#writing choices

[mysticalarmand]

Mileven and Byler; writing choices and arcs

[heteromerous-rhyming]

let's talk about the pearls.

when you're making an adaptation, every change needs to be deliberate, because if it doesn't add anything to the new medium and to the new work, why would you change the original? and it was clear to me from the beginning that the showrunners of the pjo show understood that, because even if you don't like the changes that they made, it is clear that they put thought into it. it's clear that the themes of the show are different than the themes of the book and the changes reflect that.

so when i saw the four pearls, i was very curious, from a writing standpoint, how they would use this change. because the change itself - three to four - reflects the change in sally and poseidon's relationship. the change wants us to see that poseidon cares, that he considered not only the quest but percy's goal. and that change is interesting. (like i personally dislike the change because i'm on early season percy's side like he is an absentee father and did not offer support to sally and i would have personally kept that flaw in this relationship.) but that change seems to be the ONLY reason that they had the four pearls. because the writers DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH IT. the loss of the pearl is foreshadowed by the books BUT NOT BY THE SHOW. and that is really really annoying to me because the pearls should have had plot implications. i don't mind that grover loses his pearl. what i DO mind is that that moment isn't foreshadowed. it isn't a part of the action sequence, the audience gets no clues before he just drops on us that he lost the pearl. and even his regret isn't given the space to breathe because they immediately go to asphodel and yeet annabeth from the rest of the runtime yippeeeeee

I DON'T MIND THE CHANGE OF THE PEARLS. I DON'T. but it is clear to me that the showrunners or the writer's room DID NOT TRULY ACCOUNT FOR THE CHANGES THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN NEEDED TO MAKE THIS SIGNIFICANT. they could have run into hades' palace with all four and not be able to use them because hades refused to turn sally back into flesh and blood, they could have explored grover's guilt a little bit more, bringing up his history as a guardian of halfbloods but they don't

[nerdwholikesnerdythings]

Guys (gender neutral) in fanfiction, do you prefer the reasons why a character feels the way they feel, (this is a draft btw)

example: They just sat there for a moment, -well, half standing half awkwardly crouching in Sam's case- wrapped in each other's embrace. It felt nice, comforting, for Sam to be wrapped in Dean's warm arms, the same set of arms that had comforted him all throughout his life, the arms that had hugged him after he started getting picked on in school, the same arms that hugged him when Dad had gotten mad and mean. The same arms that had probably changed his diapers, the same arms that helped him up every time he fell. The arms of his protector, his best friend, his brother, his *family.*

Or, do you prefer something that doesn't explain everything (is it distracting?)

Ahh, I'm half alseep again so sorry for grammatical errors and typos and other stuff. Although I'm probably just as bad (if not worse) when not about to fall asleep.

[sonomly]

Another BibliophiLe milestone - 1,000+ hits!

I can't believe so many people have visited and re-visited my little story about Monoma and Kaminari finding each other and themselves.

What should I tell y'all about...

How about something that changed from the original plan?

Parents!

Monoma has parents who are split up in this story.

I think it's pretty clear as the story progresses that Monoma's Dad does not treat him well. He tries to mold Monoma into what he wants him to be. This controlling behavior is 100% a driving factor in his parents break up.

I had planned on him actually being devoid of parents entirely, though.

Originally I had considered having Kuroiro be the new "family" Monoma made at UA. He'd have lived alone, no immediate family close, in an apartment bought with inheritance from his parent's passing.

Their death was going to be something Monoma was unable to prevent, having "no quirk" to speak of in the moment. Haunting. Sad. A reason for him to always try his best to master what he could do he felt confident taking anything he needed to help others.

Then Hibiki, his sister, came to my mind and it spiraled from there! She was just so precious and the idea of Monoma having supportive women in his life who he wanted to see happy made his obsession with romance so much more fitting.

Kaminari was going to not have any siblings OR parents.

I was going to make him an orphan who was adopted by the cafe owner in his hometown.

I was going to have a reveal that Monoma realizes Kaminari is always at the cafe because he lives above it. He was going to actually meet him by not seeing him sitting, but talking to him as he took his order.

I thought that a Kaminari who grew up in a book cafe would be an avid reader. He'd run off on his own and be a delinquent, but always with a novel in his back pocket. Skater nerd.

That ended up changing once I thought a hectic house full of Kaminaris would be more fun narratively for Monoma to handle. I had a chat with some friends online and the logistics of Kaminari being SO strong because he's the odd one out as a single kid amongst a group of triplets made a lot of sense regarding his quirk efficacy.

Plus, the multi brother interrogation scene about Monoma and Kaminari's "relationship" is one of my favorites!

Pretty cool how stuff can change as you plan out your fic!

I still like the idea of orphan Kaminari and lone wolf Monoma as a concept of shared experiences in loneliness.

Maybe one day I'll write that!

Hope you enjoyed this trip into the "maybes" of BibliophiLe.

Does it make you want to give it another re-read before the next chapter? No judgement! I just read over chapter 10 again because I enjoyed writing it so much!

The next chapter is in the works and will be out soon. Until then, go watch an episode of Pride and Prejudice ya big ol sap!

[lokiswife-dark-fox-queen]

Getting the plot for the Okami Crossover flattened out and since Amaterasu is a wolf what do you think the MFC's animal form be?

[greenapplebling]

Idk if it's just me or it's actually really frustrating when you make an analysis on why or how the author made certain choices on their writing and fans come "to their rescue" by trying to justify their writing choices with in-universe reasoning (which is usually done so by grasping at the edges)

I don't care if it makes sense for the character to back down from their redemption, I'm talking about the author choosing to backpedal from their character's development/redemption. I don't care if it makes sense for characters to constantly contradict themselves, I'm talking about the author choosing to mess with character consistency. I don't care if it makes sense for the character to be flawed, I'm talking about the author selling me this character as the depiction of "good morality" and then turns around and makes them into a huge hypocrite power hungry I'm-better-than-you jerk who's always in the right no matter what

Normally one thing doesn't take away or justify the other, meta and in-universe analysis are different kinds of analysis

[harpersplay]

This is a really good summation of how HIMYM destroyed years of character development. I especially agree with the breakdown of Barney's character. He's not cool. And it is *often* pointed out how weird, creepy, and over-the-top his antics are. That doesn't mean he's not an enjoyable character or fun to watch. But it's the same phenomena of thinking Walter White is aspirational or Don Draper is the epitome of manliness. Often, fans will say "let characters be bad or messy" but they are the ones who can't handle grey characters. They are the ones who flatten Walter White into good because they like watching him and even hope he succeeds, despite his endeavors being harmful. They are the ones who get defensive when you discuss a character's obvious flaws.

Back to How I Met Your Mother, one thing this video doesn't address (besides who hated Cobie Smulders so much to put her in that final scene wig) is how the show—never a beacon of feminist media—ends on a fairly misogynistic note. Actually, several misogynistic notes. Robin is, in an oh-so-not-clever twist on the crazy cat lady trope, alone except for her dogs. Robin, a gorgeous successful woman, has not been able to find anyone that she can have a romantic relationship with? Really? By narratively introducing Tracy as the mother and then quickly (to the viewers) have her marry, give birth twice, and then die, it makes her seem like little more than a placeholder for Robin; a sentiment exacerbated by Robin's consistent disinterest and then physical inability to give Ted the family he always wanted. No problem, he got Tracy for that. And they literally have his teen daughter (not son) gleefully announce that Ted totally totally totally has the hots for Aunt Robin and he should ask her out because "mom's been gone for six years now, it's time." Finally, Barney - yikes! Straight out of the Republican men playbook, Barney finally (although he had already reached this point by the time he married Robin) realizes that women are people when he can say, "As a father of a daughter..." Let's ignore that the mom of said daughter is never seen or even has a name. She is literally just an incubator, which again brings up uncomfortable parallels to Tracy.

How I Met Your Mother wasn't revolutionary television or even great. But it was often hilarious and heartfelt. In the end, it's not who ended up with whom that really matters. It is how it was done. The show had previously dealt with good relationships that just had bad timing or had run their course, as well as other realistic outcomes of dating in your 20's and 30's. I don't think people were and are still upset because their ship(s) wasn't endgame. It's because we went on a practically decade-long journey with these characters and then it kind of didn't matter. (sad trombone)

[secondhandsorrows]

The Passive Protagonist: Pt. 1

In my last post, we went over the glue that brings character and plot together to make a cohesive, compelling story that helps to keep readers engaged, known as conflict. Without conflict, you just a narrative that goes nowhere: a whole bunch of words on a page that makes someone go “Huh, what’s the point of all this, then?”

But there’s one more thing to keep in mind: how your protagonist takes to the conflict, themselves.

Beware of the “passive protagonist”!

On one hand, active protagonists are more proactive and take steps to get what they want or to overcome something. They make choices and decisions that move the story forward. On the other hand, passive protagonists sit back for things to happen instead of making them happen — they simply react. The main takeaway here is what makes passive protagonists less memorable is the fact that they’re not doing anything worthwhile (or worth remembering, for that matter). 

Sure, you can have a main character that starts off lazy or unassuming; that is, until they’re encouraged to do something about the problems that are coming at them left, right, and center. Now, they’re not so passive, anymore. They’re in a state of both reaction and proaction, and because of this, undergo change and an arc that can appeal to readers. They respond and become reluctant heroes— only driven to action once the stakes get serious enough. Suddenly, they have a goal: to protect a loved one, to avoid a catastrophic possibility, to survive when they’re being threatened, to take an opportunity by its horns before it slips away. You just don’t want to have a protagonist that starts and ends off passively, contributing nothing substantial or meaningful to the story or plot. 

As the protagonist keeps waiting, soon then will audiences find themselves waiting, too -- waiting for that character to do something so that they can find out what happens next without the story and its sequences feeling slow-paced or meaningless.

There can (and should) be a reason as to why they’re passive, be it their backstory or outlook on life. Your character might prioritize observance rather than participation. They may be holding back because of fear or trauma. They could think themselves an outcast, or perhaps they’re dependent on others or lack individuality, unremarkable or indistinguishable from the herd. No matter the case, they should want something. 

"But what if I really want my protagonist to be passive?"

This kind of thing also depends on the kind of story you want to tell when it comes to having a passive protagonist, if you really want to have one. They tend to work better in short stories, as there’s limited word count to work with in such a small timeframe. 

When you have a plot-heavy story with adventure, drama, twists and turns... a passive protagonist from beginning to end isn’t going to the kind of character a reader might want to read about. A passive protagonist may seem like they’d be relatable to an audience, but in reality, its their personality and the struggle that makes them more sympathetic. 

Passive protagonists also tend to work better when their main purpose is to serve as a window into the life of a secondary character who’s life and decisions seem more important. In these cases, they’re simply the POV character in a story that isn’t about them in the first place, so the audience can experience the story through their eyes (for example, Nick Carroway from The Great Gatsby).  

Change is scary… this we know for certain. But, what’s more admirable, a character sitting back and letting all the terrible things pummel them without mercy, or a character brushing off the dirt and getting back up time and time again despite the costs? It’s hard to care about someone who does or accomplishes nothing. 

Anyways, I hope this all makes sense, if not at least a little bit. In the next part, I will list some ways you can identify a passive protagonist as well as what steps you can take to make them more active.

Thanks for reading!

[lokiswife-dark-fox-queen]

Yep that's me

bitches be like "i love writing fanfiction" and then constantly second guess themselves because what if they're not good enough what if it's cringe what if no one likes it what if people laugh when they see it what if i mischaracterized someone what if i didn't tag it properly what if what if what if

[mosstrades]

THE FRAMING. CAUGHT BETWEEN TWO OF HER. OH GOD.

[all-my-ocs-are-evil]

[insert poetic title here]

fun fact: this did not start out as isat fanart

(rambling in tags)

[kaipassedgo]

every day i wake up and am mad at the end of steves storyline and the full and complete lack of people who GET IT

[the-worms-in-your-bones]

This entire era was just rtd doing nostalgia bait for his previous era without actually bothering with a proper plot. Bringing back legacy characters can absolutely be done well and has been in the past, but here is really just felt like it was overshadowing the doctor. And I’m sure 15 will get overshadowed by a lot of fans because rtd had tennant before him and Billie piper after him. Both are good actors who played well liked characters, but they aren’t the entire show, they are not more important to doctor who canon than everyone else. Can’t we just take the time to appreciate a new actor who was delightful in the role of the doctor

Not to mention the racism of it all, rtd has a track record of sidelining his characters of color, and unsurprisingly he did it this time too. Ncuti was the first black doctor and him and Belinda were the first fully nonwhite tardis team, and yet we had so many doctor lite stories and Belinda’s characterization was basically forgotten in favor of focusing on the white companion from last season

[chirrups]

my favorite nonsense headcanon: winners get silly little marks like in warrior cats

for extra drama: the previous winner gets to decide where the next one's mark goes