araneitela

[araneitela]

Okay there's nothing quick about this, I'm typing up a meta that I hope to post tonight, but there's so much in this. Help me, why do I do this to myself.

I'm supposed to be wrapping up my salt session, but I think I may have just had a semi-big brain moment about Kafka. Excuse me as I just, go over here and type—

#[ ooc. ] don't try to make it logical or edit your soul according to the fashion. rather; follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly. #[ she's tied to fate. /she's tied to fate/. she has to be. SHE HAS TO BE. ] #[ i'm going to bite a clenched fist. she's got to be. ] #[ there's TOO MANY insinuations. ]

[araneitela]

I'm supposed to be wrapping up my salt session, but I think I may have just had a semi-big brain moment about Kafka. Excuse me as I just, go over here and type—

#[ ooc. ] don't try to make it logical or edit your soul according to the fashion. rather; follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly. #[ i will finish i promise but this just hit me like a ton of damn bricks in the face on some level. ] #[ even if it's tied by many things like a spider's web has maaaaaany strings heeeeello. ]

[araneitela]

All I can say to this is yes. In every possible way that's humanly and inhumanly possible.

i think i broke @araneitela

#[ ooc. ] don't try to make it logical or edit your soul according to the fashion. rather; follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly. #[ this is what it's like. this is what /i'm/ like. ] #[ i'm just a normal human being i dunno what you're on about honestly. ] #[ is this not how everyone replies/reacts to thread replies? hmm? HMM? ] #[ i think this is normal. ] #[ ....................... please accept me as i am lauri. flaws and all. ]

[araneitela]

❀ What has made you completely lose your chill?

Prompt: The salty munday meme // @resolutepath

❀ What has made you completely lose your chill? (Skip to paragraph 2 if you want the salt) I don't know if it would count as it being called 'losing my chill', but I get pretty Tinkerbell footstomp-y over specific issues. And as of late the whole 'women empowerment' has driven me absolutely up the wall as if I bit into 5 Jueyun Chilis and then smoked some crack during the moment of 'no brain' that came as a result. I've raged about it in DMs, I've also rambled about it twice over now in posts, and I guess I'm about to do it again here in some capacity. I think it's lasted long enough, this silence from the other side that counters the loud voices. Any society functions best when it practices the art of conversation, debate and discussion between those who disagree, but that seems like it got buried (hopefully only temporarily) by Tumblr numerous years ago, and instead we're now caught in an environment where people yell at each other, and then also make claims that some have 'no right to talk back about [topic in question]'. And I can only take so much of that. For starters, I already don't believe that the concept of people having 'no right to discuss about things' is good or healthy, because half of the experience of learning about things that are unfamiliar to you, is actively getting involved and informed about it (oh hey, I wonder who's at door; oh hello, art of conversation). Any way, I digress, but the amount of times that I see 'you're not a woman, so you can't talk about this', alright great— I'm a woman, so my voice counts when it comes to the topic of women, right? Great. So hear me: the opinion of the (female) masses blows. Sure, this whole concept of 'you have a right to your opinion' is great and I agree, but that doesn't mean that I can't call it the stupidest and most frustrating opinion that I've ever heard (and yes, you have the right to think the same of mine). God.

Any way, to the topic: sexualization of women and how apparently, cishet men are the ones responsible for it. Yeah, okay, and I'm Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, honk honk my bright red nose! Have you seen yourselves on X and Tumblr and wherever else? Sure, one can argue that HYV gave Kafka rather large breasts, sure, and you can condemn them for it, knock yourselves out. And you do, okay, great, and then, ladies, guess what I find scrolling through fanarts on any site? Kafka, drawn with the same large breasts IF. NOT. BIGGER. So okay, yeah, you can tell me these may be men, alright, so then what's your counter to me when I see in the bios of these artists, that they're women or female-identifying? Hmm? Go ahead, I'll wait, I'll be patient. Honestly, I need you to take your accusatory little fingers and point them at yourselves, because a huge part of this problem? Lies with you. Do you need me to say it again? It lies with you. But hey, at least you're consistent, for you don't sexualize just women, you also sexualize the hell out of men.

It's the same in RP in so many cases. There's so many complaints about 'my female muse gets no attention' combined with 'I can't believe I'm only approached for ships', I'm sorry, hold up— what are those shipping memes I see reblogged? The NSFW-tinted ones? What are these suggestive memes in my inbox? And again, it's not just female muses. Because that's the part of the problem that I think people aren't looking at: the exact same is done with male muses, except for some reason, women have a hard-on for M/M ships in writing, and graphical art, as much as we say that men have a thing for F/F porn. But it's okay, we'll condemn one and forgive the other, because one of those objectifies women. Yep, I got it. As a fellow woman, I'm here to say that you're doing good, girls, keep up the sisterhood, I'm proud of you.

... I lied, it makes me lose my damn chill.

#[ answered: ooc. ] apologies for interrupting your little get-together. but I’m sure once you’ve heard my request; you’ll forgive me. #[ salt. ] that breathing sensation? remember it. #[ see-- at least ADMIT THAT YOU WANT TO SHIP. ] #[ and ADMIT THAT YOU WANT to see and draw and write women with huge breasts. and do whatever. ] #[ at /least admit it/. i'd have so much more respect for you. ] #[ but this 'oh woe is women; they're so objectified/sexualized' and then me likely being able to venture onto their twitter... ] #[ and finding a massive hooters fan--? yeah. sorry; you have literally no right to complain about anything. ]

[araneitela]

☁ Have you ever forgiven a partner when you shouldn’t have?

☂ Have you ever been forgiven when you knew you shouldn’t have been?

Prompt: The salty munday meme // @cygnor

☁ Have you ever forgiven a partner when you shouldn’t have? Yes, I have done so too many times in the past, and I no longer intend to let it ever happen again. Which... I realize makes me seem oddly cold somehow in this response, but it's just there was a time when I didn't put my foot down as much as I do now, and it bit me in the ass too many times to count. It was drawing the short end of the stick over, and over, and over and thinking that eventually it would work out for the better. It never did. So it won't happen again (and it hasn't).

☂ Have you ever been forgiven when you knew you shouldn’t have been? I don't think it's quite fair to ask me that question, for I can't quite judge from another person's perspective like that, but I don't think so?

#[ answered: ooc. ] apologies for interrupting your little get-together. but I’m sure once you’ve heard my request; you’ll forgive me. #[ salt. ] that breathing sensation? remember it. #[ thank you for this! i apologize i got no juicy response to the latter. 😉 ]

[araneitela]

☼ ☀ x 2

Prompt: The salty munday meme // @avaere

☼ How long do you stay mad? I don't stay mad, but I never forget a slight (and I only selectively forgive). My brain functions in a sense of anger is unproductive and I recognize it, so I eventually enter a state of indifference for my own mental sake. But when I do, it's irreversible; I don't come back from that. Indifference means that I have lost any and all emotional investment in the person in question for one reason or another, which means I've stopped caring. No one outside of two family members, have come back from that. Thing is though, it takes a long time and a lot of effort for someone to push me towards it, and I've been told I'm usually too patient, let people get away with too much, but I think it's because the ultimate outcome is as rooted in permanence as it is.

☀ What’s your rp pet peeve? For my first answer... Hmm, I'm gonna go with ignoring established canon foundations for the sake of an OC. Listen, guys, all characters started as OCs at some point— do you think the writers at HYV woke up one day, employed there as if by some invokation of magic, with an audience of fans already at their heels? No, they all started somewhere, Zhongli, Venti, Diluc, Furina, and all the others, they were all OCs, and they technically still are. We just call them canons now because HYV's original work is 'established' within and by their audience, but they all remain original. Any way, I digress: the lore around them took a lot of effort to create and then tie so many other characters into consistently without ruining anything. And I love to write in that, so when someone comes in with a wrecking ball the size of Mt. Everest, I'm really not very motivated. I won't care about your character's AU or anything, if you decide to overpower, ignore or entirely swap up the game's established setting and timeline because you deem it 'better' or whatever descriptor you want to use.

The second... How we all choose to RP, which means that we actively decide to engage in writing with other people, and yet the levels of communication are absolutely outright abysmal. I understand social anxiety, I understand being shy, but if you want to do something that requires social interaction, then you need to socially interact. And if you don't want to do that, then do it the old-school way, respond to asks/memes and talk in the tags or something, instead of trying to place the entire responsibility with others. Now to add to that however, I also want to note that words have meaning. If you communicate with people and you say A, then mean A, and don't end up swapping to Z because you weren't honest about A but didn't quite dare to tell the person that. Communication is so much easier than people make it out to be.

#[ answered: ooc. ] apologies for interrupting your little get-together. but I’m sure once you’ve heard my request; you’ll forgive me. #[ salt. ] that breathing sensation? remember it. #[ nothing new here for you; i don't think. 😘 ]

[araneitela]

the salty af munday meme

Because, like it or not, we’re not all balls of sunshine all the time. We can be pure salt when we want to be.

☠ What does someone have to do for an instant unfollow from you?

♥ What’s the WORST thing that has happened to you rp wise?

♦ What was a mildly annoying thing that has happened to you rp wise?

♢ Has anyone ever tried to steal your blog? Your headcanons? Icons? All that jazz

♚ How many people don’t like you?

⚜ How many people do you not like?

✮ Have you managed to stay away from drama?

☄ Have you ever been in the middle of drama?

☯ Have you ever tried to bring peace to a situation?

☼ How long do you stay mad?

☀ What’s your rp pet peeve?

☁ Have you ever forgiven a partner when you shouldn’t have?

☂ Have you ever been forgiven when you knew you shouldn’t have been?

☢ What fads/trends are you so over?

☣ Have you ever rp’d with someone you knew for a fact was abusive but tried to give them a chance/to make up your own opinion on the roleplayer? Did they change or did you understand what people were talking about?

♨ Have you ever made a public call out post?

❀ What has made you completely lose your chill?

✿ What do you think about public call out posts?

✂ A fandom that you feel isn’t open and accepting?

✉ A fandom that you feel is open and accepting?

✦ Thoughts on duplicates following you?

✧ Do you agree with reblog karma or is it forced interaction?

❥ Has someone ever ruined an FC or character for you?

❦ Has someone been jealous of you?

❧ Have you ever been jealous of anyone?

✖ How has Tumblr RP changed since you started?

♒ Thoughts on the fandom you’re currently rping in?

❣ How salty are you feeling right now?

#[ prompts / memes. ] oh you brave and fearless trailblazers. you benevolent nameless. can you really remain indifferent to that? #[ after my hot take of the other day which spawned its little child yesterday-- i feel like i should reblog this. ] #[ but i'm also suddenly very salty so here we are. ] #[ salt. ] that breathing sensation? remember it.

[araneitela]

We're returning to salt today. Tumblr and X tire me. I'm so tired of the word 'empowerment', and these phrases of 'slay, queen, slay', and people thinking that characters should be liked on the premise of solely being women. No, they should be liked on the premise of being well-written characters regardless of their sex. And then what drives me especially crazy, is when they actually are well written, and very nuanced; and they're then reduced to everything that these same people (women, yes, I have absolutely zero problem calling many of you out) complain and accuse cishet men of reducing them to: sexualized, one-dimensional ship fodder.

Not only is respect earned, instead of commanded. But maybe, just maybe, before you expect anyone else to do it: you should respect these "beloved" female muses you claim to love so much.

#[ ooc. ] don't try to make it logical or edit your soul according to the fashion. rather; follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly. #[ salt. ] that breathing sensation? remember it. #[ i blame a song from footloose for energizing (heh; empowering?) me. but also; i'm growing too tired to stay silent on this any longer. ] #[ genuinely: the only ones that make me hate being a woman (and i'm /very/ happy to be one) -- i'll say it: are these kinds of women. ] #[ i know i'll ruffle some feathers with this. but i'm just too tired. ] #[ genuinely. ]

[araneitela]

𝐍𝐒𝐅𝐖 𝐀𝐥𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐭 - Redone

Send a letter and I will respond with a headcanon about the ns/fw topic that corresponds to it!

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex) B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s) C = Cum (where does your muse prefer to cum/have someone cum) D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs) E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?) F = Favorite position (this goes without saying) G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.) H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.) I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect) J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon) K = Kink (one or more of their kinks) L = Location (favorite places to do the do) M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going) N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs) O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.) P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.) Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.) R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.) S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?) T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?) U = Unfair (how much they like to tease) V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.) W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character) X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes) Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?) Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

#[ prompts / memes. ] oh you brave and fearless trailblazers. you benevolent nameless. can you really remain indifferent to that? #[ you know what; i don't relegate this stuff to sunday alone but also; let's have at it. ] #[ let's unleash/invite the questions. ]

[araneitela]

The power of the wrist™

#[ ooc. ] don't try to make it logical or edit your soul according to the fashion. rather; follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly. #[ people: it /always/ hits the same. ] #[ no. no. it /really/ doesn't. it really truly doesn't. ]

[araneitela]

So, on the topic of female muses. Right, I’ve changed my mind, I want to separate these two topics as this one is really on the forefront of my mind. Man, not once have I ever thought that I'd write a post in which I would genuinely ever use 'as a woman' as part of enforcing my argument, but here I am: May 2nd of 2024 marks the day.

So, here's the band-aid that I'm ripping off: if you follow me for the sole purpose of showing support because I write a female character: don't. As a woman, I actively don't want that mindset anywhere remotely near me. I don't want that kind of support from you, I don't want that kind of pity from anyone, I don't want the 'sisterhood' to rally around me, I don't want 'our girls can be besties' on the simple and mere premise that they're both women. Get out of here, I don't want anything to do with it. If you follow me, I want it to be because I've piqued your curiosity with my analyses, and that I've earned your interest (yes, just like you earn everything in life, including someone's attention and respect), and that I've made you want to approach and interact with me because the character that I write appeals to you on the premise of being a good presentation of a character, regardless of whether she's a woman or not. Do not think for even a moment, that you are under any obligation of interacting with me because I write a female character, because you're not. And honestly, on top of that, I don't deserve any sort of special recognition for writing a woman, I don't face any kind of daily struggles in life for writing a woman on Tumblr.com. I do not and have never felt 'lesser' or 'prejudiced against' for writing a woman throughout all of my years of writing them off and on across so many different fandoms, both canonical and original alike; nor have I ever needed to work harder to get them any sort of interaction(s).

I genuinely hate reading so many posts that tell me to 'hang in there', and to 'stay strong, girlfriend' as if I'm fighting some war: I'm not. I don't want to be associated with this kind of mindset and/or behavior, I rebel against it and would shout it from the highest rooftops if my lungs permitted me to do so. I do not write a woman because I want to 'represent women', I do not write a woman because I'm 'fighting against discrimination', I do not write a woman to get respect from other women, I do not write a woman because I love women more than anything else in this world, I do not write a woman to help carry any sort of torch for my sex, and I certainly don't write a woman to say 'fuck you' to men. Honestly, and I say this as a woman: it would be pretty devastating to know that you, a (most likely) fellow woman on this platform, would reduce a female writer to wanting to write a female character for those reasons, and nothing else. My rage then, would be aimed in one direction, and one direction alone. And quite honestly, it's already there; my respect is more than halfway out the door.

I write the female characters that I do, because they're amazing characters that happen to be women, and I've written amazing characters that happened to be men. And guess what, many of those amazing female characters that so many of us love so desperately? Have been written by men, just like women, too, have written incredible male characters. I wish that were a reality that many of you could look at and realize, instead of pointing fingers at 'cishet men', as if they are the huge majority within this RPC.

Any way, I'm getting a little off-topic so let me get back to my point, because I sure as hell want to be sure that it's read, understood and that it's taken at face value: every single follower is appreciated more than they realize. However, be here because you appreciate what I do because I do it well, that I've earned your attention and am deserving of it, and not because I'm a woman or because I write one, because that would be one hell of a disappointment (and quite frankly: an insult) to come to terms with.

#[ ooc. ] don't try to make it logical or edit your soul according to the fashion. rather; follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly. #[ psa. ] we all think we have infinite possibilities; but every question and answer is constrained by previous choices. #[ salt. ] that breathing sensation? remember it. #[ god. it just angers me so much that this is something that i have to write. ] #[ i want to build the thickest and tallest wall around my blog so that i can separate myself from this mindset. ] #[ because i've seen the posts. and i've seen those in their notes. and god-- if this is even a /thought/. ] #[ if ANY of these reasons were the first reason as to why you followed me? man. that would really fucking suck. ] #[ like i'm just saying. god. that's the dead opposite of support. that's not support /at all/. ] #[ i've always disliked this sisterhood mentality. but every now and again i think we've moved on. and then i see it again. ] #[ i just. no. ] #[ i'm so tired guys. i'm /so tired/. ]

[araneitela]

And they're still echoing 24 hours later. So, there'll be a little (though it is genuinely intended to be short enough) PSA incoming in light of yesterday. There are just some things that I really, really insist on separating myself from entirely as a writer of a female muse. People can run their blogs however they wish to do it, but I refuse specific assumptions to then ever be made in turn about my blog, simply because of this potential generalized view and/or perspective. Refuse.

/war drums echoing in the background.

#[ ooc. ] don't try to make it logical or edit your soul according to the fashion. rather; follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly. #[ though before that; it'll also touch on a specific attitude that i absolutely 'dislike' in the rpc and always have. ] #[ and i will never not rebel against it. because literally-- i think decency and courtesy aren't difficult concepts to grasp. ]

[araneitela]

✧ ROMANTIC GESTURES BOLD what applies to your muse, italicize if there's potential / it depends.

Holding hands · buying flowers · cooking · cuddles · writing a poem / song · holding door open · tying shoe laces · sharing a milkshake with two straws · offering their jacket when it's cold · kissing in the rain · publicly confessing love · long walks at the beach · doing the titanic pose on a boat · taking cute pictures in a photo booth · sharing a taxi / uber · kissing the back of their hand · slow dancing · getting tickets of their favorite artist / sports team / other · introducing them to their parents · lighting candles · flower petals on bed · love letters · star gazing · brushing / doing their hair · picnics · teaching them to play an instrument / sport while gently guiding their hands · compliments · late night drives · taking selfies together · drawing them · self-made gifts · massages · proposing with a family heirloom ring · lending them their favorite book to read · paying for dinner / coffee · mixtapes / playlists · surprise birthday parties · feeding them · handing them keys to their apartment · making space in drawer for their clothes when they stay over · sharing a blanket · couple costumes · tucking a hair strand behind their ear (brush it out of their face, more so) · running after them at the airport / keeping them from leaving (greed) · moving cities to be together · blowing a kiss · breakfast in bed · defending them in a fight (verbally / physically) · joint bubble baths · dropping the L-bomb ("i love you") · dedicating a song at the karaoke bar to them (listen we know she did it for Bladie 'cause of hsrmonopoly) · wearing their clothes · yawning before putting an arm around them leaning into them while watching a movie · granting them the last bite (from meal)

Tagged by: @daybreakrising (thank you, other half of my beloved Kafblade) tagging: @avaere (Veritas, for he will suffer us every day) @astrxlfinale @immobiliter (Navia) @hxkerwxlf and @resolutepath (Elio) whoever else, feel free to tag me so I see it!

#[ games. ] the game only works when we follow the rules; though i'll be none the wiser if they're broken. let morality be your guide. #[ i was here like; 'bladie is more romantic than kafka'. and then i remembered the canonical karaoke thing in monopoly. ] #[ so then she admitted she can be a little more romantic than she'd like to admit. ] #[ also yes i know that some italicized ones are pink and others are black. /nuance/ okay. there's levels of accuracy. ]

[araneitela]

/war drums echoing in the background.

#[ ooc. ] don't try to make it logical or edit your soul according to the fashion. rather; follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly. #[ god sometimes i wish i was a mech with no emotions. ] #[ lemme put this war energy into writing. ]

[araneitela]

♢      —        send  [ META ] + a word / phrase / person / etc  and i will write a head  canon around it.

#[ prompts / memes. ] oh you brave and fearless trailblazers. you benevolent nameless. can you really remain indifferent to that? #[ i'm /slowly/ going through these. but i LIVE for them. so by all means! ]

[araneitela]

[META] + Violins

Prompt: [ Meta ] plus a word, equals a HC. // @findcasket

You mean the concept of humanity wrapped into an instrument? Alongside the piano, I swear that it's one of the most 'fragile' sounding instruments in terms of the level of emotion that it portrays alongside the accuracy with which it does it. Dear god, the moment that I saw this woman acting out her little violin performance while chaos was breaking out all around her, I knew that her fingers were already expertly wrapping themselves around me. Any way, I digress.

I'll forever remember looking into the notes of someone's playthrough of HSR's first scenes, which is just something I like to do because you never know what kind of little treasures you might find in there. And there was a violinist tucked away in there, who I'd also seen in the notes of her main trailer, commenting on the intense accuracy of the movement of her fingers in it. And then on top of that, how they've usually been let down by the details when other games have tried to simulate it as well, but it was more so done to iterate how intentional this must've been for Hoyo to have focused on its accuracy so much.

So in that sense, I think it's close to a given that she knows how to play it, similarly to how I believe that she is someone who also plays or has played the piano. Where I differ however, is that I don't believe that she actually owns a violin at present, nor is she seeking to obtain one by her own means. Moreover, what and where I think the 'mimicking' comes from, actually, is from her memories and the emotional attachment that she once held for these instruments in them. Kafka's character, to me, revolves around and thrives within two concepts, that of intimate longing and that of loss (the pearl earring, the broken winged butterfly pin, and Blade's character story to name some) which plays intricately into the former. Now for me, her connection to the violin and the piano (primarily the former) play wonderfully into representing both of these, and thus can be drawn into these prevalent topics across the board for her incredibly easily. In simple terms, I think that there is a sense of longing to play them. Now, I feel confident in noting that Kafka does not come across as one who, if she had access to (in this case) a violin of her own, that she would crave to play it so intensely all the time, that when drawn from it for even the briefest of time, that she would enact the part of playing one during her separation from it. No, I think she's actively choosing not to obtain one, for one reason or another. Perhaps it's a memory that plays into the loss that her character seems to stray towards, or perhaps it's a lack of something else; I don't quite yet dare say. But there's something oddly wistful about it, if you look past the surface. All in all, I think her little moments of mimicking and humming, makes for an incredibly interesting "little" tidbit to me. It reminds me of something I wrote in an older post last year:

(...) And yet, and yet, I actively think if she were to find herself in a hotel room, even on her own, and there would be a piano right there— I can see her fingers tracing over the keys so very clearly, even as if she were touching the keys to play and yet she would never press down.

I still stand by this to this day. It's the ache to do something again, and yet for one reason or another, you can't bring yourself to do it. Whether it feels wrong, or there's something missing, something or someone; it doesn't matter, it's a longing of some kind. It really is the overarching topic and/or concept that I see in her character, and the fact that she's tied to such an inherently fragile instrument, only further solidifies it in my brain. But in that, I also feel a deep sense of melancholy when I think of her and that violin. And it plays into all of this, of course, but also the fact that I genuinely see no evidence in canon at present that tells me that she has one, and we know she obtain one if she so wanted to, but she doesn't. Which tells me, on some level, that she doesn't want one. Which then has me entertain the concept of... if one were gifted to her, would that be different? Would that offer the person a glimpse into her that no one else could ever get? The answer is a very likely yes, but I can't see it being gifted by most by any means; it'd need to be by someone who could come to grasp the significance of one, put in the appropriate research, who would know where to go, who to speak to, where to find the significance. And that, isn't most people.

#[ answered: ooc. ] apologies for interrupting your little get-together. but I’m sure once you’ve heard my request; you’ll forgive me. #[ meta. ] the mara's tether is firmly in her grasp. she will not pull upon it before the designated time; nor shall she relinquish it. #findcasket #[ now this one hit me a little harder emotionally; just because i imagine the scene of seeing one that might be hers. ] #[ in a circumstance where someone directly confronts her with one. after she actively has avoided getting one. ] #[ the /glimpse/ that person could see. GOD. FERAL about this on a psychological level. and yet i can't see anyone but maybe... ] #[ one person obtaining one for her. and i don't even know if it's likely. ] #[ i just. /shakes kafka ferociously. ] #[ but also hi welcome to scratching the surface of the topic of longing; the (in my opinion) irrefutably ever important... ] #[ all-encompassing concept and topic for her. i think about it all the time. there is /so much/ and i will never stop talking about it. ] #[ thank you /so much/ for sending this in binary!! ]

[araneitela]

Notes on Kafka's trailer, "A Dramatic Irony", this'll include the obvious and the less so noticeable details. I'll be elaborating on and making use of these in the future, but for now— a little list for myself (and you?) on things I want to talk about. Oof, my dear girl, there is a lot to unpack about you and I still won't be done in a year from now: Edit: It ended up being long, but who's surprised, really?

— Background music. Entirely based on Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Most very accurately pick out 'Winter' as that's what it starts with and it's also immediately recognizable, but it actually transitions into 'Summer' just after about halfway through and beautifully ends in it. The inclusion of them both is one of HoYoverse's finest decisions musically.

— The usage of rose petals instead of blood. This one thrills me, because they add such an inherent romanticism to the concept of death, which is an ages old tale and concept (hey, do we want to tie in the beauty of how Blade craves its peace so desperately yet cannot obtain it and she cannot grant him it? I do), and it plays in beautifully to the concept of what 'fear' is usually most tied to, and how she doesn't feel it. Now what exactly are these petals of? If it's your regular red rose, then yes— it is likely referencing the intrinsic romanticism of death. I initially wondered if it could be the China rose, which would indicate longevity which could be hugely interesting but no. However, with the impending goal of 'seeking fear' and tying it directly into 'the value of life', I find the more traditional take of the red rose, a sign of intense passion/love, or a potential for the hope of passionate love, incredibly intriguing (my stance on the potentially implied ship with the MC is still where I stand, but another is creeping in through a lot of rationality and logic; because I do think that's how they plan on doing it— it's what makes most sense with implications made in her dialogue).

— Inspiration: Rorschach inkblot test. "What do you see?" It says at 0:15, and it threw me for a moment, until I looked around the text. The ink blot. Leave it paused for a second. What do you see? It's the Rorschach inkblot test. It hit me with the ferocity of a ton of bricks. For those not sure what I'm talking about, do a little search and you might have seen it used in television by some psychologists, it is a test to examine a person's personality characteristics and their emotional functioning, everyone may see something different in specific ink blots. When you leave it paused at 0:15 seconds in, that's the first card and it's called The Fear Card; intrinsically fitting, considering: "Elio said that I'm good at creating "fear", even though I don't know what it is." I didn't actually recognize the ink blot until I started typing this up and analyzed it again for the umpteenth time. I'm losing my mind, no, I've actually already lost it, because on further analyzing, I think the spider on the back of her coat also looks like it's been designed after the ink blot/card in question because it grows into a similar shape, though more so when it grows into the lines/threads of her Spirit Whisper that you see around the 1:13 mark. The entire sequence of ink blots at that timestamp give us an insight into what the guard sees that she's talking to, he sees his own death. /breathes very casually. God, I'm losing my mind, this might actually play so much more into her character. What do you see, she asks— Kafka, what do you see?

— She's so incredibly cultured. There are a lot of very classical but also archaic elements that play into the design of her character across the board. Classical music is so rarely used anymore, but it adds such a different level of sophistication to her character. Kafka stands out amidst most of the other characters, not because she's classier in general, but because they tie very old-fashioned and less used concepts into a very modern design and mold them into a perfect whole. The classical music and how she never foregoes this intense connection she has to it, the insane archaic katana versus the very modern uzis (ode to Devil May Cry, anyone? A pair of guns, one black and one white, and a katana? Along with having once worked as a 'demon hunter'? Capcom deserves the nods) and grenades, her attire especially between the coat, the high waist, the glasses and the dress shirt— but it's all beautifully put together in an incredibly modern outfit. She's so cultured, there's an intense class to her and I will not stop falling more in love with it with each passing day.

— Storytelling. 'Intermission', 'oneiric structure', 'MacGuffin', 'non- linear structure', 'fin', these are all firmly tied into the art of storytelling in film (and literature as well). Intermission is a pause in the midst of a performance. Oneiric structure refers to a structure of a tale that replicates something non-linear, so something relating to the dreamlike (oneiric comes from the Greek 'oeneiros', which means 'a dream'), think of... something surreal or distorted in reality, something that simply can't be real. MGuffin in a plot device that takes form of an a goal (an object, for instance) that is an important element in a story due to it being firmly tied to the story's characters, a driving force if you will (so for Kafka, you could see her pursuit of feeling fear). Non-lineaur simply means that a story does not follow an order of events that's necessarily chronological in terms of timeline. And 'fin' marks the end of a performance. I cannot stop being feral as to how consistent HoYoverse is with this. It isn't just referencing her trailer, or the overarching narrative of the game of Honkai: Star Rail, but also her character directly, terminology commonly used in film are in her trailer, she herself seems to be rather passionate about film (you receive a text from her regarding being alone in a movie theatre during the play of one, and she laments that there aren't more people there to watch), her eidolons being after musical terms tied to music that she thoroughly enjoys and is used time and time again to represent her. God. God.

— What some may note as being a clock counting down, is not a clock at all, but an elevator that represents a life counter. With each kill, the elevator descended one more level until it reached the ground floor. I've seen some make references to Inception and upon further glance, the reference can be intended. The 'floors' can be seen as being representative of the different levels or layers of a person's subconsciousness as she delves deeper and deeper, as she is inherently able to control and manipulate minds. God, Kafka, surely this isn't a power all from New Babylon have.

— Threads of silk; a Moirai reference tied in with the arachnid? "The silk is too fragile to be a threat, unless you're more fragile than the silk." We know she isn't fate itself, but we know, in essence, a puppeteer that ensures all sort of unfolds as Elio has foreseen, particularly with the Trailblazer, even if she trusts him/her to make the right decision. We know arachnids are far and wide associated with manipulation, which we know she's abundantly capable of and responsible for, but it goes infinitely further than that. Spiders spin webs of silk, threads of silk, threads of fate, destiny, this is an incredibly thorough and intricate character design that they settled on. Everything is so perfectly interconnected, it's absolutely unreal.

#[ srb. ] #[ the amount of scrolling i just did to find this again. ] #[ but it touches on so many things that're intrinsic to my portrayal of her that i needed to pulled back towards the top. ] #[ meta. ] the mara's tether is firmly in her grasp. she will not pull upon it before the designated time; nor shall she relinquish it. #[ and i'll retag it. ] #[ now keep in mind that this was written in september of last year; so some things i've budged on a /little/. ]