ACT ONE: SETUP
1. Opening Image: A snapshot of your story’s world and tone. Who are we following? What’s at stake?
2. Theme Stated: A subtle hint about the story’s deeper meaning or lesson, often posed as a question or challenge.
3. Setup: Introduce your protagonist, their ordinary world, supporting characters, and the status quo. Show us what needs to change.
4. Catalyst: The inciting incident that flips the protagonist’s world upside down. This is the point of no return.
5. Debate: Your protagonist hesitates. Should they step forward into the unknown or retreat? This beat builds anticipation.
ACT TWO: CONFRONTATION
6. Break Into Two: The protagonist makes a decision and steps into a new world (literal or figurative). The adventure begins.
7. B Story: The subplot kicks in—often a relationship or secondary goal that supports the main story’s theme.
8. Fun and Games: The “heart” of the story. Deliver on the premise and explore the stakes through action, conflict, and character growth.
9. Midpoint: A major turning point where everything changes. Stakes are raised. Success feels closer—or failure looms larger.
10. Bad Guys Close In: External and internal pressures mount. Allies falter. Enemies strike. Doubts creep in.
11. All Is Lost: The darkest moment. The protagonist experiences a significant loss or setback.
12. Dark Night of the Soul: A pause for reflection. Your protagonist processes their failure and digs deep to find the courage to move forward.
ACT THREE: RESOLUTION
13. Break Into Three: Armed with new insight or strength, the protagonist takes decisive action to face the story’s central conflict.
14. Finale: The climax. Everything comes to a head in a final showdown or resolution. Your protagonist proves they’ve changed—or failed to.
15. Closing Image: A mirror of the opening image, showing how the world—and your protagonist—has transformed.
Hector Elizondo & John Rhys-Davies Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004) dir. Garry Marshall
YES! When I say I SOBBED at the end. Such a well-written character arc, and I'd admittedly love to know more about her backstory.
***Iron Flame SPOILERS****
I am so incredibly disappointed with what everyone is choosing to talk about with this book. Everyone is concentrating on what happens with Xaden but you know what to me was the absolute most gut wrenching storyline in the whole book? General Lilith Fucking Sorrengail.
From the moment we see her again in the beginning of the book she is nothing but supportive and proud of her daughter. Yes, she absolutely made the wrong decision where she stands in the war, and what she did to Xaden was absolutely inexcusable. (Although I do think if she hadn’t done that they would have killed all the marked ones.) But she made all those decisions for her children. Because she did what she needed to to keep them safe. You can’t convince me that even after Violet leaves, that even after Mira leaves, that she wasn’t incredibly thankful for the fact they were together and with Xaden who would never let something happen to Violet.
Lilith went into the dungeons to get her daughter out of there and I am not unconvinced that had Violet not already been mid rescue the General wouldn’t have turned traitor right there to get her out. The scene when Brennen reveals himself to her?? She’s cracking and can hardly hold herself together and my heart felt so sorry for her in that moment. It made me mad at Brennan because he threw it in her face like ammo when Violet spent all of fourth wing describing how his death ruined their mother.
One of the most heart breaking quotes in the whole book is at the beginning of chapter 65:
“Most generals dream of dying in service to their kingdom. But you know me better than that, my love. When I fall, it will be for one reason only: to protect our children.”
General Sorrengail didn’t support the war, she didn’t fight for Navarre she made it clear fron the beginning that she was just a mom protecting her kids, and she did so without second thought. Without hesitation. She didn’t do what she did for the war effort, or even to help everyone on the battlefield. She did it for Brennen, and Violet, and Mira.
Lilith Sorrengail was just a desperate mother and everyone glossing over her sacrifice is bullshit.
I have not yet watched Derry Girls, despite it being on my list for ages and so many people telling me I'll love it. This gifset might be the kick up the butt I need.
DERRY GIRLS (2018 - 2022) ↳ Clare Devlin once said...
This one has been on my to-do list for far too long! If you were patiently waiting for the smoulder, well, here it is! 🥰
Happy Valentines!! 🌸☀️
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The Folk of the Air book titles if the books were from Cardan's point of view:
The Hot Girl in my Class
The Mean Boss
Malewife of Noone
— Holly Black, The Queen of Nothing.
The Cruel Prince Sketches
Artist: @honeyypears
A recent animation I did of one of my illustrations! Website | Instagram | Shop
In mine and many other east Asian cultures, the dragon traditionally symbolises things like power, wealth and strength (imperial symbol and all)
I think we often forget that in the story of the Great Race, the dragon came in fifth because it'd stopped to give people rain. Then it'd stopped again to push a rabbit adrift on a log across the wide river so it reached the shore safely (that's why the Rabbit year comes before the Dragon).
Dragons aren't meant to just be powerful - they are meant to do good with such power, and to help those in need.
So in this lunar new year, I hope you gain more power, so that you might be able to help others. I pray you have abundant resources so you may give to yourself and those around you. I wish you courage, endurance, kindness and generosity, for yourself and your people.
I hope you, and I, will be rain givers, life preservers, joy bringers.
I hope we will be dragons.
Extremely belated postscript that should have been here far earlier:
Free Palestine, Free Sudan, Free Congo 🇵🇸🇸🇩🇨🇩