Bringing this back again for a sec because Iâve been thinking about Kakashi and Rin after Obitoâs ~death~. I like to think Rin helped Kakashi develop his undercover identity of âSukeaâ the wandering journalist, including teaching him how to put on makeup and permitting Kakashi the use of her civilian familyâs last name for his identityâs background.
if only everyone could know that zuko is a prodigy like his sister, unfortunately his special talent is called "breaking and entering" and he can't tell anyone about that
Directionality in Fiction: Why You Need it & How to Create it
Every successful story has a sense of direction. The audience wants, and even needs, an idea of where the story is going. If the audience literally has no idea what could happen next, then that often means what happens next doesn't really hold any value one way or another. It's like Willy Wonka's river ride into darkness--confusing, awkward, and a little bizarre. It's hard to trust Willy Wonka to get you anywhere. Writers should avoid being like Willy Wonka, for several reasons.
Wait! you may be thinking. Don't we want our stories to be unpredictable? Isn't not knowing where the story is going more exciting?
Many beginning writers make this mistake (including yours truly back in the day). They think having no clue where the story is going makes it more of a page-turner. They may recall audience members happily describing a story, saying, "I had no clue where it was going!" or "I had no idea what was going to happen next!"
These are just expressions of emotion. In reality, for the audience to even have those emotions, they usually must have a sense of direction first.
It's a similar concept to being vague versus being ambiguous. Vagueness happens when you don't have enough context to tell what something is, if anything. Ambiguity happens when there is enough context to interpret something in two or more ways, and you aren't sure which it is. When audiences say, "I had no clue where it was going," often what they really mean is, "I didn't know which of the critical directions it would go."
A story that has no sense of direction is almost never as effective as one that does. Without a sense of direction, the audience can't measure what is progress or what is a setback. They can't get invested, because they can't anticipate anything. They can't feel tension or suspense or even surprise, because they can't hope or fear for what could happen, and don't have expectations for what is going to happen.
Instead of Willy Wonka's tunnel of terror, imagine taking a hike toward a beautiful waterfall (it can still be made of chocolate if you want). A twisted ankle, closed trail, or nearby predator is a bigger setback than if we had nowhere we were trying to go. A shortcut is a bigger leap in progress if we are trying to reach a specific destination. And discovering we're actually on a trail that leads to an active volcano is a bigger surprise.
There are two critical plot elements that will automatically inject directionality into your story. Then, there are a lot of alternative methods you can use to reinforce it, or that you can rely on when performing a rule break (more on that in a bit). First, let's go over the two major ones:
1. Goals
A character's goal immediately gives the audience a sense of direction. This is because goals are about an outcome. They instantly convey what the character wants to happen, or doesn't want to happen. In order to be effective, though, they have to be achievable and relevant. Who cares if your character wants to do magic, if magic is literally impossible in your setting? That's not a real goal--it's a wish.Â
There are three basic types of goals: obtain, avoid, or maintain.
Convey a clear, relevant, and achievable goal early, and your audience will not only have a strong sense of direction, but they'll be more invested--because they'll want to see if the character gets the goal.
Then, if you add how the character plans to get the goal, you'll reinforce the goal and sense of direction even more.
2. Stakes
Many like to define stakes as what is at risk in the story. I feel like it's more effective and more accurate to define them as potential consequences. It's what could happen if a condition is met. If Voldemort gets the Sorcerer's Stone, then he can return to power. If Frodo destroys the Ring, then he saves Middle-earth. If Katniss cuts down the tracker jacker hive, then she can get away from the Careers.
As you may have noticed, stakes are often tied to goals. They are often the potential consequences of meeting or not meeting a goal.
Stakes are about conveying to the audience what could happen. This gives what does happen, meaning.
Stakes also innately convey a pathway, a direction. If X happens, we'll go down path A. If Y happens, we'll go down path B.
I've never seen a story with too many stakes. I've seen lots of stories that don't have enough stakes. Walk the stakes out to create strong directionality.
And don't assume your audience will simply imagine the stakes on their own. Almost always, they want the story to tell them (explicitly or implicitly) the stakes. Almost always, the story is better when we clearly communicate the stakes. Avoid being vague. Help the audience imagine which important pathways the story could take.
~
These are the two most important, and most effective, ways to create directionality--they accomplish multiple major things at once.
However, this doesn't mean they are the only ways to create directionality.
And while they are almost always critical to a solid plot, that doesn't mean you can't ever break the rules and have them be absent on occasion.Â
If they are absent though, that usually means something else needs to be used to create directionality in their place (unless, of course, you are working with a teaser--but even they can arguably have a sense of direction). So how do stories without legit goals or stakes still work? Well, they probably incorporate at least one of the following things--which you can also use to reinforce directionality when you already have goals and stakes in play.
~
3. Dramatic Irony
Dramatic irony happens when the audience knows something the character doesn't. Often this is a critical piece of information, and frequently (though not always) it is implied that the character will learn the same thing at a later point in the story. In a horror, we watch the villain enter a dark room, and later see the heroine, oblivious, go in that same room. It's likely only a matter of time before the heroine realizes the villain is in there, and the audience anticipates that encounter. This creates directionality.
Even if the character never learns the critical information (such as the fact that Juliet isn't actually dead in Romeo and Juliet), the audience still anticipates how the character will interpret or react to what they do encounter (a Juliet who seems to be dead).
4. Convergence of Plotlines
In a story that contains multiple viewpoint characters, each with plotlines, it's often implied or assumed that these plotlines and characters will converge. We may start a story with a rich man eating a feast for breakfast, then taking his recent earnings to the bank. And after, we may cut to a scene where a poor, starving woman is begging, perhaps a block away from the same bank. The audience anticipates that these two characters will cross paths.
Sometimes the two viewpoints or plotlines don't seem to have anything in common, but the audience expects they will relate to each other on some level--they are in the same book after all.
Promise your audience a collision of plotlines, and you'll promise them a sense of direction.
5. Countdowns
A countdown automatically implies direction--whether or not the audience knows the consequences tied to it. We show a clock counting down, and we wonder if a bomb will go off or if another catastrophe will hit once it reaches zero. Or, it could be a countdown to a celebration, like the New Year.
Countdowns on a timer are obvious, but there are other types of countdowns too. A simple calendar can work as a countdown. In Christmas Vacation, an advent calendar is used to count down the days until Christmas. Each Harry Potter volume fulfills one school year, each chapter brings us closer to the year's end. So even when there isn't a dire goal in play, there is always directionality.
A deadline works in similar ways.
There can be a countdown when using up resources: Fuel is running out. Oxygen is limited. There is only one loaf of bread left to eat.
Illnesses and maladies can work as countdowns. There may be a countdown to when cancer wins, or when a spell leaves its target as an unseemly beast, permanently.
Countdowns always imply direction.
Knowing the potential consequences--the stakes--creates more tension and suspense, not knowing them creates intrigue.
6. Geographical Destinations
A destination naturally implies direction. In The Emperor's New Groove, Kuzco needs to make it back to his palace. Every step closer is progress, and every obstacle that blocks or pulls him off course is a setback.
But destinations can still work even when there isn't one specific destination yet established. Whenever you open a book that starts with a map, it implies a sense of geographical direction. You may not know exactly which place is the desired destination, but the map promises that the characters will be venturing to different places.
7. Passive Mysteries
Passive mysteries work by withholding context from the audience. Stuff is happening, but the audience doesn't really know what it means (think: vagueness). Because of the lack of information, no one is really doing anything to solve the mystery--there aren't any "leads." (In contrast, in an active mystery, the character has the goal to solve the mystery and has leads to follow.)
Teasers often work as passive mysteries (which is why I said sometimes even they have a sense of direction). The audience is promised that if they stick around, they will get the context they need, to understand what is going on. The audience is promised a direction.
Passive mysteries often can't hold an audience for very long, strictly because they work off vagueness. You need other elements in play to get readers to stick around.
Nonetheless, the promise of context does give readers somesense of direction.
Active mysteries create directionality too, but in the same way that goals do. In an active mystery, the goal is to try to solve the mystery, so the audience is promised a direction with that.
Directionality is important in every story, and not only is it important in the whole narrative arc, but it is important within acts, sequences, and scenes, too. Nearly every scene should have directionality, which should be established early on.
Once the audience has directionality, you can make the story more exciting and dramatic (and even "unpredictable"). They think things are going X direction, but something comes along that threatens that direction or even throws the characters off course and onto a new pathway, a new direction. Just like our (chocolate) waterfall hike. In any case, there should almost always be a sense of direction.
I realized that in the Phandom it is usually Danny who get`s in trouble constantly, but have we all collectively forgotten how much trouble Jazz caused when she first started out with ghost hunting ?Â
I`d really like a fic where the siblings end up in Gotham, Jazz as a therapist (maybe even in Arkham if you want to escalate her situation quickly) and Danny goes to Gotham Uni to study astronomy. And for once in his life Dannyâs only worries are homework and study groups and fitting social life and a proper sleep scedule into one day. Also he should call Jazz every one in a while so she wont freak about him searching for trouble somehow (as if it wasnât trouble always finding him instead). The very few ghost related incidents in Gotham donât even take enough time out of his week to be annoying and Amity Park is covered by Valerie, who takes online courses at home. Danny can actually drink coffee or energy drinks for the taste now, instead of chugging them in a row for his daily coffein fix - wild.
Meanwhile, Jazz canât walk 2 feet without stumbling over a drug ring discussing how they canât sell their product anymore, (because Scarecrowâs people periodically punches the Drugs with feertoxin and taking any dose of any drug currently on the market is like playing russion roulette) and end up helping them by analyzing behavious patterns or something. She talkes down armed domestic disputes, helps a crying women at the street corner get away from her loverboy boyfriend and hide her away while she gets her a well paying job at the iceburg lounge and an apartment near by, and socks a would be robber right in the face. In a matter of weeks, Jazz accumulates actual street cred, while simultamiously being completely oblivious about her crazy situation.Â
The only thing she noticed is that her patients have finally started to open up to her instead of stubbornly staying silent (no rich, priviliged kid from out of Gotham could possibly understand them) and that sometimes she gets followed by one of the local vigilantees, âas if they think she couldnt take care of herself!â (They know you can take care of yourself Jazz, that is exactly the reason you get trailed)
The fic should focus on Jazzâs crazy life and how she doesnât notice in how much danger she is constantly. She just worries about Danny and wonders if he gets into trouble. For comedic effect, there should be scenes in the fic of Danny lazying around and/or enjoying coffee.
one of the most important things, perhaps the most important thing I have learned in my life is that nice people can fuck each other up in monstrous ways. people can be bone deep kind and loving and self reflective and still lash out under pressure. people can be earnestly neighbourly and charitable and hospitable and generous and still find themselves in situations where they become selfish. people can be well meaning and easygoing and gregarious and hold deep seated opinions that turn them into vicious little bullies under the right conditions. nobody is just one thing, and nobody stays one way. every person is a kaleidoscope and they will surprise you. you will surprise yourself. it's not a warning and it's not a judgement and it's not an excuse, and it's certainly not a reason to stop trying or to stop trusting. it is just a fact.
I keep seeing things about Jason freaking out about dog-eared pages but hear me out:
Jason, who when he finds a book with dog-eared pages and broken spines and messy scribbles in the margins or highlighted segments, his face breaks into the most genuine smile. Because he looks at this book and can see how much it was loved, how important it is or was to its owner, how often it was read, etc. Because even messy, imperfect, and broken things deserve love. He would know; he and those books have a lot in common, after all.
we all take him for granted bcos he's so iconic but like. Robin is such a bizarre character.
like most superhero sidekicks sharing theming, colour schemes, etc. w the superhero but bcos Robin was effectively the OG there were no established tropes & his entire aesthetic and vibe not only has nothing to do with bats but is pretty much diametrically opposed to Batman's. He's named after Robin Hood but basically no-one who isn't a pedantic nerd knows that. Everyone thinks he's named after the bird but like he's in no way bird themed & we all just accept this. For the first several decades that he existed he did not wear pants. He was just a half-naked child fighting crime and we're all like 'yeah this is a normal part of our popular culture'.
Iâm sick of hearing people tell me that medieval fantasy based on European history isnât good. Because Iâve seen it a lot, and itâs really bothering me.Â
That itâs not creative, and therefore shouldnât be done because itâs tired and boring to the audience.Â
And yeah, lots of people have used European history as a setting for a fantasy story.
And since when did this writing thing become all about the audience?
I thought we all advocated for writing what we wanted? I thought thatâs what everyone says. Write what you want. Correct? Because, gee, I donât know, maybe that would mean we actually finish the dang story? Or simply that we love it if we write the things we actually want to write?
If writing is about writing what we want, what weâre passionate about, stop trying to snuff that flame out by calling the tropes weâve chosen tired, overused, boring, etc. What a way to spark creativity.Â
I think itâs very funny that the premise of a lot of sequels is âremember the brave compassionate heroes you knew and loved? well⊠what if they were shitty parentsâ
"But they have to be shitty parents or the kids can't have real adventâ"
Shut up. Shut the hell up. Just because you're not a good enough writer to make them good parents and allow the kids to have an adventure doesn't mean it has to be this way.
You could have the parents kidnapped. Cursed. Separated from their kids in a crowd. You could have the kids kidnapped and the awesome parents going through hell and high water to get them back while they are making their kidnappers' very existence miserable.
Oh, here's a fun one! You could make the parents not want their kids involved in shenanigans, but circumstances mean they have to be, and parents and kids work together to deal with the movie's Big Bad!
And this is just what I've come up with off the top of my head! And seems rather genre-specific! I bet other people could come up with equally-fun ideas! You can have heroic parents love and respect their children and a fun story! They do not have to be mutually exclusive! If you can't think of a good idea for a sequel without fundamentally changing the characters everyone loves, then you should either not make a sequel, or hand the reins to someone who can do better than that!
and then they're like ''why do you care'' and they're like. ''uh. you know, it's quite a funny story--'' *steps back* ''--you see'' *tries to leave* * stumbles into a bookshelf*
We donât talk enough about the systemic health effects of casual fatphobia and how much they fucking skew the data to the point where we literally cannot know how much outcomes are actually related to fatness and how much they are related to society not being designed for fat people, like literal design.
My best friend cannot find a bra.
Sheâs fat. We wonât get into the ~why~ here because it honestly wouldnât matter whether it was âall her faultâ or whether it was a result of outside forces like genes and such, she still deserves a goddamn fucking bra that fits.
And she cannot find a bra.
Sheâs short and fat, and Fat Bras are usually full cup, but because sheâs short the full cups are usually too tall, or the armbands around them are too tall, to the point where whatâll fit around her chest and over her boobs will also dig up into her arms or have such high coverage that she literally cannot wear a shirt with a neckline high enough. Any bra that goes out enough goes too high.
This affects her ability to find clothing, impacting her ability to go outside sometimes, because she has this tiny selection of bras and she constantly has to wash them and when theyâre gone she has no idea when sheâll next be able to find another unicorn bra. They appear in a flash usually in startups that die soon after, and COVID has killed most the small businesses remaining where she had even a hint of a chance of finding a fitting bra.
So she wears bras that donât fit. Or she doesnât leave the house. One gives her back pain. The other is, obviously, not very active. She likes to be active.
If she brings it up, people suggest breast reduction surgery.
But the thing is, with a good bra, she does not get back pain.
But if itâs that hard to find a good bra, they say, wouldnât a reduction just be easier?
Wouldnât it be easier for you to chop off part of your flesh, they say, then for us to cut fabric and underwire to more sizes? As if that is normal. As if that isnât horrifying.
Itâs not just bras. Itâs chairs. Itâs benches. Itâs goddamn shoes. Itâs seatbelts. Itâs exercise equipment - I just got an exercise bike for Christmas. I had to shop around to find an affordable one that was also rated to take my level of fat. If I were 100 pounds heavier, which some people are? I donât think any equipment would have existed in a price range that any working person could expect to afford. I donât think most people even look at the weight ratings on chairs and couches and furniture. Once you start? They are lower than you think. There are absolutely 100% people you love in your life - whether really tall men or just average kinda overweight fat people - who should not be using the things they are using. Who are not getting support from their mattress, their footwear, their office chair. It might be you! You might be thinking âbut I am average size!â, but the amount of furniture out there thatâs only weighted to about 200lbs? Or 175??? Itâs SO MUCH MORE THAN YOU REALIZE. Get into the Proper Fat? The 350lb, 400lb, 500lb fat? Thereâs virtually nothing.
Seatbelts are not tested for fat bodies and seatbelt extenders arenât regulated.
We know about the problems with too small a blood pressure cuff. With too low a medicine dose. With no MRI a really fat body can fit in for a thousand miles.
We know, from multiple studies on multiple oppressed communities, that social bias by itself, with zero other compounding factors, can give people worse health outcomes.
Now add up
+ one of the social biases with the least pushback even from the educated liberal set with
+ having a world that is literally not made for you. Where you cannot get clothes, furniture, or transportation in a way that will actually accommodate you,
+ where society is constantly blaming you for this. And even if you somehow (and if you know how, please tell me) manage to retain some sense of self worth and optimism and determination despite all that
+ thatâs not gonna magically give you access to the daily supplies a person needs in their home and out in public thatâll make living safe and healthy life literally physically possible.
If youâre really so concerned about fat peopleâs health start a bra company. If youâre really so concerned about fat peopleâs health mandate changes to seatbelt requirements. If youâre really so concerned about fat peopleâs health have a variety of chairs in your waiting room with at least some being properly Fat Rated. If youâre really so concerned about fat peopleâs health, make it easier for fat people to be active by making exercise equipment that fits them, swimwear thatâll actually stay on them, athletic shoes that can bear them. If youâre really so concerned about fat peopleâs health ask they be included in more medical trials. If youâre really so concerned about fat peopleâs health, promote fat visibility and fat people loving their bodies - because hating yourself has literally never been good for anyoneâs health.
If youâre using âconcern for healthâ as a shield to allow you to judge and criticize strangers, you donât give a fuck about anyoneâs health. Youâre just an asshole who prefers a veneer of respectability when you bully people. Youâre hateful and we can see right through you.
But fatphobia isnât just bullying. It isnât just judgment from strangers. It isnât just medical neglect and medical bias. Even if we could wave a wand and make all that go away, my best friend still wouldnât have a bra that fits, people still wouldnât have a chair that supports them, a seatbelt that protects them. Itâs literally engineered in. And it slowly kills people day by day by day.
zuko rly thought the avatar was 100 years old, and he was still fully prepared to fucking kidnap him. imagine if that had actually gone down like zuko thought it would. youâre a fully-realized avatar and youâve been hiding out for over a century and all of a sudden you get approached by this 13 year old kid whoâs like âWHATS GOOD IâVE GOT NO DEPTH PERCEPTION AND IâM READY TO FIGHT GODâÂ
Nah see iroh would walk up to Aang and be like âlisten, you ever had kids? humor the boy, Iâll make you some tea.â And Aang never changes so heâd be like âdope free tea this should be funâ and ends up passing wisdom on to Zuko whether he likes it or not, and doing shenanigans to make the trip to the fire nation take twice as long. At one port he escapes and finds another old man and says hey wanna prank a teen and this old dude is like hell yeah, what do I have to do? so Aangâs like imma give you some sick tattoos an zuko is like you know what letâs just bring them both but it turns out the other old dude is king bumi.
The part that makes this even funnier is that technically Aangâs previous life was Zukoâs great grandfather. So heâd just be like, RESPECT YOUR GRANDPA!!
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