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phoenix-downer · 3 months

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KH4 First Trailer

This is the first KH4-related translation post I've done (nearly two years late ;lakjsdf my how the time flies), and hopefully there will be many more to come. I'll be focusing on the dialogue and text in the trailer and not so much on the camera angles, character expressions, etc. this time around just because I want to keep the focus on the translations.

Here’s a general key for the kind of analysis I like to do:

JP: Official Japanese Dialogue

EN: Official English Dialogue

TR: My Translation (usually more literal and thus more stilted than the official English version. I’m not using natural-sounding English in order to stick as close to the Japanese versions of the lines as possible for the purpose of analysis)

Notes: things I found interesting, grammatical points, extra thoughts, etc.

One last note: media doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Every work of art must be viewed through the cultural lens of the people who made it. Kingdom Hearts, for all its ties to Disney, is still very much a Japanese game, so it should be analyzed in light of that.

With that in mind, let’s continue.

JP 自分が望む結末ではなかったと絶望するのならー

EN If this isn't the ending you desired—if it brings you despair—

TR If (this) wasn't the ending you hoped for—if (you) feel despair—

Notes: Sigurd is apparently the character saying these next few lines.

The word for "ending" here, ketsumatsu, is an interesting word choice. It is often used in the context of stories (though it also has other uses), which fits really well with how KH4 will play around with the concept of reality vs. unreality. So on a meta level it's like, "If you didn't like how KH3 ended, if you didn't like how Sora ended up, then help him escape Quadratum."

Also, the word the official English version translates as "desired," nozomu, can mean "desire, want, wish for, hope for," and it's an antonym of zetsubō, the word translated "despair." So there's this nice poetic contrast going on between hope and despair in this bit in the Japanese version.

JP 他の世界に退場すればいい

EN then leave this world for another

TR —(then you) should leave for another world.

Notes: This particular word for "leave," taijō, can be used for leaving venues, stadiums, parking lots, rooms, sports games, etc. It can also be used for actors exiting the stage. Take a look at definition #1, which translated states, "Leaving venues, stadiums etc." and #2, which translated states, "Actors etc. leaving the stage" (Source):

I thought that was really interesting, because using a word with these specific connotations makes me wonder if this is more of that meta commentary, this time about how we should direct Sora the character to leave Quadratum if we so desire. Sure, the general sense of "leave" or "exit" is the main meaning here, but I always get so intrigued by word choice and all the connotations a word has.

Also, the phrasing isn't exactly the same, but there is a euphemism in Japanese for the place your soul goes when you die, takai, that uses the same kanji as hoka no sekai that we see in "another world" here, it just uses the onyomi pronunciation instead of the kunyomi pronunciation for "another" hoka/tai and has no no particle.

Googling hoka no sekai brought up a lot of images about parallel worlds and the isekai genre, so that's probably the most accurate connotation given Sora's world traveling adventures thus far, but I still thought that was an interesting tidbit, even if it's a complete reach on my end. Like sure Sora can go to other worlds, but he's still dead, so he's still going to more places where he's dead and can't go home where he'd be fully alive.

JP 選択肢は無限にあるはずだー

EN Your options are endless.

TR (Your) options/choices should be endless/limitless—

Notes: I really like how the English version contrasts "ending" with "endless." You don't like the ending Sora got in KH3? Your options for taking him to other worlds are "endless." The Japanese version has this interesting tidbit too where the speaker conveys an expectation. He says hazu, which means "expected," "should be," "must be." So he expects Sora's options are endless, but it has a slightly different nuance than if he'd just said they are endless.

JP 心は魂に宿り　魂は運命によって在るべき場所へ導かれる

EN The heart resides within the soul which in turn is guided by fate to its rightful place

TR (The) heart dwells in (the) soul, (and the) soul is guided by fate to its rightful place (lit. the place it should be).

Notes: There's not really any difference between the official English version and my translation. It's just interesting to break it down. For whatever reason the "rightful place" of the soul has the verb of existence for inanimate objects (aru) instead of the one for animate objects (iru). Not sure if that's a set phrase or if the soul in this context would be considered an inanimate object (time to go down a rabbithole about animacy in Japanese).

This bit also kinda reminded me of how Xehanort talked in KH3 when he was recounting the cycle of light and darkness. The language has a very "mythological"/storytelling feel to me, which makes sense given whoever is saying these lines is talking about fate, destiny, the nature of the universe, etc. And then the floating text in the darkness also reminds me of the Dive into the Heart sequences with the disembodied voice as well, so it could also be a reference to that.

JP 選択は再び委ねられる

EN The choice is yours once more.

TR (The) choice is left (to you) once more./(The) choice is entrusted (to you) once more.

Notes: Once again, this bit of text seems very meta. It feels like it's addressed to the fans, given how we're the ones who will be controlling Sora in KH4. And of course the image shows his chess piece with his crown symbol on it, so the implication is that Sora's heart will be the one guiding him once more, and his heart will be guided by fate.

JP あなたはこの世界に来て7日間　ずっと眠っていたの

EN You've been asleep since you arrived in this world seven days ago.

TR You came to this world seven days ago (and you)'ve been sleeping (the) whole time.

Notes: I don't love my translation because nanokakan more literally means "a period of seven days," but yeah I think I get the gist across.

Strelitzia refers to Sora as anata here when the norm is to refer to other people by their names in Japanese, even when addressing them directly, so either she doesn't know his name yet or she's being very polite, almost distant. She also ends her declaration with no, likely to indicate she's offering more of an explanation (it also makes her sound pretty cute and feminine).

Also, as I'm going through this trailer again, I'm reminded that Sora doesn't talk at all. He has the battle grunts during his fight against the Darkside, but he doesn't have any dialogue. I just thought that was interesting, because Xehanort commented on Sora not having a voice in Melody of Memory as well. Somehow that also told Xehanort where Sora's heart is located (foreshadowing for this game I suppose). I wonder if Sora will be similarly voiceless at first in KH4 or if he just is for this trailer for dramatic effect because Nomura knows everyone wants to hear him speak.

And then of course I have to mention the significance of Sora being asleep in Quadratum for seven days. Seven has a lot of significance in the KH universe, given how there are seven guardians of light. Seven is also the length of a week, and it's a number that has connotations of wholeness and completion in certain cultures.

JP ここはクァッドラトゥムー

EN This is Quadratum—

TR (This is) Quadratum—

Notes: Not really anything to note here other than the gorgeous graphics, how Sora doesn't look at all like his usual cheerful self (no smile to be found), and the colors in Quadratum seem very warm/brown/earth tones/"real" and not super bright and colorful like in the "main" KH universe.

JP 生者の世界ではあるけれどー

EN It's a world full of life—

TR (It's) a world of living people/the living but—

Notes: Seija is translated as "full of life" in the official English version, but it more literally means "living people" or "the living." So Strelitzia is pointing out that all around them are living people and yet, for her and Sora, it's still a world of death because she and Sora should be dead.

JP 私たちにとっては“死の世界”ってことになるみたい

EN but for you and I, it's similar to an "afterworld," I suppose.

TR —for us, (it) seems like it's "a world of death."

Notes: This is where I wish the English version was closer to the Japanese version. "World of death" or "world of the dead" would've been a closer translation, and I'm not sure why it wasn't used (perhaps to avoid mentioning the dreaded "d" word). I do like the pun-like quality of "afterworld," combining "afterlife" and the oft-used-in-the-KH-universe "world," and since the translators have access to information I don't about the game's lore, I can't say whether crucial lore has been lost in translation, but I wanted to point out the difference here.

Also, the grammar pattern Strelitzia uses here, koto ni naru, indicates something that's outside of her and Sora's control. This being an afterlife of sorts for the two of them was decided by factors beyond their control, in other words. She also uses mitai to indicate her speculation/observation.

JP だがー

EN However—

TR However—

Notes: This is back to Sigurd speaking, and very ominously so.

JP 一度退場すれば元の世界に戻れると思うなー

EN if you do leave this world behind, don't expect to return to the one from which you came—

TR —once (you) leave, don't think (you) can go back to (your) original world—

Notes: This ends on a rather ominous note. Again the word taijō is used here for "leave" much like earlier in the trailer. I remember this dialogue when I first watched this trailer because it was such a wham line. What do you mean Sora can't go home? He can go to other worlds but he can't go home? What will it take to bring him home then? Something pretty drastic from the sounds of it.

Also, I like the formal wording of the official English version. Sigurd sounds like he's from a different time.

Then of course this next bit cuts to Donald and Goofy, searching for ways to find Sora presumably:

JP どこにいるんだろう？

EN I wonder where he is.

TR (I) wonder where (he) is.

Notes: Nothing really to talk about, just that the "I" and "he" is implied in Japanese (Japanese tends to drop pronouns in places they would be required in English because there's enough info provided by context, verb conjugations, etc. to figure out who the speaker is talking about).

JP 手がかり見つかるといいね

EN I don't know, but I sure hope he can help.

TR I hope (we) can find (a) clue.

Notes: A bit of a difference here, Goofy is focused more on finding a clue in Japanese whereas in English he's hoping "he" (Hades, presumably) can help.

JP おい

EN Hey!

TR Hey!

Notes: Hades' Japanese VA has a very distinctive voice, and so right from this word you know it's him a;lsdkjf and he's as snarky and blunt as ever lol.

JP どこへ行くんだ

EN Just where do you think you're going?

TR (Just) where (do you think you)'re going?

Notes: I love the sass and snark of the English translation, and it captures the vibes of the Japanese version well (Hades uses ~nda at the end of the sentence to indicate he wants more information out of them). They found Hades, but now they'll actually have to deal with Hades...

And that's what I have for now! I am curious about what promo material will be released next and what new tidbits we'll have to speculate on. Fingers crossed we get more info around the anniversary this year!

The Japanese trailer is here.

The English trailer is here.

#kingdom hearts #kh #kh4 #kingdom hearts 4 #sora #strelitzia #kh sora #sigurd #hades #donald #donald duck #goofy #kh analysis #phoenix translates #phoenix-downer #kh4 spoilers #kingdom hearts 4 spoilers #long post

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catboysansundertale · 1 month

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utdr big bounce theory

was thinking about some of sans's fight dialogue and, hopefully I'm making sense here, but...

until suddenly everything ends...? what could he mean by that, hm?

if we expand on the idea that sans and papyrus in undertale are originally from deltarune, perhaps this could could also be related

if you know what the big bounce is, you might have guessed where I'm going with this. (if you don't know what the big bounce is, it's the kind of outdated hypothesis that the big bang was a result of a universe before ours collapsing and/or our universe collapsing at the end of its life before going through another big bang)

maybe deltarune (or one of its weird routes, which I believe is more likely) will end with the universe collapsing, then 'bouncing' back into the universe undertale is in? likely with some last wednesday-ism, with everyone being placed in their respective spaces in the new timeline

these lines also sparked my interest. seeing what comes next? consuming timelines over and over until... what? if it was just another reset, isn't that what he wants here? what is he trying to prevent? maybe another collapse in this universe is possible too, at least from his point of view, and that's what he's trying to stop

"Our reports" could be referring to either before or after the bounce event, I'm not sure which but I do think it's more interesting to be referring to before. this way the title anomoly addresses the player specifically and not frisk, the other humans, or flowey, which I think is very fitting to deltarune and undertale's themes

I think it'll be a weird route specifically because of the way he talks about/to the anomoly

he's telling you that you're the type of person who'll keep resetting over and over to see and consume every possibility. the kind of person who would do weird routes just to see what happens and get every little bit of detail you can. not that I think he personally knows about weird routes or what happens in other timelines, just why I personally think this would be the ending of a weird route

I also think it's interesting that goner girl and by extension possibly goner kid have a connection to sans, too, because of goner kid's dialogue

I'll admit that this could be a reference to gaster shattering or even fun values, but I do think it's interesting from a big bounce perspective. people being completely lost from a bounce event is SUPER interesting, and maybe that's the only reason I'd like to believe that part, but I do think it makes sense and another reason for sans to try and prevent it

feel free to let me know if I've missed anything that supports or goes against this theory! I love to learn more about undertale/deltarune (and honestly there's some stuff I've forgotten over the years since I first played either)

#undertale #deltarune #utdr #utdr theory #undertale theory #deltarune theory

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schwender-exe · 8 months

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Devlog #1

Well, I promised a devlog and here it is!

Howdy folks, it's been a while of radio silence but hopefully it's well worth the wait! since the last time I've posted I took a break to think over what I wanted to do with the game. The reason for that is because originally, I basically started with a vague idea of the story without any plot-points or anything tangible. I basically started development with nothing more than the basic setting and a few random area and character ideas, which obviously won't get me far.

So. What did I do about it? well.. not much. Since last I posted, I quit my old job and got a new job which is a much calmer atmosphere compared to my last which is helping with my sanity, drafted a few story plot points and talked to a few artists, which, speaking of:

Say hello to Yo_Hokki, the game's new artist! you can check out Hokki's awesome work here!

Hokki will be taking the sprites I've done so far and giving them more of a polish to them than I could ever do (and shading! ooo!). as much as I enjoy doing pixel art, I don't think mine is exactly at a level I feel proud of and I'm lacking in a lot of skill, which is why I wanted to find an artist in the first place. (Plus it's nice to have someone else's opinion if I ever get stuck!)

Here's a little gif of the new character sprites in action! Hokki's new sprites also come with a new palette which, honestly I think these colors pop more and in general are nicer / more interesting to look at than the palette I had before.

On the more technical side, I've been working on some back-end parts of the game to make it easier to produce new content. I've written a dialogue script reader which lets me write out dialogue like so:

And have it convert that into my EventSystem script which-- well long story short it means I don't have to write a lot to have long conversations between characters. It also allows me to add keywords modularly which is a huge help if I ever decide to add more to the dialogue system later on. If anyone would like a breakdown of the Dialogue system, feel free to shoot me a question and I'll try my best to explain!

I've also been reworking the original stage I had for Chloe (the mushroom headed character) and breaking it into smaller chunks to make it more interesting and have more to it than simply running over and talking to Chloe. One of the big reasons it took me so long to add on to the game (outside of being busy with IRL things) was that I had trouble thinking of new mechanics which really fit with the game and kept the game feeling "chill", which is the goal. I won't get into much specifics, otherwise this'll be one hell of a long devlog- but to keep it simple: It takes me a long time to really nail down something that I feel is a good fit for the setting, the game and will be enjoyable from a player's perspective... which is tough because I am an overthinker :') (If any devs have any tips on this, please do dm me! I could use the help!)

Well, that's it for this devlog! thanks for reading! hopefully next devlog won't be too far off..

#godot engine #gamedev #pixelart #pixel #pixel aesthetic #art #indiedev #gaming #artists on tumblr #indiegamedev #devlog

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grandlovescheme · 6 months

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20 questions for fic writers

Tagged by @luthien-under-bough, thank you! I love talking about fics and the process of how I write them, so this was fun to put together :)

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

459,900

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Now exclusively House of the Dragon, specifically Daemyra

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

High Hopes

Let's Ignite Under the Ember Skies

You're Ripped at Every Edge (But You're a Masterpiece)

If I Could, I'd Get You the Moon

The Dominoes Cascaded in a Line

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes, I try to always respond, even if the comment is to an older fic. Sometimes I'm overwhelmed or don't even know what to say when someone's being way too kind to me lol, but I always want to let people know I see them and appreciate them so much.

The only time I don't... is when I see someone's binging my whole fic, so then I only respond to the last comment, once they're all caught up.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

This is easy, as I only have one fic without a happy ending - All and Then Most of You, Some and Now None of You. I love daemyra too much to not give them HEA as much as possible

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

This is hard to pick... Because all of my fics, apart from that one, end teeth rootingly sweet 😂 Perhaps Dominoes. Or perhaps fighter!au, which you guys haven't read yet but it's very fucking happy!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Sometimes. Though it is much much better now that I disabled anon asks.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I do! What kind I write... Hmm, tbf I think I write pretty vanilla stuff, even if I do try to explore some kinks here and there when it fits the story and the characters. I guess my kind is focusing on the feelings most of the time, and the emotional connection.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I don't, or at least I haven't yet. We'll see if muse ever strikes this way!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of, so hopefully not

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

A few times in a different fandom

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, not yet, but I'm definitely open to the idea. I definitely wrote a bunch of stuff based on my fandom friends' crazy ideas and prompts with their help, so that's halfway there, I guess

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

No couple had ever taken over my life and thoughts the way Daemyra did, so, the answer is clear!

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Soulmates AU? I was once so excited for it, wrote a bunch of notes and even the first two chapters, but now I'm kinda... not feeling it :(

16. What are your writing strengths?

I spent the longest on this question. I think it's the emotions I try to convey in my fics, good or bad.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Now this is much easier. Plot! Intrigue! If you guys haven't noticed yet lol, I write fics heavily focused on romance only, and the development of Daemyra's relationship, because I just can't pull off anything more than that.

I'll probably never write a fic where people will wonder what'll happen next, what that and this means, what this person's motivations are... Because I'm unfortunately not wired that way. But I learned to accept that, and I have fun writing my silly romances with no real plot <3

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I've done it myself a few times and I like to see it in other fics, too. Especially in HV it's delicious to see in the canon-verse. Though I always struggle with how to write the translation - right next to it, in cursive, in brackets, in the final notes?? That's always a head scratcher

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Eh, probably Twilight? I don't remember writing anything before that, so must be it

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Probably still High Hopes, even after all this time 🤍

This was fun! I'm tagging some of my writer friends if they wanna join and haven't yet, @ar-feyniel, @eschercaine, @calenlily, @fiora-miriel and anyone else who wants to! :)

#my fic stuff #question game #my writing i guess

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tiredassmage · 1 year

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can we hear more about in dreams, hopes to die... 👉👈 those lines are so tasty..

CHOMPING AT THE BIT, AYE AYE CAPTAIN!!!!

Would you believe me if I reveal that this snippet is from the same piece? It's obviously an overall not very good time kind of piece, so I felt a tiny bit bad about it for once and decided to throw Tyr a bone. Valkorian and Tyr's own conga line of bad times couldn't be the only thing in five years worth of dreams, I figured, lol.

Also, that very scene is where the banger In the dark, it’s easier to hide and easier to tell the truth came from, lol.

Don't get too excited though because that's... very short. And also it's mentally set to Eyelids by PVRIS, so uh. It still punches me in the face.

Eventually I'll hopefully throw him another bone and give him and Theron's time on Rishi or Yavin IV a little pass because I'd like to think Theron's at least a little right and something came up. And stars know Tyr needs a fuckin' break, good gods almighty anlkfdnafldsf. Says she who continues to put that man in Situation after Situation after Situa-

And it was very hard to stop at just the first line for that initial post because the three lines that follow it are the meat and potatoes of what is currently the opening sequence of what I hope will eventually be a coherent fic. Or at least kinda coherent. It's still a very nebulous piece and I kinda like that, so I might not really do much more setup because it seems fitting that there wouldn't be a lot of setup and transition in something like the carbonite dreams era.

And, perhaps unsurprisingly given the nature of the setup of that chapter, but a lot of these scenes flirt with the concept of death. Tyr's dangerous dedication to "finishing the job" isn't anything new to those of us who have been here a while, lol, but this is a good character study piece if you're newer to my favorite blorbo, though it's an undeniably heavy one and obviously a bit fucky and nebulous by nature.

Also, fair warning, yes I'm giving you lines, but also I am going to give you a ramble and a half about Tyr lore because this is the piece I'm stuffing some juicy tick-tock workings into because I realized it was good for that and I love my boy so much, he's so fucked up. I love him though.

Anyway, I teased, so the next three lines of that scene, as foretold beneath the cut:

At first, it’s a firing squad. Mud cakes their boots and the rain pelts heavy on worn, drawn faces.

Tyr pushes to his feet unsteadily. A flash of lighting breaks overhead, glancing off of leveled blasters and hollowed eyes.

It will end as it should: without a soul remembering his name. He’d prefer it that way.

Okay, so... this is also not necessarily a piece I intended to write, but I realized there is... almost no better place to do a deep dive into some of the things that tick inside of Tyr that maybe aren't best portrayed in dialogue alone. This also wasn't meant to be in present tense, but it didn't feel right in past, so I ended up caving and that's... been a theme of the week, I guess, lol.

This is also like. I always chuckle a bit in that scene from Visions in the Dark later where Valkorian threatens you to meet his challenge and grow stronger or die alone and unremembered because wouldn't that just be ideal for a former Cipher. Wasn't that how the story was supposed to end? He didn't ask for your bullshit, grandpa.

There's currently two other scenes I have - they're all relatively short as I try to keep with that sort of drifting feeling. But the other one that might [Large Eyes Emoji] be of... relevant interest...

What’s been done has already been done. It doesn’t matter what it was. Maybe it won’t matter to anyone else.

Because it’s going to end here and now. Such were the decrees of the Sith - of the Empire.

Absolutes.

It matters to him that he tried. This is one of the kinder ways this could go - quietly, without the fanfare of blood on his teeth and a fire in his eyes.

“For what it’s worth, sir?” Nine exhales long and slow as he closes his eyes. “I’ve always admired you… You did your best.”

Finally.

No.

More.

Running.

“But I’m not going back.” The old man’s one of the few he could ever hope to ask this final favor. “Finish this - what we started.”

The Minister of Intelligence pulls the trigger.

It’s over before Tyr feels the ground beneath him.

Also topical given the "are others concerned about their sleep schedule" tag post reblogged earlier today, lol, and the idea of chronic nightmares. That Tyr and I haven't talked about. To each other. Or the world. Possibly not with the people he cares about, either. I'm sure Theron knows nebulously that he can have some troubled sleep - you don't share a bed with someone and not notice how consistently they have trouble falling or staying asleep.

But I think the fuckiest part of the whole Castellan Restraints period for Tyr is how he doesn't want to let the old man down. The Minister is more a father figure in Tyr's eyes than his own father, quite honestly [Tyr has a... kind of non-existant relationship with his entire family, unfortunately - and it's not because he went into Intelligence], and there's absolutely a part of that dynamic that is mentor and protégé.

And it's important to me that he sees this scenario with the Minister and not Shara - at least in Chapter Two, where it first haunts his nightmares with some consistency. Because I made a conscious choice in Shara knowing as Keeper about his Restraints - not because that ever comes up in-game, but because it adds something very crunchy to their already doomed narrative. And the background to that decision is that I decided it's... the kind of silent acknowledgement that the Minister can afford to give of their more intimate relationship. It's damage control, mitigation. With a heavy heart I imagine he tells her this in private, off the record, because Nine was her Cipher. And both of them still hold him in high regard.

Nine's given a possibly unusually loose leash to pursue the SIS investigation because of the Minister and Keeper's word; Watcher Three mentions this in broad strokes when he questions you about the blackout in records.

Anyway, the point to me mentioning this is actually that Tyr makes a very conscious effort to not think about this in the midst of the Restraints causing problems. He's reluctant enough to cede that he should hold the Minister responsible for this gross violation of his privacy and trust, but he's even more reluctant to give that the woman he loves has any knowledge or hand in the process - unwittingly or, especially, wittingly. Ultimately, he stubbornly doesn't hold them responsible. It hurts less to place the blame elsewhere. And he never loses the inescapable nostalgic kick to go home in the sense of the old paradigm - him and Keeper and the Minister.

He gave them everything.

And there's something in here about his regret at not being able to say all of this respect in better words or more directly. There's that acknowledgement that there's one person he trusts to understand why this was his breaking point. And, ultimately, there's the acceptance of the likelihood that none of this is going to end well, that he's living on borrowed time stolen from fate or destiny, or hell, maybe the Force. Tyr doesn't give a whole lot to whatever higher powers might be out there - relying on them hasn't ever saved him and he doesn't expect it to.

It makes it very interesting to watch him knowingly and willingly lie about the Black Codex after he lets Ardun walk with it and promises to double for the SIS. In a way, he's committing the greatest failure and throwing away everything the Minister has fought so hard with him to maintain and keep, especially when both of them have spoken of ideals instead of goals, etc. But it's necessary. It's what's best for Tyr, mentally, at that point. And even one of the figures he loves and respects the most can't override that desperate intrinsic need to fight for himself. The old man is, after all, one of the largest advocates of it throughout his career as Nine.

And, I suppose speaking of the nostalgia for Intelligence, my favorite set of lines from the final scene so far:

She’s sobbing against his shoulder. Dust and blood stain an almost unfamiliar uniform - he hasn’t worn uniform on Dromund Kaas in months, maybe years…

Everything’s been such a blur since Intelligence was disbanded…

so YEAH. I uh. I have a lot of feelings and this is where I'm sniffling and sobbing and word vomiting them into one doc but in story format, I suppose, lol.

Also completely unrelated to this particular fic but I am. Still thinking so intently about Eight x Tyr thoughts. They're now living rent free in my head and all of this.... absolute devotion stuff... hrhrhghghghghghghghrhhg. Brain vibrates because this is obviously all related to it because of the few people who could ever possibly understand any part of this series of events and feelings, it'd be another Cipher.

Tyr really does mourn Intelligence like... ghhghg. I'm unwell about it. He gave everything to it and its success. He doesn't regret it. The SIS investigation and the following fall of Imperial Intelligence were some of the worst fucking years of his life and it's destroyed him, really. He's living in and with the ruins like a bombed out city. It destroyed his everything and he'd almost gladly let it finish the job and destroy him to finally get his retribution. And he'd just as gladly let love destroy it all and rebuild it from the rubble when he has the right person beside him. Something something doesn't realize that he doesn't want or need to continue that destruction, he just needs fucking... idk validation or something. Acceptance. Acknowledgement. And then they can work on what "okay" looks like in the aftermath. He needs to be just as responsible for someone else's "okay" to even begin figuring out what the hell it looks like for him. hOUgh anyway.

I'm fucking normal about Cipher Nine, obviously. Thanks for comin' to my TED Talk.

#answered #ch: tyr #wip ask meme #in a way lel #my poor fucking BELOVED glowstick man...#also: just. when he HAS the right people with him how fucking. like yea yea devotion that corrupts #he'd still go to the ends of the fuckin GALAXY bro but also #it's so much easier to realize. oh. maybe we'd like to live. maybe we'd like to do that together. what's that look like #happy half a month early fool's i'm never normal about tyr #crunchy cat scream react jpeg y'know #tyr needs to be told to stop. to gently but forcibly be stopped. then he might be okay.#it might start there #i'm gonna fuckin write about that too just you wait until i have free time and a solid concept that consumes my entire soul again #gripping the edge of the sink #agent on agent romance call that a healing cycle #i'm.. s- no no i was gonna say i'm sorry i'm like this but no #i love him so much ur honor this is the love ur blorbo website #oh and obligatory bitching about ask editor style yada yada stop throwing the indent weird how do i style fic readibly in ask replies hghgh

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harpywritesfic · 1 year

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tips from an adhd fanfic writer:

[disclaimer: these are things that i've found helpful for me, specifically because of the way my brain works. these could be helpful for neurotypicals too, but the reason they're here is because they help with the issues my adhd causes/worsens.]

Let yourself go crazy when you're writing, reel it back in when you're trying to get started again.

When the words are flowing, let them! Throw things down, don't worry about what goes where just yet. Got another scene idea? Hit enter a few times and write it in. You can find how it fits in later (Worst case scenario, it doesn't fit and you have a spare scene that could come in handy for another fic). Don't let things like grammar slow you down. When you're coming back to work on the piece and trying to get rolling again, that's when you want to skim through and decide what you like, what needs to be shifted around, where you want to change things up, where you want to add things. I find it's best to keep going when you're on a roll, and look at the more technical things like organization when you're trying to start that roll again. I find it easier to get writing again when I read the piece critically (from an editing perspective) rather than just reading through it to familiarize myself with it.

Separate your wip into chunks.

I find this incredibly helpful! I split mine into scenes, and make a list of all scenes I want in the fic. Make a note next to the scene with how close it is to done- unwritten, partially done, almost done, needs editing, needs dialogue, needs transition, etc. This really helps me find a place to start when I open it up again, and helps me identify what part of it I'm stuck on. Here's an example from one of my fics, "Tony Stark Is Great At Names":

Don't be afraid to take shortcuts.

There's a balance between pushing yourself too hard and giving up too quickly. If you're really stuck on something, and it's derailing the whole fic, I find it's best to find a way around the problem rather than through it. This applies to things like transitions (use a line break to indicate the change, or write "after they did x"), dialogue (you can just say "they talked it over and decided x because of y"), inner monologue ("they spent a lot of time thinking about x"), time passing, etc. Taking shortcuts can mean the difference between a finished fic and an abandoned wip. "Show, don't tell" is a great bit of advice, but it's not a rule!

Keep a list of your wips.

I have a doc called "the write list" where I keep the working titles of the wips I intend to finish. I keep the time-sensitive ones at the top (ones that are for events, gifts, etc.), sorted by how soon they should be finished, then after those are the others. This helps prevent my wips from being forgotten by my very forgetful brain.

Keep a list of things you want to do.

I keep a doc for this, where I have checklists of things I'll forget about if I don't write them down. Things like checking my bookmarked fics and commenting on ones I haven't already, going through my inbox, reading something from my marked for later, and so on. I like to check back on this list when I'm looking for something to do. Make sure to keep your lists somewhere easily seen!

[Hopefully this helps someone! Everyone's workflow is different, so take the advice that works for you and don't worry about the other parts.]

#*technically* i'm not certain i have adhd bc the testing place won't CALL ME BACK #also if you have anything you wanna ask abt how i write/my methods/other stuff feel free to drop into my asks!#i'm no expert but i'm happy to share what works for me!#harpy's writing tips #fanfic

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postalninja · 8 months

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Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love❤

Ooo, thank you for the ask! But how will I choose?? I definitely have a recency bias with my writing, partly because I know that I've gotten better over time so some of my older fics aren't really up to my current standard in terms of things like pacing, especially. But setting that aside, there are still some of my early fics that hold a special place in my heart, so I'll try to pick from across the board. 1. Starting with an old fic, actually, The Measure of a Man (Octopath Traveler, Rated E) is still a favorite of mine, even after 3 years. I just really enjoyed the deep dive into Olberic's sense of self and exploring how, after getting married and starting a family, he would still have some struggles in terms of his purpose and his worth. It was kind of like taking his canon story and bringing it full circle (by the gods I love that man!) 2. Next, Sins of the Father (Skyrim, Rated M), my first novel-length longfic! I put a lot of work into this one, and it was the first time that I managed to successfully develop a plot with, like, a story arc and whatnot. Still very proud of how this one turned out, since it required a lot of playing with lore and developing the backstory of characters who didn't get much of one in the game (including my first fully fleshed out original character who really stole my heart) 3. Another favorite is Fashion Party Confidential (Drawtectives, Rated T) I had so much fun putting together what is essentially meant to serve as a bonus episode after season 2. I structured it similarly to a real episode, complete with drawings made by each of the characters and an original NPC for them to harass help. I re-watched the series before I started writing and felt like I had a really good grasp of the character voices, and I'm very happy with the dialogue and how in-character it feels. And I had fun with the fashion theme of the story, given my background in fashion design and the fact that it fits in canonically with York's story, as well as the opportunity to reflect the players' fashion knowledge - or lack thereof - in the drawings (sorry, Nathan)

4. Next is Would She Love Me If She Knew? (Octopath Traveler, Rated M) I debated including this one on its own or combining it with the sequel (which, spoilers, is also on this list), but I feel like they are different enough thematically that I can talk about them separately. This fic was me diving headfirst into the royal/guard trope and essentially writing an entire romance novel, lol! It took me 9 months to write and was (at the time) the longest thing I had written. By this point I was starting to get the hang of pacing things properly without rushing them, letting the story breathe and take its time getting where it wanted to go. And I have to admit that this is my favorite version of H'aanit and Olberic that I've written so far - I absolutely loved making them face adversity before they could get together, putting obstacles in their way so that they would pine and despair about ever being able to have a relationship. Oh, that delicious angst! This fic set a new bar for me, and I've become a better writer because of it. 5. And of course, the as yet unfinished (but so close!) The Head That Wears the Crown (Octopath Traveler, Rated T). More than two years in the making, and I'm still stuck on the climax of the story, argh!!! Nevertheless, crafting this one has been so rewarding, given that it ties into WSLMISK but uncovers all of the sinister hints that I left in that story of a bigger issue to come. There's a mystery to solve, a conspiracy to uncover, and so much goddamned trauma to deal with! Some of my favorite character development to date is in this story, and I can't wait to (somehow get through this writer's block and) hopefully give this whole thing a satisfying ending. I've learned so much about plot and how to do foreshadowing and developing a complex villain while writing this fic. And as a bit of a bonus... I'll just say that I have a new Octopath Traveler 2 fic that I am *nearly* ready to start posting (just waiting on feedback from my beta, which *should* happen today) that I am currently in love with. Recency bias may play into this, of course, but I can't wait to share it! It's a Castti/Osvald Gothic Romance AU titled Memories Seep From My Veins :)

#fic authors self rec ask #thank you anon!#octopath traveler #elder scrolls skyrim #drawtectives #octopath traveler 2 #postal ninja fanfic

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supermanshield · 2 years

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I wrote fic again. After more than a year away from it. This is short, has no plot, and almost no dialogue, but it was a good writing exercise. Hopefully I'll get back into it a bit more.

Clark/Bruce, 879 words. Gen.

AO3 link

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Clark’s hair whisks in the wind as he rushes through the heavy metal door to the roof of the Daily Planet at a believable human speed. He’s already late, and while he had heard the helicopter coming from miles away, he’d stayed at his desk to finish the draft for an article. The helicopter touches down just as he jogs his way over to the helipad.

The pilot swings open her side of the craft, motions for Clark to get there faster, get in. Strap down, headset. He fumbles it as he tries to put his messenger bag down, secures it over his ears and the mic in front of his mouth. The pilot looks over her shoulder, thumb raised in question to Clark. He smiles, nods.

Then, he looks over at his fellow passengers. Next to him, a short, balding man with glasses typing furiously on a phone. Across from him, Bruce finally looks up from where he’s been staring out the window to the city below, pushes some stray hairs out of his eyes and extends a hand to Clark. “Mr. Kent, I’m glad you could make it. Let’s get this show on the road, huh? And by that, I mean the sky of course.” His fake smile lacks conviction, as if it could fall off any moment.

Clark swallows. Still, he tries a retort. “Ah, you know, I’m always running between appointments. Not many of them up in the sky though,” he laughs. The helicopter takes off, hesitating shakily in the wind for only a moment, then steadying.

The helicopter ride had been the only free time for Mr. Wayne this week to squeeze in an impromptu interview about his newest project for a sustainable power source, its lab their current destination.

Clark smiles at Bruce. It’s been a while since they’ve seen each other. Even longer since they’d first kissed. A hesitant brush of lips, reciprocated by Bruce with realization and vigor, but yet to happen again, if at all.

Bruce looks tired now, lids hanging just a little too low over his eyes and dark circles hidden to everyone but Clark. He turns away from Clark’s gaze.

“It's good to see you, Clark,” He says to the sprawling city below, to Clark alone, hand covering his mic. Clark feels his cheeks grow warm, his smile bigger. He has been mulling over their kiss continuously since it happened, wondering if it was just a one-time thing, or a mistake, or not at all. It even fit, with their opposite lives and opposite routines and hectic days with emergencies whisking them away every waking, working, and wrong moment. If they simply didn’t have the time. But maybe Clark had been too worrisome.

Bruce raises an eyebrow now, shoots him a glance. “Now wipe that grin off your face, you look ridiculous.”

Right, the interview. Clark clears his throat, swallows, reaches into his bag where it’s sat between his legs to pull out his notebook and pen. The interview is routine, a welding of the carefully crafted charade of their civilian identities and superhero personas used to speaking in code through comms, static crackling in their ears.

They fall back into it easily. Clark asks him questions about the new power plant, Bruce’s ideas of sustainability. His opinion on subsidies and the involvement of the government. Bruce has an answer for all of them. Next to Clark, the assistant types furiously on his phone, squinting through his glasses. He does a slight nod with his head subconsciously every time Bruce answers a question, revealing his hawk-like perception and interest over the company, probably ready to step in if mr. Wayne were to make a mistake. Bruce sure knows how to pick them.

He dares to make Bruce chuckle and a scrape of his throat, just once. Bruce makes him laugh in return, hard. The assistant doesn’t comment. Sometimes Clark is glad of the world between them that nobody knows about. Sometimes he wants to shout it off the roofs. That Bruce Wayne is not a vapid asshole, that he cares. About his friends, his family. The people of Gotham. That he is Bruce’s friend.

It is all unnaturally natural, now that they are more, becoming more. As if nothing has changed. As if it has always meant to be this way, and they simply didn’t realize it yet. The same banter, interview between CEO and clumsy reporter that they’ve done so many times before. Only now Bruce’s smile wrinkles the skin around his mouth. His eyes glisten at Clark and he knows he is the one to have that effect.

They reach the lab and Bruce’s expression falters. Clark is not allowed to enter, but there’s a promise of more in the way Bruce says goodbye to him. A text, later, that asks if he can ‘please just come over tonight. cave at 3 am’. As Bruce and the assistent walk off, the helicopter pilot asks Clark if he needs a ride back, or anywhere at all. Clark lies and says he’ll take the bus. He smiles the whole flight back, cape flapping behind him in the wind at inhuman speed and the cold air on his face does nothing to cool down his fast beating heart.

#write write #superbat

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rhysmademedoit · 9 months

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So...

I recently rewatched the 1997 movie Batman and Robin, which was a mistake, but probably not in the way you'd expect. I have a lot of opinions about this movie now. In fact, I have so many opinions that I need to make a tumblr post breaking them down before I go crazy.

Let me say that I went into this movie with an open mind. It's a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad, movie, but I do genuinely think it has some interesting points. I'll start with the casting.

George Clooney is legitimately the worst Batman ever put to the silver screen. He's just playing George Clooney. I've seen him do a good job in other movies so I have to assume he read the script and decided to just phone it in.

Chris O'Donnell actually does a much better job as Robin in this movie than he did in Batman Forever. He and Batman feel like an actual team this time, even if Clooney could be carrying his weight more. The actual character O'Donnell plays in this movie is fairly over the top, but I think he does a good job grounding him in the reality of this movie.

Arnold Schwarzenegger actually really fits Mr. Freeze in a weird way. His cold, mechanical delivery evokes the Terminator, proving he still has what it takes to play a villain. The problem is that Mr. Freeze himself is TERRIBLY written. EVERY LINE HE SAYS IS AN ICE PUN!!! He's probably the single worst part of this movie, but I don't blame Arnold for that, he did a good job with what he had.

Uma Thurman is another actor I've seen do a great performance in other movies. For some reason, she decided to play Poison Ivy like she's Rita Repulsa. That might work for Power Rangers, but it feels really out of place here. It's a shame since I think Poison Ivy in this movie had a lot of untapped potential.

Alicia Silverstone is an actress I haven't seen in anything else, so I don't want to judge her too harshly. She's just... not very good in this. Not bad necessarily. I don't know if she wasn't given enough direction or didn't understand her character or what. Batgirl is actually a kind of interesting character who, like most things in this movie, doesn't get fleshed out enough. She does have some sweet moments though. Most of them are helped by the real star of the show...

Michael Gough delivers what has to be the greatest Alfred performance of all time, and definitely HIS greatest Alfred performance. And why shouldn't he? By far, he has the best scenes and the best lines in the entire movie, elevating the entire thing from a cheesy kids film to something that actually has a little maturity. Singlehandedly he becomes the sole reason to rewatch this movie. The "soul" of the movie, if you will.

I guess now it's time to talk about the plot of this movie. I'll be covering it in very broad strokes so I don't end up writing this forever.

From the get-go, two things are VERY apparent: (1.) This movie's visuals, lighting, and set design are awe-inspiring and (2.) A lot of the dialogue is absolutely HORRIBLE. It feels unfinished. Mr. Freeze looks jaw-droppingly epic in his suit with pitch black eyes and a glowing blue mouth, but it's all downplayed by the fact that he never has anything even remotely interesting to say. When Batman is saying lines like "Hey Freeze, I'm Batman" I just picture a little annotation next to it in the script saying *write a cool opening line here.

After an admittedly good fight scene with Mr. Freeze, we're introduced to one of the main conflicts of the movie: Batman doesn't trust Robin. I actually really like that premise. It feels true to the characters while also making for some interesting drama. Hopefully we see that same concept taken on by a better movie one day.

Next up, we're introduced to Pamela Isley, who gets turned into Poison Ivy... somehow. The movie really doesn't make it clear. I think they wanted to do a similar thing to Catwoman with Dr. Woodrew being her Max Shreck, but they plow through it before you even have time to think. Oh, and Bane is here too. I didn't mention him because he's just a strong henchman for Batman and Robin to fight, and honestly might as well just be a giant plant monster. In fact, he kind of is a giant plant monster, since Venom in this movie comes from Poison Ivy's plants. Whatever, on to the next scene.

At stately Wayne Manor, the movie does a really good job setting up that Alfred is getting older. He's a lot slower to respond, gets tired faster, and all around just looks much older here. We're also introduced to Barbara... Wilson?? I actually think making her Alfred's niece instead of Commissioner Gordon's daughter makes a ton of sense for this movie. After all, what better way to flesh out Alfred as a character than showing him interact with family? And as I said before, these moments are genuinely very touching! I love this stuff!

Gotham Observatory, another gorgeous set with a giant statue holding the observatory in the air. Pamela says some really interesting things to Bruce here, and in many ways she's right, the elite should be focused on saving the planet rather than exploring the stars. I think she could've used her hypnotism on this entire room and gotten what she wants immediately, but then the next scene wouldn't happen. Also Bruce Wayne randomly has a girlfriend now? She's only in two more scenes and is really forgettable. I don't see what the point of her is.

This is probably the scene most people think of when they think of this movie. I don't actually have anything to say about it that hasn't already been said, but there were some lines I do genuinely find funny, like when Batman says "You don't have the money," and Robin replies "I'll borrow it from you!" Batman having a credit card is dumb but in a fun way that I can appreciate.

Mr. Freeze shows up in his tank and steals the diamond, and a car chase ensues. The scene of Batman actually capturing Mr. Freeze is actually pretty funny, but more importantly, that point of conflict between Batman and Robin is brought up again. It's actually a really interesting moment because although Batman was genuinely saving his partner, the entire reason Robin wanted to risk his life was to prove himself, an attitude which came about because of Batman's overprotectiveness. It's pretty complex stuff considering the movie it's in.

I like this scene in Arkham because it shows how the patients detained here are treated inhumanely, but the movie doesn't do anything with that which is another huge missed opportunity. At least we get a nice little nod to the last movie's villains.

Plot twist! Barbara isn't actually the sweet uni student you thought she was, she's actually a street racing punk who wears leather and despises authority! The visuals of the street race are stunning as always, but the part that sticks out to me the most is how she completely slams Bruce and Richard for their treatment of Alfred. They've always thought of him as family, but in reality he's just their servant, and now we have his actual family member coming in to challenge them. It would be super compelling stuff if they actually focused on it for more than two seconds.

I can't find a good picture, but something about the set design of Mr. Freeze's lab feels really cheap. The set itself is cool but the lighting design feels oddly bright, almost washed out. It gives off a kids TV show vibe, not helped by their encounter with Bane and Poison Ivy which is really cheesy. There's a good moment of banter between Batman and Robin to let us know they've reconciled, and Arnie does a good job showing the stress Mr. Freeze is under, but that's about it. If you saw this scene on TV with no context, you'd think it was a made for TV movie.

This next part is really silly. Why would Poison Ivy want Mr. Freeze to freeze all of Gotham? Wouldn't that kill all of her plants? The part where she seduces Commissioner Gordon is probably my favorite scene of Gordon in this entire quadrilogy, he really does a good job playing up the goofiness. The biggest problem is that the plant-infested GCPD headquarters looks really cheap. It's like the opposite of Mr. Freeze's Lab: the lighting is beautiful but the actual set looks so fake. Speaking of things that look cheap, what's with that Batgirl costume? It doesn't even look like a bat! This is probably one of the dumbest scenes in the entire movie, but it's still kind of sweet that they show Robin still trusting Batman after everything that's come between them.

I've been leaving out a lot, but the fight against Poison Ivy and the fight against Mr. Freeze actually are back to back. The Gotham Observatory is a beautiful set to stage the finale on, even if the actual plan makes no sense. There's also some nice moments of teamwork between the trio where you see how well they work together... or at least they would be nice moments if the three of them had any chemistry together at all. Seriously, this needed another draft. The fight scene isn't anything to write home about, but I do really like Batman's speech to Mr. Freeze at the end. It really shows the evolution of his character. In Batman 89 he was a hard edged antihero and a bit of a psychopath. In Batman Returns he became more bold and confident, but was also willing to open up emotionally. In Batman Forever he gave up his vengeance streak to become a more pacifist hero who only kills in self defense. Now, in Batman and Robin, he's willing to reach out to a man who almost killed the entire city, and to say to him that there's still a good man buried deep inside him somewhere under all the ice. It's too bad George Clooney is still phoning it in or it would have a lot more impact.

I know this movie has a lot of problems. I know I have a lot of problems with this movie. I know that one of my biggest problems with this movie is its cast. And yet somehow, watching the end of this movie, where Alicia Silverstone, Chris O'Donnell, and George Clooney put their hands together and agree to be partners, I couldn't help but feel excited to see them return. I want to see them come back in Batman Unchained. I want to see them fight Coolio's Scarecrow and Joker's daughter Harley Quinn with Batman hallucinating about Jack Nicholson's Joker. Heck, throw Man-Bat in there as well! And Tim Drake as the next Robin! And let's stunt cast everyone because why the heck not.

But that movie's never going to happen now. Even if they made a movie with that exact plot and everyone reprising their roles, it wouldn't be the same. It would just be nostalgia pandering.

There's one scene I left out, but it's arguably the best scene in the entire movie.

Alfred's lying in bed, dying. Bruce says to him "I've spent my entire life trying to beat back death. Everything I've done... Everything I'm capable of doing... but that can't save you." And Alfred responds by saying "There is no defeat in death, Master Bruce. Victory comes in defending what we know is right while we still live." They embrace. Bruce says "I love you, old man." Alfred says "And I love you, too." They smile. It's a beautiful scene on it's own, but it hits even harder because of Barbara's rant to Richard before. When Alfred says "I love you" to Bruce, it resolves his entire character arc in the movie. His search for his family has come to an end. Bruce is his family. Richard is his family. The Wayne's were his family. Batman is his family.

In short, this movie sucks, but I've come to appreciate the little strands of brilliance that live on inside of it. I may even like it a little more than Batman Forever. Just a little though.

Here's to hoping we see the trio of Batman, Robin, and Batgirl return to the big screen in the future. Have an ice day!

#batman #robin #batman and robin #1990s #review #retrospective #batman movie

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thegongoozlerreacts · 6 months

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Welcome Home: Halloween Update

well hey would you look at that !! the website got updated for Halloween!! very very excited for what new stuff we've got this time

(also yes i know this update came out a while ago i just didnt have the time to check it out until now ok !?!?!? its been weighing on my mind since i found out about the update)

spoilers under the cut

lowkey got jumpscared from the change LOLOL

Wally is so cute!! and Home's little witch hat?? and the drawings on the rock too??? adorableee

OH MY GOD !! THEY CHANGED THE LITTLE PIXEL ANIMATIONS TOO???? IM EXCITED TO SEE WHAT THE OTHER NEIGHBORS LOOK LIKE IN THEIR COSTUMES

ok heading over to the News page for more info on the update

OMG COOKBOOK PAGES??? what if i cooked these recipes. lets see what exactly they are before i'll decide on cooking them (or trying to cook them LOL)

'Our source has yet to send the full book. I don’t understand why. What is it worth to leave it out? Ripping out pages… What a waste. It takes so long to get everything off of them. Still, we’re patient, aren’t we. If you are reading this, please hurry.'

kinda ominous... i do wonder why they cleaned up and sent only a few pages maybe theres smth up w the whole book?? maybe they dont have the whole book ?? or maybe like, it was just like that and the book's pages are just separated and messed up very interesting

THERES A WALLY DARLING COSTUME?? NO WAY ?? dude its sooo insane how theres just so much merchandise and stuff for this show but its just all lost media like how did that happen?? only time will tell i guess

ooh and another audio recording !! im excited to check it out !! listening to the neighbors' chat and interact with each other is so entertaining

something big is on the way after Halloween, maybe a Christmas/New Years thing?

'Don’t forget to wave down below!' hmmmm sus past news updates have ended with 'don't forget to wave up high' so why is it different now? cuz its Halloween? maybe something to do with Wally's costume being that of a demon?? this change is very interesting

i dont have any idea what it could mean or why it changed, just that it is significant so i guess its time to move on

time to check out the merchandise page!!

omg !! so cute

first the cookbook

OMG ITS SO CUTE !! LOOK AT THEM THEYRE JUST SILLY LITTLE GUYS !!

oh my god. the little rice crispies in the shape of the neighbors faces. GRAHH SO CUTE !!! also Poppy and Sally !!

FRANK AND JULIE !!! also Julie is SLAYING that outfit i want to have that too

now i want to make these. hopefully i'll be able to in the future

how did Wally get even CUTER WTFFF also Barnaby as the caramel apple thats so. it fits him very well

next is the storybook record

yo !! this is an AWESOME cover !! also everyone's costumes?? SALLY's costume?!?!? she is SLAYING that look tbh

wait im laughing at the crispy sweets cereal LMFAOO it was endorsed by them so it makes sense but it just looks so out of place

"However, this particular audio rip skips at 16:56 and quickly jumps past Sally’s dialogue to 18:51. Although the sound between these times is incomprehensible noise, we have transcribed what we could." interesting, i wonder what sorts of secrets are hiding in that alright time to listen

very creepy opening but that makes sense since its a halloween thing

SPITS OUT DRINK BUG SPOTTED i will click the bug after checking out all the new merchandise stuff

the bug is in the way of the transcript lmao

'The Macabre Menagerie of Monstrous Mischief-Making' so is that what Halloween is called in their universe? a fun but very long name lmao

"They ought to make one for the Narrator, though..." aww

the more Sally audio i listen to the more i love her

SALLY: [Scoffing] Oh please, dear narrator! Of course they have!

NARRATOR: Of course.

so the characters are aware of the Narrator?? damn then Sally and Poppy really shouldve made a treat for the Narrator

im laughing at the hesitation the Narrator has when declaring Barnaby's costume lmao??

im cackling

BARNABY: Oh yeah, the invitation said it was a Macaroni Macramé Marmalade Moose? I ain’t sayin’ all’a that, I think Terror n’ Treats is better. It’s got a little genie-say-quoff to it!

SALLY: Wha— t-that’s je ne sais quoi you— You beast!!

somehow Barnaby manages to annoy almost everybody pretty easily (and by everybody i mean Frank, Julie and Sally) its very entertaining

also i agree that Terror n' Treats is a banger name i think that the very long name is the name of the party and not the holiday but either way both names are very fitting for Halloween

the ba-dum-tss when Barnaby makes a pun is sooo funny

i think Sally is like the embodiment of that one tumblr post where its like 'we should normalize nicholasnames. extending names instead of shortening them' or smth its very funny

'Magnificently Marvelous, Majestically, Mystifying Macabre Menagerie of Momentously Monstrous Mischief-Making Celebration' im amazed at how Julie managed to make the already long name even longer AND keep the alliteration

'Is that my favorite regular over there? Gang way!' i ship

'Oh! Did Frank bring one of his fancy molds again?' I SHIP

the Narrator's voice sounds familiar but im not sure why

NARRATOR: Julie waved her hand up excitedly and- Was that thunder? It’s a beautiful day outside!

he sounds so shocked lmfao sounds like something realll spooky is going on

Eddie being the only one being jumpscared by Julie lmfao

WALLY: [Underneath the others’ laughter.] Ha. Ha. Ha. …I don’t get it. Ha. Ha. Ha. IM CACKLING LFMAO

HOWDY: You better believe it, Sal! -So there I was at the counter of Howdy’s Place!- The home of everything you need and everything you don’t, by the way- Just mindin’ the shop, wipin’ down the counters as I do. Admiring the array of wonderful products that you, too, can purchase and enjoy—

NARRATOR: I think we ought to save the advertisements for television, Howdy.

now i understand why he reminds me of an old-timey radio announcer because he's lowkey literally a walking advertisement and i can respect the dedication to be a real-life in-person midroll ad

Howdy sounds genuinely scandalized that his product got marked down so far it became 100% off also?? Eddie genuinely being afraid of this too?? im cackling

SALLY: You… can’t be serious!

HOWDY: As serious as a heart attack! I was practically GIVING IT AWAY! But what was the buy of the century left unbought?!

SALLY: [Laced with sarcasm.] I’m… dying to know.

HOWDY: It was… The very sheet I’m wearing!!

EDDIE: [Eddie screams again!] I knew it!!!

HOWDY: Available now for only… For only… 100% off! [Howdy lets out a sound of anguish as he begins to dramatically cry]

NARRATOR: Barnaby patted Howdy on the back as the caterpillar cashier cried into his shoulders. Maybe these stories are starting to get scary…

im laughing im cackling theyre so silly so funny

'He held the flashlight but it… It’s upside down. Barnaby could you turn that rightside- Oh, thank you.' HELP?? pls. love that

WALLY: Yesterday, I went on a walk. I saw a kite, stuck inside of a tree. When I kept walking, I saw Barnaby. He was practicing his ball-balancing tricks. Then, I saw Eddie delivering the mail to Poppy’s house.

[He paused.]

…Oh! I almost forgot. I also saw a bug, sitting on a leaf. It reminded me of Frank. After that, I turned around and went home.

SALLY: …And what part of that story was supposed to be scary?

WALLY: Oh. I don’t know if it was scary. I had a nice day.

FRANK: Well, I liked the part in your story about the bug, Wally.

this is so cute?? Wally's just the most a silly little guy the music while he was talking im laughing

SALLY: [Sally begins, her tone serious and grave.] Have you ever wondered… Why it is that we stay indoors every night?

oh im kinda scared of this now

'...It is because this town is rumored to have visitors at night… Something from deep within the forest, far beyond the hills and mountains… No one knows what it wants or where it’s going, just that it is persistent.. Just that it arrives here.' very interesting, wonder what it could be and how true it is

and now the audio's glitched out on 'what it is searching for' and it scared the crap outta me glitched out audio is scary as hell

oh wait what ?? the audio came back and it is very clear huh... i wonder why the restoration team couldnt hear it because its not in the transcript and they mention that the audio cuts out at 16:56 and comes back 18:51 and right now there is audio at around 17:16

fascinating

see look this is in the transcript instead of what shes saying right now

[Sally’s Audio is inaudible. If listeners can make out the audio, please help to decipher it with us and your fellow fans. Thank you.]

ok Sally's story about the supposed creature that comes up at night scared the shit out of me and what makes it scarier is how clear the audio is like it doesnt have any static-y noise like the rest of the audio, its very clear

then when she stops talking i was waiting for a jumpscare but it was just Poppy walking in with some treats

NARRATOR: Oh yes, thank you- To all you out there on this Terror N’ Treats night, eat plenty, be merry, and be careful… You never know what will come rustling and scratching into the night! Happy haunting and don’t forget to wave up high!

[The NARRATOR cackles villainously as the audio draws to a close.]

bro the Narrator's evil cackling is terrifying also !! 'don't forget to wave up high' !! it makes the inversion of it on the News page stand out more because its not just a Halloween thing, right??? this official Welcome Home merch storybook audio says it the way its always been said before, so why is the News update different???

very very interesting

well then time to move on to the final new merchandise

THE WALLY COSTUME !!! it looks so goofy LMFAO

truly amazing

now that ive seen everything on the merch page, time to check out the new bug video

the bug is cute tho but its a spider and i am afraid

its called listen

BARNABY: Oooh Sally, you’re killin’ me! So much gabbin’ just to explain why you’re dressed like a clown! …Come to think of it, I should’a known earlier— ya do look a bit funny t’me.

LMFAOO BARNABY !!!

ok so this seems to be a continuation of what happens after the storybook audio, or like at the very least connected to the party its all the neighbors chatting with each other which is very cute

the video started with the usual static that the other bug videos had, and the transcript says 'The camera (?)' so its safe to assume that this is from Wally's perspective

ok uh the video and audio started distorting um.

OH I JUST NOTICED THAT THE CARAMEL APPLE STARTED MOVING

zooms in randomly on the caramel apples in the shape of the characters

i think thats a Wally one behind the Howdy(??) one

a bite was taken out of the apple and no one was shown to have grabbed or bitten it so. i think this is canonical confirmation of Wally's weird thing where he stares at a food, blinks, and then theres a bite taken outta it cuz thats how he eats i guess??

hmm the transcript is a little interesting too, but i might just be reading too much into it

'[Visual ID: Something… Has happened to the apple. A bite has been taken out of it, I think.]'

'[There is a brief pause. What is he doing.]'

hmmm could Wally be the one writing these transcripts?? idk these little things remind me of the way that Wally talks (and of the things he's said before)

'[It sounds like Barnaby pats the camera.]'

further confirmation that its Wally's perspective

and like all the other bug videos, it ends with the audio glitching on Wally's name and static

wait ok so i went back to the distorted part and i thought it was weird that if the perspective WAS Wally, then why is the camera not looking at the apple?

and then i remembered that the video briefly zooms in on a caramel apple with Wally's face

and it might just be the video distortion but it looks like it blinks and after that the apple has a bite taken out of it

but thats obviously not Wally so maybe its more of a hint of whats really happened for anybody who doesnt know Wally bites with his eyes

well to end this on a less scary note and more of a spooky one,

!!! THE STICKERS OF THE NEIGHBORS IN THEIR COSTUMES!! SO CUTE !!

well, thats it for the Welcome Home Halloween update byebye !!

#welcome home

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a-tale-of-legends · 2 years

Text

Fancy Dresses

Summary: Felicity finds a young Naomi hiding under her bed, sniffling to herself with her favorite blanket. A conversation is had.

Notes: This is your reminder that Naomi is trans. She's 8 at the time of this small story, 3 years after Soul's death.

I'm making a point to not use Naomi's deadname here, partly because I never thought of it and also because it's honestly unnecessary. So I'll just be referring to Naomi as Naomi outside of dialogue. Within dialogue, she'll be referred to with nicknames and gender neutral terms ( something that both Soul and Felicity were doing long before Naomi was born anyway). Hopefully this isn't too confusing.

_ _ _

" There you are!" Felicity gasps, crouching under Naomi's bed, seeing the sniffling child curled up in a ball. She holds her favorite blanket- one that Felicity thought she outgrew- snuggling close to it fit comfort.

" Hop's been worried sick," Felicity says, sliding her hand out to her child, " What's wrong, pup? Hop mentioned something at school...?"

Naomi sniffs, wiping any tears threatening to fall. She's silent for a bit, then speaking in only a whisper.

" We....we got to dress up today. For a mini play. I-I saw a fancy dress in on of the boxes,".

" Mhmm..." Felicity hums, patiently waiting for her child to continue. Naomi visible becomes more shy, bringing her blanket to her face.

" I wanted to wear it. I thought it was really pretty. B-but," Naomi begins to sniffle again, wiping her tears before they could fall, " but Mandy took it away and said boys can't wear fancy dresses. She called me silly,"

Anger quickly flares in Felicity's chest, one that she quickly extinguished. That is for later. Comforting her kid is more important.

" I see....did you know that your father would wear dresses?" This peaked Naomi's interest, as she pokes her head out from underneath her bed.

" Really?"

" Yep!" Felicity sits up from her crouching position, tapping the floor next to her, gesturing for Naomi to sit with her, which the young child does.

" Did he wear fancy dresses?"

" The fanciest. Did I ever show you those pictures?" Naomi shakes her head no, " Remind me to do that later. He was absolutely stunning. Make a girl swoon, I tell ya," Felicity fans herself, getting a giggle from Naomi.

" Mum!" Naomi giggles, giving her mother a playful push. Felicity chuckles, bringing Naomi is close for a side hug.

" Your not silly for wanting to wear a dress. Boys can wear fancy, or any type of dress if they want to. Mandy is the ones that's silly," Felicity says firmly. Naomi smiles a bit, looking up at her mother, but slowly looks down, her smile turning into a frown. Oh?

" But....but I don't want to be a boy in a fancy dress. I want the be a girl in fancy dress,"

Oh. Oh. Okay.

" That's fine," Felicity rubs Naomi's shoulder, rocking her a bit, " You can be a girl in a fancy dress. Or a girl in any dress. Or a girl in anything,"

" You'll still me my little melody," she boops her daughters noise, causing Naomi to blink. Her eyes see to shine a bit, but there's still the underlaying worry in them.

"Really?"

" Really,"

"....Would Dad still like me as a girl?" Felicity's heart shatters.

" Oh sweetheart, of course! Yes, he would still like you as a girl. He loves you no matter what, okay? No matter what,".

" R-really?" Naomi squeaks, inching closer to her mom.

" Really, really."

Felicity brings Naomi in for a hug, to which Naomi gladly accepts.

" How about we go shopping? We can get all the fancy dresses you want....that we can afford," Naomi's eyes shine,a grin spreading across her face as she jumps up.

" Really?! Oh, yes please!" She starts running out the door, " I gotta tell Hoppy!" She exclaims, and Felicity can hear the front door open and close, with the child screaming for her best friend. Felicity never heard Naomi scream so loudly.

" Hear that Soul? She sounds so excited...." Felicity lifts herself up from the floor, dusting herself off. She looks up at the ceiling, maybe even past that, her eyes becoming glassy, " I wish you were here to see her face. Wish you could share that moment with us," She sighs, and starts to walk about of Naomi's room. She hears two children screaming now, their joyous yells probably being heard all the way to Wedgehurst.

Felicity chuckles again, and heads towards her room. She should still have that old sewing equipment with her....

#r rambles #legendverse #oc: naomi einar #i really hope this wasn't confusing #i just wanted to write something sweet #soon after this naomi actually ends up choosing her name Naomi #and yes hop kinda already knew. especially from his experiences with Leon #the ending is set up for Felicity to make naomi a dress from stratch #only it takes 2 years to complete due to work taking care of a child by herself and her just not being the best at it #she got it down eventually and naomi loved it so much

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schwender-exe · 6 months

Text

Devlog #2

Hello all again and welcome to devlog #2!

First up, we have tiles! While not the final look of them (to be honest I drafted them up to try them out, but I kinda dig the simplistic look?) they'll be what's making up the terrain in the game! After playing around with it for some time, I found it a hell of a lot easier to map out levels/rooms with these tiles than the old system I had in place.

Originally, what made up the terrain was Polygon2Ds with collision added on top of them and while it was easy to use, it made the terrain a bit to one-toned for my liking and made plotting out levels a bit of a nightmare because I could do any shape or angle or whatever with it, which sounds nice but... well a bit too much freedom can kill my creativity which is why the limitations of the tiles feels like the right balance.

Moving on to what's next: the curse I wrought upon myself. To be more specific? The story vs gameplay and my failure to plan ahead.

I'm not one to plan things out much, I tend to just go with the flow and address problems as they come into view, but that's been biting me in the ass for a bit now. You see, I sent out a test build about a month ago to some dev friends and I got some feedback which has stuck with me. "You need something in between when you arrive at Chloe's abode and when you meet Chloe." (Chloe being the mushroom-headed character). The reason it stuck with me is because I realized, while I had a story, I didn't really have much in terms of gameplay to smoothly fill in the beats in between. The problem with trying to shove gameplay into a story which didn't account for that, well... You can imagine it didn't go well. So here's my new plan. I'm scrapping the story I have so far and will be re-writing it with new gameplay in mind that'll hopefully flow together well. What kind of gameplay? well that's a tough call. I've been juggling ideas around in my head for weeks and none seem to stick, so far I've managed to get a swimming/floating kind of movement in game which seems fun, but I'll have to tinker around with it more before I can say it 'fits' anywhere. If anything, it was at least a fun exercise in the new state-based character controller I've made this time around for the player.

Well what about combat? That's always an easy one, well... I've shied away from that for some time as I thought combat would move the game in a direction of becoming like most other platformers out there where slapping in combat is a simple solve-it-all glue you can put anywhere. If I'm going to add in combat, I want it to be interesting, unique and of course, fun. I'll be experimenting with more movement options, possibility of combat, the use of items, etc. and will be sure to update next blog post with what I achieve.

Moving on from that, I've also been experimenting with dialogue! I've added on to my dialogue code and have added dialogue portraits which, I'm not sure how I feel about as of yet, honestly. I don't think I have enough to base my opinion on whether I'll keep it or not as I like having the dynamic poses of the overworld sprites. I might have it as a toggleable feature in future as to give players the option to view the overworld sprites or the visual novel-esq sprites.

I hope this devlog was an interesting read, I know I didn't seemingly make much in terms of progress, but with the circumstances I'm in it's been a bit of a bottleneck in productivity. I hope next devlog I'll be in a better spot to provide more to show.

#gamedev #godot engine #pixelart #pixel aesthetic #pixel #art #indiedev #gaming #artists on tumblr #devlog

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paper-cloud · 3 years

Text

i. the crushing weight of what happens next

part of "(there will be a) tomorrow"

fandom: prospect (2018) characters: ezra, cee rating: T words count: ~3K context: post-canon general warnings/tags: see series masterlist warnings/tags for this chapter: ezra's pov. angst. not graphic descriptions of wounds, blood and amputated limbs. mentions of minor characters' death. (probably very) inaccurate but anyways vague descriptions of medical treatments and post-anesthesia symptoms. taglist: @ravensmutty @buttercup--bee @thegreenkid (again, thank you all for your interest and encouragement! :3) @krissology @ezrasarm @bonktime (please forgive my nerve, i won't tag you in the next chapters unless you'll explicitly ask me to! just thought about someone else who might be interested and you guys are AMAZINGLY talented and inspiring "prospect"/ezra writers. it's not my intention to waste precious moments of your time! 🤡

[SERIES MASTERLIST] [MAIN MASTERLIST]

He'd have thought it was almost ironic – opening his eyes to the light only to see nothing. To feel pain.

He'd have laughed about it, most likely. A bit later, he'd have acknowledged it was a reasonably fair compromise; for him and any other wretch that'd ever dared play dice with darkness and miraculously made it out alive.

And in the very end he'd come to laugh at himself, too.

He knows the drill. Someone who trades their own life with the contract of the highest bidder doesn't see the universe in black and white, let alone is in a position to draw the hypothetical line between the two of them.

Must be an even more wicked universe than he's ever cared about, then.

At least, that's where the struggle of opening his eyes made him stumble upon; when a blade of light thrust through that hint of a gap he'd pushed himself to create in the middle, resonating through the dark coils of unconsciousness like a harsh, unforgiving bell.

A skilled mariner over silky rivers of natural redundancy and rapids of professional edges, Ezra is a man who can appreciate a sharp wit when he recognizes one.

That was too much even for him.

Floundering in between a blinding whiteness and a black hole that wasn't even completely black, but permeated by a thick, suffocating haze that filled every ghost haunting his mind with its stench. With the color of diabolically lush leaves.

Forest— spores— poison— death.

It hadn't been enough to let him dangle in apnea above a roaring vortex of lifeless emerald; take him away from the grey flow whose elusiveness he'd come to appreciate more than he'd ever hated to endure its chaos— from the bubble built on the routine series of one last jobs that, in the end, never really were.

There'd been a moment when, from the higher parts of the room, his pupils tumbled down, tripping over a patch of green discreetly lurking in a corner.

He almost threw up.

It had taken him a while to clear out the misty grit clotted in his corneas— focus on white walls, light wood paneling... a harmless seedling in a pot.

He'd breathed heavily, deeply. He sure hadn't got much relief from it. Still, he'd been able to hear its sound, louder than he'd ever heard it before, the musical, cooling mesh of oxygen particles in and out of his lungs almost begging his fingers to be touched.

Oxygen.

Fresh air.

Had he been less sore – less convinced it was just the residual effects of anesthesia pulling pranks on him –, he would have burst out laughing. Even more so if some poor soul of the medical staff nearby would have called for reinforcements from the other side of the space station before storming into his room.

He'd be laughing now, too. The best he can manage is sitting on his bed, leaning his back on the headboard – which is what he's struggling to do right now— and well, sometimes the room lighting still slightly bothers him. Of course, with all the painkillers and antibiotics they've given him, he wouldn't feel like the wound on his stomach is swallowing the entire arsenal of stitches and bandages.

He just wouldn't like her to get the wrong idea.

He blinks several times, like a man who no longer trusts his eyes. How can he, when they're burning like that, in such a different fire from the one from days before – damp and flickering? For reasons he can imagine, she seems to be faltering. Totally beyond his comprehension, he could swear she's smiling at him. Something inside his ribcage creaks oddly, while the curve of his chest arches upward.

"Birdie."

It's just a huff of breath, weak and hoarse, yet scratches his throat all the same, in a way that its walls feel studded with rock spurs. Actually, Ezra doesn't remember talking since they left the Green behind – which, being him, is saying something – and it's like an eternity has passed since their pod docked up there.

The nurse who let her into his room has just left and Cee sinks her hands into the pockets of her sweatpants. She's still smiling— just the faded shadow of a smile, now that he takes a better look at her.

"How's your wound?"

It sounds a lot less plain than he expected.

She hasn't moved towards him any further, and for now she's not showing any hints at wanting to. In her irises, Ezra recognizes thumping stars and cerulean clouds, all clustered in the black circle cut by the large porthole next to his bed. All before catching the thin mist veiling them. As if she did want to reach those stars, let herself get carried away by those streams of bluish dust, but she had no idea how or what to do there.

He looks down, the borders of the bandages over his abdomen slightly raised under his black short-sleeved tee. He clears his throat.

"S'healin' nicely", he says, with a deliberate lightheartedness that costs him a sharp, bizarre inflection in his voice. He closes his eyes soon after, tilting his head condescendingly. "That's how the nurse feels about it, anyway... S'not like I can feel much more right now."

This reminds him of those vacuous moments between brief, chaotic waking states and delirious dreams. When he'd managed to reconnect some essential key points scattered around in the talks of surgeons and nurses; the weariness he felt from simply gathering he was on a space station due to enter the orbit of Mesos in three cycles and something standard hours. All while his only solid reference point – the only indisputable proof he was still alive – was the sequence of beeps chirped by the medical monitor perched nearby. Constant, not monotonous. Friendly, even. Sometimes, he actually comes to miss it.

"A trust fall to the extreme, I'd guess", he snorts, a sly laugh as weak and heavy as the words trudging out of his mouth. As the whole rest of him.

Whatever answer she's considering, Cee freezes it in a quick purse of her lips – maybe a nod, but for his own good he'd rather be doubtful. Then she starts looking around.

There's a chair under the board firmly anchored to the opposite wall – probably a desk or something he's never needed to test, whatsoever. She grabs it and puts it next to his bed. She sits down, bringing her legs to her chest, squeezing them in her arms.

Waiting for what, Ezra has no idea, and he's afraid she doesn't have any, either.

He doesn't speak, though, nor does he encourage her to do the same. Her pearly gaze roams steadily but unhurriedly from him to somewhere beyond him, her nose buried in the gap between her knees. He studies her carefully, two purple crescents above her cheeks, a few hair strands swinging down her face without her wiping them out. The nights she's slept through haven't been any more peaceful than his.

Trust, he recalls in the meantime.

It sure brings an odd taste to his mouth. Something close to sweaty spacesuits, grimy paths and gone-off ration bars. A single word for two human beings forced to share the same air filter for days; that, and the image of a dead body left to rot miles behind and the desperate commitment not to end up in the same way.

His gaze just happens to trip over his right side, taking in the deflated sleeve over the emptiness that saved his life. When he lifts it back to the girl, meeting her eyes just before they can flutter away, he realizes they were both looking at the same spot. And he realizes something else— something he's already understood, yet not quite.

There is no tube binding them now.

"Why d'you do it?", he mumbles a split second later, almost like somehow the thread of his question has immediately knotted to the one of his previous thought.

He huffs. He shouldn't even have asked her, in all honesty. Seeing her like this, at least he should have put it in another way, danced around it, it's not like he’s never been good at stalling, after all—

"Comin' back", Ezra says instead, and when he swallows, he mainly does it to send his heart back down his throat. If he'd died without being given the last chance to be this straightforward on this matter, he would have probably kicked his ass all the way to the other side.

This time, Cee doesn't avoid his gaze. He shouldn't be surprised by how collected she looks, given the calmness she handled his infected arm with and then told him about when she used to slip into Jata Bhalu carcasses. But he can't help it when he thinks she can't be much older now than what she was then.

He watches her breathing in, wobbling her pupils here and there, seemingly considering his words. She's not afraid, not any more than what she seemed to be when she walked into his room. Maybe she's just better than him at playing pretend – but this, he can't tell whether it's more of a good than a bad thing. Especially for her.

One thing he can tell is that she's not the same girl who pointed a trembling gun at him before running away into the woods. He knows she's not afraid.

He knows...

So is it the hunter's instinct he has to blame if he feels she is?

"Guess I've seen too much death on that forsaken moon to just... turn my back on one I can help– one I can do something about."

If he was standing in front of an entire mountain crumbling down into the ocean, he wouldn't hear its sound. ‘Wouldn't even be the worst he deserves. She did hesitate before adding the last few words, but Ezra refuses to believe she did that because she was afraid of hurting him. He may be a wretch, but not a fool.

Kevva, for a man who's always managed to untwist himself from far tougher situations with the tangles of his tongue alone, he's sure having a deal of trouble – and he wishes he could put all the blame on his current physical condition.

There is no word he doesn't have to weigh carefully now, to prevent it from taking too sharp edges once out of his lips. He may float around it forever. But once he's let her go without saying anything, he'll hardly find the courage to look within himself again, more than after any other job that hardened his hands with calluses and tarnished his eyes with blood.

He doesn't know for sure. In fact, everything he was sure to know – about the turning direction of the universe and the one of the wheels in his head – has already collapsed in front of him, tracing a flaming tail. An unforgiving meteor following a trajectory far beyond his grasp.

He just knows silence scares him, in a way that a wrong word will never do again. It terrifies him. More than as a talkative person, as a castaway on a hostile moon for too many cycles to keep their count – with the only company of a mute. Silence is green; the green of the most poisonous pollen, lethal in his brain just like toxic spores enveloped in his lungs. The green of snake scales ready to stand and scratch his flesh until liquid crimson pours out of it.

And at the end of the day, this is the only fucking thing he can tell himself to know without having his guts churning and chest heaving a beat later.

"Stop looking at me like that."

It's more of an exhausted prayer than an annoyed remark. Ezra blinks, stunned by the sudden return from the shapeless stream of his thoughts.

"Like what?"

"Like you're looking for the words to thank me", Cee settles back into her chair and this time she lets one leg touch the floor, "Tell me you owe me, and you– you're sorry about what you did."

Ezra sniffles. "Would it be bad?"

"No, it—". She closes her eyes for a moment, clenching her jaw. "Just no good", she breathes out, calmer.

And the discordant note in those words conjures up ghosts not yet vague enough for Ezra to be able to tolerate them without something twinging inside him— like a violent flutter of wings. Voices groping their way up ravels of compromises. Damon, deep in the forest. Himself, with the mercenaries in the Queen's Lair. Cee, days before that. After he—

She's right— those words she hasn't said yet, but whose shadow he feels looming every time he catches her wetting her lips.

Some things just can't be split evenly.

"This is not the Green", she states, suddenly more confident but no less exhausted. "If you're going to hang around just because you need to, once we reach Mesos¹ you'd better be on your way."

Ezra doesn't interrupt her. A faded echo starts making its way into his ears. A former prospecting partner, many years ago. An easy job on a forgettable Fringe moon.

Gems don't have an expiration date. Deals do. Strike 'em if you need to, get rid of them as soon as you can. Unless you care to dig a quicker way to your grave.

He didn't pay attention to it, then. He'd thought it was just the empty rhetoric prospectors drop absentmindedly to fill the time between an unrewarding digging and the next. All the more so under the rickety advice of a couple too many.

His eyes still wide open, hands shaky, he merely reciprocated the awkward bottle lift of his partner, whom he didn't know more than the meanders of that quarry. A toast to a faceless future – a nothingness still more reassuring than what was all around and behind them. Not to the darkness of the cave, basically unbreakable if only for the red halo thrown by the twinkles of sharp, sinister Prystines². Not even to the two poor bastards that had set out with them, ending up skewered a few hundred paces behind – one by mistake, the other to return the favor of saving him from the clutches of a furious Aiu³.

Like an idiot.

Several contracts later preventing him from missing a beat in front of similar hiccups, the logic of that statement no longer sounds so absurd to Ezra. Luckily for him, Cee understood it long before him.

"I was just lookin' for the words to tell ya you'll be better off without me—"

Half a truth. Half a heartbeat. After all, she isn't the only one of them who knows how to sell it.

He leans his head back against the headboard, eyes half-closed, a sly grin baring a couple of his upper teeth. It would almost be intimidating, except that the glint hitting them doesn't quite match the dying one in his eyes.

"—But you beat me to it", he finishes, and he sounds like he's about to fall asleep.

He slowly turns his head away, looks through the porthole. His gaze clutches to the passing asteroids outside, distant nebulae spraying the sidereal black with hues of purple, blue, red— then green, again. A climbing plant squeezing him from the inside, discomfort starts creeping on him an inch of his body – what's left of it – at a time.

He doesn't want her to think he's angry at her, and it's the only concrete foothold emerging from the fluid, magmatic chaos in his mind.

How could he be, when she came back to get him?

She didn't have to.

She doesn't have to be here, either...

"I'm sorry", she suddenly blurts out.

He meets her eyes again, a mix of bewilderment and disapproval shading his own. He shakes his head.

"Don't."

"I just—". She starts fiddling with the extra fabric created by the folds of her sweatpants. Then she sighs deeply. "I have no idea what I'm gonna do now."

He snorts. "Not that it's s'pposed to make you feel any better, but... neither do I."

He doesn't have a hazy helmet choking the glimmer in his eyes, an air filter breaking some frequencies in his voice— maybe just those making him sound sincere, while saving those trapping him into the swamp of self-loathing.

He was nothing but honest when he told her the rules of the game on the Green. When he openly admitted he was a killer, and when he assured her he wouldn't trade her for the Sater's Aurelac. And she's always seemed to believe him, maybe for that kind of desperate inertia that washes over people when they need something to cling to. Whatever the case, Ezra can only hope she wants to believe him now. But she doesn't speak, and for a moment his fear of not saying enough overcomes that of crossing her boundaries.

"But w—", he immediately bites his tongue, "—you still have three cycles to figure things out. Someone up here will be able to help you. Even so, please know you'll always have my most sincere gratitude."

The effort of lining up all those words and so few pauses to catch his breath casts a thick fog over his ears. His eyes suddenly hurt again and he finds himself squinting.

What happens next, he just records it, hardly managing to follow each cause-effect relationship. A series of events softly raining on him without making a noise, while he can quite imagine them to be way more prolonged in time. Cee leaning towards the lighting panel on the wall, sliding her finger counterclockwise, and the white coating the walls turning less painfully bright; her getting up, walking away, dwelling just before the door. "I'll come to check on you tomorrow", she says, sniffling.

She tilts her head, holding his gaze in her watery one for an agonizingly slow while – Please, don't ask me why.

He blinks once – Of course.

Then, the automatic door is once again engulfed by the wall, closing behind her with a metallic rustle.

Tomorrow.

His heart is taken by a spiraling jolt that leaves an empty cave behind. When it falls back into place, Ezra finds something has tripped in there, shapeless and quivering like the nucleus of a newborn star.

Hope, terror and everything that lies in between.

___________________

NOTES:

1) Mesos — Invented planet. Its only raison d'être is that "mésos" in Greek means "middle" and my intent was to frame this story in a moment of transition (after those of movies) for both Ezra and Cee. 2) Prystines — Invented kind of crystals. They're implied to be huge, red and very sharp, thus endangering the path through the cave. 3) Aiu — Invented predator, ideally a big feline.

A/N:

Yeah, uhm... at this point, if someone was ever to give me any kind of feedback, constructive criticism or random thought, I think I'd just melt into a puddle for the attention alone. And to all those who came all the way down here, your bravery shall not be forgotten. ♥️✨

In my defense, it's (almost) all P**** P*****'s fault & of his habit of taking orphans under his wing from one planet to another.

I know people in the fandom generally tend to make Ezra and Cee go along straight away after the movie, so this will be a slightly different take on things, I guess... But even if I don't know if I'll keep this series going atm (life & maturity exam suck), a final reconciliation is definitely on the way. ;)

Oh, and any beta reader that should feel like helping me out for when I'll have the next chapters ready is warmly welcomed! My DMs are always open and I swear I don't bite! :3

#prospect (2018)#prospect movie #ezra (prospect)#cee (prospect)#pedro pascal #sophie thatcher #my writing ☁️#geez what tf did i write this so long for?#it's all sadness and insecurities and introspections #hopefully i'll fit more dialogues in for the next ones...#which means kevva help me when i'll have to put my hands on that verbose space rascal's dialogues #i already know i'll ruin him but i really don't want to but he's so fucking intimidating but—#*goes hiding in her cave*

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bylaudelekha · 2 years

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i was tagged by @sevarix-writes, thank you for this! looks fun :)

disclaimer: i swear i know what capital letters are my fic titles are just really bad

what's your all time favourite ship?

obviously claudeleth. what did you expect me to say?

how many works do you have on AO3?

i have 13! all for fe3h.. for now ;)

what's your total AO3 word count?

i.. actually didn't know this was a thing before lol 29,375! that is. a very Big number.

what are your top 5 fics by kudos?

for 2021 (and basically all time, since i only joined in february 2021): 5. strawberry dresses and fashion shows: a fluffy yurileth fic i wrote for var's birthday!

4. A Reunion in Abyss: the one (1) fic i wrote for yurileth week day 1

3. A Blind Mercenary: one-shot featuring a blind byleth

2. the dragon awaits: my current wip, featuring a nabatean!byleth and claudeleth

1. The Almyran Sun: my longest fic to date! making up quite literally half of that total word count (also the messiest thing i've ever done but shhh) featuring claudeleth obviously.

what's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

i'll never do this again, but it's a professor of crimson, a deer left behind. can be read as a claudeleth fic for that extra Angst

what's the fic you've written with the happiest ending?

right i have three for this one as i am an indecisive little shit. either:

Training and A Confession (fluffy dimivain)

how many years has it been, khalid? (claude and his oc half-sister i made reunite, with obvious minor claudeleth)

A Reunion in Abyss (mentioned above, ends in yurileth kisses)

do you write crossovers?

i haven't yet, but i have a few ideas! no idea how to write them though lol (my multi-fandom brain still goes brr regardless)

have you ever received hate on a fic?

nope! everyone's been super nice so far :)

do you write smut? if so, what kind?

no i don't (and do not wish to), i'm a minor and ace lol

have you ever had a fic stolen?

i hope not? i'm not really sure where and how to check lol

have you ever had a fic translated?

not that i know of! once i know how to write in french and bengali i'll hopefully be able to translate my own though!

have you ever co-written a fic?

i used to beta one of my friend's fics (dee if you're out there-) but i don't think that counts lol, so no i haven't. seems fun though!

what are your writing strengths?

i have no fucking clue. next question.

what are your writing weaknesses?

you might want to sit down, grab a pencil or something. my dialogue always seems very stilted, i'm not good at making scenes flow, characterisation is shitty, pacing jumps everywhere, too much repetition, i literally cannot focus on one wip for my Fucking Life.. there's more but i can't tag this as a long post anymore so. onto the next question!

what are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

i think it's very cool! i've read a few fics like that and it was super interesting. i might give it a go sometime, see if my private school education (they teach us fucking latin here send help) is paying off lol

what was the first fandom you ever wrote for?

i wrote for mha two (?) years ago.... on wattpad..... but we do not speak of those days. only One other person knows of that and they're not even on here anymore, and i deleted my wattpad account so you're never finding me out >:)

what's your favourite fic you've written this year?

i'm not really sure if this fits since it's a wip, but the dragon awaits is so much fun to write! dragonleth is Very Nice to write :) and as much as i bash it, i do have a special place for The Almyran Sun in my heart.... first multi-chapter i ever stuck with and actually completed lol

Tagging:

@indigowallbreaker @umbralstars @sergeanthopeless - no pressure though! - and anyone else who'd want to! please tag me in yours if you end up doing it! would love to see it :D

#ask games #writing #fanfiction #tag game

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rpg-elf-girl · 3 years

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Shadows House

I have a lot of thoughts surrounding this particular show, both good & bad.

Allow me to give a quick summary for anyone who hasn't seen/read it!

Shadows House is about 'a faceless family of nobles who all live within this giant manor, the Shadows House.

When a Shadow comes of age they receive a 'Living Doll' to both serve as their face and to clean the soot they emit from their bodies.

The most important rule of the living dolls is "don't fret over trivial matters"

A task which is difficult for the ever curious doll Emiliko.

Watch this tale unfold as Emiliko & her mistress Kate navigate this ever mysterious Manor together.'

For a fan of slow burn thrillers, horror, slice of life, supernatural & mystery series' this has been an absolute blast!

It's not quite the combination of genres you'd expect from a show, but it works really well here!

In fact I was so into the anime that this is actually the first show where I broke down and read the manga!

Unfortunately there's no official English release, but at least there are some people translating the series!

As much as I'd like to go on about the manga, this post is meant to be more so about the anime so I'll (try to) leave it at that.

Though i feel obligated to warn anime onlys I'll likely refer the manga a lot in a spoiler section latter in this post I'll try to be vague but I can't guarantee anything. For anyone worried about that I'll lable it do you can read on until then.

Everything from the animation to the music was amazing & completely fit the mood of the story! I remember a couple scenes where I actually teared up because of this!

The Ending theme is an absolute banger! I've listened to that on repeat ever since I first heard it! And the Opening is also great! It's cool for it to be an instrumental, stuff like that is pretty rare! I also heard the song in the op as a motif in the music throughout the show! It really sets the right mood in each scene it's in! It's amazing for getting into each episode!

In terms of adaptation almost everything from the beginning to the end of the Debut arc was done amazingly well!

Even with the stuff they cut it still holds true to the spirit of its source.

The main important part that was cut is something that could easily be introduced latter if they decide to go for a second season, so I'm not too mad about that.

However! Everything after the debut is a bit of a different story.

There was a lot I liked about the last couple episodes but there were some parts that were immersion breaking for me.

I've been being vague up until this point l, but I'm planning on going into spoiler territory for both the anime and manga after this. So I'll make a quick spoiler free summary of my thoughts before moving onto that.

I really really loved this show but in my opinion the last 3 episodes were the weakest of them all. They went anime only for the ending. I don't mind that on it's own, but it was rushed and the writing was sloppy at times.

Now I'm not telling you to not watch the show! Most of It's really really good, and I can still see people enjoying the parts I'm talking about if they want to give the anime a try. Overall I've fallen in love with this series and I could never recommend it enough.

If what I'm saying is giving you bad vibes the manga is available and doesn't have the issues I've mentioned. You can look for a translation online, it didn't take me long to find one so don't worry too much about that.

Also! if you're an anime only who's finished the series and want to know where to pick up the Manga I'd recommend at least skiming through the beginning. I know it might not be what you're looking for but there were a bunch of small scenes that either got cut or were merged for adaptation purposes that I think are super cute & give more context to different aspects of the setting. However! Pay close attention during the "night watchers part" something important got cut .

~~~Now for spoilers!!!!~~~

I don't want to make it sound like I'm some manga purist who hates the very thought of the slightest change from the source. I'm anime only for a lot of different shows and I've always despised it when that type of manga reader reared it's ugly head.

While I'll admit some changes did bother me I won't make a fuss about the smaller stuff.

With that said!

I hinted earlier in this post that I didn't have a big problem with Robe-same being cut. That was because without them there it does make for a more complete story if they only get one season to work with.

If there is another season they can easily be introduced latter on. Like maybe Emiliko & Shaun can meet them when the Debutant class reunion is going on before they talk on the roof (or right after that) I actually think that would be the perfect time to introduce them (other than the time they were supposed to appear, but I digress)

Louise teaming up & being friendly with Kate can be explained with some dialogue changes at the first Debutant Class Reunion. Louise can say she was just trying to show off or that she just wanted to get back at Edward and that she isn't interested in helping Kate with her problems. Things can then go on as they did in the manga.

Kates being reckless & telling everything to John can be explained by her being extremely panicked when Emiliko went missing, as long as there are some lines of dialogue adressing this it's fine. Though I do wish she tried to keep some stuff a secret but couldn't because Shaun tries to interfer because he's still brainwashed, or something along those lines. It felt a bit weird after she just told Emiliko to keep that stuff between them. Still that could be explained by how panicked she was.

There are other things, but I don't want to drag the post on too long. Most of the issues can be fixed with little changes here & there.

I never had a problem with the idea of them going in an anime only direction. I just want to have a good time with the show.

Unfortunately I can't 100% vouche for the direction the show went in. There were elements that I can't excuse, even viewing it as it's own entity instead of an adaptation.

My main complaint with it is how they handled the brainwashing of Ricky & Lou. They didn't say a word when the Debutants were talking badly about Edward & even went along with a plan to go against him. It makes absolutely no sense!

Shaun freaked out when John only suggested that he didn't have to be loyal to the house. These guys were flat out rebelling against an adult! It felt like Ricky & Lou didn't have a purpose & were just there to be there.

The whole point of the coffee is to influence shadows against doing stuff like this. It makes the coffee seem pointless and the adults seem dumb for relying on it to control the kids.

I haven't even brought up the fact that both of their brainwashings were broken by something as simple as a few kind words. It straight up contradicts the rules established by both the Anime and Manga.

This becomes very apparent when you consider all the trouble John & Kate went through to free Shaun & Emiliko.

This was my biggest complaint, but I have some other issues as well.

The next big one is how they handled Edward.

1. Why on earth would he even consider kidnapping Emiliko when he had complete control of the childrens wing? Before this point he was depicted as being a lot more crafty than this. He could easily have Kate monitored or something.

2. Why didn't he use his powers to stop them like what he did to Maryrose & Rosemary when they fought back being taken to the adults wing? He's already shown off his power at this point, why not?

3. Why did he reveal his soot powers at all!? Especially while using his face in front of the kids! The whole unification thing is one of the biggest secrets of the house for good reason! There's no way he wouldn't get in huge trouble for exposing it to children!

Here are some other related questions.

Why didn't Kate, Emiliko, & John react to Edward using soot powers? They shouldn't know about unification yet so why didn't they act shocked, or say anything about it?

Is Edward being banished even an option in the Shadows House? Wouldn't the third floor lords just dispose of him rather than risk letting him leave?

How did John even get a veiled dolls outfit? Louise had to use her powers to get Kate one & she left a long time ago.

I can't think of much else at the moment, but I think you get my point.

Please don't take this as me saying that I hate the show because of these episodes. Even if I consider them the weakest of the series I still found a lot of parts to be very enjoyable!

Like I thought it was adorable When Edward was attempting to interrogate Emiliko & she kept being her sunshine self pretending to eat & falling asleep.

Barbara getting to tell off Edward for breaking the rules was great!

I loved seeing Shaun hatch the plan to get Kate into the adults wing to save Emiliko.

Seeing John (attempt to) sneak around the adults wing had me rolling!

The ending scene of Shaun, Ricky, & Lou singing gave me the chills.

(Though I wonder how they'd handle Shaun & Emiliko being brainwashed again since they already used the scenes where they're freed)

Kate & Emilico being propelled by John back to the children's wing was absolutely amazing! I found Shaun & Ricky running over to catch them to be super sweet! (Not to mention the way that scene was animated was absolutely gorgeous!)

Getting hints to what was supposed to come after the debut was nice, at least the groundwork is there in case this gets a season 2!

To (try to) wrap this all up while there were a lot of things I loved and disliked about this show I still had a really fun time watching it!

I kinda hope there's a season two just to see if they can tidy up the mess that the last few episodes created.

Regardless of whether that happens or not I came out of this with a series I absolutely adore.

Heck I could make a whole other post about the manga. (Hopefully one that's less ranty)

Anyway! I won't take any more of your time.

I hope you all have a wonderful day/night! And I hope to see you in my next post!

(Sorry if this one was a bit of a mess!)

#Shadows House #Shadows House Review #Shadows House Anime #Shadows House Manga #anime #anime review #seasonal anime

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