#Such a slow build of a narrative

[deerspherestudios]

Not an ask, but I js got done playing day 2, and it was absolutely amazing! I thought the ending was amazing, too! It was different because we hadn't gotten to the "crush zone" on the scale yet, but it was good!! I saw that you're already working on day 3, so I hope developing it goes fast for you!

Haha it's kinda surprising how many people like the scale mechanic I made coincidentally based off a random ask, but I do enjoy figuring out how Mychael feels after certain events! I'm already chipping away at the Day 3 script bit by bit, I'll be making it the best I can as always <3

#mushroom oasis vn #cheea chatter #bts #will be taking my time with it #but gosh its getting difficult building off the previous days and making it narratively consistent while also having some sense of build-up #but i think ill stick to it being a slow burn #despite players' requests to make mychael more romantically inclined </3 #guys do you want the slow burn or not </3 #anw just a quick ramble haha

[pasta-pardner]

spotify | the tragedy of the gunslinger: chronicled through rock, alt country, and heavy metal.

#pardner playlists #john marston #red dead #rdr1 #rdr1 spoilers #rdr2 #this playlist is mostly rdr1-centric but also it references john's past so.. it involves rdr2 kind of ? #the imagery is a screenshot of rdr2 that i edited SEVERELY to make it fit the aesthetics of rdr1's graphic design elements #but the typography /isn't/ attempting to fit anything in the rdr graphic design canon #listen . i wanted an excuse to work with 'mesquite' bc its one of my favorite typefaces. #and i think the bold stylistic look of the typeface compliments all the bold rock music in this playlist #im actually Really Proud of how the playlist turned out. i wanted to: #1) make everything mesh with the sick guitar solos of the canon soundtrack #2) toe the line between '1911 gunslinger' and '2011 edgelord' for an aesthetic that i've mentally dubbed the ~Hot Topic Cowboy~ #3) hit the key plot ideas of the reformed outlaw + bounty hunt premise + missing family + etc #4) fit into a circular narrative like the game does #the song sequencing is primarily chronological bc i wanted to convey a slow build to the inevitable. #also like . babes you will never understand the EXCITEMENT i felt finding a heavy metal cover of the 'gunfight at the ok corral' guitar rif #+ an ominous alt country johnny cash cover #anyways. john is my babygirl and i will make 5 billion playlists about him. this is just my rock-heavy one. #pardner posts

[aroaessidhe]

2023 reads

The Winter Knight

slow-building urban fantasy mystery

reincarnated arthurian legends living in modern Vancouver

follows a gay autistic college student who’s the reincarnation of sir gawain who just wants to live a normal life

and a 30-something valkyrie woman

when a knight is murdered, she’s assigned to investigate, and he’s pulled into things after finding the body

m/m and pre-f/f (she is bi ace)

#The Winter Knight #aroaessidhe 2023 reads #this is.....interesting #it is very slow and introspective…. I think because both the main characters are more quiet/isolated #i would def go into it more from a character study perspective than plot #also i know there are buildings on the cover but the vibes of the cover give like….rural fantasy not urban-city fantasy #I feel like most urban fantasy books with modern versions of x y z have them like…..they’re fighting demons or monsters or something #this is just like. they’re existing? there’s the occasional monster but they’re mostly just people living normally. why #I guess probably that is the question the book is trying to answer.. #(ie what Would they do? recreate the narratives they're doomed to repeat? or just live normal boring lives?) #but also like....there could have been a lot more (or different) done with some of it? #it’s very slow up until a final battle at the end. which also brings in 3 new POVs of various major characters briefly? #also. as the number one defender of pop culture references in books I admit I think there’s too much here #like it’s namedropping books and musicians/songs SO often #some of it feels like it could be music as wayne’s special interest - but there’s so much of it not in that context too #anyway something about the combo of that + slowquiet tone made the vibe feel. idk like it doesn't quite mesh #i did enjoy the characters tho? theres some interesting things in here #also yes it is a gawain/green knight romance #the boy is more of a significant mc tbh #+ trans girl major characters; polyam side characters; various other queer chars #there's a line where a character sees his friend “typing in pinyin characters” on her phone which....... #pinyin is the romanisation. pinyin characters is not a thing? SOMEONE editing should have clocked that. surely #tldr mixed thoughts. there are thoughts tho.

[fruitsofhell]

Is it hyperbolic to say that FF7R is made of the same brain slush that Disney Live Action remakes are? I know FF7R is technically still animated, but I mean, so was The Lion King 2019.

#shut the heck up #ff7 #disney #tag talking #watching the nibelhiem part of rebirth with the council and there were sooo many dumb choices #and like looking at the 7r project as a whole it just lacks so moment to moment vision #i know its building to some grand meta-narrative but like individual scenes are so bleh so generic action camera and mocapitis #im happy there are enough people out there who realize the majesty of prerendered backgrounds for storytelling but like squenix doesnt care #also so many scenes that were originally slow and dialogue based turned into mild action setpieces its shtuupid #or the part in the reactor where while Sephiroth has a revelation youre in a different room doing a random valve turning QTE LIKEDSGFJSHD #lord the balance of battles and narrative #people harp on the original for being dated with its late 90sness but theres so much abbrassive rule-of-coolism in 7R #more than a lot me and my friends kept screaming about sephiroths characterization like why in gods green fuck he smiled so much #and one of my friends was like 'maybe this is cloud making things up cause he wants to feel like sephy notices him' and i was likE- #OFC THEN LATE GAME THEYLL EXPLAIN THAT ALL HIS OOC FANSERVICE MANNERISMS AHVE BEEN A ROUSE THE WHOLE TIMEHDSGJF #THEY DO ACTUALLY KNOW HOW TO CHARACTERIZE HIM THEY WERE JUST TORMENTING US OFC!! HSDFGJSDJ #they dont know what theyre fukcing doing with that guy he shouldnt be fucking smiling during nibelhiem #he shouldnt have even smiled when he said the 'im going to see my mother' line - AND DEFINITELY NOT DURING THE FIRE!! #he was not happy then he was estuans interis he was on a mission not sadistically torturing the townsfolk #HE WOULD NOT FUCKING do THAT

[zincbot]

ugh the transphobia in one piece is such a fucking frustrating ruinous thing

#one piece #first of all i'm trans so i have an unholy amount of trans rage #but second of all it's fucking unbelievable how stupid oda is #i'm mad but also i think a Lot about trans narratives. i see them everywhere because i'm. y'know. trans but also TRANS NARRATIVES #okay i would rewrite one piece and the rewrite exclusively focuses on making sanji trans in a good way. #yeah i'm talking abt transfem sanji now #look if transfem sanji was a thing in the show it would not be a good thing. a lot of harmful stereotypes. #but i think there's such a golden opportunity that has been wasted by transphobia #because look #a character who in early childhood was only treated well by women and poorly by men #growing up surrounded by men #starts building up a fancy masculine facade with wearing suits all the time #and it's a fucking devastating blow to their whole ideals of character but they're stronger for it #once they build themself up brand new. trans trans transgender trans #look ok i know this isn't the place to get it and i know that the transphobia in the world would probably make this shit #but i want a story where. a longtime character slowly realizes they are trans. it's like with marco from star vs again i wanted it so bad #i just feel like every time i see a trans character it's post coming-out. which i also love. but the realization of true self #and the slow process of REMAKING YOURSELF. IN YOUR OWN IMAGE. I LOVE TRANS PEOPLE #transness is akin to godliness #i kinda lost the plot in these tags but that's ok #being trans is so important and trans narratives are so important. and I love one piece! i really do! that's why it bothers me so much when #this series does stuff like this #if it was a media i didn't care abt i would just drop it and move on and i definitely think that's a smart decision for when you don't #wanna let something get to you but i've been invested for years so i guess i'll stay #STILL GONNA BE FRUSTRATED THOUGH #anyway. trans one piece fans out there...!! stay strong!! you're the best ones among us!! #on my way to my notesapp to do some writing. lmao bye #also sorry for all the one piece posting i unfortunately fell down here again please help me

[grapecaseschoices]

Hi! I was wondering if the dark urge route is worth playing. I enjoy the customisable tav route, but I've tried to play dark urge origin route and it just feel Yandere simulator Disney channel cartoon villain vibes at last through the first half of act 1. I trust your recs, so I was wondering since one of ur mcs is dark urge if its worth continuing to play this route. 😅

LMAO. What specifically made you feel that way? No judgment, I just love a good lol /and can be a petty troll.

I don't hate it. I feel like I've gotten some really good moments so far playing a redeeming Durge romancing Wyll [when from what I gather the meaty stuff is an evil durge or a redeeming one romancing Astarion]. I'm still early in act three, and from what I gather end of two and three is where we really get into Durge's history. I do admit it can drag on -- not the learning but the getting there.

I feel to have avoided that they should have 1. done better with the memories 2. introduced a certain character in MCs backstory earlier 3. connect mc better to ALL the potential romance routes not just Astarions 4. the pacing -- or maybe pacing isn't the right word, it's sorta disjointed some of the things Durge can do/has done or said and how the characters react.

In retrospect, thinking about your comments actually, maybe it's because I play a non-dragonborn [I hear they are more expressive] but it is SO weird how my Tav is constantly smirking when the narrator speaks about their EhVuhl. It makes me feel like I'm playing BBC Morgana.

I would say I would give the route a 3/5. Maybe a 3.5 but I'm also still asleep and will probably have more thoughts as I wake up but also as I go on. I think a lot of the appeal for me is the RP perspective. The figuring out her motivation and her connections and what it means to her. I mean I do that with all my Tavs. But I sorta like calculating WHY Kaeliana makes the 'wrong' choice and why she doesn't when she does, what drives her, what is her outlook. So I think if you go into it like that, you will find it very enjoyable. But yeah the smirks are annoying.

#and honestly i do feel they could have done better with the actual urges #i felt there werent that much #grapecase plays bg3 #anon #grapecase answers #long post #narrative analysis #sorta lmao #there are certain other things - beyond my list - that i would have liked more of but #overall. at the moment. i am enjoying the experience #i will admit it WAS a slow start and for a bit i played kaeliana less than my other current tavs but then i wanted to develop her and wyll #and get THAT scene. then i sorta liked the friendships she had growing with astarion and i kept playing lmao #i've put on a break at the moment bc i got annoyed with the game and it's schematics re: buildings and sneaking in and missions and stuff #hope this is of help! #the moments with wyll and astarion/the reasonings ive weaved beyond would take it higher if it was those alone lmao #but overall. yeah 3/3.5 #maybe durge playing mutes/followers can give their insight too #i feel like im biased being so pro wyll and so anti ... how they make these characters connect

[impossible-rat-babies]

NG+ just to play garlemald again

#owen ffxiv spoilers #no it was so good I loved every second of it #narrative wise and area wise—this build up to this place #across the expansions and to be there and it’s this haunting ruined wasteland #a cold and empty ruin with this tower of hubris. this tower of horror #garlemald has just a good horror element to it omfg #what happened to varis. the radio. the tempered #the garleans tempered by a creature built of their own faith. this horror of Eorzea and what sparked their whole invasion #created in the center of their own home and the worst is no one knew. no one understood #the way that part makes the WoL helpless by using the twins #a collaring more effective than what was done to the twins #and the body swapping hogogogogog #that helplessness there put to practice and not just in a cutscene #i love you garlemald it’s a shame you were followed up by the moon :-/ #I loved the moon but there was too much time w the loporits #which personally for me was just how long it took to get around the area #it was so so slow. painfully so

[novlr]

how to describe despair in writing

Despair is a visceral and crushing emotion—one that echoes through the pages of a story, gripping readers with its raw intensity. It is more than just a feeling; it’s an abyss that characters fall into, a shadow that colours their every action and decision with hues of hopelessness and loss.

Behaviour

Neglecting personal care or obligations.

A lack of motivation or interest in activities they once enjoyed.

Withdrawing from social situations or avoiding company.

Engaging in self-destructive actions or habits.

Consistent signs of fatigue or lethargy.

Frequent emotional outbursts or mood swings.

An inability to concentrate or focus on tasks.

Indecisive, even on trivial matters.

Focusing on negative thoughts.

Displaying a loss of hope or a sense of defeat.

Interactions

Avoiding physical or eye contact with others.

Short-tempered and easily irritated.tempered

Speaking in monosyllables or giving terse responses.

A sense of indifference or apathy toward others’ concerns.

Struggling to express themselves or to articulate their feelings.

Misinterpreting others’ intentions or words negatively.

Isolating themselves despite offers of help or companionship.

Being unresponsive to attempts at humour or light-heartedness.

Blaming others or external circumstances for their despair.

Seeking out enablers or situations that validate their mindset.

Body language

Slumped shoulders or a consistently bowed head.

Averted gaze or blank stares into the distance.

Fidgeting, such as wringing hands or picking at skin.

Slow, dragging movements or a lack of coordination.

Heavy sighing or audible breaths.

Neglecting personal space or boundaries.

Minimal gestures or lifeless posture.

Clenched fists or jaw during moments of heightened emotion.

Visible trembling or shaking due to emotional strain.

A general lack of energy or life in physical presence.

Attitude

Pessimism towards the future.

Cynicism about intentions, whether their own or others’.

Resignation, believing that effort will not change their situation.

Indifference to opportunities or choices presented to them.

A sense of helplessness or powerlessness in all scenarios.

Self-deprecation and a tendency to dismiss their own value.

An overwhelming sense of guilt or responsibility for past events.

A fixation on the negative aspects of every situation.

An inability to accept comfort or positive feedback.

Believing they are a burden to others.

Positive Story Outcomes

An epiphany or realisation that sparks a desire for change.

A gesture of kindness from another character that provides a glimmer of hope.

The discovery of an inner strength or previously untapped resource.

A serendipitous event that offers a new perspective or opportunity.

The formation of a supportive relationship or friendship.

Minor victories or achievements that build self-confidence.

Learning a valuable lesson through hardship.

Developing empathy for others going through similar experiences.

Finding purpose in aiding others, easing their own despair.

An eventual embrace of vulnerability, leading to healing and growth.

Negative Story Outcomes

A surrender with long-lasting consequences.

The breakdown of important relationships.

A significant loss incurred because of inaction or apathy.

Descent into a more self-destructive or reckless lifestyle.

The solidification of a character’s role as an antagonist.

A missed opportunity for redemption or improvement.

A worsening of the character’s situation, potentially affecting others.

The development of a trait or flaw that hinders future happiness or success.

A downfall that provides a cautionary tale within the narrative.

A tragic ending that leaves a profound impact on the reader and other characters.

Helpful Vocabulary

Desolate

Forlorn

Wretched

Crestfallen

Anguished

Dolorous

Bereft

Hollow

Numb

Morose

Sullen

Bleak

Languish

Melancholy

Hopeless

Despondent

Dejected

Heartbroken

Miserable

Pained

Woeful

Eclipsed

Defeated

Overwhelmed

Grief-stricken

Tormented

Disconsolate

Listless

Oppressed

Despairing

#writers #creative writing #writing #writing community #writers of tumblr #creative writers #writing inspiration #writeblr #writerblr #writing tips #tips for writers #writing asks #let's write #writblr #writer stuff #writers corner #writer #writing advice #writing resources #writers on tumblr #writers and poets #writers block #how to write #writer's block #beat writers block #advice for authors #helping writers #writing help #help for writers #quick writing tips

[deception-united]

Let's talk about pacing.

Pacing is crucial to consider in plot development. It refers to the speed at which events unfold in your story.

It's important to vary the pacing to keep readers engaged. By effectively managing it throughout, you can maintain reader interest, build tension, and create an overall compelling narrative.

Fast-paced scenes: Use quick, action-packed scenes during moments of high tension, such as intense action sequences or pivotal plot points. Short sentences and rapid-fire dialogue can help create a sense of urgency and keep readers on the edge of their seats.

Slow-paced scenes: Slow down the pacing during moments of introspection, character development, or when you want to build atmosphere. Take the time to delve into emotions, descriptions, and inner thoughts to deepen the reader's connection to the characters and world.

Transitions: Smoothly transition between fast-paced and slow-paced scenes to maintain momentum while allowing readers time to catch their breath and process information. (See here for more on how to effectively implement transitions!)

Avoid prolonged lulls: While it's essential to have slower moments for character development and world-building, be cautious of prolonged lulls in the story where nothing significant happens. Keep the plot moving forward, even during quieter scenes, by introducing new information, conflicts, or character dynamics.

Balance: have a balance between fast-paced and slow-paced scenes throughout your narrative to create a dynamic reading experience. Too much action without sufficient downtime can exhaust readers, while an excessive number of slow scenes may lead to boredom.

More writing help on my blog! ❤

#writeblr #writing #writing tips #writing resources #writing help #plot development #creative writing #pacing #deception-united

[deathbyworm]

lil magnagate symbol wants to be a time gear so bad. give up it loser! you'll never have what he had 💔💔

#im playing through gates to infinity for the first time and. hm #i get why its considered the worst game in the series #its very easy #the text goes rly slow and cant be sped up?? #and u can only take 1 req at a time?? mayb this'll change as i progress but idk :/ #but at the same time. i love these characters so much #emolga is so protective. virizion and ur partner being like. i wanna say narrative foils but im not certain im using that phrase right?? #but still. gurdurr?? i love him so much i want to wring him out like a wet cloth. hes my boy!! my lad!!! #and scraggy being absolutely terrified of quagsire makes for some v fun lil scenes #and i love that u can build up the paradise #the whole thing of like. restoring hope in this world thats become so distrusting and gloomy. ur partners almost naivety to the rarity of #their hope for the world and the people around him. i love it so so much #i wish it was just a little bit better to do this all justice tho. cus as good as the story is the slowness and the very easy difficulty #makes it kinda painful to play thru even tho i wanna enjoy it so badlyyy #OH AND THE FREE MOVE DUNGEON SPACE??? where u like. knock over tree trunks to make bridges and stuff. i love that but again i wish the game #was just a little bit better to have properly done that concept justice!! T-T #i do love how v unova focused the pokemon chosen are. ik its unpopular but i fuckin adore the unova dex #its got lillipup!!! my boy my son!!!! #anyway. theres my pmd rant of the day #OH WAIT ACTUALLY ALSO a set of pmd2 badges i ordered arrived today and theyre v good. okay thats it bye

[boylikeanangel]

I don't know how to explain to some people that their theories about how aziraphale is being mind controlled or how that's not really them or that this is all a big elaborate trick robs the narrative of literally all its emotional impact and makes the slow build this season worked so hard to establish completely pointless if the interpersonal conflict is artificial lmao. they need to have done this themselves, aziraphale needs to have made that decision with his whole brain and his whole chest, crowley needs to have been the one to push aziraphale that final inch back towards heaven, or there is absolutely no tension or stakes going into season 3. you all realise this right. I understand nuance and complicated character drama is uncomfortable when it doesn't get resolved immediately but some of you are so determined to absolve aziraphale (and by extension crowley) of any wrongdoing or guilt that you're literally robbing them of everything that makes them interesting; namely that they are totally fucked up and they did this to themselves. and rip if that's you I guess but personally I like it when my favourite characters are irrevocably damaged emotionally and incapable of accepting a shred of happiness into their lives. that south downs cottage isn't going to be hard-fought and sorely won all by itself <3

#absolutely no hate to anyone but some of yall are soooo sillyyyyyy <3 #just remember the harder the rain the sweeter the sun huh. kisses #good omens #good omens spoilers #meta tag

[daydreamerdrew]

The Incredible Hulk (1968) #199

#the letters page included in this issue right before this scene discusses how the writer believes that the series has fallen into a pattern #and so intends to make some big changes in the coming year #so it’s interesting to me to see the Hulk complain here and question ‘why does Hulk’s life never change?’ #for the most part it’s really the stuff that’s going on with the military side of the book like with General Ross and Betty #that’s really developing in the sense that plot stuff directly builds off of what comes before it #whereas the Hulk #partially due to his poor memory meaning that he often doesn’t really learn from his adventures #and all character growth is inherently slow for him #and partially because he’s perpetually on the run and so moves from disconnected setting to disconnected setting #has a much more fragmentary existence that isn’t really building anywhere #also the Hulk saying here that he’s tired of fighting and repeatedly trying to run away rather than continue the battle #like even he would like to branch out from his current narrative formula #marvel #bruce banner #leonard samson #my posts #comic panels

[vendettasfanfictioning]

See, it's the cinematic choices like these that convince me destiel wasn't an accident or something added last minute, it had build up and it was sprinkled all over the narrative.

It's Dean grieving so much, in a way he never grieved for familial figures like Bobby or John—there is enough pain inside him that it shattered his belief that what he and Sam did was right, as hunters protecting the common folk. When, in times of multiple Armageddon-level crises and then some, that belief is what held him together. Because hey, we may have lost people (so, so, so many people) but at least it was for the greater good.

None of that, absolutely none of that, because this loss made him feel that the job wasn't worth it anymore. This was where he drew the line.

It's Dean, literally gaining back that light in his life when Castiel called.

And, at the end of the episode, there are slow, dramatic close-ups between Dean and Castiel. Because Sam's grief wasn't the same as Dean's, so Sam's relief at finally having Cas again is different from Dean's.

This moment belongs to them. To Dean, who's finally finding his faith again.

#THEY'RE SO IN LOVE I'M ACTUALLY SCREECHING UNHOLY SOUNDS #watching spn #supernatural #spn meta #spn analysis #13x05 #dean winchester #dean #spn dean #spn castiel #spn cas #castiel #destiel #deancas #dean x castiel #holy shit 1k

[aroaessidhe]

2023 reads // twitter thread

Zombabe

paranormal YA set in a small town in 2003 where weird things happen that mostly get ignored

a boy is resurrected by his best friend after dying just before graduation. but he’s maybe a zombie now and if he ignores his hunger for flesh an ancient evil might start causing bigger problems

thankfully one of his friends’ aunt is a cop who has no problem helping get rid of some of the local nazis

queer teen friend group, m/m

#zombabe #aroaessidhe 2023 reads #i.s. belle #lgbtq books #i loved this!!!!!! #the like. 3rd person omniscient (i think) in a modern (ish) setting works really well actually? #and its one of those books that has little snippets of various side characters yknow what i mean. #it’s kinda slow building up until the end when it happens very fast #i have no idea where the next books will go???? #I also really liked that like. while obv there's homophobia in the world (& the aforementioned nazis very much bully them up for being gay) #there's not any internalised homophobia or anything like that. and like even tho the nazis like threaten to kill them I guess- #you never feel like the actual threat and danger of it from the narrative. you know the bigots are just gonna die lol #is my intense fixation on wanting to bite my best friend a zombie thing or is it just the gay yearning i’ve been trying to ignore #I already made a post about this but tentatively comping to in the flesh.....zombies....slightly anachronistic small town people who #turn a blind eye to stuff..dark with a bit of humor...kind hearted quiet blonde gay boy MC.... #I will say that ITF is a lot heavier re: mental health and like systemic oppression and stuff #(.....because I just rewatched it again. prompted by reading this book) #I will also note that; while I don’t think this is reskinned fanfic; the author used to write a lot of It movie fic #so if ur into that you might like this apparently it has similar vibes #nz author

[bellshazes]

dreaming up a syllabus for an imaginary course on metanarratives about gameplay, which i think would go something like:

unit 1: who do you think you are i am - auto-documentary & games

Vlogs and the Hyperreal, Folding Ideas

The Slow Death of Let's Play Videos, Meraki (to ~10:00)

World Record Progression: Mike Tyson, Summoning Salt

ROBLOX_OOF.mp3, hbomberguy

Life as a Bokoblin: A Zelda Nature Documentary, Monster Maze

optional: Braindump on the History of Let's Plays, slowbeef

unit 2: what like it's hard? - intro to challenge narratives

Chapter 26: Games as Narrative Play: Two Structures for Narrative Play, Rules of Play

A different kind of challenge run: Minimalist 100% (BOTW), Wolf Link

Surviving 100 Days on Just Dirt, Mogswamp

Can You Beat DARK SOULS III with Only Firebombs, the Backlogs

Is it Possible to Beat Super Mario 3D World while permanently crouching?, Ceave Gaming

The Pacifist Challenge - Beating Hollow Knight Without Collecting Soul [CHALLENGE] - Sample

optional: How to 100% Snowpeak Ruins in under 15 minutes, bewildebeest

unit 3: nelly you don't understand, i AM the narrative - form and function

The Future of Writing about Games, Jacob Geller

Can You Beat GRIME Without Weapons?, the Backlogs

Mushroom Kingdom Championships, Ceave Gaming

My Life as a Barber in Hitman 2, MinMax (Leo Vader)

MyHouse.WAD - Inside Doom's Most Terrifying Mod, PowerPak

optional: Mega Microvideos, Matthewmatosis

the theme and structure is mostly intended to introduce at least one critical or historically contextual work followed by examples of the type of narrative in question.

in unit 1, this is the idea of "How do people talk about their own experiences in the context of YouTube and playing video games?" across three rather different kinds of documentaries. unit 2 is intended to take that lens of who is telling what tale and dial in on challenge running, where i first noticed the way some videos turn the story of overcoming a challenge into its own narrative that is distinct from but related to the narrative events of the game itself. unit 3 circles back to the bigger picture with a variety of examples that, to me, are maximally metanarrative, the emergent story of the player-narrator now functionally replacing the game's embedded narrative.

bonus unit: broken narratives

Glitch & the Grotesque at the MLA, Sylvia Korman

Watching time loop movies to escape my time loop, Leo Vader

The Stanley Parable, Dark Souls, and Intended Play, Folding Ideas

Breaking Madden, Jon Bois

The TRUTH about the Pizzaplex in FNAF: Security Breach, AstralSpiff

this one is highly underdeveloped, but i'd love to work out something more robust building on randomizer challenges that produce intentionally bizarre, semi-ironic "lore," and bois-esque endeavors to break games so hard the story itself crumbles. but that's really out of scope so i'm just including the links to things i couldn't bear to get rid of. more rambling abt the challenge runs I chose under the cut.

Challenge runs represent one of the most obvious places to start, due to being extremely plentiful and having a hook that makes a "here's how I did X thing in Y video game" format almost unavoidable. Minimalist 100% is an underrated and sweet straightforward example that I mostly include as a baseline for reporting-out style narrative; here are the facts, here's what happened, this is the thing that it is. Mogswamp's 100 Days on Just Dirt is similar in style, but the physical measuring of days is a delightful and, more importantly, external narrative device.

Now oriented, we get a taste of Ceave Gaming's narrative approach to Mario challenges with the no-crouching run, and while we still aren't at the degree of player-characters being constructed for the narrative's sake, the spirited belief in crouching sets the stage for other rhetoric in more extreme cases we'll see later.

The Backlogs' entire body of work qualifies here, but GRIME is the strongest inspiration for putting this list together. I include the DS3 firebombs run because what was initially a factual description of how his wife's use of firebombs inspired him to play differently in the original DS1 firebombs run has developed into full-blown multi-game narrative arc with the Firebomb Goddess (his wife, who also voices the character) compelling his in-game character to achieve his destined quest. Grime takes that even further,

In-Game Documentaries

I include Life as a Bokoblin mostly as a contrast to My Life as a Barber - there is a level of fictionalization and roleplay involved in the Zelda in-game documentary that highlights exactly what I want to single out when I am talking about metanarrative, the story about a story.

#peter posts #mc meta #<- close enough #also i will add some context for the rest of the docus too since the summoning salt is on here for a VERY SPECIFIC REASON

[physalian]

Pacing your Story (Or, How to Avoid the "Suddenly...!")

Arguably *the* most important lesson all writers need to learn, even for those who don’t give a damn about themes and motifs and a moral soap box: How your story is paced, whether it’s a comic book, a children’s chapter book, a doorstopper, a mini series, a movie, or a full-length season of TV (old school style), pacing is everything.

Pacing determines how long the story *feels* regardless of how long it actually is. It can make a 2 hour movie feel like 90 mins or double the time you’re trapped in your seat.

There’s very little I can say about pacing that hasn’t been said before, but I’m here to condense all that’s out there into a less intimidating mouthful to chew.

So: What is pacing?

Pacing is how a story flows, how quickly or slowly the creator moves through and between scenes, how long they spend on setting, narration, conversation, arguments, internal monologues, fight scenes, journey scenes. It’s also how smoothly tone transitions throughout the story. A fantasy adventure jumping around sporadically between meandering boredom, high-octane combat, humor, grief, and romance is exhausting to read, no matter how much effort you put into your characters.

Anyone who says the following is wrong:

Good pacing is always fast/bad pacing is always slow

Pacing means you are 100% consistent throughout the entire story

It doesn’t matter as much so long as you have a compelling story/characters/lore/etc

Now let me explain why in conveniently numbered points:

1. Pacing is not about consistency, it’s about giving the right amount of time to the right pieces of your story

This is not intuitive and it takes a long time to learn. So let’s look at some examples:

Lord of the Rings: The movies trimmed a *lot* from the books that just weren’t adaptable to screen, namely all the tedious details and quite a bit of the worldbuilding that wasn’t critical to the journey of the Fellowship. That said, with some exceptions, the battles are as long as they need to be, along with every monologue, every battle speech. When Helm’s Deep is raging on, we cut away to Merry and Pippin with the Ents to let ourselves breathe, then dive right back in just before it gets boring.

The Hobbit Trilogy: The exact opposite from LotR, stretching one kids book into 3 massive films, stuffing it full of filler, meandering side quests, pointless exposition, drawing out battles and conflicts to silly extremes, then rushing through the actual desolation of Smaug for… some reason.

Die Hard (cause it’s the Holidays y’all!): The actiony-est of action movies with lots of fisticuffs and guns and explosions still leaves time for our hero to breathe, lick his wounds, and build a relationship with the cop on the ground. We constantly cut between the hero and the villains, all sharing the same radio frequency, constantly antsy about what they know and when they’ll find out the rest, and when they’ll discover the hero’s kryptonite.

2. Make every scene you write do at least two things at once

This is also tricky. Making every scene pull double duty should be left to after you’ve written the first draft, otherwise you’ll never write that first draft. Pulling double duty means that if you’re giving exposition, the scene should also reveal something about the character saying it. If you absolutely must write the boring trip from A to B, give some foreshadowing, some thoughtful insight from one of your characters, a little anecdote along the way.

Develop at least two of the following:

The plot

The backstory

The romance/friendships

The lore

The exposition

The setting

The goals of the cast

Doing this extremely well means your readers won’t have any idea you’re doing it until they go back and read it again. If you have two characters sitting and talking exposition at a table, and then those same two characters doing some important task with filler dialogue to break up the narrative… try combining those two scenes and see what happens.

**This is going to be incredibly difficult if you struggle with making your stories longer. I do not. I constantly need to compress my stories. **

3. Not every scene needs to be crucial to the plot, but every scene must say something

I distinguish plot from story like a square vs a rectangle. Plot is just a piece of the tale you want to tell, and some scenes exist just to be funny, or romantic, or mysterious, plot be damned.

What if you’re writing a character study with very little plot? How do you make sure your story isn’t too slow if 60% of the narrative is introspection?

Avoid repeating information the audience already has, unless a reminder is crucial to understanding the scene

This isn’t 1860 anymore. Every detail must serve a purpose. Keep character and setting descriptions down to absolute need-to-know and spread it out like icing on a cake – enough to coat, but not give you a mouthful of whipped sugar and zero cake.

Avoid describing generic daily routines, unless the existence of said routine is out of ordinary for the character, or will be rudely interrupted by chaos. No one cares about them brushing their teeth and doing their hair.

Make sure your characters move, but not too much. E.g. two characters sitting and talking – do humans just stare at each other with their arms lifeless and bodies utterly motionless during conversation? No? Then neither should your characters. Make them gesture, wave, frown, laugh, cross their legs, their arms, shift around to get comfortable, pound the table, roll their eyes, point, shrug, touch their face, their hair, wring their hands, pick at their nails, yawn, stretch, pout, sneer, smirk, click their tongue, clear their throat, sniff/sniffle, tap their fingers/drum, bounce their feet, doodle, fiddle with buttons or jewelry, scratch an itch, touch their weapons/gadgets/phones, check the time, get up and sit back down, move from chair to table top – the list goes on. Bonus points if these are tics that serve to develop your character, like a nervous fiddler, or if one moves a lot and the other doesn’t – what does that say about the both of them? This is where “show don’t tell” really comes into play.

4. Your entire work should not be paced exactly the same

Just like a paragraph should not be filled with sentences of all the same length and syntax. Some beats deserve more or less time than others. Unfortunately, this is unique to every single story and there is no one size fits all.

General guidelines are as follows:

Action scenes should have short paragraphs and lots of movement. Cut all setting details and descriptors, internal monologues, and the like, unless they service the scene.

Journey/travel scenes must pull double or even triple duty. There’s a reason very few movies are marketed as “single take” and those that are don’t waste time on stuff that doesn’t matter. See 1917.

Romantic scenes are entirely up to you. Make it a thousand words, make it ten thousand, but you must advance either the romantic tension, actual movement of the characters, conversation, or intimacy of the relationship.

Don’t let your conversations run wild. If they start to veer off course, stop, boil it down to its essentials, and cut the rest.

When transitioning between slow to faster pacing and back again, it’s also not one size fits all. Maybe it being jarring is the point – it’s as sudden for the characters as it is for the reader. With that said, try to keep the “suddenly”s to a minimum.

5. Pacing and tone go hand in hand

This means that, generally speaking, the tone of your scene changes with the speed of the narrative. As stated above, a jarring tonal shift usually brings with it a jarring pacing shift.

A character might get in a car crash while speeding away from an abusive relationship. A character who thinks they’re safe from a pursuer might be rudely and terrifyingly proven wrong. An exhausting chase might finally relent when sanctuary is found. A quiet dinner might quickly turn romantic with a look, or confession. Someone casually cleaning up might discover evidence of a lie, a theft, an intruder and begin to panic.

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Whatever the case may be, a narrative that is all action all the time suffers from lack of meaningful character moments. A narrative that meanders through the character drama often forgets there is a plot they’re supposed to be following.

#writing advice #writing tips #pacing #writing tools