My Mom Didn't Like That They Represented Men As Fools In Barbie But Then I Told Her, "Barbieland Is A

Writing Prompt: Dialogue

"Can you swim?"

"Just about."

"Define 'just about'?"

"I can float well enough, if I don't panic."

"Don't panic?"

"If my head goes under water I panic, even in a bathtub."

"Well, shit."

Spiderman being the most relatable superhero part one

HAPPY FIRST EVER INTERNATIONAL AROMANTIC VISIBILITY DAY

Writing Subplots

Who doesn’t love a good subplot? Some of my favorites books are the ones that have super interesting subplots because who doesn’t love hearing about that secondary character development arc or those lovely side characters with the inevitably doomed romance? What’s not to like? But, subplots can often be one of the hardest to write and the most misunderstood storytelling elements. They aren’t part of the main narrative thread, so they can’t overtake it, but they also need to have their own story arc separate from the main plot. It’s a delicate balance that can be kind hard to strike, because subplots aren’t just secondary plot-lines, they have to serve a narrative purpose and engage with the story’s central conflict. 

First, let us define some different kinds of subplots

Mirror Subplot: A subplot where a side character experiences a conflict that mirrors the protagonist’s main conflict and gives the protagonist the insight or motivation they need to resolve their own conflict.

Romantic Subplot: The protagonist’s relationship with a love interest complicates their journey to resolve the story’s central conflict.

Parallel Subplot: a subplot where something seemingly unrelated occurs at the same time as the main plot and then all of a sudden the two plots collide towards the end of the book.

Complicating Subplot: a subplot where a secondary character’s actions actively complicates the protagonist’s journey with the central conflict

Foil Subplot: a subplot where a secondary character experiences the same or a very similar conflict as the protag but wants to resolve that in a different way (this contracts or creates a “foil” that highlights the protagonists qualities and characteristics)

There are a lot more different kinds of subplots, but these are some of the most common, so here are some tips for writing subplots!

Is That Necessary? 

This is the first question we should ask ourselves anytime we add anything to our stories, but especially subplots. Sometimes, authors (meaning me) will get to the end of writing their first draft and realize that they are not anywhere close to their goal word count. To remedy this, they will just throw in a cute little subplot. Unfortunately, friends, this does not work. The best, effective subplots should be integral to a story’s central conflict. If you can remove your subplot from the story without their being a big impact on the central conflict, then the subplot doesn’t really serve a strong narrative purpose. We most often see this problem arise in romantic subplots. Authors will just throw in a romance or the dreaded love-triangle as a subplot for absolutely no reason. I’m the first person to admit I love a good romantic subplot, but I also like it to be there for a good reason. That is why the Hunger Games will never go out of my top five all time books/series because despite what a lot of people think the romantic subplot in that story is essential. Katniss and Peeta’s love story is the reason they both survive the Games which is the central conflict of the book. It works perfectly, and if you want a good example of a subplot done well, look no further.

Keep the SUB in Subplot

Honestly, sometimes the subplot really is better than the main plot. That’s not necessarily a good thing, but I think we have all read a book where the main plot just drags and you just can’t wait to get back to your favorite side characters and their little adventure. But, a good subplot shouldn’t steal the limelight from the main plot. It should enhance the main plot and maybe add a layer of complexity but never overshadow. Going back to my example for the day, the Hungers Games does a really good job of this. I read something once where someone said Katniss’s romance overshadows the Games and the Rebellion, and I was like, did we read the same book? If you go back and read the books, Katniss doesn’t think about her romance with Gale or Peeta all that much. She’s mostly thinking about her own survival and the survival of her family. Both of which relate directly to the main plot. We never forget about the romance in the book because it is important, but in my opinion, it never overshadows the main plot of the Games and the Rebellion even in the first book where it’s more heavily featured. 

But, Its Still A Plot

On the flip-side of that, even though the subplot shouldn’t overshadow the main plot, it still needs to follow its own narrative arc. This is where a lot of new author’s get lost. A subplot is way more than just a short conversation or a quick event that inconveniences or helps the protagonists. All your subplots need their own beginning, middle, and end. Make sure that you definitely developed all of your story’s subplots accordingly. That includes paying attention to all of your characters’ goals, motivations, and the conflict that they experience. Generally when I’m in the development stages of the subplot, I develop it the same way that I develop one of my main plots. While they do not necessarily need the same attention or development as your main plot, developing them with the same goals in mind will only help you in the long run!

Sorry for my absence guys I just started my junior year in high school 🙁🙁

Anyways have this art of the silliest of bros which has been sitting in my gallery for weeks and I barely decided to color it

Art Base/reference belongs to @/E_meres.zzoA

you know what trope drives me absolutely feral? Repetition. Just :

"Hey, hey, it's okay"

"Shh, you're safe, you're safe, it's alright "

"Look at me. Hey, look at me"

"Stay with me. Come on, just stay with me"

"It's over. It's over now."

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry"

"I'm here. I'm right here"

AO3 Skins for Multilingual People

Idk nothing about coding but after long hours of trying to make my own site skin i figured how to block all works written in languages one doesn't speak

.blurb:not(:has(dd[lang$="en"])) { display: none; } .blurb:has(dd[lang$="es"]), .blurb:has(a[href*="/skins/" i]), .blurb:has(a[href*="/collections/" i]), .blurb:has(a[href*="/series/" i]) { display: block; }

So basically,

.blurb:not(:has(dd[lang$="en"])) { display: none; }

This will block all works that are not in the language selected, in this case english (en)

And

.blurb:has(dd[lang$="es"]) { display: block; }

This will show previously blocked works that are in the language selected, in this case spanish (es)

If you speak more than two languages just copy and paste the last part as many times as u need and change the language.

Note that this will only block the view of this works but will NOT filtered it so it may tell you there are more works than shown

If someone knows about coding and wants to make corrections pls do!

"You're literally younger than me"

"But I'm taller and not an idiot"

"Debatable"

Prompt #954

"You're grounded,"

"I'm in my thirties,"

"Do I care?"

Hot take: the Spiderverse movies are quite possibly the most relatable superhero movies I’ve ever experienced because I’ve never seen a superhero movie nail the ‘being queer and closeted’ experience down to a T

Like the AMOUNT of experiences they get down so well is just

- not feeling accepted anywhere, even within your own community sometimes, feeling like a mistake no matter where you go

- hiding half your identity from your parents (I swear to god that scene where Miles is about to tell Rio he’s Spiderman in ATSV is literally me trying to come out to my parents and chickening out, it hurt to watch)

- fearing rejection from your parents (“Dad, do you really hate Spiderman?”)

- finding out the people you look up to and trust wouldn’t accept you and would actually try to harm you and the sheer terror that comes from it (god the Prowler reveal in the first movie still hurts me)

- gravitating more and more towards friends who are also queer because they get you (aka the spideys from different dimension just gravitating together)

- just. having a secret identity, in general

- the underlying theme of the movies that despite anything, despite the world rejecting you, despite your own community rejecting you, you are valid and you are loved and you should never forget that (which is not an inherently queer experience but g o d)

I could go on, but. Just. Dammit, these movies mean so much to me.

Grief hunts Peter Parker all the time, it seems the world can't let him be happy. And sometimes that becomes too difficult to deal with.

(Or I've had a song on repeat in my head for days and I took the opportunity to practice my writing)

___

Based on the song United in Grief by Kendrick Lamar

Rating: Not Rated

Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: F/M, Gen

Fandom: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)

Relationships: Michelle Jones/Peter Parker, Michelle Jones & Peter Parker, Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Michelle Jones & Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Happy Hogan & Peter Parker

Characters: Peter Parker, Michelle Jones, Ned Leeds, Happy Hogan

Additional Tags: Mentioned May Parker (Spider-Man), Mentioned Tony Stark, Mentioned Stephen Strange, Grief/Mourning, Angst, Movie: Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), Hurt Peter Parker, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Ambiguous/Open Ending, One Shot, Song Lyrics, Inspired by Music

Language: English

Words: 1,085

This is my first fic in english!

I know nwh its not the movie of the moment, and I really wanted to do something about atsv, but I got more inspired by this one since the song has been in my head rent free for days. I will try to make an atsv fic (with most likely found family), but I don't promise anything.

Either way enjoy my fic, and feedback is always appreciated!

Jun 27th, 2023