#but with these two series I feel is different because they were being published at the same time

[quetzalpapalotl]

Gonna play the exrid apologist again, but regarding Optimus and Prowl I think there is this unfair assessment of Prowl's role being to exonerate Optimus from the atrocities of the Autobots and that what Prowl did in relation to OP is never adressed.

While Prowl has much worse on a reputation in Mtmte and Wreckers, exRID plays it as him being dubious but the extent of his antics being genuinely unknown to the likes of Optimus and Prowl.

Now this doesn't mean that Optimus is scott free, he is ultimately responsible for the actions of the Autobots as their commander. There's the implication that he had his suspicions about Prowl but turned a blind eye, and regardless, this is behavior that's explicit of him in other instances, like how he pays lip service to not liking the Dinobots methods but Grimlock calling him out in that at the end of the day what Optimus' wants is results in OP #25.

But again, there is the fact that Prowl's most obvious and nefarious stuff is potrayed in Mtme, like the New Institute, which is what I hear most when expressing disappointment on this topic.I have talked about how I find is something that exists for Chromedome's characters while leaving a lot of messy implications chronologically and for other characters. And the Roberts goes out of his way to specify that the NI was something Orion was unaware of and wouldn't approve, but if Optimus really was still unaware of its continued existence then he looks like a fucking idiot, which doesn't save much face in contrast to giving it the go. This sort of thing shows up a lot in how JRo writes OP.

But the thing is, I don't think is all that fair to criticize exRID's narrative based on things that were happening simultaneously in Mtmte. For as much as Barber is the continuity guy, I think he should get a break to tell the story he wants to tell.

It is fun to try to get a general reading for yourself (and I do have my own explanations for the incongruities), but I don't think it's a failure of exrid's narrative to not adress details from another series by someone who wasn't the primary writer for these characters at the time when it's already much more mindful of this than average.

Point is, I think that when assessing something like the narrative quality of the relationship between Prowl and Optimus in exRid/OP what should be taken into account first and foremost in how it is presented in exRid/OP itself.

#it like say Rodimus is Mtmte is not bad character on the basis that he is completely different to his spotlight #or exrid soundwave in that he is not like he was in phase 1 #like ideally all of this would be perfectly congruent and cohesion does enhance the experience #but ultimately what takes priority on an author's take is what they are doing and how are they doing it #i guess it's hard to draw the line with comics when ultimately they are all piggybacking on previous stuff #but with these two series I feel is different because they were being published at the same time #like something like the shockop relationship in exrid obviously should be taken with the context of Mtmte bc that's from where it takes off #but an if things obviously work a bit different then that should be accepted #quetzal rambles tf

[popopretty]

[Translation] Asagiri Kafka's afterwords for The Day I Picked up Dazai novel

Normally, afterwords would be the last thing I read in a novel, but as there are not many changes to the published novel this time compared to the movie bonus version, I was able to skim through the text quickly and get to this. And to be honest, despite not being a writer myself, I was so moved by Asagiri's views about writing and his characters that he shared in the afterwords, that I had to sit down and translate it right away.

This is just my crappy translation, as usual, but I hope it gave you a short, interesting look into the author and the characters. And please do not forget to buy the novel if you have the chance.

The translation is under the cut, thank you!

It has been a while. This is Asagiri Kafka.

Have you been enjoying Bungou Stray Dogs?

This novel, “The Day I Picked up Dazai”, is a compilation of the first week’s bonus novel “The Day I Picked up Dazai – Side A” and the second week’s bonus novel “The Day I Picked up Dazai – Side B” for the screening of “Bungou Stray Dogs BEAST” movie (hereinafter referred to as “BEAST”).

Normally, it is difficult to publish a bonus like this, but since "BEAST” and “Fifteen” that were published earlier by BEANS Bunko were originally bonus novels too, "The Day I Picked up Dazai” was also published in the same way, thanks to the efforts of all parties involved in the Bungou Stray Dogs series.

It is the story of Dazai and Odasaku’s first meeting, where Dazai who wants to die, collapsed in front of Odasaku’s place, who is neither a mafioso nor a hit man.

Why are there two different stores, Side A and Sode B? Regarding this question, please read the novel and see for yourself. If you keep in mind that this is the bonus for the BEAST movie, I think you will be able to understand it better.

Let me reminisce a little bit here.

This story was actually suggested to me by Igarashi Takuya, Director of the Bungou Stray Dogs anime.

Shortly before BEAST movie premiered, I was struggling. It was because I was asked to write a bonus novel for movie-goers again. I said “again” because, as I mentioned earlier, BEAST itself was a bonus novel for the Bungou Stray Dogs DEAD APPLE movie. I remembered having a hard time writing it, because I let myself run wild and wrote a total of 190 pages instead of 50 pages as requested.

But I had learnt my lesson after the last rampage. I can’t just write whatever I want anymore. I have to wrap the story in a reasonable length, like a pro should do.

A proper, professional story.

Huh?

My pen stopped right there. I stopped, looked around, feeling lost.

What is a proper story?

The act of writing novel is quite different in character compared to other types of media such as writing manga, anime scripts, or game scenarios. You can say it is almost a different thing. Writing novels, rather than narrating an event, is more like putting the flow of emotions into specific sentences. You use the sequence of letters to create rhythms, create flows, and create emotions. If anything, it might be closer to composing a song than writing a story.

Therefore, you have to decide “what kind of emotion will be put in this novel” from the very beginning, or you can’t start writing. That is the only and absolute rule.

Now, however, that is where the condition of a “proper story” hung over me.

A proper novel, of a proper volume, with a proper content for a bonus.

In other words, a proper emotion.

I searched through the drawers inside my head. For a proper emotion that is waiting to be brought out.

There was nothing but emptiness there.

A professional story teller is one with the skill to move the readers’ emotions. When people find the chance to move their own emotions, they will happily be paying for it. Human-being is that kind of creature.

And writers are ones who create and sell those kinds of emotions: the fear, the excitement, the heart throb etc., those that make you think. It is that kind of job.

It is supposed to be that kind of job.

Yet I became unable to move forward.

A good story is a story that moves people. I know that. Then what kind of emotion I should put in the story to make it "proper"?

How do I find that emotion?

I mean, how did I even write novels until now?

I stood still. My legs stiffened, my knees froze, unable to take even a step forward.

I then tried to at least pretend that I was moving forward, by listening to music, by taking a walk around the neighborhood at night. But as good as the night breeze felt, I didn’t manage to reach a single story that I needed to write.

What if I stayed like this forever, what would I do?

I felt a chill plunging into my back.

Then I realized, that stories, or probably emotions too, are not things you can search for or come up with. You have no choice but to patiently wait for it to come your way. You have no choice but to humbly and earnestly sit and wait for the story’s visit.

I got that, but the "proper 50-page story” still refused to come.

It was not long before one week passed. Then two weeks.

I was doing other work, while keeping my heart’s door open, waiting for the story to come to me.

At that time, I had an online meeting with the anime staff. I casually asked Director Igarashi, “Do you have any story you want to see?”

The Director gave it a little thought then told me, "I want to see the story of Dazai and Oda’s encounter”.

At that very moment, the story rushed in through my door, like a bang. I could hear that sound very clearly.

Two stories. Odasaku, and the two Dazais. A story where they met, and a story where they couldn’t meet. A story of gain and a story of loss. If I can portray the gain and loss side by side, the amplitude of the heart will be doubled and rise up in front of us.

That was a momentary event. Rather than pushing my way forward, I felt as if something was pulling my hand. Before I noticed, I have already finished the stories.

I came to realize.

It is not the writer who searches for the story. It is the story that chooses its writer, and at some point it will come our way. A professional writer is no more than someone with the ability to catch that call.

Also, this is the most important thing: there is no such thing as a “proper emotion”. Because after all, the feelings of other people belong to them only. That is why there is no guarantee that a novel can move others “properly”. However, you can move your own emotions. You know what kind of novel can and how it will move you. If you do, you can write just that. That’s the only way. That is the truly professional attitude. That’s what I thought.

Well then.

It is a little bit off topic, but as we are talking about “stories that come our way”, let’s talk about Odasaku’s first-person narrative.

Odasaku is a special character. For me, he is exclusively a novel character, and I have never portrayed him in the manga.

He first appeared as the narrator in “Dazai Osamu and The Dark Era”, then “BEAST” and now this “The Day I Picked up Dazai”. All are novels. That’s why for me, Odasaku doesn’t live inside the pictures, he lives inside the first-person narrative passages.

He is an eccentric guy. Even if you prepare the place and tell him to speak, he won’t speak to you that easily. His way of thinking is rather unique, that if I write his narrative after writing other characters’ first-person narrative, I would stumble for sure. Odasaku doesn’t speak. He just sits there in silence, while I can do nothing but sitting in front of my blank manuscript paper, trying to talk to him, like “What’s up?”, “Here, here”. However, he is a guy who won’t speak when it is not necessary. Sometimes it goes days or even weeks without him saying a word. Why did such a character come to me...?

During such time, there is only one thing I can do. That is, of course, to stay with him, sit patiently, and simply wait.

Finally he will start speaking. In his unique rhythm, word by word. His words have the power to cut through the world from a certain angle. That special cross-section is full of things I have never seen before and it never fails to surprise me.

And then when he finishes telling his story, he will swiftly disappear. To a dark and quiet place somewhere – probably, I can only imagine, somewhere like a bar. He will sit there calmly and keep his own time to himself. After that, it will be hard to call him again. It is a backbreaking task to me, but in the end, that is the type of guy Odasaku is, and if I am allowed to sound self-conscious, that is Odasaku's charm.

This story was written in such a way. There is a chance that he will come back again. And when he does, I will patiently listen to his voice again.

This story was completed and published thanks to the help of many people: in the Bungou Stray Dogs BEAST movie’s Production Committee, the anime staff, Young Ace’s Editorial Department, BEANS Bunko’s Editorial Department, and the many people who were involved in the publication of the book. Thank you very much. It is all thanks to you that the book was published without any problem this time as well.

Well then, see you in the next story.

Asagiri Kafka.

#bsd #bungou stray dogs #the day i picked up dazai #traánlation

[wandasfifthwife]

(2) the curse of living in a small town | I got a bad idea series

—> masterlist

southern!wandanat x fem!city-girl reader

tw: allusions to sex (didn’t happen, r just misunderstands), discussion of w&n undressing r while she was drunk bc r threw up on them, slight angst, two separate minor injuries (r), blood mention, mentions to past drunkenness (r), incorrect scared horse description?

a/n: in true me fashion this is published without being proofread. so excuse my choppy ass writing lmao

The sheets wrapped around you were too warm, and it often pulled you back to sleep. Any time you begin to stir, all you had to do was twist your body and you were falling asleep again. The sun was high in the sky by the time you actually opened your eyes.

The curtains were closed, but the air conditioning would push the corners so they’d flip up and let the light in. It didn’t take long to recognize that the room you were in was not a room you recognized.

You froze, dread piling within you as you took in each individual difference between the room you were in versus the one back at your grandparents. The coats hung behind the door, pictures laid on the vanity in front of you, a hand-made blanket thrown across the edge of the bed frame. Not to mention the smell—though pleasant—it was unrecognizable.

It took looking down at your current sleep wear to make you freak out. It wasn’t yours.

Everything on top and underneath wasn’t yours. Your heart rate seems faster than normal when you crack the door open. It’s quiet, and a sign for you to run out the door.

Your feet are bare, so the sound of the bottom of your foot sticking when it picks off the floor is embarrassingly loud. You’ve almost reached the first floor, feet about to meet the halfway mark on the stairs when you hear a voice beside you.

No rational thought came to mind as you rush down the stairs. Your left foot slips and you miscalculate the distance between the last step and the bench sitting across from you. It collided into the bench’s leg with a solid thud.

The wind gets knocked out of you, forcing you to hunch over and wait for the sting to leave. You don’t want to see who’s greeted you, ignoring it even as you miserably make it to the front door.

Across from you in the middle of their yard is Natasha. Though with how fuzzy last night was, she’s become a stranger to you. You turn to the left and book it towards the one thing you recognize at the moment, your grandparents home. You hear her call out to you, but you don’t waste any time running through the warm grass. All emotions related to embarrassment, regret, and shame fill you and force your adrenaline to kick it into overdrive.

Your grandma’s having a field day, laughing as she sees you through the kitchen window. She calls her husband over, the sight of you in almost nothing cracking him up hit he attempts to save your dignity.

He opens the door for you, not saying anything because he knew you’d rush past him and shut yourself in a room. Which is exactly what you did.

“That’s pretty early for a night owl like her,” your grandma laughs, looking to your grandpa. He has a sympathetic look on his face, still looking off where you ran up the stairs.

“I feel bad, honey.“

“It’s not that I don’t feel bad, I just think she’s a grown adult. She choose to get drunk, I’m sure she’s just embarrassed to find out she drunkenly cried over someone congratulating her for graduating college.”

That’s not the reason why you felt embarrassed. You had zero chance of knowing what happened last night until you talked to one of them. Confrontation wasn’t your strength, avoidance was. That’s why you’re caught up in this mess with your boss at work, you can’t tell him to give you a raise because you’re afraid of getting fired.

That’s how you feel now. You’re afraid of asking what happened last night because you’re scared of the possible situation. There’s no obvious physical signs of anything happening other than your clothes being changed. That being said, you still left your clothes over there. At this point, they can keep them.

The picture frames that covered the walls were photos from their marriage. Them smiling, a few of them kissing. It was beautiful and you were terrified you were to ruin it, what they have, after last night. Your home was even quieter than theirs, that was until your mother had begun to bang against your door.

“Get dressed, you’re coming with me into town.”

You realize then that all of your sudden movement from earlier catches up to you. Your mother realizes it too and thankfully allows you to sleep in more. After a few home remedies you’re feeling better, but not fully healed. When she finds you in bed at 3PM, she’s hurrying into your bedroom and pushing you to get out

“Tomorrow?”

“No,” she pulls the sheets off the bed, “fall for stupid tricks get stupid consequences, come on.“

You shy away from the laughs coming from your brother and grandparents when you make it downstairs. There was a small tray in the kitchen with a varying fruits. A small sticky note beside it with a personalized message towards you, telling you to take whatever’s left.

“Want to visit the diner in town? I’d like to visit my friend for a minute, you can get lunch?”

Your mom navigates the plans, pushing beside you. You make a small plate and grab more meds from the pharmacy tray in the furthest cabinet to the left.

“I don’t care, mom.”

She grabs the keys off a small hook and wonders off outside. Her actions telling you get yourself in the car within the next few minutes. You bother finds himself stumbling into the kitchen, “to set the record straight, I won.”

“Fuck off,” you mumble, grabbing your phone and tumbling out the door. Your mom pulled the car out front with the window’s down.

“Buckle your seatbelt.”

“We’re going down St Peters?”

“You’re still sobering. I’m scared you’ll pull the door open and fly out.”

“Mom,” you point towards where the city is, “the streets are 25, it’s slow. Just go.”

She still replayed her comeback to you, going on about how over drinking is terrible for you. Meanwhile her yapping was making everything hurt worse. You rest your head against the window as best as you can, trying to be mindful of the constant bumps due to the rock road.

“—you had cried like a baby.”

“I did what?”

“Cried last night.”

You groan, “I can’t believe I did that.”

“You did a lot of things,” she says eventually once you’ve gotten onto the road. Her sentence doesn’t help the downfall of emotions you’ve been experiencing since this morning.

“Have anybody in your sights lately?”

“Nope, still single.”

She prods further, asking, “are you going to get married? I don’t care how or when, just sometime before I die so I can have grandchildren.”

“I understand. You’ll be the first to know if I find someone.”

She turns down the street, onto where the most amount of buildings lie unless you want to drive for hours. It’s a thirty minute drive, decent enough to get what you’re needing. Food, supplies, send mail, or to set up market. There was a spot in front of the town’s diner, the one your mom chose and the one right by where a certain someone’s car was parked as well.

You climb out of the car, unsuspecting and following your mom into the diner. She pulls away from you almost immediately to talk to her friend who’s sat at a booth towards the back. You thought to introduce yourself, include yourself in the conversation between an old acquaintance. The both just behind her was where Natasha was, your eyes finding hers. You grew defensive, turning on your heel to sit at the bar instead.

The lady behind the counter takes your brisk order. The look on her face is also wondering why you’re this bothered by her presence. If it were a one night stand, it’s fine, they happen. Usually they don’t and with one running out into the field barefoot though.

She hands you the tea you ordered. You’re sure your expression is still tense judging by the fact her eyes never leave you until she’s rounded the corner. Whether she’s concerned, or noisy, it doesn’t matter. If she could tell you’re tense, you’re sure Natasha can tell if she so much looks your way.

You’re unsure about why, but you look over your shoulder. It was with a purpose to look at your mother, but you glued onto her again and freaked when you saw her get closer. Hands growing sweaty around the cold drink in your hands when she sits beside you. She wastes no time getting straight to the point, narrowing you with a stare.

“Why’d you run off this morning?”

The conversation you’ve been dreading was unraveling. You keep your eyes on the old tv, not sparing her a glance. She doesn’t budge. You finally turn towards her, meeting her stare, “do I know you?”

It was a complete lie that she seemed to beleive for a split second. She backed up, giving you enough space and time for your mother to come back. You were gone by the time she put the pieces together. The way you looked back at her, nervously swallowed when she got close, and sat still when she spoke to you. You definitely recognized her.

You ran into them again at the market a day later. Whoever they went, you copied, hiding behind anything you could to avoid being seen.

You ran into them again when Natasha was getting gas at the station you liked off Westview. You went above and beyond to push your seat back, putting yourself out of the span of her line of sight.

You ran into them everywhere. The only place they had yet to wonder into was your grandparents land. It felt like your safe zone, the area where they couldn’t roam.

That proved to be wrong when you crept into the stable at sundown, visiting the newer addition to the stable. You met him a day ago when your grandfather took you out to see him for the first time.

You sat in the corner of his pen on a stool, watching as he ate the feed you poured into his food mound into. Your grandfather mentioned needing him to get used to new people as they wanted to train and sell him eventually to a rider.

“Why’re you up so late?�� wanda had asked almost as if she came out of nowhere. It startled you and the sound your hand made when it hit his feeder had him freaking out as well. Wanda’s quick to unlatch the door, pulling you into her. The wooden edge caught onto your skin, dragging and pulling it until it bled.

“Thank yo—“

“No need, my apologies for scaring you,” she looks towards the terrified horse, “and him”

“Ah no worries, he gets scared often,” you brush the hay off of your jeans, “why’re you in here?”

“We bought half the stable two years ago.”

Of course they did.

“Oh.”

“Guessing your ma didn’t tell you?”

You shook your head, reaching an arm out to slide it down the side of his snout, bringing him to eventually stand still. She waits patiently beside you, looking between you and the horse.

“Got yourself cut there?”

“I did?“

Her fingers weave under your arm, pulling it up and showing you the slice your arm took a minute ago. She looks saddened, “I’m sorry, angel, I didn’t mean for you to get hurt.”

“It’s just a small cut. I barely even knew it was there I’m so immune to them.”

She doesn’t look pleased. She invites you to her house, and you want her to leave. It’s not her, it’s you. You can still feel your nerves spike after all these days when you see them time after time again. Going back to their house would mean you’d have to see how the two of them are doing, and lately, they haven’t been in the same room.

If there’s one thing you remember from last night, was that they came together and were almost wrapped in each other’s arms.

“At least let me cleanse it before anything tries to infect it.”

You agree and she sits you down on the chair in the tack room, coming back a second later with a small bag. The cut did not draw any attention to you when it happened, but you’re thankful she noticed or else the blood could’ve spread onto your clothes or anything else you touched.

Neither one says anything while she rubs disinfectant on the gash. The horses in their stalls were making much more noise in how they huff and walk around. Being cooped up in a little cell would drive you crazy. Like being cooped up in this room with Wanda was suffocating.

“Have you had any meds since last night?”

“Yes,” you rush to look away when she glances at you, “ma has a supply in her cabinets.”

“Good.”

Oh my gosh you want to run back into the house and stay in there until you fly back to New York. She’s entirely calm and her fingers are steady, something you’re trying to copy.

“If you need anything, come visit.”

It was the undertone of her statement that confused you. It was inviting. She put the cotton pad into the trash, coming back to sit beside you. Her fingers were so gentle, hovering over your skin and unintentionally giving you chills.

“Thank you.”

Her smile so soft. She finishes putting the small bandage over your arm and walks back out to put it away. You don’t want to run now, partially because you’re with the one who’ll lay the truth down in a kinder way.

“What happened last night.”

You know she heard you when she laughs out loud, the sound light and airy. It confused you, bringing you to ask more questions. She motions for you to leave the room, the key going into the lock after.

“You got drunk and cried if Natasha or I tried to leave. We all decided it would be best if we just brought you to our house for the night. You fell asleep the second your head hit the pillow. Natasha heard you being sick late into the night, I believe it was 3AM? She left to help you—“

“That’s a wonderful story,” you cut her off in hopes to not hear the rest, but you’re incredibly relieved to find you hadn’t slept with them that night, “I am so terribly sorry you had to deal with that.”

“If you’d like your clothes from last night back they’re folded in our laundry room.”

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“We wanted to.”

You walk past the first few stables to grab your phone off the table you had set it on when you walked in. You flit it into your back pocket, “would you be alright if I stopped by to grab my clothes tonight?”

“Not at all.”

The front gate to the stable shuts. Wanda pulls a small flashlight, shining the light to help you both walk back towards their house. Her eyes were focused ahead, shorter hair covering half of her side profile.

“When I first met you, how long had you been married?”

“About three years,” she explains, “we got married in the summer.”

“The pictures in your home are beautiful.”

She thanks you, walking ahead to open the door to her estate for the both of you. The moon’s full, providing enough light that almost puts the flashlight to shame. It shows the shorter path ahead of you, marked by dried dirt and stones.

The door to their home opens and Natasha walks to stand in the doorway. The two greet each other with a kiss, whispering small pleasantries. It’s only for a second, but it singles you out and makes you feel you’re imposing. Natasha holds the door for you to enter, letting the screen door swing shut once you’ve all entered.

Wanda walks you through their house towards the laundry room, indirectly giving you a tour of everything you ran past in a blur that morning. The emerald green backsplash in their kitchen and wooden cabinets. Little miscellaneous items thrown about like a stack of papers and a random hair clip.

“Here,” she peeks into the laundry room, setting the clothes onto your open arms, “sorry they’re all cold, I promise they were warm this morning.”

You laugh awkwardly, the shy sound getting cut off from Natasha calling for Wanda from another room. You two found Natasha standing in the living room, holding an opened envelope. Shreds of paper were on the floor, results of her careless attempts of opening the letter.

“Why are we still getting mail from the Parsons? We finished their payment last week.”

Wanda takes it from her hands, scanning over the letter for only a second, “it’s possible they’ve forgotten, they’re entirely too old.”

Natasha mumbles under her breath and goes to place it with the other thrown about papers on their dining room table.

“I’m probably going to head out now,” you look behind yourself, ensuring that you’re actually walking backwards towards the door, “thank you for everything.”

“Course, angel. Have a good night.”

You smile, feeling like you’re being drowned underwater as you step down the porch. Their conversation can be heard even as you’re halfway down their driveway, the screen door doing nothing to separate building from the rest of the world.

You grow cold as you walk back home, the light and warmth their home brought escaping you with each step you took walking away from them. It’s loud back at your grandparent’s home, most everyone is situated in the backyard, but a few remain in the living room.

Your aunt greets you first, asking where you were before asking if you could help your brother with the dessert since apparently he’s “still recovering from last night.” You doubt that but you’re in no mood to fight.

Your grandparents are sitting on a one person couch. Legs are intertwined and hands held and it brings back a memory from last night in their home when you were laid over Natasha’s waist in a similar position. You leave the room with an aching feeling in your chest.

There’s times when you were unsure of how you were feeling. The reason why you felt off sometimes never making itself known. You were home with family, a plate with crumbs laid on the table between you all. It was fine, you were safe and in a warm building with food and water and everything necessary.

When the lights turned off in the house and everyone had gone to bed, you still felt a tight squeeze in your chest. You labeled it as a combination of so much happening the past couple of days, and the fact you drank more than usual just the night before. When you climbed in bed, you fell asleep looking at the little lit-up house down the road.

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[indierpgnewsletter]

Playing Rabbits in an RPG from 1976

(This continues our 2024 series, 10 Games From The First 10 Years. First published in the Indie RPG Newsletter)

It is genuinely surprising to me that in 1976, within two years of D&D coming out, someone published a game about being rabbits. It makes a little more sense when you realize that it was inspired by Watership Down and the designers were, I believe, zoologists or something similar. But having read it, the premise is the least interesting part of this game. It has so many fascinating little ideas.

Bunnies & Burrows is a game about rabbits … but these aren’t just rabbits, they fight, explore, gamble, study herbs, see the future, parley with beetles, find love, have children – and the list goes on. The end result are characters that ironically feel more human than you’d imagine.

As I play more games, I learn about games, sure, but I’m also learning a lot about myself. And a rule of thumb has slowly emerged: I want to play games that lead to interesting, surprising, unique things being said by the players. I’ve sometimes phrased it as “people want to say cool shit at the table”. I’m people.

Bunnies & Burrows starts with D&D as a jumping off point – there’s that old, familiar rolling 3d6 down the line to get your stats. But that’s more or less where the similarities end. You have rules for fighting but it’s not D&D combat – this game is often described as having “the first martial arts system” but what this means is that fighting is mostly weapon-less and involves declaring actions that flow into each other as patterns or c-c-combos. Basically, some actions set up other actions – you can’t Rip into another rabbit unless you already pulled off a Bite & Hold in the last turn. Some actions like Run aren’t possible if you’ve just done a Pin or a Rip in the previous turn and so on. I didn’t actually get to play out a fight but these rules got me grinning.

And the whole thing is like that. The study and application of herbs is meant to be a little puzzle where through trial-and-error and dice rolls, you slowly figure out what’s good for you and what isn’t. The languages and persuasion rules mean that certain characters can become envoys to other species. Because a language can mean the difference between things turning violent and a peaceful negotiation between rabbits and a mother scorpion that has accidentally wandered into their warren.

Don’t get me wrong. Most of these little pieces are eccentric and inelegant – always more convoluted than you’d like but still a major leap forward in playability because in the end, it’s a d100 roll under a target number. All the fiddliness – and there’s a lot of it – lies in the absolutely esoteric ways this game invents for calculating that target number. But I find it easy to forgive this in an old game, especially when the most interesting part of the game doesn’t lie in the mechanics but the negative space the rules seem to create.

The donut hole in the centre of this game – fruitful void? uncrowded centre? – is the question: What is rabbit society like? This is a setting question – or rather, a system of relation question – that is never asked but it must be answered. The mechanics have some opinions. For example, every player picks a profession when they make a character – Empath, Seer, Storyteller, Scout, and so on. Some of this comes from Watership Down, which can, of course, be your ready-made answer – it’s the unstated but obvious setting sourcebook for this game. But if you don’t go down that route, you’ve got a juicy problem: What do we value? What do we despise?

#indie rpg #ttrpg #ttrpg community #ttrpg design #ttrpgsolidarity

[slavghoul]

Interview from Sweden Rock Magazine 10/2023

Hi, hi. There is an interview with Tobias in SRM’s newest issue, but it’s in the subscribers only section, so I thought I’d translate/share since I guess not many people will be able to get their hands on it. It is about Prequelle and it’s part of SRM’s „200 best Swedish hard rock albums of all time” series. Prequelle placed #68. The other albums may have scored higher, but for now we don’t know the whole list. Either way, enjoy. Very insightful. 

„Do you think that "Prequelle" is Ghost's worst album?” Now that’s an unusual opening question. Especially when the interview is about an album that Sweden Rock Magazine's writers and qualified Swedish hard rock musicians (including Tobias Forge) have voted as one of the 200 best Swedish hard rock albums of all time. The question wasn’t planned, but comes spontaneously, as a reaction to the first thing Tobias Forge says when we sit down on opposite sofas in the record company office. I'm here for a two-part interview, partly about the EP "Phantomime" (published in #6 2023), partly about "Prequelle". Neither record companies, artists, voters, nor even our writers who conduct interviews for this series of articles have any idea what placement an album has received. Interviews are often done well in advance and we simply don't want placements to leak and become public long before publication.

No Ghost album has ever been on the list before. The idea is actually to end the day with the "Prequelle" talk, but when Tobias Forge suddenly starts with a funny little comment that this album is probably the one that those who have voted think is Ghost's worst or least popular album, I just have to take the opportunity to ask the question: Do you think that "Prequelle" is Ghost's worst album?

No, absolutely not, he says and laughs. If I'm going to be completely pragmatic, I'd say: "How many songs do we actually play from that record?" There are songs that work damn well live and sit where they should. So it's a pretty strong album.

But is this what you are basing it on? "Prequelle" was released after Ghost had become really big so it can't be compared to "Opus Eponymous" and "Infestissumam" which you don't play many songs from. I mean, no matter what kind of record you had released when "Prequelle" came out, you would still have played many songs from it and they would have worked precisely because Ghost's songs nowadays are moulded more to the arena format.

I don't know how to answer that, it's difficult. If the album had been different, it would have been. If I'm going to talk somehow both artistically and practically, I know that for every record we have become exponentially bigger. "Prequelle" was definitely no exception, but it also took us a big step forward and upwards and we became bigger and broader. To the extent that when we introduce old songs in the live set, you notice that there are elements on albums one and two that make some songs more difficult to play. Not technically, we can play the songs, but they don't work in quite the same way as the later songs, which means that there is a slight favouritism.

I asked the original question about whether you think it's Ghost's worst album only because you directly said that this means it's the least popular one.

I'm just so full of myself I assumed all the other albums are also in the top 200, which may actually be incorrect. This might be the best album and the others aren't even there, haha.

It wasn't long after "Prequelle" was released that you were self-critical of the album in interviews, saying that it was too ballad-heavy and a bit too soft. I haven't noticed that before, you being so self-critical shortly after the release.

Yes, but I still feel that way. If, as an artist, I am only going to look at the work with the criticism that one can feel towards one's own work, I think that if things had been different or if I had more time, I might have wished that I had managed to get maybe two more hard songs. Maybe one more hard song would have fit on the album and another harder song might have phased out one of the ballads. Now five years after the album came out, I know that the two ballads ("Pro Memoria" and "Life Eternal"), which I may not think are bad, are one too many. But I know that many of the people who like the band like both of them, so it's kind of a useless argument.

Who sets the length of an album? Have you set a limit, that it can't be longer than this and have no more songs than that?

No, but it must fit on an LP disc and there is a physical limit. I think the absolute pain threshold is 46 minutes and that's 23 minutes on each side. Now maybe Mikkey Dee (co-owner of Spinroad Vinyl Factory) will raise his hand here: "But I can make it longer!" And it's maybe 48 minutes, I don't know, but I do know that when a disc starts getting so full that you start getting close to the sticker, it starts to sound bad. Especially nowadays, because recordings today are so very maximalist in scope. It's one thing if you record 60s music with drums, a guitar and bass where the sound is cleaner and finer or if you play acoustic stuff with just vocals. Bob Dylan records could have eight songs on each side and it worked all the way through. But this kind of fairly compact music doesn't work well. Not only am I a militant vinyl advocate, I think we should respect the fact that most artists don't manage to create more than 45 minutes of good music on a regular basis. A lot of famous double records are not that good. I don't think the Rolling Stones "Exile On Main St" is very good. It might as well have been on one disc. And if I'm actually going to turn it into something completely mundane, I'd say that I think it's irresponsible to sit and make records with twelve songs if it results in the record being 63 minutes long and you automatically have to make a double record. It's pretty wasteful.

When you said that it's irresponsible, I thought you were going to say that it's irresponsible to print a double vinyl because of the environmental destruction that it entails.

Of course, if we're going to be completely straightforward and not do anything that harms nature, we shouldn't even release any records, so I say this with reservation. But with that in mind and for the sake of art, I think more people should embrace the actual given format that has been the most prevalent in rock history. There is a reason why a film is usually one hour and 30 minutes. You can’t take any more. There's a certain dramaturgical structure and there’s a certain comfort in it. Then the CDs came along they screwed that up, and suddenly there weren't two sides anymore but it started one way and ended another. Now that the CD is no longer important and we've gone back to vinyl, creators should follow suit and start embracing the physical rules.

Are there songs that have been rounded off just because you thought „I have to round off here, because if I continue, it won't fit on the vinyl disc"?

We actually had that problem on the last album. „Watcher In The Sky” ended the A-side and the outro is much longer on the CD and digitally. Two minutes longer I think. Much, much, much longer. It's long, noisy and has all these dives. It's a very chaotic soundscape. You get the feeling that it goes on and on, and on the vinyl it's just the beginning of an outro and then it drops almost immediately. I think that was a huge mistake.

So the overall sound quality was more important than vinyl buyers getting everything? Because you could have pressed the vinyl and it would have fit, but you would have had to compromise the sound quality.

Yes, exactly. You can get the song to just keep going until the vinyl simply runs out. Then it just starts spinning in the middle, depending on what kind of record player you have. But the problem then, if you want to anticipate events at a creative stage, is that people today buy and listen to vinyl records and are sensitive. It's quite common for people to complain that the record is broken. I don't just mean our records, but people complain a lot about the presses. If you make ten songs, it's therefore stupid to have a too thick soundscape towards the end of song number five and song number ten. If you want to be really good and old school, that's where you put a piano ballad because it's an easier sound to handle so far into the record. This is what I think about when I make records. But clearly sometimes I miscalculate.

This must cut right through the record collector Tobias Forge's whole body and soul, that "Watcher In The Sky” is shortened by two minutes on the vinyl of all versions.

Well... I don't toss and turn and wake up in the middle of the night thinking about it anymore. But when it happened, I was livid. Luckily it was just an outro. It would have been worse if it had continued with some kind of narrative into the next song. Now I can't remember in my head how long "Prequelle" is, but if I'd had to go back in time and just re-construct it, the re-construction wouldn't have had much to do with the existing material, I would have just wanted to add a scene. And it's not a scene that's missing, it's just for the sake of balance. It became asymmetrical in a way that bothers me a bit.

You've talked about this before, but it was before "Prequelle" that you really started to talk a lot about how you were thinking about what kind of new songs might suit the live show. Can you get stuck in that mindset, thinking more about what songs are needed live right now rather than creating an album that will last 30 years?

Hmm... (long pause)... The reason I'm sitting here thinking is because I'm trying to come up with examples of other bands that I think might have gone through something similar. I’m looking for examples to the answer I'm about to formulate and that is that: yes, I think there comes a point in the career when most bands make a record because they simply feel they need to… Because what we're talking about is that when you go from playing in small smoky clubs in front of an already inveterate audience that already understands the perhaps a little more chewy expression, that experience can change if you start playing in front of a larger and especially a different type of audience. When a different type of audience comes and you play in a different format, you discover that this song doesn't work very well, it doesn't sound very good and it's difficult to get the sound right. Then there's usually a record or two or three during your career when this transition happens where you start filling in with songs that work better live. Look at Piece of mind", "Powerslave" and "Somewhere in time". There's a reason why Iron Maiden didn't play a lot of the first two albums there and then, because it was easier to play the new songs. You get to that point somewhere in your career and it's very difficult to say when it is - there's no given rule and there are artists who continue to release relevant records and have an amazing ability to release new records and just play the whole new record. Well, now Iron Maiden does that and tests their audience a little bit in that way, but then they will always compensate by doing like a "best of" set the following year so everything is forgiven. Now we're in the middle of the "Impera" period here and have a very strong set, but I'm starting to feel that now that I'm about to start writing a new album, it feels like it's not really on my agenda to write three more albums that will change the live setlist ten years ahead. I think we already have the blueprint for what is Ghost's setlist, especially if you include the entire catalogue. After a while, each new record you make becomes a little less important. It's really hard to know when that point comes, but the truth is that new records don't matter in the same way. Slayer didn't have to release "Divine Intervention”. They definitely didn't have to release "Diabolus In Musica". I didn't care about it and I just wanted to hear the old stuff. If they had just come up and played "Reign In Blood" I would have been soooo happy. And that's the way it is with most bands. Nobody would be sad if the Rolling Stones came up and didn't play anything from "Emotional Rescue". And that's just the way it is. In the future, I can see a scenario where there is probably a basis to possibly build up an alternative setlist. There are so many songs that we do not play and that I have nothing against - I love them too! But it would almost be easier to build up a completely alternative setlist and run a show with only the odd songs. There are so many songs now. There's no reason not to build on that. But when I want to make a new record, it's irresponsible for me not to consider that there might have to be some songs that are a bit more direct. But it doesn't hurt me if we have more songs that we don't play live. I don't know if this answers your question...

I would actually like to ask exactly the same question again, because I wonder if you yourself feel that you get stuck during the making of the record. You said that you would have liked to include another hard song because "Prequelle" doesn't have the balance that you would have liked to have in retrospect.

Exactly, but the explanation for that has more to do with my mental capacity there and then. I simply couldn't cope. I felt that I had probably maxed out… It was probably about as much as I could do that year. That's the simple explanation. To get another song that would have fit and that would have fulfilled this requirement that I now in retrospect would have wished I had, it would have required something that I did not have there and then. The only thing that could have made it easier is if I had more time. It is difficult to reason about it, you see.

I was in the studio for a few days during the recording and it's one of the few times in all these years that I've done interviews where someone has started crying during an interview. It was quite obvious that everything that had happened with the split of the band affected you.

Yes. Of course. It did.

Is "Prequelle" a difficult album to listen to for you? Can you sit and listen to it all the way through? 

Well, at the moment I have to do that from time to time, and listen to all the records, because we're just about to start rehearsing again and then I sometimes have to go back and just listen to the record to go: "Fuck, is that really how I sing?" Especially when we start rehearsing, I can be a bit like: "Damn, who changed this bit?” Then I usually sit down and it hits me: "Oh, it's me who has changed my song!" You simply do that over the years, you start singing it in a slightly different way. So sometimes I have to go back and listen, but it’s more practical. I don't think it's fun to listen them. I do it until they are finished. I listen over and over and over again and really try to listen with all the imaginary ears and all the imaginary perspectives you can have. "How would I have listened to this if I had heard it from this perspective?" Just to get as "objective" a perspective as I can until I'm satisfied, but then it's like „No, I don't want to hear this anymore". But I have to say that I think "Prequelle" is a very tolerable disc despite everything that interfered with the process. Therapeutically, it works quite well considering that we are still playing at least half of the album. For every artist there are songs that you want to play, and there are songs that you don’t want to play because they feel too personal. I don't feel that way about this one, it's more like: "Ah hell, they're part of the setlist and people like it and it sounds good. So that's what we're doing."

On a personal level, was Tom Dalgety the perfect producer for you, the way you were feeling at the time? Tom feels like the kindest, sweetest producer you can meet. He wasn't the kind of producer who pushed you very much, it was more of a nice atmosphere between you.

Yes, really, and it would have been different if Klas Åhlund, who is more confrontational, had been in the room. Now Klas and I are great mates, so it would certainly have been very therapeutic also, but it would have been a different process. If an artist comes in who is in such bad shape that they can't make a record, or a band where the main songwriter has just left them, then a Bob Ezrin goes in and says: "If you don't make the record, I'll make the record myself.” And he goes and makes Kiss "Destroyer" or Alice Cooper records. I'm not saying they didn't make them, just that you hear that Bob Ezrin made "Beth". It's a type of producer that's very different from a lot of other producers who maybe act a little bit more like buddies and cheerleaders and make the atmosphere good. Bob Ezrin doesn't care so much about the atmosphere in the room. Klas is somewhere in between, I would say. Given the condition I was in during "Prequelle", the result could probably have been different if Klas had come in. Ironically, there was actually talk of him doing it, but he didn't have the time and we'll never know how it would have turned out. I only know that it would have been different, but right there and then Tom was fantastic. I know that a lot of bands like to work with him because he is technically brilliant. He's really good at those typical sounds that people like: cool drums, guitar, bass, tone and clarity. He is also very "happy go lucky", a nice guy who sits and jokes all the time. Even if he has a bad day, it doesn't affect anyone else, which is convenient.

Let me compare it to when a writer contacts me after an interview and says "that was such a nice interview". For me, "nice" is not something positive in such a work situation and the result is often better when there is a little friction.

Mmm, and that is more Klas. There is more friction and more confrontation. And I was much better equipped for that at "Meliora" and later at "Impera". I felt better and was simply stronger. There wasn't the same survival instinct as on "Prequelle". If I think back, not about how the album turned out and how I have to live with it, but if I think back to the situation I was in, I was very anxious all the time. Even though I'm happy with the result, I wouldn't want to go through the recording again, even though Tom was great. Because it's hard to work when you're under attack. I realised that now when I made "Impera", when it was no longer like that. You are much more comfortable, it doesn't feel the same, you are more mature, you make better decisions, you are more controlled or dare to be uncontrolled. When things are this serious, you can end up in a freeze mode. Maybe that's also why there wasn't another song. The song that I miss doesn't exist because I simply squeezed out everything I had. If I had been in a different emotional state, I might have been more comfortable working out something at the last second from bits and pieces. But I felt that I really just wanted to get it done, deliver it, get back out on tour and start over again.

When you described being more mature during "Impera" you sounded like a 70-year-old, kind of like all the Aerosmith-like bands that have been fighting all their lives and now that they're in their 70s they say "we're soooo mature,” haha.

I think with all artists, especially when they're required to work in a group, there are many recordings that have been a collision with a wall because you're expected to function in a context all the time, whatever and whenever. But you do change and from one year to a few years down the line there can be a huge difference in a person's drive, hunger and priorities in life. Whether you have the same band structure as I do or whether you play in Metallica, people come in one state and they may end up in another, because you have different priorities at different times. It's unfortunately against the whole rock myth. I think that's the biggest problem for bands and businesses, that you always have this idea that if you just get to a certain stage - not just monetarily or career-wise, but you get to a certain stage of fun - then we've reached the status quo. But that is never the case! Never! There’s always something. Even in the best moments when everything is working, the band is awesome, everyone is working well, the crew is awesome, everyone is laughing, it's just a party all the time mentally, you have the world's best tour manager, everything is flowing and the tickets are selling, there will always be someone who doesn't like it and then has to break away and want to do their thing because it's no longer fun. It's usually somewhere in the lead-up to a stage where it's interesting and then once you've achieved it, it all becomes a bit boring. Just like in a relationship some people may eventually think, "well, that's a bit boring, I have to go out and do something else".

Since I was in the studio when you were laying down guitars on "Witch Image", my heart beats a little extra for that song and I thought it would be a great live song, but you've barely played it (at the time of writing it's Ghost's forty-fourth most played song live).

We did it during the "Prequelle" tour, or "A Pale Tour Named Death" as it was called. Then we did quite a few "an evening with" concerts, for better or worse. The advantage was that if you were a big fan of the band we actually played a lot of songs and actually a lot of the first albums, like "Idolatrine" - or "Witch Image". We did a set, a break and then a whole other set. That was a bit of a taste of what I was talking about earlier: doing a slightly larger set and then a slightly smaller one. You just shouldn't do it on the same night because it gets a bit stale. We played for two hours and 30 minutes or something and that wasn’t a good idea, haha. At least we did "Witch Image", but it has fallen behind a bit and it doesn't mean that we will never play it again, just that we don't do it right now. What I've been happy about is that there has been a feeling for the records that we've made recently, "Prequelle" and "Impera", that people still want to hear the new stuff. We haven't gotten to that stage that I talked about earlier when it doesn't matter anymore. Then it's very fun to try to find a new way to perform the songs, not technically, but suddenly a song like "Witch Image" might fulfill a very nice purpose between a completely new song and another song.

Let me speculate: in 30 years, I think "Rats" will be considered the great hard rock song, "Dance Macabre" the great hit and "Life Eternal" the great ballad. What do you think? Will this in the future be seen as the three big songs of the album?

Yes, that makes sense, I think. I understand that an instrumental song automatically ends up in the wake of a "best of" collection, in the sense that you do one in 30 years. I realise it's not a hit but the instrumental "Miasma" is a big part of our live show. It's strong and feels like such a keeper. Now we don't play "Life Eternal" very often actually, but it was very well received. For some reason people like to get married to it, I don’t know why, hehe. It's nice but it's also a bit like U2’s „I still haven't found what I'm looking for" and you don't use that one at a wedding. But people like it and I guess interpret it differently to me. It’s also a song that I don't think is fun to play live.

And why not?

Because I find it hard to play ballads. Physically, they don't feel the same as rock songs. I miss the "dunka dunka". Now everyone who plays music today knows what I mean - sorry, readers who don't play music - and it's that there's a small problem with having in-ear monitors. This means that you have to reach a certain frequency of beats in order to feel the music, unlike when you played at clubs with only a guitar amp behind you. You felt every single note you made and it just went through your body. Nowadays, I think it's sometimes hard when you play slow songs, because you have to trust that it sounds good, whereas when you play a rock song, you feel that it sounds good.

Does it also apply to "He Is” which is such a huge ballad, not least live?

Well, just the intro and then it gets going quite quickly and suddenly becomes a hard and rather fast-paced song. The classic ballad concept has always been that you play so-called edge beats to make it sound soft, while "He Is” is actually a rather hard-played song considering that it is a ballad. Once the drums come in – boom, boom – it's got AC/DC bite to it. It has a rock feel to it that "Life Eternal" doesn't really have. As I said, I don't think that "Life Eternal" is a lot of fun to perform, but that doesn't mean that it isn't quite good to listen to. It’s just that when I play "Dance Macabre" or "Mummy Dust" I feel that I can express myself physically more in line with what the text says and what it means.

#the band ghost #tobias forge #interview #prequelle era

[linkspooky]

BSD VS LITERATURE: NO LONGER HUMAN

The second entry in my long running series to analyze every single book referenced in Bungou Stray Dogs, to try piece together the author’s intended meaning in referencing the work. 

Osamu Dazai’s ability name comes from the author’s final novel “No Longer Human”, you may have heard of it. The novel contains several events from the author’s real life, but is considered semi-autobiographical because it depicts the life of a fictional character “Yozo” who much like the real life author attempted suicide a total of five times in his life before utlimately succeeding. Many believe the book to be his will as Dazai killed himself shortly after the last part of the book was published. As for the connection to the fictional character, more under the cut. 

1. Disqualified from Being Human

Dazai as a character borrows several traits from Yozo the protagonist of the novel. He has the same habit of clowning and engaging others in a false persona, while it happens mostly offscreen the audience and Dazai’s coworkers are aware of the fact he regularly indulges himself in vices like drinking, having illicit relationships with women (its often referenced he has a long line of exes and women he’s left upset over him) and that he’s also constantly in debt. 

Deeper than those surface level traits though, Dazai shares the same motivation as Yozo for his antics. They are both people who feel utterly alienated from the people around them, unable to connect with their thoughts and feelings and because of that they resort to always engaging them in a false, and comedic facade. They are fundamentally uncomfortable with ever presenting their true selves around others. 

As a child I had absolutely no notion of what others, even members of my own family, might be suffering from or what they were thinking. I was aware of my own unspeakable fears and embarrassments. Before anyone realized it, I had become an accomplished clown, a child who never spoke a single word. No Longer Human. 

Dazai is described as a child in the same way by Oda, who is arguably the character who knows him best. Even with Oda though, and the rest of the Buraiha trio as a whole though they were friends it carries the tragedy that they never were truly honest with one another, Oda never overstepped the clear boundaries between him and Dazai, Ango never let either of them into the secret that he was a government spy all along. Even that friendship which Dazai found comfortable, and was so significant to him he changed his entire life’s past around Oda’s dying words, he still placed an uncilimbable wall between the two of them. 

“I thought you were similiar to Dazai at first, rushing into battle and wishing for death without even considering the value of your own life. But he’s different. He’s sharp witted, with a mind like a steel trap. And he’s just a child - a sobbing child abandoned in the darkness of a world far emptier than the one we’re seeing.”

He was too smart for his own good. That was why he was always alone. The reason why Ango and I were unable to be by his side was that we understood the solitude that surrounded him, and we never stepped inside no matter how close we stood. 

But in that moment I kind of regretted not stepping in and invading that solitude. Bungo Stray Dogs, Volume 2. 

There’s a supposed difference in Yozo, who is a drunken layabout constantly in debt who fails out of college and Dazai the super genius who is apparently one of the smartest members of the cast, but honestly if you peel back the layers of Dazai’s “Superhuman / Godlike Genius” status his and Yozo’s behaviors and treatment of other people is actually pretty similar. 

Here is the secret of No Longer Human that a lot of readers miss in their interpretation. While Yozo can be a sympathetic character, because he’s genuinely miserable in his life, and the way he tells his story is highly relatable to the unhappiness of many readers, Yozo sucks. 

If you look at his actions outside of his self-pitying narration, Yozo is a serial manipulator of people, especially those with a status weaker than him in society (women, and even chidlren) he strings them along often taking money from them until he abandons them. Yozo is considered to be so pretty and likable, people often relate to his misery and give him what he wants without him giving anything in return.

There’s four major women he interacts with in the novel. A married women he gets to pay for his drinks a couple of times, doesn’t see for months, and then commits suicide with her. His reaction to her death is very minimal and he doesn’t even seem to mourn her. Then, he becomes a kept man for a woman with a child for awhile gets her to pay for his drinking habit, has multiple affairs on her while living at their house (or at least it’s implied).He also comes to view the child as an enemy of his. 

“I would like my real Daddy back.”  I felt dizzy with shock. An enemy. Was I Shigeko’s enemy, or was she mine?

No Longer Human.

He abandons them. (Surprise, surprise). Then moves on to marry a seventeen year old girl, specifically because she is a virgin. I probably don’t have to mention the predatory subtext there. 

Yoshiko’s pale face was smiling as she sat there inside the dimly lit shop. What a holy thing uncorrupted virginity is, I thought. I had never slept with a virgin, a girl younger than myself. I’d marry her. [...] I made up my mind on the spot: it was a then-and-there decision, and I did not hesitate to steal the flower. No Longer Human. 

That wife then gets raped and not only does Yozo feel little to no sympathy for her whatsoever, he then proceeds to just leave and abandon her because his image of her as a perfect image is ruined. He even refers to her as a possession he lost far earlier on in the novel. 

Once in a while, it is true I have experienced a vague sense of regret at losing something, but never strongly enough to affirm positively, or to contest with others my rights of possession. This was so true of me that some years later, I even watched in silence when my own wife was violated. No Longer Human.

The last woman he gets involved with only because he has a morphine addiction and he wants to string her along so she can keep supplying him with morphine. If you strip away the thin veneer of Dazai as a master manipulator and superhuman genius, you are just left with his actions which include his constant manipulation of other people (children younger and more vulnerable than him) and even his own allies. He is a user, much in the same way Yozo is. This is just named characters, it’s implied offscreen that Dazai has Yozo’s same habit of burning through relationships and women like jet fuel. 

Of course, there is a tragic reason for Yozo’s behavior it is implied he was violated by a female servant as a child, but that further adds onto the underlying point of the novel that Yozo’s genuinely miserable but he’s also the architect of his own misery. He is a victim who basically continues the cycle of abuse. His two primary methods of interacting with people is either manipulating them / stringing them along, or abandoning them. Even the Dazai who works at the agency keeps Akutagawa his biggest victim wearing the coat that Mori Gave him that represents the cycle of abuse just... wrapped around his little finger because it’s more convenient to use and dispose of him that way. 

Akutagawa’s so insanely devoted to Dazai that he believes being abandoned was just a secret little test and if he performs well than he’ll finally get the carrot that Dazai has been dangling in front of his head for a long time. Dazai’s treatment of Akutagawa as someone to just conveniently use and then dispose of is something that leads to Akutagawa getting himself killed trying to earn that praise. 

Dazai and Yozo have a similiar problem where they are pitiable in the fact they are victims themselves, they have been used in the past and it’s left them feeling alienated and unable to connect with others, but then they jump right into treating others as less than human too. Dazai has this strange paradox where he scolds Dostoevsky for believing in god and seeing himself as an agent of god or some kind of omniscient manipulator and that the real people who make a difference in the world are the people living in the world and struggling in it but Dazai... still doesn’t see himself as one of those people. Dazai’s like “You shouldn’t manipulate people like pieces on a gameboard...” but Dazai still views himself as one of the players sitting and watching things from on high rather than one of the pieces. 

Dazai and Yozo are incapable of seeing themselves as human beings and eternally feel like outsiders when they try to be around others. However, at the same time they give no respect to the humanity or the feelings of other people. They don’t treat others like humans. Which is why they are essentially the architects of their own misery, they are alone because they choose continually over and over to either only engage in other people with lives, or treat relationships as transactional. These flaws of Dazai’s have been toned down since the dark age, but even Detective Agency Dazai still has this habit of looking down on other people. He has good intentions he tries to live by, but also in crisis situations tends to fall back on old habits. 

2. Lover’s Suicide

Finally, there’s two relationships in the book that parallels Dazai’s two most significant relationships in the story. The tragedy of Oda in the dark era, actually mirrors what was Yozo’s most significant suicide attempt in the book. Yozo runs out of money and on a whim attempts to commit suicide with a married woman who had been more or less a longtime but distant acquiantance. 

We threw ourselves into the sea at Kamakura that night. She untied her sash saying she had borrowed it from a friend at the cafe, and left it folded neatly on a rock. I removed my coat and put it in the same spot. We entered the water together. 

She died. I was saved. No Longer Human. 

This event mirrors the defining tragedy of Dazai’s backstory as depicted in the second light novel, and his reason for leaving the mafia. Essentially, Dazai finally becomes close to someone his longtime acquaintance Oda, who unlike him has a reason to live in raising children and dreaming of one day becoming an author. However, by the end of the novel it’s Oda who commits suicide and Dazai who lives. 

“You’re such an idiot, Odasaku. The biggest idiot I know.”  “Yeah.” “You didn’t have to do this. You didn’t have to die.” “I know.” 

Bungo Stray Dogs, Vol. 2

If you want to sprinkle in an additional homosexual subtext what Oda basically does is commit a lover’s suicide with someone else, by choosing to die with Gide. Which means that not only does Dazai survive while Oda dies, but Oda chose to commit a lover’s suicide with someone other than him. 

Then there is Yozo’s acquiantance to longtime friend Horiki. HOriki is his only real significant friend in the novel, but Yozo absolutely despises him. Nothing healthy ever comes from their relationship, he gets Yozo addicted on cigarettes and alcohol, he drags him to secret communist meetings, however Yozo who frequently just abandons people never really gets rid of him. 

Horiki and myself. Despising each other as we did, we were constantly together, thereby degrading ourselves. If that is what the world calls friendship, the relationships between Horiki and myself were undoutably those of friendship. No Longer Human. 

The reason being that Yozo despite loathing Horiki senses that the two of them are alike in nature. There’s also something to be said about Yozo getting along more naturally with someone he hates, rather than the people in his life who constantly attempt to love him. 

Horiki and myself. Though outwardly he appeared to be a human being like the rest, I sometimes felt he was exactly like myself. No Longer Human. 

His relationship with Horiki reflects both the partnership of the double black duo, two individuals who loathe each other but had near perfect cooperation in their teamwork but also the foiling between Chuuya and Dazai. They are both people who do not view themselves as human, Chuuya because of the mystery of his origins as the host of Arahabaki and Dazai because his intelligence leaves him feelings isolated from the world. 

He looked up in the direction of the sudden voice. It was a familiar voice, one that belonged to the person he hated most in this world. 

Your birth itself was a mistake. We’re the same. Is there a really a point to suffering through all that pain for a life that isn’t real?” 

The voice was taunting him. 

[...]

“Screw you Dazi.”

Chuuya wanted nothing more than to slice off the ear the voice was whispering right into. He could see Dazai’s wavering shadow by his side, and he wanted to gauge out his eyes. 

“That’s just proof that you at least somewhat believe what I’m saying. Because deep down inside you’re the same as me.”

Like, they hate each other, but they hate each other for the real person they are deep down on the inside. Which results in him and Chuuya having an entirely antagonistic relationship and yet at the same time Chuuya is the one person that Dazai can’t really bullshit or lie to, because sharing so much in common gives Chuuya some insight into Dazai’s darker tendencies. 

Which results in a relationship where neither of them like each other, and yet both of them are just a little bit obsessed with each other. Despising each other and constantly together. 

So in summary, No Longer Human is a work about a character’s difficulty to form relationships with others because not only do they not see themselves as human they also treat the others around them as lesser than humans. Yozo is a character clearly stuck in that cycle of abuse, whereas Dazai Osamu himself is someone struggling in the story to break that cycle and curb his own manipulative tendencies inside of himself, ironically because of the close relatonship he had formed with the one person he was ever even a little bit honest with Odasaku. 

#dazai osamu #bsd meta #bungou stray dogs #no longer human #bungou stray dogs meta #bsd dazai #chuuya nakahara #Oda Sakunosuke #japanese literature #dazai meta

[saintmagx]

✨ Cruel Summer ✨

pairing: Solo Sikoa x reader, Jey Uso x reader (briefly)

AN: Literally making this for myself, so if I do ever end up publishing - enjoy I guess? 🤪

w/c: 1198

⚠️ Warnings: 18+ , swearing, violence (this is the WWE after all) slight smut, infidelity(if you squint), jealous Jey, toxic behaviour, bad/embarrassing writing ⚠️

doesn’t follow a specific timeline however it is more recent, total divas making a return.

✨ I love you ain’t that the worst thing you’ve ever heard - he looks up grinning like the devil ✨

• ❃°•°❀°•°❃•❃°•°❀°•°❃•❃°•°❀°•°❃•❃°•°❀°•°❃•

“I dunno Trin, the thought of being recorded for 12 hours of the day, like, I enjoy my privacy”.

“Think about it as an opportunity, having the fans see a different side of you. Showing them how hard you work your ass off.”

Trinity is my best friend, she helped me out so much when I joined the WWE 6 years ago. She and her husband Jon took me into their family and helped me adapt into the crazy world of being a WWE superstar.

“Just think about it is all I’m saying. It’ll be fun” trin says nudging me.

Ever since I moved here, we have had a weekly tradition of Wednesday Girls Night, its just snacks, Chinese takeout, and movies, it’s just time for us to catch up and wind down from the gruelling travel schedule.

Right on queue at exactly 11:30pm Jon walks in the door.

“Times up ladies” he says, which is swiftly followed by two pillows being thrown at his head.

“Come on uce, you know better than to interrupt gIrLs NiGhT”

The couch beside me dipped and once again I felt the heat from the body of Josh Fatu, my one weakness. His hand falls to his side and creeps closer to me caressing the side of my bare thigh. You see what people don’t know is Josh and I have an ‘agreement’ - no feelings, just sex and friendship, and it was going great until it wasn’t, feeling were caught, specifically by me and I’m stuck between a rock and hard place as I’m falling hard for him, but I cant let this agreement end because I would rather have him this way than not have him at all.

“Spoke with Joe today, Hunter is bringing him up to the main roster, can’t wait to have my other younger brother fighting by my side”. A third pillow is thrown at Jon from the direction of Josh.

“We are twins, and you are only older by 8 minutes”.

Never a dull moment where the Fatu boys are concerned.

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First day of filming (TD Interview Segment)

Okay, so lets start with a basic intro okay? Ready, go!

The room falls silent the light shines bright on me, I have at least 6 pair of eyes on me, goading me into starting. Gosh why did I sign up to do this!!!

Hi there, my names yn, I am currently on the Smackdown roster and I am the current WWE Women’s Champion.

I’ve been with the WWE for 6 years now and I wouldn’t have survived if it wasn’t for my adoptive sister Trinity, she took me under her wing and I’ve been there ever since. As you guys know – and if you didn't know, the accent should be a huge giveaway, I’m originally from the United Kingdom, I came to the states with a dream in hand and no one there to help me through this bumpy ride. I can never repay her or Jon for the way they have accepted and welcomed me into their little dynamic. Although, travelling the world with Jon and Josh is hard work, they boys are chaotic, I don't know how Trin managed to do it herself for so long!

• ❃°•°❀°•°❃•❃°•°❀°•°❃•❃°•°❀°•°❃•❃°•°❀°•°❃•

Friday Night Smackdown, Atlanta Georgia, 8 weeks before Survivor Series

Walking into the arena for Smackdown I get a message from Hunter asking to meet him in his office. A mixture of anxiety and curiosity fill in the pit of my stomach. In his office I’m met with the familiar faces of Jon, Josh, and Joseph, smiling I look over to Hunter who invites me to sit.

“I got your message, what’s up?

“We have been toying with the idea of a cross brand rivalry - for Survivor Series. Now that Joe has come up to the main roster, we think the Usos and Solo v The Judgement Day would pique interest from the WWE universe.”

“So why am I here?”

“Demi is the Women’s World Champion and part of Judgment Day; it would only seem right that she faces the Women’s Champion”.

Without hesitation I accept. Hunter debriefs us on how it’s going to play out over the next few weeks. We will have to be on both RAW and Smackdown over the next few weeks, so looks like it will be me and the brothers travelling together since Trin is exclusive to Smackdown!

Gorilla, few hours later (TD segment)

Tonight, I have a singles match, however Demi has to interfere and cost me the match – thus starting our road to Survivor Series.

I see Hunter in his usual place over at the screens with his headset on talking to Randy Orton, Randy spots me and immediately comes over to me.

“There’s my favourite girl.”

“I wouldn’t let your wife hear you say that Randy”.

Randy Orton, he is exactly how you would imagine him to be, a cocky little shit, flirtatious as hell, a menace but he has a heart of gold. Many nights we would hit the gym together and training with him before his injury really improved my in-ring ability. He is another one I would call my family away from family.

A familiar scent fills my nostrils, Josh. He stands next to me wrapping his arm around me pulling me closer, as if to stake his claim in me.

“I’ve been looking for you, come on let’s go”.

I smile apologetically at Randy, he just waves me off laughing, as much as I say people don’t know anything about me and Josh, it’s not to say there isn’t rumours flying around, people have their own take on it, and that’s okay, we just laugh it off.

Trin and Jon (TD Interview segment)

“You see yn and josh think they are so slick hiding their little late-night rendezvous” says Jon

Trin sighing, “I just wish they would bang their heads together and realise they are meant to be. Think of the double dates we could finally have Jon.”

Jon’s laugh fills the small interview room, “yeah it would be sweet, and yn is already like family, it would be an easy transition.”

Away from the cameras

“What were you talking to Randy about?” Josh quizzes

“Nothing, you came in and ushered me away before I could say anything.”

“Good, I don’t like it when you get attention from other guys, just me, okay?”

“I think you’ll find Josh that I can speak to who I like”. I say frustrated with his behaviour.

You see as much as I love Josh, this, this right here the way he wants to have his cake and eat it too drives me insane. I so much as look at another guy and he is right there to remind me I’m his, yet he can look at and speak to as many girls and I can’t say shit.

“I’ve got a match to get to, I’ll see you later J.”

“Goodluck out there baby girl, not that you need it.” Before he can come any closer to me, I slip out the room and let my frustrated sigh out. How much longer am I going to keep torturing myself.  

  • ❃°•°❀°•°❃•❃°•°❀°•°❃•❃°•°❀°•°❃•❃°•°❀°•°❃•

#solo sikoa smut #solo sikoa #solo sikoa x reader #solo silos x yn #solo sikoa x you #jey uso x reader #jey uso #wwe fanfiction #wwe #fan fiction #jey uso smut #wweedit #the usos #total divas #solo sikoa fan fiction #jey uso fan fiction #Fatu #josh Fatu #Joseph Fatu #wwe x reader

[sterakraffulz78]

The non-existent gray scale

A work needs characters who move the plot, both protagonists and Antagonists, they can be heroes or villains, but who must have a certain gray scale, so as not to see them as the protagonist is the protagonist is good and the Antagonist is antagonist why he is bad, both have a valuable role in the plot which is based on their actions in the world around them that can hurt for better or worse, what must be taken into account is that there must be a gray morality between both

why do I tell you this?

Well, in Helluva Boss there is no such thing as a gray scale, everything is based on black and white.

Let me explain, the protagonist is Blitz and Stolas, and the Antagonists are Stella and Striker, right?

In the first season of the series we are seen as characters with gray qualities, Striker and Stella were right because of the porboemas they have, while Blitz and Stolas, who are the protagonists, have flaws... By the second season that ceases to exist to put us next to these two idiots just because they suffered and are the good guys (when in reality they continue to act shitty) while Striker and Stella are the bad guys because they treat our soft uwu badly guys 🥺

This cannot be like that, why are you promoting hatred towards the two characters who were right just because they harm our soft protagonists 🥺, and that falls on the fans of these two, a story exists so that you like their characters, its plot, its themes that it covers, a work that does not exist to please fans, divide the characters into good and bad (which ones you may like and which ones you may not), and promote extremely toxic things

Vivziepop turned Stolas and Blitzo into what they are now just because they thought they were cute together and more so for the fans, and put against those characters with a brutally wasted potential because they only treat our boys badly, soft shit and uwuwuwuw. That's why Helluva Boss is increasingly going downhill due to the decisions of an overexploiting rich cis-heterosexual white girl, who just wants to see how her two demons made of her on devianart fuck as if she were a fanfic from the 2000s

And now that I'm publishing this, I can publish a work that some may know and it is the greatest exponent that you can like and take the side of any character regardless of whether they are white or black why this archetype does not exist and it's like no, Hunter xHunter

This is an anime that not only handles gray scales very well without the villains or protagonists getting into black and white, why doesn't it exist? The protagonists change two of them in a bad way, while the Antagonists are more humanized as if they were not chosen to be very bad bad guys, they have their lives, their beliefs, their relationships with the Phantom Brigade, an antagonistic team, who see themselves as murderers and beyond that they are characters who treat each other like family

Other Antagonists that are good, there is King Meruem and his royal guards, with Meruem he starts off as a ruthless monster but when a girl comes into his life he begins to see life differently, a redemption. with his royal guards they still start out being evil but slowly the situations at the end of the arc change them a lot around protecting their king

Ironically, Hunter x Hunter is a Shonen (Shonen is the meaning of youth or adolescent, that is, for all ages.) anime which touches on overly serious themes such as human nature, revenge, life and death.

while other works that boast of being """adult""" only show how the characters say peepeepopo penis haha ​​sexual jokes, while everything is filled with unnecessary gore and blood (Cof Cof helluva boss cough Cof Hazbin Hotel cough Cof)

Conclusion

If you want to see something good, something that makes you feel good in the community without fear of being harassed just for your tastes, then watch Hunter x Hunter, a work that does not seek to victimize or villainize its characters for the convenience of the script or for mere creator's whim

#vivziepop critical #helluva boss critical #helluva critical #helluva boss fandom critical #anti vivziepop #vivziepop criticism

[ecogirl2759]

~~~NEW UPDATE~~~

(I'M A DUMBASS WHO DOESN'T KNOW HOW TUMBLR WORKS SO IF YOU SAW THIS ALREADY NO YOU DIDN'T)

I'm glad people liked my 4コマ KINGS post so much lol. I love spreading the word about obscure lore :)

Under the cut I've responded to some of my favorite tags, given a little more backstory into the source of these pictures, as well as posted a few new ones :D

There's also a question at the very bottom that I'd love to hear opinions on, but no pressure if y'all don't feel comfortable answering ^w^

You're welcome >:D

Same, bro. I was basically thinking that the entire time I was reading these books lol

I feel like I should give a little context to these comics and where they come from lol. I wasn't very clear about the backstory in my original post. I do agree, when I found these, I thought they were super important, too, particularly because I don't think a lot of the fandom knows about these books lol.

The Danganronpa 4コマ KINGS anthology series was published in the early 2010's featuring a bunch of different artists. The series is 4 volumes long and published by Spike Chunsoft, meaning, while these aren't necessarily canon, they ARE official :)

There is another series of anthologies in relation to both the first and second games, but I don't have those.

The first two volumes of this series is relatively well documented. There are sites where English translations have already been added to all of the comics in them (I'm pretty sure), as well as some screenshots popping up on places like Pinterest.

The third and fourth installments, however, are really poorly archived. The third has some content from it floating around, but it's hard to come by. The fourth had almost no information on it no matter where I searched.

I say this because a while ago I found the ONLY pictures of the Mastermind!Taka comic on this really old Tumblr blog from 2014 and REALLY wanted to figure out what it was about. (Didn't help that I couldn't read some of the bubbles in those photos.) First I searched for an English translation (there wasn't (so I'm working on one hehe)), then I tried to find which book it was even from, and NOTHING!

These books, since they were in circulation around 2014-ish, have stopped being printed, so copies of them are very hard to come by. Luckily, I was able to get my copies from a kind stranger on Ebay :)

-NOW-

Here are a few more pictures that I thought were funny/interesting that I couldn't add in my first post because of the picture limit lol.

Sorry for the really long post, I just thought it'd be interesting to share :)

Here's the page of artists that contributed to this anthology! Please go check them out (or see if they have any socials since it's been so long). Some credits change per volume, hence how many photos there are. (And sorry for my hand, it's hard to hold these open lol.)

You've probably all seen the covers, but have you seen what's behind the covers? (Also including the opening illustrations. These have probably been posted online already as well, but they're worth including imo.) (Again, please excuse the fingers, I'm trying my best ;-;)

^ Sayaka came with a smudge :( she still pretty tho

So, uh, remember when I said Hifumi made ship fodder? ......Here it is. Eat your heart out lol

Also remember when I said that Mondo's hair was fluffy and bouncy? Here's the proof:

Sakura has been de-buff-ified twice LMAO

ALSO remember when I said Syo was a fan of BL? ...... :)

ALSO remember when I said Kyoko was kinda socially awkward?

(Context: Kyoko sees Kiyotaka and Mondo calling each other bro and, thinking it'll strengthen their bond as well, calls Makoto "Makoto-oniichan," or "big brother Makoto" lol. Also, second picture says "I have come to save you, Makoto")

Chihiro Shinji chair meme

I'm at my picture cap, but there's a lot I haven't brought up lol

-SO-

For a different thread, would people like me to find pictures of certain characters? (i.e. just photos of the characters looking cool/hot/stupid without a lot of the text.) Because I am totally willing to do that :)

I've already got a lot on Byakuya, Sakura, Aoi and Mondo for all you simps out there, and it's not hard to find even more lol.

So lmk :D

#danganronpa #danganronpa thh #dr1 #dr1 thh #trigger happy havoc #makoto naegi #kyoko kirigiri #byakuya togami #toko fukawa #yasuhiro hagakure #aoi asahina #sayaka maizono #leon kuwata #chihiro fujisaki #mondo oowada #kiyotaka ishimaru #hifumi yamada #celestia ludenberg #sakura ogami #komaru naegi #daiya owada #mukuro ikusaba #junko enoshima #4koma #manga #Adding all my old tags since they still apply here #Plus idrk what else to put #I always get scared to post things :( #hope y'all enjoy #:)

[fozmeadows]

I'm going to a writer's conference later this week and will be meeting with an editor at Angry Robot. Checking out their website, I saw you'd published An Accident of Stars through them, but I know your more recent books have come through Tor. I was wondering what your experiences were like with an independent publisher, and if publishing that way is something you'd recommend to currently unpublished writers or not (feel free to disregard this ask if that's something you'd rather not get into, of course. I was just hoping to hear a little more from someone more knowledgeable than me about these things).

Thanks for asking! While not wanting to speak for anyone other than myself, my experience with Angry Robot has been positive. I did have some trouble with an outside editor while publishing with AR, but that wasn't on them, and when they were made aware of the issue, they responded very professionally. Though AR is now largely under new management - meaning, the people I worked with directly for the Manifold Worlds series have since moved on - I'm in occasional contact with some of their current employees (for promotional and new cover purposes) and have no complaints to levy.

There's no one definitive experience of indie publishing; like most things, it can vary wildly depending on who you're dealing with. While indie publishers generally have less money to work with than the big houses - meaning, smaller advances and less paid publicity - they can make up for this in other ways. My very first publisher was Ford Street, a small kids' and YA indie based in Melbourne, and the owner was - and is - extremely adept at booking his authors for in-person events like school visits and bookshop signings. Precisely because they're competing against trad houses, successful indies tend to be very invested in helping their authors earn out, as they often don't have - or don't yet have - the type of high-earning back catalogues and/or big name authors that the big houses can rely on for a base level of income. They might not be able to pay as much up front, but a good indie publisher will help a new author establish themselves through things like signings, in-person and online events, and convention appearances, which benefits you both.

That being said, aside from checking whether a given publisher is good at supporting/endorsing its authors, the two main things you want to know with indies are their distribution and financial track record. In the former case, and especially if you're looking at a hybrid publisher or aren't sure of the difference between an indie, a hybrid and a vanity press, you need to have an idea of how your work will be distributed: if the publisher can get you into bookshops, if there's any international distribution, and whether, if the publisher asks for ebook, graphic novel and/or audiobook rights, they actually have the ability to produce your work in those formats. In the latter case, there's been several instances of ambitious indies collapsing and leaving authors in a limbo re: both money and rights, as happened with Night Shade Books before they were finally taken over by Skyhorse - but if you've done your due diligence and everything looks fine, then go ahead!

#foz answers things #publishing #writing #books

[jods-duplicitous-sluts]

Alecto the Ninth News

Part One

Alright friends. We are all chomping at the bit for any Alecto news at all. So here is what I've compiled from interviews, podcasts and AMAs. Sources are linked and screenshots have alt. text.

I've also included a little commentary or speculation on some points but ultimately that's not the focus of this collection.

Under the cut because I feel like it's going to get long.

So many screenshots, it turns out I'll have to split it into 3 posts.

If you enjoy this post please reblog so more people can see it!

Jump to part ■ Two of the post

Jump to part ■ Three of the post

I'm making this post on mobile, so forgive any wonkiness. Also tumblr ate this post once already *screams into the void*

• The book starts with Harrow in Hell. A reference to the Harrowing of Hell. Based on the presence of a porn mag I'd guess it's her own little river bubble inside Alecto but still just speculation.

Source: Tamsyn reads to us! Video with written description

• There is a wedding of some sort. Possibly other excuses to dress up the characters in formal ware. Some people have expressed concern that this was referencing the N- and C- wedding in Nona, but nope. We have confirmation that it is in book 4.

Source: Twitter

The next series of screenshots are all from the same tor.com interview: TM on Lyctorhood and Genderfuckery.

• This first one again confirms allusions to the harrowing of hell/ the decent of Christ. For those out of the loop the tldr:

The harrowing of hell is an Old English and Middle English term referring to the period of time between the Crucifixion of Jesus and his resurrection. In triumphant descent, Christ brought salvation to the souls held captive there since the beginning of the world.

A lot of speculation has gone on around about Harrow and her role in freeing the souls trapped in the river/reviving the river from whatever is poisoning it. [ *cough*JOD*cough*].

Also another reference towards formal outfits for the cast. So at least the wedding if not multiple formal functions.

• The question of Harrow and Gideon's souls will continue into Alecto. Looking forward to info on how enmeshed they've become and/or if they can be separated.

• I mean this quote is infamous by now. Which of our faves is it in reference to? All of them?

•I feel like we haven't seen enough about the differences between rebirth [a la Paul and Nona] vs Resurrection [Gideon/Harrow?! Someone else?] So while not a direct promise of anything in Alecto, I feel like the implication is there.

•The next two screenshots are about the Alecto cover, which is complete[the first from the above interview:]

•and the second is from an AMA from Aug. 5 2020

• The cover is definitely done since she was talking about it in 2020 and reaffirmed right before Nona’s release. I feel like they are waiting until they have a better idea of a publishing date before release. Maybe we'll get news in Q4 after the Nona paperback release and excitement dies down?

• From the same 2020 AMA. As this is pre-Nona, it could be possible that the heist mentioned deals with Gideon's body [either the Houses heisting it from BOE which happened off screen or the heist of Gideon's body from the barracks]. But I included it just in case that isn't what is being referenced.

• Same 2020 AMA: Again this could be covered in Nona as being what the John chapters were about, but also maybe not.

Source: TazMuir tumblr post from April 2020

• Another infamous quote at this point. Definitely feels like this is about the 'Third Most Toxic Polycule' of Harrow/Gideon/Ianthe and maybe Alecto is in this loop as well. With all the references to weddings and relationships I'm wondering who out of these four is marrying who...[maybe it's someone totally different, but my money is on someone in this situation]

Click to see part two!

#alecto the ninth speculation #alecto the ninth #the locked tomb #tlt #the locked tomb meta #my post #alt text

[dayseternal-blog]

hi days the recommendation queen in NaruHina fandom☺️ I am looking for a fic one shot but a multiple chapters have the same prompts like the "tale of two ninjas" by magmawrite I already scrolled my 3 accounts but I couldn't find it😭 thanks in advance for the help days😘

hmmmm same prompts as magmawrites's Tales of Two Ninjas? I don't know about the SAME prompts since magmawrites's fics weren't exactly prompted by an event. So no fic would have all the exact same prompts as magmawrites's stuff.

I will take this opportunity to now list every single one-shot collection that I can find/think of. This will be very long.

One-Shot Collection NaruHina Fics

"Naruhina Month" by NaniMok - Rated T, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. Fluff, fluff and a little bit of something else. One shots written for Naruhina Month 2014.

"Sunbeams" by Mangospoons - Rated T, Canon-Divergent AU, Related one-shots. Someday Hinata would know what it was like to run that hair through her fingers, liquid gold. Sunbeams - A continuation of Moonstruck. Drabbles of Naru/Hina Based on the DA 100 Themes

"Postscripts" by Waterrolls - Rated T, mostly Canon-Divergent AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. Drabbles of the NaruHina kind. A collection of unrelated short stories prompted by the wonderful and creative readers of tumblr, FFN, AO3, and Wattpad :) Mostly humor but will have occasional drama. Slice of life, romantic fluff, family bonding, what-ifs, AUs, angst.

"On Being Brave" by Mintacia - Rated T, Canon-Divergent AU, Series of unrelated one-shots (mostly). Honestly, Naruto thought Hinata's nervous behavior was kind of cute. He liked the way her cheeks turned pink and her eyes widened. Slowly, he starts to realize it's all because of him. / ONE-SHOT COLLECTION; let's explore how love develops; NaruHina.

"Of Parallel Lines and Intersections" by mysterious intentions - Rated T, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. No matter the time, place, or world, their parallel lives always found an intersection. A series of NaruHina AUs.

"Between the Trees" by @utsus - Not Rated, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. A collection of naruto prompt responses I have written, and will continue to write. These and a few other stories I have not published on ao3 are all originally posted on tumblr. The stories here are all NaruHina in different times, places, situations, and understandings of one another.

"People Like Her" by @happyocelot - Rated T, Canon-Divergent AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. ...were super weird. Naruto didn't know why Hinata was so shy all the time, why she always covered her mouth when she laughed. He wished she wouldn't. He was sure she had a nice smile. (Just a bunch of NH drabble requests.)

"A Book He Desperately Wanted to Read" by Happy_Ocelot - Rated T, Canon-Divergent AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. Never in his worst nightmares did he ever imagine that he'd be watching a live-action adaptation of Icha Icha Tactics with Hyuuga Hinata of all people. She was a book whose contents he could not decipher.

"When I Look At You" by Happy_Ocelot - Rated T, Canon-Compliant, Series of unrelated one-shots. ...I get an intense feeling in my heart. For NaruHina Week 2021.

"Sunny Days" by Happy_Ocelot - Rated T, Canon-Compliant/ Divergent AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. "Naruto sometimes couldn't believe that there was ever a time before he knew that Hinata could eat forty-six bowls of ramen without puking, before he went on missions with her and found out that shy, dark weirdos were actually kind of cool and brave and awesome. It was like a seismic shift." One-shots for NaruHina Month 2021.

"Still Falling For You" by @chloelapomme - Rated M, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. All written for the NaruHina year 2020 event

"Switching Positions" by ChloeLaPomme - Rated E, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. A collection of 10(0)1 NaruHina short one shorts. Broke into several parts for a better understanding.

"Some Type of Love" by ChloeLaPomme & Imanga - Rated E, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. All written for the NaruHina month 2022 Tumblr event.

"Small Doses" by ChloeLaPomme - Rated E, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. All written for the NaruHina month 2021 event

"With You in the Future" by ChloeLaPomme - Rated E, Canon-Compliant, Series of one-shots. Back at Konoha from their moon mission, Naruto and Hinata learn to know each other, how to live with each other, how to solves problems together, and how to start a family. With their past behind them, their future is right before them.

I just want to take a pause here to admire all of the one-shot series Chloe has written 😮

"The Little Joys and Sorrows of Everydayness" by Imanga - Rated M, Canon-Divergent AU, Series of one-shots. A series of unrelated one-shots about domestic life, written for the NaruHina Week 2021 event.

"Lips, Tongue, Teeth" by @wickermayne - Rated E, Canon-Compatible, Series of unrelated one-shots. One month of wet blowjobs, messy pussy eating, and all other sorts of oral fixations. Welcome to Sucktember. All NaruHina.

"naruhina oneshots" by @powerful-niya - Rated E, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. I will look for you in every lifetime until we finally stay.

"when love lasts - 2022 naruhina month" by Powerful_Niya - Rated E, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. To love is nothing. To be loved is something. But to love and be loved is everything.

"kiss me, thrill me - naruhina" by Powerful_Niya - Rated E, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. An inside look at Naruto and Hinata's lives as they navigate the complex world of sexuality and grow more intimate than ever.

"heartbreaks & heartaches" by Powerful_Niya - Rated M, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. Welcome to the NHPrompts22 Tumblr Event! I have created several different one-shots according to the prompts listed within this event! All are different in their own way. But they can either make you leap for joy or weep in sadness. I truly hope you enjoy.

"NaruHina Month December 2022" by @sessakag - Rated E, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. A collection of one-shots written for the NaruHina fair on tumblr!

"NaruHina Month 2023" by Sessakag - Rated E, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. A collection of one-shots written for the NaruHina fair on tumblr! Enjoy!

"secret lovers" by @quirrrky - Rated T, Canon-Compliant, Series of one-shots. After the Fourth Shinobi War, Naruto was gradually falling in love with Hinata and the whole village of Konoha knew it…Well, aside from him.

"star vessel" by quirrrky - Rated T/M, Canon-Compliant, Series of one-shots. From a jealous boyfriend to missions together, honeymoon, overprotective husband, nightmares and reveries. Everything from the moon and back.

"eclipses" by quirrrky - Rated M, Canon-Compliant, Series of one-shots. A Collection of NaruHina and/or Sunshine Family Drabbles, One-shots and Headcanons

"Orange and Lavender" by ReadingBennie - Rated M, Various AU, Series of one-shots. A collection of one shots for Naruhina month 2016.

"Oranges and Lavender" by @journalist298 - Rated M, Various AU, Series of one-shots.  A series of oneshots for the NaruHina fan needing a fix of their favourite pairing. Whether Narutoverse or AU, there should be something for everyone.

"Celebrating the Festivities" by journalist298 (Wandering Wonderer) - Rated M, Canon-Compliant AU, Series of related one-shots. It was to be the most eventful time of her life. Her favourite festivities, Christmas, Birthday and New Years just got a whole lot better. From first date, to first love, Hinata finds happiness.

"NaruHina Erotica Oneshots" by Makuro767 - Rated E, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. No summary.

"The Wonderful and Heartfelt Times of NaruHina" by @journalsofagoddess - Rated T, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. Today we celebrate the month of our canon ship, NaruHina. And as a way to celebrate, I present to you thirty one prompts all filled with lovely tender moments, hilarious, and heart warming NaruHina. [2015]

"A Love Story Like Never Before" by jojo07 - Rated T, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. To be loved by someone you love is the most beautiful thing you can ever experience. No words can describe the magical experience you're going through. And who's better to prove this than Naruto and Hinata? 31 prompts of their love will never be enough-but it'll show how strong and amazing their love really is. For NaruHina month [2016]

"My Name on Your Lips" by katarinahime - Rated M, Canon-Compliant, Series of related one-shots. Hinata calls Naruto a plethora of different names, some he enjoys more than others.

"Proud Failures to Proud Parents - NaruHina month 2016" by xHinaLovex - Rated T, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. My contribution for NaruHina month 2016. Some cute, some not so much, some canon, and some AU. Just a smattering of stories to celebrate my favorite couple.

"A Celebration of All Things NaruHina" by xHinaLovex - Rated T, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. My contribution to NaruHina month 2015.

"A Story of Extraordinary Love" by petrichorlullaby (Stillers) - Rated T, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. A series of one-shots for NaruHina Month 2k15.

"NaruHina 2020" by @angelicalixx - Rated E, Canon-Compliant, Series of one-shots. A collection of short NaruHina fics for NaruHina 2020.

"NaruHina Week 2017" by @hinatamyqueen - Rated T, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. Little and silly drabbles for the Naruhina Week of 2017.

"The sweet, shy, innocent, Kunoichi" by @tjtheanimelover - Rated E, Canon-Compatible, Series of one-shots. See Naruto's point of view as he and Hinata partake in some naughty activities

"NaruHina Oneshot Prompts" by TJtheanimelover - Rated E, Canon-Divergent AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. Series of Prompts for the NHPrompts2022 event on Tumblr. There will be angst, smut, and fluff. Pairings are Naruhina and MenHina

"NaruHina & MenHina Lemons" by Veradux - Rated E, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. First time writing NaruHina & MenHina smut one shots.

"Tales of the Seventh Hokage and the Byakugan Hime" by Nihal Tonks-Lupin - Rated E, Canon-Compatible, Series of one-shots. Short stories about Naruto and Hinata's love and sex life, this is my contribution for NaruHina Smut Month! [2015]

"love incredible" from @ellaroundpanda - Rated E, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. A collection of seven oneshots for the naruhina smut week event by @browniefic

"They Define Us" by gl22 - Rated M, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. For NaruHina Month 2015. There will be drabbles, short one-shots, and long one-shots. Some will have spoilers to Naruto: The Last. Some will also feature the future generation, mostly Boruto and Himawari.

"Endless lemons" by agitosgirl - Rated E, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. This is just a bunch of lemony oneshots rolled into one story! From a foxy Naruto, to a cute little bunny Hinata! Do you have an idea for a lemon that you want to see typed out? Well then, come on in and you just might find it!

"Walking Beside You" by @spyder-m - Rated M, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. My contributions to NaruHina month. Individual summaries inside. [2016]

"All the Rage" by spyder-m - Rated M, Various AU, Series of related and unrelated one-shots. Naruhina oneshots and drabbles of all shapes and sizes, inspired by articles of clothing. Fluff, citrus, humour, family, friendship and angst. Canon compliant stories and AUs. Individual summaries inside.

"Day After Day" by spyder-m - Rated T, Canon-Divergent AU, Series of one-shots. Oneshot series exploring the day to day life of Naruto and Hinata post-The Last. Headcanons about them dating, living together and starting a family.

"Your Hand in Mine" by spyder-m - Rated T, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. My contributions to Naruhina Week, 2017. Individual summaries inside.

"In your eyes" by @char-lotteral - Rated E, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. "I feel like a part of my soul has loved you since the beginning of everything. Maybe we’re from the same star." -Emery Allen. A collection and series of Naruhina One shots, drabbles and snippets for Naruhina month 2021

"Sol and Luna" by charlotteral - Rated E, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. a collection of one shots and drabbles for NHWeek 2021

"Shorts" by breakfastinbed - Rated E, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. a collection of naruhina shorts.

"Nice Legs, Daisy Dukes" by Star-Child-Yeci - Rated T, Various AU, Series of related one-shots. One Shot, Drabble Collection / Because Menma is strangely territorial and Hinata has better things...people to do.

"you still get my heart racing" by mellieforyellie - Rated M, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. i've spent my whole life trying to put it into words. — naruhina month 2015

"Sunshine Snippets" by Szajnie - Rated M, Canon-Compliant, Series of one-shots. bits of pieces for my OTP

"Lives of Konoha's Couples!" by Satoorihoya - Rated M, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. Short stories written for the Konoha couples. Some AUs, some Naruto centric.

"Sunshine Tales" by blossomdreams - Rated T, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. Naruto and Hinata fell in love with each other in different ways that only strengthen their bond through time. The bond that follows them through their life in the village and at time different universes. With appearances from their friends and family. My entries for NaruHina month. [2015]

"The Sun and The Moon" by MoonPheonix - Rated M, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. A series of short stories involving Naruto and Hinata

"Lost and Found" by @matchaball - Rated T, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. We could meet a thousand different ways in a thousand different times but I'll always know I'll find you.

"Pearl Eyes and Moonlight" by MateriaFlower1-1 - Rated T, Canon-Divergent AU, Series of unrelated one-shots.  A collection of one-shots, detailing the life, times, joys, and troubles of Naruto and Hinata. Follow them from their youth to their old age, seeing how their relationship evolves over time, peace and war. This will follow several timelines through non-sequential one-shots.

"Working Class" by unfitpuzzle and LovelyLori - Rated T, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. A collection of one-shot's featuring NaruHina in the workforce; inspired by cup-of-hot-coffee's Job AUs on Tumblr.

"A Collection of Stories (NaruHina)" by HoneyWriter78 - Rated E, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. A collection of Stories involving my ultimate favourite pairing.

"Closer" by Lynns - Rated E, Canon-Divergent AU, Series of related one-shots. Relationships are slowly built from the ground up and it is something that you simply do not rush into. Naruto was flattered after hearing Hinata's confession and the two of them will take the small baby steps that will lead them closer together.

"True Sight" by hinatasgreatestfan - Rated M, Canon-Divergent AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. This is my series of NaruHina drabbles.

"One Small Step" by Shawny Wong - Rated T, Canon-Divergent AU, Series of related one-shots. What if Hinata had actually found the courage to approach Naruto at the Academy? How would befriending him change their lives? Drastic changes are the result of one small step.

"Ten Defining Moments" by Shawny Wong - Rated T, Canon-Divergent AU, Series of related one-shots. Fluff, angst, drama, and a whole lot of sappy romance. Stir well. A story that spans 10 special events in Naruto and Hinata’s lives. Written for the Thirty Kisses community on Live Journal.

"Lord Hokage" by EroPrincess - Rated E, Canon-Divergent AU, Series of one-shots. To commemorate NaruHina becoming canon in Naruto, here's my smutty contribution.

"NaruHina Oneshots" by OrenjiRabenda - Rated M, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. A collection of NaruHina one-shots and original art drawn by yours truly!

"A Month of Moments" by @tenney-shoes - Rated G, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. My submissions for NaruHina Month. Most will be very short little drabbles based on the prompt for each day. [2015]

"Tumbler prompts and dabbles" by @linisen - Rated T, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. Collection of dabbles from my prompt list on Tumblr containing mostly NaruHina fluff.

"Bound" by suryass - Rated M, Modern AU, Series of related one-shots. Mafia AU-Collection of oneshots.

"it's only us" by monkkeyslut - Rated T, Canon-Divergent AU, Series of related one-shots. A series of kisses that Hinata and Naruto share.

"Blue and White Eyes" by kiiam - Rated T, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. Some NaruHina drabbles written for people to enjoy.

"Walk with you: Naruhina month prompts" by theidealist21 - Rated G, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots.  A collection of stories I made for Naruhina Month. [2014]

"Naruto Drabble Series" by InTheMist032000 - Rated M, Various AU, Series of mostly unrelated one-shots. A drabble series of various ratings and characters. Mainly NaruHina and SasuSaku, Rating T-M.

"Moments" by Awkward Inc - Rated T, Canon-Divergent AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. We tend to remember our lives based on the most important events, but life is constructed mainly of insignificant moments.

"NH Month 2023" by @opttagoyeo - Rated T, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. Scribbles/Drabbles for Naruhina Month 2023.

"NaruHina Month 2023" by @diyas-diaries-98 - Rated T, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. No summary.

"Memories of NaruHina Month 2022" by diyas-diaries-98 (Narutos_girl) - Rated T, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. These are my first works for NaruHina Month 2022 event.

"onsra" by niege1010 - Rated M, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. Onsra (n.): bittersweet moment when you love for the last time or realize your love won't continue. Drabble collection for NaruHina month

"idyllic" by niege1010 - Rated T, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. Idyllic (a.): an idyllic place or experience is extremely pleasant, beautiful, or peaceful. Drabble collection for NaruHina month [2022]

here are all of mine:

"Shared Vows" - Rated E, Canon-Compliant, Series of one-shots. A series of one-shots concerning the highs, lows, and in-betweens of their romance, not in any chronological order.

"love letters" - Rated M, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. A series of very short concept fics.

"Perfect Clarity" - Rated G, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. A series of fluffy short one-shots of Naruto and Hinata making each other blush in Modern AU. Written for badluckbrebis (Imanga) for Tumblr's NaruHina Secret Santa 2020!!

I hope you already found the fic you were looking for or that the one you're thinking of is somewhere in this huge list!

#anon #lost and found ask #naruhina fanfic recs #naruhina one-shot collections

[leliosinking]

Hot take I guess but the fandom was way too hard on this book (and still is tbh) and for what? Because it isn’t interested in fan service? If anything Anne’s writing was at its best when she ignored what fans wanted, and I think it’s time for a reevaluation of my boy Vittorio the Vampire.

I just think this was such a promising start to New Tales (more than Pandora, even) and I sort of hate all of you for boycotting it or telling new readers to skip it. (as far as i’m concerned TVA, Merrick, B&G, BF and BC are all unofficially New Tales anyway.. TVL-MtD are the only proper vampire chronicles, everything else falls into different categories, but I digress).

With regard to Vittorio, however, we were given a true blue Ricean vampire hunter novel (the only one mind you) with an actual, functioning plot and some of the best action she’s written since TVL… and you all shunned it. And I get it, we don’t read these books for conventional, commercial plot contrivances, but for the florid language and richly crafted characters; but this is the rare Anne Rice novel that’s just.. fun for the sake of fun?

And no, I’m not blind to its problems. It absolutely needed another draft or two (as do a lot of the later VC entires) and no, Vittorio is not her strongest protagonist by leagues. But what we got was still filled to the brim with good ideas?

The Court of the Ruby Grail cult, especially, is one my favorite of Anne’s inventions. Like their dynamic with the local human villages feeding them their castoffs was legitimately disturbing and IMO better executed than most of the times she retreaded the Children of Darkness post-TVL.

And while Vittorio the character might be kind of boring, Florian and Ursula carry this novel and deserved to enter the larger narrative tapestry on their strengths alone but “waaah Lestat and co. aren’t here” so “it’s bad” or whatever.. I really can’t stand some of y’all.

Anyway, this is long enough and I really didn’t set out to write an essay in defense of what is ultimately a mid-tier entry into this series. But. I still feel that much in the way that MtD and Blackwood Farm have been recently reassessed as good novels that happen to be bad VC entires I think it’s time for some of you to similarly reevaluate Vittorio the Vampire, because this is a good vampire novel, it just isn’t a good vampire chronicle (well I think it is and yet and yet and yet). But it’s still part of the series and it does fit into the larger picture despite what some will have you believe.

If this is your first time, I personally like to read VTV between Body Thief and Memnoch. I think it is better thematically situated there than between TVA and Merrick as initially published. The archangels that enter later in the story build nicely upon David’s vision of God and Satan in TTOTBT and make for a strong intermission full of angels and demons that assist in setting up the Dantean finale of MtD. (I have more suggested reading orders btw, some other time perhaps).

I dunno.. if you like this book please let me know lol like I could use the solidarity because I feel like I’m the only one (I have it ranked #6 out of 15). But yeah, I think Vittorio is probably the most underrated and most unfairly slandered entry in Anne’s entire catalogue if I’m being completely honest.

#interview with the vampire #iwtv #anne rice #lestat #amc iwtv #vampire chronicles #amc interview with the vampire #the vampire chronicles #Vittorio the vampire

[sincerely-sofie]

Have you ever wanted to draw something but you fought due to your skill level at the time you decide not to do it

Ohhh man. I’ve got so many projects that I want to make but haven’t because I view my current skill set as lacking— and they’re almost always drawing related, because I’m very insecure about my drawing skills— even moreso than my writing skills. To go on a tangent and paint a picture of how severe this visual art insecurity is, I will list off how many people I have directly permitted to read my major written pieces once I passed my mid-teens:

My older sister, because she was my co-writer for the project and not letting her read my work wasn’t an option

My mother on one occasion

My aunt, who has experience with writing and publishing, and I have only ever sent two pieces to

Look at that number of people. The number of pieces I shared with them, in total, was four out of the hundreds of projects I’ve made over the years. I was so precious about my writing because I’m insecure about it. I’m even more insecure about my art. I couldn’t list off all the drawing projects I hesitate to make because I think it’s impossible with my current skill level, not even in a thousand years, but I’ll give a few examples that are always in the back of my mind lately.

A semi-animated pilot to a fantasy-comedy cartoon parodying The Office, starring a goblin secretary who’s trying to assassinate her employer and take over as the final boss of an RPG-esque dungeon that operates like an office building, while her employer is a lich who misinterprets all her efforts to kill him as her being flirty, leading him to develop a very severe crush on the goblin. The project is titled “Boss Fight”, and I have all the resources I need to make it, but I drag my feet because of my art insecurity… also I would be doing all the voice acting myself, and I don’t find my voice very appealing even when I change it to fit different characters.

A webcomic about a fantasy world populated by bipedal bug people that features a very brief “save the world” plot, then focuses the rest of the storyline on how the characters recover from the events of their backstories and the trauma the experienced while saving the world. It’s titled “The Creeping Chronicles”, and I love the project but am so insecure about being able to do the story justice with my art skills that I’ve tentatively pivoted to making it a book series instead. It’s got 21k+ words across 10-ish chapters because I’m too insecure about my art to draw it fully.

A slice of life comic titled “Welcome to Wayside” that’s basically Gravity Falls meets Stardew Valley where a young girl saves a cryptid’s life and now he’s stuck helping her until he repays the life debt he owes. The story features a vaguely men in black-style evil secret agency called G.L.O.O.M. (Gents for Ludicrous Oddity Organization and Management) who have various ranks are named after facets of fashion (khakis are their grunt labor and pocket squares are researchers) and they use a threat-ranking system based on dress codes (i.e. “WE HAVE A BLACK TIE DOWN ON SOUTH STREET, REPEAT: BLACK TIE DOWN ON SOUTH STREET”), and I adored G.L.O.O.M. along with the cast of characters featured in the story, but I don’t feel confident in my ability to design interesting-looking original cryptids.

I could leave this post at that, but I’ve got an important thing to say on this subject—

If you want to make something but are hesitating to because your skill levels are lackluster, make it anyways.

Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever can. Let yourself make the thing, and let yourself make the thing badly. Love it and how ugly it is. The perspective is all askew in this part, and that character is horribly off model there, and isn’t it all amazing? You made that! You made a thing! And you wouldn’t have this thing that you made if you waited until the conditions were perfect to make it and refused to create the thing before your skills were sufficient.

There’s this terrible thing about creative projects— one that is very noticeable in drawing projects especially, in my experience. As your artistic skills develop, your artistic vision also develops to become more and more detailed and masterful… and it’s always going to be outside of your grasp. If you wait until you’re ready to make the thing, you will never make the thing, because you’ll never feel ready no matter how much you build your skills. But if you make the thing before you feel totally prepared, you’ll learn and grow artistically as well as personally, and will be able to feel more confident in future thing-making efforts.

#creativity tips with sofie #(kinda) #(not an official installment to the series but it fits into things well enough to include it in the tag) #sofie answers asks #creativity tips #creativity tip #creativity advice #art tips #art tip #art advice #drawing tips #drawing tip #drawing advice

[jokeroutsubs]

An interview with Bojan and Štras, originally published on the BTC City website on 13.10.2021. This is part of our series about Bojan and Štras, to promote the upcoming charity concert they will perform at together.

Bojan Cvjetićanin and Gregor Strasbergar: "Next concert will be the same - but even better this time!"

Before their second joint concert in the 1on1 cycle on October 15th, we talked to the frontmen of the bands Joker Out and MRFY - new stars on the Slovenian music scene.

Bojan and Gregor represent the younger, very unrestrained musical generation that is difficult to "put into boxes" based on their music genre. And despite being friends, they don't usually perform together. But that changed when they met on the SiTi Theatre stage in a 1on1 "musical dialogue". Their concert in September was sold out. But they already have another 1on1 concert coming up on October 15th, so we caught up with them before their new performance and asked them about their impressions from this one, as well as other performances they're still planning.

You will repeat the concert, which was pretty successful, on October 15th. How does what you're doing here differ from what you usually do and why is it easier - or harder?

Bojan: Me and Gregor are good friends, but we've never been in this role of a joint performance before, except for New Year's. So this dynamic that happened in SiTi Theatre was something new for both of us. I have to admit that we had our reservations at the beginning, because we're different and have different music, as well as different audiences. But those reservations vanished quickly.

Bojan and Gregor are good friends, but a joint stage performance was something completely new for them.

Does that mean that we can already feel some special chemistry in the air, are you making special connections, will you leave your bands and become a duo?

Gregor: Oh, no. There are very few new bands on the scene who are really doing and creating something, but most of us who are here get on well and are friends. There's a sort of healthy rivalry between us, we encourage each other to do well; but the frontmen of two bands making a good story together doesn't mean anything other than something new being made. Of course we're staying in our own bands.

Was there no bad blood in your bands because you two were the only ones performing, and they were more in the background?

Gregor: Actually they all came to listen to our concert. And our drummer said to me that he thought it would be "much worse"… (laughter)

Bojan: That's also what their drummer said to me… (laughter)

How did you get through this whole difficult period in the past year and a half?* I heard that you worked on gaining fitness by hiking up Šmarna gora (Mount Saint Mary)?**

Bojan: Me and Štras became quite the sportsmen, we really hiked up Šmarna gora a lot.

Gregor: Yes, we became real Šmarna gora mountain goats.

Bojan: And we had all sorts of similar traumas, seeing as we work with the same producer. We were all in the process of making our own albums, which with our producer is very specific and torturous. So we consoled each other a little and helped each other through this period.

Gregor: Yes, we had similar pains. But otherwise, the bands that did better in this Covid period were the ones where all the members are friends, have fun together, and are creative and mischievous. In truth, even this period could be used for creativity and progress.

Recently, they've often hiked up Šmarna gora together and became, as they said, true Šmarna gora mountain goats.

How much did the fact that you didn't have an audience to test your products and get feedback about the songs you'd made influence your creativity?

Bojan: We were lucky to have social media, so we could still stay in touch with them and see that people miss us.

Gregor: Yes, that's a good question, because when you're focusing on your songs, you can really check out the response at the same time on stage. And now that wasn't an option, so it was definitely a little different. On the other hand, maybe that's even better, because you are able to take more time for individual songs.

Who are your role models, who did you listen to? Bojan, we know Siddharta was close to your heart, and Mladenović with Ekatarina Velika wasn't; but what do you two really enjoy listening to, which great renditions make your hearts beat? For Bojan, is it Bob Dylan? (T/N: see the end of the post for some links and explanations about the musicians mentioned in these paragraphs)

Bojan: Not at all, I prefer The Beatles and ABBA, and I also really like some domestic Serbian "turbofolk" music. There are many different things that make my heart beat.

Gregor: Yes, I like the "turbofolk" scene sometimes as well. But in general, I'm a fan of quality music. And if something is good, I don't pay attention to its genre at all. (laughter)

And which of the local bands do you like best? Magnifico?

Gregor: Yes, Magnifico is dope too, but my mentor was Tomislav Jovanović - Tokac from the band Dan D. When I was little, we were constantly blasting Dan D in Novo mesto, and then I was fortunate enough to meet him, and he helped me.

Bojan: As far as Slovenian music goes, I grew up more on Siddharta, Big Foot Mama, rapper Trkaj, and I liked Murat & Jose as well.

Bojan grew up on Siddharta, Big Foot Mama, rapper Trkaj, he also likes Murat & Jose.

Who writes your lyrics?

Bojan: Štras writes mine.

Gregor: And my mum writes mine. (laughter) Well, in truth, of course I write for my band and Bojan writes for his.

Do you help each other with it? Do other band members also help with criticism and suggestions?

Bojan: Absolutely. The boys are always very happy when they can contribute something, and they always find something I couldn't have found on my own. Which is very good.

Is their criticism sometimes brutal?

Gregor: Our bandmates are our biggest critics. And they don't allow any bullshit at all. And sometimes I think I've written something great, and then they tell me that it sucks, and then I spend two months wondering whether it's true or not, but usually they're right. But if they like a song right away, we know that it's really good. And they will never say that something is bad if it actually isn't.

Bojan: What Štras said is actually the worst thing that can happen to you. The moment you start thinking that something has to be changed, you already know that you haven't nailed it. After that, the doubts just grow stronger and you can already feel that this isn't it. Band members and parents - those are the worst critics. For me, my parents are even more brutal than my band. They don't even try to sugarcoat their criticism. I sing the song to them as well, of course.

Gregor says that their biggest critics are their bandmates, who don't allow any bullshit.

And the audience? How would you rate their reactions to your latest performance in SiTi Theatre?

Gregor: Bojan drew in the teenage girls, and my friends and family came to listen to me.

Bojan: No, no, no. He's kidding. I think we covered and sorted the audience nicely, there was a wide spectrum of different ages, and it was really very relaxed, youthful and playful. Others who had already been to these "One on one" performances in SiTi Theatre said so as well. The way we were on stage reflected off the stage as well.

Love is a constant, inexhaustible topic that you sing about. But are you also interested in other topics, maybe some more current, socially relevant ones? But we probably won't find you in the crowd on the streets where you might be arrested, like some protestors?***

Bojan: They might arrest us on the street, but not for the same thing. (laughter)

Are you not bothered at all by the way the world is?

Gregor: I'm constantly bothered and irritated by the world. But we're oriented a little differently. I'm kind of a passive activist. I'm not going to tell anyone what to do, not even in my lyrics. I hide it inside some sort of a rebus, inside metaphors that even I find hard to understand. But most of all I don't want to nag anyone about what's right and what's not.

Bojan: MRFY recently put out an album called 'Prjatučki' ('Little Friends'), and the first song on it is 'Kdo bo rešil svet?' ('Who Will Save the World?'), which talks about love and opening up to each other. It alerts us to what's currently lacking in our society. Some sort of common love for things that connect us. That's our line of thought. I don't see myself in the role of someone who would write a song called 'Rage Against the Machines'.

Gregor: We prefer to take a step back. We've never labelled ourselves politically. We try to create a world that exists alongside our world, in which love and friendship are respected emotions. Our message is this: when you're tired of fighting, come take shelter with us and we'll caress you a little, and then you can go back and keep fighting.

They think that what's missing in society is a common love for things that connect us.

What motivates you when you're writing songs? Probably events and musings in your own lives?

Bojan: Right now, I've been writing songs that are either love songs or are rooted in introspection and finding yourself. That's really also what I experience everyday, and I examine myself in different situations. And that ends up being the impetus that drives me to write something. Nowadays, there's a lot of fighting and viciousness around us, and if we can create a world that's some kind of shelter for us and others to hide in, we might've done more than if we had become part of this army of vicious soldiers.

Apart from collaborating on the stage and hiking up Šmarna gora, what else do you do as friends?

Bojan: A lot of things. For example, we worked out together.

Gregor: Twice. (laughter)

Bojan: Yes, twice… (laughter)

Bojan: But honestly, I would say that we mostly spend time in Gregor's backyard, drinking coffee and talking.

Gregor: Only a few people can fully understand this role we've picked. Those of us who do similar things can help each other a lot. Sometimes it's enough to open up to someone about your problems and know that they understand you.

Bojan: We vent a lot. But at the end we usually realise that our problems are really quite "sweet". At first we think that they're the worst in the world, but they're always solvable.

Gregor: And Bojan usually has different problems than me. I find his problems negligible - and the other way around.

They mostly spend time in Gregor's backyard, drinking coffee and talking.

Can you be a little more specific? Is it about songs or something else?

Bojan: Well, sometimes we have a nice evening that turns into a merry party, and then we usually have differing views of each other's merriness. When I explain what a nice time I had, Štras usually tells me: "Dude, you weren't like that at all. You were totally irritating." Meanwhile I had a great time...

Gregor: Well, I don't find Bojan fun at all. And if he drinks too much, he becomes annoying. But it's hard to remember specific stories. Really hard…

Bojan: Well, we like to talk about girls…

So that's the problem - you spend a lot of time on girls, but you don't want to talk about it in public… But does that mean that your fans still have a chance?

Gregor: Always.

What about your concert on October 15th? Will it be different in any way from your last one in SiTi Theatre?

Bojan: No, it will be the same - but even better this time!

*The interview was published in October 2021, so the question is referring to Covid lockdowns.

**Šmarna gora (Mount Saint Mary), with elevation of 676 m, is a hill on the outskirts of Ljubljana that's very popular with Ljubljana residents.

***In 2020 and 2021, there were a lot of protests against the then-ruling Slovenian government.

And here's a little bit about the musicians mentioned in this interview, in the order that they were mentioned. Links go to one of their songs on YouTube:

Siddharta, formed in 1995, is perhaps the most popular and successful Slovenian rock band, and one of the bands Joker Out always emphasise as their inspiration.

Ekatarina Velika was a Serbian rock band, active from 1981 to 1994, and very popular in former Yugoslavia. Milan Mladenović was its frontman who died in 1994.

"Turbofolk" is a musical genre that originated in Serbia. It blends Serbian folk music with other genres such as pop, rock, electronic music, etc. Here is an example of turbofolk music.

Magnifico is a Slovenian musician, active since the early 90s, whose music is inspired by the ex-Yugoslavian schlager music scene. Several of his songs have reached cult status in Slovenia.

Dan D is another popular Slovenian rock band from Novo mesto, which is where Štras is from. They've been active since 1996.

Big Foot Mama is another popular Slovenian rock band originating from the 90s, the one Kris's dad Miha Guštin - Gušti played the guitar in.

Rok Terkaj - Trkaj is a Slovenian rapper, active since the early 00s.

Murat & Jose is a Slovenian rap/hip-hop duo, also active since the early 00s.

Translation cr: Joker Out Subs

#bojan cvjetićanin #bojan cvjeticanin #gregor strasbergar - štras #joker out #MRFY

[virtualstarrr]

Revolutionary Girl Utena and Neon Genesis Evangelion: Parallels Between Characters and Their Relationships

PREFACE: I wrote this a few years ago and never published it; I was around 15 and I don't think everything I said was entirely accurate, however I do feel like I made connections between these two shows that I haven't seen many talk about, so I'm gonna post it. If anything I say is off, feel free to correct me!

Anyway:

Something I've realized while rewatching Neon Genesis Evangelion is how similar Rei and Gendo's dynamic is to Akio and Anthy's in Revolutionary Girl Utena. Here are some characters and dynamics that I thought were similar, most of them revolving around the characters' connections to Anthy or Rei:

Asuka and Nanami as Antagonists

Anthy and Rei both have very quiet personalities. Both are stoic and appear off-putting to others around them. The characters Asuka and Nanami similarly hold disdain for Rei/Anthy and berate them for being weird.

Nanami harbors jealousy towards Anthy after seeing her in a relationship with her brother. Even though she resents her, the two are both in similar incestuous relationships. Anthy's situation could be a reflection of what could happen to Nanami if she took her relationship with Toga too far. But luckily Nanami realizes that she never really had feelings for her brother, and that she just wanted his validation. But before Nanami realizes all that, she acts as an antagonist to Anthy. She's constantly bullying her, and calling her out for her "weird" behavior. Asuka is similar with Rei. She's not necessarily jealous of Rei but she does project her insecurities on Rei, just look at the elevator scene. She calls Rei a doll for being subservient to Gendo, but she herself is afraid of becoming one. Nanami and Asuka, on the surface, couldn't be any more different than Anthy and Rei, but in reality Anthy and Rei represent a lot of the Nanami and Asuka's insecurities, or reflect the situations they're in.

Gendo and Akio, Both Abusers

Anthy and Rei are both extremely loyal to Akio and Gendo. Throughout each series, they are used to attain Akio/Gendo's goals, with Gendo's being to reunite with Yui and Akio's to maintain power over everyone in Ohtori. Because of how reliant Gendo and Akio's plans are on Rei/Anthy, they both get to know a lot about what's going on behind the scenes in the story, where other characters may not.

Akio and Gendo are very similar to each other, too.

Akio is able to manipulate people using sex. He even sexually assaults Anthy. Anthy endures Akio's abuse for so long that she's scared of leaving him; what if she escapes and finds that the world outside Ohtori is even more cruel?

Like Akio, Gendo also uses sex to control the women around him. He takes advantage of both Akagi and Ritsuko, disposing of them when he no longer needs them, just like Rei fears he will do to her when her use runs out.

Rei exists to obey Gendo. She's a clone, made to serve his desires. Rei wants to leave Gendo, she wants to die but he needs her to achieve Human Instrumentality. All she knows is to be obedient to Gendo, so she continues to follow his orders without considering her own feelings.

Anthy and Rei are cursed to serve Akio and Gendo, and though both dislike their situations, they see no hope of escaping. Not until Utena and Shinji step into their lives.

Utena and Shinji, the Protagonists

Utena spends the whole series selfishly playing the role of the prince, but once she begins to understand Anthy's situation, she is able to give up princehood and inspire Anthy to leave Akio. Utena doesn't save Anthy, but she gives her the courage to leave her situation, to decide for herself that she wants to leave.

Shinji shows interest in Rei's feelings. He encourages her to express herself, and tells her to smile. While Gendo sees Rei as a disposable clone, Shinji cares about her in a way Gendo never did. He wants her to be happy. While Shinji's motives are still selfish (with Shinji failing to understand Rei, just as Utena still treats Anthy as an object in her attempt to "save her" through the duels), he still shows more concern for her than she's ever experienced from anyone else.

[The scene where Shinji tells Rei to smile visually reminds me of RGU's finale. Shinji looks down on Rei, just as Utena does Anthy. Shinji tries to pull Rei out of the entry plug (the duty she's bound to— being a pilot, being Gendo's servant), as Utena tries to pull Anthy out of her coffin (trapped with Akio, the revolving system of capitalism and patriarchy, as well as literally being stuck in the cycle of abuse).]

Rei chooses to sacrifice herself, and after her death is replaced by her clone Rei 3. Rei 3 carries Rei 2's emotions but doesn't understand them at first. In the End of Evangelion, when Gendo tries to use Rei to start the Third Impact, she rejects him and chooses to start the Third Impact on her own will. (Possibly because of Shinji's influence).

Gendo and Akio Again

I think the similarities in these scenes are interesting.

Gendo stands over Rei as Akio stands over Anthy— each man exerting power over these girls. Gendo reaches down to grope Rei, trying to control her, and Anthy reaches up towards Akio to comfort him; Akio is using his emotions to manipulate and maintain his control over Anthy.

The lighting in these shots is similar. I don't know how either Anno or Ikuhara meant for the colors used in these scenes to be interpreted. I can only give my interpretation. Red is predominant, especially in the shot from Evangelion. A color that can represent passion. Perhaps this is Gendo's passion for power, for Yui, for eternity? Love and romance are often represented by red, and that includes lust. The red background could show Gendo's lust for Yui— literally in the sense that he's attracted to her as her partner— but most importantly, in the sense that he lusts after her, he desires to return to her. This lust extends to Rei, Gendo's recreation of Yui as well as a vehicle to which he can use to reunite with Yui. [Note: it's implied that Gendo sexually abused Rei, which isn't surprising considering she's a clone of Yui and the way he uses sex to control and manipulate. In the scene pictured above, he gropes Rei's breast— this is right before Rei rejects Gendo and takes the form of Lilith.]

Not only does red represent lust, but also power. It's a bold color, dominating both of these shots. It contributes to the sense of control Gendo and Akio have over Rei and Anthy. Red is used in this context often in Utena. The character Touga manipulates the girls around him in a similar fashion as Akio and Gendo (while also being manipulated by Akio). He manipulates Utena and his sister Nanami, taking advantage of their affection for him (both girls later realizing they never felt for Touga romantically). And Touga's red hair color, like other characters in Utena, signifies this power he holds.

In the RGU shot, red mainly covers Akio. Yellow is also prominent, centering around Anthy. Yellow is most often associated with Nanami in Utena, who represents jealousy— as I mentioned earlier, in her relationship with Anthy—, as well as Nanami's innocence, and perhaps ignorance.

Akio holds control over his Anthy, his victim. Her innocence is highlighted in this scene— she's not ignorant to what's going on, nor is she innocent in that sense. She's informed of and contributes to Akio's system. However, she finds herself trapped in this system, making her Akio's victim. In this sense the innocence in her attempt to comfort him contrasts his desire for power. He knows what he's doing. He cries fake tears. In the climax of RGU, Akio weaponizes his emotions in an attempt to get Anthy to stay. The colors emphasize Akio's power and Anthy's lack of agency in comparison.

Akio is trying to maintain his power over Anthy through these false tears.

Conclusion

Ultimately Gendo and Akio fail to maintain their control. Anthy breaks out of Akio's system, and Rei becomes Lilith on her own accord. It doesn't completely end their goals. Akio's system is still maintained for the rest who chose not to leave, and Gendo is able to reunite with Yui during the Third Impact— even if it is a false perception of her. But their initial plans fall apart, and the characters they've been attempting to manipulate are eventually able to escape. This doesn't just apply to Rei and Anthy, but also the other protagonists— the pilots whom Nerv abuses for their goals, and Utena and any of the other characters who find the courage to leave Ohtori. Evangelion focuses on Shinji's monologue primarily, but the show's message inspires the audience, and by extension the other characters, to live a fulfilling life despite everything. Utena and Anthy both escape Ohtori, but the possibility is there for any of the other characters that question Ohtori (a larger representation of abuse, capitalism, patriarchy, and systems that bind us) to escape as well. Ultimately these characters, these people, these systems don't have as much control as they project onto others. They influence so many aspects of life, but it's not impossible to defy them.

Ok, I've just been incoherently rambling so maybe this post has no point, but hopefully it makes SOME sense. Maybe, maybe you can see what I mean by all of (or at least any of) this. Sorry if this makes zero sense and means nothing. That is, if anyone does see this. But hopefully some enjoy my ramblings

#revolutionary girl utena #neon genesis evangelion #analysis #evangelion analysis #revolutionary girl utena analysis #utena #rgu #evangelion #anthy himemiya #akio ohtori #gendo ikari #rei ayanami #tw: csa #tw: inc*st #tw: abuse