#hitting multiple crises at once & finally hitting rock bottom

[unolunar-a]

✎ . 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍

          luther remembers what klaus did for him after he found out their dad never even opened any his moon reports .  most of it’s a  BLUR  after he reached the nightclub  —  honestly still a bit fuzzy before that  —  but he remembers klaus’s wide eyes ,  consoling hands ,  just trying to help ,  as luther floundered to handle the first feelings of self respect he’d had in years .  he remembers the feel of klaus’s throat under his fingers ,  chest against the flat of his hand ,  the sound of his body hitting the floor .  he remembers klaus waking him up the next morning ,  inviting him downstairs  &  making him coffee  (  even if five did steal it  ) .  he also remembers how he didn’t believe klaus for a second about conjuring their dad until five entertained him ,  &  then pogo .  at the time ,  he was still too caught up in his entire world crashing down around him ,  from their dad’s death ,  to four years of loneliness on the moon amounting to  NOTHING ,  five’s return ,  the apocalypse looming ,  the mansion getting shot up ,  everything .  too caught up to pay attention to klaus ,  to consider anyone’s feelings but his own unless absolutely necessary .  

          but as he finds himself stranded in the 1960s after playing a big part in the end of the world in 2019 ,  suddenly alone again with a whole new world to make for himself ,  he spends a lot of his time just  REMEMBERING .  quite a lot of things ,  &  how he could have done them differently .

#✎ . 002⠀»⠀study⠀:⠀headcanons⠀╱⠀ h. luther #i need dynamic tagssss #but i think luther feels bad about the way he treated all of his siblings but mostly klaus tbh ? #aside from vanya of course #vanya & klaus & probably diego too #his treatment of vanya is an obvious point of regret but the way he treated klaus is..... subtler #he just kind of... disregarded his entire presence most the time #he cares about all his siblings yes but i think he'd.. just grown accustomed to lots of klaus's unhealthy behavior as Just Klaus Being Klaus #after so long of it happening #coupled with klaus probably being the most morally ambiguous in luther's book (until five got back ofc lol) #allison is who he was closest to so her moral compass didn't matter as much lol #but even like diego still fought for a cause & vanya seemed like a decent person most the time (aside from her book hdvj) #so while luther clashed with them lots of his moral judgements didn't /as/ much as they could have #not like they do with klaus who he sees as having no moral standards whatsoever which just #goes against every grain of luther's person #but he does care will ALWAYS care #it's just the moment he had the opportunity to show it when klaus showed it for him was when he was reaching the end of himself #hitting multiple crises at once & finally hitting rock bottom #it's not an excuse by any means #just a context #& he spends a lot of his time in dallas just.... thinking #anyways i've been rewatching s1 & just had Thoughts during these eps #more positive klaus + luther scenes pls

[perpetual-stories]

Story Structures for your Next WIP

hello, hello. this post will be mostly for my notes. this is something I need in to be reminded of for my business, but it can also be very useful and beneficial for you guys as well.

everything in life has structure and storytelling is no different, so let’s dive right in :)

First off let’s just review what a story structure is :

a story is the backbone of the story, the skeleton if you will. It hold the entire story together.

the structure in which you choose your story will effectively determine how you create drama and depending on the structure you choose it should help you align your story and sequence it with the conflict, climax, and resolution.

1. Freytag's Pyramid

this first story structure i will be talking about was named after 19th century German novelist and playwright.

it is a five point structure that is based off classical Greek tragedies such as Sophocles, Aeschylus and Euripedes.

Freytag's Pyramid structure consists of:

Introduction: the status quo has been established and an inciting incident occurs.

Rise or rising action: the protagonist will search and try to achieve their goal, heightening the stakes,

Climax: the protagonist can no longer go back, the point of no return if you will.

Return or fall: after the climax of the story, tension builds and the story inevitably heads towards...

Catastrophe: the main character has reached their lowest point and their greatest fears have come into fruition.

this structure is used less and less nowadays in modern storytelling mainly due to readers lack of appetite for tragic narratives.

2. The Hero's Journey

the hero's journey is a very well known and popular form of storytelling.

it is very popular in modern stories such as Star Wars, and movies in the MCU.

although the hero's journey was inspired by Joseph Campbell's concept, a Disney executive Christopher Vogler has created a simplified version:

The Ordinary World: The hero's everyday routine and life is established.

The Call of Adventure: the inciting incident.

Refusal of the Call: the hero / protagonist is hesitant or reluctant to take on the challenges.

Meeting the Mentor: the hero meets someone who will help them and prepare them for the dangers ahead.

Crossing the First Threshold: first steps out of the comfort zone are taken.

Tests, Allie, Enemies: new challenges occur, and maybe new friends or enemies.

Approach to the Inmost Cave: hero approaches goal.

The Ordeal: the hero faces their biggest challenge.

Reward (Seizing the Sword): the hero manages to get ahold of what they were after.

The Road Back: they realize that their goal was not the final hurdle, but may have actually caused a bigger problem than before.

Resurrection: a final challenge, testing them on everything they've learned.

Return with the Elixir: after succeeding they return to their old life.

the hero's journey can be applied to any genre of fiction.

3. Three Act Structure:

this structure splits the story into the 'beginning, middle and end' but with in-depth components for each act.

Act 1: Setup:

exposition: the status quo or the ordinary life is established.

inciting incident: an event sets the whole story into motion.

plot point one: the main character decided to take on the challenge head on and she crosses the threshold and the story is now progressing forward.

Act 2: Confrontation:

rising action: the stakes are clearer and the hero has started to become familiar with the new world and begins to encounter enemies, allies and tests.

midpoint: an event that derails the protagonists mission.

plot point two: the hero is tested and fails, and begins to doubt themselves.

Act 3: Resolution:

pre-climax: the hero must chose between acting or failing.

climax: they fights against the antagonist or danger one last time, but will they succeed?

Denouement: loose ends are tied up and the reader discovers the consequences of the climax, and return to ordinary life.

4. Dan Harmon's Story Circle

it surprised me to know the creator of Rick and Morty had their own variation of Campbell's hero's journey.

the benefit of Harmon's approach is that is focuses on the main character's arc.

it makes sense that he has such a successful structure, after all the show has multiple seasons, five or six seasons? i don't know not a fan of the show.

the character is in their comfort zone: also known as the status quo or ordinary life.

they want something: this is a longing and it can be brought forth by an inciting incident.

the character enters and unfamiliar situation: they must take action and do something new to pursue what they want.

adapt to it: of course there are challenges, there is struggle and begin to succeed.

they get what they want: often a false victory.

a heavy price is paid: a realization of what they wanted isn't what they needed.

back to the good old ways: they return to their familiar situation yet with a new truth.

having changed: was it for the better or worse?

i might actually make a operate post going more in depth about dan harmon's story circle.

5. Fichtean Curve:

the fichtean curve places the main character in a series of obstacles in order to achieve their goal.

this structure encourages writers to write a story packed with tension and mini-crises to keep the reader engaged.

The Rising Action

the story must start with an inciting indecent.

then a series of crisis arise.

there are often four crises.

2. The Climax:

3. Falling Action

this type of story telling structure goes very well with flash-back structured story as well as in theatre.

6. Save the Cat Beat Sheet:

this is another variation of a three act structure created by screenwriter Blake Snyder, and is praised widely by champion storytellers.

Structure for Save the Cat is as follows: (the numbers in the brackets are for the number of pages required, assuming you're writing a 110 page screenplay)

Opening Image [1]: The first shot of the film. If you’re starting a novel, this would be an opening paragraph or scene that sucks readers into the world of your story.

Set-up [1-10]. Establishing the ‘ordinary world’ of your protagonist. What does he want? What is he missing out on?

Theme Stated [5]. During the setup, hint at what your story is really about — the truth that your protagonist will discover by the end.

Catalyst [12]. The inciting incident!

Debate [12-25]. The hero refuses the call to adventure. He tries to avoid the conflict before they are forced into action.

Break into Two [25]. The protagonist makes an active choice and the journey begins in earnest.

B Story [30]. A subplot kicks in. Often romantic in nature, the protagonist’s subplot should serve to highlight the theme.

The Promise of the Premise [30-55]. Often called the ‘fun and games’ stage, this is usually a highly entertaining section where the writer delivers the goods. If you promised an exciting detective story, we’d see the detective in action. If you promised a goofy story of people falling in love, let’s go on some charmingly awkward dates.

Midpoint [55]. A plot twist occurs that ups the stakes and makes the hero’s goal harder to achieve — or makes them focus on a new, more important goal.

Bad Guys Close In [55-75]. The tension ratchets up. The hero’s obstacles become greater, his plan falls apart, and he is on the back foot.

All is Lost [75]. The hero hits rock bottom. He loses everything he’s gained so far, and things are looking bleak. The hero is overpowered by the villain; a mentor dies; our lovebirds have an argument and break up.

Dark Night of the Soul [75-85-ish]. Having just lost everything, the hero shambles around the city in a minor-key musical montage before discovering some “new information” that reveals exactly what he needs to do if he wants to take another crack at success. (This new information is often delivered through the B-Story)

Break into Three [85]. Armed with this new information, our protagonist decides to try once more!

Finale [85-110]. The hero confronts the antagonist or whatever the source of the primary conflict is. The truth that eluded him at the start of the story (established in step three and accentuated by the B Story) is now clear, allowing him to resolve their story.

Final Image [110]. A final moment or scene that crystallizes how the character has changed. It’s a reflection, in some way, of the opening image.

(all information regarding the save the cat beat sheet was copy and pasted directly from reedsy!)

7. Seven Point Story Structure:

this structure encourages writers to start with the at the end, with the resolution, and work their way back to the starting point.

this structure is about dramatic changes from beginning to end

The Hook. Draw readers in by explaining the protagonist’s current situation. Their state of being at the beginning of the novel should be in direct contrast to what it will be at the end of the novel.

Plot Point 1. Whether it’s a person, an idea, an inciting incident, or something else — there should be a "Call to Adventure" of sorts that sets the narrative and character development in motion.

Pinch Point 1. Things can’t be all sunshine and roses for your protagonist. Something should go wrong here that applies pressure to the main character, forcing them to step up and solve the problem.

Midpoint. A “Turning Point” wherein the main character changes from a passive force to an active force in the story. Whatever the narrative’s main conflict is, the protagonist decides to start meeting it head-on.

Pinch Point 2. The second pinch point involves another blow to the protagonist — things go even more awry than they did during the first pinch point. This might involve the passing of a mentor, the failure of a plan, the reveal of a traitor, etc.

Plot Point 2. After the calamity of Pinch Point 2, the protagonist learns that they’ve actually had the key to solving the conflict the whole time.

Resolution. The story’s primary conflict is resolved — and the character goes through the final bit of development necessary to transform them from who they were at the start of the novel.

(all information regarding the seven point story structure was copy and pasted directly from reedsy!)

i decided to fit all of them in one post instead of making it a two part post.

i hope you all enjoy this post and feel free to comment or reblog which structure you use the most, or if you have your own you prefer to use! please share with me!

if you find this useful feel free to reblog on instagram and tag me at perpetualstories

Follow my tumblr and instagram for more writing and grammar tips and more!

#writing #writing advice #writing tips #original writing #writers on tumblr #writerscommunity #writersconnection #writersofig #writersofinstagram #writings

[aviewfromthecouchgirl]

The Addict’s View

It started with a prescription pad. I was 22 years old, sitting in the neurosurgeon’s office after having dealt with debilitating back pain for the previous few months. I was told I had the spine of an 80 year old, that I had multiple bulging and herniated discs in all levels of my spine, and that surgical intervention would eventually be a necessity. I was given a prescription for a popular opiate, a muscle relaxer, and physical therapy. I thought nothing of it.

Eventually I was moved to the care of a pain management physician who was more than happy to supply me with opiates and back injections. He brushed aside my concern that I was not getting the pain relief I had initially experienced, instead opting to up my dose to the max. He didn’t listen when I said the medicine simply wasn’t working at the prescribed dose. I had developed tolerance, and I felt stuck between a rock and a hard place. After one more attempt at making him understand and perhaps having a medication change I took matters into my own hands. I simply started taking the amount I needed to experience relief instead of the prescribed amount. It was a mistake, one that I would grow to loathe. 

Before I knew it I was taking five pain pills at once, and quickly running out of my allotted supply for the month. My body would start to go through withdrawal symptoms until I could get my next script filled. Dope sickness is no joke - I felt like I was dying. Three years after starting pain management I was kicked off my doctor’s service because I failed my drug screen. I was cut off completely, left to suffer the withdrawals on my own. I quickly started doctor shopping in order to get enough pills to get me through.

I did all of this while maintaining a great job and going back to school. I hid my dependency with ease. I was still suffering from crippling pain, but now I had additional pain from stage 4 endometriosis. I had slipped into a deep depression and was routinely experiencing panic attacks, so I justified my pain pill abuse by saying I was coping with physical and emotional pain. I didn’t call myself out for what I was because I never once imagined that I could fall victim to addiction - after all, I was the good Christian girl who had served as a missionary and who was always perfect. 

I had to go through chemo for my endometriosis and I developed numerous cysts and kidney stones. It was during one of my ER visits that I was introduced to Dilaudid. The drug was magic - it took away the pain that I had dealt with for years, even if it was just for a moment. By this time I was working as a nurse in the ER - my dream job, in fact. I had great coworkers and supervisors and I felt like my life had purpose. Temptation plagued me daily, as I had virtually unlimited access to controlled substances. Finally, in April of this year the temptation overtook me and I began diverting Dilaudid and morphine from the hospital. When I first started I was simply taking the waste product, but it quickly turned into taking extra vials from the medicine supply. I would get home from work, start an IV on myself, and shoot up. It was sweet relief from the physical and emotional pain that plagued me. 

In my head I knew that I had a problem, but I still couldn’t bring myself to say the word. I think I had a little bit of “terminal uniqueness” lingering. 

I got caught. I always knew that I would get caught, but I was not strong enough to ask for help before it was too late. I was called into a meeting with hospital HR and my nurse manager, and it was then that I finally was honest with myself and with them that I had a serious problem - I was addicted. I resigned from my dream job, headed home, and attempted to overdose with the drugs I had at my apartment - 14mg of Dilaudid and 50mg of IV Benadryl. I fell asleep hoping I wouldn’t wake up. 

Obviously I woke up. I got real with myself in that moment. I had just attempted suicide because I could see no other way in that moment. I was at rock bottom, and it was time to get help. Three days later I was checking in to inpatient rehab, where I would be for the next 45 days. It was overwhelming to start, but I wanted to get help, and that made the difference. While in rehab I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from multiple medical crises.

At the time of writing this I am 72 days clean. I still struggle with daily cravings. They come most frequently when I am in pain and when I am bored, so I have taken up several new hobbies (embroidery, painting, coloring, writing, cooking) to keep my hands busy and my mind occupied. I am also in outpatient therapy three days a week so I can continue to develop coping strategies and work to process through my anxiety and depression. I am going to 12-step meetings and taking things one day at a time. 

Why did I tell you all of this? I felt it was important that the addict’s voice finally be heard. I got told multiple times while I was in rehab that I didn’t fit the mold of a drug addict, particularly an IV junkie, but I would argue that in today’s society there is no mold. Addiction is a disease that does not discriminate across gender, racial, social, or cultural boundaries. It can quickly overtake anyone. I also wanted to provide some education regarding addiction as a disease. The addict’s brain gets used to working in an environment of elevated dopamine (the pleasure neurotransmitter) as drugs/alcohol raise the levels to the max. When the substance is clearing out of the body the addict’s brain screams for more, as it has lost its ability to produce dopamine in the amounts to make things enjoyable. This is why addicts fail into deep depression and lose interest in things in which they once found interest. This is why an addict will do illogical insane things to get the next hit or next drink. The addict’s homeostasis is completely dependent on the amount of drug/drink in the body. There is nothing in all of creation that will give the addict the same amount of pleasure that the drug/drink does. 

While addicts choose to take the first drink or hit they do not choose to become addicted. Addiction is a disease, an imbalance of neurotransmitters, scientifically proven. I would love to see a world where the stigma of addiction is dropped and people treat addicts the same as they treat diabetics. I would love to see a society that focuses on mental health and celebrates recovery by providing access to treatment. This is possible - it just takes awareness. 

I have regret every single day, but I no longer deal with guilt and shame because I have taken the first steps to fight this disease. I am making amends daily, and I am working to take the message to all people, addict and clean alike. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and if you feel led please share so that this message of struggle and hope can make it to those who need it most. 

#addiction #opiate #rehab

[burltonsing82-blog]

How Yield Signaled the Evolution of Pearl Jam into Rock and Roll Lifers

Studies in human development depict a person's life as a series of crises to be negotiated and, for lack of a better word, mastered before moving on to the next challenge. Experts argue that if someone fails to come to terms with a particular phase in a healthy and productive manner, they run the risk of developmental paralysis and missing out on the stages that come afterward. For some reason, this information from a bygone professorial career crept into my mind while I listened to Pearl Jam's Yield over and over again this past week as it turns two decades old. I wondered, do similar hurdles exist for rock bands? Because Yield always felt like a daunting hurdle cleared to me - a clear division between who Pearl Jam are now and who they once were.

Several of the acts Consequence of Sound celebrates seem to have made that leap from adolescence to young adulthood and later to middle age. Productivity may slacken, breakup rumors may periodically surface, and hiatuses of multiple years may come and go, but bands like Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Radiohead, and even studio feet-dragging outfits like Tool seem destined to carry on well into old age. The late Erik Erikson, a pioneer in human development, may have posited that the stability demonstrated by these bands stems from them being comfortable with themselves, secure in their relationships, and content with their standing in the music world. Hence, when it's time to plug in again, the band members are in a healthy space to create, contribute, and collaborate rather than backslide into the behaviors that cause an inordinate number of bands to whither long before their time.

None of this is meant to make an academic study of the longevity of rock bands, but it's perhaps worth considering that the difference between a band burning brightly or burning out prematurely could be this idea of discovering a new type of maturity in the midst of crisis. And considering all the mounting tensions that consumed Pearl Jam prior to recording Yield, it makes the record seem like a clear-cut resolution of the destructive behaviors and problems that had plagued the group and threatened to cut their career short. The album feels not like a coming of age but, for this band, a coming of middle age and the first leg of the rest of their run together as a veteran act.

Pearl Jam might be the most dependable, well-oiled American touring band around in 2018, but that's light years from the tumult of the group's earliest days, which included, among other trials, rising from the ashes of a fallen friend and bandmate. Less than three years after Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament had buried both Andrew Wood and their rock star dreams as Mother Love Bone, the two found themselves at the unpredictable epicenter of the grunge explosion as members of Temple of the Dog, the fictional band Citizen Dick in Cameron Crowe's Seattle-promoting Singles, and the multiplatinum-selling grunge band Pearl Jam. The fame rushed in even quicker than units could ship out, but with notoriety also came cries of “sellouts,” castigation over the graphic “Jeremy” music video, and barbs flung at the band by no less than Kurt Cobain - comments the Nirvana frontman later rescinded.

By the time Vs. and Vitalogy had run amok all over the top of the charts a couple years later, the band had already taken personal steps to sidestep some of the media's glaring spotlight. They stopped giving interviews, cut down on their television appearances, opted out of releasing singles, and refused to belittle their songs by making music videos. More infamously, they declared war on Ticketmaster after finding out that the ticketing behemoth had been sticking it to fans with secret service charges on tickets to Pearl Jam concerts, even ones organized as “benefits.” The ongoing five-year battle saw Gossard and Ament testifying before congress and the band attempting to tour from scratch without the backing of the world's biggest ticket broker or its spiderweb network of venues.

1996's No Code can be viewed in several different lights. For fans, it remains an inexplicable outlier in Pearl Jam's catalog, even though many have warmed to its eclectic charms over the years. For Pearl Jam, as a band, it could constitute hitting rock bottom. Musically, it finds them, as on Vitalogy, pushing as far away from their anthemic roots as possible – as far away from themselves as possible, which makes sense. The gauntlet of grassroots touring sans Ticketmaster had taken its toll on the entire outfit, and Eddie Vedder, heretofore given complete creative control of the band's direction, had burned out on going it alone. So strained was the recording process that co-founding member Jeff Ament didn't find out Pearl Jam was even recording a new album until three days into the sessions. By all accounts, drummer Jack Irons can be credited with nursing the band through the sessions intact and even reportedly got the bandmates to begin sorting through their contentions by the end of recording. “No Code was all about gaining perspective,” Vedder would later explain, a theme easily identified in several of the album's contemplative, inward-looking songs, like “Off He Goes” and “In My Tree”.

I'd argue that just casually inspecting the packaging of Yield tells you so much about the band's maturity and state of mind. Instead of the chaotic, eye-diverting mosaic of 156 bizarre Polaroids that constitutes the album art for No Code - not to mention the collect-the-whole-album loose replica photos that came with each copy - Yield features a yield sign presiding over an open expanse of rolling Montana highway, sandwiched between two black bars, one above and the other beneath, as in a widescreen projection. Flipping open the front cover reveals a cut-out and that the yield sign actual resides in a sky-blue sea with no bounds. The cool, crisp, and pacifying artwork meant something slightly different to each member. Ament sees it as representing open possibilities, Vedder as a reminder of that aforementioned perspective, and Mike McCready as as sign of maturity and the band having become more comfortable in their own skin.

It's not surprising then that Yield sounds as it does: unabashedly like Pearl Jam, only a bit older and wiser. In many respects, it was the first Pearl Jam album not made in reaction to previous recordings. It feels at peace with itself, comfortable enough to open up and soar like the band hadn't in years on anthemic singles “Given to Fly” and “In Hiding” one moment and to mumble through a cataloging of Vedder's desires the next on “Wishlist”. The album, while eclectic, somehow manages to find a through line between songs as emotionally varied as the paranoid agitation of “Brain of J.”, the tranquility of “Low Light”, and the resolute abandonment of “MFC”. With Vedder ceding some creative control and asking bandmates to bring in more developed songs for him to polish, Yield marks the beginning of Pearl Jam as a more collaborative studio outfit –more a songwriting brotherhood now than Vedder and four flies on the studio wall.

As important as Yield and its songs are to Pearl Jam's narrative, the record also found them in a place where they were comfortable enough to begin making decisions based on what was best for the band and their fans rather than on broad, sweeping principles that had often crippled or put undue strain on them in the past. For instance, the band that had famously refrained from reducing their songs to music videos opted to partner with Spawn creator Todd McFarlane on an animated video for “Do the Evolution”, a power-drunk take on technology that perfectly matched McFarlane's dark, skeptical depictions of the world. Even more critically, Pearl Jam finally ended its one-band crusade against Ticketmaster, which allowed them to tour full-scale again and return to venues and towns they hadn't visited in years. Their 1998 North American tour behind Yield alone can boast an incredible live record (Live on Two Legs), bringing former Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron on board full time, and truly planting the seed for what would germinate into the most reliable, dedicated, and rewarding veteran touring act working today.

If the maturing that Pearl Jam underwent as a band between the end of the No Code sessions and the touring of Yield can be viewed as the band equivalent of a person transitioning from adolescence to young adulthood, then the group have long since entered middle age. It's a time in life when people - in this case, a band - traditionally turn outward to care for others and view the world with empathy and concern. In that respect, look no further than the band's upcoming hometown shows this August in Seattle. They've pledged to donate at least a million dollars from those concerts to help the local homeless, with the goal of raising several more million through community partnerships. Picture it: Pearl Jam's first hometown shows in five years; 100,000 people in attendance, the most for a show in Seattle since the Stones back in 1981; a guaranteed marathon set from one of the best live bands going; and a chance to funnel millions of dollars towards helping the most needy among us - the real forgotten Americans.

Now, that's a future worth growing into.