forever in a smile

This scene is just... This man had to pick up the woman that he loves. In complete fear that if he didn't carry her out of there she would die. They just had a terrible fight and she never wanted to see him again. He had to hold her closer than he ever has and listen to her fall apart. She calls out his first name like she rarely does, "Rick, please". When you think of the emotions and strength Castle had to go through to do this. Its overwhelming.

one of the things thats really, really hard to internalize as a writer is that you have spent way more time in this world than any reader will, which means shit that feels incredibly unsubtle and blatant, shit that sounds like a klaxon going off to you, is going to go right over their heads

The secret (or so I understand) is:

- If there's something you need the audience to know, but it isn't immediately important, mention it in passing at least three times in different ways. ("My mom was from X country." "Oh, I've been dying my hair so it's less obvious I'm half-X." "I speak a little bit of Y language, but my X accent is pretty strong." Spread it out though)

- If you have a big reveal, "beg the question" to ensure your audience is thinking about it. (mysterious mentor accidentally reveals an ornate sword at their hip; young naive protag asks where they got it, mentor evades before saying something about guarding caravans; shortly afterward the protag realizes that that couldn't be the truth, but the moment has passed. Audience: "But wait, how did they get that sword??")

- If you have a story detail you want your audience to care about, make a sympathetic and/or PoV character show an interest in it. ("I've always wanted to visit Setpiece Canyon! They say you can still hear the ghosts of the people who died in That One War, but I mostly want to see the sunset reflecting off the glassy tomb of King Wontstaydead. Too bad this kitten rescue I run doesn't leave me with much vacation time...")

- If there's something that will help your audience figure out a reveal early, mention it in the middle of a longish sentence because primacy/recency bias; at best, it gets noticed unconsciously, and at worst your audience can't pretend they weren't warned about it. ("There was a beautiful, ornate chandelier above the banquet hall; a huge, murder-weapon-y butcher's knife jutted out of a perfectly-cooked turkey at the centre of the table, and the surrounding plates begged to be stacked high.")

- If you have a reveal that you're afraid is very guessable, come up with an even more guessable reveal and put it in the way. ("I've been looking into these secret government programs surrounding the rise of superheroes, and I can't shake this feeling that-" "Hold that thought! The Tedtonator is just outside, fighting a crime! Man, where'd our perfectly normal buddy Theodore go? He'd LOVE this!")

...Though if readers think a central character is a horse (and they are not), then I'd maybe start with dialog and character agency instead...

“in a kinder universe, she would’ve walked away from scarif. i cannot imagine who she would have become, but i think she would have been extraordinary.”

hey google docs quick question! what are you smoking

I'm on the run with you, my sweet love [x]

Hey btw, here's a piece of life advice:

If you know what you'd have to do to solve a problem, but you just don't want to do it, your main problem isn't the problem itself. Your problem is figuring out how to get yourself to do the solution.

If your problem is not eating enough vegetables, the problem you should be solving is "how do I make vegetables stop being yucky". If your problem is not getting enough exercise, the problem you should be solving is "how do I make exercise stop sucking ass". You're not supposed to just be doing things that are awful and suck all the time forever, you're supposed to figure out how to make it stop being so awful all the time.

I used to hate wearing sunscreen because it's sticky and slimy and disgusting and it feels bad and it smells bad, so I neglected to wear it even if I needed to. Then I found one that isn't like that, and doesn't smell and feel gross. Problem solved.

There is no correct way to live that's just supposed to suck and feel bad all the time. You're allowed to figure out how to make it not suck so bad.

Mood

Advice I gave someone today was: 'do it stupid.'

She wants to learn photography. Do it stupid. Take a million photos. Don't think about why they're not good. Enjoy the process of taking photos.

Pick out tge ones you like the most and figure out why you like them. Is it because the subject is centered? Is it because you caught them doing something cool? Is it because the light made cool shadows?

Do it stupid. If you try to do it smart, youll get stuck. If you think too much you'll never get to doing. Do it stupid.

imagine being able to handle things. that’s wild.

grief is not a feeling, but a neighborhood. this is where i come from. everyone i love still lives here. // (insp.)

THE X-FILES 8.13 | "Per Manum"

patronising little fuck

THE X-FILES | 6.17

this whole mutual thing is overhyped on this site. want to send me an ask off anon? do it. want to tag me in a post? do it. follower, mutual, or just random person who stumbled across my blog: I crave interaction and literally do not mind.

CANGEL APPRECIATION WEEK 2022 Day 07: Free Choice → Cordy patching up Angel (1.01 // 1.20 // 2.04 // 3.05)

Cangel Appreciation Week 2022 - Day 1: Favourite Scene