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dvzaiosamu · 1 month

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Bungo Stray Dogs (cats) as cats!

As the title says! Bungo stray dogs, or should I say bungo stray cats? Whatever, I hope you guys have fun reading this as much as I had while writing these random hc about them as cats.

The character included in this post are: Dazai, Chuuya, Nikolai, Fyodor, Ranpo and Sigma!

Dazai, also known as Catzai!

Dazai must be one of the strangest cats you've ever had in your life.

His personality.. He is always playful and energetic, rarely gets tired, and spends most of his time hunting and purposely bringing dead animals into your bed so that you are scared and disgusted.

He's rather lazy... And enjoys naping in boxes or drawers. If these are not open, he'll just open them. He's really clever!

One of his favorite activities is to throw everything he sees, and if that were not enough, he stares at you while he commits such an act, so that you are aware that he did it, even if he blackmails you later with that appearance and little eyes! Who won't forgive him?

Being a fairly energetic cat, you will rarely see him sleeping, but I can assure you that when he is bored and has no one to bother, he is very likely to fall asleep in the most remote places of your house, or if he is generous, in your bag. He loves to lie next to you in your bed and meow if you don't let him snuggle up next to you. It's quite a drama.

Without forgetting that he is a dramatic feline, it is not expected that he will spend most of his time meowing.

Normally he is a fairly affectionate cat, but somewhat radical. Sometimes he wants to, sometimes he doesn't. The times he wants to (and he doesn't ask you to pamper him, he forces you himself) he is very cuddly and constantly turns and repositions himself to receive more caresses, it doesn't matter where, he will like them.

But pay attention! Don't be fooled by how he allows himself to be petted all the time. Don't get too close to his bandaged paws, they are usually quite sensitive and contact can make him uncomfortable. As long as you are delicate and do not insist on those areas, Dazai will always allow himself to be caressed, whatever the moment.

Osamu's favorite toys are a couple of rolls of bandages that he rolls over and plays with. Other toys included are clearly your hands, makeup, or any belongings of yours that are welcome!

Speaking of his other favorite toys, Dazai is a cruel cat sometimes, he doesn't mind ruining your makeup with his little claws, but if you get really angry with him, I don't think he'll hesitate much to meow sadly, rubbing against you or snuggling near you. He will eventually feel guilty, and if you reject him, he will move away and give you space and maybe later try to approach you again. In the last few hours Dazai probably would not be in the mood to play, sleep, or do anything except lay with his head down, thinking.

When he accidentally scratches or bites you, whether intentionally or not, he will at first 'laugh' (rather look at you mischievously) at your exaggerated "ouch!" If it ever hurts more than necessary and he sees blood present, much or little, his ears will tilt slightly and he will come closer to clean your wound with his tongue. Dazai usually feels bad for hurting you, but he knows he doesn't have to be sad over something so small, right?

But not everything is so sad! Come on, let's cheer up! Osamu is agile when it comes to showing off, I mean, who's going to blame him? He is a beauty and model. Even if you don't like letting him out just because the female cats who need a male follow him home, Dazai always tends to run away, but he always comes back after an hour or two. Likewise, his loyalty is only to you!

A few days ago your pet, Dazai, had been a little suspicious, from time to time he tried to get into your bag, you didn't know the exact reason, but he tried to be as stealthy as possible. Until the day comes when you go shopping to buy food for Dazai, and when you open the bag, you find a little head poking out of the bag, followed by a pronounced meow. You are surprised and sigh, giving in to petting him for a while while he purrs. Maybe Dazai himself would like to choose his meal based on seafood after all.

Now, to close his section!

How does he sleep and how does he like to sleep? It's quite varied, there are times when he sleeps with his stomach visible, showing you that he trusts you! Other times in the form of a ball or the most common: sleeping curled up under your pajamas (he literally gets under your shirt and snuggles against your chest, this also means that it feels your heat and your body more closely).

Dazai likes to sleep in many ways, but his favorite will always be curled up close to you, enjoying the warmth of your body, and if not, he'll offer to be your fluffy heater himself.

Chuuya, also known as Chuucat!

He must be one of the most expensive cats you have ever had, it was a sought-after breed, but not only for that, also because you spent a lot of money on hus toys, high-quality food and comforts of all kinds.

Chuuya and Dazai were almost always fighting, and several times they fought, and although Chuuya almost always won regardless of his height, Dazai would sometimes walk away, although other times he would fight back. And every time you saw them, you separated them and pushed them away.

Sometimes Chuuya and Dazai were quiet, side by side, doing nothing but lying down and watching TV, but that didn't stop Dazai from teasing him at times, although at those times Chuuya sometimes let himself be lightly hugged by Dazai.

Chuuya mostly meows at you to help him put on his not-so-cheap hat and collar. Once you put it on, he is always in a better mood.

Chuuya may not be the most affectionate cat, at first he doesn't allow himself to be petted but little by little he will allow himself to be petted until he gains confidence even if it costs him.

Chuuya is usually quite grateful, if you buy him a bed or house type toy he will not ignore it and will not use it since he knows that it has cost you money and he does not want to make you feel sad, so he will always use and enjoy what you buy if he can.

Although it's not too far-fetched an idea, sometimes Chuuya will lie down and curl up next to you, seeking attention. This happens when he feels sad or just want attention. When Chuuya is sad, he stands next to you, with not very loud meows, and waits for you to hug him or pet him while saying nice words to him.

Chuuya is a strong feline and likes to practice his new strategies when fighting, strategies he sometimes uses with Dazai as he refuses to attack other stray cats unless one intentionally provokes him, picks a fight, or is attacked for no reason.

Even if it costs him, Chuuya tries to trust you. Friends are important to him and whoever is his friend, he will be loyal and friendly towards him.

Nakahara approached you one day, with his tail raised and the tip to the side, indicating that he wants to interact and is friendly. Chuuya meowed as he sat next to you, watching what you were looking at on your phone, and waited patiently for you to finish answering him, but after a while, Chuuya sat in your arms, covering your phone and forcing you to pay attention to it.

He's really protective and loyal to you!

In conclusion, Chuuya is usually like this: Affectionate= sometimes, not all the time (7/10). The times he comes to force you to pamper him= quite strange (2/10), he usually doesn't care much if he receives pampering or not, but he also doesn't complain if you bombard him with affection.

Nikolai, also known as Nikocat or Catlai!

Nikolai is the definition of chaos in the house.

When he is alone, when you get home, don't be surprised to see some scratched things nearby, or some hidden objects that you may not find for days.

Nikolai is a rather... energetic feline so to speak, you will see him all the time playing tricks, pranks and annoying you most of the time.

Pranks can range from hiding your belongings, playing with dangerous objects, or using your couch as something to sharpen his nails.

In his free time he sits in your arms and bothers you, not letting you finish your things, blocking your vision so you couldn't do anything while he was there.

His tail is fluffy and as a result of this, you can't help but put a pom pom or a bow on his tail.

He lets you pet him as long as you want, but he has moments where he just scratches or bites you on purpose.

One of his favorite activities is to disappear and return unexpectedly when you least expect it.

That is, one day you could be lying quietly looking for your pet, and when you couldn't find him, you would get agitated and desperately try to look for him, but it didn't appear, and just when you were about to do so. You went out to look for him and that's when you found him on top of a piece of furniture.

Don't worry when nothing scares you on Halloween! In your bed or in any unexpected place you will find a dead and bloody animal, be it a bird, a mouse, even insects...

Although Nikolai is very agile, he tends to get dirty quickly due to the color of his coat, a snow white with heterochromia and a feathered tail that looks like a braid.

You still remember when a friend came to visit and Nikolai, bored, decided to attack him till he eventually left.

In conclusion, he is a mischievous cat who makes jokes whenever he has the right moment. If he doesn't like a person, he won't hesitate to do everything in his power get rid of them so they won't come close to you or him, even if it means attacking them or scaring them. Although... Nikolai might like everyone.

Always get himself in trouble.

He also loves to sometimes go outside and catch birdies. He takes care of mouses and rats since they remind him of Fyocat.

Fyodor, also known as Fyocat!

You could say that Fyodor is the typical feline stereotype: an independent cat who doesn't care about his owner and believes he owns everything.

He is too relaxed and carefree a cat to worry about doing meaningless things.

He is one of the most relaxed cats you have ever had in your life, he almost never meows, he always stays away from you and he also has no interest in hunting.

Hunting is not one of his favorite things, the truth is that he prefers to play and have a good time with any rodent he finds, especially rats. But that doesn't mean that he doesn't usually hunt, sometimes he hunts insects and crushes them, or simply bites them until they are split in half, and then takes care of grabbing them and throwing them in the trash on their own. He's not a fan of insects.

He is not a very affectionate cat either, he does not seek attention nor does he need it since everything he does he prefers to do alone, without background noises.

It's relatively easy for him to convince you to give him some pretty expensive snacks. Although he normally uses manipulation to get you to give it to him, the same goes for wanting something, if you don't want to give it to him he will resort to other psychological methods.

He doesn't usually sleep much as he takes care of other matters that don't concern you based on his body language. He almost never sleeps, and when it's morning he usually falls asleep accidentally, secretly.

He is not a cat that seeks caresses or needs them, but from time to time when he feels stressed and wants a break (which is not very possible) less than a minute of caressing is enough for him.

Other cats usually annoy him for the simple fact of being a little different from the others, but this doesn't matter too much to him.

The fact that he is very intelligent allows him to trick you and weaker cats. Also to plan strategies that helps him do things without using violence.

He doesn't usually go out because he stays in his place and doesn't know what he's doing. Fyodor is quite reserved.

Ranpo, also known as Rancat!

He's the most... peculiar cat you've ever had, he seems much more like a dog than a cat.

He is very playful and usually has a lot of energy, he is also very playful and will not miss any opportunity to play!

On the other hand, he is energetic, but not capable of running or climbing like other cats, as he tires quickly, or simply refuses to do so without receiving anything in return.

His red flag is that he is not going to do anything if he does not receive something in return, whether it be some snacks or some caresses and cuddles.

He loves to receive attention and if he doesn't get it he forces you with meows and staring at you with his eyes until you feel compassion and pity for him.

Ranpo usually likes snacks that taste relatively sweet (even if they don't have sugar because otherwise it would hurt him).

He likes to play with toys, although after a few minutes he gets bored and starts playing with his fingers.

His little hat sometimes falls off quite frequently, so you'll have to help him put it on like a toddler.

One of Ranpo's favorite things is to lie down in front of you with his belly up so people can pet him.

Although nothing compares to your attention, whenever possible try to get everyone to pet him and praise him for how intelligent he is.

Ranpo's brown fur and brown eyes (yes, his eyes are originally brown, Bones changed them to green in the anime) make him look like chocolate.

He is a very friendly cat, but that doesn't mean that he sometimes gets "angry" with you.

You still remember the day when he was angry at you for such silly thing. It all started with one morning when you forgot to pet Ranpo like a good morning accompanied by a kiss (since yes, that's all part of Ranpo's routine) and since then, almost the entire day he was upset with you, both who ignored you and refused to even eat his favorite snacks in front of you (he only ate them once you left so he wouldn't give you the satisfaction of making him stop being upset). It wasn't until the evening that his anger passed and he decided to come to your room meowing and demanding attention while snuggling in your arms.

Sigma, also known as Sigcat!

Sigma is a little... Interesting sometimes, but you know what they say, since he is an owner, so will his pet /hj.

He hates everything that has to do with beaches. Never try to take him to the beach as he will hate it. Sigma doesn't really like seeing sand, and although he hates deserts even more, he also can't help but feel uncomfortable when he sees sand on the beach since it reminds him of deserts.

It is a small kitty in which discomfort usually predominates. Every time there is guests he hides and doesn't come out until they leave.

Sigma is a big fan of cookies, but since he is a cat he can't eat them because it would cause problems, so sometimes you buy him cat food in the form of cookies, and when you can't find it, you mix types of feed you give it the shape.

One thing he loves is being up high, no matter where he is, he will always try to stay where there is more height, that's why you had to buy him a little house with enough scratching posts so that he can climb on them and sit or sleep on the top of the structure.

It only trusts his owner, no one else. He will only trust if his owner trusts that other person (although for that to work he has to be used to that person's presence).

He likes to be petted, although excessive contact can stimulate him too much and make him feel uncomfortable.

He has a unique coat! Almost all the people who saw your pet repeat it to you.

He is an indoor cat, he doesn't like to go out. He limits himself to observing nature and living beings from the window.

When you want him to come with you, you can buy him a comfortable bag with blankets and an opening so he can stick his head out. Above all, you want to be comfortable and be as inconspicuous as possible.

How are you going to blame this adorable feline when he accidentally ruins something? Whoever does it is heartless! Poor Sigma would surely be very nervous and guilty.

Good luck with taking care of his fur! It'll take a long time.

That's all for today! Have a good time. Soon I'll try to post Chuuya's fluff oneshot!

Check more of my works here. Just scroll down until you find my list.

#bsd chuuya #bsd #dazai osamu #bungou stray dogs #osamudazai #bsd headcanons #nikolai gogol #fyodor dostoyevsky bsd #fyodor dostoevsky #bsd sigma #sigma bungou stray dogs #ranpo edogawa #bsd ranpo

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pinkeoni · 8 months

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Writing Byler into the Narrative: Chekhov's Lie

Am I making a post about a topic that has already been talked into the ground and needs no further explanation? Yes! Because it's my blog and I get to talk about whatever I want.

So when discussing whatever the biggest "byler proof" is, the easiest and best answer is simply "the narrative." But what exactly does that mean?

Well aside from the characterization and themes tending to point in that direction, there's also a major literary rule at play— Chekhov's Gun

So this is Anton Chekhov.

Famous Russian playwright. Prolific short story author. Very important to the dramatic and literary world.

Chekhov sees one of his colleagues plays and writes him a letter that says "Hey, if you're gonna go through the effort putting a gun on stage, just make sure it goes off, okay? Otherwise, don't put it there." or something to the effect of that.

"Chekhov’s gun is a dramatic principle that suggests that details within a story or play will contribute to the overall narrative. This encourages writers to not make false promises in their narrative by including extemporaneous details that will not ultimately pay off by the last act, chapter, or conclusion. Chekhov’s gun has become a highly influential theory of effective writing that mandates noticeable details are integrated into the plot trajectory, character development, and mood of the work."

Here's a simple example of Chekhov's gun used in the show:

Chekhov's Purple Palm Tree Delight

While burying Hero Agent Man in the desert, Argyle get's stressed out and Jonathan tells him in supposedly a throwaway line to smoke some Purple Palm Tree Delight to help him feel better.

And then later in the Piggyback when they need to distract the Argyle clone in the Surfer Boy Pizza, BAM. Jonathan pulls out a fresh Purple Palm Tree Delight.

What serves as a small detail in one episode, serves a larger purpose in a future episode. It's a very simple yet effective plant and payoff. The gun has been Chekhov'd.

What happens if the gun does not Chekhov?

For this I'll use an example from a different show, here's a scene from Euphoria season 2. (spoilers, btw)

At the start of the scene, the character Nate loads a gun from inside of his car as he is going to confront his dad. We have seen this gun before. Oh my god, is Nate going to kill is dad? The audience may wonder.

Nate then puts the loaded gun into his right pocket as he enters the building where his dad is staying.

Later in the scene, we see Nate reach into his right pocket and pull out the gun he just loaded.

We then see Nate put the gun away into his left pocket, reach back into his right pocket, and pull out— a flash drive?

Granted this flash drive does have pre-established importance, but why the fuck did Nate have that gun with him, if he wasn't going to use it? The most basic rule of a Chekhov's Gun?

I know that it was likely there just to build suspense for the audience, but considering that Nate's gun has already been established (and used) earlier in the season, the show didn't need to build-up the importance of the gun earlier in the scene if it wasn't going to payoff. If we saw Nate putting his hand into his pocket in a threatening way, there might be enough there for the audience to suspect he has his gun in there before doing the twist with the flash drive. It would have given the same effect of suspension and subversion of expectations without it feeling like a shitty non-payoff.

I can only speak for myself, but when this happened I was just baffled and annoyed. What was the point of all that? When a Chekhov's Gun doesn't go off, it feels super unsatisfying.

Another good example of a gun that never Chekhov'd is the Jules-cheating storyline that became inconsequential, was not the reason Jules and Rue even broke up, was seemingly forgotten and forgiven by the end, and did nothing but give fans a reason to hate Jules.

And Now: The Van Scene

We've all seen it and we all know it. Will gives Mike the painting we saw earlier in the season, the one that's supposed to be for someone that he likes, which was a Chekhov's Gun in itself. We saw the painting earlier in the season and now it's being revealed. The gun is Chekhoving.

Really the painting itself has already payed off, but what this scene does is establish a new Chekhov's Gun that has yet to go off, and that's the lie that Will told Mike— that the painting was from El, not him.

Even if this wasn't the "friends don't lie" show, I mean, a lie in a tv show that goes undiscovered and has no major consequences? I mean come on. It's almost too obvious.

Did this gun already Chekhov?

Technically there is still somewhat of a payoff to this lie being told, even if the reveal that it was a lie hasn't happened yet. We see the consequences of Will's lie in this scene here:

Ah yes, the monologue. You know the one, where Will is over Mike's shoulder the whole time, the one spawned by Will remarking "your the heart" which is a reference to the van scene we all just witnessed in which Will pours his heart out to Mike under the guise of it actually being El's feelings? Yeah that monologue.

Contrary to popular belief I am of the opinion that Mike's monologue is NOT the reason El lost to Vecna, however Mike finally confessing immediately followed by El losing does not make it look any better for them. I don't think that the lie had world ending consequences, but it definitely had emotional ones.

The reveal of the lie can lead to one of two things happening (not all once)

Mike finds out that Will lied to him about El commissioning the painting. Mike and El stay together despite it all, Will accepts that Mike doesn't love him back.

Mike finds out that Will lied about El commissioning the painting. El and Mike do not stay together because the feelings of love are not genuine. Mike and Will, despite Will's expectations, end up together since that what Mike's feelings of love are in response too.

The biggest difference between the first scenario and the second scenario is that the first one is already happening right now.

Mike and El are still together by the end of the season, and Will already thinks that he doesn't have a chance with Mike.

Why cock the gun if setting it off is just going to keep things the way they were?

Of course this Chekhov's gun isn't the only "proof" working in byler's favor, and I wouldn't have suggested the second scenario if the show didn't also give Mike an arc where he couldn't say I love you to his girlfriend, make him act weird around Will, actively push themes of non-conformity, among other things.

Combined with everything else, I do still consider Chekhov's Gun to be the biggest proof of byler. Not following through with one of the most popular rules of dramatic writing just to hold together a weak relationship? OK

tl;dr: Byler canon because a Russian playwright said so

#havent really had an analysis in a while so here is a post about a thing everyone already knows about #but god dammit if i dont love narrative conventions and applying them to my hyperfixation #my analysis #stranger things #byler #tw guns

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i-didnt-read-the-b00ks · 4 months

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Intro post

hiiii! so I have yet to read the Percy Jackson series (cardinal sin I know) and I figured I'd liveblog the TV show for Tumblr's entertainment!!! :D

editing this far sooner than I expected. sighs deeply. apparently my instinct to ramble about cinematography is unable to be contained. thus. tagging system.

"#liveblogging" for, yk, liveblogging,

"#film language rambles" for cinematography and related stuff,

"#reactions" for Reactions,

and "#asks" for answering asks.

Hi. So, first of all, there are going to be spoilers for the books and the show. That should be obvious, but I'm saying it anyway.

Second, and more importantly, this blog is a lie. The Percy Jackson books Formed My Personality. I am a huge fan. It's been a while since I read the books, but I read them enough times that that's probably fine. I did make this blog to entertain, though- the point is to pretend not to have read the books, to create a sense of Dramatic Irony and Sympathetic Horror for all you avid fans reading.

Also, uh, this has accidentally become a bit of a cinematography/film language analysis blog as well. That’s what I get for taking film classes I guess. Sorry about that. (<- not sorry at all) So yeah stay tuned for Extended Rambles. I am cheating slightly because I’ve already watched all the episodes up til the Ares one so I’m Rewatching Them, which allows me a better shot at noticing stuff. We’ll see how it goes after I catch up to myself. I can always just watch the episodes twice, I suppose.

This blog will be somewhat like an in-character/rp/gimmick blog- the persona will be kept up, and just... yk, Be In On The Joke. Standard procedure, you know the drill. I think that's about it? Yeah, enjoy! This blog is as much for my enjoyment as for yours. (I'll be sad if nobody follows, though.) I think that's all? More will be added as necessary. Merry tv-show-ing!

TL;DR: This blog is me writing as if I haven't read the books, for entertainment purposes. It’s basically an in-character/rp/gimmick blog.

#pinned post #intro post #pjo #pjo series #pjo tv show #pjo fandom #Percy Jackson #percy jackon and the olympians #percy jackson show #percy jackson tv show

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tea-and-tickles · 9 months

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heyaaa it’s me again:3 you can choose whoever you’d like for the ler! (i’m the one who requested lee kasa HAHA)

*i crawl out of a flaming hole in the ground on my hands and knees. i am disheveled and holding charred pieces of paper held together with a paper clip* I FINISHED THE FIC

anon, tsukasa has never been my favorite character, but thank you so much for this request. it was a challenge to write a character that i was less familiar with and it was SO FUN! and also, fair warning... i got carried away. it's a 4k word fic. it is... honestly equally a ruikasa fic as it is a tickle fic. still! i worked really hard on this so i hope it was worth the wait! thank you SO MUCH for your patience as i worked on this!! have a lovely day! :D

"all the world's a stage (so show me how this story ends)"

a/n: i am posting this at 3:30 in the gddamn morning. i have a date at 11. i am going to bed now.

!! kink blogs please DNI. i do not fuck with ns.fw blogs interacting with me. if i see u i'm blocking on sight !!

Summary: Alternate Title: 4 times Rui tickled Tsukasa on accident + 1 time he did it on purpose.

After Rui tickles Tsukasa while Wonderlands x Showtime is prepping for a new show, Tsukasa can't seem to get him out of his head...

Warnings: Tickling.

Kamishiro Rui x Tenma Tsukasa from Project SEKAI (Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage!)

Word Count: 4.3k

“Tsukasaaaa! This is so neat!” Emu bellowed. “I love how Prince Pegasus is all like, pchoo! Pow! Bop! at The Manticore!”

“You said this is a story you made up for your little sister?” Nene asked.

“Indeed!” Tsukasa proclaimed. Recently, Wonderlands x Showtime had toyed around with performing more completely original works at the Wonder Stage. Of course, their shows always had a personal touch (this was nearly impossible to avoid with Tsukasa’s flair for the dramatic, Rui’s inventive streak, and the sheer scope of Emu’s imagination. Tsukasa sometimes wondered how Nene did it). But they were always based on something. Cinderella but with robots. A theoretical continuation of Sleeping Beauty. King Midas with audience participation. Okay, that last one was a lie, if only because Rui couldn’t make a machine to magically transmute carbon to gold. But it was definitely on brand.

“Saki and I used to play dragons when we were little. But when she got sick, she wasn’t able to play the way she used to. She talked a lot about missing the adventures of Prince Pegasus, my character, so I wrote down new adventures to read to her when I visited her in the hospital!”

Tsukasa was, admittedly, a little apprehensive about performing this. The Chronicles of Prince Pegasus were fun, even enthralling, when it was just him and Saki. But what would his troupemates think? An audience? If he allowed himself to think much more about it, he might just back out.

“Obviously this is a rewritten version, adapted for the stage and adjusted to be even more harrowing!” The others were still reading. Tsukasa couldn’t stand the silence. “But! I would love to hear your thoughts!”

“It’s really interesting, Tsukasa,” Rui said. It was the first time he had spoken since they began reading the script. “I’d like to make a few tweaks to streamline the story and to give us some wiggle room for a bit more improvisation, but I really like the premise. A classic, yet exciting hero’s journey.”

The others nodded in agreement. Phew. This might go okay after all. No, of course it will! “Tweaks? To a star’s original fiction?! How could you, Rui?!” Tsukasa joked.

Rui gently elbowed Tsukasa in the ribs, to which he yelped and jumped almost a foot in the air. It didn’t quite startle him (after all, someone as brave as him wouldn’t crumble beneath such a light touch!), but it… tickled? “I know. I’m the worst,” Rui said. “Now, let’s discuss casting. I think…”

Huh… weird. Tsukasa hadn’t anticipated that such a light touch would make him react in such a way. And why was his face a bit warmer?

Surely it’s just the summer heat.

Tsukasa cursed the fact that he was 5’7. Not because he didn’t feel masculine enough or because it somehow took away from his dramatic breadth; rather that Rui put everything too damn high up for him to reach. He was thankful, really. When the troupe actually began production on this show a few weeks ago, Tsukasa found it so surreal. He’d starred in plays, sure, but he’d never written one that got performed! This was the opportunity of a lifetime! Still, how on Earth was he supposed to get into character if he didn’t have Prince Pegasus’ sword?! His cape?! After all, the sword was arguably the focal point of the showdown scene they’d be rehearsing today. Getting up to the blasted things might as well have been a show in and of itself. Tenma Tsukasa, desperately balancing on that treacherous swivel chair—in vain. Tenma Tsukasa, clawing his way up the mountain that was the shelves backstage—only to lose his grip. Tenma Tsukasa Found Dead in Phoenix Wonderland was hardly an appealing show title. This was clearly a losing battle.

“Hey, Rui? Can you give me a hand?”

There he came, his knight in shining sweatpants. “At your service.”

“Thank goodness! I can’t seem to reach the props we need for the next scene. Can you reach?”

Rui stared up at the top shelf where Prince Pegasus’ trusty sword and cape lay. He cocked his head to the left, then to the right. Incredulous. Tsukasa knew Rui was strategic to a fault, but this was excessive. “Hm. Now how did those get all the way up there?”

“You tell me! You’re the prop master!” How strange, he thought! Perhaps this was an exercise in dramatic irony?

Rui began to chew his knuckle. “I am, aren’t I?” Okay, maybe not. That nervous tick was something Rui only did when he was actually nervous—or confused. Think, Tsukasa. Think! There must be something to be done about this predicament! Rui was doing… something. Surveying the scene, perhaps? What more was there to survey? Ground, climb, props. Beginning, middle, end. “To be honest, I don’t know how I got those up there in the first place. I can’t even reach that high. Maybe someone else moved them?”

“Who? Robo-Nene?”

“Maybe.”

“Ugh. You’re impossible,” Tsukasa groaned (with a surprising undertone of affection, he realized). “Wait, what about the ladder? Where is it?”

Rui shook his head. “Emu gave it to one of the contractors for the new splash pad they’re working on in the kids’ area.”

“Great, so what do we do now?”

Rui went back to chewing on his knuckles. Interesting technique… Tsukasa wondered if it might help him think of something.

…mm, nope. No dice. His mouth kind of just tasted like salt now.

“Oh, how about I lift you up?” Rui suggested. “The top shelf is about eight feet off the ground. I should be able to get you up high enough to reach.”

Tsukasa internally kicked himself for not thinking of that sooner. But of course, as the brave troupe leader he was, he had to inspire confidence in his dear director. “Aha! Brilliant plan, Rui! Yes, let’s conquer this conundrum once and for all!”

Rui chuckled. “That’s our star.” Those words made Tsukasa’s stomach flutter in a way that almost… pleasant? He decided he’d unpack that later. Rui carefully positioned himself behind Tsukasa, hovering his hands just over Tsukasa’s waist. “Okay, ready?”

“Ready!”

1, 2, and 3. Tsukasa was in the air… and suddenly fighting for his composure. Much to his chagrin, unlike the harnesses he’d used to fly in past shows, the sensation of Rui’s hands on his waist was incredibly ticklish. The fact that his fingers just wouldn’t stay still certainly didn’t help. What on Earth was this pattern? It all happened at once—his stomach fluttered. His core muscles tensed. His lips pursed in an absolutely desperate attempt to suppress a yelp. If he moved, he might give himself away. Curse my body for this betrayal!

“Tsukasa? Are you—”

“I’mfinehahathanks!!” Definitely not convincing. Still, there was time to save this. Tsukasa clambered for the props, and once they were safe in his hands, he landed safely on the ground, heart still pounding in his chest and blood rushing to his face. Turning completely away from Rui would be suspicious, but he had to cut his losses somehow.

“Th-Thanks for your help,” Tsukasa said, fastening the royal blue cape around his neck. Ah! Wait! He could pass it off with his costume! Tsukasa did a dramatic half-turn, the cape unceremoniously tangling behind him. Turns out the stale air of the shop was not exactly conducive to flowy capes.

“Of course,” Rui replied. Tsukasa imagined Rui grinning from ear-to-ear. Normally it came across as smug, but… part of him wanted to turn around, just to see if it looked different.

A beat. Neither moved and neither spoke.

“All right, want to start rehearsing the scene in fifteen?” Rui asked.

“Yeah, sounds good.”

Rui made his way back onto the Wonder Stage. Something told Tsukasa that this would stay etched into his brain for the foreseeable future.

Rui.

Rui, Rui, Rui.

“Our star.”

There was a pit in Tsukasa’s stomach. It had been days since the prop incident, as he called it. He’d been thinking about Rui for much longer than he usually did. His sly, grinning face; his voice; his praise; his stupid jokes—and his hands on his waist. Tsukasa longed for Rui’s touch, and he longed for that touch in particular.

He didn’t get it.

Tsukasa had never had a real crush before. Wait—was it even a crush? Can one develop crushes that quickly? He was at least a little prepared for the butterflies and the racing thoughts. But tickling? Did people fantasize about their crushes tickling them? Was this normal? Then again, maybe it wasn’t actually about the tickling, right? No, surely he just wanted Rui’s attention. That made enough sense. But then again again, why was he so fixated on that moment in particular? Not all the other times Rui had touched him? Why was he so fixated on Rui’s fingers dancing across his skin? Of nails gliding across his stomach and hands lovingly squeezing his sides? Of gentle kisses to his cheeks? Of laughing without a care in the world as Rui showered him with compliment after compliment?

No one could ever know about this. Not the troupe, not Saki, not Toya, and especially not Rui. But Tsukasa was an actor. Surely he could put on a brave face.

…

Or not. Dress rehearsals were actually kind of a disaster. Sure, Prince Pegasus was victorious even without his sword, he rescued his sister, yadda yadda yadda. Tsukasa could go through the motions. But he kept finding his eyes drifting to Rui. And for the most part, Rui hadn’t noticed (thank God), until the final scene.

“Pegasus! Remember, you’re talking to your sister, not the audience!”

Damn it.

“Right! Sorry!”

So the scene dragged on. They ran through it twice. Then three times. Tsukasa’s mind was foggy with heat, frustration, and Rui. Rui’s attention. Rui watching him. Rui judging him. Rui’s disappointment in his lackluster performance. Rui’s disgust when he inevitably learned what Tsukasa had been thinking lately. The urge to cry pricked the corner of his eye.

“...and scene!” shouted Rui. “That was perfect.”

Reprieve. Tsukasa wasn’t absolutely convinced, but it would do for now.

…

Rui’s show notes went in one ear and out the other. There was no way for them not to. While Nene and Emu listened intently, Tsukasa just pondered whatever… that was. This was bad. Very, very bad. Tsukasa had struggled with roles before, but never for this reason. Never because he was so utterly enamored by a guy that he couldn’t focus. What did this mean for him? If he couldn’t surmount a little crush to play a simple fucking role, how could he possibly convey the hero’s journey? Tomorrow Prince Pegasus would appear just as pathetic as Tsukasa was. He needed to will this away, or at least shove it down long enough to—

“Tsukasa.”

Oh no.

“R-Rui! My friend! What can your star do for you?” Jesus, did he really just say that?

Rui frowned. Tsukasa drew in a sharp breath. He saw this coming from miles away, but his stomach churned all the same. “You seemed distracted today. That isn’t like you. I was worried, and… I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Exhale.

…that’s it? That’s all he had to say? In just ten seconds, Tsukasa had gone through all five stages of grief and prepared a (quite beautiful, he thought) monologue explaining his “poor” performance. But Rui, ever the wildcard, threw that plan out the window. Of course, any actor can handle a little improv! Right…?

“Oh, yes! I was just…” Think, Tsukasa. Think. “…uh, the heat! Yes, that’s it. I was simply dizzy with the summer heat!” If Rui’s expression was anything to go off of, that wasn’t very convincing at all. So much for improv.

Rui’s contorted face quickly softened to a concerned one. Absolutely none of this was going to plan. “Tsukasa, are you nervous?”

Of course I am, Rui. How can I be calm when your stupid, pretty face is right in front of me? How can I be calm when all I can think about is you ti—

No. But Rui saw right through him. Lying was absolutely not an option. He could, however, conjure a different motivation—it just had to be in character. “Maybe a little. It’s just… are you sure we’re ready to perform tomorrow? I know all of our characters came easily to us, especially mine, of course, but this might be our quickest turnaround yet!” …yeah! Something like that.

Rui seemed to contemplate this answer for a moment (or, at least, that was Tsukasa’s best guess. Rui’s facial expressions were not known for their readability.) He smiled, laying a hand on Tsukasa’s shoulder. “You know I would never put on a show that I didn’t think we could perform. As your director, I have the utmost confidence in you and the others.” Then, he lay his other hand on Tsukasa’s free shoulder, just as tenderly as the first. “And I know our star won’t let us down.”

This wasn’t out of the ordinary. Rui was usually sincere, but felt recontextualized. Tsukasa knew something about Rui, or maybe himself, that he didn’t before. Impulses took over, and before he knew it, Tsukasa found his face buried into the nape of Rui’s neck and his arms wrapped tightly around his body. This was so incredibly selfish. But then Rui’s arms found their way to Tsukasa’s back. It wasn’t as if the two had never hugged before, but it might as well have been. Rui had taken on a different role in Tsukasa’s mind: of an eccentric and colorful casanova.

His soliloquy was suddenly interrupted by the sensation of Rui’s fingertips stroking the length of his back. This was getting ridiculous—could he catch a break today?! Each new spot Rui touched set Tsukasa’s nerves ablaze. Rui’s nimble fingers traveled all the way down to the small of Tsukasa’s back, then slowly back up again, tracing his spine to the valley between his shoulder blades. The higher Rui went, the harder it was for Tsukasa to stifle the giggles bubbling up from his diaphragm. He prayed to God, the universe, anyone who might hear him, that this moment would last a little while longer. But, with one final squeeze, Rui let go.

Tsukasa now prayed that golden hour would obscure the blush on his face. “Um—thanks for… that, Rui.”

Rui smiled (if he even stopped smiling in the first place?). “Of course. I’ll see you tomorrow.” And, in true cheesy-romance-movie fashion, Tsukasa stared as Rui disappeared beyond the sunlight-bathed horizon.

This wasn’t going away, was it?

Tsukasa loved the way the Wonder Stage transformed Rui him and his friends. He’d learned this term once, social facilitation, and that described it perfectly: the crowd was the extra push the troupe needed to be the best they could be. Somehow, all the fears he’d had from the previous day had washed away. Emu’s acting demonstrated a surprising level of depth. Nene found confidence on the stage she didn’t have elsewhere.

And Rui? The Wonder Stage brought him out in his purest form.

Rui had long since moved past his days of typecasting, especially with how well-received Thorpe was—but no one would dare say he was a bad typecaster. When Rui assigned himself a role, he played it well. Case in point, today’s villain, The Manticore.

Suspense hung in the air as the audience watched Prince Pegasus approach The Manticore. “You,” Prince Pegasus snarled (so far, so good). He sauntered over to his nemesis, hand on his sword’s hilt. “You have a lot of nerve, kidnapping my sister and thinking I wouldn’t track you down.” This wasn’t going badly after all! Rui had no idea how right he was yesterday—that even if Tsukasa was plagued by this… preoccupation… he was still more than capable. It was all such a rush.

Rui chuckled. Or was it The Manticore? Really, they may have been one and the same. Like Rui, The Manticore was charming, cunning, eccentric, and a little bit too handsome for comfort. But no matter! Like any good story, the Prince would surely emerge victorious; he would defeat his nemesis with courage and wit alone.

And then it happened; something unscripted. Rui placed a finger beneath Tsukasa’s chin, tilting it upward. Tsukasa’s cheeks burned. And as if matters couldn’t get any worse, Rui’s finger then pivoted inward, mimicking a lion’s claw. It tickled. And it drove Tsukasa crazy. This, of all times?! Rui had to know. He was testing him. His resolve. His talent. Tsukasa’s composure teetered on that claw for entirely too long.

“My Prince,” The Manticore (Rui???) cooed. “The choice is yours. The sword, or your sister.”

Tsukasa swallowed hard. But an actor can handle a little improv. Prince Pegasus bowed, offering his sword. “As you wish.”

“Woooow!!!” Emu cheered. “That was so awesome! That must’ve been our biggest crowd yet!”

Nene nodded. “I could really feel the tension between Prince Pegasus and The Manticore.

Tension was right. The amount of restraint it took not to kiss Rui then and there was kind of unbearable. But… Emu was right, too. It was an incredible show with an incredible turnout. So much so, in fact, that the four were already planning a rerun and new ways to make it even more incredible. (Emu and Rui’s idea of this was pyrotechnics. Tsukasa figured he could talk some sense into them another time). For now, they could ride the high of another successful show.

A few rides and a meal later, Emu and Nene began making their way home, leaving Tsukasa alone with Rui. This wasn’t unusual—the girls usually needed to get home a bit earlier—but something felt different. Not just Tsukasa’s little crush, that was hardly new. No, Rui seemed distant. Maybe a bit aloof. That pit in his stomach returned. After the stunt Rui pulled during the show, Tsukasa was convinced he had surely caught on to the thoughts plaguing his mind. And, seeing how Tsukasa just barely pushed through the scene, Rui had surely decided that Tsukasa was far too odd to be close to anymore.

…but that didn’t make sense. Rui was weird, sure. His directing methods were sometimes questionable and his inventions bordered on insane. But Rui wasn’t malicious. He was far too sincere to ever test Tsukasa like that. Plus! Rui hadn’t been distant this morning before the show!

And then it clicked. Tsukasa had made himself the villain in his own story! It wasn’t him, but his inner demons! Okay, that was probably a little heavy-handed for a tickle-crush on a boy. But his point stood! What a complex narrative!

Even with this realization, that pit remained. He wasn’t exactly certain, but there was only one way to find out. He had to know how the story would end, no matter how afraid he was. And so, putting on the bravest face he could muster, Tsukasa sauntered over to Rui.

“Hey, Rui.”

“Hmm?”

“What was… that? By the way?”

Rui chuckled. That damn chuckle. “Ah, did you like that little detail in the showdown scene? I thought a bit of improv would really add to—”

“—was it really just for the show?”

Rui’s face dropped. It was more satisfying that Tsukasa was willing to admit. “…what do you mean?”

“The way you tilted my chin,” Tsukasa said. “It was a brilliant choice! Very much in character! But… it felt like you.” If Tsukasa kept talking, he was certain his heart would burst out of his throat. “And… call me crazy, but I hope it wasn’t just for the show.”

The two stood, face-to-face, staring. Neither spoke. Neither moved. And for once, throughout this entire ordeal, Tsukasa saw Rui’s composure break. His hand covered his mouth, and his face turned a deep shade of crimson. Bashfulness looked good on him, Tsukasa thought. Rui’s piercing, yellow eyes met Tsukasa’s. It was familiar. It was the exact “cunning” way Rui had looked at him before.

Oh, wow.

“Tsukasa…” Rui mumbled. The corners of his lips quirked upward, and he laughed. Really laughed. An honest, breathless belly laugh that Tsukasa had never seen from him before. He was completely and utterly enamored by it. “I—I didn’t expect you to read me so candidly.” Rui stepped forward, taking Tsukasa’s trembling hands into his own. “You’re right. A small part of me hoped you’d notice.”

Tsukasa found himself laughing, too. “It took me longer than you know.”

This was comfortable. The both of them, equally shy and equally embarrassed. After all, if all the world was a stage, wasn’t there also a backstage? A green room? An honest moment between actors?

“Rui, can I kiss you?” Tsukasa spat the words out before he could even think about them. And, just as quickly, Rui leaned in, pressing his lips firmly against Tsukasa’s. It was awkward, and decidedly weirder than a stage kiss. But it was nice for the walls to come down. The masks were off. The audience was gone. There was only Tsukasa and Rui…

…and the familiar tickling sensation of Rui’s fingers along the contour of Tsukasa’s jaw. Tsukasa felt his lips part hopelessly into a big, goofy smile. “Wh–What are you doing?”

“Tickling you,” Rui answered. “You’re not the only perceptive one around here, my star.”

What was it called when the pit and the butterflies happened at the same time? Butterfly mosh pit?

“You noticed—AH!”

Rui’s fingers traveled down to Tsukasa’s neck, his nails dragging along either side. “Not at first, but I did notice that you never tried to stop me.” They darted wildly between the underside of his jaw and the crook of his collarbone, never staying in one place for too long. Even trying to trap Rui’s hand between his cheek and his shoulder didn’t work—his fingers could still wiggle away at his neck.

“YoHOU—! You jeheherk!!!” Tsukasa sputtered.

“Me? A jerk?” Rui feigned his best offended voice. “I thought you wanted me to do this!” Rui now had Tsukasa wrapped in his arms, trapping him between his wriggling fingers. This time, he pressed a little harder as he drilled his fingers ever-so-slightly into Tsukasa’s ribs. Tsukasa’s laugh shot up in pitch to an octave he didn’t know he could reach—and it grew even more frantic when Rui’s hands wandered to his sides instead. He couldn’t figure out what tickled more. Squeezing? Spidering? His brain was, frankly, too fuzzy to even think about it.

“I—! D-Don’t—ahaha!!—dohon’t make me say it!”

“Say what? Say that you want me to tickle you?”

“You know what!!”

“Do I? Surely I wouldn’t ask if I knew.” Heavens, Tsukasa wasn’t prepared for how much Rui would tease him. Each sentence seemed to be punctuated by even more tickles. No matter how Tsukasa squirmed or twisted, there was always another hand waiting for him, ready to poke at his side or claw under his arms. He could certainly say it was hell, but he’d surely be lying. The fact that Rui was giggling along with him somehow made the sensation even stronger. So, instead of trying to pull Rui’s hands away, Tsukasa simply opted to cover his own face. This seemingly only encouraged Rui to speed up. “Why are you hiding your face? Can’t I hear you giggle?”

“I—ehehe!! I’m embarrassed!”

Rui gasped. “Tsukasa? Embarrassed? What a fascinating turn of events!” Rui’s hands shot straight up to Tsukasa’s wrists as Rui just barely let his fingers graze Tsukasa’s forearms. His arms?! How was that even a spot that could be ticklish?!

Rui’s hands suddenly paused. It was quiet for a moment—much too quiet. The anticipation still wracked Tsukasa’s body. Though he didn’t quite understand why he was still twitching and giggling, he wasn’t exactly complaining. Still… he couldn’t possibly watch. As his hands rose to his eyes, Rui finally spoke.

“Hm… I wonder what happens if I—” Oh no. Tsukasa realized Rui’s were hovering over—

“DON’T YOU DARE—!” Too little, too late. Tsukasa shrieked as Rui’s fingers danced and scribbled all across his tummy.

“Oh! What an interesting discovery! I simply must know more about this spot…” At this point, Tsukasa had fully collapsed against Rui’s body. If not for being in Rui’s arms, he would have absolutely fallen to the ground. But, far too tired to fight back, Tsukasa couldn’t help but laugh away as Rui methodically mapped every bit of his torso. Knowing Rui, he’d have a nearly encyclopedic knowledge of his tickle spots after today.

And for once, Tsukasa really did feel like a star. Maybe not in the way a world-class Broadway actor would be, or a celebrity on the silver screen, but like the apple of Rui’s eye. Attention without performance felt so utterly foreign to Tsukasa—but he could get used to it, he thought.

Even as Rui lightened his touch and slowed his fingers, Tsukasa still found himself awfully ticklish at the moment. Even the slightest, unintentional movement of Rui’s hand sent him into another fit of giggles. Only after Rui removed his hands completely was Tsukasa able to really catch his breath. Though heaving, he gazed at Rui, who was wearing the dumbest grin he had ever seen. Had he not been so worn out, he would have laughed all over again. “I—I think you enjoyed doing that as much as I… um. You know.”

Rui chuckled. “I do know. As for whether I enjoyed it… open to audience interpretation,” he said with a wink.

Tsukasa sighed fondly. He gingerly took Rui’s hand in his. “Walk me home?”

“Of course, my star.”

#project sekai tickle #project sekai tickles #project sekai tickling #requests #tickle fic #atti.docx

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hikennosabo · 3 months

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#tristampparty day 9, episode 9: millions knives

i've been forgetting to tag @tristampparty in my recent posts whoopsies

so. episode 9. going to just... climb into the microwave ahead of time. get nice and cozy in there. let's. go.

okay let's hit the start button on that microwave now mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm beep beep beep beep

uagh his fucking expressions in this scene... and him playing "his" side of the piano, then reaching to "vash's" side of the piano to play the dramatic part. it's a cry of loneliness!!! from his heart!!!! AUAHAHGHGH

i remember seeing a post a while ago pointing out that knives cutting off vash's arm means they can never play the piano together anymore and that fucking HURTS, man.

i think we need to take the time to pay extra attention to knives's expressions... the character acting in tristamp is really good all-around

overworking them "cuts them off"... i guess it makes them unable to maintain the connection...?

knives touching the glass... reminds me of just before he absorbs the first plant in the manga.

the contrast of the city lighting up beautifully with the horror of the last run... man.

wait... city...?? this... this isn't july, right? the platform/corridor they're standing on looks the same as the one meryl and roberto end up on in the second half of the episode, but the plant containers on the wall are different so i don't think this is the same place... but we started the episode in knives's piano room, which IS in (not-yet-)july, so this must be close by because the alarm went off, which i'm assuming is connected to the plants somehow...??

also wait, we don't see this level of development from the outside. like in the faraway shot when vash spots this place. am i misunderstanding. it's only been 5 years since the crash, so idk if this much development would be possible in that time BUT the guys who show up said they overloaded the plants to speed up "reconstruction," so... uhhhhh... am i missing something?! am i dumb?! 😭

me every time knives makes an expression that hurts me deep in my heart: look!!!! look!!!!

screencaps absolutely do not do it justice, the way his expression changes... horror, shock, grief...

the timing of vash arriving... the cruelty of the humans, the way they talk about the plants... knives's sadness, his grief and rage--wait one of the randos gets his arm cut off

lost arm count: 6

as always i feel like there's a lot more to say but the only thing i'm feeling is my heart hurting so bad :(

vash might be speaking for himself here, too.

hmmm, he says this, but knives dismisses it as if he doesn't believe it. i wonder... i don't think rem would lie about this... but i wonder if conrad would. lie to knives, i mean. like is knives dismissing this just because he's clinging to his own beliefs or did conrad - who i'd think would be more knowledgeable about plants than rem given his position - tell knives something else?

AGAIN, "SINNERS" WITH THE CAPITAL S!!!

i forget, do we see how vash got his gun in the manga? knives gave him his gun in 98, too. interesting that knives is the one who gives vash his weapon in at least 2 out of 3 canons...

hmmm. in the manga, this scene was when knives learned about the black hair thing and drastically changed his plan, deciding he needed to absorb plants. here, though, it seems knives was already planning the higher dimension connection stuff, although he hadn't put it into motion yet. because the plants here are just... being used normally (""normally""), not stored for future higher dimension connection purposes or absorption purposes. knives does still "change his plan," though, i think, when he realizes vash won't cooperate with him. i wonder if/when we'll get the black hair reveal in tristamp. i wanna see knives with his black streak.

conrad and luida know each other... luida DID mention conrad by name last ep, but considering his position it wouldn't be that weird for her to know of his existence without actually knowing him, but no, they actually know each other...

ugh, when knives tells vash to kill luida, he's asking vash to choose between humans and plants, and it just hurts because. knives and luida are both his family. he loves them both.

wait knives with the lace up knee high boots... the drip...

this is the face he makes right before he gives way to anger. man.

he sees rem in luida and lashes out... vash saw rem in her too... ugh. my heart.

going frame by frame again and knives has a bandage on his arm... why? it doesn't seem to be part of his outfit, he doesn't have one on the other arm. there's on on his right leg too, under the boot?? why...

also i like how knives rides the pull of gravity to get close enough to cut vash's arm off. that's a fun detail

lost arm count: 7

the difference in context of knives cutting off vash's arm in tristamp vs trimax... it's a canyon... a canyon of difference...

once again screencaps don't do the character acting justice, the microexpressions he makes... the disbelief, the shaky laugh... he's about to cry. vash couldn't point the gun at luida. but he points it at knives. and then he stands up and turns away, and the way his voice shakes?? dude. he's crying.

but also why does he say it'll take a century to build a world of plants? where is he getting that number from? later in the episode, zazie says that a century is nothing to plants, but knives is like. six. a century would probably still feel like it'd be a long time to him. is that his own personal estimate of how long it'll take to execute his plan? is it conrad's?

wolfwood doesn't react at all when brad says this. funny, but also why.

i hope they can. i hope they can make up. (<- crying screaming and throwing up)

reminds me of vash saying he'll save knives in 98. im gonna throw up

IM GONNA THROW UP!!!!!

it's so weird that ZAZIE is the one explaining earth. like they know a LOT about it, huh? what it looks like, what the life on it looks like (looked? should i be using past tense?)... who told them all this? knives? conrad? this isn't common knowledge either, even honors student meryl doesn't know anything about earth. but why? a lot of knowledge was lost when the ships crashed, and time has passed, but... why would the state of earth and the reasons for the colony ships not even be taught in school? the survivors from when the ships crashed were FROM earth. (well, i guess some of them might have been born in space, but...?) did they not teach their descendants about what happened? were they ashamed? or is this another thing that conrad/EoM/whoever is suppressing information about - and if THAT'S the case, why?

uuaaaghhh i'm writing this post late again and it's 3am and i can't think. sorry this was mostly incomprehensible screaming

#tristampparty #trigun talk #june speaks

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looniecartooni · 7 months

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tell me MORE (/np)

Oh ho ho boy- where to start? This may get a bit wonky and I might sound a bit crazy.

Okay- so... first off Fanto and Dimitri are a lot alike. They both put on a killer show and crave attention and they both technically can not tell a lie (Dimitri's tail speaks his thoughts, Fantoccio was just said to have it by Katie- I'm not entirely sure why. Could have to do with Pinocchio or how Autistic people or honest or something else). And at a glance, they kind of have some visual similarities. For instance- they both have yellow eyes and a tannish- pallet.

Perhaps it's just an odd coincidence, but it's also been said at some point that Fanto was built to be like his creator. Someone with a flair for the dramatic who can't tell a lie? Seems pretty likely.

Now there are some definite issues revolving around this. We don't know enough about Dimitri to confirm or deny this. He certainly would be old enough to be Fantoccio's dad possibly as he knew Arthur and Aristotle. But this also suggests that at some point Dimitri owned a theater, knows how to carve puppets, can bring them to life, and is possibly Autistic. However, if he was Fanto's dad and owned a theater, why would he bother pretending to be a hero? Why would he use the gem to bring one or possibly more puppets to life? Wouldn't he be exhausted and busy?

I don't think Arthur and/or Aristotle would have created him though nor would I think they'd give up on him if they accidently left him (Ari might- thinking he's dead- but even still). Billie would have been already a couple months old when Fanto got stuck in the theater. Ari and/or Arthur just leaving behind what would essentially be their child, who as far as we know has very little to know knowledge about Billie. The timelines and character on that stuff seems odd. They also don't scream "theater kid" or "parent of a theater kid" as much as Dimitri.

I also keep just seeing other random things that make me just think it's a possibility even if it's not there. For example, "Dimitri" means "Follower of Demeter". Demeter is the Greek goddess of spring time who after losing her daughter Persephone to Hades caused the seasons to get cooler and does that every six months when her daughter returns to the underworld. Am I thinking too deeply into Dimitri's name to prove my point? Probably. Does Dimitri's name imply he could be a father in mourning after his child was trapped in the magic city? Does Dimitri care enough to make a child or worry about a child if he can't reach them? I don't know! All I know is he sets buildings on fire then acts like he's a hero to save people. Why does he do that? I don't know! Is it a coincidence that his name has to do with plants and trees and Fanto is technically a tree man? I believe yes, but I could list several characters named Dimitri that have nothing to do with plants or kids.

But in my heart- I feel like it makes the most sense. The devs are telling us barely anything about Dimitri purposely (supposedly the story might unravel, but that could be a joke) and Aristotle said that the gems were being used for evil (although that could be rewritten at this point). Dimitri is said to be an antagonist- so what if he was the last person to be seen with the yellow gem?

This theory feels a bit forced, but I swear, this feeling is hard to shake off. Only true confirmation I think I'll get is if we wait for the game to come out, be shocked and upset that it's Aristotle (that'll just be mega sad no matter how the chapter ends) or some third random person. If it turns out Dimitri's the missing dad who had a kid 7 years before Arthur (possibly more- I don't know if Dossylmeyer who has only been mentioned twice is even in the game), then I will be over the moon. If you read this whole thing, here are some pancakes 🥞Thank you for listening to my theory. I was going to make a more official post, but this can do for now. You also get this random image:

I might make an official venn diagram and stuff later when and if I do get information.

#billie bust up dimitri #billie bust up #bbu dimitri #bbu fanart #bbu theory #bbu

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bluevaractyl · 9 months

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Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom ramblings and spoilers below

Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom give Link incredible abilities via the Sheikah Slate, the Champions' gifts, Rauru's arm, and the Sages' vows. At the end of BotW, the spirits of the Champions have fulfilled their purpose and pass on, presumably taking their gifts with them, since Link no longer has them in TotK. We're not sure what happened to all of the Sheikah technology in the time between BotW and TotK. (My personal uninformed belief is that it all stopped working, either because it was no longer needed with Calamity Ganon gone, or because the Gloom gradually corroded it. Maybe Ganondorf recognized it was a potential threat.) In any case, by the time Link returns to the surface in TotK, the shrines and towers are nowhere to be found, and Purah and Robbie have created their own towers and replaced the Sheikah Slate with the Purah Pad, which notably lacks the Remote Bomb, Magnesis, Stasis, and Cryonis Runes the Sheikah Slate had. Instead, he now has abilities like Ultrahand, Fuse, Ascend, and Recall. He can also call on the Sages' vows for help in a very similar way to the Champions' gifts in BotW. At the end of the game, he no longer has Rauru's arm, and therefore probably has none of these abilities.

This is interesting to me because all of these abilities were essential to gameplay and fun to play around with, but from a writing perspective, it might be better that he loses them in the end.

Okay I won't lie I'm really just thinking of Linked Universe (though this applies to pretty much any Linkverse). The problem with trying to write a character that overpowered is

1) it's really hard to realistically make use of all those abilities. If Wild can bring down lightning on his enemies whenever he wants with no consequences whatsoever (besides a recharge time), why wouldn't he? If he can build whatever he wants instantly, he would probably take full advantage of that, right? He would never be trapped anywhere if he could simply Ascend out. But having such easy solutions makes it tempting to write yourself into a corner by eliminating conflict.

2) it can make the other characters seem drab and underpowered. The very best Linked Universe stories I've read carefully balance all the Links, showcasing their unique experiences and items and skills without making one Link appear dramatically more or less capable than the rest (unless it's a case of an unreliable narrator perceiving only those differences. Sometimes those are pretty good too).

3) uhhh I forgot what three was. Oh well

If you are writing post-BotW Link, it might make sense for him to still have the Sheikah Slate Runes, depending on how close to TotK you set it. (Jojo's comic makes use of at least the Stasis rune, to devastating effect.) If you are writing right before TotK or after TotK, it makes the most sense for Link to only have the limited functions of the Purah Pad, assuming he hasn't given it back to Zelda.

This is NOT to say people shouldn't let Link keep some of his abilities for story purposes. I've enjoyed plenty of fics that include them, even when it wasn't necessarily canon or didn't really make sense. But I do think there is something to putting characters in situations that are genuinely difficult.

So go ahead and write Link struggling. Let him be uncomfortably aware that he no longer has Mipha to bring him back from the brink. Let him be frustrated that he has to climb mountains instead of catching Revali's updraft to soar. Let him save Urbosa's lightning for the direst situation because it takes a lot out of him, or let him remember far too late that it's gone with her. Let him worry about what the breakdown of the Sheikah Slate means for the future. Let him hoard weapons with a desperation because he can't use Fuse to strengthen them, and all the weapons in his world are corroded and fragile. Let him miss the comfort of having a shade of his friends by his side. Let him be clever, and persistent, and fierce, and soft, and wild, or whatever you see him as, without relying on his special abilities to prove his worth. Let him be mortal.

Whoops I wrote an essay. Feel free to share your two cents.

#linked universe #breath of the wild #tears of the kingdom #totk spoilers #blue speaks

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somanyfuckedupiftruebooks · 1 year

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Mag 11

Finally we've gotten deep enough into the series that I won't necessarily have a million thoughts on ever single episode. (Perfect time to test out a new post format.)

Extremely interesting that Oliver is able to lie to the Eye. Possibly, this is an ability granted by the End? He has been serving it for almost a decade at this point.

I think a more likely explanation is that the Eye allowed him to lie his way through the door for the purpose of getting a statement it wouldn't otherwise have gotten.

Interesting to hear from a guy whose life was already in shambles before anything spooky ever touched him. Also, hello again Graham!

Big fan of the way this episode describes experiencing things in dreams: movement without walking, knowledge without learning, pain without nerves.

Right from the very first dream, the End is alreasy both nourishing Oliver and stripping away his emotions like it did with Georgie.

John counter: 4.

I know TMA loves to dwell in how miserable and hopeless everything is, but it's amazing how many people realise they have started developing some kind of supernatural ability and immediately attempt to use it to try and make the world better somehow.

I've always been confused by this, because the statement-givers make their statements in Research, right? So what was Oliver doing down in the Archives looking at Gertrude?

I think there's something about how certain statement-givers are sent down to the Archives directly when Research is too busy (that's the justification for Jon taking live statements) so maybe that's what's happening here? But then why isn't Gertrude taking the statement live?

Anyway I didn't include want to include a dozen screenshots of descriptions of offices and walls, but this episode includes some of the most detailed descriptions of the actual physical Institute building that we ever get in the series, which is handy for fic writing.

Love that Gertrude's death is so monumentally important that it covers the entirety of London with weird death veins. Nobody's doing it like her.

Maybe Gertrude had an unofficial policy of never taking live statements, in an attempt to keep herself as distant from the Eye as possible. I'm trying to remember live statements that Gertrude took and the only ones that are coming to me are from Mary Keay, Eric Delano and her old friend who was in the war. So, all people she knew personally and would make an exception for.

No idea if this will hold true or not as the series continues, we'll have to wait and see.

It's true, Elias is worse than anything anyone could ever imagine...

This is definitely what prompted Gertrude to make recordings for Sasha prior to attempting to destroy the Institute. If only she had thought to try talking to her...

Also, gotta give Oliver major cryptic points for this ominous warning! This is top tier dramatic.

#a mag a day #reeah reacts to tma #mag 11

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antisatiric · 4 months

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anyway sorry to talk about twain more on the twain autism blog but anyway i think one of the things about his character i don't talk about often (of which there are many. i am not as open about the way i see him as you might think) is the fact that i am not able to separate him from an inherent love of writing---a trait which i naturally drew on real life for, but which is also one of the few traits in his original bsd canon counterpart's repertoire (the success diary!).

believe it or not i actually put a massive amount of thought into the success diary from day one. it was never JUST a diary to me, because twain (the author) was always the sort of person to lie and overemphasize, so i treated it more like an autobiography than anything at first, albeit one written by someone who clearly wanted to talk himself up a lot more than he was due.

as my portrayal of him became a lot more sincere, stripping away the extremely simplified lens bsd had portrayed him with, so did the success diary. it was no longer something written with the sole purpose of talking himself up to the hypothetical crowd---it was something written for the purpose of conveying a feeling, or for the sake of being heard. that's not to say it isn't still dramatized---obviously it's not truthful---but a lot of the changes from his lived experience now exist for the sake of conveying a specific feeling.

anyway, that's off-topic from the thing i actually started the post to say. it's undeniable to me that any portrayal of the spirit of twain's works HAS to carry with it a deep love of writing and desire for other people to see what's been written.

that said, he's almost completely incapable of creating ideas on his own, and has to rely on the lived experiences of himself and the people who tell him their stories. in and of itself, that trait is a parody of the idea behind "the mysterious stranger"---or if you like, a parody of the scene in the claymation mark twain movie that first inspired me to make the changes i did to his ability: the mysterious stranger is someone who creates without thought, almost carelessly creating a world and people to inhabit it.

to his own frustration and constant despair, my twain is fundamentally limited to writing without truly creating.

#for the love of understanding. ⟹ headcanons.#on some level the idea of writing without creating is also a reflection of me.#for an 'original' character #almost nothing about him is without derivation

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blueberry-lemon · 2 months

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When trailers outshine themselves

I like watching trailers. Maybe even more now than I used to.

I’m well aware that the purpose of a trailer is to build hype and interest. It’s a commercial, to get you to buy something. In some cases, they spoil or ruin the very story they’re advertising. In some cases, it’s way better to go in “blind” than to look at marketing materials.

But, like many of us, I can’t help myself.

I really love a good trailer. It’s a cool artform. Somewhere between an advertisement and a music video. And because the trailer is such a different artform than the actual movie or game that it’s advertising, sometimes the trailer itself is even better than the final product. Sometimes I’ll go back and rewatch a trailer over and over, even after I’ve completed the actual thing it was hyping it.

I write this post not to complain about being disappointed about films or TV shows or games, but rather to give a shout-out to the trailer teams who I think did a fantastic job with their assignment.

The first examples that always jump to my mind are from Marvel Studios. I think they’re pretty great at trailers. I started noticing this when they started making their Disney+ shows.

WandaVision: Both the initial trailer and the mid-season trailer are fantastic. I’ve watched them over and over. They do a good job of being charming, romantic, and lovesick. They do an even better job of being mysterious and unsettling. It’s a pitch-perfect way to get you to buy into the concept and want to check out the show. I enjoyed watching the full WandaVision show, maybe moreso than any other MCU Disney+ show, but I wouldn’t hesitate to admit that I like these two trailers even more than the show. Kudos to the editors that put these together.

Falcon and the Winter Soldier: I had absolutely no intention of watching this show. I’m not particularly interested in this genre or either of these two characters. But the trailer sold me on it, with its hype music choices and intense cutting. I ended up enjoying the show enough in the end, but definitely not as much as this hype trailer.

I thought Marvel did a great job again with Loki’s trailer and Hawkeye’s trailer. Loki’s trailer makes the show seem a lot more mysterious and surreal than it actually ended up being, haha. Hawkeye does that classic “sweet Christmas music juxtaposed with action sequences” trick.

They got me again with Moon Knight, a character I didn’t know anything about. Although I’ll give credit, I feel like Moon Knight was about as weird and wild as the trailer hyped up it would be. So in this case I think it was a satisfying match.

Another satisfying match? The trailers made for Undertale. The release trailer and Nintendo Switch trailer come to mind. They’re fun, funny, and show off how the game works. I love this unique version of the Bonetrousle track that they use, which becomes very dramatic and grandiose. They’re also good examples of including original material into trailers that aren’t actually in the final product. That practice, generally speaking, doesn’t bother me. I don’t mind if trailers “lie” or show different footage, so long as it’s effective and doesn’t feel misleading.

There are other trailers that I feel like match pretty well. I didn’t feel any gulf in expectation or emotion between the trailers for Avengers Infinity War + Endgame versus their final movie versions.

The trailers for Pixar’s Turning Red made me blubber and tear up, and the full film completely lived up to that and even exceeded it. So for me, that was a great film where the trailer editors captured it perfectly.

And for an example of one where I felt mixed on the end product, both the trailer for Pixar’s Elemental and the full Elemental film felt pretty equivalent to me. It wasn’t my favorite movie in the world, and I feel like I got that vibe accurately from the trailers.

But now, finally, for the trailers that brought me to writing this.

I really love the trailers for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

I’ll include two here. One is the “release date announcement”, and the second was the “theme song announcement” that was aired at The Game Awards.

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This is great. It’s moody. It moves into one of the game’s fantastic battle themes (which is itself a sweeping battle rendition of the original game’s main theme.) It’s shows off how the combat works beautifully, intercut with tantalizing plot snippets. The trailer builds up mystery and adventure. It confirms that Yuffie and Cait Sith are playable. It shows cool Synergy combo moves. It manages to somehow transition gracefully into Golden Saucer minigame mayhem. Love it.

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Another fantastic one. And the last piece of marketing material I would ever need to see to sell me on getting the game.

The trailer is split into two halves. The first half establishes the plot of the game. It gives us Cloud and Zack’s stories intertwined. It shows us weird, confusing story stuff that sets the Remake trilogy apart from the original. It shows us different environments you’ll travel through. Gives us a heartfelt conversation between Cloud and Tifa. Snippets of Barret’s story too.

The second half is the new original song for the game, No Promises to Keep, which was performed live at The Game Awards along with the footage. I really adore this song, to be blunt, so maybe that’s doing a lot of heavy lifting here. But it really makes me emotional and ties a lot of these disparate clips together. The animation of Aerith singing is beautiful, and it ends on a heart-tugging cliffhanger.

Now….my partner and I have been playing Rebirth. I’m early on, but they’ve only got about a quarter of the game left. We’re enjoying it, it’s great.

But…

…would it be out of line for me to say that the trailers are more effective than the game itself?

Much like WandaVision, the trailers for Rebirth sew all of the different scenes and emotions together into a seamless tapestry. It makes everything feel intentional, beautiful, well-paced, and packing an emotional punch. When my partner and I play the game itself, it feels harder for that intentionality and emotion to come through. Of course your mileage will vary. But, for me, it’s hard for the minigames to live up to the frantic montage when playing them in-game isn’t super fun. It’s hard for the emotional storytelling of the game to live up to the trailer when it’s spread out thin over hours and hours. Nothing in the game itself as made me feel as emotional or hooked in as these two trailers have, at least so far.

Again, this is not a knock on Rebirth. It’s the reality of how much easier it is to move hearts with a 2-minute trailer versus a 60-hour video game. A completely different artform.

And, most of all, it’s kudos to the trailer teams who work at Square and at all these companies for knowing the assignment and knocking it out of the park. I really love what they did with it.

#blogofkylelab #blog #final fantasy vii rebirth #ff7 rebirth #Youtube

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wonusite · 2 months

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feeling really :/ today. there’s a kmg centric account on here that uses very intense themes of ddlg in their work and i just.. i’ve sent them a few asks to explain why it’s harmful and they ignore them all. i don’t know what to do…. i think the arguments i made were valid. i understand it’s all in preference. a daddy kink here and a ‘my cute little princess’ there is all fine. but having phrases like ‘kid’ and ‘dad’ and ‘im ur real dad’ is just so.. especially using svt’s name to do that? even saying MDNI will not ensure minors don’t make priv accounts or lie about their ages or ghost read. and romanticizing tropes that are harmful could lead to young readers never realizing the dangers around them if they are in situations where someone is taking advantage of them.

this obviously isn’t about u nalani!! i just thought to come to u bc u seem to have good judgment. maybe i’m being dramatic and it really is just a kink in not sure. it just scares me that something with pedophilic undertones and definitely incestual undertones is being promoted on caratblr using the names of svt members.

u don’t have to publicly reply to this if u don’t want to!! i’m just a little let down by the caratblr community for not caring enough to not only not promote harmful tropes but also not having more care for svt members

i can only reply publicly since it’s an anonymous ask lol. anyway, i’ll answer below the cut.

first of all your feelings are valid, and i hope you know that. idk what blog you’re referring to so i can’t say whether or not the content is outright pedophilic or incestual. (but yeah those phrases are a little… 😬)

tbh ddlg isn’t for everyone since (from what i understand) it’s more of an intense type of role play/lifestyle that involves age regression and being entirely submissive to the dom. that type of content isn’t for a lot of people, and that’s okay.

regarding to the asks you sent being ignored, every content creator has the right not to respond to asks no matter it’s contents whether polite or rude. in a way i understand where this person’s coming from. when i wrote spoiled, i got some not so nice asks because of the content of the fic which i ignored. some of the asks weren’t rude but still not something i wanted on my blog. even now a lot of people won’t read my content because of that series, and that’s fine.

of course saying/writing minors do not interact on any smut post is not a guarantee that they won’t read it. BUT as content creators, we can only do so much. we’re not parents to the people who read our stuff, and it’s not our responsibility to teach people wrong from right. i’m not for romanticizing harmful content, and i can’t say whether or not that’s what this person is doing. even so, we can’t expect content creators to be responsible for a reader’s perception of reality or making them aware of the dangers of this world. it’s just not realistic or fair.

and i don’t think you’re overreacting. as i said before, your feelings and thoughts are valid. as a carat, i understand that you feel upset about svt being used for this type of content.

finally, i don’t think it’s fair to say that about caratblr as a whole. we can’t police or kink shame someone just for using a group they love as a creative outlet. there’s nothing wrong with writing about certain kinks or even darker content as long as it’s about adults. fanfiction is just that: fiction. it’s part of what we (cc) do because we love our idols and we love writing. caratblr is meant to be a fun and safe space for all carats, and having everyone go after someone would just destroy that purpose.

and this is not meant to shame or scold you because im glad you felt like you could come to me with this. your feelings are valid.

#nonny #nalani.rants

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8uny · 7 months

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posting something from my private notes here for fun

let me talk about something mildly interesting for once. you know what they say, about escape room design?

the best customer expierence in an escape room, is to get out right when it's down to the wire. it's disappointing if you don't get out in time. it's also disappointing if you get out with too much time left. the sweet spot, the ideal expierence, exists in that fine line of 'difficult victory', the last second. and designing a room, you try and build these puzzles to achieve that spot

theres other things that go into it, like "delivering what you requested, and then more" (which ive talked about it terms of storytelling before) via things like puzzles or set pieces being multipurpose (whether used in multiple puzzles, has a puzzle element and a story element, is a set of something you could assume is just decoration but has practical purposes) or the room itself (secret extra hidden rooms, or in general the space revealing 'more' as you go) and the puzzles themselves, when they feel diagetic to a story and fair

but since you know im on that kick, i was thinking of this philosphy in regards to murder mysteries

a story that asks to be solved is not good if the solution is too easy or if the solution isnt even possible to get until the very end, or doesnt resolve in a way that makes sense

and ive been thinking a lot recently, about what makes a mystery satisfying. what makes it feel fair. ive also been thinking about this in regards to umineko (am on ep6), because while it's easy to come with plausible explanations for the murders, they aren't "satisfying" enough because just because something is logically sound and plausible doesn't mean it feels like it makes sense for a character to do something so stupid and crazy

ive also been thinking of Death On The Nile and how i felt while reading it, how i guessed my culprit and how the events of the story are paced and characters presented so even though i did guess right pretty early, i was still confused and on the edge for most of the book

anyways, my thoughts on what makes a puzzle/mystery/whatever feel fair:

-things cant just happen because 'id be exciting to read a mystery about it', everything has to feel right. everyone's course of action has to be what they, in character, would immediately decide to do first choice. if something feels like 'a stretch' it will not feel satisfying

that's the bridge between "it's plausible it could have happened this way" and "I know this happened, because it is in line with what that character would have done."

this is hard for me to put into words, but it's like the same reason why miscommunication plots are a pain to watch, or if something has to happen to make the story more dramatic, even if its not really what the character would do doesn't sit right. The mystery exists in service of the characters, not of the author.

it can be a "stretch" with how information is acquired, and im willing to even have a little give on things like physics, but its real unsatisfying when some crazy batshit thing happens and you ask the killer "WHY?!?!?" and even if the "how" was clever and fun, if they dont really have a good reason for it beyond the story thought it would be fun it feels a bit unfulfilling.

-you cant lie about the question. a good mystery doesn't hide.

i think this was the most frustrating thing about after party season 1 for me, and some other mysteries. when the camera and the story call to attention some big mystery or inconsistency or unsolved bit of information asking for you to pay attention and care about and invest thought and energy into it and……… it doesn't matter.

and this is where agatha christie and umineko make me very happy. like death of the nile will constantly bring up the key inconsistent impossibility in the evidence and say this is important. this one thing doesn't make sense right now, but if we know the killer, it will. hercule will find a clue and repeat that it's important and we just don't understand it yet, so we have the chance to think about why. and umineko is ALL about that. umineko smushes your face in its biggest questions it wants you to focus on and solve and begs with you to try. the afterparty s1 will spend lots of time being like "whooooo shot this mysterriiousss arrow at someone?!? whyyyy was there a WIG found near the body?!?!" and then go lol it didnt mean anything and could be completely removed and not effect the mystery.

A good mystery is confident in itself, and doesn't need to hide and or try to be unnoticed because its afraid its too easy, because its afraid if you pay attention it'll be solved. it's a challenge, it gives you the CHANCE to think and try to answer before presenting the solution. and more than that, its real shitty to dedicate time to answering questions that dont matter.

thats not saying you cant have red herrings but the core of a mystery is being rewarded for investing energy into something, getting that "payoff" that "ahhhhh i see!" and if you have something REALLY COOL you should want people to invest energy into it!! you should hold it up and be like "you better care about this, because when it all makes sense, itll feel SOOOOOOOOOOOOO COOOOOOOL!" and why its painful when you hold up things as distraction, and people care about the wrong thing, then feel kind of bleghh when they didnt get a so cool because it turns out the story didnt give a shit in the end either

oh god im typing a lot and i think ive said some of this stuff before but its been circling my head for months now and its nice to try and get it all in one go

but i've been trying to analyze how mysteries make me feel while im reading them. what choices make me think what ways, and what feels satisfying and clever and what feels frustrating and pointless

i could also point to knox's decalouge but i feel like thats common sense

#8uny rants #disorganized passionate excerpts #but ive been trying to figure out what makes a story feel good #and when “it makes sense” is not enough

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foxofninetales · 2 years

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Liu Sang Watcher’s Guide - Part 17

Unexpected Item in Shipping Area

Link to part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Interlude | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |

The Lost Tomb Reboot Season 2

Episode 15 27:45-28:47

Not dead! Yay! Always a great way to start an episode!

Having trouble with the hit new search-and-find game, "Where's Liu Sang?" ? Here's an expert tip: in group scenes, always check the farthest possible corner.

With everyone having been rescued by a timely immortal fighter duo, Xiaoge gives Wu Xie soft looks and gets hugged by Pangzi. Liu Sang longs longingly.

32:56-35:25

Oh, thank god, some planning. Anything to get a break from Wu Xie and Xiaoge exchanging even more soft looks right in front of Liu Sang's salad.

Episode 16

04:33-14:28

Liu Sang listens to the movement of enemies outside their cave with the gothic intensity of a heroine listening to a mad wife beat on the other side of her bedroom door.

(Also, I couldn't get a good shot of it, but Jia Kezi is right there with him, learning how to listen, too. I'm not saying that Liu-Sang-who-lost-his-family breaks my heart by adopting new little brothers and sisters wherever his goes, but...)

The hardest part of writing this series is refraining from just captioning every photo with "WHY ARE YOU SO PRETTY!?!?!"

Having caught him mid-blink, I have one thing to say: DEAR GOD, THE EYELASHES.

Liu Sang may not have known Hei Xiazi long, but he's already sure that having Hei Xiazi look at you with that "I've got an idea!" smile cannot possibly be a good thing.

(Your narrator at this point: "...I think I ship it.")

The plan is, as far as I can tell: 1: Put on mud-masks 2: Enter poison forest 3: ???? 4: Profit

(*whimpers in adopted bro feels*)

(Your narrator: "...okay, yeah, I'll ship that too.")

It turns out that Hei Xiazi's idea is: use Liu Sang's hearing to map the cave system and also pinpoint enemies in the fog.

First you tell him he’s vital to your plan, then you put him at the tail end of the dramatic lineup.

There follows a decidedly sexy montage of Liu Sang using Pangzi's explosions to map the cave system. HAND PORN, I'VE MISSED YOU!!!

Pangzi says this and then Liu Sang looks after him like this and next thing you know we're knee-deep in PangSang feels.

Annnnnnd then they get attacked. To think, before he met Wu Xie Liu Sang's life contained the ideal number of zombies: 0.

(On a side note, I love the way Liu Sang fights. It lacks the trained skill of some of the others, but it’s absolutely feral.)

As a reward, he gets to stand dramatically next to his ouxiang.

Look, I'm not saying this episode is pushing the PangSang agenda, but...

More hand porn as Liu Sang explains his map.

Wu Xie wishes everyone a good night. Liu Sang and Pangzi exchange This Look.

The author goes to have a lie down before her PangSang brain overheats.

Next time: What does it say when the poison forest zombies were the good part of your summer vacation?

Gifset posts from this episode: Liu Sang wants a hug by @ohsehuns

Link to part 18

*Please feel free to use any of the screencaptures from these LSWG posts for your own purposes - crediting is appreciated but optional.

#dmbj #the lost tomb reboot #liu sang #liu sang watcher's guide

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stromuprisahat · 2 years

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Zlatá Malina (Golden Raspberry), pt. 3

Shadow and Bone- Chapter 21

Presumably their last night together, before the Big Bad Darkling feeds one of these deserters to volcra. (I guess being shot to death in front of his fellow soldiers would be preferred...) A lot of melodrama, hand-holding and some horrible(y nostalgic) memories...

Let’s forget a whole night together is more than any reasonable officer would allow them.

Three days in “captivity”, believing the world is about to be destroyed, and this is all Alina can think about: MalMalMal...

Our heroine, ladies and gentleman.

It’s also funny- a public execution of a deserter is “cruelty”... in a world, where people are burned alive merely for the crime of existing.

Sometimes I wish Sasha was threatening less and acting more. Less bark, more bite. If “all the mercy traitors deserve” was none. We could’ve been rid of Malyen, and Alina would have two books to grow.

Or kill that fucking deer, rendering it useless...

Don’t worry Alina, Mal doesn’t mind you’re tainted. He stuck his dick in worse places... I don’t care if it’s just clumsy formulation, the implication’s gross.

Also: I need a Darklina rooftop sex fic ASAP!

For someone this self-aware he acts (un)surprisingly worse whole next book. Oh, wait, his fragile male ego will be threatened by his more powerful gf, I get it...

a.) Recently we’ve discussed what could Malina talk about post-TGT, since Malyen hates reminders she was Grisha and the Darkling existed. So here it is: glorified childhood on repeat.

b.) Kinda funny first thing they remember about “beloved mother figure” is “anger”... And we’re supposed to be upset, when she dies...

c.) Alina “My life has been hard” Starkov. Alina “I know what it means to be an outsider struggling to survive.” Starkov. Alina “It’s hot outside, so let’s lie on marble fucking floors to cool down” Starkov.

It’s obvious they were so busy and well-guarded, they had no free time to seek comfort anyone else could... *pointedly looks at our marble floors*

I know teenagers are supposed to be dramatic, but she’s talking like a forlorn wife, who haven’t seen her husband for years...

Some glorified, pseudo-romantic self harm as a treat:

Then he’d picked me up and spun me in a circle, and I’d clung to him, ... Dimly, I’d been aware that I still had a shard of the blue cup in my hand, that it was digging into my palm, but I didn’t want to let go.

It’s not like Alina can’t let the shard fall. How is she even holding it, if she’s hugging Malyen? Why would she hug him with closed fist? Aside from being too stupid not to cut her own hand on purpose...

Kinda funny her bestie couldn’t wait to hug her after a day? Two? Away, but doesn’t notice her palm is “dripping blood” and heads for lunch. Peak romance.

Another little detail about how “bad” did those orphans have it: Alina stops working and runs off, yet there is no repercussion mentioned.

In case you’re wondering, why should you cry about Ana Kuya in Ruin and Rising, she’s obviously loving guardian. A girl mutilates herself, what’s worse- she gets the floor dirty!

I’m taking it back, the self-harm is okay. Malyen kissed it better. Two years later...

Wow, this mutually incosiderate codependency’s so romantic, it almost makes me cry (tears of frustration and thinly veiled disgust).

Ivan’s so nice. Malina got whole night and he lets them make out right in front of his salad anyway.

pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 4, pt. 5, pt. 6, pt. 7, pt. 8

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fourseasonsfigs · 1 year

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Tianshu Beichen - Dog's Blood Drama

It always happens - I plan out the order for the next week of fig posts, and then I get a new shipment in and boom, some vault to the front of the line! Like, well, this set.

I don't think it's any secret that the bloody battle-damaged versions of figs are some of my favorites. I'm not sure why, but I can tell you my eventual diorama of all of these various princes and warlords duking it out around a castle is gonna be epic.

I did not buy this set when it was released, but only because I couldn't. The fig maker limited it to buyers who had bought at least 6 figs from their shop, and furthermore limited the total quantity sold to 500. This was at a time when I had just managed to figure out how to able to purchase direct from Weidian, and was still busy figuring out how to best navigate the app, who the sellers were, and how to keep track of them all. At the time I wasn't even aware that fig maker had made more than 6 figs (actually, I'm still not sure I know what the rest of their figs are - I only have 3 of theirs before these). I would certainly have bought them, if so! But in any case, there was no way. I resigned myself to waiting until they were produced and them buying them on the fig black market Xianyu.

And so I did! Had to pay up for them, of course, commerce being what it is, but with the limited quantity available I was happy to at least find someone who would sell them. There weren't a ton of them for sale.

The inspiration for these figs comes from Zhang Zhehan's character Long Feiye from The Legend of Yunxi, and Prince Han Ye from Gong Jun's upcoming Legend of Anle. The name of this CP ship is 烨夜笙歌, Yè Yè Shēnggē.

The exact inspiration for the Long Feiye fig is this scene in Episode 5 (warning, lots of blood and battlefield violence):

As soon as his helmet got knocked off in the show, I was like, oh damn, that's bad, that's real bad. That being said, the shots of him with his long loose black hair and all bloodily distraught are, I can't lie, some of my all-time favorite. He's so beautiful and tragic!

No one can wear long hair like Zhehan. Can you imagine if he had hair like that and just walked around with it? Empires would crumble.

Note, I actually did not realize until this very moment (despite re-watching this scene numerous times in the show and an uh, undisclosed number of times in my post just now) that his armor blew off in the gu-qi-explosion. I was wondering what happened to his beautiful ornate armor on the fig - I had just figured it was too much to render into fig form, but now I see. It's really not there, post-explosion. He just has his vambraces and his beautiful red and black under robes. Alright! It's always satisfying to learn something new.

I'm still slowly working my way through Yunxi - deeply hampered by my inability to care much about the main plotline - but I have to keep going, if only to get to this scene where this picture comes from:

Aww yeah. Red eyeliner and everything. I can't wait.

The only picture I have of a blind Han Ye is this blurry one:

But that's good enough to be going on with for fig purposes, as you'll see!

Oh, the title of this fig set. The fig maker has a long and quite lovely, even in MTL, description of why this set is named Tianshu Beichen (translation courtesy, like all my translations, Google Translate):

天枢为贪狼星，第一桃花星，机智聪慧，吉星。本次展览出自成语北辰星宫，北极星高悬不动，四面环星。比喻为政有德，受人爱戴的人 Tianshu is the greedy wolf star, the first peach blossom star, witty and intelligent, and auspicious star. This exhibition comes from the idiom Beichen Xinggong, the Polaris hangs high and does not move, and the stars are surrounded on all sides. An ancient metaphor for a person who conducts a virtuous government and is loved by others.

In the original posting, the fig maker also referenced the fig set as "Dog's Blood Drama", which from what I understand refers to highly (over)dramatic dramas. This is indeed an extremely striking and dramatic set, I must say!

I guess the silver lining of paying through the nose for them was that I absolutely did not neglect to air wrap these for extra protection. Thankfully, these two arrived safe and sound.

There must be something wrong with me, because I am delighted at how cute this Long Feiye is! Poor guy is just having a bad day. Ahaha, look at his crackly eyeballs! Oh I love him.

These two battle-damaged cuties are not able to stand up well. I had to prop them up on a curved angle, and then against each other to get them to pose (barely) for the header picture, and then they immediately went on stands.

The blindfold over Han Ye's eyes is PVC, and very nicely done. I like how you can see his eyes through it still. Long Feiye, you're still so cute! So resolute, and very noble looking despite the whole uh, gu-infestation thing going on.

The gu-infection in the Legend of Yunxi doesn't seem to be quite like the gu-parasites I studied in school. In Chinese medicine a gu is an exceptionally poisonous insect / worm created by a dark and twisted process. It was believed if you took an large quantity of the various kinds of highly poisonous creatures (centipedes, scorpions, etc, if my memory serves I want to say it was 5 classic types) and put them all in a closed system like a jar, they would all eventually attack and devour each other. The insect that ended up alive at the end of this nasty little cage match, the "king", was of course the most powerful one of all, and to make things worse, was believed to have absorbed all the toxins of all the other poisonous creatures it had eaten. As a result, all that poison from all those very poisonous creatures was effectively distilled down and concentrated inside of this one little insect / worm thing, rendering it a subtle, potent, and viciously nasty way to destroy a person. That being said, I learned a much more boring version than what shows up in Legend of Yunxi, which takes this concept and makes it much more dramatic!

Han Ye either just stopped his forward progress, or there's some wind whipping through the area, because his beautiful long hair and the tails of his blindfold are flying out behind him. Maybe he's just blown away by the spectacular presence emanating from the warrior prince in front of him. Did you see the video? That was one wild qi explosion!

That really is some great motion in his hair. And some decent blood splatter going on in all that mane of white hair, my goodness.

Wait, you might be saying, aren't you the person that was scared of decapitated fig bodies and scattered limbs? Why are you totally down for fig blood splatter? Well, first, let me just say I'm not scared, per se. I just really don't care for it, ok? And second, yeah it's true that if Long Feiye had his charmingly funny crackle-eyed, black-poison-lined head removed from his fig body, it would suddenly become a horrible zombie nightmare. But it's firmly on top of his slender and elegant neck, and he's stately and magnificently putting up with a terrible curse. And you know, destroying hundreds of his enemies in a very dramatic and spear-twirly, explody way. It's all good!

Hmm, not sure why Han Ye is leaning off to the side here. Oh yeah, the poor angle of my photography. May I just say though that his hair looks amazing, I really like the effect of the blindfold here with his hair. So nice.

Like the inspiration picture, Han Ye's hand is resting behind his back in the classic Wen Kexing elegant young master pose. Goodness sakes, he looks like he's about to fall over from this angle! What the heck.

Ah ok, this angle is better to see that he's not really leaning forward all that much, just a little bit as he's reaching his hand out. Meanwhile, Long Feiye is standing tall and elegant with Zhehan's perfect posture. This is a great angle to see the pattern on his vambraces too. Oh, I just noticed you can see the channel where the blindfold goes through Han Ye's bigger side bangs there (I was squinting at the picture to see that yes, he has chonkier bangs on one side, and kind of a small wispy piece on the other). It's well done, it blends in very cleanly.

This is an exceptionally good angle for both their costumes, and to see the height difference. Aww, their little frowny mouths. Well, they have good reason to be a little perturbed, I'd say. This IS a dog's blood drama, there's a lot going on here.

Ooh, now get ready for something special...

They can hold hands! Pure romance, folks! I love this a completely unreasonable amount. Prince Han Ye doesn't have to worry about a thing with the noble Prince Qin there to take his hand.

Well, assuming there's a little bit of platform so Long Feiye can be tall enough to reach his hand. The very real height difference between them, unfortunately, translates into their hands reaching out but not quite touching, and NO THANKS, I'm not looking for any angst here (she says to the injured and battle-beaten dog's blood drama figs). Speaking of which, can I just say, I did not like how they cut the catching light scene in Word of Honor so that their hands didn't touch, especially since we know from the BTS that they held hands for a good long time. I mean yeah, it probably got cut to clear review, but it still doesn't mean I can't grumble grumble about it until the end of time.

Unfortunately, I don't like the look of one fig on a stand and one off a stand, plus all my figs are on stands, so I can't have Han Ye left out. So, I have a few very thin standees that I got randomly in some fig bundles that I'll put Han Ye on, and I'm going to order a thicker fig standee for Long Feiye, and then they will hold hands to their heart's content. Love will NOT be stopped!

Definitely had to do both sides of this fig, it's so unique.

Ah, here's where you can see what I was talking about with his boots, how they are angled up at the toes. This wouldn't cause a lean though. It really IS just my bad photography (and the angles)!

What great figs, I love these so much. I'm sure you couldn't tell at all.

Which doesn't mean I am done gushing over how cute Long Feiye is! I'm just so charmed by him for some unreasonable reason. I'll just comment one more time about how big (crackly!) eyed and expressive his little face is on the box cards / box art. He's getting pride of place on my diorama, I'm telling you that. At the very top of the castle!

Material: Resin and some nasty gu parasites

Fig Count: 340

Scene Count: 24

Rating: You're cute too, Han Ye!

[link back to Master Fig Index for more posts]

#jzeu #long feiye #prince han ye #han ye #legend of yunxi #legend of anle #legend of anle merch #anlezhuan #zhang zhehan #gong jun #junzhe #word of honor cast #shl cast #figthusiast

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