place it in episode 6. Three act structures are not evenly divided into three, the third act of the whole season would probably be the last episode— or two depending on how they do it.

There is a confirmation of feelings— maybe a kiss comes with that. But they aren't out of the woods yet, and it's not the only thing that they have to contend with.

In-between steps one and two is where I would put a challenge that forces them to really confront those internal conflicts. Is Mike willing to live this life truthfully? Is Will able to accept that he is allowed to live his life happily.

And step-two would come during the third act climax, so the final battle of the series. I put it here because not only is it the climax of the entire season, but it's also a climax for their emotions and their character arcs, where they are able to overcome their personal conflicts, complete their arcs, and finally be together and know that they deserve to be together.

But ya know, that's just how I would do it.

[dickensdaily]

Dickens Daily: Our Third Novel

The time has come to choose our third novel, so make your voice heard! As in the past, there is a poll at the following link which will help us decide on the next book to be serialised: https://forms.gle/X3kNxwRED1qeAbzXA

The voting will close on February 8th 2025.

You may want to consider a number of factors in making your decision, including the description; the wait until it starts; the length of time the serialisation will last; and how many instalments you will receive a month. You can find a breakdown of all this information below, as well as the poll itself!

Bleak House: March 1852/2025 - September 1853/2026 (1 year and a half) 3-4 chapters per month Bleak House tells the complex story of a notorious lawsuit in which love and inheritance are set against the classic urban background of nineteenth-century London, where fog on the river, seeping into the very bones of the characters, symbolizes the pervasive corruption of the legal system and the society which supports it. As the interminable case of Jarndyce and Jarndyce grinds its way through the Court of Chancery, it draws together a disparate group of people: Ada and Richard Clare, whose inheritance is gradually being devoured by legal costs; Esther Summerson, a ward of court, whose parentage is a source of deepening mystery; the menacing lawyer Tulkinghorn; the determined sleuth Inspector Bucket; and even Jo, the destitute little crossing-sweeper. But while the intricate puzzles of the lawsuit are being debated by lawyers, other more dramatic mysteries are unfolding that involve heartbreak, lost children, blackmail and murder. A savage, but often comic, indictment of a society that is rotten to the core, Bleak House is one of Dickens's most ambitious novels, with a range that extends from the drawing rooms of the aristocracy to the poorest of London slums.

The Pickwick Papers: April 1836/2025 - November 1837/2026 (1 year and a half) 3-4 chapters per month Embark on a whimsical journey with Mr. Pickwick and his quirky companions as they navigate comic misadventures, eccentric characters, and hilarious misunderstandings. With an episodic structure rather than a continuous plot, Dickens' first novel is a satire of 19th-century England, blending humor, social commentary, and heartwarming moments.

Hard Times: April 1854/2025 - August 1854/2025 (4 months) 9-10 chapters per month Unusually for Dickens, Hard Times is set, not in London, but in the imaginary mid-Victorian Northern industrial town of Coketown, with its blackened factories, downtrodden workers and polluted environment. This is the soulless domain of the strict utilitarian Thomas Gradgrind and the heartless factory owner Josiah Bounderby. However, human joy is not entirely excluded thanks to 'Mr Sleary's Horse-Riding' circus, a gin-soaked and hilarious troupe of open-hearted and affectionate people who act as an antidote to all the drudgery and misery endured by the ordinary citizens of Coketown. The shortest of Dickens' novels, Hard Times appraises English society and highlights the social and economic pressures of the times.

A Tale of Two Cities: April 1859/2025 - November 1859/2025 (7 months) 6-7 chapters per month Tracing the private lives of a group of people caught up in the cataclysm of the French Revolution and the Terror, A Tale of Two Cities interweaves thrilling historical drama with heartbreaking personal tragedy. It vividly depicts a revolutionary Paris running red with blood, and a London where the poor starve. In the midst of the chaos two men - an exiled French aristocrat and a dissolute English lawyer - are both redeemed and condemned by their love for the same woman, as the shadow of La Guillotine draws closer...

You can vote at the following link until February 8th 2025, after which we will announce the winner: https://forms.gle/X3kNxwRED1qeAbzXA

[goattypegirl]

Psionics in bionicle is weird. There were classic psychic style abilities all throughout the story, like telepathy, telekinesis, illusions, etc, but those individual powers were either abilities granted by special masks or artifacts, or something that that specific guy could just Do. But then, late into bionicles story, psionics got confirmed as a capital-E Element, and it's. Pretty weird.

Psionics was actually suggested as an element and then canonized in a Word of Greg thread, which were. Things that happened. Regardless, one of the main characters in one of the serials was a toa of psionics! And with him came like actual worldbuilding and lore about his element! Granted it was one of the post-cancellation, unfinished serials, and that new lore was kinda dubious, but still! That's more than most secondary elements got. (Like plasma, my beloved)

But when psionics was declared an element, all those weird one off abilities were reclassified as subpowers or specific applications of psionics, and that gave it a different feel than other elements. The other elements are all very physical; you're generating and controlling fire or water or lightning or noise or whatever. And yeah, a toa of psionics could make a psychic damage beam or whatever, but they have all those other abilities tacked on too. Psionics is also unique in that while other toa can absorb their element from the environment to recharge their powers, psionics can't.

(My personal headcanon is that toa actually can absorb psionic energy, but they don't do that because it would basically lobotomize whatever they absorbed it from. You could do some interesting things with that. A toa who doesn't have qualms about absorbing power, or one who's figured out how to steal memories specifically and absorbs memories about themselves in an antimemetic way.)

Psionics getting canonized basically on a whim created some weird Implications for the story. Namely, why would the great beings make brain boys and not have them live inside the giant robots brain? Remember, the whole point of the matoran is to act as maintenance for the GSR. What exactly to ce-matoran do?

I think focusing on that maintenance aspect would make for an interesting AU or gen 3. Swap out the 6 classic elements for obscure seconday elements better suited for maintaining the giant space faring robot, and change the setting from a series of islands to the inside of the superstructure that is the GSR. Keeping with this more sci-fi theme, ce-matoran live near giant server farms dotted throughout the structure and keep them running. Specially trained matoran can temporarily link themselves to these servers, and divine the future by interpreting the torrent of data flowing through the GSR. That process and the information they glean is dangerous at best for the untrained mind, so turaga fervently guard access to those servers and the secrets within.

Magnetism, plasma, lightning, and iron would fit nicely into this hypothetical au as well. Problem is, I want a nice even 6 elements here, and I don't know what the last one would be. The other canon secondary elements options are plantlife or sonics, neither of which I'm really sold on. Maybe we could pick ice or water from the classic 6 and flavor it as coolant? Hm.

Oh my god wait I forgot about gravity. Ok there you go new set of 6 elements. Plasma, lightning, iron, magnetism, gravity, and psionics... Actually, I'm kind of enamored with that ice/water coolant idea. Maybe nix magnetism, or fold magnetism into iron?

Honestly this post just started as my headcanon about absorbing psionic energy, but now I'm kinda tempted to write like a setting guide for this...