#stakes | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

tlbodine · 10 months

Text

Characters care about external stakes. READERS care about internal stakes.

OK. Here's a distinction I've recently started to think about and really notice after reading and watching some things that handle this poorly.

Fiction needs stakes, right? We all agree on that?

Characters have to be doing something, and they need some reason to do things, and there has to be some kind of reward for succeeding or consequence if they fail, yeah?

Cool. So here's the thing about stakes. They can be internal or external.

External stakes are things like: "if we don't do this, the sun will explode" or "if we do this, we'll win the game."

Often, to make things more interesting, external stakes have a ticking clock attached to them. You have to complete your quest before the next full moon or else the spell won't work for another hundred years. You have to score the winning point before the buzzer goes off in five seconds. That tension is important to shuffling the story forward.

But here's the thing.

The reader doesn't give a fuck about the external stakes and the ticking clock. We know perfectly well they're not going to miss the window for the spell or fuck up the finals game. We understand how stories work and how genre conventions work and you're not impressing anyone with your ticking clock.

What readers do actually care about is a character's internal stakes.

Internal stakes are things like "if I can save the world, I can finally absolve myself of guilt for letting my mom die." Or "if I win this game, my crush will finally notice me."

They are personal motivations. They are the reason why your character cares about what they're doing. They are why we care and how we get invested in their story.

Because like. We're humans. At the end of the day, we care about human things and we have human emotions and we relate to people -- even fake people made of scribbles on paper -- who care about stuff the way we care about stuff.

Raising the stakes doesn't mean "make the sun explode if they fail." Raising the stakes means "we care about this person and want to see them succeed."

So why bother with the external conflict and the ticking time clock? If what we actually care about in a story is the person, why can't we just read a couple hundred pages of the character going through therapy and working through their trauma?

Because what that ticking time clock does is it forces a character to act before they're ready. It prevents them from procrastinating. And it makes them do stuff they're not prepared for. And it's thrilling to see them interact with stuff that way, because it forces them out of their comfort zone and into an area where they can grow and challenge their status quo...which is the thing that pushes on those internal conflict bruises.

Imagine that our heroes have as much time as they need to fulfill the prophecy. They can take their time training, studying, making failsafes and backup plans and then go and the plan goes off without a hitch and they save the day without breaking a sweat. That's boring! That's just people going to work. That doesn't force them to confront their inner demons at all! That doesn't rip them from their existing environment and leave them struggling to adapt to new circumstances!

So those external stakes are necessary to keep the plot rolling forward and put pressure on the characters. But ALL OF THAT is only important if that pressure reveals interesting things about those characters, and forces them to engage with the stuff deep inside that they're probably hiding from. Because that's the part that's juicy and interesting for the reader.

Capiche?

#writing advice #writing tips #stakes #conflict #character motivation

627 notes · View notes

jasmines-library · 6 months

Text

People are Strange

WHUMPTOBER DAY 25: prompt: “Hunted down/failed escape”

Fandom: The Lost Boys

Summary: Whilst on a hunt for a meal, you come across what appears to be the perfect victims, however things go downhill quickly when you realise that they are hunters and you are their prey. And when you try to run, you realise you have a bigger problem that would leave you trapped in the woods with no where to go: The sun is rising quickly…

Warnings: Failed Escape, torture? (Stakes and Holy water), some weird holy water drip thing?, blood, death.

Word count: 2.7k

MASTERLIST ⛤ WHUMPTOBER WORKS

🕸 ⋆ ⁶𖤐⁶ ࣪⋆🕸

It was unusually warm in Santa Carla for the time of year, which meant that the boardwalk was heaving. Although the leaves donning their usual golden hues, the chill that was carried through the air was absent. The night was busy and disorientating with swarm of people the bright lights flitting in and out of the shops. All of the extra people created extra noise and with your vampire senses you could smell each and every one of them like someone was playing them through a megaphone. There jangle of change being tossed around in a pocket, the sound of a zip being undone, a chesty cough, a string of laughter in between broken conversations. It was nauseating.

However it was your turn to lure in the night’s feed, so you were left with no choice but to begrudgingly stroll around the centre of activity. Dwayne had offered to give you company but you turned it down, telling him that you wanted to enjoy the scenery. Besides, your story would be more believable if there wasn’t a leather-clad motorcyclist hovering around you. You wandered along the boardwalk, swinging your arms by your sides and keeping your eyes peeled for someone who looked gullible enough to be drawn in. Perhaps an ignorant surf-nazi who only thought with his dick or someone of that sort.

The night was still young by the time you spotted him: tall and tan with a mop of dark, greasy hair, prancing around the boardwalk like he owned the place. He was with another man of a similar age, who donned a similar demeanour. You tailed the pair for a while, creeping around in their shadows as they went about their business. Their behaviour was what you would expect it be: brawny. And childish. You couldn’t help but roll your eyes at their ignorance.

Slowly you began to grown impatient as they hung around the boardwalk. The sun would rise soon and if you weren’t home by then…

You shook the thought from your mind. You would be fine, you told yourself. Worst comes to worst you would just have to leave early and snag someone on the way home, but you didn’t like the mess and the fact that it made your hands sticky.

“You okay, Doll?” David asked through your mind link. You could practically picture him in your mind, just from his tone of voice. He would be sat on his wheelchair with a cigarette lit between his fingers. Most likely weed. And his right leg would be crossed over his left as he lounged, pretending that the fact that you weren’t home yet wasn’t nothing him when really it was all he could think about.

“Fine.” You replied. “It’s just taking longer than usual. I’ll be back before sunrise I promise.”

The two boys you had been following were slowly teetering towards the edge of the boardwalk, inching away from the crowds and down the steps to the beach. You swerved through the crowds to trail behind them. When they reached a secluded area under the pier, they stopped and you darted behind one of the pillars.

“We know you’re there, bloodsucker. Are you going to come out or are you just going to stand there and watch?”

Had your heart still been beating, it would have stopped dead in your chest. How long had they known? You stepped out into the light, you face contorted into that vampire look: golden eyes and bared teeth.

The man spat at you. “You think that’s gonna work?”

Someone grabbed you roughly from behind, wrapping an icy claw around your forearm. You let out an animalistic growl, breaking away from his grasp with your vampiric strength. You lunged forwards to try and take one of them down. You had faced worse odds before, but one of them was clutching a vial of holy water which he flicked at you. Your skin sizzled and you howled as it melted your skin.

Snarling, you turned and fled, slipping away from the hunters, but they weren’t far behind. They were smart. You could see the sliver of blue emerging on the skyline as the sun began to rise. The hunters had been stalling to try and trap you under the sunlight. And for a heart wrenching moment, it looked like it was working.

So you ran.

Feet slapping against the ground and scuffing against the protruding roots and the sleeves of your jacket snagged against the trees and thorns, tearing at the hand sewn patches on your jacket. You knew it would bother you later; you had sewn them on with Marko, but right now you didn’t care. They were hot on your heels and you had to get away.

The hunters were gaining on you, trailing behind you as you fled towards the cave, trying to use the woodland as shelter from the rising sun.

You could feel the way that the sun was affecting you. It made your eyes droop and your body feel like it weighed a thousand times more than it should have done as you moved. Perhaps it was the reason that your movements had began to grow sluggish.

“David?” You implored, racing towards safety. You weren’t sure if you were going to get there before the golden flecks of sunlight rose complete above the ocean to cast a soft glow on the shimmering water.

“Doll? Where are you?” It wasn’t David that replied. No, this voice was too openly concerned.

“Hunters.” You panted. “They knew I was following them. I’m on my way but I- they’re going to get me. I’m not going to make it back…”

“What?!” This time it was David. He growled the word through gritted teeth.

“Babe? You need to keep going. Where are you?” Dwayne urged.

“I’m on the bluff…the woods… I can’t go any further…” the sunlight assaulted your eyes as you stumbled to a stop at the edge of the trees, trapped by the light under the shelter of the leaves. You clung to the trunk.

“Come on, baby. You’re so close. You have to keep going.” Paul? You weren’t sure anymore, your head was too foggy and all you could focus on was that big ball of fiery light that shone. It was ironic really. You had forgotten how beautiful it could be in your many years of slinking away from it. But you couldn’t revel in its beauty as you collapsed to your knees, unable to withstand the affects of its spell.

“I can’t…”you muttered. The hunters approached quickly. “It’s already too late…”

There was a choral cry of your name.

“I’m sorry…”

The only thing you could register when you awoke was pain. Raw and fiery as the holy water sizzled on your skin like oil in a pan. You screamed, body bucking against the pain.

“Be quiet.” Someone hissed at you, emptying the rest of their flask on your skin. You muffled a cry by sinking your fangs into your lip, they drew blood.

You weren’t sure where you were. Or what time it was for that matter. You knew from the light that shone through the window that it was still day. You edged away from the light, as far as the beam you were tied to would let you. You knew that as the sun moved, you would eventually be caught in its light.

“What do you want from me?” You wailed.

The man grinned, screwing the cap back onto the empty flask before throwing it over his shoulder. It clattered against the floor. “Don’t worry. We’re not gonna kill you.”

“Yet.” The other interjected. He was leaning up against the wall sharpening a stake.

“You’re just the bait. We’re just gonna make sure to hurt you nice and slow, just until the rest of the bloodsuckers arrive. Then, I’m going to drive that stake right through your heart.”

“You’re a dead man.” You told him.

David and the boys would be on their way soon. You knew it. As soon as the moon replaced the sun they would be on their way. You had tried to reach out to them through the link, but nothing came up but static. They had retreated to the back of the cave to sleep, sheltered from the cruel sun. What you should have been doing, but you just had to make sure you got a good catch, didn’t you?

“We’ll see.” The Hunter tilted his head as he floated towards an old IV stand. He fiddled with the bag filled with clear liquid. It was connected to a thin wire in that led to a small needle. Noticing your curiosity, he flicked the head of the cylinder to remove the bubbles and flicked the switch the start the flow of the liquid before moving toward you. “Holy water.”

You chucked. They were going to try and cure you. “That’s not going to work, dipshit.”

He just shrugged, inserting the needle into the crook of your arm. “Maybe not. But it’ll hurt like a bitch.”

He was right. You held back a scream as the liquid began to trickle into your veins.

“Go fuck yourself.” You gritted out.

“Sit tight, little vampire.”

Dwayne couldn’t sleep. He had tried to, but your words swirled around his brain like a disease.

‘I can’t. It’s too late…I’m sorry’

Then there was that fateful silence that gripped his heart tightly and squeezed, tearing at the strings. His brothers had retreated to the cave, deciding that they needed to gain their strength to leave at sunset. But Dwayne was wide awake. It wasn’t unusual for him to be up at this hour of the day. He often chose to revel in the peace and quiet and curl up with a book, but this time he just sat, bouncing his leg up and down.

Dwayne wasn’t sure what was worse. Not being able to feel you, or only being able to feel your agony. Because that was the decision he was faced with when you woke up. He had tried to reach out to you, and could feel you probing around in the link, but your mind wasn’t focused enough to get anywhere.

“Dwayne? Come on man, you’re stinking the place out. Go back to bed.” Marko peered around the corner bleary eyed from sleep. He had shed his patchwork jacket and was wandering round barefoot. He didn’t like the absence of your bodies in the cave, they left an empty, cold hole, but it was your discomfort that forced him to make the move. He knew that his brother would still be in the same spot he was when they left, wallowing in your pain. He couldn’t bare to leave him like that.

“Sorry.”

“She’ll be okay. She’s tough.”

“It’s just…” Dwayne threw his hands up. “I offered to go with her. I should have insisted…”

“Stop that.” Marko almost snapped. “Come on. You haven’t fed and we’re all going to need out strength. It looks like we’re having Hunter for breakfast.”

~~~

You couldn’t take it anymore. The pain had begun to become unbearable as it seemed to burn you from the inside out. It was an agony you had never felt before. And you had lived a long time. No matter how much you writhed, there was no release from the pain and the needle wouldn’t budge.

The two hunters hadn’t returned, but you could smell them nearby. They reaked of fear. You hadn’t given much thought to how you would die, but you never thought you would go out this way. Left alone to suffer a painful death in an unknown building, surrounded by nothing but your own screams.

Unsure of exactly how much time had passed, as your body began to grow numb and your screams faded to whimpers, you watched as the light coming from the windows shrunk. They would be coming soon. You told yourself. Just a little longer. But you were beginning to lose hope as your body withered away. And then you heard it. A faint tickle in the back of your mind.

“Y/n…”

“Hmm?”

“Stay with us doll, we’re on our way.”

“Can’t...”

David knew that. He could feel your silent cries for help.

“You have to try, Doll.”

“M’kay”

Suddenly, they felt a rise of panic bubble up within you.

“Y/n?”

You heard him and could sense them drawing nearer, but couldn’t compel your body to reply. The hunters had returned again.

One of them raised the stake he had been sharpening. “It’s showtime.”

As the door flew open and two of the blonds emerged with angry eyes and sharp teeth in full display, he raised the stake, hovering it over your heart.

“Ah ah.” He chided. “Not a step closer.”

“Get away from her.” Paul growled, observing your state. Your head hung to the side, permanently contorted into a look of pain. You eyes were squeezed shut and you mouth was agape. He saw the IV buried deep in your arm, following it to the half-empty bag. He took in the way your whole body trembled uncontrollably as you fought to keep yourself awake. You were dying. For the second time.

“I don’t think you’re in the position to be making demands here.” He pressed the stake harder against your skin and the scent of your blood began to fill the air. But it was off. “See, right now we have holy water pumping through her pretty veins, burning her insides out slowly. If you do what we say, then it stops. And we’ll allow her to heal. If you don’t? Then bye bye baby.”

Paul and Marko gave each other an unspoken glance.

Marko gestured to you. “You back away from her first. Until then we’re not doing shit.”

With a brief nod, they backed away, ripping the needle from your arm, but keeping the stake poised.

“Better.”

“Now. Where are the other two?”

“Right fucking behind you, halfwit.” David grabbed the man from behind, tearing a chunk out of his neck before throwing him unceremoniously to the dusty ground. That was when Paul and Marko surged forward, wrapping their hands and tearing away at the others skin mercilessly.

Dwayne was crouching next to you, running his hands over your skin, it was oddly warm, which concerned the vampire and caused him to knit his brows together in concern. You whimpered at the contact.

“Babe?”

You squinted at him, using your energy to try and lift your head. You made out his dark hair.

“Dwayne?” You slurred “ s’you?”

“Yeah. It’s us. We’re here.”

You hummed, but it didn’t really mean anything. Your mind was beginning to lose control over your body- your world was now just a blur of pain as Dwayne disappeared momentarily.

Then the familiar coolness of David’s leather gloves against your chin as he angled it upwards. His lips moved but you didn’t understand what he was saying. And then there was hot, sticky blood trickling from your lips. It gave you strength, but did little to ease the pain.

“Y/n?” David’s voice broke through.

“Hurts.” It was the only thing you knew at that moment. So it was the first word you mustered up.

“I know doll. I know. We’re gonna fix it I promise.”

He turned to his brothers and they all moved into position and soon the pain that circulated your body was replaced by four new ones as each of them sank their fangs into your skin and began to drink. The thought that the holy water in your blood probably hurt them crossed your mind, but they would do anything to save you. When your body began to grow woozy, something warm was forced into your mouth as you were encouraged to drink.

You took slow, but greedy sips as the liquid ran down your raw throat. The four of them watched you anxiously.

“Y/n?”

You pulled away, feeling much stronger than before. Still not 100%, but less like you were on the verge of death.

“I’m okay…”

There was a visible shift as they all relaxed to the ground. And then you were surrounded by four pairs of arms, who refused to let you go. You didn’t mind, choosing to cherish the moment, knowing that you would be around for a long time to come.

🕸 ⋆ ⁶𖤐⁶ ࣪⋆🕸

<- DAY 24 ⛤ DAY 26 ->

Taglist:

@senjoritanana

@deans-spinster-witch

@amaryllis23

73 notes · View notes