mostwanted8
You keep telling me about Bella's feelings/regrets as if they have some weight in the real world when they actually should not. Like there's some magical bubble around her that protects her. It ricochets all the consequences of her decisions and actions. Other characters like Vanessa, Leia, and someone else are less likeable, so of course this doesn't apply to them. They don't have that magical bubble. Despite the fact that all the characters live in the same world that operates under the same rules.
I'll repeat what I meant earlier. It's cheap, it's artificial. It disrupts the natural order of things in the world of the game. It is perceived as the intervention of beyond force, and I mean the author. The author is always watching. They tell the story and directs it as they see necessary. In good stories, the author's interference is unnoticeable. Unless of course the noticeable interference is justified and done intentionally. But SG is clearly in the wrong genre, it's more for stories from antiquity. What you're talking about isn't good storytelling, but bad writing. I'm telling you this as someone who is actually interested in screenwriting. I have a story that I've been working on for 15 years and writing my own screenplay. You open any book about screenwriting and it will tell you exactly that. A character who commits bad acts but doesn't pay a price for them in the physical world because he has some feelings is terrible writing.
I mentioned Better Call Saul earlier for a reason. Bella/Nika and Jimmy/Kim have a huge amount of parallels. They literally do the same things, often for the same reasons. Jimmy and Kim were likeable and had a lot of feelings and regrets. They did a lot of bad things, sometimes for good reasons, but always faced the consequences. Sometimes the consequences turned in their favour, sometimes they did not. In the end, they paid the price. Was this price justified? Hell no. Not even close. But they live in the real world, just like Bella and Nika. Consequences are not based on morality.
Now, I'm not saying that Bella and Nika should pay the same price that BCS characters paid. But there has to be some price that affects them personally, not Mila. Because if they don't pay a price for their acts, then what does it even matter what they do? Their acts have no real value.
The characters' acts and the consequences they face are what should be the main driving force for the story, not their damn feelings. Their feelings are what provoke their acts. After all, that's particularly important for stories about change, especially those that lead to healing.
If Bella has a bubble that protects her from the consequences of her actions, that bubble must have a physical manifestation. For example, a powerful parent who pulls her out of every mess she gets into. Amber falls under that definition. But do you really think that's what this story really needs? It's a very hypocritical plot turn and completely contradicts Bella's theme of healing.
However, it can work if we apply Mila. Amber pulls Bella out of the situation, but Mila gets hit. Bella doesn't care and this leads to a big conflict with Nika. And I mean real conflict with significant consequences in their relationship. This will be especially useful if Nika is on her path.
I don't see it yet. But if it happens it will be good.
