#its that the conflict is PREDICTABLE

[yellowocaballero]

hi! I was winding down after school stuff and rereading some of the reverse Batman au (awesome by the way. You understand so many things) and am I tripping or did u make a Batman fic rec post a while ago? I can’t find it, but it’s also been a long time. I crave the sustenance. Also I honestly didn’t realize it’s literally been three years until you pointed it out in your newest fic (Incredible btw) guess I can finally officially declare myself a long time fan. Cheers!!

HAH Hello thank you for being a long time reader! That story certainly reads like it was written a long time ago...I put up the Cass story just so I could love the AU on a more adept note jkaljd. That being said, I'm now thinking about The Secret Life Of Jason Todd, so....

I can't find the post either :(. I think it was a rec lists specifically for good Tim Drakes, and as a result it was extremely skimpy. Literally, it was just Chirp by Amari_T, The Bat's Crest, and Red Raven (the most bonkers fanfic ever written, and one of my favorites). I have a lot more Batman fanfics in general I like, but most of them escape me now - it's mostly classics, like lowflyingfruit's stuff.

Every so often when I need fuel in my tank to go back to writing The Stupidest Magnum Opus Of All Time, I crack open the Batfam fanfic and plow through a bunch. I am then angry enough that I tackle my fic again and produce the best fic I've ever written in my life.

To be a little less negative (for once.), I do want to highlight something specific - All I Have by Janie_Loops is a really nice story, and although a LOT of stories try to do what it does, it's one of the few ones that succeeds. It helps that it's a series of snapshot chapters, which relieves you from having to do a lot of plotting (shoves someone will remember us under the bed), but there's a lot of reasons why it works. Each chapter is very much Bruce vs. Something, whether it's one of his kids or the JL or The World. The conflicts are baby sized, but they always feel very big and World Ending to Bruce, no matter the actual conflict. Everything is equally sized in this story, from the intra-baby problems to the Justice League issues. Bruce's characterization is very consistent and he's reliably forced to grow and change over the course of the fic. And every kid has a stand-out personality (that's so grounded - I was totally Jason!) that creates specific dynamics with each other, they all have different relationships and favorites between each other and Bruce, and their bond is a family is shown not through, like, bonding moments, but how they tackle problems together and how they're always on the same side. It's also deeply funny.

I think the author's a kiddo (who takes suggestions from their baby brother - ADORABLE), and there's still some ways for them to grow in prose and technical skill and a few other things like that. But even if the writer's a relative beginner writer, and you can see where they'll grow, you immedietly understand when reading that this person understands how a story works. That's way, way more important than having beautiful prose. I'm just saying all of this to hopefully demonstrate that, as writers, technical skill and prose will happen naturally with enough work & reading. Don't stress about that. Prose isn't what makes your story enjoyable and a good read. It's if you get what makes a story go. Everything else can come in time.

#my asks #ppl seem to think that a story meant to be 'feel good' #isn't obligated to do like #anything that a story is meant to do #fluff stories dont need conflict! conflict is stressful #guys you cannot all sit here and tell me that like #fanfic is an art form fanfic is legitimate writing we need to respect fanfic was we would books #and then turn around and tell me that fanfic is exempt from having to competently tell a story #what makes a story feel good isn't that it doesn't have conflict #its that the conflict is PREDICTABLE #and has an uncomplicated happy ending #it doesn't have no plot it just has a plot that we can follow along without any stress bc we know whats happening #i mean this sincerely. fluff writers go watch 10 hallmark movies #and then come back and you will write very effective fluff. #what do you think hallmark movies are. #oh my god im constantly shocked by how salty i am about batfam fluff #JAKLSDLKJF

[impossibletruths]

being online is exhausting because you're constantly like "no actually that evil corporation is evil in a different way than the way you're saying they're evil" so not only do you have to be mad about them being evil but also you have to be mad about other people not being accurate about how they're evil

#I just don't think the big evil music group managed to predict or move its massive million+ userbase update #to conflict with a social media event people learned about today from one person's post about said conflict #tbd

[antirepurp]

you know what i want to see? sage growing independent enough to disagree with eggman and refusing to back down. i want to see eggman being confronted with the fact she doesn't have to be fully loyal to him or go along with everything he says because she's her own person now. i want him to be put into a spot where he has the power to strip sage of everything that makes her alive and turn her back into nothing but an advanced AI that Will be loyal, Will listen to him, and will never question his wants and wishes again - or allow sage to remain, and be forced to confront her like any other person who has their own hopes and dreams and logic that can and will conflict with his

#soda offers you a can #sonic #i want to see their relationship grow and i want it to force the both of them into uncomfortable situations due to its very nature #even if the outcome is predictable and straightforward! i want them to be forced to have these conversations these moral dilemmas #metal sonic has no voice to disagree with orbot and cubot have no power to truly disagree with anything they're told #but sage. she has a voice and she has power and she has wants that conflict with her very essence of being a tool

[pinkeoni]

Random Prediction: Jonathan and Will are going to get into a nasty argument 🔮💆🏼

#jonwill #stranger things 5 prediction #and it’ll most likely be about *that* man #the more two characters get along the more likely it is for unlikely conflict later on #but dont worry its all resolved by the end #it also has to do with will’s wishes to not be coddled #and jonathan’s parentification #which is neither of their faults #but their dad brings this conflict to the forefront

[lollytea]

Yes it might have taken me an embarrassingly long time to really pay attention to it but in ASIAS, along with the 'half a witch' parallel, both Hunter and Willow are motivated by upholding the legacy of those who came before them. That picture of Gilbert and Harvey being flyer derby champions is just as significant to her as the Golden Guard sigil is to him.

#other miscellaneous ASIAS thoughts that are not worth their own post but i think about them often: #its an episode that asks ''but who are you outside of the roles this story uses to define you?'' #this is the only episode of the Hunter Makes Friends series where his actions are not motivated by Belos #and Willow is neither one of Luz's two best friends nor the estrangled acquaintance to Amity #both characters are unnattached to those influences here. And without those roles slotting them into predictable places #we're able to explore new nooks and crannies of their personalities #stuff that really hasnt been revealed before #the two of them are trying out something new and a little out of their comfort zone and it pulls new traits out of them #Hunter’s hexside infiltration reveals him to be WAY more socially awkward than previous eps have shown #and then after his flyer derby match it really brings out his excitement over having friends and the genuine affection he has for them #Meanwhile this is the ep that really establishes what an ambitous go getter Willow can be #Shes never been a leader before. Shes never been this direct or ruthless. But her dedication to this team really pulls it out of her #and these lesser known sides of themselves are the version the other meets #lastly it is a very good take on a Person Vs Society story #again Hunter's internal conflict in this episode has nothing to do with Belos. He literally never gave a fuck if Hunter had magic #But Hunter was still born and raised on the boiling isles and no matter how sheltered he is #the inherent prejudices of the place is gonna gnaw at his self confidence. hes gonna internalize this shit #so while every Hunter ep before this was about how Belos has manipulated his self of worth as a person #this time we are dealing with how hunter views himself as a WITCH #MEANWHILE Willow's struggles with have always been entirely focused on her insecurity as a witch #her terrible grades and her severed friendship has always been about her insufficient abilities with magic #but in this ep you learn that it goes deeper than that #she berates herself not because of her magical ability but because she believes that shes stupid #the half a witch thing has severely deteriorated her worth as a PERSON #their respective struggles go in different directions in this ep and their emotions are complicated #but they still overlap enough that they can understand what the other is feeling #OKAY AND LASTLY AGAIN. Forreal this time #that scene when Darius is about to attack the entrails and Willow throws her arms out to shield all three of them #and then Hunter proceeds to run in and shield HER #because SOMEONE had to shield her. they are instinctive protectors. they are the same

[aroacettorney]

perhaps the reason why aup ended like *that* is because it was not supposed to have a happy ending in the first place, but sayren didnt have the guts to deal with readers' backlash for when they finally kill off the main character so a half baked happy ending is what we get 😔

#for a happy ending of a story to be narratively satisfying the characters gotta actively work hard for it #this happy ending feels empty because quite frankly speaking ludger did nothing to deserve it #he has zero character developments from the beginning to the end and has always been the same #well except for his emotional state getting worse over time #bc instead of making any attempt at all to healthily address it like a mentally mature 40yo adult he let it swallow him whole #(not that im necessarily blaming him but its quite frustrating to see him remain unchanged if aup is meant to be a redemption story) #his OPness is inherent #his genius is inherent #(this is not to say he isnt hardworking / only relying on his inborn talents but the author repeatively failed the 'show dont tell' checks) #(bc it was only implied in the past and we've never truly seen it in the canon present timeline either) #his kindness is inherent #ngl dad!ludger content doesnt appeal to me as much as dad!edgeworth cuz the latter is the fruit of the character's growth and hard labor #while the former is well... its just who he is #usually i love found family content but in aup it bores my mind out bc his interactions w the students + owens are so static & predictable #it was heartwarming at the moment of adoption but later on i find it as tedious as reading generic established romantic relationships #was it because of the lack of tensions and conflicts i wonder #they all became his yes men and no one ever actively challenged his unhealthy mindset or behaviors #anyway id have been more interested if he recognized his biases/favoritism/prejudices towards some certain characters & worked to change it #but welp. that would require character growth which is too much to expect from him ig #he has learnt quite nothing from his journey and tbh aup would ironically feel more meaningful if it ended on a tragic note #ofco i got noblesse'd again 😔 #would i kill for aup to have a happy ending? yes #would i rather have a sad ending over the half baked and empty good ending we get? also yes #if it must burn then let the whole world burn. cuz at least it would be more much memorable and impactful that way #and i wouldnt have to feel this disappointed and lose all of my interests in one of my only two beloved aroace MCs in aup </2 #rant

[carlyraejepsans]

Why do you think the Sans Darkener theory is ridiculous? From the blood, to the teleportation/other weird powers, to his almost otherworldly meta-awareness, the toilet references, and his bedroom door, the "never see em again"/"dont forget". He's clearly not just a regular monster.

And Ralsei is a darkner who's weirdly based off Asriel and who seems to be special when compared to other darkners. And it's not yotally clear what his overworld counterpart would be (a toy or a real goat idk.) Sans Darkner theory honestly doesn't feel like a huge stretch to me.

good job on bringing up ralsei's case, because that's exactly my point against the theory!

ralsei is different from other darkners. he calls himself the prince of the dark, THEIR prince. he's apparently the only darkner who can seamlessly exist in dark worlds that aren't his own AND MAYBE. just maybe!! exist in the light world for short amounts time. and no, I really don't believe he's based on a real goat, buddy. i think at best he's based on kris' fake horns to represent their feelings of inadequacy over being human. and those horns helping them feel like they fit in more.

the dark fountain that created him, the one in castletown? literally the strongest in the game. at the beginning of chapter 2 he mentions "sensing" a new fountain being opened, so he rushed on site to help out. remember that he said that he was alone, so if sans WERE a darkner of ralsei's caliber, he'd have to be from ANOTHER dark fountain just as powerful as his own (and what would the purpose of that fountain be, why should it be different from the others), he'd have to be based on an object (which he's clearly not) and ralsei would know about him. so why hasn't he given even a single HINT that there's someone like that out in the light world? especially since it'd have to be a very recent event, sans has just recently moved into hometown, after all!

sure you could technically cover all this up with "oh but what if ralsei is lying" which is fair, i ALSO think he's lying about a fuck ton of stuff. so let's look at this from a narrative angle: making sans deltarune a special darkner who "ascended" to the light world but is also doing fuck all, has no relevancy to the plot so far whatsoever and who has given no indication of being aware of your actions, having time space powers OR being anywhere as meta aware as he is in ut (one joke about game release times aside, and even susie makes one of those), would give him a level of relevancy/importance comparable to one of the main characters. and I really doubt that's the case.

it's one of the few reasons that make me question how i approach the otherworld theory too. do you really think that at some point, or the ending specifically, if all dark fountains other than one (ie castle town) have to be closed, that deltarune's story will revolve around........ sans. lmao no. come on. whatever happens will have to be collateral at best, and likely hidden, just like his backstory lore in undertale.

all things considered, I don't think darkner!sans is a theory people pulled entirely out of their ass. it's clearly based on things and details that are meant to make you think and put them together. i just think this particular theory put them all together backwards.

in deltarune sans isn't a darkner in the lightworld. he's the exact opposite. in undertale

#i don't like theorizing about dr especially the ending I don't think we have enough info yet #but !! but !!!!! i do have my ideas . based on very little actual evidence and more like #narrative continuity and predictions for where The Story Will Go #with its messages with its themes and with the conflicts it's set up #hold on i wanna write a post about this . i wasn't going to at first but now i want to write it down in case i end up being right #answered asks #sans #deltarune #entry log #ralsei

[raayllum]

Karim having strong expectations for Janai to follow and emphasizing that he’s a Traditionalist 

She had been training—and avoiding him. Avoiding this. “You’re late,” Karim chided.

“We must honor our traditions, now and always! They are the light that will guide our way out of this darkness.”

Karim waited for Janai to speak first, as befitted the elder sibling. When she did not, he broke the silence instead.

He had to reach her—not as his sister, but as the new ruler of Lux Aurea. “Janai. When you look in the mirror tomorrow, you will behold a Queen. Your people will expect you to have plans for our future.”

And it’s like wow, I wonder what sort of conflict this could be building up (esp for a people who can tend towards being militaristic and aligned with Sol Regem at least symbolically). Karim breaking the silence first when Janai isn’t able to, emphasizing her position as queen just as much as the fact she’s his sister, if not more, the way he’s embracing their traditions and mourning / honouring their family head on while she deflects - not like TDP loves breaking up loving family bonds when it comes to opposing ideologies or anything

#tdp #janai #prince karim #the sunfire royal family #like it could not be a conflict but it's like the whole king ahling thing #why have him live at all if there's not going to be a lil bit of Drama #esp when only karim has a claim on the throne if his sister was seen as 'unfit' to be queen #i think all these pairs will reconcile mind you but like. tdp likes its patterns & foils for a reason #esp with claudia&soren janai&khessa parallels happening in 3x07 in a lot of ways #predictions #tdp shorts #the dragon prince

[orbdotexe]

I simply think the Young Wolf deserves to feel angry at the last line of the Chronicon.

#'You were not wasted. #I am proud that you were the last one at my side when end came. There is no one else I would have chosen to stand by me. #Thank you. my Shadow. Thank you for your sacrifice.' #thank you for your sacrifice. #Thank you. for your Sacrifice. #orb rambles #its just like... they already know they're dying!! #they cant even find a Prediction of this conflict that doesnt have them dying just before the end for someone else!!!! #sucks to be the young wolf ig theyre just built too different to be allowed an actual life

[manifestmerlin]

Anyways I had to rush a semi major assignment done in like. An Hour before it was due after trying and failing to work on it allll night and getting no sleep at all. Why? Because i was busy reading Alternate Universe by Unda and going insane thoughts in the tags.

#unlike the other two unda fics ive read #where the title is basically just a one off line from an early chapter #the title really matters here and not becahse it gets meta like mce! #also while i liked it a LOT im unsure if thisll be one i reread much. mce has that crown with like. a billion already. #i reread mce and reread it eight after #and occaisionally reread parta of dbdc but its a lot longer so that stalls out #au tho has a lot less downtime in it. once the plot starts realllly happening it doesnt stop and its reveal after reveal after reveal #so a bit emotionally exhausting #also unsure about hlw sollux and dave are so impkrtant... but not primary pov characters it causes some problems... ik for plot reasons but #like i love rose here. even compared to mce this might be the best rose of the three #but it causes some conflict between plot focus and story focus as time goes on from early where its all davesolkat but mostly solkat #to: rose is more important than both sol and dave agency wise #not bad just. a conflict there #anyways go read it if you havent. likely easy to get jnto for non hs readers actually #just some minor references and name stuff youd miss #totslly coherent plot wise #ALSO GETTING TO PREDICT STUFF WAS GREAT #I FELT SO SMART FIGURING OUT KARKATS SPECIES LIKE... CHAPTER 4 OR SMTH. MAYBE 3 #EVEN IF THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN INTENDED

[vaugarde]

camerons definitely just kind of a worse character in hindsight of the unova league but man best wishes really was a big fan of calling ash an idiot

#well i say that but cameron just sorta isnt funny at all imo #im not a big fan of humor thats like ‘’ha ha isnt this character so DUMB and CRINGE’’ over and over #its usually just like mean spirited and it makes me not care much for the conflict #its fine once or twice but its so boring and predictable after a while #echoed voice #pokeani lb #im not bitter ash lost the unova league btw but like ash vs cameron was just the epitome of bw’s biggest issue #which was ‘’we need to be comedic all the time and have no weight’’ #like. he didnt lose in spite of his own merits like sinnoh or hoenn or johto #he lost for The Funny #and its not even funny really. if i wanted to see a funny league loss id just rewatch ash vs tobias

[ayyponine]

watching st4 and turns out first and foremost this will continue to be a billy hate blog

#sometimes you like watching smth and trying to predict what characters will say! and listen i am that bitch #was v proud to get the superbly cheesy i was wrong im not cursed... i AM the curse.... shit word for fuckin word my guy #anyway seein max at her brothers grave going billy i rlly hope you can hear this and guessing i love you? no- i forgive you #and instead hearing an im SORRY i BOO TOMATOES BOOOO #dying was the ONE good thing that bitch ever did i love my child max and am sending her brother! to hell! he was beating up twelve yr olds!! #i love sadie i love max i love the conflict her character is going through. but violent racist sadistic fuck billy its on fucking SIGHT dude #like!!!! BYE! #stranger things #stranger things spoiler #stranger things season 4 spoiler #stranger things season 4 #stranger things s4 #stranger things s4 spoiler #more posting abt the eps so far incoming.... i was like naw ill take it easy but then i heard that funky opening tune blacked out and uh #under 24 hrs later here i am all caught up. had to know how these fucking besties these children were doing

[evermoving]

umm thoughts on hacks so far (post s02e06)

ok ok i don't know how i feel about this season? i had something bothering me from the beginning even though i really enjoyed a lot of things. So much of the episodes so far seems lacking something, every character seems disconnected from one another and i guess my main issue is how they made the choice to break Ava and Deborah's dynamics - understandably so! at least in the first episodes, but now where i thought there would finally be some big, meaningful conversations, they still seem so off? Even their moments together (while nice) still feel like its lacking something. I don't know if its bc i went in this season expecting so much of them and the show itself, but what I really miss is to see them actually work through stuff, talk, argue and be vulnerable. Six episodes in and you mean to tell me that Deborah has this epiphany, she finally gets what she needs to do to shape the new act, and suddenly the email doesn't seem to have all the weight anymore since Deborah can finally admit to her mistakes and flaws and desires? So it doesn't matter? Ok yeah the email and the bombing and everything that happened in the tour up until this point led to this, but it sucks that we didn't get to *actually* see this development through them going crazy and being honest and open. Like this Big Thing happens that breaks what they had going on, Ava is filled with guilt, Deborah is hurt, they set it like another betrayal when Deborah was finally opening up and trusting someone again and yet?? They're working together again and vibing like before except now it doesn't feel nearly as good as it was watching it in season one and it also feels unearned

#ok! lets come up with situations to give them screentime! #idk if im being crazy? or maybe its bc ep 06 didnt go as i was predicting or expecting to #also i still havent finished ep 4 i just skipped to 5 so yeah #idk #hacks spoilers #im just idk i love them i love this show i love all of the characters #but theres two eps left and i feel like there havent been enough things are missing #and also so much of the scenes with the rest of the cast seemed to me like #rather than what we had in the first season where everybody was alligned in a way? #but i do have to say i really enjoyed DJ and Aidans IVF storyline and Aidans fight for me it was the side plot that alligned the most #with what was going on and to move forward those relationships deb and dj an aidan #but marcus' storyline? i love him and i hope im wrong but it feels like hes just there and all of the conflict with deborah was pushed #aside #yeah in conclusion im kind of :/ but i wanna trust the process (ha) it just feels kind of..... bad #maybe i need to sleep and watch everything again

[communistkenobi]

in the discourse landscape of gay shipping I think a crucial element is the underdog effect. official approval of your ship from showrunners (ie ship going canon) compromises your marginal status as a fandom shipper on tumblr, and in the long run produces a sore winner subjectivity where you must constantly insist that your ship is still good and subversive. destiel is a good edge case as it went canon in the most homophobic way possible, thus maintaining something of an underdog status despite it being explicitly addressed in the text of supernatural, while still ultimately losing its fandom dominance as evidenced by it constantly losing in shipping polls. ofmd shippers in this respect occupy a conflict of class interests in which their gay canonicity confers a level of comfort and stability that gay shippers who have to work in the posting mines doing web weaves will never experience. therefore, we can consider ofmd shippers to be the petit bourgeoisie of the fandom ecosystem, caught between the big bourgeoisie (tv writers) and the proletariat (stuckys), predictably choosing to engage in downwards class conflict to maintain their narrowly privileged status

#fandom discussion

[pinkeoni]

I love Winona and the og beetlejuice but I hate the idea of a sequal where she has a daughter

#if not just because its so predictable #let me guess there is a mommy daughter conflict and then jenna ortega discovers beetlejuice and its a similar romp from the first movie #except theres no charming practical effects and its all terrible cgi #not that predictable stories cant be good but im just so disinterested #bonus points if lydias daughter is exactly like her #film posting #robin rambles

[claire-starsword]

this would be a lot more impactful if the main character was a kid from Klantol Kingdom who trained under this guy as opposed to a traveler who barely had the time to train with him.

Regret that you became an evil guy, or regret from your life before, since you apparently never felt real pleasure then?

This is a pretty sad guy. I wish there had been more dialogue in town foreshadowing he was unhappy with his life. I guess it’s that kinda ‘guy that works hard and looks perfect ‘cause he keeps it all inside’. According to the prologue he even resisted the forbidden fruit for a while.

#shining soul 2 #claire plays shining soul 2 #ssoul2 deatharte #honestly that epilogue is a weird choice. on one hand it spoils he's the villain instead of leaving his whereabouts unknown #on the other hand it's a predictable twist so it's interesting that they owned it and just gave more context to things instead #i still want more though #curse shining and its one note villains that still manage to have like one final good scene just to catch my attention #reminds me a bit of melvyl or whatever his name was from sitd #who got the evil powers and immediately got like. bored #i would like to see that guy again especially given final conflict making zero sense as a backstory for him #like i like it! but it doesn't make sense with only what we know