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#✨{reading the script; (ic)
ronniaugust · 9 months
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How To Write Good Dialogue (Part 1)
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I'm gonna start this by saying I'm not trying to sound like a know-it-all. I am just tired of posts like these being absolutely fucking useless. I am aware this is basically me screaming into a void and I’m more than okay with that.
This guide is meant for intermediate screenwriters, but beginners are also absolutely welcome. :)
(about me)
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I've noticed a rise in film students who want to make films that have no dialogue. Probably after your professor showed you Doodlebug, right? Fuck that.
I'll make another post about writing a short film, but all you need to know is: Don't waste the audience’s time. Most of these no-dialogue shorts have very little substance and take way too long to tell the shortest possible story. Not a good idea.
Useless Dialogue
Plain and simple, don't write useless dialogue. Useless dialogue is dialogue that just doesn't fucking matter. Dialogue matters by having ✨subtext.✨
What is subtext? Subtext is the meaning behind the action. That's it.
If I tell you that I love you and I got big doe eyes while I say it, it means I love you. If I tell you I love you through a clenched jaw without looking at you, I don't necessarily love you right now.
Simple, right? Great.
Now think about the subtext behind every line. Does your character mean what they're saying? Are they doing it to get what they want? What is going through their mind as they say it? As long as you know your character, you’ll have these answers ready to go. If you don’t, you’ll figure it out eventually. Just keep writing.
When you write your character walking into a Starbucks and saying, "One venti iced coffee," does that do something? Why do I need to see someone's boring Starbucks order? Do I need to know that your character's boring? Why are you writing a boring character? [Of course, in the rare situation where this is some revealing clue to the massive crime investigation, then it makes sense.]
Useless dialogue is any dialogue that has no meaning or purpose in your script. Delete and move on. You don't need to write entire conversations or scenes that bore us, just write what we care about.
I took a class once where my professor called a version of this "trimming the fat." Get us into your scene and out of your scene in as little time as it takes to have it achieve its full purpose in the script.
[P.S. You don’t “inject” subtext into your lines. Idk who started that vernacular in subtext teachings but I hate it.]
Show vs. Tell
I remember a glorious fight I got into with a Redditor last year about show vs. tell… TL;DR: Dialogue is “show” if you write it with intention and subtext. If someone says that dialogue is inherently “tell,” they’re wrong and can go fuck themselves.
Dialogue that is “tell” is expositional dialogue. But, hot take: Exposition isn't just in dialogue. It’s also those annoying clichés that make you roll your eyes in the theater (which we just call clichés and not exposition). I’m sure every professor I’ve had will disagree with this and then get me into a long conversation about it, but let’s ignore that for right now.
Have you ever seen a movie where a character rubs an old, worn-out photo of a young girl while looking depressed? That's exposition. That character has a dead daughter. No shit.
Clichés are incredibly annoying. We all know that. Assume that any cliché you see - in this context - is exposition and try your best not to write it. (Tropes are different and sometimes necessary, so I’m not talking about that.)
Point blank: When you have subtext in your lines, they are "show,” not “tell.”
Before moving on, I'll bring up that while technically the dead daughter photo is subtextual, it is as close to the character saying “My daughter is dead,” as you can get. Don't treat the audience like we're fucking stupid.
The First 15
If you don’t know what the Inciting Incident is, please look up “3 Act Structure” before reading this.
The first 15 pages of your script is the part that comes before the Inciting Incident. This is the part you want to get right because, although people probably won’t leave the theater, they will absolutely find something else on the streaming service they’re using. The people making said movie will also just toss your script in the trash before it’s even produced, so it's best to get it right.
Dialogue in the first 15 generally follows the same rules, but carries a heftier additional rule. All dialogue in the first 15 minutes must, must, must tell us something about your character.
Remember when I talked about that boring Starbucks order? Why is your character boring? Don’t write that. Don’t write nice characters. Or pleasant characters. Or friendly characters. No one cares.
You want empathy. This does not mean “relatable.” It means “empathetic.” There is a difference.
I personally relate to Vi in Arcane, but I empathize with Theo in Children of Men. Both are excellent, but one personally resonates a bit more with me. You cannot write a character that deeply resonates with every single person, it is impossible.
With each line of dialogue, you must be saying something about your character that generates the empathy. Instead of telling you how to do this, I’ll direct you to a movie that will do better than an explanation: Casablanca.
Watch how Rick interacts with the world. What kind of man is Rick? Watch what he does, what he says, and how he treats people and himself. Watch that empty glass on the table. Watch his contradictions. Everything. Those things matter and it’s what makes you want to watch Rick for the entire duration of Casablanca.
“Realism”
This is maybe more directorial, but make your characters human enough, not too human.
Too human is when you’ve tried your best to capture all those little life-like speech patterns. You know, the ones that no one fucking cares about.
If your character coughs, they’re sick. If they clear they’re throat, they’re uncomfortable. If a bruise isn’t going away, they’re going to die. Simple.
Every moment on screen matters. Everything the audience sees is meant to lead them to a conclusion. Not the conclusion, just a conclusion.
The realism you want is in the choices your character makes, not how many times they say “Uh,” in a sentence.
Conclusion
Dialogue matters and should not be treated lightly or without care. Once you have this all engrained in your mind, dialogue should become effortless.
If you want an excellent way to think about this, Robert McKee's Story has an excellent chapter that helped clarify this all for me. Here's an excerpt and the context.
Warning, spoilers for Chinatown.
"If I were Gittes at this moment, what would I do?"
Letting your imagination roam, the answer comes:
"Rehearse. I always rehearse in my head before taking on life's big confrontations."
Now work deeper into Gittes's emotions and psyche:
Hands white-knuckled on the steering wheel, thoughts racing: "She killed him, then used me. She lied to me, came on to me. Man, I fell for her. My guts are in a knot, but I'll be cool. I'll stroll to the door, step in and accuse her. She lies. I send for the cops. She plays innocent, a few tears. But I stay ice cold, show her Mulwray's glasses, then lay out how she did it, step by step, as if I was there. She con-fesses. I turn her over to Escobar; I'm off the hook."
EXT. BUNGALOW-SANTA MONICA
Gittes' car speeds into the driveway.
You continue working from inside Gittes' pov, thinking:
"I'll be cool, I'll be cool ..." Suddenly, with the sight of her house, an image of Evelyn flashes in your imagination. A rush of anger. A gap cracks open between your cool resolve and your fury.
The Buick SCREECHES to a halt. Gittes jumps out.
"To hell with her!"
Gittes SLAMS the car door and bolts up the steps.
Story by Robert McKee, pg 156
The context of this page is McKee's way of explaining how to write characters. I found it very helpful.
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Thanks for reading! I probably forgot something, so I made this a “part 1.”
I hope this helps someone since I’m really tired of finding short films on YouTube that are all fucking silent. The few who have done it well have been copied to death, so please write some dialogue. I promise you it’s so much better if you do.
Asks are open! :)
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Script Your Desired Life -Part 1-
I was worried the post would be too long to read in 1 sitting, so I decided to publish it in parts because I miss my blog :(
Y’all. I love making subliminals, blockage removals and boosters for myself, but sometimes I want to dramatize and exaggerate my current life. I’m tired of wanting to drown myself out of my current life and watch other’s realities on shows or what they show online.
Now, I’m bored of *that* attitude. I always want to be in euphoria.
💎 Exaggerate, exaggerate, EXAGGERATE, your daily routine!
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Before Dawn
If I wake up around and unable to fall back asleep, I’ll have a handful of organic blueberries and a shot of cold brew to wake myself up. I have an early morning class and falling back asleep will throw my schedule off.
In the Morning
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Instead of “I wake up excitedly at 5AM,” it’s, “I step out of bed into my cutest house shoes with the sound of my waterfall white noise machine cascading me into a 5:00 morning. Vitamins? In my greens. I already have on under eye masks and a glass of whole starfruit juice for an energy boost. Am I in the mood for more fruit juice, iced coffee or cold brew? Cold brew, then decaf for the rest of the day.
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“I am feeling the beneficial effects of coffee every millisecond”
I can’t wait to use my rich b— Breville with my homemade, toasted croissants covered in honey butter with my espresso accidentally tasting the same since I did dip it in. Does white chocolate espresso and honey butter croissants taste weird together to anyone else?
I’m going to have perfect marks when I go back to school. My commute is a breeze & my morning dragonfruit smoothies make the experience even better.
It’s not the writing that should be exaggerated as a point, that’s only being more descriptive. Play a sparkling noise as you wash your face, study, anything! You’re the character you dreamed of.
⚠️ Be ready, this will feel out of body ⚠️
When I feel out of body, I have unlimited amounts of energy, confidence and clarity.
Exaggerate your morning by applying the perfect lacquer you have on your nightstand to stand up tall, a continental breakfast in bed, pulling out your perfume and makeup book to layer your scents. Sheesh, buy an electric kettle for early morning tea.
For dreary days, script a contingency plan such as drinking hot cinnamon tea or mango boba, applying siren makeup with sparkly blues & greens, leaving early to where you need to be, bubble wrapping your personal coffee/tea cup to be used in public. For example, “Rain never showers the same. I look out of my window in wonder with my favorite rain shoes on and how easy my trip will be, but enough daydreaming.
💍💍 Allow yourself to be inspired by parts of your personal favorites that scare you.
What is my favorite color(s)? Wellll, society is telling me my favorite color is pink because periwinkle is unusual for a woman like me. No ma’am???
For example’s sake, I drive a Ford Fusion. Not anymore. I drive a Tesla Model Y to university.
💎💎💎 Now, EXAGGERATE your habits & favorites. Ask yourself why you are really afraid of expressing yourself to the fullest. Is it because you’re worried about how you’ll be perceived in other’s conscious minds? Is the attention you’ll garner frightening?? Or exciting?
You love perfumes? Try ouds with other fragrance mediums to layer your scents like a plush throw on a mattress.
Separate your perfumes by sexiness, sweetness and mellowness.
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I love getting my lashes done. Go above and beyond your usual options such as classic, hybrid and volume for styles such as cat eye, glamorous, *more/less fans*, a dollop of color, dramatic bottom lashes or lash lifts with bottom lashes.
I craft inspire lists. These are items I buy at 1 time as a routine shopping day. Wishlists and dream items are banned from my vocabulary.
✨✨✨✨ Play your unconscious conscious’ mind games. You know what you really want. Your unconscious conscious’ mind’s world is your fantasy land. Unshackle yourself from self limitations of not being good enough or less disciplined to complete your goals due to your upbringing.
If you lay in bed hours after you’ve woken up, questioning why you won’t get up when you have the energy to get out of bed, write in your script, “I am making omniscient decisions about my life at the speed of the multiverse,” with, “I have unlimited energy and storage for processing ideas for my life [at the speed of the multiverse],”
If you have to ask yourself if you're 110% in control of your life, you haven’t forced your free will entirely.
Go speak your entire mind when your reputation is questioned in front of others.
Be Luxury, Live Luxury.
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look-at-the-soul · 1 year
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Look at the soul- Part 4 Changes
Cillian Murphy x OC
I’m deeply sorry it took me so long to update this series! I hope you still remember it, if you don’t head over to the master list to see the previous chapters! ✨🎭
Song: Changes by David Bowie (lyrics in italics as usual)
And new characters will be showing up as we continue to join this performance on stage!
Banner credit: @forgottenpeakywriter thanks Selene!
A/N: I’ve been reading a lot about theater and plays, it’s so so interesting but of course, I’m not an expert, also some inspiration comes from @heidimoreton ‘s help 😉
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“Hey Marianne, how did the fitting go?” Cillian greeted her with a kiss on the cheek backstage.
“Great! They showed me a few sketches already.”
He smiled pleased, everything seemed to be working fine.
“That’s good, anything you would like to change?” She immediately shook her head.
“Not a single thing, I love it!”
Cillian guided her through the hall. “I know this is all new to you, but please feel free to speak your mind, you’re part of this project.”
Marianne thanked him for his kindness, Cillian was making her feel so comfortable about everything, he introduced her to part of the staff they crossed paths with, he seemed to know everyone and showed her around the theater.
“Now how about we get on with it? Would you like to discuss something about the play?”
“Yes… how is it possible that Adria’s brother holds so much power, to the point of blocking every single door for her? The lawyer, the doctor and nurses taking care of her parents, the judge…”
“There’s this little lucky strike on his side when she’s away, is interesting how these series of events happens and he goes back and starts manipulating their father to get the last call on the properties and the legal rights to everything.”
“And there’s not a single scene with him?” She bit her lower lip, thinking about it.
“Not physically, he’s still in the story but all we know about him is what we see through Adria’s eyes. And the hints from the narrator.”
“There you are!” Heidi appeared with a sound tech. “Hello! Can we try these?” She waved off a little box connected to a long wire. She instructed Marianne to hold the tip against her cheek and helped her to place it around her ear, then she walked around her and adjusted the clip of the microphone on her jeans, Marianne winced at the unfamiliarity.
“That’s how we break the ice.” Cillian joked, while she blushed.
Heidi looked at Marianne, realizing of something important. “Sorry! I’m so used to this, I do it with my eyes closed.” She smiled, helping Marianne feel at ease.
She smiled back. “I’ve to learn a lot of things, right?”
“We just want to try it, once you’ve the wardrobe you’ll have the wire under your clothes.”
“Lights!” The tech shouted and the theater got dark, except from one bright light that was directed straight to Marianne. She blinked away, it was hard to see anything.
“This is going to be your spot for the opening scene.” Cillian showed her, walking to the corner, the bright light following her every move. “Can we start with the first line?”
“I will go up there,” Heidi pointed at one of the seats, “to make sure the sound works. I always get so excited on soundcheck days!”
Everything was still so surreal to Marianne, she saw Heidi walking down the stairs on the side of the stage and started giving instructions, unlike her, Heidi knew what she was doing. The lights started to change and now two were following her.
“Trying out light 1.” The tech called through the speakers.
As Marianne went on to read the first part of the script, Cillian corrected her posture, asked her to adjust her volume and showed her to repeat the lines with a pencil in her mouth.
“Be careful with your breathing, if you push out the air too hard, the audience will hear this.” He pointed out as he blew to the microphone. “Let it out slowly in three counts, or your next line will come out forced and you will be out of breath soon.”
She listened intently and tried to memorize all the instructions and guidance he was providing, he was extremely patient and spoke to her softly, but it was a lot of information to take in.
Marianne forced herself to focus on her breathing, a technique she learned that really helped her to stay calm in moments where a panic attack was around the corner, she was doing her best to push away those kind of thoughts.
“I’ll tell you what, let’s take this off, we don’t have to worry about it yet.” He pointed at the small device in Marianne’s ear and motioned her to take off the box from her jeans. Leaving them over the bar, he walked back towards her. “Let’s try to tell the story instead of just reading lines, play with your voice. Let me feel the emotion you reached when you broke the mirror.”
And she did as he suggested. But Marianne still felt a little bit out of place.
“Look at the audience, I think a small pause there will add a nice touch, let them wonder the next move, will Adria give up? Will she let her brother win?” His voice was deep, but soft like velvet, and he seemed to move his hands in sync perfectly.
“Sorry I forgot the line.” Marianne looked at Cillian worried, covering her face. With a frustrated groan, she bent down to pick up the script. Nerves started to kick in.
“Don’t stop, no matter what happens you have to keep going.” Heidi told her walking on stage.
They had been working for hours, the constant light changing irritated her eyes, she felt like she needed to pick up on everything they were instructing her to do, her volume, her spot, the way her feet moved, they asked her to speak from her diaphragm… she was too fast or too slow, she was late on her counts, she was looking at the floor…
“I’ll let you go to check the audition schedule. Try to practice with the pencil in your mouth, it helps you to articulate the words properly.” Heidi told her, taking her bag. “See you tomorrow.”
“But is still early!” Cillian tried to stop her.
“Promised my kiddo to shop new soccer gear.”
Cillian crossed his arms against his chest. “I thought he wanted to be a teacher.”
“When he was six, now he’s a big boy.”
“Thanks Heidi.”
As she waved goodbye, Marianne looked around, feeling so small on stage.
“Don’t let this scare you.” He said softly, she was so transparent, it was almost as if he could read her feelings.
“I feel so… small?” She took a seat on one of the desk chairs, it was only placed on stage to mark the place of one of the tables they would use for the play. “Like this is the last place I should be…”
Cillian recognized the worry in her eyes, she had a lot of reasons to be scared about, English wasn’t her first language, theater wasn’t something she was familiar with, they had only weeks until kick off…
“Let’s take a break.” He proposed with a smile.
Because he also knew the last thing Marianne needed right now, was more pressure.
“But I have a lot of things to learn and”
“Why are you so worried? You will learn everything you need, but not today, nor tomorrow.”
Marianne shuddered. “How can you be this calm? I feel like I have the time against me.”
Walking out of the Olympia Theater, a beautiful day welcomed them as the pair walked down the street.
“This is new.” Cillian pointed at the small but cozy café across the street. “And I’m always nervous about a new project by the way, excited, but nervous.”
“You don’t look nervous.” Marianne pointed out right before a chirpy redhead smiled at them.
“Hello sweethearts, welcome to Alex’s nook, make yourself at home, we’ve got books if you want to read.”
“I think you need to relax a little Marianne, what would you like to drink?”
Looking at the menu, she didn’t want to point out list of things she needed to do, but she really needed to learn the script, work on her warm-up exercises that Cillian already showed her and a million other things… “A flat white, please, this is a lovely place.”
“Oh! Thank you so much, we just moved in to the neighborhood about two months ago.”
“I love everything about this, the music, the vibe, the name is so fitting.” Marianne pointed out looking around.
“Aww bless you! I love it so much, well what can I say if I’m the one behind it, right? Oh, and Alex is not my name, but that’s a story for another day…” She was looking for something in her apron, then she looked at Cillian. “What would you like?”
“A tea, please.”
“We got green, cinnamon with apple, black… oh, here it is.” She giggled and retrieved the pen from above her ear. “
“Black tea please.”
“You guys are new around too.” She asked them politely. She noticed how the pair moved in complete sync. “How did you two meet, lovebirds?”
Mortified, Marianne shook her head. “We’re not a couple.”
But now, the chirpy redhead was the mortified and embarrassed one. “I’m sorry I shouldn’t have assumed…” She blushed and apologized one more time.
“We are literally new, starting a new project at the Olympia Theater.”
Her whole face seemed to smile, if that was possible. She was genuinely happy. “Enda was one of my first clients! I guess you should get the VIP client card then.”
“VIP?” Marianne asked confused.
“Yes! The more you visit my café the more freebies you get! I’m still trying to figure out a system, but since you’ll be working so close, I hope you guys come often.”
“We will, thanks.” Cillian thanked her paying for their order, he refused to accept Marianne split the bill.
“She’s so nice and kind, I wish I could have her confidence.”
Cillian looked at her intently. Without even noticing, Marianne had so much of Adria’s character, and that made it all even more scary.
“What makes you think you don’t own those qualities?” He asked her softly from across the table. “I can bet you anything, you have a lot more you don’t even know.”
The way he said it, made Marianne think he could be right. Even if it was for a few seconds.
“But you barely know me.”
“It’s the little things that count the most, Marianne.” Cillian explained as the waiter brought them their drinks. “When we arrived, you saw the delivery guy carrying all of those coffees, and you rushed to open the door for him, I was distracted, I didn’t noticed it at first.”
She seemed to think about it, she did that because she wanted to make it easier for that man to get out.
“All of this goodness is already inside you, you’re tender, noticeable, but you’re also a bomb about to explode on stage.”
“I’ve been dreaming about this particular scene.” She couldn’t help but smile. “When Adria walks to the back of the room, the music stops as the lights go down, then she turns slightly to look at the audience over her shoulder, and smiles. That’s all I see, over and over.”
Cillian felt everything inside him tingle in anticipation.
“You’re what we call in theater a showstopper… and I can see is already burning you alive.”
——
On Sunday morning, Marianne rushed inside the theater, finding it empty. The venue was majestic, one look around was enough to take your breath away.
The red and gold decorations really stood out, the seats, lights, the different levels, the chandeliers added a glamorous effect, which was almost ridiculous, because the theater really held life by itself.
Surrounded by the curtains and the incredible energy the place exuded, Marianne closed her eyes for a moment, trying to imagine how it would look full of people, the lights down. She had been practicing a lot that morning in front of the mirror.
Despite all of her fears and internal battles with herself, taking this chance was all she wanted now.
“Sorry I’m late, I was caught up at home.” Cillian explained as he rushed to the stage. His arms welcomed her in a warm embrace.
“Is alright. Let me just get my script real quick.” Marianne asked walking towards her bag.
But Cillian had other ideas. “You won’t need that today, don’t worry.”
She looked at him confused. How would the do the rehearsal then?
Finding her quizzed face, he smiled, she followed instructions, tried to anticipate to what was expected, he realized.
“I want to start working with something that’s fundamental in theater.” He pushed up the sleeves of his jumper. “Sometimes things can go wrong when you’re on stage, and that’s alright too, a light can go down, someone could stand up from the seat, the wardrobe, someone might forget their lines… the most important thing is you having a solid base to improvise.” He leaned against the high bar and spoke softly, finding a pair of eyes full of expectation, hungry to learn.
“I thought you wanted me to follow the script?”
“You like numbers, right? From what you’ve told me… so yeah you will be following the script 98% of the time, the other 2% I need you to be ready to jump in and keep the dialogue going.” But panic was written all over her face. “Don’t worry, the audience won’t know there was a mistake unless someone tells them,” he the smiled at her, wanting to push her nerves away, “if you don’t tell them, I won’t either.”
That made her chuckle, Marianne started to feel how he could ease the tension so easily.
“So if you’re ready now, tell me a story, whatever you feel up to, I won’t know if you’re lying or not.”
“A story?” Marianne asked perplexed.
Cillian nodded, his hand motioning for her to get closer. “First thing that crosses your mind. Someone who helped you, someone who made your life miserable… You can either act on it, or just tell me as if in a casual chat.”
Taking a deep breath, Marianne felt her palms sweating.
I still don't know what I was looking for
And my time was running wild
A million dead-end streets
Every time I thought I'd got it made
It seemed the taste was not so sweet
“Three girls are at a café, there’s people around them, a high bar with a long table for costumers who are alone, some people are working, sipping on their beverages or chatting. There’s a guy behind them minding his own business.” She looked in the seats direction as she heard a noise.
“Don’t pay attention to that, is just noise, theaters are made of echoes, keep going, what happens with this guy? Let’s call him Adam.” His eyes were looking at her intently.
“Adam is working on his laptop, when he unintentionally listens to what Diane, Gina and Kacey are talking.”
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
Turn and face the stranger
He noticed the way her gaze changed as she used a different voice. “Kacey’s voice got louder as she mentioned how she didn’t like Julia’s new hairstyle, ‘it doesn’t fit her, she just wants people complimenting her.’ But Gina had something else to add, ‘Last week my cousin asked me her number, she had been trying to seduce him for so long, she just wants him because of his father’s business’ and of course, Diane couldn’t keep her mouth shut ‘I didn’t like her hair either, I’m sure she knew I was going to ask for it and she had to go first and months ago she told me she wasn’t interested in your cousin but I didn’t believe her’. Gina shook her head ‘She called this morning to see if I wanted to go with her for breakfast after the gym, she just wanted to brag about something.’”
Just gonna have to be a different one
Time may change me
But I can't trace time
Cillian saw her moving her hands.
“Kacey rolled her eyes, ‘She’s so fake I can’t stand her!’ Adam was intrigued by this Julia and the horrible person she seemed to be. But soon all his questions were answered as another woman joined the group, the conversation immediately changed. ‘I’m so happy to see you all! Diane, I got you the necklace with the initials you couldn’t find.’ Diane’s mouth flew open, she couldn’t believe it. ‘Julia, where did you get it?’ Her arms wrapped around the other girl. ‘A friend of a friend knows the owner of the brand.’ She explained with a smile. ‘You didn’t answer when I called you’ Kacey folded her arms in front of her chest. Julia placed a hand gently on her arm, ‘I talked to my Dad about your boyfriend’s resume, he doesn’t have an open position in his company in his field but he’s asking Human Resources to think about him as soon as they get something. I’ve to go back to the children’s foundation, we got new games and books for them, and we want to take them to the zoo so I’ve been working really late, but we’re celebrating my mum’s birthday next week I’d love to see you girls there… it will be an intimate dinner at home, see you soon! Gina, by the way that blue color suits you so well.’ And with that, Adam saw her leave a bill on the table even though she politely declined the waiter offering her something.”
Marianne stopped walking, and looked straight at Cillian in the eyes., but she couldn’t hold his gaze, so she looked at the empty seats of the theater instead.
“Adam didn’t know this Julia, but he did know that all of her “friends” were saying about her, it wasn’t the truth, it was only a reflection of what those girls saw in her that they didn’t have, what they wanted.”
“What happened to Adam?” Cillian asked, walking towards Marianne.
Her eyes were filled with tears when she looked back at him.
“He walked out of the café moments later, calling Julia, he asked her to be careful as he heard the girls talking shit again about her once she walked out.”
Sitting on the edge of the stage, Marianne saw him mirroring her.
“What about them?”
Taking a deep breath, looked up to the ceiling. Frustration building up.
“She finally opened her eyes and saw something that had always been there, but she refused to see, she decided to keep going without that kind of friendship.”
Cillian took his time to process her words, she exuded emotion through every pore.
Even though Marianne turned around her face away from him, he was able to see a tear rolling down her cheek.
Strange fascination, fascinating me
Changes are taking the pace I'm going through
“Sorry if I pulled a sensitive wound.” Cillian apologized rubbing his jaw. “Can I give you a hug?”
He was even more surprised as the words left his mouth, but when he saw Marianne nodding, and moving towards him, he knew it was the right thing to do.
“Pain can be something beautiful too, when you turn it upside down.” Marianne whispered.
Perhaps deep down it was Cillian who needed that hug the most.
****
Next part
Remember this is a slow start, as they are getting to know each other and work on the play, (hopefully you won’t find it boring) ☺️ I’d love to know what you think! It’s what keeps me going xx
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pumpkin-spike18 · 6 months
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✨Weekly Progress #37-39✨
aka the post spooktober edition 👻
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As obvious from our release, we completed our spooktober project in time! The Final Prize is Soup can be played here! Get ready to fall into a death game for a chance of reincarnation in our Spooktober 2023 Yuri VN!
This year, I worked as a writer alongside Shino on Yanxu's route! Please check it out if you're up for a spooky good time!
Weekly Progress #37
Revised Spooktober script
Read through Shino's half of script
Fin reviewing Shino's comments
Weekly Progress #38
Responded to Shino comments
Updated script BG names
Added script into Renpy
Worked on [detective game] outline
Scripted about 55% of script
Weekly Progress #39
Fin base Spooktober scripting
Tested sprite sheet base for Wolf RPG Editor
Scripted in music
Updated NPC sprites, camera angles
Worked on a Rebi sprite sheet in Wolf RPG Editor
Scripted SFX
Scripted in photosensitivity and screenshake
Scripted in ic and cut ins.
So yeah, most of my devwork for September was just spooktober tasks, accompanied with a little Wolf RPG Editor testing.
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I'm beginning to understand how this works.
A life update?
I finally quit my day job.
September has been a bit of a struggle because of that. Alongside of Spooktober (which I wanted to do), I had to prepare for leaving my day job. Did you know? It takes 6 hours to clean out 7 years of paperwork from my desk. It was a bit insane.
I don't have a plan going forward, just looking forward to rest.
Of course I'll still be working on my projects, but admittedly I feel a bit lost these days. It'll take a little time for me to figure myself out, but I think a big part of that will be doing more things that I want to do rather than have to do.
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horizon-hold · 11 months
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andthemoonsingswisely · 6 months
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Pretty little words by Savitri* (aka my introduction post)
*not my real name, but a pen name
she/her, 15🤦‍♀️
ENTP-T, Virgo, flautist(Carnatic & classical western), writer(poetry, prose-poetry, flash fiction), coder (JavaScript, Python)
Likes: Fashion, aesthetics, retro feels, petrichor, sarees, fast cars, roller coasters, Hindu goddesses, those little moments when you just feel so whole and complete
Dislikes: people who value you solely for entertainment purposes and do not see you as human beings capable of deep feelings and thoughts
Music: Old Hindi & Tamil songs (Lata Mangeshkar, Susheela), Carnatic music, classic rock (Livin’ on a Prayer, Free Bird), classical western music(particularly the impressionist ones like Debussy’s Syrinx and Poulenc’s flute sonata)
Literature: Ocean Vuong, Richard Siken, K-Ming Chang, The Grishaverse, A Song of Ice and Fire, Red Queen, Anna Karenina, The Color Purple, Beloved, Mahabharata (and no, Karnan is not some tragic hero; he sucks); currently reading: Swann’s Way Vol 1
TV: Breaking Bad, Suits, Shadow and Bone, Gilmore Girls, Crash Landing on You, Our Beloved Summer, Twenty-five Twenty-one, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Nationality: Born and raised in the US, somehow has a very thick Indian accent which makes nice people ask “were you born in India?” and annoying ones reply to me in an over-exaggerated version of how I speak 💀
Languages: Tamil and English, I’m learning French as a second language in school. I can read the Hindi script but can’t really speak or understand it :/
Religion: Hindu
Aspires to study economics and chemical engineering, and maybe go into private equity in the future?
This is going to be a studyblr and a place for all my weird feelings to coexist, so yeah, it’s gonna get at least a little weird (aka ✨quirky✨) in here.
Follow to be 💕moots💕 & friends 🫶🫶🫶
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sanstropfremir · 1 year
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Hello! ✨🎥 anon back from the dead. I saw that someone asked you about recs on books a couple of days ago and I wanted to ask about it. Which plays would you recommend (as you said on the notes)? And what would you recommend to expand on technical knowledge about dance? If you were to cover these things on that pending ask that you talked about, then I'll wait for that. Thanks!
HI HELLO how are you!!!! let me do the plays right now since i can spit them off the top of my head pretty quickly. however on the other hand i do not have any good recs on expanding technical knowledge of dance bc literally everything i learned was orally. it also depends on what type of dance? if you're looking for ballet i'd recommend looking at the ballet russe obvs but also balanchine! i got nothing for any other type of dance though.
so some plays that were very influential to me (a lot of these are not perfect and i fully acknowledge that):
the tempest - shakespeare
macbeth - shakespeare
twelfth night - shakespeare
cat on a hot tin roof - tennessee williams
any of anne carson's translations of the greek classics
oedipus rex (actually for real it's a fucking incredible play)
rosencrantz and guildenstern are dead - tom stoppard
arcadia - tom stoppard
eurydice - sarah ruhl
dead man's cell phone - sarah ruhl
blood and ice - liz lochhead
if you can find any eng trans of wayang kulit or wayang wong scripts, but this may be difficult since the only way i read them was bc i took a class with like the one guy in the west coast of canada who's dedicated his entire life to indonesian theatre and translated a bunch of them himself and i think only had them published in a $100 textbook. they are however usually stories from the mahabharata or the ramayana, which are easier to find translations of
i read a bunch of translations of noh when i was like 13 and i cannot for the life of me remember the names of any of them but noh and kabuki are really good for looking at storytelling structures
hamlet - shakespeare
this is a pretty short list bc i've read a LOT of plays in my life, but these are ones that have had a profound impact on my artistic career in some way.
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polar-myst · 2 years
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✨ @daddylinguini tagged me on this :,D ✨ (thank you so much qwq)
Rules: tag ten people you wanna get to know better!!
Favourite time of year:
Most definitely either autumn or winter. I hate the heat so much, I don’t even know why. But also for the calm aesthetic (?) of these two seasons.
Comfort food:
Hmhhmhm, it’s gotta be a pink panther wafer 🤣 my favourite biscuit since I was like, 3? 4?
Do you collect anything?
I did collect my little ponies until about a year or so ago, I didn’t really have many rare or really valuable ones though. I did do a lotta customising of them! And sometimes I stilldo, if I have a random burst of motivation like “ayo paint a pony”
Favourite drink:
Plain old cranberry juice. Or a white coffee heeh
Favourite song/artist:
I love so. Many. Artists. I cannot choose one at any point so here are a bunch of them: Mendum, Shiah Maisel, Seven Lions, The Script, One Republic, Niviro, TheFatRat, Crywolf and soooo many more.
Current favourite songs:
Oh my god I have quite a few rn so here we go~~~ Intro by the xx, Start again by Seven Lions, Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice, Playing with the Boys by Kenny Loggins (yes the og top gun beach scene song)
Favourite fics:
Aaah where to start? There are so many fics I have read and fallen in love with, but it includes Lead Me On (to the other side) by boasamishipper, Pain by adrija, underestimate me by cuddlyhemmings, So Hold Me Up Now by sp00kz, and maaany more.
I know it said tag ten people but I cannot think of ten people-
@catgriller @natcat18 @hcrogasm @wasp-coffee <3
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borntodeal · 9 months
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Feeling the #ActorsLife vibes today! 🎭 I'm excited to share a scene I performed "ice cold" at Brian Cutler Actors' Studio 🌟 Major shout out to them for emphasizing the importance of cold reading skills, it truly is a game-changer! 🙌
In this scene, I was reading with my talented classmate, Sarahbeth (off camera), who stepped in for my regular scene partner, the brilliant Jill Cutler. 🎬👥
Trust me, diving into a character without prior preparation pushes you to connect with the script, the moment, and the partner on a whole different level! 💫 Check out the video and see how it went!
How do you feel about cold reading? Any tips or experiences to share? Comment below, let's chat! 🗣️✨
#ActingStudio #ColdReading #SceneWork #ActingTips #BrianCutler #ActorLife #OnSet #ActorsJourney #Improv #Drama #ScriptReading #LivePerformance #ActingClass #TheaterLife #PerformingArts #ActorTraining #HollywoodActors #StageLife #BehindTheScenes #ActorsStudio #ActingSkills #ScenePartners #ActorPreparation #DramaticArts #ActingGoals #FilmActor #TheaterActor #ActingCommunity #ActingForFilm #SceneStudy
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imaginarybabies · 2 years
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🍓 always fishing for compliments bc i am a self-absorbed asshole <3
Self-absorbed assholes unite ✨
In no uncertain terms, ily. I said it before and I’ll say it again, your storytelling skills are out of this world. I read self paras you write about characters I didn’t even know existed before clicking that read more and I still get invested. And as someone who Just Can’t Do That, I love how effortlessly you stay ic when writing literally anyone. You should be writing TV show scripts tbh.
Also... I love how friendly you are and how extroverted. Love how easy it is to talk to you whenever, and that you reach out too so often and it’s no big deal. You are the glue that keeps this dash together, you and Violet. You’re funny as shit too, some of the stuff Violet passes on to me kills me, and then I find it again 3 months later and it kills me again.
And there’s no non-dramatic way to say this but you’re 50 shades of brave too and it’s so cool. The strongest motherfucker. idk how you do it but I wish I had it in me the way you do.
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vermiwrites · 3 years
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A Writer’s 💫Predictions💫 for Netflix Shadow and Bone - Pt. 1
Here are some predictions for the show based on some storytelling concepts and my writing instincts (lots of this is how I would write the show, but I’ve tried to factor in what we know from the trailer).
(Note: I am not affiliated with the show in any way, just to be clear (though I wish I was 😔).)
First Episode
In a story, you need an inciting incident to kick off the rest of the plot - for example, the inciting incident in Six of Crows is Van Eck kidnapping Kaz to persuade him to do the Ice Court heist. In Shadow and Bone, it’s Alina using her powers in the fold. We know this scene will be in the show, we saw this in the trailer.
I reckon the first ten minutes will run like this:
Introduction to the Grishaverse world, maybe through Alina narrating and drawing a map (I think this was on a leaked script?)
Some banter between Mal and Alina (we need to understand that they are best friends)
Alina interacting with her military unit (establishes the fact that she is an extremely unimportant person at this point in the story, making her later elevation to being a ‘saint’ all the more intense)
This leads to her needing to go into the shadow fold for some reason
That interaction we saw in the trailer where Mal doesn’t want Alina to go into the fold
...But, as we know, she does go into the fold
Volcra time!
A blinding flash of light
And then, maybe a cut to the ✨title sequence✨? 😌
After the title sequence, I think we’ll see the crows for the first time. Now, we don’t know the crows’ inciting incident, but it will have to connect them to the Shadow and Bone storyline. The crows are going to have to influence the S&B story in some way (and my theory is that they will be paid to kidnap Alina, more on this another time). However, we don’t need see their inciting incident in the first scene! When you introduce a new character, the audience will be interested enough in the character that they will be patient about finding out about this character’s inciting incident, even if this character initially seems completely unconnected to the character they saw in a previous scene (i.e. Alina). I would say the crows’ inciting incident has to happen before the end of the first episode, probably in the last scene to make it suspenseful.
This means that there is around 25-30 minutes of the episode that will be entirely devoted to introducing Kaz, Inej and Jesper, their relationships with each other, and all that crime jazz. Which is frankly a writer’s dream, especially when the characters are as interesting and complex as our three favorite emotional support criminals are. 😌 There’s a lot of cool scenes and snarky dialogue you could write. Judging based off some character names on IMDB and the trailer, I think they’ll definitely be in Ketterdam and the Crow Club for all of episode one, and most/all of episode 2. This gives a great excuse to explore Ketterdam. And my prediction for the crows’ first scene is:
We see Kaz walking through Ketterdam, it’s midnight and dark because night = bad and spooky, but the camera only focuses on Kaz’s cane and limp.
A flash of knives behind him! Anyone watching without having read the books will expect Kaz to get beaten up.
Instead, Kaz calls out to Inej, she appears, and they walk side by side. Now we can see that Kaz looks threatening - however, the audience will have initially assumed Kaz was a victim because they saw he was disabled, and this shows that he absolutely is /not/ a victim - this establishes the idea that Kaz’s character will challenge tropes of disabled characters.
Kaz and Inej have a little conversation (probably sharing blackmail secrets, to show that they are criminals but also trust each other), and they walk into the Crow Club.
Everyone in the club basically falls silent.
They walk through the Crow Club and we can see all the gambling going on, and see that Ketterdam is an immoral place.
Some mysterious person asks to talk to them.
I think then there will be a cut back to Alina, and her waking up after the volcra incident and being brought to the Darkling. This scene might be 5-7 minutes long? And then cut back to the Crow Club, where Kaz and Inej (maybe Jesper as well? I’ve seen people suggesting that we might see Kaz and Jesper’s first meeting in the show, so maybe they will meet in a later scene.) talk to some shady merch/a member of a different gang, and then:
Fight scene!
It probably won’t happen for the reason I’ve suggested, but I bet we’ll see a crows’ fight scene before the 30 minute mark. Why? Because it’s important to establish that they are criminals and genuinely dangerous. Everything about Kaz, Inej and Jesper relies on them being characters that can believably commit violence. It won’t be the first thing we see them doing, because the audience has to like them as well - they are anti-heroes! We’ll probably see some kind of snappy, funny dialogue between them before they start fighting anyone.
Also, if there is a really cool fight scene early on, it will hook the audience. 😎 (Please, please may this show be successful, I need an excuse to talk about Six of Crows.)
I’m thinking about doing posts on some other predictions (including how Kaz’s backstory and Inej’s backstory will be handled) in the future. I’ll link them here when I’m done.
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the-eclipse-tm · 2 years
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Words can't describe how mad Glaciator 2 made me. I'm done with this show, for real.
It was good. The concept WAS good. Adrien crying in the park was oh so sad, Plagg play despacito. Marinette reading the script 462k times was annoying, but it was fine. I don't really care that Gabriel decide to not akumatize Adrien, we're taking about the same man that will yeet his son across Paris as soon as he discovers his identity. The comfort date & the unveiling at the cinema was needed for both of them, let them have their love rant. André was a whiny entitled ice-cream cupid bitch in this episode, but whatever, comic relief, I guess. We have a heart moving confession, yes, very romantic, I couldn't care less*.
(While it doesn't really matter in the long run, I want to address this:
You mean to tell me Kagami Tsurugi, ice queen, professional fencer, LOGICAL person as we've seen so far, who likely wouldn't involve herself with commoners interests for her rich status, applies the romantic plot of shounen manga in real life?! Okay.)
And there it comes, my biggest issue with this episode. Marinette gets her perfect confession, and Adrien? He restores his photos bc Marinette has inspired him to never give up on confessing his love for Ladybug. After being thrown in the trash and being directly confronted, he still believes they have a chance? Sound like a Nice Guy™, if you ask me.
*The female lead learnt something that will most likely be forgotten by the writers the very next episode to have more "haha lol Marinette can't speak normally in front of Adrien, this recurrent joke is so funny" moments.
The male lead learned nothing and stays an idiot because even the show claims itself to have the two heroes as equals, the girl has to shine more for it is truly ✨feminism✨.
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