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nebulouscoffee · 10 months

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The thing about Kai Winn's storyline ultimately being a tragedy is, it's not only a tragedy because her fate (in the eyes of the non-linear Prophets) was already known and nothing she did or said was ever going to make them acknowledge her- not only because she wanted so badly to have a big role to play in the grand, historic story of the newly independent Bajor and just couldn't handle the fact that she was never meant to- not only because the Prophets spoke to Sisko and Bareil and Kira and literally even Quark but not her- not only because she was deceived and raped and killed in the end- but most of all because, it was partly her love of Bajor that killed her.

Think about it- her whole regression during that final arc with Dukat is so tragic precisely because she was THIS close to redemption! Throughout the show, we see that her brain processes information in very rigid, binary ways: if you are not my ally, then you are my enemy. If you disagree with even one of my opinions, you are my enemy. If you refuse to endorse and support me in this mission, you are my enemy. That's part of why she's so easily swayed by fascist rhetoric, I think- she's just unable to cope with nuance. (This is foreshadowed in 'Shakaar', where she puts the whole of Bajor under martial law just because Shakaar disagreed with her over how she was handling soil reclamators.) Her personal narrative is I am the one who will save Bajor -> anyone who gets in my way is my enemy and therefore an enemy of Bajor -> I must stop them using any force necessary for the good of Bajor because I am after all the one who will save Bajor.

But when Sisko discovers the city of B'hala in 'Rapture', she is for the first time forced to accept the truth that he really hasn't been faking this whole "talks to the Prophets" thing- he's the real deal. We learn later on (when she tells "Anjohl" about how she honestly felt nothing the first time she saw the wormhole open) that a small, small part of her actually always doubted the existence of the Prophets. Now, she is faced with definitive proof that they are not only very real, but they also really do have a bond with Sisko. And for a while, she even comes to terms with this! In fact, at the end of the episode, she and Kira have possibly their first completely honest exchange:

KIRA: Maybe we're the ones who need to trust the Prophets. For all we know, this is part of their plan. Maybe they've told Captain Sisko everything they want him to know. WINN: Perhaps. I suppose you heard that Bajor will not join the Federation today. The Council of Ministers has voted to delay acceptance of Federation membership. KIRA: You must be very pleased. WINN: I wish I were. But things are not that simple. Not anymore. Before Captain Sisko found B'hala, my path was clear. I knew who my enemies were. But now? Now nothing is certain. KIRA: Makes life interesting, doesn't it?

Like, YASS babygirl- you too can learn to handle nuance!! I believe in you!!💪💪

And later on, at the onset of the Dominion War, she comes to Sisko for advice herself. She doesn't want to see her planet colonised again, and she's even willing to put aside her desire to be the main character to ensure it doesn't happen. Driven by pride and the need for power as she is, she is also driven by the desire save Bajor (and preferably be the one saving Bajor, which is the subsection of this desire that ultimately ends up being her downfall) - and she does briefly decide that cooperating with the Emissary is the best way to do this! I think about this scene from 'In The Cards' so much:

WINN: ... I have asked the Prophets to guide me, but they have not answered my prayers. I even consulted the Orb of Wisdom before coming here and it has told me nothing. So I come to you, Emissary. You have heard the voice of the Prophets. You were sent here to guide us through troubled times. Tell me what to do and I will do it. How can I save Bajor? SISKO: You want my advice? Then this is it. Stall. Tell Weyoun you have to consult with the Council of Ministers, or that you have to meditate on your response. Anything you want, but you have to stall for time. WINN: Time for what? SISKO: I don't know. But I do know the moment of crisis isn't here yet, and until that moment arrives we have to keep Bajor's options open. I'm aware that this is difficult for you, given our past, but this time you have to trust me. (Winn holds Sisko's left ear.) WINN: Very well, Emissary. We put ourselves in your hands. May we all walk with the Prophets.

In the earlier seasons, Winn would often casually make claims that the Prophets had "told her" something, or that she was just "doing what the Prophets asked"- and her political position as Kai always allowed her to just lie about being in contact with them all the time. Now, you can see the sheer humility- the embarrassment, even- on her face as she (for the first time) openly admits to Sisko that she has never actually heard them speak before; and that they clearly "prefer" him. Yes, there's some (understandable imo) bitterness here- but not at him, at THEM. And when she tries to read his pagh at the end- something she probably does to dozens of people every day, most of whom would unquestioningly believe anything she declares afterwards- she doesn't even try to pretend she felt anything there. It's one of her most genuine moments in the whole show, you can just SEE the redemption arc in reach and it's so heartbreaking!!

I think 'The Reckoning' is a huge episode for her too, for many reasons- but let's talk about how it sets up this fascinating parallel between her and Kira (who Odo describes in this episode as having "both faith and humility"). The Prophets choose Kira as their "vessel" because she was "willing"- meanwhile, Winn was right there just begging to be a part of this! Here she is, with a Prophet right in front of her face- and she prays and postures and begs and prays some more, all just to get ignored. Kira's brand of faith is very, "I am ultimately insignificant and I surrender my power and my body and pagh to the Prophets"- Winn's is more, "if I do all the right things, then I will be able to prove to the Prophets that I am worthy of their attention, worthier than everyone else, and maybe then they'll appoint me the saviour of Bajor! It's My Destiny, You See!! (Why Isn't This Happening For Me??)" And the events of this episode are kind of a big slap in the face to her honestly, because they sort of prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Prophets have no interest in her. Maybe stopping the battle was also an attempt at regaining some kind of agency with them- I DID THIS, I pulled a switch and it had a direct effect on the Prophets, so there!! (Whatever that effect entails). She does care about Bajor. Of course she does. But her ideal configuration of Bajor involves her being a major player in its salvation, which she was just never meant to be. And this is why she's so tragically susceptible to Dukat's manipulation- he was the first person ever to tell her everything she always wanted to hear.

And the intriguing thing about Dukat's deception is, it doesn't all fall apart at one go. It falls apart in layers. And this makes for some excellent, excellent Winn characterisation imo.

First, she thinks the pah wraiths are the Prophets- and they tell her, hey, The Sisko has faltered, Bajor needs you, and only you can fix this. Good lord, imagine finally getting to hear those words after a lifetime of silence! And it's very telling that her first reaction isn't to gloat like she would've in the earlier seasons, but instead to humbly- even anxiously- pray. Bajor needs her, the "Prophets" have asked her to do something, this is her moment! Then, this random lovely Bajoran farmer comes in and tells her even more things she has always wanted to hear- that her activism during the Occupation (ignored by Kira and Sisko alike) saved lives, that he always wondered why the Prophets would choose an alien as their Emissary, that surely Sisko and his followers were mistaken- and finally, "our world will be reborn- with YOU as its leader". Sounds good, right? But THEN she finds out she's been speaking to the pah wraiths and the lovely farmer is a devil worshipper actually. And she tries the "wash away my sins" approach- she wants some kind of quick fix ritual that will "purify" her, so she can continue to be Kai the right way. She even admits to Kira that she's always been power hungry and she wants to change- and I believe her! Unfortunately, Kira then tells her something she doesn't want to hear- that she has to step down as Kai. And surely that can't be, right? She's the saviour of Bajor! She's so complex... it's not simply her love of power that this scene reveals imo, but more significantly, her inability to see herself as not a vital part of Bajor's history; of this whole larger narrative. Like-

WINN: I'm a patient woman. But I have run out of patience. I will no longer serve gods who give me nothing in return. "GIVE ME"!! ADAMI MY BESTIE MY GIRL MY BUDDY THEREIN LIES THE PROBLEM!!!

So, okay, fine, now she's swayed over to the side that maybe the Prophets aren't that great, and maybe the pah wraiths are the true gods of Bajor (because they were willing to talk to her), and maybe she's okay working with the devil worshipper. But then it turns out he's DUKAT- and at this point, she's literally murdered someone, she's ready to stop this, to go back to Sisko and set things right- but then the book of the Kosst Amojan lights up because of the blood she spilled. She did that. It happened as a direct result of her actions. She's just so desperate to be acknowledged... to have a role to play in all this, no matter who offers it to her. So the pah wraiths actually giving her a reaction isn't something she can resist. And here's where things get even more tragic.

WINN: But the prophecies! They warn that the release of the Pah wraiths will mean the end of Bajor. DUKAT: The old Bajor, perhaps. But from its ashes a new Bajor will arise and the Restoration will begin. WINN: Who will be left to see it? DUKAT: Those the gods find worthy. It will be the dawn of paradise. And you, Adami, are destined to rule it. WINN: You're sure of that? DUKAT: It is meant to be.

Again with the ease at which she's swayed by fascist rhetoric! Let's be clear, she was (and is) absolutely against the Cardassian Occupation. But her worldview is built on the pursuit of being "worthier" than everyone else, of being "closer to god" than everyone else- her expectation of faith is that it's some sort of determiner of who's doing it The Most Effectively, rather than it being a practice- and she just completely misses that any sort of plan that executes masses and spares whoever is deemed "worthy" is... literally exactly what people like Dukat did to her planet. Something something faith as competition, faith as determiner of inherent superiority, faith as a way to gain power via proximity to god… never faith as submission. And the worst part is she’s self-aware. It’s heartbreaking.

And it's about to get even more heartbreaking, because she truly believes she has arrived at her girlboss moment in the finale (I think the tragedy of her being a rape victim and knowing this and having to hide the body of the one (1) person who was looking out for her while being stuck with her rapist speaks for itself.) After kicking Dukat out on the street (lol), she studies the eeevil texts and realises that to set the pah wraiths free, you need to make a sacrifice. So now she gets to deceive him in return. And she does! The look of shock on his face when he discovers she poisoned him is priceless imo, and her triumph as she taunts his dead body, the sheer joy on her face as she casts off her Kai robes, when she recites those incantations and something actually happens- and that too such a large pyrotechnic spectacle- is so sad knowing what's coming. Because ultimately, the pah wraiths want to destroy Bajor, right? And Winn just doesn't. Of course they don't choose her. Of course they choose Dukat over her! She really thought that by tricking and murdering him, she'd made him the unimportant piece of the puzzle, that she was stealing back his thunder- but tragically, it turns out even the pah wraiths see her as disposable. Of course they resurrect Dukat (a man who's proved time and time again that he wants to see Bajor & Bajorans destroyed) and turn her into the sacrifice. The way she screams "NO!" here breaks my heart- she's betrayed her planet, and it was all for nothing. (Dukat's "are you still here?" is particularly devastating.) I think it's very significant that her final words are "Emissary, the book!"- it shows that in her last moments, she's owning her mistakes- she's stepping away from power and putting Bajor first, and leaving her own fate in the hands of the Prophets. Who, of course, once again ignore her, and choose to save Sisko instead. God.

The utter tragedy that even in the pah wraiths' plan, she was just a pawn. That she died at the hands of the gods she thought chose her, but used her, all while the gods she'd coveted her whole life stood by and did nothing. The Prophets chose Sisko because they believed he would put Bajor's interests over even his own- and now they ensure he will be back one day to see the new Bajor. She never will.

Yes, it was her pride that got her here. Her mean streak. Her inability to cope with nuance. Her inability to see herself as ultimately insignificant. Her inability to surrender to a higher power in any way that didn't involve becoming more powerful herself; more relevant, more "close to god". But it was also her love of Bajor. Because if she'd cared about Bajor less, then maybe the pah wraiths might have chosen her- or at least spared her, or taken her to their realm after she burned, the way they did with Dukat. Now, she ends up being the one thing she never wanted to be: insignificant.

Honestly if I had to summarise the tragedy of her arc in one sentence, it would probably be Kai Winn: Too Evil For The Prophets, Not Evil Enough For The Pah Wraiths. She and Dukat are not the same! She is a perfectly pathetic, sad and wet blorbo and I am holding her gently in my hands while apologising for her crimes <3

#cw rape mention #ds9 #just to be clear: I did write this post after seeing the take #'the prophets never spoke to winn because even they found her insufferable & knew she didn't even care about bajor'#which I happened to disagree with (as I do w/ every take that claims she didn't care about Bajor or that she and dukat were 'equally evil')#BUT! this is absolutely not meant to be a callout post or anything #there is a lot of general misogyny in discussions about her and I have my issues with the way people make light of her trauma #but if you just don't happen to love her as a character that's totally fine! honestly the very last thing I want #is to make anyone reading this post feel bad (or for it to be used to hate on people who just like other fictional characters more)#so I kindly request that people not reblog this post with that sort of energy thank you <3 #(also I might turn off reblogs if I suddenly get shy lol)

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brekkie-e · 7 months

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Sometimes I just. Dont like the internet. I can't seem to escape seeing the Astarion's Correct Path to Sexual Healing argument no matter what tags I block.

I don't want to actually wade in to it, but I just want to say that there could stand to be a LOT less hostility being spewed about when the topic is that close to many people's hearts. There doesn't need to be a more "morally" correct version of healing for him. He is in the MIDDLE of recovery. Not at the end of it. That chapter is up to interpretation to each player.

It is incredibly unkind to automatically accuse people of infantalizing him for preferring a more ace route. It does not HAVE to be infantalizing. Astarion continuing to explore his needs and boundaries and discovering that he doesn't need sex and it doesn't give him the emotional intimacy he craves can be an empowering aspect of self acceptance. That can be growth. A sign of his continued journey towards autonomy. He has spent, unironically, a lifetimee having sex. If even at the end of the day, he comes to realize it's simply disinteresting to him- that's a valid route to recovery. That doesn't make him broken. That is without even mentioning the reality some people do not go back to "baseline" as they heal. Sometimes our baseline changes because of our experiences. He may discover as time goes on that no matter how much he tries, it never stops triggering negative feelings in him. I have my own personal experiences with this, and I think there's something very powerful in accepting yourself for who you are now, and not feeling like you have an obligation to "fix yourself" and get back to a version of you that no longer exists.

The flipside?

Astarion learning to love being sexually intimate with his partner does not inherently mean that the player is ignoring his desire to "not be seen sexually." Astarion at multiple points expresses an interest in trying it out. It doesn't always go well, but it's his choice to pursue it and that should be respected. He, just like irl sex abuse survivors, should be supported as they try to create a new relationship with it. He shouldn't be discouraged from having his own desires. Being able to take something that was used to hurt you and create a new and positive relationship with it because you found someone you love and trust that is patient with you is a BEAUTIFUL story. It is narratively satisfying and also a reflection of real growth as well. Telling people that they're somehow mistreating the character for wanting that for them is also unnecessarly hostile.

There is also a secret, third option. His relationship with it might remain fluid and change constantly through out his life. Healing is not linear. His interest in it may fluctuate. His response to it might fluctuate. He may go through periods of not wanting it again. He might one day decide he wants to try it again. It's not set in stone.

All I am saying is that there SHOULD be room in this fandom for all three of these truths to exist. It shouldn't be necessary to shout from the roof tops how much he loves sex to prove a point to people who think differently than you. They may have their own reasons for resonating with him in a different way. Flipside, it is entirely uncalled for to attack people for wanting him to be able to enjoy it again.

I guess what I am trying to say is make space for and be kind to your fellow fan.

Also, Astarion has WAY more trauma than simply his relationship to sex. So like. Maybe it's time we moved past this topic collectively and discuss the many other ways his life has been affected by Cazador.

#cw: sex abuse #tw abuse #bg3 #astarion #baldur’s gate 3 #astarion ancunin #i might delete this because i deeply dont want to be involved in this conversation #i held my tongue for weeks tho guess i finally cracked

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evertidings · 9 months

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Hi! I'm the anon who was staring into the abyss of No Interactive Fiction Idea- I have managed to claw my way out (thankfully- I thought I would spend a billion years in there/jk) I have decided on the genre being a mashup of Steampunk, Gaslamp Fantasy and Urban Fantasy though! and am slowly working out the worldbuilding details and trying to find plot ideas-😅

eeek i’m happy for you!! wishing you the best ! in case it might help, some other bits of advice i have for starting out:

you don’t have to plan out your story too heavily. as long as you get a grasp on the main plot points and build a solid foundation, you’ll be okay—details can come when you’re writing

if you’re a visual person, making mindmaps might be helpful !

especially when writing fantasy, don’t skimp on worldbuilding. it doesn’t have to be complex, but if your plot relies heavily on the politics of your world or the way it functions, if you don’t explain your world well enough, you’re going to leave your readers confused

don’t go overboard with stats. you might find that you won’t use them all

develop your ros first and foremost as characters before deciding their relationship and dynamic with the mc. this helps flesh them out as an individual and makes them more interesting as a whole

unless you’re already confident, don’t complicate things with a bunch of branches at the beginning. ease yourself into it; it’s okay if things are a bit linear at first

in the same vein, form choices out of the existing narrative, rather than making your story bend to the will of your choices

when creating choices, make sure you acknowledge the mc’s answer. even if it’s something small like picking what to eat for breakfast, it’s gratifying to see the text notice what you picked

take breaks :))

also, i’d recommend not making a blog/posting about your wip until you’re closer to launch. making people wait for a game that’ll come out in six months or might never exist isn’t exactly fun. the closer the launch, the more sneak peeks you’ll have, the more anticipation you can create. good luck !!

#ask #advice

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knowlesian · 2 years

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ofmd is an alternate history and fractured fairytale at once and i am going FERAL ABOUT IT.

the alternate history part is fairly self-explanatory; things did not go as planned/why and what if it weren’t like that are the guideposts they set in the first episode. ofmd takes place in a world of made up moths, a new name away from being just like the moths in our world, where crown royal bags are shovel covers, people wear crocs and funky little crop tops and pinocchio was available in print in 1717.

these aren’t mistakes or goofs: these are purposeful narrative choices. they’re not trying to be historically accurate, but rather to create their own alternate world where shit happened when and how the writers want it to.

the fractured fairytale bit needs a moment of explanation, just in case anyone isn’t familiar with the concept.

a fractured fairytale is essentially a deconstruction of a classic fairytale. they’re usually absurdist, they use a narrative structure or story/characters people are familiar with to tell a new story with a lot more nuance and a more modern worldview, and at their best they provide a thoughtful critique of whatever they’re attempting to deconstruct.

in a fractured fairytale, you might have an exterminator named, i don't know. sal, who has a thick brooklyn accent and is fucking sick of getting called out here to deal with this ant problem and not getting paid, lady. he doesn’t say nothing about the weird little graveyard out back or the rotating cast of kids in the oven, but he draws the line at convincing a bunch of singing ants to march their happy asses away from a cottage MADE OF SUGAR for the third time this month. cast a fuckin’ no-munch spell or pay up, & etc.

you get the picture. fractured fairytales, much like their source material, also usually operate on the Rule of Cool. things happen because it makes the story best, not because linear time or real world logic must be factored in. (unless factoring it in for a second would be coolest, like when you want to do some tender brow mopping while a wound heals: then it’s allowed.)

which brings me to the part i like best.

most alternate histories tend to ask ‘what if things were worse’. that’s not the entirety of the genre; some also ask ‘what if things were different’, but there’s not a whole lot of ‘what if things were better’.

especially not for marginalized groups.

i see a lot of utility and catharsis in narratives exploring pain, whether that’s just depicting real life or investigating how things might have gone worse. my issue isn’t with their existence so much as the wildly skewed ratio, and that for where i’m at right now in life i’m painfully aware life can get worse. i know that because over my lifetime, in many ways it has. not all the ways! but enough that political pessimism (never my chosen or instinctive mode) is currently unavoidable if i want to acknowledge reality and fight back instead of sticking my head in the sand.

all that means that i am very interested in art that says: i am not here for straight-up escapism so much as i am a celebration of defiant and sometimes angry hope for better in the face of genuinely shitty odds.

the thing about landing a dart on the proverbial dartboard o’ marginalization is that you move through life knowing the world is not for you. the ways in which that plays out change depending on how many darts any of us land and where we land them, but in some way we are always, always being reminded that we exist outside the mainstream and are allowed in on sufferance and promises of good behavior.

it’s why we can’t say ‘hey, get your fucking boot off my fucking neck, who the fuck raised you’ without getting scandalized pushback for a lack of civility. ‘please, person i know is good and kind and i am not in any way angry with, would you kindly take your foot away from the spot where you have placed it? i can happily wait another five to five hundred years, of course, but i would so like to not be down here’ is how you have to word these things, or you get called angry. or crazy, or stupid, or lying— the point is, people like us so rarely get to win, and we have to be so, so nice about the shittier realities of our lives if we want to be as effective as possible when trying to get people to listen up and knock it off.

ofmd doesn’t deny the more horrifying aspects of colonization and empire exist and hold sway in the world they built. they just refuse center them or make the trauma/tragedy the point, but instead use these glimpses into a harsher reality to craft absurd and emotionally real situations, alongside characters who get to not give a single fuck about how the world thinks they should be acting and are not punished by the narrative for being themselves.

(this does not mean bad things will not happen to beloved and/or authentic characters: it just assures them the eventual win, and means the narrative doesn’t end up enforcing a bleak set of rules that unconsciously assume to push back against the status quo is to be eventually ground down or broken in some fashion.)

this is why lucius could never have been actually dead: it breaks the show, on a fundamental level. and shows a lack of thoughtfulness and intentionality, neither of which really ever seems to be an issue for this team.

this is why nana is great with pronouns but judgey about a lack of murder, and why jackie and jim have a drink instead of fighting it out, or why stede isn’t angry about ed’s pirate face/off plan and ed comes back to knock boots just in time.

it’s about the Rule of Cool, yeah, but it’s about more than that. it’s about looking the realities of a shitty world and shitty behavior in the eye and saying, but why can’t we imagine better? we can so, so easily imagine worse. why is it so hard to think: what if people were kinder and more honest? what if you got to exist in a stacked system where you are the one it’s stacked against and still win?

and then it’s also about deconstructing pirate (and colonizer) narratives and fucking around in the murky waters of identity and finding solidarity and how to live out solidarity in the first place and a million other things silly and serious and on this day, the day of our rainbow capitalism overlords FINALLY GETTING THEIR SHIT TOGETHER

i am very, very glad this show exists. because fuuuuuuck me running, did we need a win right now.

#our flag means death #ofmd spoilers #my ofmd meta #truly i fucking love this show #it's so structurally cool and honest and new and weird and original #fuckin... feral over it your honor #would fight an army of bears for it #i will SEE THESE WRITERS OUTSIDE #(to thank them and maybe cry or hyperventilate who knows)

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ailelie · 1 month

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Structuring IF Side Plots

In a Choice of Games novel you must have multiple plots the player can pursue and that lead to a variety of end states based on the level of attention and success the player put toward that particular plot.

Central Plot

I am structuring my story with a central plot everyone plays through. The choices for this plot will focus on how they approach a task, why they're doing the task, and how they feel about the task. The choices will not focus on whether they do the task.

This central plot holds the story together, but also contains the least amount of player agency and so is also the least interesting plot available. Every single other plot though can connect to it through a character, a threat/stake, or other similar property.

Side Plots and my Struggle to Structure Them

These other plots are side plots. Each side plot should be engaging and something the player can care about. Each side plot should also have equal weight, which means I cannot hundreds of thousands of words on each. (Though I'm sure some writers do! There are CS games with more than a million words!)

Each side plot should also maximize player agency. One option would be to structure each plot as a series of questions or choices, but that did not work for me. I found I needed to know the what before I could put words to questions about it.

I explored narrative plot structures, but pinch points, second plot points, and so on rely on a high degree of authorial control. Players would rebel, I think, if you forced them to fail. Increased stakes or added danger? Yes. Required failure? No.

I looked up various blogs online to see what they said, but most focused on how to organize scenes into choice or dependency structures.

So I turned back to game mastering and writing up adventures for others to use. I read through adventures I'd written for Fate, Trinity Continuum, 7th Sea, and D&D--all very different systems. And, it was through doing that, that I landed on something that I think is going to work.

Learn - Explore - Act

Learn is when the player character (PC) becomes aware of the problem and the stakes. This is also an opportunity for the PC to reflect on the problem and to (re) commit to addressing it.

Choices in the Learn stage focus on how the PC feels about the situation and whether they want to (still) pursue it.

Explore is when the PC investigates or encounters the problem. (For example, the Thing was stolen! (Learn) Then, a man in a grimy cloak thrusts the Thing in the PC's hands and runs off (Explore-Encounter).)

Choices in the Explore phase focus on the PC's approach (e.g., how will the PC learn more), obstacles, and opportunities/useful diversions.

Act is when the PC must make a decision about what they've learned, gathered, and done. Acting leads to irrevocable change. It is the Point of No Return.

Choices in the Act phase focus on the PC's decision and completing the steps for carrying it out. These steps may involve choices related to approach, obstacles, and opportunities.

These are not strictly linear. The process is more like this:

(Description: A drawing of a system connecting letters with a series of one-directional arrows. L1 goes to E which either goes back and forth with L2 or to A. A goes to L1, L2, or C)

Note: In this case "C" is the conclusion and end of the plot. L1 is the hook for a new problem while L2 is the intensifying of the existing problem. A plot can contain more than one problem, depending on player actions.

As shown here, the Explore stage can lead to Act, but it can also lead to another Learn stage. The Learn stage, though, never leads to Act. While it may make sense to reflect on the problem and stakes before Acting, I think the tension is tighter if Exploration leads to a moment of Must Decide Now.

The Learn stage can lead to 'this is what I want to do,' but that triggers an Explore phase for pursuing that action and Explore continues until the Point of No Return.

The Act stage can lead to a conclusion, but may also lead to a new problem or the worsening of the current problem.

Why Is This (Potentially) Useful?

This structure helps me identify the anchor scenes. For each of my side plots, I know I need at least 1 Learn scene, 1 Explore scene, and 1 Act scene. Each of those scenes may contain multiple choices for the player to make.

I can even build an outline shell to fill in with details as I figure them out. For outlines, I like knowing the parameters of my map, but filling it in as I go. I think this will let me do that.

How does this work with Choice of Games?

This structure also maps onto the taxonomy of choices described by Choice of Games

Learn is primarily for flavor and establishing choices. The choices in this stage focus on the character more than their actions.

Explore may start with a forking choice, but is otherwise testing choices of all kinds, including objective testing choices (described in the next link).

Act is for the climax choice or, if too early for that, a forking choice.

Anyway! I'll try to remember to report back on how this does or doesn't work once I begin writing.

How have you identified key and anchor scenes for your stories? What processes and structures have you used?

#interactive fiction #choice of games #if game #plot structure #cyoa #llg

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girl4music · 10 months

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Regression of character development is still character development if it’s evolving the arc for the character. If it seems like it’s out-of-character, then it can be referred to as character assassination instead but even character assassination can evolve the arc.

In other words: you can’t actually develop backwards. Even if you go back to what you once were you still haven’t rewinded. You’ve just come full circle. A lot of people think that characters seem like they haven’t grown because they’re still behaving the same ways as they did when they were first introduced or when they first appeared. But all that’s really happening is they’ve undergone a growth that progresses in a spiral. Meaning their development is not linear. The process goes round in a circle but doesn’t fully close.

That’s how it works for real people in real life that are really living. Nobody’s life or existence is in a straight line where the only direction it can go in is forwards. The reason why the characters that have a spiral progression are the most interesting is because they are the most realistic - therefore the most relatable and/or resonant. Their development pathway branches out. Goes forwards, backwards, sidewards and curves. Most characters go from point A to point B. But the really interesting, appealing or entertaining ones move in ways that take them from point A to absolutely anywhere on the spectrum of the alphabet at any moment. They’re often unpredictable and chaotic. They are multi-dimensional. They are real. What they represent is the reality of actually living because life is not linear. It might look it but it’s not.

Time makes it seem like it only progresses in the direction of ahead. But time doesn’t exist. When you watch a movie or a TV show, it is bound by the constraints of a duration. A time limit. Real life does not have one unless you consider death to be time up. What we know as “time-space” is actually thought and emotion. A bending and reflection of perspective. It is actually entirely down to the individual observer how “time-space” moves. Art/entertainment teaches you this if you look beyond the surface of narrative. I’m not saying real life is like a movie or a TV show. But I am saying that it is a collection of still images combined together in a linear progression to give the illusion that it only moves forward. If you change the arrangement and position of those still images it now moves in another direction that doesn’t make any sense. That seems like it is not bound by time-space. All life is is a series of “now” moments. What gives the illusion that anything has “moved”, “changed” or “developed” is the consciousness of the observer. Life stays still if not for the mind’s ability to manipulate it. The tip to navigating is to tap into that stillness. When you do that, life moves in any and every direction and you are no longer bound by the constant of “time”. The really interesting characters we watch in movies and TV shows show us that life is of our own making. It appears to us like they’re bound by the narrative. But they’re actually what are creating the narrative and suddenly that movie or TV show seems longer and now it feels as if we’re not watching it but are in it.

That’s what art/entertainment shows and teaches me.

That real life is actually just like it. The only reason why we collectively believe that it isn’t is because we don’t see how our character effects our reality. That every choice we make changes the direction of it. We can still call that direction “ahead” and “growth” I guess because it is still a development of our character regardless of how it changes our character. Change is growth, is development and is evolution. And life moves with us: not the other way around .

#buffy the vampire slayer #angel the series #character representation #character development #character regression #character evolution #character assassination #character arc #characterisation #time-space #top 10 Buffy or Angel episodes that remind us everything is going to be alright #the passion of the nerd #Youtube

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itsjustalark · 8 months

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@seeingteacupsindragons

"Ahahaha, it sounds like you took a lot of inspiration from Sherliam and/or a lot of very specific Dynamics in fiction that I can certainly think of but not necessarily name. Of course, Sherliam started and ended quite cute and wholesome for how it seemed to go, and I'm not sure that's what you're intending with your stuff."

Coincidentally, I was just looking to watch something on netflix and stumbled upon yuumori and found sherliam. I had a lot of the story planned then. So I read the manga because of how much the dynamic and story was similar to mine and i'm so glad i did. Reading yuumori really helped me through a dark interval in my live. But you are right about the 'similar dynamics in fiction'. The main characters and their relationship is inspired by Satosugu form jjk actually. Though things have spiralled out of control and now they barely resemble a silhouett of Satosugu.

And yeah Sherliam is really cute and thay make me really happy but i just cant write happy stuff so my story will take take a dark and very convoluted turn.

"I tend to be a very chronological writer because if I don't, I don't really end up with anything written that makes any sense; I sometimes will write various bits of scenes or make notes about future things out of order and inevitably by the time I get there, it doesn't work anymore."

I used to write like this. But then i realised i was just writing stuff i had to for the story to make sense and not any thing i wanted to and it was really taking the foun out of writing for me leading me to lose motivation. So im try out this new way which had worked better than before but still i got to see of this goes anywhere.

"Outlines hate me. But a lot of stories are non-linear even by the time they're finished. I'm not sure if that's what you're doing, but it could be. "

I do have an lose outline for my story. I dont really look at it before writing usually. Its just exists to refer back to in case in am wrinting and forget where the hell i was going with this in the first place. It is very prone to changing tho.

My story actually alternates between flashbacks and the present.

"Anyway, Kel and Alex seem cute and the orphanage-y thing Kel is in is fascinating from your snippets. Am a little interested in when most of the story takes place, though, because they seem to be smallish kids but the writing doesn't seem like a story for/about smallish kids. Hmmmm."

The main story actually takes place in their early twenties. But they have know each other since they were like nine so thats where you read the snippet is from. As i said the story jumps between the present and their time as kids. And yes Kel's narrative voice is also supposed to sound a bit older because of his circumstances he is a bit mature for his age.

#writing #reply

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justanothergaymess · 2 years

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Star Trek DS9 - First thoughts after the first episode

Might also be the first two? Netflix labels it as a part 1&2 but they are like, connected?

- My DS9 mutuals made me believe that this was a romantic story between Liquid Man and Quark. I am not getting that impression yet. This isn’t a homoerotic slashfic, this is a treatise on politics

- Last time I interacted with Star Trek in any meaningful capacity was at the age of 14 when some obscure German television channel ran dubbed episodes of TNG. I didn’t pick up on it back then but they certainly made some heavy choices in the writing of the Ferengi. I hope I am just imagining things but it feels really bad

- Liquid Man looks like my grandfather on my father’s side. I do not like that. Also, the only major spoilers I have for this show is that he is like a quadrupel agent or something? Don’t know what I think about him

- Xiomara was so goddamn spot on when she said I would love Kira. Exactly the stuff my blorbos are made out of. Firstly, she is hot, and secondly, she is correct; why should the Bajorans shed the Cardassian occupation just to subject themselves to the hegemony of the Federation? The only meaningful difference between the Federation and the Cardassians is that one has intense soft power and the others have hard power. I know this is a Star Trek show so the Federation have to be the good guys and Kira will slowly learn to trust and at the end of the show be in support of the Bajorans joining the Federation. But! If TNG is anything to go on, a third to half of the main cast will inevitably end up with evil clones/models of the same design/parallel universe selfs as the show goes on. Can I get an “evil” alternate universe Kira that blows up Federation Ships and breaks Picard’s nose or something. Please. As a treat.

- Speaking of Picard; I have only watched TNG in German and since then, I have only heard Patrick Stewarts voice as Uriel Septim and (in my memory more importantly) Richard III. So. Uh. Weird. I can’t trust this voice after hearing it speak so many wonderfully evil Shakespearean monologues.

- Speaking of Captains, my goddesses, is Sisko acted well. Genuinely surprised how good he portrays the emotions of a traumatized, grieving man trying to outrun the call of destiny. I am just afraid that your name is one of the first to appear in the intro, good captain; you can’t deny the call, I am afraid. “You exist here” and “It is not linear” got to me.

- Sisko called Worm Lady “old man” and she is now a genderqueer transfem in my mind.

- Genuinely positive reaction to Kira shutting down the doctor for romanticizing “frontier medicine”. I love her. She should be allowed to break more people’s noses. I am not sure if this show will manage to meaningfully address the colonial narratives imbued in the original Star Trek but at least we get that moment.

- O’Brien becoming permanent cast member is nice but! I feel this station could profit from an openly slutty bisexual. Send Riker, too.

- One of my mutuals has Gul Dukat as a pfp and hm. I mean he is as pompous as he is pathetic and could become an interesting character but just like Liquid Man I am not seeing it yet

- Not to be a lesbian but Kira’s nose...

#kass watches DS9 #this isn't any serious analysis it's just the thoughts that appeared in my mind #admittedly 90% of my thoughts regarding this episode are wamen... pretty... in regards to Kira and Worm Lady #but I filtered those out for convenience's sake

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projecthipster · 8 days

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The Big Lebowski

“The Dude abides. I don't know about you but I take comfort in that. It's good knowin' he's out there. The Dude. Takin' 'er easy for all us sinners.”

(I think it’s funny when you see conservatives trying to use Sam Elliott’s character up there as a mouthpiece, when he only exists to praise a man they really wouldn’t be likely to.)

It's a good soundtrack, I'll give it that without question.

I don’t remember much of this movie, but I remember the vibes. I’m noticing another pattern as I go through fiction assigned by the crowdsourced and arbitrary Project Hipster selection process. In this case it's that “Hipster Fiction” doesn’t tend to have so much in the way of typical, linear plots. I’m not seeing many classic hero’s journeys here. I guess that makes sense. What defines a hipster movie? It’s one that displays auteurship and filmmaking skill, but maybe not in a way that will be appealing to everyone. The world loves a hero’s journey - just look at Star Wars. The hipster movie will be one less appealing to the mainstream because it focuses less on plot, and more on character development, symbolism, comedy, philosophy, or visuals.

I’m not sure which of those The Big Lebowski is supposed to be. It is a wry sort of comedy, yeah. I’ve also seen it described as one of the few examples of a “Zen movie,” which is an interesting take. A story which espouses forgoing the pursuit of desire. Like The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, this is a story focusing on a hero who defies the conventions of agency, especially male agency. It’s passiveness and acceptance here, not raging against the tide, which saves the day. It may not save the world as in the supernatural dreamscape of Wind-Up Bird, but Jeff “The Dude” Lebowski’s refusal to take up the classical male hero’s active mantle is what saves his own ability to have an okay day despite the chaos of the world he’s thrown into. “The Dude abides” could be a sort of koan, like the Vedic summation of “renounce and enjoy.” Don’t act. Just abide. When you must act, act to sustain the abiding state. So many stories focus on dissatisfaction with mundane life. It’s interesting to see one where a simple and happy mundane life – bowling, keeping afloat, and having a good rug – isn’t just acceptable, it’s the goal.

I’ve also seen The Big Lebowski described as a movie where everyone thinks they’re the main character. It’s like Vonnegut’s Breakfast of Champions in that way, a counterpoint to great man history, an exercise in sonder, the realization that everyone is their own central hero. Lebowski is less branching than Breakfast, though. It remains focused on the titular character, despite the best narrative intentions of everyone else, to whom The Dude is just a side character bum drifting through.

There’s a lot of narrative weight to the drifting, though. For all that the main plot (which despite all I said, still exists) digs like a noir novel into the slums and mansions of a vaguely timeless Los Angeles, a good portion of the screen time is spent on hanging out and bowling. The bowling alley is the movie’s home, its steady setting of return. All the adventures are just interludes between bowling, which is life.

Anyway. For all that the plot isn’t important, it does kick off pretty quick. A western-pastiche introduction turns the rugged male individualist ideal on its head when it moves beyond gravelly voices and open plains to focus instead on an unshaven Jeff Bridges in a ratty bathrobe drinking coffee cream from the carton inside an early 90s suburban LA bodega. This is our protagonist - and Sam Elliot’s western narrator, a voice from a different, more heroic sort of American male movie, doesn’t know what to make of him. There is not a hero, but there is a man. And that’s all he can see. We learn quickly that this man is, from the hustle culture perspective, little more than that. When some gangsters break into his house looking for a millionaire with his name, they’re not impressed. Neither is The Dude especially plussed. This is where we see the zen master creep in. Most people would have a pretty strong reaction to being waterboarded in their own toilet. The Dude just wants to be left in peace. He does, however, like his rug. This isn’t a materialist desire. The rug isn’t valuable. But the rug really ties the room together - it’s a symbol of aesthetic wholeness, of simple harmony. And a guy pissed on it. So our stoner zen master, while never quite reaching the level of “pissed,” is understandably miffed, and tracks down the Big Lebowski, the Rich Lebowski, who was the real target. It’s Dick Cheney. I don’t know if that was the Coen brothers’ intent – although they set the movie at the time of Operation Desert Storm which Cheney was commanding, so it seem likely – but from a post-Bush-administration perspective, the Jeff Lebowski who represents the polar opposite of our Lebowski, a high-strung paraplegic millionaire, railing at every chance against bums and building himself up as the Great Man – the symbol, if you like, of American Great Man military-industrial capitalist Darwinism – is unmistakably Cheney.

This meeting between the ultimate slacker and the ultimate square, the Coen brothers clearly on the side of the former, spirals beyond the bowling into a hostage plot that somehow ties in porn producers and eccentric artists. This is, like in Pulp Fiction, a 90s Los Angeles full of strange, vaguely anachronistic characters. It wouldn’t be unbelievable for one movie's set of criminals, drifters, and rich rotten-hearters to intersect in passing with the other's. And even with the enjoyably surreal dream sequences cutting in, it’s easy to read the plot itself as a set of dreams interrupting real life, which is to say, bowling. Again like Pulp Fiction, back in the day, by which I mean 2011 or so, these sequences were quote factories for early-middle social media memes. That’s just, like, your opinion, man. Am I the onto one here who gives a shit about the rules? You’re not wrong, you’re just an asshole. You know them all. I guess that speaks to the memetic power of solid dialogue screenwriting, or maybe it just speaks to millennial Redditors’ desire to speak online exclusively in 90s movie quotes, a desire that thankfully fizzled out a bit after it peaked with Ready Player One and the mild cringe factor of a life memetic was made boldly apparent. Let’s say it speaks to good screenwriting.

Speaking of not wrong, just an asshole, let’s talk about Walter, just because I hate him so much. It’s always a bit annoying when one of the best written characters in a story is the most insufferable. People who don’t like Holden Caulfield must feel the way I feel about John Goodman’s Walter, a gun-toting All-American (derogatory) lump of agression who can’t shut up about Vietnam and constantly punches down at Steve Buscemi’s scrungly wet rat of character Donny, who just wants to be included. He’s the perfect foil to the Dude’s zen flow state, because he’s the representation of the other side, beating against the current to try to make something of himself. But unlike the classical hero struggling against all odds for betterment and victory, Walter achieves nothing by this but to make things worse for everyone around him, and what character arc he has - what character arc the whole movie has - involves him becoming incrementally more like his buddy the Dude. It's a good thing that making things worse for everyone in the movie makes the movie more fun to watch. That doesn’t redeem him though.

As a final note, apparently this movie has one of the highest counts ever of the word “fuck” appearing in its dialogue. It’s #32, after the likes of Goodfellas, Straight Outta Compton, Uncut Gems, and The Wolf of Wall Street. The top spot, above even a documentary about the word itself, goes to a Canadian-produced universally panned Trailer Park Boys spinoff. I’ll consider that a point of national pride I guess. 🇨🇦 Fuck. 🇨🇦

I give this Hipster Movie a spare out of strike.

Project Hipster is a futile and disorganized attempt to dive into the world of things that the internet has at some point claimed "are hipster," mostly through ListChallenges search results.

This review comes from the thirteenth list, The Definitive Guide to Hipster Movies.

Up next: a book I once surprised a French schoolteacher with by taking it out of my bag during a conversation about it over lunch at a barbeque joint and punk venue.

Stay deck.

#hipster #project hipster #long posts #movies #the big lebowski

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thepapergirlandthespiegelman · 14 days

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We need to look beyond the concept of the "morally gray"

I don't like the concept of "morally gray" characters because it still basically portrays morality as binary, or, if you don't want to call it "binary," linear. There are good actions and bad actions, good people and bad people, and sure, there might be some stuff in the middle, but all that can still basically be understood in terms of the relation to good and bad.

Because, of course, while we might struggle to understand these people in the "gray areas," no one struggles to categorize our more typical heroes and villains. The beautiful, righteous, trueborn king is obviously good, and the evil, selfish usurper is obviously bad.

That's what the narrative tells us. But I need people to take a step back from the narrative role that has been assigned and actually evaluate the values and actions of the characters. Because when you do that, you begin to see that almost every character can be characterized as "morally gray." And it's here that we see the concept begin to collapse in on itself.

Because good and evil aren't static, defined, objective things, let alone easy to identify at a glance. And if good and evil aren't serving as the anchors at either end of the line, the spectrum itself cannot function.

I don't believe that "good" and "evil" are totally useless concepts. (Though even if they were, it would be difficult to get away from them with how entrenched this concept model is in our society.) But if we're going to have any sort of interesting discussion here, we need to start talking about morality in subjective, not objective, terms.

This is my other issue with the idea of the "morally gray" character—they might be morally gray to you, but I might think they're pretty cut and dry good or evil. One example is characters who are criminals. Most media and most analysis will tend to portray them as "morally gray" simply because of their criminal status. Sorry, but that's a you problem. You may hold that lawfulness is inherently good and unlawfulness inherently evil, but I don't. If a law is unjust, it is morally correct to defy it.

You're welcome to disagree with me, of course. But at some level we all have to accept that there can be disagreement. Morality is inherently one of the most controversial topics in existence and we are not all going to immediately agree, which is why it drives me up the wall when people try to categorize fictional characters in such overly simplistic ways.

The idea of the "morally gray" reinforces the idea that although we might quibble on some details, we all basically agree on what's right and what's wrong. There might be a particularly odd person, or a particularly complex, entangled situation, but for the most part, we all know what's good and what's bad, right, guys?

If we really opened up the discussion, I think people would be shocked by how deep some of these disagreements go. And it's only when we actually start talking about this stuff that we can begin to sift through and find the truth (or as close to the truth as we can get in this world).

The funny thing about the term "morally gray" is that the limitations are pretty self-evident from the metaphor. Sure, you've upgraded from black and white, but you've decided to stop at grayscale. There's hardly even much of a difference! We need the full visual spectrum of colors here.

I think that there was perhaps a time when the idea of "morally gray characters" served a purpose. After all, we are not so far removed from the era of the Hays Code. It was once controversial to even show what was deemed taboo or immoral by mainstream moral authorities. The advent of the "morally gray" character surely did bring greater detail and subtlety to the portrayal of morality in media. But the world has continued to change. We need to press even harder and demand that different moral perspectives be allowed to exist in media and that we be allowed to fully explore those perspectives in our analyses.

#text #thoughts #media analysis #characters #morality #morally gray characters

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benitez-film · 7 months

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“I just want to see the next shot”

Throughout my music video, I wanted to overwhelm the viewer with visually interesting images and movements, whether fully necessary to the story, or not. This made me quite interested in the purpose and use of arbitrary shots in cinema, and how they are just as crucial as camera movements and sequences that move the story along. Whilst I believe every shot should have a level of meaning otherwise pointless, not everything within a frame should require meaning. This was best said in a review for Wes Anderson’s French Dispatch I read recently, detailing his sporadic use of aspect ratios, colours, and time periods (mainly shown through his non-linear storytelling), even utilising animation for his final sequence in the film, for seemingly no reason other than for its visually unique aspects. The review references Anderson’s first film Bottle rocket, in which someone asks why a characters face is covered by a plaster, in which he replies “Exactly”. Here, I believe a large portion of Wes Anderson’s filming choices is explained; they are done just because he can, which I believe is massively important and not spoken about enough.

As I looked further into arbitrary cinema, I formed my our decisions regarding choices that should be made, and how I can use this new form of thinking when it came to my own projects. Ultimately, I aim to create a narrative that goes throughout my music video, no matter how thin the said narrative strand is. Having images that have at least some sort of linking factor not only aids in the creative process and inception of a filming project, but it may provide audiences with a deeper insight into what they are seeing, drawing links and comparisons, and therefore helping in immersing them into a story, as opposed to feeling distant from a story that they cannot form, as its narrative doesn’t exist. However, there is an importance to me in the arbitrary nature of certain texts. Not everything is chosen, nor should it be when attempting to create a realistic and grounded story, of which I have been constantly drawn to make. Extraneous variables, if it is seen to add to the visuals, should be left alone, and certain shots that don’t seem to propel the story forward should be included. I believe this purely from the standpoint that not everything in life is planned, and not everything in films reflecting and mirroring life should be either. The focus should be, however, shifted to create a visually moreish and interesting sequence, video or film, that should leave audiences wanting to see the next shot.

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blognistia · 7 months

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Reviewing the details: Exploration in Denny Ja 60 selected work, I waited for each kamisan

Denny Ja, an Indonesian literary figure known for his in-depth and meaningful works. One of the chosen works that attracts attention is the essay poem entitled "I Wait in Every Kamisan". In this article, we will review with the details of exploration in this selected Denny JA 60. First of all, let's discuss the approach used by Denny JA in his essay poetry. In "I wait in every kamisan", Denny JA uses a strong social criticism approach. He was able to explain clearly and sharply about various social problems that exist in society, ranging from corruption, injustice, to poverty. With this approach, Denny Ja invites readers to be more sensitive to the social problems that are around them. In addition, Denny Ja also uses a psychological approach in his work. He is able to explore the characters in the story very deeply. In "I wait in every kamisan", we will find complex characters and have a complicated background. Denny Ja managed to describe the feelings and thoughts of these characters in great detail, thus making the reader feel connected to them. In his essay poetry, Denny Ja also uses a historical approach. He often linked stories with historical events in Indonesia. This gives a deeper dimension in the story, as well as inviting the reader to see these stories from a different perspective. One interesting thing about Denny Ja's work is the use of beautiful and distinctive language. He is able to process language very well, so that it can create a strong atmosphere and imagination for the reader. He also uses variations in different language styles, ranging from formal language to more relaxed language. This makes his essay poetry interesting and easily understood by various groups of readers. In his essay poetry, Denny Ja also uses various interesting narrative techniques. He often uses flashbacks, flashforwards, and other non-linear telling techniques. This gives a surprise and uniqueness to the story, as well as making the reader continue to be interested in continuing to read. In "I wait in every kamisan", Denny Ja also succeeded in describing in detail the settings and setting of the place of the story. He is able to describe the atmosphere and atmosphere of the place so well that the reader seems to be in the story itself. In his conclusion, the elected work of Denny Ja 60, "I am waiting for every Kamisan", is a very interesting and full of deep exploration. Denny Ja uses various approaches in his work, ranging from social criticism, psychological approaches, to historical approaches. He also uses beautiful and distinctive language, as well as various interesting narrative techniques. All of this makes his essay poetry very worth reading and appreciated by Indonesian literary readers.

Check the full: review in detail: Exploration in Denny JA 60 selected works, I am waiting for each kamisan

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tatiekfuji · 7 months

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Understand the chosen work of Denny Ja 5: Romi & Yuli from Cikeusik better

In this article, we will discuss the selected work from Denny Ja 5 entitled "Romi & Yuli from Cikeusik" better. This work is one of the many works produced by Denny JA 5 which has its own characteristics. We will try to understand more deeply about this work and what Denny JA 5 wants to convey through his interesting work. Romi & Yuli from Cikeusik is a work that describes the daily life of a husband and wife who live in Cikeusik Village. In this work, Denny JA 5 raised various social and political problems that were around them. We will see how the lives of Romi & Yuli and how they interact with the surrounding community. In this work, Denny Ja 5 uses various narrative techniques to describe Romi & Yuli's life better. One of the narrative techniques used is the use of simple but strong language. Denny Ja 5 uses everyday language that is easily understood by the reader, but is still able to describe the complex feelings and emotions of the characters. In addition, Denny Ja 5 also uses non-linear narrative techniques in this work. The story is not conveyed chronologically, but jumps from one moment to another. This gives a surprise and keeps the reader interested in continuing to read this work. By using this technique, Denny Ja 5 succeeded in creating a tense and full of surprises. In this work, Denny Ja 5 also describes complex and realistic characters. Romi & Yuli are the main characters in this work, and they are described as humans who have strengths and weaknesses. We can see their struggle in dealing with various problems and conflicts that are around them. This makes the reader more easily empathy with the characters in this work. In addition, Denny Ja 5 also uses a strong setting in this work. Cikeusik Village is described in very good details, so that readers can really feel the atmosphere and atmosphere of the place. Denny Ja 5 also describes the life of the village community very well, including the customs and traditions in the village. This makes this work more lively and interesting. In this work, Denny Ja 5 also raises various social and political problems that are around its characters. Denny Ja 5 uses this work as a medium to convey strong social messages and criticism. We can see how Denny Ja 5 describes injustice, corruption, and various other problems that exist in the community. This makes this work more relevant and impact. Overall, Romi & Yuli from Cikeusik is an extraordinary work of Denny Ja 5. Through this work, Denny Ja 5 succeeded in describing the daily life of a husband and wife very well. This work also succeeded in raising various social and political problems that were around them. By using strong narrative techniques and complex characters, Denny Ja 5 succeeded in creating an interesting and impact work. By understanding Denny Ja 5: Romi & Yuli's chosen work from Cikeusik better, we can get deeper insights about daily life and social problems that exist in society. This work also gives us a lesson about how to convey social messages and criticism through art. Hopefully this article can provide better inspiration and understanding of the selected work from Denny Ja 5.

Check more: Understanding Denny JA 5: Romi & Yuli's selected work from Cikeusik better

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georgewfmpyear2 · 1 year

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Narrative Structure

I know that I want my game to built around an old space wizard telling his stories to an author with the player going through those stories from the wizards perspective but I'm not yet sure how I want to structure the game around those, whether there should come one after the after in a directly linear fashion or if there's a more interesting way to do it.

The main benefit of having the game let the player play through the stories in a directly linear fashion is it becomes much easier to link them narratively in a cohesive way as well as it being much easier to justify the existence of a skill tree like mechanic for the player to be able to upgrade the wizards spells. I don't think there would be anything at all wrong with this approach but I think I could create some more interesting larger narrative components out of just simply portraying these stories in a different way.

The first way I considered doing this was inspired by the Netflix show kaleidoscope which I haven't actually seen but I know takes an unconventionally non-linear approach allowing people to watch the episodes in any order and still get a cohesive experience. I want each of the wizards stories to be mostly self contained episode like experiences and I also wanted to play around with the wizards memory of those stories so I could try a similar approach but I'm not entirely sure how I would implement it into a larger narrative without it seeming like its in a non-linear order just for the sake of having it in a non-linear order. I think on its own it would seem like a relatively pointless addition but if I combined it with some other mechanics based around the wizards memory of the events like changing details based on what the player does within the stories I think it would fit a lot better and enhance the narrative experience.

I think one way I could definitely improve the narrative experience with a structural change is with the implementation of narrative choices throughout the stories which allows the stories to feel more personal to the player making the wizards stories feel more like a choose your own adventure book as well as making the author character question the strength of the wizards memory of the stories. This also opens an opportunity to have a cool moment at the end where the player can read through parts of the authors biography about the wizard seeing their actions and choices in a written story. Although having these kind of choices might seem to contradict the fact they are stories about cool moments I think if these choices are implemented in the right way then they will enhance that aspect making the player feel more directly involved in them like their putting their own mark on those stories rather than just playing through them in a way that would be exactly the same, every time.

This mechanic could also be supported by more minor choices the player may not always realize their making which could lead to minor dialogue changes between the wizard and author in a similar way to the honor system in the red dead series. The honour system goes up with honourable actions and down with dishonourable actions which can affect the way other characters see the player character and how certain events play out. I think a similar system could work for affecting minor dialogue moments but also affecting the way the author portrays the wizards actions in their book with the author writing the wizard more like a hero or more like a villain depending on the players actions.

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