#miscommunication is a central plot device

[thisischaostragic]

would you tell me if you want me?

one shot (mostly) smut fic set between Civil War and Infinity War. my take on how they got together :-)

pairing: Wanda x Vision

title and vibes from Mitski's "Come into the Water"

read it on AO3

excerpt below:

“I—ah, god,” he said. Slowly, he let his fake accent slip. He didn’t want to phase back into his true form in public, knowing that it would draw unwanted attention if anybody walked by. He hoped she’d recognize his voice. “My name isn’t Victor.”

Her eyes widened and she shook her head.

“You were using a fake accent?” Wanda chuckled nervously. “That’s, uh, a little weird. You sound just like… no, nevermind. I’m definitely just making things up. I’m sorry, I’m rambling.”

“I like it when you ramble,” he replied. She was moderately concerned she was just going insane with longing, but she’d recognize that voice anywhere.

No, Wanda thought. No, he sounds exactly like—

“Vision?” Wanda asked, tentatively.

He nodded, slowly.

“I’m sorry, Wanda. I should have told you earlier. I came to apologize and I had a whole speech ready but then you were flirting with me and I just felt so… happy, I think, that I couldn’t bring myself to ruin it. I should’ve never taken advantage of you like this. I know you wouldn’t have gone on this date if you knew it was me, and that’s a terrible thing for me to do—”

Wanda quickly looked around. The street was empty, so she grabbed his coat again and pushed him back against the wall of the closed flower shop they were standing in front of. Vision was certain she was about to blast him into oblivion, until she crashed her mouth into his. He made a small noise of surprise before melting into her, letting his hands find her waist to pull her even closer.

“Vision,” she whispered, pulling away for a moment to catch her breath. “Shut up.”

[420technoblazeit]

tbh i want more shows about batshit insane shenanigans and characters who address how insane those shenanigans actually are

im talking about shows that start in a relatively normal setting, but weird things start happening one after the other in a short period of time and everyone has to run around like headless chickens because nobody knows what's happening or why. but everything's still part of an interconnected plot that you don't piece together until the end of the show. bonus points if miscommunication is a central plot device and most of the characters are Just Some Guy

[joys-of-everyday]

Misunderstandings, Miscommunications, and Misbeliefs

I spent a liushenweek drawing because Practice Makes Perfect????? Back to meta post to stretch these meta muscles again haha

So… there was a comment somewhere on some writing/book channel that ‘misunderstandings’ is like a pet-peeve/least favourite troupe. And I get it. Badly executed misunderstandings is super annoying. It’s like… ‘why is this stupid plot device here other than to make the story longer’. But I think mxtx does misunderstandings brilliantly, and here’s some ideas on why.

Btw, the ‘misunderstanding’ trope is when character A and B fail to communicate and important Thing, which causes Problems. You know, SQQ convinced that LBH is out to kill him, LBH convinced SQQ hates him for being a demon for TWO GODDAM BOOKS *screams in agony in the pits of hell*

Misunderstandings and misbeliefs

(In my humble view) one of the central things about mxtx’s big misunderstandings is that they are fundamentally connected to the character’s misbelief. Misbeliefs are important peeps (find out more on How to Find Your Character's MISBELIEF (or Fatal Flaw) - YouTube) (Another great writing channel btw). It’s what drives character development.

A good example is Shen Jiu and Yue Qingyuan. SJ believes that YQY abandoned him, which is connected to his misbelief that he is unlovable and alone. He believes YQY abandoned him not (just) because YQY doesn’t tell him what happened, but because fundamentally, he believes everyone will abandon him. Meanwhile, YQY doesn’t tell SJ about the events in the Lingxi caves because his misbelief is that his failure makes him detestable. He’s a protective person who feels responsible for those around him, and judges himself harshly for his limitations. Thus he misunderstands Shen Jiu’s rejection as a judgement of his failure, rather than a fear of abandonment. The key point is that the misunderstanding goes far beyond the initial lack of communication. So it’s not just ‘here’s a plot device to make things complicated’. It tells you a lot about the characters involved.

Miscommunicating on a Wendy’s Parking Lot

To follow up, any character’s miscommunication should make sense within their character profile.  

Why does Shen Qingqiu not just tell Luo Binghe that he didn’t want to shove him down the Abyss? Because he’s always putting on an act. 24/7. Hiding his feelings is his trademark.

Why does Lan Wangji not just tell Wei Wuxian about his feelings? Because he just doesn’t say anything that doesn’t need to be said. Ever.

Why does Mu Qing not just tell Xie Lian he wants to be friends? Because he’s prickly and defensive and expects everyone to laugh at him.

It’s not just ‘they failed to communicate this one time’. It’s ‘they always fail to communicate with each other, and this happens to be a time where it blew up into a Thing’.

The opposite to this is conveying a character’s deeper feelings/trauma through miscommunication.

WWX initially comes across as an easy-going, open person, who’s not afraid to say his thoughts even in the face of authority. But there are things he just Never Mentions, one of the key ones being the events surrounding his golden core. His silence on particular topics says volumes about how they affected him, because it doesn’t fit his surface level character profile. You know losing his golden core wasn’t a walk in the park, because it changes him so much. It also tells you something deeper about his character – his self-sacrificial nature, how he downplays his achievements, and how he takes these to a level that is detrimental to him.

So in other words, mxtx shifts away from ‘misunderstanding for the sake of plot development’ to misunderstanding as a consequence of a character trait. And character traits should have consequences! This is very important. (Making a character ‘clumsy’ and it having no consequence to the story is stupid.)

A short point on theme

Here’s a video on using misbeliefs to write theme into your story: How to Write THEME Into Your Story - YouTube. Long story short, easy way to integrate theme into story is to turn the theme upside down and make it your main character’s misbelief. SQQ’s misunderstanding of LBH’s motives is a plot driver for ∞ly many books and weaves very obviously into the ‘see people as more than their role in a story’ theme.

(The other two books don’t fall into this pattern quite as neatly, layering themes in different ways, although I’m sure there are things to pick out if you wanted to.) (On an offhand meta note actually, through three books, mxtx goes from misunderstandings driving a large portion of the plot to almost no misunderstandings at all??? Or at least, that’s the impression I got. Like the identity shenanigans in tgcf weren’t really misunderstandings and more like everyone being deliberately sneaky. I wonder what her latest series will be like.)

If Only They Just Talked With Each Other… not

I think what makes the ‘misunderstanding’ trope annoying is that it feels so arbitrary. The characters tell each other The Big Secret they’ve been hiding and then everyone moves on like nothing happened, leaving you thinking ‘well what was the point?’ Meanwhile, mxtx’s misunderstandings are deep, ugly, and painful. They develop into rifts between characters that cannot be fixed by just telling each other The Big Secret.

For example, Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng. In the end, JC learnt about the golden core. Did it fix everything? No. Because JC already knew WWX cared about his adopted family. He already knew the WQ and WN had helped them. Knowing that WWX and the Wens had helped him to a far greater extent than he initially thought would not have made his decision to cut off WWX in any way easier – the rest of the cultivation world would still have hated the Wens, he still had a sect to protect. Hey, this knowledge would only have made his decision even more difficult to make!!! WWX knew this. JC realised this. When JC learns the truth, he basically has a breakdown.

Talking to each other is the start of the healing process. But one conversation most certainly isn’t going to fix things. Note that this relies on the points above. The misunderstanding is so significant because it is interwoven so heavily into the character’s traits, flaws, and misbeliefs. Overcoming the miscommunication forces character development (which should be done with all the care that character development deserves).

Mxtx’s misunderstandings are never really ‘fixed’, and certainly never forgotten. You might see them on the path of healing and understanding, like SQQ and LBH. Or with SJ and YQY, you’re just left with a bitter aftertaste in your mouth. They’re never arbitrary, and that’s what makes them significant.

hmmm... I’m not 100% happy with this post for some reason.

Anyway, comments and criticisms very very welcome!

[nitewrighter]

On the The Adventures Of Superman radio show kryptonite arc, I’d love to hear your thoughts about it!

I’ve wanted to chat to someone about this for a while, but somewhere in the the 33 ep long arc, when escaping Clark, now an amnesiac from the liquid Kryptonite hitchhiked and catches a ride. The driver then proceeds to mention they’re going to go to Central City.

I know TAOS technically isn’t Superman canon. And, I’ve listened to only about 600 episodes of the show, but I’m fairly certain that’s the first time Central City is mentioned at a point where it didn’t technically exist in comic canon & wouldn’t for nearly half a decade. At the time Keystone City was where Jay Garrick’s Flash operated & it wouldn’t be til Barry Allen when Central City would be introduced.

I just think it’s so funny that they chose such a generic name that comic writers accidentally reused it half a decade later for another hero.

Also, I genuinely Loved the section of “Bud Smith” becoming a world-record breaking minor league baseball player, especially because baseball was something that was on the radio then and announcers and producers at the time got great at how to make a baseball game entertaining and fun to listen to. Though the tearing-my-hair-out-and-beyond-frustratingly-miscommunication-issues-in-a-40s-radio-show-plot-device during the last ep were So Bad.

It was a fucking wild arc to listen to & I hold it dear to my heart. I want a cameo of Bud Smith in the comics so bad. If there is one I unfortunately haven’t been able to find it.

..."Only" 600????

Ahhh unfortunately I'm not that far in--I'm only to the Happyland Amusement Park arc because I also tend to listen to a lot of audiobooks through Libby and since I more or less have consistent access to TAOS through spotify, that tends to take a backseat to Libby because with Libby I only have like, 2-week timeframes to listen to the books I want to (And yes, I know Spotify has audiobooks, too, but Libby means I can up my local library system's digital borrowing metrics). I'm definitely looking forward to the future arcs though!

But I love all the generic city and town names in not-super-canon DC titles--I collect them like pokemon because they're useful to have on hand if I need to throw in a suburb or make the setting feel bigger or smaller.

Something similar happened with National City, though, too! Before the Supergirl TV show, way back in 1997, National City was the stomping grounds of Xer0, a futuristic (thoroughly 90's) super-spy like hero whose gimmick was that he was black, but disguised himself as white (mission impossible mask style) when he was doing his super-spy stuff. Which sure is... something. Basically sales sucked for that title so bad that he never really got slotted into any crossovers, though Xer0 did fight Doctor Polaris like, one time. And eventually National City was forgotten about until they decided to plop Supergirl on the West Coast.

Fun fact about Happyland Amusement Park, though! That eventually did make its way into comics canon with Kirby's Forever People!

[handkinkbis]

As a fan of proper communication as a plot device here's what I would do as Shin Yu.

If he's being blackmailed into this relationship with Nayeon then tell Hong Jo exactly that. You don't need to share all the specifics, but especially IF the stalker has something to do with whatever blackmail, Hong Jo has a right to know about it at this point because it's putting her at risk too. Shin Yu might know more than he lets on.

It doesn't seem like Shin Yu and Nayeon spend any? significant? time together and there's no love between them so it's a contractual relation at best (clearly they're not sleeping together since Nayeon spends nights with her lover) and Shin Yu's been very publically chasing after Hong Jo anyway (at work, outside of work) so Hong Jo and Shin Yu really dating* won't influence how the fake relationship between Shin Yu and Nayeon is seen. Maybe he could be less obvious about it, but that too is on him. (Unless the brain condition is making him impulsive? Nothing is certain with this show lol.)

Keeping Hong Jo in the dark about it just seems like a tragedy in waiting because Shin Yu's chasing is getting her hopes up that Shin Yu will split with Nayeon eventually. If he's not going to, he needs to make that clear!

Use Your Words characternims! I still don't get why it hasn't been revealed why Shin Yu and Nayeon are marrying and why it's such a tightly kept secret, it just seems like a weird writing choice to use miscommunication and misunderstanding like this to drive the plot. Even if the reveal would clarify whether the magic in this universe is real, well... Dragging that reveal out also seems strange.

And unless Shin Yu's prevented magically from sharing with Hong Jo why he's entering into a loveless marriage with Nayeon, the withholding of something so key makes no sense.

I probably need to rewatch the show because everything seems unnecessarily confusing and I've probably missed so many details.

Another theory of mine is that Shin Yu's health condition has something to do with the messy plot/story telling since he's an unreliable narrator, but so much of the show is from Hong Jo's POV that it seems quite... unlikely? If he'd dreamt parts of the story then you'd expect him to be more of a central character in his own dreams so that's probably not it.

[sandumilfshou]

cant wait for miscommunication/misunderstanding as the central conflict plot device between two characters to finally die out in fanfic and literature one day

[seven-saffodils]

.

[themollyjay]

Miscommunication vs. Lack of Communication

(from my Patreon page)

One of the tropes I absolutely despise is when the conflict in a story could be resolved if the characters sit down and talked to each other for five minutes. I bring this up because last night I got Mail Order Bride back from the editor, and one of her comments was “I am delighted to say that all of the conflict comes from young people trying to find their own way forward, and not from the usual lack of communication.”

To say I was delighted by this comment was an understatement, but ironically, I got the comment at the exact moment I was working on a chapter in The Master of Puppets that focuses on a rather major miscommunication, and it got me thinking about the difference between a Lack of Communication and Miscommunication.

The chapter in The Master of Puppets arises from a cultural misunderstanding. The Master of Puppets, and in fact the entire War of Souls series is about the relationship between a human woman and an alien woman. At the end of the previous character, the human makes a small gesture of gratitude for something the alien had done. However, in the alien culture, because of differences in anatomy, the gesture holds a much greater significance, and the resulting misunderstanding becomes the central focus of the following chapter.

This does raise the question of why, if I hate lack of communication so much, I am building part of a plot (even a relatively small part) around a miscommunication. The answer is, there’s a difference between lack of communication, and miscommunication. A miscommunication happens when people are genuinely trying to talk to each other, but for whatever reason, what one person is saying isn’t what the other person is hearing. A lack of communication happens when people just don’t talk to each other.

Both miscommunication and a lack of communication happen in real life, and both can destroy a relationship and cause all sorts of trouble, but why is one more tolerable in fiction than another. Why is miscommunication cause for anything from hilarity to tragedy, while a lack of communication will just end up annoying your reader and turning them off to your story?

The answer is agency. In order for readers to really get invested in characters, those characters need to have agency. Bad things can happen to a character, a character can make a mistake, a character can make a horrible decision, and readers will still get invested in them. But the one sure way for a character to lose the interest and sympathy of the reader is for a character to do nothing. No one wants to read about a character who sits there and passively lets plot happen to them.

Which brings us back to lack of communication vs. miscommunication. Miscommunication is a mistake. The characters are trying. The characters are active. The characters have agency. Miscommunication is something that happens while the characters are doing something. Lack of Communication is passivity. The characters aren’t trying. The characters aren’t active. The characters don’t have agency. Lack of Communication is the characters sitting there, passively letting plot happen to them.

Again, lack of communication does happen in real life, but fiction isn’t real life, and passive characters will drive your readers insane. I can’t begin to count the number of times I have ended up screaming at a character to do something. To do anything. I also can’t begin to count the number of stories I just did not finish because the characters couldn’t be bothered to do something about the plot happening to them. The last thing you, as an author want, is for your readers to experience that kind of frustration with your characters. Unless your name is Mary Shelly and your book is titled Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus, in which case, more power to you.

One final caveat to this. While miscommunication can be a useful plot device, and it won’t drive the readers to distraction the way a lack of communication will, there comes a point at which miscommunication becomes a lack of communication. In order to avoid that, it’s important to remember that a miscommunication must be resolved. Not necessarily at the first opportunity, but the longer it lingers, the more it risks transforming into a lack of communication, at which point, you lose your readers.

In my case, the chapter I was writing centers around the discovery of the miscommunication, and while the miscommunication itself does not linger, the impact of the miscommunication, however brief, will last for the rest of the series because the miscommunication shifted a character’s perspective. It forced them to look at something in a different context, and once that happens, they can’t go back to their old way of thinking.

Which, I think, is the best way to use miscommunication as a plot device. Have it stick around just long enough to have the desired impact on the plot, then have it cleared up. And, if you can, get a few laughs out of it, because really, the moment when your normally calm and levelheaded character stops and screams “I did WHAT?” is always going to be fun.

[golden-deer-dear]

History on Repeat, Chapter 2: Lost, Claude x Byleth Modern Fic

Summary: Byleth slept after she lost him, awakening ages later to Garreg Mach University. She is drawn into the friendly competition between dorm floors, an argument as to which D&D group is better, trips to coffee shops, and the questions into her own lost memories.

Claude could not help but be suspicious of Seteth’s niece who appeared out of nowhere, but there was something so familiar about her, something that made his heart ache. How had she appeared in his dreams years before either of them even came to the University?

Read on AO3.

Prologue Chapter 1

The stone was warm against his back as he laid down, folding his arms behind his head to serve as a cushion. Starlight winked down at him, making him feel more relaxed than he had felt in years. He picked out familiar constellations, the myths behind them floating through his mind.

“I knew you’d be up here.”

He couldn’t help but smile. He would recognize that melodious voice anywhere. “And I knew you’d find me eventually.”

She let out a soft hum, amusement lining her voice. “What would Seteth say if he caught us sneaking out on our own engagement party?”

She sat down next to him, and without even thinking about it his arms wrapped around her, pulling her flush against his body. “He’ll get over it.” He kissed her, brushing back mint green strands of hair to tuck behind her ear. “Tomorrow I get to marry the most amazing woman in the world. No one could ruin this for me.”

Her laughter rang clear through the night air. She said something, and he responded with something equally amusing. But the dream was fading, and he could no longer make out the words. 

He could feel her straddle him, kissed her back when she leaned down to kiss him, hot and desperate. He felt his body respond to her, eager for her touch. But her smile and laughter, the beauty of her above him, slipped through his fingers.

Claude woke with a deep groan and slammed a pillow over his face. For a week now he had dreamed of the green haired woman. Sometimes he fought at her side. Sometimes they were matching wits in political battles. The last two nights, however, Claude found himself whispering words of love to her, kissing and touching her in only the way two people deeply in love would. 

“Great,” he said into his pillow, voice muffled by the fabric and stuffing. “I’m having fucking wet dreams about some fantasy woman my mind cooked up. Just wonderful.”

/

Byleth was bored. 

There were only so many times she could walk the estate before the repetitiveness of the action was no longer interesting or distracting. Flayn had shown her how to work the device known as a TV, but she was so far removed from knowing any cultural context that it all flew over her head. (She had found a few romance movies she enjoyed, but the majority made her sigh with disappointment. The overuse of small moments of miscommunication as a plot line was baffling to her.) Even the phone Seteth had given her had stopped working.

She needed to get out of the house. Her boredom was going to turn her to insanity at this rate. Which was why she was finding her way to the garage. Indech was there, as he always was, polishing a black car that was already spotless. He glanced up at her when she entered, but did not stop his task.

Indech was a broad shouldered man. When he stood still he looked more like a bulwark than a human. Byleth was certain she had never heard him speak, but like Flayn and Seteth, there was something about him that felt familiar. It was nowhere near as strong, more like a nagging at the very back of her mind than the comfort she felt with the other two.

She watched him for a few minutes, comfortable with the silence. Indech did not try to draw her into conversation, nor did he really expect anything from her. Byleth figured that was why she came to the garage so often the past few days and watched him work on Seteth’s collection of classic cars.

When Indech straightened and turned to her, Byleth finally asked, “Can you take me to where Flayn and Seteth are?”

Indech gave her a shrewd look, but eventually nodded. He led her over to another car, this one more convintinal than the previous one he had worked on. He held the passenger door open for her, and helped her with the seatbelt. Byleth had seen him take Flayn and Seteth into town, but never actually been in a car herself.

Indech got in on the driver’s side and they were off. The change in scenery did wonders for Byleth’s mood immediately. She leaned back in the plush seat, watching as the green acreage of the estate gave way to the roads and buildings of a small town. Buildings grew taller and closer together, more people were about to wander the streets. 

Indech eventually pulled the car up alongside a group of buildings, many people coming and going from each of them. Some of them did not seem to care about the multiple cars they were having to dodge as they ran to their next destination. 

Cars honked at Indech as he parked the car, seemingly somewhere he was not supposed to, but that soon stopped as soon as the large man stepped out of the car. He came around to the other side and opened the door for Byleth, offering her his hand to help her out. Once she was on her feet, he pointed to a building at the center of campus. “There,” he said in a deep and rumbling voice, somehow reminding Byleth of the sea. “Can you find your way?”

Byleth nodded. Sure the paths were packed, but it should not be too hard to find her way to the large central building.

Indech made a soft noise of acknowledgement, the rumble of waves against the shore. He then pointed again, this time across the street from the campus building. There was a shopping center, but Indech seemed to specifically be indicating a...well, Byleth was not sure what a Bergliez Smoothie was. “I will be there if you need me.”

When she nodded again, Indech ducked back into the car. Byleth watched him pull back into the traffic flow of the parking lot before turning back to the central building. Right. This would not be hard at all. She just had to get there, and then ask someone where Flayn was.

Of course, as disinterested as she had been in TV programming, once she was actually out and about in society, everything was fascinating. Byleth found herself wandering, letting the conversations about topics she could not even begin to understand wash over her. There was something about it all that made her feel at ease. Being here felt right.

It was only much later that she realized she had lost sight of the building Indech had pointed out. She couldn’t even retrace her steps, as she had not been paying attention to where she’d come from in the first place.

/

“But it’s ridiculous! How hard is it really to find chantilly lace!”

“But isn’t that stuff really expensive?” Annette interjected when Hilda paused to breathe. “It’s made by hand, right?”

But Hilda had stopped midstep. Marianne nearly ran into her back, scrambling at the last minute to rebalance her book on the integration of Fódlan and Almyran culture before it could hit the ground. “Hilda?”

Hilda jerked her head toward whatever had caught her attention. Marianne followed her gaze, and felt a similar jolt of shock. “Oh my!”

“Poor thing, she looks lost.” Marianne was glad Mercedes had interpreted their shock as something else entirely. “We should help her.”

Mercedes’ words seemed to spark something inside Hilda, and she quickly outpaced the other three women. “Hey!” Hilda shouted, gaining the woman’s attention. “You lost?”

Marianne hurried up to met Hilda, coming up alongside the woman. Her mint green hair was long and braided. Her eyes did not hold the fierce determination that came with battle. No, now they were confused, and slightly grateful as the group came to her aid. 

But there was no denying it. Before them stood Claude’s goddess.

The goddess nodded. “I was trying to find my uncle and cousin, but I got distracted and lost my way,” she admitted.

“What are their names? Perhaps we know them,” Mercedes said, her pleasant voice causing the woman to relax somewhat.

“Seteth and Flayn.”

Marianne saw her own shock mirrored on the faces of her friends. “Well, Seteth’s office is in the Cathedral Tower, but he usually doesn’t spend much time there,” Marianne said after a second.

“Flayn is usually running around all over campus as well,” Annette added. “But she does eventually always seem to end up at Gateway.”

“I mean, the easiest thing to do would be to text one of them and see where they are,” Hilda said. “You didn’t lose your phone too, did you?”

The goddess shook her head, pulling the device from her pocket. “No, but it’s not working anymore.”

She did not protest when Hilda took the phone from her hand, giving it a quick study. “I just think it’s dead. Don’t you have a charger?”

Marianne could tell Hilda was trying her best to maintain a pleasant demeanour, but the woman’s appearance had thrown her, and their conversation was only raising her suspicions. 

“I-um...no,” the woman admitted. “They didn’t explain that part to me.” She looked between all of them, worry in her eyes at their own shock. “I...I’ve been in a hospital for a very long time,” she said slowly. If Marianne had a less trusting nature, she would say the woman was repeating a line someone had told her. “I was in an accident as a child.”

“Oh, you poor thing.” Mercedes clasped her hands in front of herself, pity replacing her earlier shock. “Well, we’ll be certain to show you around. Annie is right, Flayn usually does show up at Gateway, so if we take you there we’ll be sure to find her eventually!”

“Yeah!” Annette agreed, offering the woman a warm smile. “I’m Annette, by the way.”

“Mercedes.” Mercedes offered her hand, and after a moment of hesitation the woman mimicked her gesture. “But you can call me Mercie if you want.”

“I’m Hilda. And that’s Marianne.” Marianne was grateful when Hilda introduced her. She always found introductions a bit difficult and awkward. “And,” Hilda continued, “while I don’t have a charger that’ll fit this phone, I know Claude is at Gateway right now and he always carries his. I’m pretty sure it’s the one we need for yours.”

“Thank you.” The woman nodded, a soft smile on her face. “Oh, and I’m Byleth.”

Marianne felt a sudden sense of deja vu. She could not remember where she had heard the name before, but it sounded so familiar. Which was odd, as it was such a strange name to begin with. Perhaps in one of her history books. There were so many legends in Fódlan’s past it would not surprise her if Byleth was named after one of them.

“All right, Byleth!” Hilda hooked one arm around Byleth’s and began to drag her toward the campus cafe. “Let’s go find Claude!” 

/

“Monica, are you listening?”

“Hmm? Oh no. Sorry, I must have spaced out there for a moment.” Kronya only took her eyes away from the group of young women to look at her phone, swiping through the pictures she had just taken to make sure she had at least one good one of that dreadful woman’s face. “Actually, I just remembered an appointment I’m supposed to be at soon. I’ll see you all later.”

She ignored the protests as she stood to leave, pushing past students without giving a second thought to the curses they threw at her back. No, none of that mattered, not anymore.

The goddess’ little vessel, that terrible Fell Star, was awake once more. After so many years they could finally get their revenge on her. 

“Thales is going to be so pleased with me!” she practically sang to herself. 

One touch to the screen and the message was sent.

[dizzyhslightlyvoided]

but then I actually started reading the sasameki koto manga and it turns out to be bog-standard “miscommunication (as in “she can’t just tell the other girl how she feels”) as central plot-device, upon which the entirety of the drama is based”, not to mention the protagonists are 15.

[aion-rsa]

Priest Returns to Marvel to Crown the Inhumans’ Once and Future Kings

In 1965’s “Fantastic Four” #45, legendary creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby introduced Marvel fans to a mythic secret civilization of superpowered beings known as the Inhumans. Eventually, we got to know their Royal family, including larger than life figures like Black Bolt, a monarch with a voice that can crack mountains; his insane mind controlling, brother, Maximus; and Medusa, the Inhumans’ fierce warrior queen. The Shakespearean-style drama of the Royal Family has been a pivotal part of the Inhuman mythos ever since, with readers gaining the occasional hint and glimpse of their past, though the full tale of how they came to be has yet to be told.

That changes this August when writer Christopher Priest returns to Marvel and teams with artist Phil Noto for the five-issue “Inhumans: Once and Future Kings” miniseries, announced today at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo. And while the pair have not yet begun work on their collaboration, the planned story will take readers back to a time just after Black Bolt underwent Terrigenesis, when a king now known as the Unspoken sat upon the royal throne of Attilan.

RELATED: New Inhumans Synopsis Teases Military Coup, Royal Family in Hawaii

We spoke with Priest about returning to Marvel, his take on Black Bolt, Maximus and Medusa, and what life was really like for citizens of Attilan during the reign of the Unspoken.

CBR: It feels like an early tale of the Inhuman Royal family would be an epic, almost Shakespearean tale that involves some of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s most inventive creations. Is that what drew you to this project? And had you written the Inhumans at all during any of your previous stints at Marvel?

Christopher Priest: No, I’ve never written the Inhumans before outside of, perhaps, a brief cameo or two. I was actually surprised and challenged when Marvel offered me the project. I see this series as part of a bigger and more complex overall history. As I see it, we can either bore people to death by trying to be too much, or we can go the “Rogue One” route and tell a fun story which embellishes key points of their origin. I presume if the audience wants to see more of this era of the Inhumans, Marvel will respond.

Nick Bradshaw’s cover for “Inhumans: Once and Future Kings”

Approximately how old is Black Bolt when you pick up with him in the first issue of “Inhumans: Once and Future Kings?” Has he undergone Terrigenesis yet? How similar and how different is he from the character we know now?

Neither Black Bolt nor Maximus are much like the characters they ultimately become. For one thing, Maximus is not yet Mad. He is a sane if hardheaded and strong-willed loyal brother, and the two are paired off for this adventure. Now, of course, Max’s unique character flaws give rise to certain rivalries and pettiness which will ultimately divide them but, from the beginning, they are Starsky and Hutch if not quite Quantum and Woody.

I’d prefer to avoid providing definitive ages because that sets off debates, but it’s fair to say the characters in this story are about the same age as the original Lee-Kirby X-Men. Most if not all have undergone Terrigenesis.

What’s it like writing a character like Black Bolt, where so much of his communication is not done through dialogue?

I’ve been writing a mute character, Jericho, for more than a year now [in DC Comics’ “Deathstroke”]. That has partly prepared me for some of the challenges we’ll face with Black Bolt. I also intend to explore the character’s dimensionality a bit more rather than limit him to seeming too flat or one-dimensional.

What I mean is, if you’ve ever had a deaf friend, you know that reading an email from a deaf person is no different from reading an email from any other person. That was a revelation for me and it changed my way of thinking about my deaf friends, many of whom I’d stupidly regarded as either less engaged or even less intelligent. They’re not. They’re informed, perceptive, brilliant. They are funny. My prejudice had been depriving them of much of their humanity. By allowing Jericho to speak mechanically, I’ve been able to explore the character in greater depth and have him emerge as a more rounded character capable of realizing a much greater potential.

I have a different path laid out for our young Black Bolt; not a mechanical device which would allow him to speak (although, frankly, this is not far-fetched technology. You can probably find something like that at The Sharper Image; surely Attilan technology could devise something), but an emerging way of interpreting not merely Black Bolt’s words but the intent behind them in greater depth and clarity. This presents a direct challenge to Medusa and Maximus, whose interpretations of Black Bolt’s hand gestures have traditionally been the most authoritative.

It sounds like Maximus will have a sizable role in “Once and Future Kings.”

These brothers are partners. They’re similar to Scott and Alex Summers, Chris and Liam Hemsworth. Ultimately, they become a bit more like Cain and Abel, as Maximus’ deep character flaws distract from their bond of trust and creates a wedge between them that grows exponentially until it reaches its ultimate conclusion.

The other important figure in Black Bolt’s life is, of course, his wife Medusa. Which aspects of her character do you find most interesting? What’s it like writing some of her initial interactions with Black Bolt?

Medusa represents the obvious flaw in a ridged caste system; she was born into a role she is genetically ill-suited to perform. Medusa was never going to host teas or perform ceremonial duties like a royal princess. From birth, she’s wanted to be on the front lines, with her male cousins, engaging the enemy, defending the realm.

At the stage of her life wherein our story is set, Medusa is terribly and completely sick of men falling in love with her. She is weary of all the speculative talk of who she will someday marry or who a prospective love interest might be. She’s a person, dammit, not a farm animal to be groomed and bred.

Our story presents several persistent suitors for Medusa, but she’s interested in none of them — including Black Bolt. She wants to be accepted, in the same way and on the same level as her male Royal cousins. The man who will ultimately win her over must first prove his acceptance of her as an equal partner in defiance of the stricter roles laid out by the Attilan caste system.

For me, the challenge of writing Medusa is to reveal her humanity and vulnerability without compromising her hard candy shell or writing her one-dimensionally “Hulk Smash!”

Will you get a chance to write much of the other Royal family members in “Once and Future Kings” like Gorgon, Triton, Karnak and Crystal? And if so, which of these characters are you especially enjoying writing?

They’re all in there, and they are a blast to write because what you will see in “OAFK” are these characters in their formative years with relationships just beginning to be explored and tested. “OAFK” is a lot like “X-Men: First Class” with The Inhumans. They are the characters the audience knows and loves but are fresh out of the gate and, therefore, different enough that following their development is fun and exciting.

What’s life like for Black Bolt and the Inhumans of Attilan when “Once and Future Kings” begins? Is this story set during the rule of the despotic king, the Unspoken? Is he sort of the central antagonist of your tale?

“The Unspoken” was never a despotic king. He was, in fact, The Good King. The theme of “OAFK” is communication, as the plot revolves around a series of miscommunications and wrong impressions in an operatic if not quite Shakespearean comic tragedy construction.

A young Black Bolt challenges the Good King’s thinking as regards to the semi-slavery imposed upon the Alpha Primitives. In so doing, and quite without realizing it, Black Bolt literally infects the Good King’s conscience to the point where The Good King begins to reevaluate his posture toward the Alphas if not the entirety of the Attilan caste system.

This ends up setting off a chain of events that leads to Black Bolt, Medusa and Maximus fleeing Attilan, with the help of a new friend, and taking refuge in the far away mythical land of Manhattan.

It seems like part of the fun of “Once and Future Kings” is the fact that this is a story that can be many things: an action story, a tale of intrigue, romance, and perhaps even involve some humor. Is that a fair description of what we’ll see? What can you tell us about the action and sort of overall feel of the book?

I’m not at all certain I am capable of writing a comic book that doesn’t have humor in it. Your description is spot-on. Rock and roll in two different worlds.

MINOR SPOILER: In the original comics, I found it ironic that The Good King Whose Names Is Unspoken was condemned, primarily, for wanting to destroy a terrible weapon designed to wipe out all of mankind. Yes, there were allusions to the Good King becoming The Mad King, but Black Bolt ultimately challenged his monarch because The King had stolen, with intent to destroy, The Slave Engine.

Now, I’m unclear of how that choice makes Black Bolt a “pure” hero any more than his attempts to destroy an obvious weapon of terrible evil made the King a “Mad” King. In that sense, “Once And Future Kings” is kind of a circular firing squad; a “Game of Thrones”-ish mashup of shifting alliances and changing motives.

If we get this wrong, this will be a confusing mess. If we get it right, “Inhumans: Once And Future Kings” will, hopefully, be a story debated over long after I’ve been drubbed out the business.

Finally, your last work for Marvel was in the early 2000s. What’s it like coming back to the company? Is there a possibility of more Marvel work from you after “Once and Future Kings?”

I hope so. Marvel has always been home. And it’s not like I’ve been in exile; I’ve had many conversations with the company over the years, but could never find quite the right project at the right time. Landing “OAFK” was really too easy. It was a project I wanted to do and something Marvel wanted me to do. I was a little shell-shocked at how easy the handshake was. We’d typically had these multi round-robins looking for projects or my pitching my own, which is [gouges his eyes out] exasperating for both for editors and talent.

The post Priest Returns to Marvel to Crown the Inhumans’ Once and Future Kings appeared first on CBR.

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