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vasito-de-leche · 5 months

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I love how you write, your interpretations of characters are my favorite. If you're okay with it, may I ask for romantic headcanons of Horropedia (Reverse 1999) x Reader? I would love to know what he is like when he's developing a crush, how he confronts his feelings when he realized them, what he's like when in a romantic relationship, etc. Thank you very much!

;R1999 HORROPEDIA - Relationship Headcanons

Compilation of headcanons about Horropedia in a romantic relationship.

awe! i'm glad you like my stuff! and thank you for the lovely words and request, cause i've been itching to write for horropedia <3

i got a liiiiittle carried away with this one, hope that's alright!

Horropedia as a character is fascinating because at a surface level he's a mess and a walking stereotype - a "nerdy nerd" with a very specific hyperfixation on the horror genre, the tall guy with glasses who explains the plot and does his own thing regardless of how others view him, the first one to die in a movie solely because he's perceived as cringe etc, etc.

And yet, his medium is "logic" - he, better than anyone, understands the nonsensical laws that make up the concept of horror, he sees the patterns and the reason why some things are done this way instead of that way. Through logic, pattern recognition and analysis, Horropedia can pretty much understand anything and work his way around any problem, no matter how unorthodox his solutions may be.

In a sense, I'd compare Horropedia to Pavia. Both are characters who are subject to the stereotypes and images others assign to them - but whereas Pavia both fights and plays into all of these roles, Horropedia just brushes it off and continues doing his own thing, being genuine and unapologetically himself.

When it comes to romance, it's easy to assume Horropedia has no interest in it - they're two different genres that don't go together most of the time. It's also easy to assume that he would be a troublesome partner, due to the laser focus attention he gives to his interests. And the latter is partially true: his lackluster love life is entirely because romance hasn't entered his radar, at least not enough to pull his attention away from his one true love.

But I think this is where the aspect of "logic" comes into play. All Horropedia needs is that spark, to find something to truly become invested in when it comes to romance - once he finds it, he'll dedicate the same amount of attention to detail and care as the horror movies he loves so much.

On the subject of Horropedia developing a crush.

Similar to Click, Horropedia would need some time to start noticing the signs of a crush - the difference is that Horropedia is a little quicker when it comes to realizing he's fallen for someone. His forte is horror movies, but he still knows a thing or two when it comes to other genres.

When he cannot rationalize his behaviour around you in a way that makes sense to his current fixation or situation, that's when he knows. And given how straightforward (to the point of bordering on obliviously rude) Horropedia can be, I'd say he'd also be the type to address this crush right away. Now that there's this brand new thing in his life, he'd like to understand it better - to dissect and study the way romance is potrayed, explore how it feels and just analyze it to hell and back. Basically, he wants to know the rules, to figure out how to best proceed.

Of course, he wouldn't dream of confronting you directly, only an amateur would do such a thing. Instead, he asks his friends and pretty much anyone within his general vicinity. He wants to understand romance from every angle, to hear about it from all sorts of people until he feels like he knows enough to start forming his own opinions.

His questions are all theoretical situations that begin rather innocent, innocuous. What does the hero of a romcom do to get the romantic interest? Does it follow a three act structure? And should the third act climax start with a confession or the breakup?

Overtime, they become a little more specific. To the point where his closest friends might suspect something is up, until Horropedia finds himself asking about your interests so that he can figure out the perfect gift for you. Just in case. He finds himself watching romcoms and making extensive research and charts and essays into the genres.

The funniest thing to me is that Horropedia would be extremely casual about this whole ordeal, this crush makes him extremely intrigued in the concept of romance (an oddity for someone so themed around horror), he finds himself staring at you from across the room (this is the third time he's walked into a door because of it) and so on and so forth. But he's so chill about it.

When confronted about his crush - should Blonney or anyone else decide to tease him a little by prodding - Horropedia has no problem blurting out that he has, indeed, fallen for someone. But he'll take your name to the grave, not out of shame or embarrassment but because "he doesn't want to spoil the plot, as obvious as it might be".

On the subject of Horropedia confronting his feelings and some more insight into his mentality.

I'd say there is this small possibility of Horropedia feeling disheartened if he begins to neglect his real passion for the sake of his feelings - it's that sort of guilt and shock one gets when they realize they've forgotten their wallet the moment they're meant to pay for dinner, or when they realize they've forgotten to turn off the oven.

Horror is a huge part of his life and who he is as a person - literally look at the name he's chosen for himself - and given how heavily coded he is to be neurodivergent, I can understand this aspect of him. The feeling like one must choose between two things they enjoy, and all the other things that might come with hyperfixation, both positive and negative.

This is the biggest obstacle for Horropedia when it comes to finally taking the first steps into forming a relationship with you or confessing - the irrational thought that by doing so, he's prioritizing you and romance over horror, something that he holds very dear. One of his stories gives some insight about Horropedia's relationship with horror and how it's something he shared with (and possibly was started by) his grandfather.

I feel like he'll grow a little distant, as a way to set some boundaries for himself or draw a line between his identity and his feelings for you, separate the two so that he doesn't have to feel guilty for giving one more attention than the other. Maybe he simply stops bringing up films around you, because "you're probably not that interested anyway". Masking, he's masking.

But overall, I can see Horropedia being capable enough to get out of this mindset by himself - or with a little help from someone else. Either way, he simply loops back to realizing the obvious: you two were friends, before he realized his feelings for you. You were fine with the whole Horropedia Experience. You liked him for who he was. And he liked you just as you were.

Horropedia is the one who confesses first, the one who asks you out. 100%. And it's so unnecessarily dramatic.

I DO think that Horropedia would make sure to be the one who confesses, just so he can put everything that he's learned about romance into play. And he delivers the most award worthy performance. It would be all about redirection, an unexpected reveal - his skills and animations are also all about fake outs and misleading the audience, after all.

In my head, there's this whole scene about Horropedia asking everyone to help him out confess to you, and everyone is so excited for it - but then he just asks them to fuel this slow rift that formed between you and him, to act vague, distant and mysterious should you ask Blonney or Tooth Fairy about him. Again, unorthodox and weird, but he's cooking. This is all done with the intention of forcing a confrontation between the two of you, just so he can pour his heart out right there - it's all or nothing.

Again, I want to insist that Horropedia, despite being a logical man, still makes as many aspects of his life revolve around the things that he loves and is interested in - he likes films, he likes you. And while romance is not his preferred genre, he still wants to explore all there is about it all thanks to you.

That alone should tell you how much you mean to him. Even if his methods aren't the "proper" way, you know he's putting his whole heart into this. It's all over the top, there's fake rain, etc etc. Of course, your reaction to this is up to you!

If you're mad at him for such convoluted plan, he'll sit there and allow you to scold him to your heart's content - he's used to it as one of the many troublemakers that the Foundation failed to raise as model students. If you laugh at him because of how ridiculous this guy can be sometimes, he'll laugh along, trying to get you to tell him what he could've been done better to get a third act reconciliation. And if you start crying, jump into his arms and play along then he'll be over the moon, trying every single impactful one-liner from every romcom he's watched in the past few weeks.

On the subject of Horropedia and how he acts when he's in a relationship.

Dating Horropedia is pretty easy, because you're dating your best friend. However, it is very easy to misunderstand Horropedia's way of showing affection - those who are more on the insecure side or less receptive to his subtleties may feel like there's been absolutely no shift in the dynamic, that he's treating you the same way he'd treat Tooth Fairy or Vertin.

This is far from the truth! Once Horropedia finally settles into the relationship, he grows very comfortable and allows himself to just exist around you - which isn't saying much since he doesn't mask as much around friends, but it's all about the subtle things!

I like to think Horropedia is very particular about space, as in he makes a point not to invade people's spaces if possible and he'd rather remain in his little bubble. But when it comes to you, he's very casual with physical touch. He's not as cuddly and touchy as characters like, let's say, Matilda, Jessica or Pavia, but being able to rest his head on your shoulder means a lot to him, or just have you lean on him when sitting together. This is pushed to the limit when you two pull all-nighters, binging all of your favorite movies.

He's on cloud nine when you pay attention to his ramblings and makes sure to listen when you ramble to him as well. More than often, he'll do his own little research into the topics you like, just so you have someone to properly discuss things with! Horropedia more than anyone knows what it's like to be brushed aside for being too much or too weird, to have no one listen. Despite his confidence, he has had days of feeling like he keeps on talking to a wall, so he doesn't want you to ever feel like that.

It's all about sharing interests and recommending things that you may like, keeping up with the latest events and so on and so forth, having looong discussions at night about whatever topic you two are extremely invested in.

If these discussions get a little heated and end up as arguments, expect Horropedia to insist on arguing because he's just stubborn like that - it'll take him time to realize that he might've hurt your feelings, or that he might've be hurting too, but he'll come around eventually to talk it out.

Overall, dating Horropedia would be fun because he's full of surprises and excitement, but he's also considerate in his own way.

#reverse 1999 #reverse: 1999 #r1999 #reverse 1999 x reader #reverse 1999 headcanons #reverse 1999 horropedia #horropedia #hes autistic guys hesl iterally so fucking autistic im itching to write an analysis on him bc his quotes give so much. insight into #how the foundation treats arcanists AND their potential ableism BUT LIKE. HES SO AUTISTIC HES JUST LIKE ALL OF US FR

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graceshouldwrite · 7 months

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How to Write Political Intrigue (with book recs)

POLITICAL INTRIGUE! Intrigue in general! What is it?

For the purposes of this post (as well as how it's usually used in the writing/reading community), think: scheming. Plotting. Conspiracies in the shadows, bids for power and survival, secret plans, masterful illusions, all of that stuff.

It could be on any scale that you'd like, from a duel of wits (think Light's and L's game of cat and mouse in Death Note)

...to a large-scale plot involving entire countries and their people (like any espionage networks during any major wars, such as the American Revolutionary War to World War II, and so many more)

...or even medium-sized conflicts (families, like in The Godfather, or smaller national disturbances like the Watergate scandal).

Below are 4 core tips on how you can successfully write (political) intrigue plots:

1. Read + Research

Despite how hard it may sound, it's actually pretty easy to craft a realistic yet thrilling intrigue plot—with so many examples in real life and fiction, you can easily base your plot on an existing one and just change a few things like the characters, setting, and maybe a few plot points.

History and current events are always great places to look to, but here are some books that are chock-full of great politics + intrigue:

Leviathan (Thomas Hobbes): one of the most famous treatises of politics + human nature and their intersection. The book is an in-depth exploration of human nature, government, politics, and all of the root causes of why they exist. While it does take a specific philosophical angle (you might not agree with Hobbes' ideas), they are detailed explanations of how things work + why they are required from one perspective.

48 Laws of Power (Robert Greene): GREAT BOOK for helping you plan out the means by which you want the intrigue to happen. There are lots of simplified rules that tell you why people plan and scheme (e.g. "control the options; get others to play the cards you deal," or "pose as a friend, work as a spy"). There are LOTS of really great small stories of when a rule is applied in real life that are also general plot inspo!

The Godfather (Mario Puzo): very very good, intricate, and more emotional because it deals with the intrigue surrounding families

Joseph Fouché: Portrait of a Politician (Stefan Zweig) (biography): Fouché is absolutely insane. A genius at political intrigue. His life is literally one of the craziest stories of scheming, betrayals, survival, and a general vying for power, especially behind the scenes.

The Prince (Machiavelli): obviously, I can't leave out the original tips + tricks book with explanations of WHY intrigue matters as a means, especially in terms of protecting your power.

Trust Me, I'm Lying (Ryan Holladay): a large part of intrigue plots (you need to cover up the actual game you're playing) is the manipulation of information, creating illusions and spectacles for other people to believe. This book goes in-depth about media manipulation and information wars.

Empire of Pain (Patrick Raden Keefe): takes a rather different angle, through the personal/corporate manipulation of government, as well as how wealth dynasties (especially within families) are established. Remember the opioid crisis? This book explores the generational politics of money and power that led up to that.

Prince of Thorns (Mark Lawrence): Look! Fiction! Anyway, I'm biased because it's one of my favourite works of fiction of all time, but it explores political intrigue not only through an actor participating in it, but through the lens of the common folk. I.e., the consequences all that power play has on the populace due to a lack of actual good governance...

A Song of Ice and Fire (George R. R. Martin): I haven't personally read/watched anything GoT, but it's pretty much obligatory to put this series down in a post about political intrigue. It's famous for doing it well.

2. Plan. Like, meticulously

First of all, decide what scale you want your intrigue to be on: large-scale government/international affairs type, a corporation thing, something between two people, or even within a family? There are so many possibilities.

Intrigue plots are like mysteries; they must be tightly logical to be satisfying. One of the best ways of ensuring this is through analyzing each involved party—the actors.

Each actor has their own motivations, goals, and psychologies. After you establish what they want OUT of their intrigue, think about how they'd go about achieving it: a naturally hot-headed person might try to intimidate their way into getting what they want, or they might learn through the course of the story to cool down a bit.

A naturally imaginative and analytical person might come up with all sorts of scarily genius plans, and near-flawless execution. Of course, they would also react in different ways, depending on personality. Character consistency alone will make your plot seem that much more logical.

However, cracks in logic will happen because humans are inherently imperfect and not always rational. These cracks must be DELIBERATE and realistic and must seem planned out; they can't seem more like the author forgot a detail, or didn't know how to explain something (e.g. something happened and the writer never included the consequence of it because they forgot). It must be clear that it is a flaw on the character's part.

3. Never write intrigue for the sake of the intrigue

The incentive of all scheming comes down to mainly two things: gaining power and keeping it. Of course, you could choose to explore more unusual things, such as characters exercising intrigue to satisfy boredom... (think Light and Ryuk from Death Note).

But, the bids for power, security, and survival can be used to highlight things about human nature. Themes to explore include ambition, sacrifice, the pursuit of happiness, the corruption of character, the preservation of innocence in a cruel system, etc.

4. Explore through a narrow lens

Most intrigue plots are full of complex motivations, characters, goals, and the means they use to achieve said goals.

You should gradually let your intrigue plot unfold through the POV of a few characters, preferably one or two. An omniscient narrator for this type of story is INCREDIBLY difficult to pull off without confusing the reader.

However, more POVs work if you use all of them to focus on ONE or a few intrigue plots only—it can provide a multi-layered effect, exploring the same line of action and consequence through different perspectives. But, if everyone has their own intrigue plot, it's too easy to create a tangled mess where readers can barely delineate one plot from the next.

∘₊✧────── ☾☼☽ ──────✧₊∘

instagram: @ grace_should_write

Sorry for the massive hiatus—I have officially started college!! I've been pre-occupied with settling in, classes starting, a social life, extracurriculars etc. etc...life has been super busy, but great :)

I've started working on my books as well as poetry more recently, and I'm glad I'm getting into a new workflow/lifestyle. It certainly is different, but I'm starting to enjoy it.

Anyway, I'm surprised it took me this long to do a post about this topic, considering the fact that it's basically my writergram niche and my entire personality IRL, but I think it was mainly because I was trying to find a good angle to approach this massive topic. But, stay tuned for (probably) a part 2 because there's SO MUCH MORE to cover.

Hope this was helpful, and let me know if you have any questions by commenting, re-blogging, or DMing me on IG. Any and all engagement is appreciated :)

Happy writing, and have a great day!

- grace <3

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hayatheauthor · 9 months

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A Step-by-Step Guide to Crafting a Compelling Storyline

I'll warn you, this is a long one. I kind of took 'comprehensive guide' a little too seriously.

You have a fantastic concept burning at the edges of your imagination, a collection of characters whispering their stories to you, and a world just waiting to be explored. But how do you weave all these elements into a story that grips readers and refuses to let go? The answer lies in effective plot planning.

A well-crafted plot isn't just a sequence of events; it's a carefully orchestrated symphony that takes readers on an unforgettable ride. Whether you're an experienced writer or someone trying to start their first book, here are my personal steps to crafting a compelling storyline with good plot planning.

Step 1: Idea Generation and Conceptualization

Every great story begins with a spark of inspiration. It's that moment when an idea ignites in your mind and beckons you to explore its potential. The journey from a fleeting thought to a fully-fledged concept is an exhilarating one, and it all starts with idea generation and conceptualization.

Techniques for Idea Generation

Mind Mapping

Grab a piece of paper or use a digital tool to create a mind map. Write your central idea in the middle and branch out with related concepts, characters, themes, and settings. Mind mapping can help you visualize the connections and possibilities within your idea.

Bullet journalling

Bullet journalling is my personal favourite way to generate ideas for your WIP. Get a piece of paper or open a Word/Docs document and create three different sections: world, characters, and plot. Now add facts to each of those sections that you've come up with so far.

You can even go a step ahead and create more detailed sections, for example, you could do this for your different characters or different places in your world. Usually, one bullet point leads to the next and once you have an idea of everything you've already established you'll naturally start adding more to it.

Blurting

Talk to someone about your WIP, or pretend that you're talking to someone and write down everything that comes to mind. You can even use AI tools like ChatGPT and ask it to hold a conversation with you about your WIP. Tell it to ask you questions along the way, this will get the wheels turning and even help fill plot holes.

Prompts and Challenges

Explore writing prompts or challenges to spark your creativity. Websites, books, or even random word generators can provide the nudge you need to generate fresh ideas.

Refining Your Concept

Once you have a collection of ideas, it's time to refine and shape them into a cohesive concept.

Identify Themes

What themes or messages do you want to convey through your story? Is it a tale of redemption, the power of friendship, or the consequences of ambition? Pinpointing your core themes will guide your storytelling and also give you a clear image of the end goal.

Find Your Angle

Consider what makes your idea unique. How can you approach a familiar concept from a fresh perspective? For example, if you're doing a classic murder mystery, what makes your book different from others? Take some time to look up titles similar to your WIP and find any repetitive themes/patterns.

Maybe most murder mysteries end with the partner being the killer, or maybe the fantasy books written in the same mythology as your WIP's all involve a war. Knowing what is currently a popular trend in the market can give you a clear idea of where you can be different from comparable titles. This is especially important for genres like horror and romance.

Develop a Premise

Your premise is the foundation of your story. It's the "what if?" question that drives your narrative. For instance, "What if an ordinary high school student discovers they have the ability to control time?" You need to have a solid premise before you even think about writing your story.

Step 2: Character Development and Motivation

Characters are the beating heart of your story, and crafting them with depth and authenticity is key to creating a narrative that truly captivates. Your characters often leave more of a lasting impact on your readers than the plot itself.

Think of it this way: a good plot will get you readers, but memorable characters will get you fans. Some of the largest communities in the book space all run on the readers' fondness for certain characters rather than the story itself. Yes, your story and the way you tell it is very important, but nobody wants to listen to the story of a boring person.

Bringing Characters to Life

Personal Histories

Delve into your characters' pasts. What experiences shaped them into who they are today? A traumatic childhood or a life-changing event can influence their motivations and behaviours. Maybe your antagonist has a soft spot for single parents because their mother was the only person who cared for them. Maybe the love interest seems like a sunshine character because they feel the need to always seem put-together and perfect.

Physical Traits

This might sound obvious enough, after all a character's appearance is the first thing people think of when visualising, however, many authors fail to have a clear image of their character's physical traits which can lead to inconsistent or boring descriptions. Sure, your protagonist can have bushy hair and brown eyes, but what else?

Think about their body type, height, fashion sense, the way they carry themselves, walk, and sound. Do they have a random mole at the back of their neck? Do they always smell like a certain perfume because their dead father gifted it to them? It's important for you to have a clear image of who you're writing.

Strengths and Flaws

Just like real people, characters have strengths and weaknesses. These traits affect their decisions and interactions. A courageous hero might also struggle with recklessness, adding complexity to their personality. It's easy to create 2D characters by using tropes or shallow descriptions 'an all-powerful villain' 'the chosen one who trained their whole life and is perfect', but 3D characters are what will actually catch your readers' attention.

There's a reason why people often love the grey characters, the anti-heroes or anti-villains. Those who have complex personalities that make them seem human. This makes us empathise with the characters, and as a writer, it also helps you think of your characters as real people with flaws and problems.

Motivations: The Why Behind the What

Goals and Desires

What do your characters want? Their goals drive the plot forward. A detective's desire to solve a mystery or a scientist's quest for a groundbreaking discovery sets the narrative in motion. Why is your protagonist doing what they are doing?

You could simply give yourself a generic answer like 'they want to save the people' or 'they're a good person' but this can lead to confusion in the long run. If as the writer you yourself can't understand your character's goals it will get very hard to showcase them to your readers. Try to pick apart each character and genuinely consider why they are the way they are.

Inner Conflicts

Characters often grapple with inner turmoil – the clash between their desires, values, and fears. This inner conflict adds layers of intrigue and reliability. Maybe your protagonist realises the antagonist's qualms with the government are actually valid and suffers from moral conflicts as they contemplate whether or not they are the 'good guy'. Inner conflict adds dimension to your characters which in turn makes it easier for your readers to empathise with them.

Step 3: Outlining the Key Plot Points

Now that you have a clear idea of what you want to write and who you want to write it with, it's time to consider the how. You have a story, but how do you want to tell it? Break down the key plot points that shape your narrative, creating a roadmap that guides your characters through their trials and triumphs.

The Building Blocks of Plot

The Inciting Incident

The spark that ignites your story. It's the moment when your protagonist's world is disrupted, setting them on a path of change. For example, in "The Hunger Games," Katniss Everdeen's sister being chosen for the Games is the inciting incident that propels her into the arena.

This can be a little harder to recognise in genres outside of SFF and horror. For a thriller novel, this moment could be the moment your protagonist uncovers a sketchy detail in their relative's death. In romance, it could be the moment your protagonist is introduced to the love interest.

Turning Points

These are pivotal moments that shift the course of your narrative. They introduce new challenges, reveal secrets, or force characters to make crucial decisions. Think of them as the gears that keep your story machine turning. It's important to have some sort of turning point in your story to keep things interesting.

Maybe the character your protagonist was suspecting throughout the first half of the book ends up having a solid alibi, or a seemingly innocent character suddenly seems sketchy.

The Climax

The peak of tension and conflict. It's the moment your characters face their biggest challenge and must make their ultimate choice. In "The Lord of the Rings," the climactic battle at Mount Doom decides the fate of Middle-earth. In a murder mystery, this can be the moment the real killer is unveiled, or in a rom-com, it could be when the love interest moves to a new city to follow the protagonist.

Falling Action and Resolution

As your story winds down, the falling action ties up loose ends and provides closure. Readers witness the aftermath of the climax, and the characters' arcs find resolution. This is the bit where you make sure you aren't leaving any plot holes behind. Remember that random character your protagonist suspected at the start of the book? What's their alibi, why did they suddenly get out of the picture?

Structuring Plot Points

Introduction of Stakes

Introduce what your characters stand to gain or lose early on. This creates a sense of urgency that propels them forward. What if your protagonist fails to complete their missions? What if the detective never unveils the killer's identity? What if your protagonist doesn't win over the love interest? Show your readers the worst possible outcome early on so they know why they should be rooting for your protagonist.

This doesn't necessarily have to be something big or scary. In Harry Potter, many of us wanted Harry to stay at Hogwarts because his life with the Dursleys was cruel and he deserved happiness. That was a small yet significant stake that made the readers empathetic and silently root for Harry.

Foreshadowing and Setup

Plant seeds of future events throughout your story. Foreshadowing builds anticipation and adds depth, making later plot developments more satisfying. I have written a lot of blogs that either cover or briefly mention foreshadowing so I'm going to keep this point a little short.

Foreshadowing helps your readers slowly piece everything together and have that 'I knew it!' or 'how did I not see this coming?' moment. It might also encourage them to turn back and reread your work to focus on the little hints you left throughout the book. Foreshadowing is especially important in murder mysteries.

Step 4: Subplots and Secondary Storylines

Subplots and secondary storylines are the secret ingredients that transform a good story into an unforgettable masterpiece. They add layers of intrigue, provide character development opportunities, and keep readers eagerly turning pages. If you're confused about what is a subplot and how to create one you can visit my previous blog that focuses on this topic.

The Role of Subplots

Enriching Character Arcs

Subplots allow secondary characters to shine. They can showcase different facets of your characters' personalities, revealing their strengths, weaknesses, growth, and relationships.

Theme Reinforcement

Subplots can explore and reinforce your story's themes from various angles. For instance, a romantic subplot can underscore the theme of love and sacrifice, in turn making your protagonist’s heroic death at the end of the novel seem more impactful. We all know Pepper’s reaction to Tony’s death in End Game made the moment more emotional.

While creating subplots and considering which one might be relevant to your book you should think of how this subplot would impact your end goal and whether it would help emotionally connect with your readers.

Parallel Journeys

Subplots can create parallel journeys that mirror or contrast with the main plot. This dynamic adds depth and resonance to your storytelling. Maybe the antagonist’s assistant has a similar backstory to your protagonist but while the protagonist was rescued by the government they were taken in by the antagonist. As the two geniuses face each other your protagonist can’t help but consider whether they would still be fighting for the ‘good’ side had their roles been switched.

Balancing The Main Plot and Subplots

Interconnectedness

Subplots shouldn't feel disconnected from the main plot. Instead, they should interact and influence each other, creating a harmonious narrative flow. Your subplot could help bring a satisfactory end to a certain arc of your story, or it could sow the roots for the important climactic moment of your book.

Pacing and Tension

Strategically introduce subplots to maintain pacing and tension. They can provide moments of relief or heightened drama, enhancing the overall reading experience.

Character Integration

Ensure that characters involved in subplots maintain relevance to the main plot. Their actions and decisions should contribute to the overarching story, even as they pursue their own paths. You should also think about whether or not your character is overshadowing the protagonist. In Harry Potter there were several characters such as Ginny, Luna and Neville with subplots and backstories of their own, however, they never overshadowed Harry’s tale.

Step 5: Crafting Scenes and Sequences

Welcome to the realm where the magic truly comes to life – crafting scenes that resonate, captivate, and propel your story forward. Scenes are the building blocks of your narrative, each one a window into your characters' world and emotions. They help infuse your story with tension, emotion, and unforgettable moments.

Again, this is a topic I’ve covered separately in another blog so I won’t go into too much detail here.

Scene Structure and Elements

Objective and Conflict

Every scene should have a purpose – a clear objective that drives the characters. Introduce conflict that challenges their goals and motivations, creating tension that keeps readers engaged.

Emotion and Stakes

Characters' emotions are the heartbeats of scenes. Amplify emotions by highlighting what's at stake for the characters. Whether it's a heated argument or a tender moment, emotions draw readers in.

Sequences: Crafting a Flow

Cause and Effect

Scenes connect through cause and effect. Each scene's outcome sets the stage for the next, creating a seamless flow that propels the narrative. A character's choice in one scene can reverberate and shape subsequent events.

Rising Action

Craft sequences with escalating tension. The stakes should intensify, drawing characters deeper into challenges and dilemmas. This creates a sense of anticipation that keeps readers eagerly turning pages.

Step 6: Mapping the Journey: Creating a Visual Plot Outline

Visualising your plot, characters, and world can be very hard sometimes. Let's be honest, words can only do so much and if you don't have a clear idea of what you want to show your readers you can end up going down a path of 'telling' them everything. This can take away from the point of your story and end up boring your readers. If you find it hard to visualise where you're going with your book, here are some tips that can help.

Visual Tools for Plot Planning

Timelines and Flowcharts

Create a timeline that outlines the sequence of major events, from inciting incidents to resolution. Flowcharts visually depict the interconnectedness of plot points, making it easy to track the evolution of your story. You can also cut out or add bits depending on how far along you are. This will also help you keep track of what scene/development should be introduced when and why.

Index Cards or Post-Its

Write down key scenes, plot developments, and character arcs on individual index cards or sticky notes. Arrange and rearrange them on a board or wall to visualize the narrative's flow. You can also do this if you're confused about the climax of your novel by adding different ideas to the post-its and putting them alongside the rest of the book's plot to see what things would look like from a reader's perspective.

Infusing Creativity

Playlists

Curate a playlist that captures the mood and emotions of your story. Music has the power to transport you to the heart of your narrative, helping you channel the right atmosphere while plotting. You can listen to this playlist every time you sit down to write WIP. With time, this will also help you overcome writer’s block since you can put on this playlist every time you struggle to get into the right writing mindset.

Moodboards/Pinterest Boards

Create a visual feast by collecting images, aesthetics, and visuals that embody your story's essence. Platforms like Pinterest allow you to craft moodboards that serve as visual touchstones. I would recommend creating a separate pinboard for every character so you can get a clear idea of their vibe and appearance. You can even refer to these every time you're writing about or from the perspective of a new character.

Step 7: Flexibility and Adaptability

As you embark on your writing journey, remember that stories have a life of their own. Embracing flexibility and adaptability is your compass through uncharted territories.

Allow characters to surprise you, let plots pivot, and themes emerge. Balancing structure with spontaneity ensures a dynamic narrative that resonates deeply. Listen to your characters, explore ethical complexities, and evolve alongside your story.

By staying open to the unexpected, you infuse your writing with authenticity and richness. Your plot outline is a guide, but your characters and themes have the power to shape the course. Embrace the unpredictable, and watch your story flourish beyond your imagination.

I hope this blog on A Step-by-Step Guide to Crafting a Compelling Storyline will help you in your writing journey. Be sure to comment any tips of your own to help your fellow authors prosper, and follow my blog for new blog updates every Monday and Thursday.

Looking For More Writing Tips And Tricks?

Are you an author looking for writing tips and tricks to better your manuscript? Or do you want to learn about how to get a literary agent, get published and properly market your book? Consider checking out the rest of Haya’s book blog where I post writing and publishing tips for authors every Monday and Thursday! And don’t forget to head over to my TikTok and Instagram profiles @hayatheauthor to learn more about my WIP and writing journey!

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comicaurora · 1 year

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Do you have any general advice for how to plot out a story? I have a beginning, and something like an end, but I'm not really sure what to do from there.

Hoo boy. That really depends on what you like writing the most.

I like character-driven writing, so I basically turn the posse loose and take notes on what they do, steering them towards my desired endpoint through alterations to their situation and the world rather than forcing them to take specific actions. But that's because I enjoy writing characters more than I enjoy plotting, themeing or even worldbuilding. I like having a playground to facilitate fun episodic adventures (fun for me, anyway) that lets me explore the world from new angles and through the lens of character dynamics. But this is definitely not the only way to write, and honestly might only work for you if your brain works a specific, very chatty way.

For instance, you could instead center your story around the exploration of one or more central themes - unshakeable tenets of the world explored through a variety of scenarios, characters and choices. Spoiler alert, we have an upcoming Detail Diatribe about Arcane that takes this analytical approach, and it really feels like I managed to clock the proverbial center of the corkboard they strung the show around. Sometimes stories are just about how One Specific Thing manifests in a thousand different ways.

Or you could have an overarching plot structure, like the Hero's Journey or any narrative with a prophecy, setting firm waypoints for your story to pass by on its way. Sure, it's Point A -> Point B, but on the way the hero is going to grow from a naïve farmboy to an overconfident hero to a brooding loner to a self-actualized enlightened warrior monk. It's gonna take a while, but you know what it'll look like because you locked in what's coming.

Or you could pick one character and get really deep into their head as the story and the pursuit of the end changes them for the worse. Some of the best and most impactful stories have an extremely simple beginning-to-end structure on paper, and the drama instead comes from the tragedy of how the culmination of their story unmakes them. Frodo has to destroy the ring -> Frodo destroys the ring. Orpheus wants to save the world and be with Eurydice -> Orpheus saves the world but fails to save the girl. Hamlet has to kill his uncle -> Hamlet kills his uncle. These stories have convolutions and complications, but those just serve to feed into the core emotional arc, which is the unstoppable erosion of the hero.

The thing is, I don't think there's a right or wrong angle here. I think the right answer is whatever you enjoy writing the most. For me right now that's episodic character drama, but there's so many other ways to write, and from what I've seen, the best writing is the kind that has love and the joy of creation laced through it. If you're having a good time making it, you're doing something right.

#asks #writing stuff

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aotopmha · 5 days

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Out of all of the elements of Ultima Thule, I feel like the tribes are the least talked about.

I think with fairly good reason – at its core Ultima Thule is about the journeys our main cast has been on.

But I love them just as much because they bring together some very long-standing threads.

In essence all three tribes had their reasons for succumbing to despair:

The dragons were broken by the suffering brought upon them and their planet by the Omicrons. Their despair came from war and oppression.

The singular purpose of the Ea was to seek more knowledge, but they learned time is finite, so to them, what they pursued became meaningless. Their despair came from their work not being eternal.

The Omicrons pursued their wish to become powerful because they were weak once. Their despair came from becoming so powerful, they had no equal.

The Ea are the new group here, serving as parallels to Y'Shtola and Urianger, and they're actually the odd one out here, having no prior history to Ultima Thule, so I'm going to mostly focus on the dragons and the Omicrons.

But to sum it up, Y'Shtola's answer to the Ea is simple: despite time being finite, any truths learned can be seen from different angles and people can reach their own conclusions about them.

For example, even if everything disappears one day, and new knowledge is finite just as the universe, as long as we exist, the knowledge we have has meaning and value to those who come after us.

It's the time we do have left that matters.

Or perhaps even if knowledge and time are finite, a pursuit to extend the life of the universe could be possible.

Or perhaps, if knowledge is finite, we could find happiness in some other pursuit.

The Ea, along with all of the other tribes and Meteion herself, see their perspective as absolute. And in a neat way, this also extends to Hermes.

Along with having very specific beliefs, they've been effected by what they've gone through so strongly, they can't see any other way of looking at their situation and thus no new purpose to find.

In that sense, Y'Shtola's answer leans on what I think is probably the best part of her character: getting straight to the point when it matters.

But the Omicrons and the dragons are the true cool part to me.

Midgardsomr's connection with Hydaelyn and his respect for her has been established since he was introduced, we just never went into detail with it.

And this explains it all: so much of the universe is dead and Midgardsomr saw that emptiness during his journey to Etheirys.

We will probably find life in the cosmic exploration content in Dawntrail, but Etheirys will remain special because of the strength and concentration of it.

Life is a miracle, so it must be protected.

So, Estinien's answer comes down to self-pity not saving anyone. There will always be conflict and more often than not peace will be won with fighting.

And Midgardsomr is proof that however difficult the path to it, resillience will lead to true survival and happiness.

It's bringing together the Midgardsomr plot thread, which has existed since A Realm Reborn, Heavensward and Endwalker itself in one swoop. I love it.

I think I love the Omicrons the most, though because their section gives so much more meaning to an entire raid series.

And I think this is one part of the story that absolutely was planned out.

What Omega says when Alpha is running across space is super specific. It's the mention of Ser that gets me every time because first time through the most you get from that section is that it's a log of Omega's own journey to Etheirys.

But when you add everything together, it gets layers.

To me Alpha has always represented Omega's own soul along with how he views feelings.

Something pointless to ultimately be discarded because it "serves no purpose", but because it is a source of strength, he wants to logic it out.

His testing, and the soul that Alpha represents became so cool to me – essentially Omega, for the first time, had his perspective as an omicron challenged when Alpha wasn't rejected by anyone else and valued for his participation.

The final boss of Omega having the WoL's theme in it was always super cool, but it is even cooler to realise how they're foils knowing what dynamis represents and how we can use it.

It's the most literal logic vs feelings fight ever thematically.

And in the Ultimate he finally stops disregarding Alpha, instead joining his strength with his.

And equally, G'raha's answer to Sir leans on this. If you have no purpose, you can always try look for a new one because you change every single moment you live and never stop.

So the Omicrons can look for purpose beyond war.

And the "waste of time" that is everything else, perhaps isn't a waste, but simply part of a more fulfilling life.

And to once again, bring it all together with Endwalker, I think they also represent a potential endpoint for the Garleans and a parallel to the Allagans.

All a source of pointless, wanton destruction because of a single-minded pursuit of power.

And ultimately left without purpose.

There is actually another strong perspective within UT.

Meteion's.

The key part with her is that by taking all of these negative feelings into herself, along with finding dead worlds by themselves, she also unintentionally doomed some of them.

So along with fearing to disappoint Hermes and facing all of those negative feelings from the different worlds, she also has massive amounts of guilt built up within, so her journey is a neverending cycle that keeps hurting her and the worlds around her.

And it all began with her basically having no choice on the matter because of her nature and Hermes pushing her into it all despite knowing and feeling how wrong it was.

I think she's probably the most tragic of the characters because she is in the most literal sense an empath child.

Ultima Thule is just so wonderfully thematically substantial to me. It ties together the general main cast and themes of all expansions with strongly-defined perspectives for all of them.

I say those who wanted everyone to die at the end of this can suck it.

Absolutely would be a betrayal considering the thematic focus of finding purpose and happiness after much pain.

#Final Fantasy XIV #Final Fantasy 14 #FFXIV #FF14 #FF #Final Fantasy #Endwalker #EW

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nyababymao · 1 year

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How I would write Neteyam ig

I also feel like having lo’ak being the secondary protagonist(the protagonist being jake) and the movie mainly following him is kinda cliche, for lack of a better word. The movie is still great dont get me wrong but the “underdog, rebellious son” storyline is just overdone so much lately that it feels boring and predictable. I feel like they could’ve explored and write a much more compelling plot and arc if they had followed Neteyam instead. These are some ways I would’ve rewritten the movie. I’m gonna bullet point this because it’s really just ideas and some headcanon that are bouncing around in my head rather then one cohesive storyline.

- neteyam’s arc would probably follow him trying to be as good a soldier, eldest brother, and son he could be and while he doesn’t hate it, it does end up making him feel like he has to carry the family on his shoulders and that he’s responsible for his younger siblings

- so then when lo’ak goes missing, he goes ballistic and lashes out against aonung, conveying that even though he has the levelheadedness and quick thinking of his father, he still has his mother’s fierce protectiveness and ferocious anger

- after lo’ak is safely back, Neteyam goes off deep into the forest further into the land so as to find solace in a setting he’s more familiar with to calm down. He climbs further up into the trees the way he’s used to doing and the familiarity brings a comfort to him.

- aonung may somewhat know the area because he lives near it but to traverse the lands and more specifically, the tall trees means to utilize his biology in ways it’s not used too. His slightly bulkier build makes it hard to balance on and move through the trees, his thicker tail is not prehensile like the omatikayan’s and can’t grip the trunks, and his more slippery skin that used to help him glide through water now hinders him and makes him slip on the branch’s. This mirrors how the sully family, and neteyam specifically, had to learn to maneuver through the seas and water with their omatikayan biology.

- but it is his determination to get to neteyam even through terrain he’s not used to and even though he fails multiple times that displays and proves his growth and genuine guilt towards neteyam for putting lo’ak in harm’s way. Eventually neteyam sees this and helps guide him in climbing to a high enough branch for them to look over the lands. This is when aonung properly apologizes to neteyam and they make up. Neteyam also makes a comment on how they share a similarity in being the eldest and future leader of their clans.

- after this, neteyam and aonung has little moments such as doing chores together or mindless chitchats in the background. Maybe neteyam tells aonung about his old home and it’s traditions and culture.

- neteyam’s personal character conflict is really more of an internal self-esteem issue relating to how he needs to stay strong for the family and how he can’t faulter rather then an an open conflict with jake like lo’ak’s is.

- i think if we really need a death in this situation, I think I would choose Jake for it. Maybe Jake dies saving neteyam and he internalizes that as his fault because he was supposed to be the one protecting everyone and now his father is dead because of him(idk this part is kinda weak still working it out). This is more so we still have the scene of when neteyam was young and catching a fish with Jake near the end of the movie but instead of Jake reminiscing his dead son, it’s Neteyam reminiscing his dead father; same scene from a different angle.

- this would probably happen in a third move rather then this one but i like to think about how if neytiri resents and lashes out/hisses at spider because he’s the son of/same species as her mate’s killer, neteyam then in response lashes out/hisses back because he’s lost one of his family, he’s not gonna lose another, even if that means fighting his own mother.

and that’s all I got so far, I might make more posts about this, I just really think neteyam had so much potential that we just never got to see.

#avatar way of water #avatar #aonung x neteyam #neteyam x aonung #neteyam #aonung #avatar meta

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actualbird · 8 months

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pardon me! I wanted to try the game tears of thermos, but I’m a little nervous since I don’t play these type of games. Do you have any advice on how to best enjoy myself and invest in its world/characters?

hi anon!!! im so glad you wanna try out tot!!! i do have some tips, but before i go there i must inform you that autocorrect mustve done something to your message because you said tears of thermos and i cldnt rest until i edited a meme of that

sjfhavkkHJVKJHJKSD OKAY ANYWAY, TIPS!!!!

im particularly interested in how you worded this ask!! ive had a lot of people ask me tips on how to start tot (and the relevant ones, i'll link in this ask too) but never on a narrative investment/immersion angle. so my tips for this will be a bit different

but before that, here are my past tips from my tot tips tag

general tips for a newbie (gameplay tips and story tips)

how to "predict" upcoming events

tot stories in chronological order (only updated til july 2022)

now for your question i guess my biggest tip would really just be to treat tears of themis like a visual novel that just so happens to update with more stories.

idk how much of a newbie you are to this genre, but when i got into this game i had NEVER played any other otome before in my life. so it was all new to me!! and i basically treated it like an updating visual novel, this is My Method, and that got me quite invested (as is obvious from my entire blog). so when i say "treat it like a visual novel" i mean:

im personally not particularly a card completionist or a gacha enthusiast. which, hell yeah, this game wont bankrupt me LOL. but also, since cards are the main way where new nxx boy stories are released through, for any card i dont have, i just watch it on youtube. because basically every card, event plot, minigame, etc gets uploaded by someone a little bit after its release. so if youre bummed you missed an event card but you dont really Want the card, you just want its story, just search it on youtube!! search [card name/event name] + [whichever language dub you prefer] + tears of themis and voila! new story for you to read!!!

if you want plot = read Main Story. this is where all the heavy main plot happens and it is SO GRIPPING AND RIVETING.

if you want character development and relationship development between mc and each boy = read Personal Story Bloom Chapter, and then the respective nxx boy's Anniversary 1 card, Personal Story Sweet Chapter 1 and 2, and then the respective nxx boy's Anniversary 2 card. the personal story routes (aka the routes where mc eventually ends up with the boy romantically) are where a BULK of characterization and character development happens, imo

if you want romance and oneshot dates = explore the available cards!!! the tot wiki has an archive of all the available cards per boy on each of the characters' main pages. for example, here's luke's page. scroll down to the cards section and Behold. Luke Stories As Far As The Eye Can See

these pages dont have the story transcribed in them, but theyre great to use as a directory or a map of cards. so if any of the cards catch your eye, then take urself to youtube to find the card and voila (again)! new story for u to experience!

(note: SSRs always have a full 6 act story. SRs either have a 6 act story that is unvoiced, OR 2 voice messages. MRs always have 2 voice messages. R cards have no story and no voice messages)

if you want nxx team dynamics = read and/or play the events!!!! this is my favorite thing, the tot events are a treasure trove of fun cases and awesome team dynamics. in the game itself, some of the big events are available as DLC for anybody to play themselves at any time. to get there, X-NOTE Story -> lower and rightmost button Event -> upper and rightmost button Past.

if theres anything i would reccommend the MOST, itd be to download and pllay the event Mysteries of the Lost Gold. it's so good. it's my favorite event story. trust me on this

i hope these tips can help!!! happy playing :DDD

#asks #anon #luke voice: tears of thermos!#HAHA SORRY THE THERMOS THING JUST MADE ME SMILE A LOT SJFHSVKFDJH #tottips

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adarkrainbow · 3 days

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So... I was checking some free stuff given away and among a bunch of old VHS there was this tape:

I did not take it, because A) I do not have a working VHS player at home and B) The movie is actually fully disponible on the Internet for free. But it got me intrigued and so I decided to talk briefly about this Donkey Skin movie - which is obviously not the great 1970 classic by Jacques Demy, but rather a 1997 French animated movie...

The VHS above was for the movie's "solo" release, but it got a different release under the label "Mes plus beaux contes", a whole series of fairytale VHS apparently:

Let's begin with a bit of context...

This movie was apparently the result of a collaboration between Claude Allix and Vladimir Gontcharov. The scenario was written by Sébastien Viaud, the music composed by Gil Slavin, and the producers included Eric Bayle, Roch Lener and Victor Slepstove. The production companies involved included Polygram Video, Mathares and Borsifen.

And... that's it. That's all I could find. Nothing more, nothing less.

Well, except for one detail: while this movie is presented as... well as a movie, some websites list it as a two-episodes mini-series, each episode being 26 minutes long. I watched it for free on Youtube, where it is presented as a 50 minutes long movie.

Let me start by saying: Gosh this movie looks horrible!

As in... the animation is very rough. But especially the designs... By the devil, the designs are awful! Just look at the Lilac Fairy - they tried to shape her hair like a lilac flower, okay... But it doesn't work AT ALL. The worst offenders however are the dresses. The three magical dresses, meant to be the pinnacle of beauty in the tale... LOOK AT HOW GOSH AWFUL AND IDIOTIC they are! We said "Color of the moon", not "Shaped like the moon". We said "Color of the sun", not "with spikes coming out everywhere to imitate sun-rays". And the villainess' collar just keeps getting bigger and bigger until it becomes so ridiculous... Oh yes, and the guards ALL HAVE THE SAME FACE. They literaly reused the same model for all the knights and guards throughout the movie...

I know that after Jacques Demy's Peau d'âne, every adaptation of Donkeyskin in France will have a hard time challenging the classic... But I don't know if these people didn't put enough effort, or actually tried way too hard.

Now, in term of story, the interesting thing is that they decided to expand upon the original tale. Most notably, they introduce a new villain character, with a concept a tad similar to the one of queen Elspeth from The Fairest of them All.

The entire first segment of the movie is about the "background" of the tale. We begin with the wedding of the king of the realm of Azurie to his wife (Peau d'âne's mother - the princess is named here Ariadne, because "Arianne" rhyme with "âne" in French). We also have a brief introductory song which recaps the entire story... There's quie a missed opportunity because a whole segment of the song is asking "Why are you hiding, Donkey-skin? Why are you disguising yourself Donkey-skin? Who are you, Donkey-skin?" which could have been a strong idea of plot-angle, exploring the identity of Donkeyskin as a mystery to be solved... Except the verses right before this part of the song explicitely detail who she is and why she fled.

As the wedding unfolds, we have a very clever scene introducing the magical donkey - a present sent by mysterious friends of the king, and which stands out like a sore thumb among the treasures and jewels the fher frelieves it is a grave insult - before his queent believes it is a grave insult - before his queen calms him down and convinces him to trust their friend (for good reason, since they later discover the donkey's magical properties). The villain added to the story is the king's cousin, a power-hungry duchess named Malicia, and who is quite pissed off at seeing the new queen - because she herself wanted to and attempt to be the new queen of Azurie. As she leaves the castle, a mysterious sorcerer named Balthazar the Necromancer appears and briefly turns her carriage into stone to prove his powers. He says he came here to answer Malicia's wishes and desires - and he offers her to learn witchcraft, so that she can overtake Azurie... And in exchange, the price to pay will be that she abandons all her belongings and exile herself from Azurie to undergo a long journey fo fifteen years.

What will she do during this journey? We don't know! It is a mysterious "initiation journey" But she returns fifteen years later to the kingdom to enact her devious plan. As for Balthazar the Necromancer... Every time Malicia uses her crystal ball to cast a spell, Balthazar's face appears to give her various compliments or warnings. And that's it... a sort of manifestation of the recurring habit of having the Magic Mirror of Snow-White act as a semi-companion/warning-deliverer to the Evil Queen. I compared Malicia to Elspeth but I could also compare her relationship to Balthazar to the evil queen's relationship to her mirror in the "Mirror, mirror" movie. In fact, Malicia seems very obviously inspired by Disney's Evil Queen... It makes you wonder why Balthazar was introduced as his own character before being reduced to an info-dropping disembodied face... Anyway.

Malicia is presented as the supernatural cause of the events that start the story - which is a quite interesting and solid move when you need to tackle Donkey-skin for children. The death of the queen is due to Malicia's hatred of the happiness and wealth of the royal family, and her ambition. She casts a curse that causes the deadly sickness, and then tries to convince the king to marry her. But when the king refuses by blatantly saying he promised his wife to marry a woman more virtuous and more beautiful than her, and that Malicia is not more virtuous nor more beautiful than the late queen... Let's just say Malicia is quite pissed off, and she decides to have him be dethroned by causing a second curse - the one that will create an incestuous desire of the father for the daughter. Balthazar warns her that such a curse will break if the princess ever ends up knowing true love - to which Malicia replies she will just have to make sure the princess will be forced to marry her father and never escape him...

I have to say, while the animation is garbage, the ideas and concept of the story are very interesting. The scene of Malicia casting the curse onto the queen is truly chilling, as you see the blue mist she conjures up slowly wither the flowers of the garden before crawling up to the queen's bedroom and entering her body... And I like how Malicia's incantations use elemental motifs matching her curses: she invokes the "spirits of the air" to cause a "deadly breath", a cursed wind that will "dry up" the queen ; while to "inflame" the king's passion for his daughter she calls upon the "spirits of fire" to cause an incestuous desire that nothing "shall extinguish". There is also a whole warning in the beginning about black magic needing the user to have an absolute control over their emotions - foreshadowing Malicia's downfall. At the end of the movie, when Donkey-skin/Ariadne is happily married and her true love break the curses, Malicia is so enraged she tries to cast a curse on her, despite Balthazar's warnings that she need to stay calm, and that she cannot fight true love which is the most powerful magic of them all... However she does not listen and the curse backfires on her, making her disappear forever... Again, this is all very Snow White's Evil Queen-inspired.

I'm not going to make a full breakdown of the movie - the rest of the story is pretty much the same as the original tale but with the characters slightly exaggerated and more prominent (such as the peasant woman and her son who use - and frankly abuse - Donkey skin when she stays around ; there's also the comical character of the prince's personal assistant who is always finding an occassion to "taste wine" whenever he has something to do). There's a lot of visual nods to classic illustrations - for example the goat-pulled chariot the princess use to visit her godmother, while seeming straight out of Norse mythology, is actually a reference to the illustrations of Gustave Doré where the princess use a similar chariot ; and the king's chambellan is made to look like Riquet with the tuft.

So yeah... In conclusion I would say it has good intentions, some good ideas and some moments that do work - but it stays a very rough, very dated product that needs one to take some effort to get into it... and is definitively NOT a masterpiece. But a valuable effort, it must be recognized.

#french movie #donkey skin #fairytale cartoon #animated movie #donkey skin adaptation #peau d'âne 1997

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mirror-ralsei · 2 months

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THEORY: Who hired Muffet?

Back before Deltarune, we assumed Undertale was a self-contained story, and could be figured out with the information we had. River Person dialogue, Sans' laboratory, even Gaster - everybody fit the puzzles together, never realizing we might not have all the pieces. Muffet's benefactor was one of those things. A shape-changing antagonist with a sweet smile? Had to be Flowey.

Except... a few things never quite lined up.

Here's the dialogue in full:

While Flowey is an antagonist associated with smiles, shapeshifting in the shadows isn't really a strong hallmark of his - and throwing around huge wads of cash? That's right out.

Things get even more mysterious with Charles the mole NPC, describing a similar occurence with the CORE workers:

Unfortunate "joke" aside, we still don't know the truth behind this strange rich character.

So I believe that with Deltarune's full release, we may finally see the identity of this benefactor. Here's why.

PART 1: Antagonist Sketch

Before we dive in, I'd like to compare Muffet's normal dialogue to her No Mercy route dialogue.

On a No Mercy route, Muffet will reference a different character, and this character is clearly Alphys.

We can suspect this character is Alphys from Muffet's description of "a total nerd" wanting her to evacuate, who uses she/her pronouns. But we don't need to. Undyne has already confirmed that Alphys is this character, as she talked about Alphys evacuating everyone. There is no doubt about the identity of the character approaching Muffet on this route.

Not so with the other routes. Despite having more information about the smiling shapeshifter, there was no definitive match. You could make cases for Flowey, or Gaster, or whomever, but nothing was outright confirmed in the same way that Alphys was.

With that in mind, we're going to reestablish our criteria for Muffet's benefactor.

The character must be rich, or otherwise known for throwing money around.

The character must want a human SOUL.

The character must have a notable smile.

The character must be capable of shapeshifting, likely involving shadows or darkness.

That being said, so many major antagonists across the series are after our SOUL, so I'm not going to search based on that particular criterion in this theory. It's just too broad.

And I'm going to tell you upfront that we are not going to find a conclusive answer right now. This "theory" is more about exploring possible lines of investigation than it is about finding a definitive identity, because even if we have met this character already, we don't know enough about them to hard confirm all of these criteria yet.

Let's get into it!

PART 2: A Dark Shapechanger

When speaking of shifting in the shadows, a couple of Undertale characters actually jump to mind... as they may be tied to Deltarune.

There's some compelling speculation by VGFM about the CORE mercenaries being out of place in Undertale. Personally, their connection to darkness and the CORE itself, as well as their fantasy themes, make me suspect they may hail from Deltarune, or at least relate to it somehow.

The overworld sprites for the CORE mercenaries are known in the files as "blacksausages." When spoken to, they explain their appearances:

The repeated stressing of the "angle" sounds like a tongue-in-cheek reference to some plot element we're not aware of yet, which has tended to mean something only revealed in Deltarune.

(Personally, I wonder if this could be referencing something to do with the ShadowCrystal, since that similarly seems to glean alternate views of things. But we don't know enough about the ShadowCrystal mechanics yet, so I'll let it lie.)

But Muffet isn't in the CORE. She rarely leaves her web. It's likely the strange rich character would have had to approach her.

There is, in fact, a character in Hotland with a very similar appearance.

Introducing "waveguy!"

This character has a low chance of appearing on the ledge in the apron room. They are distinct from the darksausages.

And unlike the darksausages, "waveguy"'s object name is pretty ambiguous.

The only connection I can think of is the shadowy intro Lancer, who I believe is mysterious for several reasons, and who is not only shadowy, but described as "waving" at Susie and Kris. He is similarly present on cliffs, observing the protagonists silently.

There is also the egg man behind the tree, who waves at Kris from his car in the traffic jam. This is another possibility, especially as waveguy is described as a "guy," if not a "man."

It's of course possible any of these characters are one and the same - we are dealing with a shapeshifter, after all.

The only other connection I can think of is that "wave" here does not mean a gesture with your hand, but the motion of a water surface. As in, an ocean wave guy.

This would tie the character in to water theory, whatever that entails for them. But the truth is we have little knowledge right now of what the ocean is meant to represent in UTDR, only that it's a major motif, so in any case, this is something to come back to later.

What we do know about waveguy is their appearance. They look strikingly similar to the CORE mercenaries' overworld sprites.

It seems to follow that whatever the "angle" mechanic causing the mercenaries to appear in the overworld as "black sausages" instead of their true appearance, it likely is the same for this character. And if the mercenaries who emerge from the shadows are indeed related to Deltarune, it seems possible that this unexplained shadowy "waveguy" may be as well.

Perhaps waveguy is the leader of the CORE mercenaries? If waveguy is connected to the CORE mercenaries by their similar appearance, then maybe waveguy is the one bribing the CORE workers to shuffle the layout. And if waveguy is the strange source bribing the CORE workers, then they're almost certainly the same strange source bribing Muffet.

Unfortunately, though, we again don't really have enough information about them to tell. Sure, if waveguy's name relates to waving in a friendly way, then maybe they have a friendly smile. And if they are related to the blacksausage mercs that "emerge from the shadows," then maybe it follows that waveguy could change shape in the shadows too. But that's all a lot of assumptions.

And there's another character that might be relevant here, too.

PART 3: Our FRIEND With The Creepy Smile?

Let's take a quick detour to unused room 123.

Undertale contained a lot of "unused" rooms, but it's my belief that some of them may have been intended as hints to Deltarune. Room 271 "TESTROOM" contains the line "Time to wake up and smell the pain," which is referenced in Spamton NEO's flavor text. And of couse, "room_gaster" contains the famous Entry 17, which has been referenced multiple times in Deltarune and its website. So it's safe to say we don't actually know which, if any, rooms are truly "unused."

Room 123, "room_water_prebird," also known as the bug-catching room, is definitely one of the most outstanding ones. It's easily accessible, as it isn't even Dogchecked, which is a property shared with the infamous "room_gaster."

There are a few interesting things here, but for now, we're focusing on the NPC with this dialogue:

I believe it's possible this smiling character is the same one that approached Muffet and the CORE workers. We have another mention of a smile, and then of the character quickly disappearing. If they're able to change shape in the shadows, this might make sense.

Moreover, we've already met a character like this.

Not only is the basement face smiling and disappearing in the shadows when we try to look behind us at it, but it's even literally named "DEVICE_FRIEND." This is a pretty exact match for the bug-catching room NPC's criteria.

But there could be a little more to it.

The only concrete information we have about "FRIEND" is their naming convention, and their yellow-and-pink eyes.

The former would appear to tie them to Gaster, who seems to use this all caps convention, and is extremely likely to have created "SURVEY_PROGRAM" and the "GONER_MAKER" within.

And the latter ties them to only two known characters: Spamton, and "face," the pair of eyes that randomly appears on the "chair" page of the Sweepstakes. (There's also "tinybug," but they're less a character and more...creatures?)

FRIEND does not seem to be Spamton, as Spamton cannot enter the basement without help and has different-looking teeth. I also think FRIEND is not "face's" pair of eyes, as the pair of eyes is more square. But it is possible that FRIEND is connected closer to "face."

Both appear from the darkness. Spamton describes Queen's basement, which FRIEND appears in, as a "[Deep Abyss]". And "face" appears on a page with the dialogue "But what if it could... ...get darker than dark?," while FRIEND is likely created by or otherwise linked to Gaster through their all-caps naming convention, like "SURVEY_PROGRAM" and "GONER_MAKER." And as we know, Gaster is infamous for his "dark yet darker" experiments. This may indirectly link the two characters through their mutual connections to the "darker than dark" concept.

If FRIEND and "face" end up connected in a significant way, this could provide a bit more evidence toward figuring out the rich character.

That's because "face" appears with an audio clip of a distorted laugh track.

This seems like a minor detail to extrapolate from, and maybe it is. But laugh tracks are associated with television. The page's framing device - audience reactions to opening doors with prizes - seems to be a gameshow, something mentioned by Spamton. We can deduce from Spamton's dialogue and especially the page "d_a_m_n_y_o_u_t_e_n_n_a" that there is a CRT TV-themed and possible gameshow host character named Tenna, who did something to Spamton's friend Mike and was likely partially responsible for Spamton's demise.

This is relevant because if Tenna was able to con Spamton and Mike into working for them, we can infer that Tenna might have the type of personality to go around hiring people to do their dirty work.

In other words, the type of person who might hire Muffet and the CORE workers to take our SOUL.

Furthermore, if Tenna is a gameshow host - though something that isn't confirmed - it's typical to give cash rewards as prizes. This would be further fulfillment of Muffet's description, if true.

Last but not least, we don't know who's smiling in the TV at the end of Chapter 2. But if it is Tenna, as some suspect, that would be another point for them.

(If we stretch a bit more, it's possible that Spamton wants our SOUL because he learned about it from Tenna, or that Tenna's continued success - frequently contrasted with Spamton's downfall - means that Tenna is rich. In that case, Tenna would be even more likely to be the rich character hiring Undertale characters to take our SOUL. But this is even more guesswork than actual evidence.)

So, I'm not certain if the square eyes are literally Tenna. But the laugh track might connect them to Tenna in some way.

PART 4: Review

Somewhere in this mess of pink-and-yellow eyes and black sausages, we could either have our culprit, or more likely, at least someone close to them.

Let's revisit these characters.

CORE mercenaries, aka "blacksausages":

Rich?: Unknown

Wants human SOUL?: Unknown, but are working for Mettaton, who does

Notable smile?: No

Can shapeshift in shadows?: Strongly associated with shadows, and somewhat with changing appearance

Extremely unlikely to be the ones hiring Muffet and the CORE workers, but could be connected.

"waveguy," aka apron room character:

Rich?: Unknown

Wants human SOUL?: Unknown

Notable smile?: Unknown

Can shapeshift in shadows?: Seemingly associated with shadows, unknown if can shapeshift

Completely unknown character appearing in Hotland not terribly far from Muffet. Looks similar to the CORE mercenaries, so could be associated with them - if so, could have approached the CORE workers.

Friend with the creepy smile, in bug-catching room:

Rich?: Unknown

Wants human SOUL?: Unknown

Notable smile?: Yes

Can shapeshift in shadows?: Unknown if associated with shadows, unknown if can shapeshift, but disappears quickly behind PC

Seems to be setting up a description of a Deltarune character. Appears in a non-Dogchecked room, like room_gaster.

DEVICE_FRIEND, aka basement face:

Rich?: Unknown

Wants human SOUL?: Unknown

Notable smile?: Yes

Can shapeshift in shadows?: Unknown if can shapeshift, but appears and disappears in shadows

The closest so far to Muffet's description.

"face," aka chair jumpscare eyes:

Rich?: Unknown

Wants human SOUL?: Unknown

Notable smile?: Unknown

Can shapeshift in shadows?: Unknown if can shapeshift, but appears in shadows, and linked to "darker than dark"

Seems to be setting up a character from a future chapter. Unknown if related to Tenna.

Tenna:

Rich?: Unknown, but seems to be successful businessman. IF gameshow host: might hand out cash rewards

Wants human SOUL?: Unknown

Notable smile?: Unknown. IF the smile on Kris' TV, then yes

Can shapeshift in shadows?: Unknown

Seems to be setting up an important character from a future chapter. Unknown if related to "face."

(Told you this was going to be more exploratory than conclusive.)

If there was a cameo or mention of a Deltarune character in Undertale, it's more likely to be an important one. It's also unlikely that the CORE mercenaries were the ones to hire Muffet for obvious reasons. But any of these characters could be connected to the culprit.

Our main stickling point here is that we don't know of many characters who are rich.

Going forward, if we can pick out a rich character and determine them to have even one of the other qualities, or if any of the above listed characters turn out to be rich, I think that might be our ticket out of this limbo. All the better if they're a major character.

As with many unexplained phenomena in Undertale, however, I have confidence that with the full release of Deltarune, we will eventually have our answers.

(Screenshot credit: 1 2 3 4 5)

#another one of those 'get out of my drafts already' posts so apologies for any non sequiturs #muffet undertale #undertale theory #utdr theory #btw ralsei isn't a candidate despite the possibility of shadowy shapechanging and a sweet smile because he's not rich

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