#this is just my quick interpretation it's just based on ~vibes~

[maniculum]

Bestiaryposting: Wutugald Results

All right, time to see what everyone came up with for the Wutugald! Again, if that statement confuses you, you may find an explanation at https://maniculum.tumblr.com/bestiaryposting . If you want a refresher on the description the artists were working with, here is the original post:

This was a pretty good creature to start with, I think; the random number generator did us a solid with this one. It laid to rest some concerns I had: will people be able to put aside their real-world knowledge of these animals and draw as if they had never heard of them? Yes, apparently -- a number of comments and notes indicated that several participants had guessed what the Wutugald was, refrained from sharing that information, and drew something that fit the description while being nevertheless a fully distinct animal. I was also concerned about some of the upcoming entries that specify a type of animal (bird, serpent, &c.), wondering if that constraint would be a problem -- but a number of people drew some Very Good Birds for this one, so I feel reassured that future entries that are Explicitly A Bird will still be material we can have fun with.

So, let's see what people created. I'm putting these in roughly the order in which they appeared, below the cut:

@cosmic-flora (link to post here) produced this in Paint pretty shortly after the original post went up, and posted it with a brief explanation of their design decisions -- they were the first but not the last to interpret the rigid spine as spikes and the single tooth as a beak, and also to provide the creature with claws for digging.

@silverhart-makes-art (link to post here) was also quick off the mark, posting this the same evening along with an explanation of their design process. I'm genuinely impressed by how quickly they were able to draw something so naturalistic -- this went up within like four hours of the original post. This was also the first (but again not the last) to include an apparent reference to the Wutugald's ability to change sex by including both male genitalia and noticeable teats. Also, I wonder if the coat pattern on the baby is a sneaky reference to the animal this is based on, as Silverhart does indicate that they figured it out.

@elodieunderglass (link to post here) created this rendition, which I think does a good job at capturing the vibe in the bestiary entry, of a creature that the medieval author clearly sees as discomfiting and somewhat sinister. That is a grin that makes me worry about the critter's intentions.

@geeoharee (link to post here) posted this along with a brief explanation of their design decisions. The human face and the speech bubble are great, I think -- it makes me smile. I think this is the first non-mammalian Wutugald, but several more come later.

@sweetlyfez (link to post here) drew this with a dip pen, apparently, which is cool. Also this might be the cuddliest-looking version, but my desire to hug it probably says more about my own sense of self-preservation than anything else. That is a cute face, right? It's not just me?

@cinqueform (link to post here) produced this wonderfully medieval-styled image. We can see here the ruler-straight spine and the depiction of the Wutugald's sexual ambiguity, as well as a human-like face for imitating speech. Also a very nice stylized letter W.

@rautavaara (link to post here) has also done a medieval-style rendition, which is excellently sinister in presentation. That is a Worrying Creature. It's also the first (but again not the last) avian interpretation of the Wutugald, which I think really works. Also I'm not sure if this is a sneaky nod to what the animal actually is, or just a case of "great minds think alike", but Rautavaara's interpretation of the rigid spine is very similar to the one in the actual Aberdeen Bestiary illustration I will show y'all at the end of this post.

@spontaneousmusicalnumber (link to post here) posted this along with a brief explanation of their design process. I think they're right about the side pattern being appropriate for a bestiary critter.

@strixcattus (link to post here) did another avian rendition of the Wutugald complete with a fantastic lengthy reinterpretation of the bestiary entry through the eyes of a modern naturalist. Seriously, go check that out, it's very good.

@fidgetyhands (link to post here) provides this image of the Wutugald along with an explanation of their design choices. They also note that limitations in terms of artistic material are probably relevant to a lot of bestiary drawings.

@jamiethekeener (link to post here) gives us this Wutugald in the act of digging. She instructs that we should not ask why her interpretation of Wutugald ended up being so unsettling, which I cannot deny that it is. (That smile... that damn smile.) I also want to highlight the interpretation of the rigid spine as a shield-like plate along the back.

@thewhetherman (link to post here) gives us this rather-frightening-looking creature, along with a brief commentary that definitely ups the spook factor on this whole thing.

@bruncikara (link to post here) also went with a medieval stylization, with a very period-appropriate pose and frame. We can see again some digging claws and a nod to the animal's sexual ambiguity. Wicked-looking single tooth, also.

@mobileleprechaun (link to post here) has given us what I think is our only invertebrate Wutugald by interpreting the rigid spine as a shell and the single tooth as a radula. Shown here with its half-lion offspring.

@illogarithmil (link to post here) has also taken inspiration from medieval bestiary art, noting the unusual color and perspective choices typical of the genre. Note the straight tail, the skull, and the doorway in the background -- presumably into a tomb of some sort. The diamond-pupilled eye is striking.

@qwertyprophecy (link to post here) gives us this Wutugald who manages to strike an excellent balance between "cute" and "villainous". Like, I would expect to see these hopping around to signal that the Protagonists have entered the Sinister Fantasy Kingdom, but it's also kind of adorable. I think the gemstone pupil helps with that vibe. Vulture face is for easier eating of corpses, I assume.

@aaclysm (link to post here) provides both a final version and a "messy bus sketch". We can see the stone-like eyes, the single tooth interpreted as a beak, and the rigid spine interpreted as a carapace. Kind of griffin-like vibes, which I'm enjoying.

@scarlettbookworm (link to post here) gives us this drawing, which has some delightful details. I like the lines on the shadow, which I assume is meant to indicate the magical effects associated with it. Also love that the Wutugald's ability to change sex is acknowledged by giving it a little trans-pride flag to wave with its tail. I believe the text in its speech bubble is intended to be word-salad, demonstrating that it imitates but does not understand human speech.

@pachelbelsheadcanon (link to post here) gives us another very cute Wutugald. (More of these than I expected are downright cuddly.) I'm particularly delighted by the attempt to take the whole "single tooth that closes like a casket" thing at its word and make it work. They provide in their post an explanation of what's going on with that and some other interesting zoological details of their creation. I also enjoy the idea that the Wutugald talks like bot-generated spam.

@changeinenthalpy (link to post here) has produced this fairly-intimidating-looking critter. This definitely looks like something that could dig up and eat a corpse if it wanted. Nasty claws on that beast. The shiny gemstone eyes give it an unsettling gaze also.

@aethergeologist (link to post here) gives us this creature, which I both want to pet and also want to keep a healthy distance from because those claws look like they could mess you up. They provide an explanation for their design choices in the linked post.

@karthara (link to post here) has added to our store of avian Wutugalds, and includes a brief explanation of their design choices in the linked post. I like how happy it seems in the side view -- all excited about its corpse-digging plans for the evening.

@moustawott (link to post here) created this delightfully prehistoric-looking beast, and provides a detailed account of their design choices in the linked post. I think the snapping-turtle face really works here, and this is probably one of the most dangerous-looking interpretations of the Wutugald.

@cattorneyatlaw (link to post here) has drawn an unusually porcine Wutugald. Probably one of the spookier pig drawings I've seen. They provide an explanation of their design choices -- including "why a pig" -- in the linked post.

@curiouslyodd (link to post here) has given us a Wutugald with a very unsettling face and an interesting fur pattern. In the linked post, they not only provide an explanation of their design choices, but also a detailed and well-written reinterpretation of the bestiary entry based on the animal as they have drawn it. Go check that out.

@treesurface (link to post here) has done an interestingly chimeric Wutugald, and includes a brief explanation of their design choices in the linked post. I like the head particularly.

And... hm. We're not going to be able to fit all of the images in one post. The limit is thirty, right? Stay tuned for a bit, I guess. The remaining Wutugalds will be in a reblog of this post, along with the reveal of the animal's identity and the Aberdeen Bestiary's interpretation of the creature.

#maniculum bestiaryposting #wutugald

[minecraftbookshelf]

Life Series Scarring Headcanons: Part 2

All the disclaimers and explanations are on Part 1, so if you haven't seen that one yet, I recommend hopping over there real quick.

Some of these do get a bit...graphic? Specific? Something along those lines. I kind of split the middle ground between Video Game and more realistic injuries. (Did I spend way to long thinking about specifics of murder and death for this? I plead the fifth.)

This one is Grian, ImpulseSV, InTheLittleWood, and LDShadowLady

Lessgo!

Grian

Third Life: In my mind's eye Grian has always turned to look at the sky after his leap from the cactus ring, so the death blow was to the back of his head.

Last Life: Scott killed him when the late-game reds banded together to hunt down Grian and Joel. The other members of the alliance dealt damage, but Scott got the final hit in. Grian was fleeing at the time, so the scar is on his back, above his wings.

Double Life: Because sonic booms don't leave external evidence so much as they remove your insides from anything vaguely approaching a solid state, there isn't a scar as such from this death. There is a mark though, mid-mass. (it is not concentric circles, that's just what I put on the diagram to mark the location)

Limited Life: Fall damage again, based off the "camera angle" the general vibe I got was that Grian could have tried to catch himself on his hands as he fell. From that height, it was futile and there are faint marks on his wrists where the bone poked through as well as the actual death blow to the side of his forehead. Bird Man needs to stop falling off things fr.

Impulse

Third Life: Bdubs shot him after Scar gave him a clock in the most infamous backstabbing in the series to date. Usually when Bdubs shot someone I place the mark a bit lower, but they were on a bit of a hill at the time.

Last Life: In what was something of the fashion on the Last Life server, Scott shot him. He was trying to flee when he was shot, so I placed the mark at the base of his skull. (If only they were able to wear helmets)

Double Life: Pearl killed Bdubs with a blow to the front, so Impulse has a fainter scar from that death.

Limited Life: In the new contender for most infamous backstabbing in the series (poor Impulse has some rotten luck here) Martyn pretended to go along with the "disarm and fight it out" plan only to turn on them and seize the victory. Impulse wasn't wearing his armor, so the final blow was a sword through his torso that severed his spine.

Martyn

Third Life: Martyn died in the Battle of Dogwarts, to an arrow from Scar. Due to how helter skelter the melee was, I opted to have it be an off-center shot that tore the side of his neck, so it is not a clean mark. (It mirrors Ren's on the opposite side)

Last Life: He was blown up by his own end crystal, (probably triggered by a potion Scott threw) which was placed level with the top half of his body and he was literally right next to it facing it. He didn't even have time to try and shield himself with his arms.

Double Life: He died when Cleo took fall damage while fleeing from Pearl and her dogs. This is one where I took some creative liberties and opted to have the fall damage interpret as a tree branch that Cleo landed on with the full force of their own body weight, impaling herself by accident.

Limited Life: Whether going with his time ran out or Grian smote him, either way it is a death by lightning and the scars are lichtenberg figures down his chest and arm and a little bit his back. The smitey-lightning always goes for the heart, so he and Scott match now. (it also leaves a mark on the sole of the foot when it exits the body and enters the ground, but that doesn't show on the diagram.)

Lizzie

She has only perma-died in one season, even though she has technically been in two. In Last Life she ultimately died to fall damage while trying to fight back and escape from BDubs when he betrayed the other reds. Her scar is hidden by her hair.

-

Part 1

Part 3

#trafficblr #life series #third life smp #last life smp #double life smp #limited life smp #grian #impulsesv #inthelittlewood #ldshadowlady #rain rambles #life series headcanons #traffic life scars

[jaime-brienne-fic-exchange]

Your enthusiasm continues to surprise and delight us!

For the fourth year, y'all wanted to close out the year with some lovely gifts to fellow fans. It’s a low-key, inclusive exchange meant to celebrate our favourite knights! All fanworks are welcomed (and encouraged!)–art, fic, fanvids, any creative endevour!

Already convinced? Sign up here!

Need more information? Read on!

Important Dates

Signups: November 23rd - November 30th Assignments out: December 1st Posting Window: December 21st - January 1st Stocking Stuffer Prompts Released: December 21st

Rules

This is a low stress exchange, and the rules are simple:

1. You create one (1) fanwork, and receive one (1) fanwork. 2. If you can't complete your gift on time, please let us know as soon as you do! Life happens, but the sooner we know the easier it is to deal with. 3. For recipients: no specific, detailed scenario prompts, only a list of general likes/tropes/vibes and your squicks and triggers. For gifters, we encourage you to sleuth out any questions for your prompter yourself (anonymous tumblr asks are a great option!). If you cannot, reach out to us and we'll do our best to get back to you. 4. Have fun! This is a short period exchange, meant to round out the year with a little extra joy. You don't need to paint the Mona Lisa or write the next Westerosi novel, we promise.

FAQ

1. Who can participate? Anyone! Artists, writers, vidders, poets, interpretive dancers are all welcome! 2. What do I need to do? When you sign up, you’ll provide three general ideas of what you like--tropes, vibes, nothing too specific!--for your creator to work from. Once sign ups close, you’ll be assigned someone and you’ll need to create a fanwork for them based off the information they provided. It could be a short fic, a piece of art, a poem, a vid, an interpretive dance, whatever you like! There is no minimum requirements, but as a rough guideline, think of it as something that would brighten your day if you received it. 3. When do sign-ups open? Signups run from November 23rd to November 30th. It's a short signup period, so make sure you don't miss it! 4. What if I can't finish something in time? Please send us an email at [email protected] to let me know and we'll do what we can to either let your recipient know you'll be a little late, or organise someone else to backfill. 5. Does my fanwork have to be festive themed? Definitely not. You'll just be publishing it, or posting it, or uploading it in between December 21st and January 1st. 6. Will my prompts be private? No, they will be released to everyone on the 21st to allow for the Stocking Stuffers. This will be open for anyone to contribute to, not just the people who participate in the main exchange. 7. When is the posting window again? Between December 21 and January 1.

Important Notes:

You must have an AO3 account to participate. If you do not have an AO3 account, you can either request one via the AO3 website or email us at [email protected]

If you have any questions, please email us at [email protected]. This will be a tight turnaround for signups–about a week–so get in quick if you’re interested!

Signups close end of day November 30th!

#jaime x brienne #braime #brienne of tarth #jaime lannister #game of thrones #asoiaf #jaime x brienne festive fest

[9800sblog]

Hi Jes! Have u done something like "what ateez like better, someone cute or someone on the sexier side?" reading?

if u haven't yet, i hope u could do one : ))

thanks in advance ❤️

-🍭

ateez tarot reading

sexy or cute partner

answers are based on tarot and energy interpretation, it's a bit confusing to interpret because they don't talk about these things openly, so don't take it too seriously and don't yell at me if you don't believe in it!

these are vibes for the 27 of september of 2023, opinions may and probably will change in the future but I looked into their birth charts as well to confirm and guide my interpretations with more precision.

most of the cards fell reversed + they're on a break after a heavy schedule, most of them spending time with family and friends, they're mostly in a cuter, more innocent vibe these days, wanting someone to bring home and that will take care of them when they're tired. I can see them wishing someone sexier when their schedules are hectic because they have less free time, sex can be quick but relaxing enough for limited alone time, you don't have to think too much (not that any of them seem interested in casual sex, I often ask when questions are related to relationships and what they prefer in a partner and they always say they don't even wanna try that).

seonghwa

temperance reversed, 7 of wands reversed, 5 of cups reversed

definitely cuter in public, with just a hint of sexy. he thinks it's pretty and interesting, but he's the jealous type so don't be provocative but don't be too conservative.

hongjoong

king of cups reversed, high priestess reversed, 7 of cups, the moon reversed

doesn't feel confident to respond, he may not have enough experience with the question and/or thinks it doesn't matter when you're really in love. but he leans towards someone who is open about their obscurities, naturally more provocative.

yunho

5 of wands reversed, page of pentacles reversed, knight of cups reversed, the sun reversed

he definitely prefers a sexier type, but he is a very jealous man, he needs someone who is considerate and has self control. someone who is considered a sex icon by many would not work with him (basically any celebrity)

yeosang

knight of wands, 9 of wands, death reversed, 4 of pentacles

he wants someone super naturally sexy, drop dead gorgeous, but he's also a super possessive man. his answer is conflicting, but I'd lean towards a sexier partner as long as the entire world knows they're his.

san

6 of wands, the chariot reversed, 3 of pentacles, page of wands reversed

definitely a cuter type but he might like someone that follows his lead, who's able to adapt and do the same things but with a totally different vibe depending on how he feels.

mingi

5 of cups, temperance, 7 of wands, 5 of pentacles reversed, 7 of swords reversed

someone with equal amounts of both. but he is (another) very jealous man, so he'd prefer someone with lots of self control, who's more cute and innocent in public in a very deceiving way, like most people couldn't imagine the things they do and think.

wooyoung

3 of pentacles reversed, 6 of wands, king of cups, the chariot

sexier, powerful, influential, someone who is not on the same level as others, that he can show off, subjected to envious eyes, maybe someone like him who works with their image, a sex icon. but also adaptable, wooyoung is a family man afted all and he needs someone that knows when it's appropriate or not (a+ for the confidence! least jealous man in ateez)

jongho

10 of cups reversed, 9 of cups reversed, wheel of fortune, the chariot

super sexier, like inappropriately sexy, NOT a family friendly person. he does want intimacy, and someone he can show off to his friends and family, so someone who knows how to adapt depending on the crowd, but yes, very very sexy

#ateez tarot #ateez #kpop tarot #celebrity tarot reading

[astraladversity]

I saw that you’ve been looking at Genshin but consider this. RvB/Genshin crossover. Please assign everyone a region (to the best of your ability since we’re still in the dark with 2 of the regions) and vision. For science.

HELLO i have literally thought about this so much. okay not actually that much but I have assigned everyone to elements/nations/weapons a few times in my head bc i love making lists. some of them i have like no comments on though. i also have a couple genshin headcanons for some of them and how I think they'd fit into the world. everything under the cut bc this will probably be a lot and also very rambly (ty for giving me an excuse to share this)

quick notes:

most of these are just based off vibes lol. if there's a specific reason behind assigning someone a certain element/weapon/nation i'll specify why. some of these are very vague lol

feel free to add your own interpretation/ideas i love hearing other perspectives

tried making the different elements different colors but tumblr has limited selection :(

i have no fucking clue how the church family works in a modern/not rvb setting 😭😭

okay here we go

Tucker: Anemo Catalyst

i know he seems like a sword user but hear me out: he makes blades of anemo like his energy sword (kinda like childe's hydro blades, but as a melee anemo catalyst user)

I.. have no idea what nation he'd be from. originally i put him as being from natlan because of the vague idea of him being a warrior or something, but i've actually got no clue other than that 😭

i think he's travelling throughout teyvat and taking on commissions as he goes. probably well known by the adventurer's guild

Church: Cryo Catalyst, Mondstadt

cryo fits so well to me. especially bc most cryo characters have themes of isolation/loneliness/or family issues (same reasons why i assigned cryo to carolina as well)

Caboose: Hydro Claymore, Sumeru

blue and strong. also hydro as a concept fits him in my mind.

Carolina: Cryo Polearm, Mondstadt

carolina and wash are siblings in my AU 👍

her and wash both joined the knights of favonius (KOF) at the same time, though carolina ended up leaving later to decide her own path (probably had something to do with her mother's death also. i think maybe she wanted to find out more about it / or didn't believe she was actually dead and wanted to search for her)

assigned her as a polearm user bc in rvb i headcanon her as knowing how to fight with a bo staff. and assigned her cryo for reasons stated before ^^

Wash: Geo Sword, Mondstadt

the other element i'd assign him to would be anemo, specifically wash post-pfl. but ive put him as geo here bc 1. yellow. and 2. he's a sort of grounding presence around the others and that fits geo to me

Tex: Electro Claymore, Snezhnaya

from snezhnaya originally but moved to mondstadt at some point, which is where she met church.

in this AU i think she's gone missing or tends to travel a lot without telling anyone, so the others are just kinda waiting for her to come back.

i think i assigned her as electro bc i associated it with omega (purple). also it looks cool so

Doc: Dendro Catalyst, Sumeru

dendro's generally associated with knowledge or personal growth and i think that fits for him. he's a catalyst bc i can't imagine doc picking up any weapon other than a rocket launcher as o'malley

Sarge: Pyro Catalyst, Liyue

i don't know why sarge is one of the characters i can most easily imagine in the genshin world but he is. (along w lina and wash)

the liyue qixing has personally banned him from using fireworks. he got a little too enthusiastic about helping with the fireworks display at lantern rite..

catalyst user bc i think he throws explosives (like klee) though i can see him as a claymore user as well.

Donut: Anemo Bow, Liyue

i feel like anemo fits him. idk something something freedom to be himself and express himself how he likes

Grif: Geo Claymore, Sumeru

geo is. grounding. and he's chill. idk it works in my head.

Simmons: Hydro Bow, Fontaine

Tried to get into the Sumeru Akademiya but had his application rejected, then went on to travel to Liyue to pursue his own studies which is where he met Sarge and Donut for the first time

Lopez: ......Khaenri'ah?

Built by Sarge out of scrap ruin machine parts that he found out by some ruins. doesn't have a vision, though I think he fights using pyrotechnics or just, pyro.

Locus: Dendro Claymore, Sumeru

former corrupt mercenary, now trying to be a better person. i think he would've gotten his vision after his redemption arc and to him it symbolizes a new start.

BONUS!! freelancers & co:

North: Hydro Bow, Snezhnaya

i think he and south could both be orphans of the house of hearth or something. maybe they escaped from the fatui at some point (or maybe the freelancers *are* the fatui. theres another au i was thinking of similar to that but its very vague)

South: Electro Sword, Snezhnaya

she's soo electro to me. purple lightning fuck yeah

Wyoming: Cryo Bow, Fontaine

bow because he's a sniper. fontaine because he's british. not much to say here

Florida: Hydro Polearm, Inazuma

Maine: Pyro Claymore, Natlan

CT: Pyro Polearm, Natlan

479er: Anemo Catalyst

anemo bc she's a pilot. yeah

Felix: Pyro Sword, Inazuma

i personally think felix would use a delusion rather than a vision. especially because delusions are like a form of "false" power like power that's created rather than gifted by the gods like a vision is. he wants a vision soo badly but he was never given one so he had to use a delusion to feel powerful, and even then he's being actively harmed every time he uses it bc of how delusions drain their user's life force. could be poetic but im shit at wording it lol

Kimball: Hydro Sword, Sumeru

Doyle: Geo Catalyst, Fontaine

#rvb #red vs blue #genshin impact #david stuff #this is so rambly and yet so vague at points. hope thats okay 👍 #you can tell which ones i've thought about more than others lmao

[hybbart]

Hi! I got a small question, when designing all the hermits and friends what inspired you/how did u make them :0

Hello! Most often I go by the vibes of the player and a (not-so-)quick peak into other fandom interpretations of them.

I consider myself a character artist, I find it easy to come up with character designs usually, so a lot of it just sorta... pops into my brain pretty quickly. It's a lot of just seeing what works too, and sometimes designs get tweaked over time once I've drawn them a few times and figured out what looks good/is easiest to draw/vibes better.

My main goal is the make their designs flow and easy to replicate, since my original intent was to animate them. I don't always stick to this especially for one-off outfits and raau, but fir their base designs, if drawing a particular line feels difficult I scrap it. (Ironically the only exception to this is probably Jimmy's hair part, if you look at rougher sketches I tend to simply not draw it cause it's the hardest part of his design for me, it's always the last thing I draw on him.)

The hardest thing for me is to put my design ideas into the context of the style I've chosen for them, which I don't think I always succeed at, scott's design for instance I think falls a little too much into my regular style rather than my mcyt style but I didn't know how else to convey the prettiness I wanted to give him back when I first designed him.

After that it's more individual inspirations for what I think would be fun to do with the character.

I'm not sure if that answered your question, hopefully it did!

#ask #notes

[the-owl-tree]

Also, on the topic of Crowfeather: do you think it comes off as him pressuring Leafpool to run away with him, or is it just me? Because the fact she was so resistant until her argument with Cinderpelt and Spottedleaf vaguely telling her to "follow her heart" and she knows best for herself? Yeah, I don't buy she would've nessecarily done it if he didn't keep going "c'mon let's run away together Leafpool come onnnnnnnnnnnn :(". IDK, what are your based thoughts?

okay quick disclaimer i havent read tnp in forever this is just me doing a quick scan of twilight + author statements + vibes

i think it depends on what reading you're going for because when reading the books and thinking about what the authors are intending, it always came off as a tragic what could have been story. that the two truly loved each other and were sadly torn apart by their other obligations. reading Crowfeather's Trial, this feels like how the new team saw it as well: that the two could have been a couple had they not been pulled apart by other obligations.

however, removing what i think the author's intentions were (or what i think they were), i think there's a lot of room for quite a few interpretations of Leafpool in tnp. i think the text is pretty open about how openly lonely and worried about missing out that Leafpool is. She envies Sorreltail when it comes to her mate and kits, and seeing how the books, unintentionally or not, have established that they believe it is the she-cats role to take a mate and have children, i think you could make a pretty strong argument in interpreting Leafpool's arc as one of her grappling with comphet - which is an interpretation i've always reaaaallly liked. Does she take Crowfeather's offer because she cares about him or because she thinks this is her chance to experience something that will make her "whole"? i personally view it as a mix of loneliness, fear, and faith in starclan that was what pushed her to run away with him, no "true love" or whatever. but that's just my personal reading of it!

#deer rambles #i think you could do some really fun interpretations of leafpool in tnp #what she's grappling with in terms of love and faith and duty #so i dont think there's one correct interpretation

[leafryoworks]

Wine & Whisky

Piece by Piece by :@sm-baby .

I originally write this because I have a thought . Although there isn't many information about Mr Weiss , I wrote this based on my own interpretation on him last night . Mei-Lyn appearance is in here too .

Words : 1623

Happy reading !

Another job well done if he has to say so himself .

Another life he has been brought to justice in court against the king and his little defendant .

Mei-Lyn .

A jester and an advisor , a two package deal . He almost didn’t recognize her with the way she pitched her voice when she was being the jester . 

He almost felt bad .

Almost .

If she hasn’t been silencing all the other women that had been injusticed in this lifetime because of the king’s actions .

But that doesn’t matter , he wouldn’t need to see that little pawn anymore when he’s walking into the old bar of town to down some whiskey on his throat .

.

..

…

Spoke too soon .

It could be any regular pawn he’s looking at sitting down on that very stool . It could also be a coincidence that a pawn would wear that very dress . But the way she sits and brings herself up…

Mei-Lyn ?

No , it can’t be . But when the pawn opens her pretty mouth to ask for some wine , her voice already confirms her identity .

…weeeeell ,this is awkward . It’s one thing to obliterate her on court with evidence but the court was his habitat . This bar isn’t .

He can sense that this place is her natural habitat . 

…nope , just don’t appear in her line of vision . Just blend in the shadows . His coat should help . Don’t make eye contact . Plus , she seems inebriated a bit so another plus .

The dark corner of the bar seems well suited enough for him to reside . It didn’t take long for a waiter to take his order . Plus , he can actually take an eye on her without being obvious .

…dang it , he can’t believe this . He’s stalking a lady ! What would his mother say ?! 

It’s one thing to follow her to the castle but to a bar that feels more personal ?!!

Wait , no . This is just a coincidence . A coincidence that he happens to be here . Besides , he doesn’t have anything else to look at that seems interesting in the bar so it isn’t that bad if he’s resting his eyes on her , right ?

The little pawn on the stool seems to slouch a bit more and the most interesting thing happens . He heard a giggle . It was a small one but he caught it .

And then there was another and another . It was so loud , how come the other patrons aren't hearing this ? This , this soft giggling pawn that’s drinking her sorrows away ?

This miniscule pawn that tried to defend the king and show the papers to the judge before clumsily losing them in her small hands ? This meek pawn that tried to have a say when he cut her words so easily with the truth ? This tiny pawn that he can so easily throw out the window by a simple yank ? Thi-

“Phe hehe hee !”

This small pawn that he’s hearing her softly giggle as she fiddled a cup with her small hands ? This pawn’s voice that’s so meek that you have to kneel on her level to hear ? This small pawn that’s waist he can easily envelop with his one hand…

What is he thinking ?!!

It must be the whisky , there is no way he’s thinking properly with the alcohol in his system right now . He can’t . It’s not logical to be thinking this way right now without something tampering his brain .

He would never feel such a thing , especially at a little pawn known as Mei-Lyn .

“Whatchu doing here all alone , little miss ?”

…oh , it appears in just a quick moment he has looked away , someone already approached her . That’s not good . The guy that asked her… his vibes are off .

Like bad news kind of off .

Like he would…

He just blinks and before he knows it , he’s sitting beside her and giving a sharp glance at the guy . He knows his appearance can be intimidating to many and the guy that looked at her funny earlier quickly backed off before apologizing . 

Psh , more like a baby’s mumble actually .

Mei-Lyn however , turns around to see what caused the guy to chicken out and he can help but sweat under her eyes .

Wait , this wasn’t on the plan ! He was supposed to be sitting on his side of the bar and not interact with her right now !

The only thing his brain told him to do now is to do the right thing .

Shyly look away and hide behind his glass of whiskey .

This is embarrassing .

In court earlier , she was the one looking away from his gaze and now he is the one lowering his head from her eyes .

“Oooh , I've never seen you here before ? Are you new here ?”

…ah , she’s drunk ! Thank god for the alcohol in her system .

“Ah , oh , yes . I am very new here !”

He’s floundering , why is he floundering ?!!

“Psh , you’re lucky then . This place serves the best alcohol in town .”

He knows that , he usually investigates places he’s new at to be more prepared . Too bad there aren't any book guides on this situation .

“Been drinking here since I was at legal age , actually so I’m practically a regular and your senior here .” She gave a small wink at the end that almost caught him off guard .

“Senior , in drinking ?”

Hilarious , he can see why she can be a jester in the first place .

She gives a small hum of agreement before pouring herself a cup of wine and downing it at one go . He thought she was going to pour herself another when she actually surprised him by downing the whole bottle empty in barely a few seconds .

“...don’t you think you’ve been drinking too much ? Like too much wine ?”

He counted that there were at least more than three bottles of wine in front of her right now . How is she going to walk herself back home ?

She glances at him before giving a small pout as if she’s teasing him . 

“Aww , pretty stranger worrying over little old me ?”

He blinked before a blush started coming up to his face as he processed over what she said . Did she just ? It must be so funny as she clutched her stomach and laughed at him .

“Psheheh , oh god ! You should have seen your face ! Kidding , kidding , don’t be mad , I’m jesting ! You should have seen me during one of the King’s parties . People congratulate me as if I ran a marathon over the village .”

“Let me guess ?” He simply offered his glass out , before a waiter poured him another , feeling a bit amused by her drunken demeanor right now .“ You drank a king sized wine bottle and everyone applauded you .”

For a second , his heart felt like it stopped beating when she gave him a small smile . “ Woah , aren’t you right at the nose ? If you were a lawyer , you'd definitely win the big cases .”

He can’t help but tug on his collar a bit to breathe better right now . 

“Well , you can say that …”

Feeling a bit awkward on his stool , he took a sip out of his cup of whiskey to calm his nerves . He can’t believe he’s intermingling with her right now . He later heard a small yawn and a babble before it ended up a small thunk on the table .

Taking a look at her , he noticed that she had conked out on the table . So much for high tolerance . The lighting however highlighted her ruffled hair softly . There’s signs of it being pulled by small hands . Hands that he notices are hers . 

Hmm , must be a bad habit that she used as a coping mechanism . He gently pulled her hands out of her hair , having a bit of a feel of it despite wearing gloves .

…scoff , must be the expensive shampoo she used . That’s why it’s so soft and fluff despite being pulled down by her own actions .

“She always does that after having her 10th bottle .”

A gruff voice came out as someone he suspected as the bar owner . Old and having a little beard , the old man gives a warm smile through his eyes . 

Don’t worry , we have a little room for her when she does this .”

The old man chuckled when he looked confused at him.

“The old wife is quite fond of her so she always keeps her tucked in the guest room that we have at our side of an inn . Not too far , just beside this very oldie building . Your friend ?”

The old man pointed at her head when he realized that he’s still holding her hand earlier . How long has it been…

“We’re acquaintances at best .” He let go of her hand before dusting it off like it was nothing . 

He should go .

Downing his glass at one go and paid his bill, he already stood up when he recognized something akin to a shiver on Mei-Lyn . The night is going cold and that dress ain’t going to give much for her . Logically he doesn’t need to but a simple blink and he recognized his one hand putting his coat over her already .

…nevermind that . This night becomes one too many every time he blinks .

“Sir , please tell her to give back my coat the moment she wakes up from sleep tomorrow . Thank you .”

The old man is giving him a knowing look that’s making him feel uneasy in his boots and he wanted to run off but that would be rude right now . He simply gave a small tip of his hat before walking away . 

The night felt cold the moment he walked out the doors of the bar but for some reason…his face feels hot .

Like embarrassingly hot .

What could it be ?

Must be the whisky . 

Everybody , please give your thoughts . I would really like to know how did I do .

Also , haha , I got a Carnival Ragatha Carnival oneshot that features a reader interacting with her that I might post if there's any people interested ?

#Piece by Piece #Weiss #Mei-Lyn #fanfiction

[paperlovesadness]

do you think “jet skis on the moat” and “body paint” are about miles? or just “jet skis…”?

Heyyy

Oh my goodness. I'm so so sorry for how late I'm responding to this! I remember leaving it aside because I knew I could sit down and write a whole big answer, but then it kind of escaped my mind. But I'm here now! And will make up for it with probably another novel-length answer 🙈

Disclaimers are always: this is for fun. This is one of a million possible interpretations and even I have a lot of those in my head but just choose the 'loudest' one to share. (Sometimes I'll publish an analysis and then have a million new ideas about the song one day when listening to it. Nothing is fixed). This is based a lot on "vibes" cause it's so hard to understand the The Car songs, man.

Okay - so firstly, like I always say with The Car - I do believe that album is first and foremost extremely introspective. And Alex likes to say or suggest in interviews that there isn't too much straight up references to his actual life in there... Now I don't completely believe that? He just definitely doesn't want to talk about them (as usual).

What I see in there is a jumble of emotions and feelings and self-reflection - perhaps done in a less straightforward way than he would do previously. Maybe he did it more instinctively? But there's a strong feeling it is there.

So I do think most songs are just... about Alex's inner workings and feelings (also perhaps why it seems more abstract?) - but do some of those have the potential to refer to a very important and seemingly complicated, undefined relationship in his life? I do believe so.

Body Paint - I've tried looking at from different perspectives. And I'm not sure I found enough to connect it to Miles.

Although - there's a mysterious little detail that I've been overthinking for a while - which is this recurring theme of paint in a few songs. This is probably a prime example of my useless overthinking (and Alex would probably laugh about these sorts of connections being made) - but have you ever noticed:

There's still a trace of body paint On your legs and on your arms and on your face

Exactly the wrong time in exactly the wrong place. Save it for a rainy day. Baby, you go hard in the paint

Or are you just happy to sit there and watch while the paint job dries?

(Body Paint // Anyways // Jet Skis on the Moat)

So like do Jet Skis connect somehow with Body Paint (and Anyways) in themes? 👀

Who knows. But that's just a side observation 😅

Now Jet Skis - Jet Skis being connected to Miles possibly maybe I can see a bit more. With lyrics like:

Come over here and give your buddy a hug

So much for deciding not to let it slide

Because? You know our Milex brains work on overdrive hearing stuff like that. Can it be about anything? Yep. Does it bring to mind a certain someone whose been this man's favorite hug buddy? Also yup. Now extrawild theory territory:

"Deciding not to let it slide" kind of makes me think of how perhaps they've maybe established some new boundaries after crossing a bit too many. Like perhaps one of them went and "killed the joke" they had going in (👀) and after that some boundaries were set. Not letting more-than-friendly things happen. Not letting shit like that slide anymore... Until the next time (so much for that resolution!)

Lights out in the Wonder Park

Your saw-toothed lover boy was quick off the mark

That's long enough in the sunshine for one night

To me lights out in the wonder park is a sad image of something gone by. A wondrous place (jeez. Reference not even intended here) full of fun and joy - but the lights need to go off at some point. It's not real life; it's somewhere you can only go for so long before returning to reality.

Saw-toothed lover boy was probably what grabbed a bunch of people's attention? Miles' crooked, endearing smile (before he straightened his teeth) was something he was known for. And something Alex commented on himself I do believe a few times. (I also do know saw-toothed isn't crooked-toothed. It just sort of evokes that image to me?)

Long enough in the sunshine for one night - to me brings to mind the image of someone being given the full attention they want/deserve. But for some reason can't entirely own. (I can be yours tonight, but not tomorrow type of vibes. That's all we can have - then it's back to "real life". Lights out in the wonder park)

I don't know about the pajama pants and Subbuteo cloke. It for sure evokes childhood imagery. So maybe refers to some specific childhood story? Maybe it's about Alex. Maybe someone told him that they did that in their childhood for fun. Who knows.

And then come the super sad parts?

You know that it's alright if you wanna cry

is obviously so sad even if I can't place it anywhere specific context-wise. (Also seems to evoke Body Paint a bit with "Do your time traveling through the tanning booth So you don't let the sun catch you crying" and "I'm watching your every move I feel the tears are coming on")

And then:

Is there somethin' on your mind

Or are you just happy to sit there and watch

While the paint job dries?

When it's over, you're supposed to know

Okay - so what if paint is some specific metaphor? I haven't found a good enough theory for what that could be (would love to hear your thoughts if you agree and have ideas!) (though... i mean in Body Paint itself there's some interesting theories 👀 not sure it works with the rest though). And now... Watching it dry signifies the end or hibernation of something. But then "when it's over you're supposed to know" - kind of suggests like that ending isn't something that the person it refers to is ready to accept. It still seems like an open possibility. Like one side is still hoping.

As though it's the last time you're gonna ride

Is also sad - suggests something seeming like it's ending. It's the last time. But then there's that "as though". Like an open possibility, hope of it not really being true.

But damn; this is a big mess! Because The Car songs are so hard to analyze, they're so abstract. I can definitely see what Alex has been saying about focusing more on the melody and the emotions it evokes and lyrics kind of being an extension of that. Taking a backseat for a second (hehe. Car pun. Not even intended).

It would seem the album that's set on the actual moon would be as mixed up and tough to decipher as if gets but nope! Alex took up the challenge of cranking it up a notch. Because of course he did.

Anyway. I hope any of this makes sense and/or resonates with someone and their thoughts about this song 💛

Thank you for the question, sorry for the delay!

Sending good energy your way! 💫

.

#ask #song theory #lyric analysis #The Car album #Jet Skis on the Moat

[chibivesicle]

Trigun Stampede - Episode 10 - Humanity - or - Am I now watching Blade Runner?

Episode ten dropped this morning and here in my small two bedroom apartment there was indeed the wailing and gnashing of teeth as I watched the episode unfold.  I had unrealistic expectations for Stampede is the mantra I need to keep repeating to myself as I watch it.

Also, I still have some unanswered asks - I’ll try to get to them when I can but they aren’t a quick reply so I need to have the time and brain power to think about them.

The episode starts off with Vash and Wolfwood riding on their ostriches in the desert heading to July.  Wolfwood screams randomly while Vash listens to a timely news update - on an earbud!  His earring doesn’t even act like a phone receiver device anymore - I mean with all this sci fi tech could you had at least kept his ability to use the earring to hear someone’s voice?!?!?

Anyhoo, this then leads to the OP.  The action then shifts to inside the area where Meryl and Roberto are, now with lights allowing for us to see the room full of red plants.

Zazie the Beast asks them who can make use of the planet - Humans, plants or the worms?  Of course Zazie states that the worms are the planet which, okay you also think quite highly of yourselves worms.  That’s it worm domination is settled if it weren’t for the fact you need to use people to apparently destroy them?  But this is Studio Orange’s animation demo, no budget for writers.

Conrad approaches and is easily able to convince Meryl and a reluctant Roberto to join him.  Roberto utters death flag number one asking Meryl if there is a bargain sale on her life.  You mean your life Roberto, eh?

It is obvious they have no choice but to go with Conrad, they know he is their only link to Knives’ motives for the red plants and his approach to humanity.

We get Vash and Wolfwood in a sort of street in July which is 100% cyberpunk and Blade Runner inspired.  It gives me immediate vibes of Ghost in the Shell (the manga) and Cowboy Bebop and Outlaw Star.  We are in a very Sinocentric city compared to the vaguely American early 20th century vibes of Jeneora Rock.  Honestly Studio Orange, if you wanted to do cyberpunk, why don’t you just do that instead of trying to jam it into Trigun?  Or maybe do a reboot on Bubblegum Crisis and Bubblegum Crash if you want to work with an older IP.

We also learn from Wolfwood that July is wealthy and successful due to having a monopoly on water producing plants which has made them powerful.  Water is canonically a scarce resource in the manga but there was some on the planet but there was enough that people were able to successfully do some agriculture.  And wash their clothes based on all of the laundry lines between buildings in the cities.

Lots of red Chinese lanterns, maybe we are in the Ghost King’s city but the seal script is too easy to read.  Joking aside, the very desert vibe of the July MP and our previous bad guy of episode one just happens to be on patrol for funsies.  And looks so weird in the Chinese centric area.

However, this metropolis still has no people - with all of that urban density we should see the streets packed with civilians but nah, they aren’t out and about.  Additionally, are we now to interpret that the nameless July MP captain is possibly ethnically Chinese? 

Why am I even pondering this?  I know based on the lazy writing that the entire point of having the MP captain walk by is so that he can interact with Vash to prove some sort of superficial character development point.  In this case, it is for one of the other MPs to point out that his family died at Jeneora Rock and shoots Vash.

Wow, just amazing storytelling skills there!  I couldn’t see this coming at all.  I knew that this was going to force the reveal of Vash’s scarred body.  Which compared to previous versions is pretty good looking.

The ‘98 anime and the manga really worked to show the level of detail and the ugly/gross factor which was played for comic relief in both where Meryl and Milly walk in on Vash coming out of the shower with a towel around his neck and he blushes in embarrassment.

As Vash sits down across from them he with a scarred hand pops open a can of Kuroneko beer and explains he both doesn’t like people to see his scars but that he can’t run away from his past.

Studio Orange really did a disservice to the viewers by cleaning up Vash’s torso making it look clean and more sterile.  The original shows the nubbiness and the fact that Vash could hypothetically heal his scars per the manga but what is the point of doing it out of vanity when it would simply accelerate his aging and hair turning black?

The action turns back to Conrad who is explaining that Luida’s geoplant goals are too slow and passive and that he’s using humanity itself to survive.  I really miss that ‘Little Arcadia’ arc now . . .

We know exactly where this is going.  It is the classic, ‘It is okay to sacrifice other people because they were gonna die anyways.’ villain trope.  Yeah, just show them your high tech experimental lab.  By the way, that is the worst sterile lab technique I have ever seen - are you sure you are following proper lab protocols?

The blood stains make for a horribly cliche dramatic effect which made me laugh.  Conrad tells them that Knives is the perfect life form.  This is clearly a huge departure from the original manga, since he was never this actively involved in things in this sort of way.  I’d say that Conrad didn’t have a strong characterization in Trigun Maximum but he wasn’t a mad scientist drinking the Knives Kool-Aid.  He held his own trump cards against Knives who forced him to work for him.  In Stampede, it appears that he decided to go all into the cult of Knives as opposed to doing stuff at knife point.

We get the explanation that Conrad sees Knives as the ultimate life form and he’s trying to make more of them.  With the help of cloned cells from Knives of course.  For example a child we can all recognize, Elendira in the tank.

But she is translated with an ‘its’ power level being fairly weak.  Meryl stares into the tank with a sadness.

The fact that she is in the tank seems to imply that she still needs to hook into the system and isn’t a true independent like Vash or Knives.  The entire situation is the monologuing of a man who has completely lost it and sees all of his actions as justified with the Knives Kool-Aid.

Meryl feels pity for Elendira who is not pleased to hear this.  This puts her immediately into beserker mode and she creates a nail to blow open the tank.

What have you done with my QUEEN Studio Orange?  She’s now an unhinged 25+ year old plant-human hybrid child who doesn’t age as quickly as Vash or Knives?  I’m not even going to address the issues with this ‘update’ to Elendira’s character in the main summary.

This causes Roberto to grab Meryl and run, again while Conrad stands there and Roberto makes death flag number two.  He mentions worker’s comp to Meryl since she keeps getting them into risky situations.

Roberto and Meryl get chased to a large room full of red plants and oddly placed elevators in the middle.  This doesn’t make any sort of structural or design sense but, hey all of the timing in this entire story doesn’t make any sense.  Roberto is clear to Meryl that they are the bait that is to lure Vash in and they end up stuck between the elevator and Elendira.

Elendira gets more unhinged monologue time of her own about humans and their superficial judgements of others.  Everything is okay though as Roberto knows that Vash will pop out of the elevator when the doors open, so he pulls Meryl off to the side as a rain of nails comes after them.

Sure enough, Wolfwood bursts out and Vash hangs back to help them safely enter the elevator.

This gives time for Wolfwood to square off with an even angrier Elendira.

We see a quick glance of Roberto running oddly back and then a closer look at him holding his side as they enter the elevator.  We know that he’s been hit, though Meryl doesn’t know it yet.

Wolfwood destroys all of the nails and one broken nail cuts her as she falls in overly dramatic fashion.  Again, what have you done to my QUEEN Studio Orange?

Wolfwood being the jerk that he is in this version gives her crap and Vash timidly tries to care about her injury.

This only invites a scathing retort to Vash who is scum in her eyes compared to Knives.  For plot reasons, Wolfwood goes back to the elevator and makes Vash go with him, since it is his job to deliver Vash to Knives.

After this we get Roberto’s lame and predictable death scene with Meryl.  It is the follow up to ‘sempai noticed me’ to the ‘sempai died to protect me’ this now allows for Meryl’s character to have ‘growth’. 

She gets called by her full name and he gives her his Derringer.

I’ve said this many times before, but Studio Orange has done an amazing job with the animation of Meryl’s facial expressions since episode one.  Other characters seem awkward and fall flat but she’s been a highlight.  Her facial expressions - not her actual character which is a shallow imitation of her previous self.  But I can at least take the time and really appreciate how well they animated her.

While she considers Roberto’s request to accept his derringer, Wolfwood narrates to Vash his philosophy that to survive on this planet you have to hurt and kill others to protect others.  It is clear that Meryl is going to take some sort of action as she wipes away her tears with a look of resolve.

Before she pushes a button on the elevator, likely one that goes up.  Either she is going to help Vash - which would be a bit silly alone - or if her wits hold up, she’s looking for Wolfwood instead.

I really hope she goes for Wolfwood to help Vash.

After Wolfwood finishes his explanation to Vash, they part ways in a dark corridor.  I guess he was clear which way Vash needed to go to meet Knives?  This then sets up our reunion of Vash and Knives in July, which should kick off a July incident where Vash causes the city to go boom.

Knives is at his fancy piano and explains that the statue over him, is actually a plant from ‘back then’.  I’m unsure if he means back 150 years ago or from when he witnessed the final run of plants.  I want to say from 150 years ago personally - my gut says so.

Knives starts gaslighting Vash immediately.  Stating that Vash’s actions are based out of guilt from helping Knives get access to the computer to crash and destroy many of the ships.  If you are a peak villain you need to make sure your underlings have black and white morals, so Vash is just guilty.  Nothing else.

No one would argue that Vash doesn’t feel guilty for his actions and it does underlie many of his actions and intentions.  However, this does not make it mutually exclusive from the fact that he can love humans.  It is a huge theme of the manga how Vash is able to process his guilt, come to terms with it, face it and overcome and accept it which make him such a powerful character.  That does not matter here though.

The action bounces back to Wolfwood who apparently has a completed contract for his services within the Eye of Michael.  If you zoom in you can see that there is the added special note at the end stating that if Wolfwood completes the terms, the orphanage will not be used in future experiments.

Though the wording is that it is removed from a pilgrimage route which is a bizarre term to code for a location to take children for experiments from.  Wolfwood questions what the meaning of the paper is crumpling it in anger.  I mean, he could argue that Legato tried to destroy the orphanage anyways so can you even expect it to be upheld?  That would require more depth and we don’t have time for that so Wolfwood leaves angry.

Which results in the weirdest line from Conrad - that makes no sense in the context of Stampede.

He asks a man, holding his cross if he were able to lay it down?  Now, we decide to try to pull up a theme that needed to be explained from the beginning for Wolfwood but we didn’t have time for that earlier - toss it in here! Wolfwood then asks the question he was asked and leaves.  Conrad sighs and looks at a photo of him and Tessla!  On his freakkin’ desk.  This man is clearly off the deep end.

I saw this and thought, okay we are going to get our Tessla flashback. Good.  And then I get a flashback where Conrad is happy to see that Knives is alive and that he survived.  This means that he’d been aware of Vash and Nai via Rem before the crash.  However, he had no idea that the twins had survived and Knives threatens to give away his old identity.

We then see a bright blue eye on Knives’ hand and Conrad recognizes it and asks for forgiveness. 

I’m going to squint really hard and conclude that Vash and Nai found out about Tessla on the ship, found her remaining body parts and then Nai absorbed her parts into himself and that is her eye now looking at Conrad.  Creeeeepy!  Knives not only can absorb living plants into himself, he can also take dead parts?

However, with Conrad collapsing before him, asking for forgiveness does this mean that Conrad continued to experiment on Knives as well???? 

The action returns to Knives and Vash.  Knives activates a hidden trap door - because his is peak villain and Vash tries to stop falling with his tiny thread arm ability.  Knives declares that he is remaking his sick brother, tying into Conrad’s previous statement about sacrificing one of the twins.  Though he didn’t say which twin.

Vash then falls into a pool of water which likely isn’t just water but sci fi water something or other.

With that the episode ends.

My initial reaction was “Aaarrrrrggggghhhh, so much lazy writing and what on earth are they even thinking?!?!”

I will watch this season to the end, but there is no way I’m watching this any further if they leave it open ended with a time skip or whatever.  All of this feels like Studio Orange wanted to do a cyberpunk series or some sort of homage to that type of series and they got the IP to that odd under performing manga and anime, Trigun.  They never even stopped to ponder why it didn’t do well in Japan or why it was wildly popular in the States or how the original characters were well received in the original works.  It is almost like they figured, “Hey we have this obscure IP, it is fine to skim a bit off and then create our own dystopian cyberpunk series.”

No one can touch Cowboy Bebop, that series is too special for a remake (in the animated form, not the live action) so it will stand alone.  It is also an episodic series that no one can attack. Even though so many anime fans nowadays are aghast at episodic series when there are true merits to episodic storytelling.

I guess Outlaw Star was too 90s in a different way with the obvious alien cat girl, samurai chick and generic East Asian/Chinese vibes?  If they wanted cyberpunk they should have gotten the IP to Bubblegum Crisis and remade that.

Character comments:

Bill Conrad - Oh boy, did they really change him from the manga.  He was a member of the crew and knew Rem and found out she was hiding Knives and Vash.  He allowed her to continue to hide them.  Unlike Rem, he survived the crash and had set up a nice life for himself before being found by Knives and forced to work with him.

We all know that Bill Conrad is simply Patrick Stewart in manga form and that he was forced to do Knives bidding.  However, he still managed to deceive him and only revealed to Knives that when his hair began to turn black that he too was aging and would die.

Knives asks Elendira to confirm if Vash’s hair is also changing colors . . .

Before he kills Conrad on the spot.  He is no longer useful to Knives since he can no longer continue to use his power in an unlimited fashion. 

Did Knives think he could have unlimited power or did Conrad lead him to believe that in the hopes he could control or fight back?  Potentially both?

The main point is that Conrad was a part of the group who were involved in the Tessla experiments, however, we never know exactly to what extent, but that he is knowledgeable enough that he’s been working for Knives until his death.

This then leads into Tessla.

Tessla - Was the first independent plant that the crew learned about.  We know that Conrad and Rem were both there when the horrible experiments were performed on her which resulted in her death.  They then saved all of her remaining body parts in tanks for reference.  The entire thing is wrong on every possible level and knowledge of this event forever shaped how Vash and Knives moved forward in their lives.

It doesn’t take Knives long to undercover the files and they are curious to learn more - leading them to what remained of her body! 

However, Stampede hasn’t given us enough information to go on at the moment so we don’t know how they found out about this. 

Elendira the Crimsonnail - Has fallen victim to trans erasure apparently.  The 13th of the Gung-ho Guns, she was a force to be reckoned with wearing her pillbox hats, vintage suits and her suitcase full of nails.  I know that the translation isn’t the best where she’s referred to as a transvestite, but our language has been shifting rapidly over the past ten years and if this were translated now, she’d simply be referred to as a trans woman.

Apparently, Stampede doesn’t like to have too many adult women and this resulted in the shift of Elendira to a perma-child, which is just weird if she is a plant human hybrid. 

Roberto and Meryl - got their predicted death scene.  Are any of us surprised?  No.  Roberto did not contribute to the plot, nor did he do much of anything so of course he got his ‘moment’ to hand off a single gun to Meryl.  They were not the same as Meryl and Milly from the original as both were actively engaged in events and the fact that the two of them were always having interesting and dynamic conversations.  Wolfwood - completed a legally binding contract.  This doesn’t even make sense to me since - did he really have a choice in the matter?  No. Why bother to draft a contract and who the hell is even going to enforce it?  The NMP?  And he’s not dead yet!  Plus, the contract didn’t even follow its own note about the orphanage making it a sort of breach of contract by the writer . . . Vash - Passively walked right into Knives’ trap.  Wow, shocking.  Now, he’s going to get some sort of sci fi torture in the water pool to activate his gate/angel arm something .  . July then go boom? Knives - Wow, yeah.  Now he’s working with Conrad, he apparently absorbed Tessla’s eyeball into his arm before finding Conrad and he wants to remake his weak and sick brother.  He keeps the remains of dying plants as statues around him to remind himself to not make mistakes and he’s been hanging out in July and no one knows.  But based on his encounter with Conrad, the translation makes it sound like Knives may have been experimented on as well . . .

Zazie - The worms think very highly of themselves, however, they need to learn how to persuade others.  Speaking like you are the better species is not going to win over Meryl and Roberto to hear you out.  That’s why you lost to Conrad and Knives.  Honestly, no character in Stampede knows how to make a good persuasive argument to convince others to follow their cause or goals.

Wow, this meta has spiraled out of control and I really need to wrap it up.

1.) The writing continues to use so many ‘perfect’ timing instances.  I can’t take it anymore.  The entire elevator setup had me groaning aloud on my couch.  The scene where Vash is shot - is solely there to show his scars.  There were so many other ways to convey this point, like when he was on the uncrashed ship maybe?  Yet, Studio Orange lives for the most literal way to demonstrate things and it is well worn out its welcome for me as a viewer. 2.) The empty cities.  We’ve been shown the metropolis of the planet and it apparently isn’t December.  Where are the people in those massive buildings?  Wolfwood mentions they can buy as much munitions as possible but where does their food and drink come from?  I miss all of the normalcy of the original anime and manga.  Where are the cafes, the city squares, the children in the streets?

3.) The sci fi cyberpunk tone.  Baffles me.  Studio Orange had a creative vision which was not even remotely aligned with the source material.  The shift to a Sinocentric July also baffles me.  Let’s slap up some red lanterns everywhere and Chinese-ish decor elements to set the tone for July.  Is this some sort of hidden political message from the team at Studio Orange?  Is the water monopoly a fill in for something else in current events?  The original was much more Western US in the vibe but with international elements mixed in.  The characters are diverse and we still have that reflected in the population, for example Meryl and Milly hitched a ride with a woman who was clearly black. There were other characters who were definitely black in the manga. Yet, have I seen a single black character even in the background in Stampede?  No.  It was bad enough that they made Wolfwood white but apparently no one of any darker skin toned ethnic group made it onto those Project Seeds ships. 4.) Lack of diversity.  Thus, the lack of diversity of Stampede is killing me.  The entire main cast has light skin tones.  A subset of humanity is supposed to be stuck on the planet and that has not been reflected at all.  Wolfwood in the background appears to be foodie, as he rates the following dishes; curry, ramen and finds an incredible bowl of udon.  Clearly, there is cultural diversity and it had carried over to the desert planet.  The lack of diversity then extends to what was the complete change in Zazie and Elendira as well.  Zazie was a sort of non-binary character able to shift from host to host, implying that the gender construct was meaningless in their choices.  Elendira was a powerful trans woman, with excellent fashion taste.  Wolfwood didn’t even know what she looked like but was more than aware of her reputation.  Legato was canonically gay, but he hasn’t done enough yet to determine if that will be maintained as well.  My point is, what happened to all the queer characters? With that I shall wrap up.  My snark was strong with this episode and excuse my puns throughout the meta.

#trigun stampede #trigun maximum #trigun anime #trigun manga #Vash the Stampede #nicholas d. wolfwood #millions knives #meryl stryfe #roberto deniro #trigun stampede meta #trigun stampede episode review #zazie the beast #elendira the crimsonnail

[federthenotsogreat]

Just thought I'd explain the system for soul names real quick! 👑

This won't be a huge infodump, just a small explanation for those curious! (if you want to, you can read up on souls right here!)

As you might have noticed, most souls in My Crown In Red have weirdly structured names such as Frostblood, Stormwing, Sunheart, Dreamsoul etc.

This is due to a very simple naming scheme that in the story's canon, Demonsoul came up with herself!

When coming up with a name, you choose a world you associate with the individual you want to name, and then add the word "heart", "wing", "blood", or "claw" at the end, which basically sorts them into a very cut down and dry version of a personality group.

Let me explain what each group basically means!

- Heart:

The heart people are very kind, emotional, and are always there to hand a helping hand. They may be very sensitive, but are also highly empathetic!

- Wing:

The wing guys like their freedom and the ability to express themselves. They are very creative, but can be a bit naive at times!

- Blood:

The edgelords! These guys may come off as a bit more self centered and mean. They sometimes think very highly of themselves and often leave a more insensitive impression.

- Claw:

The claw people tend to be well organized and focused. They have strong minds, and won't change their view on things easily. They can be very stubborn!

The names can also be interpreted as opposites to each other. Heart is the opposite of Blood, while Wing is opposite to Claw!

Wing people and Heart people also tend to be more similar to each other. The same goes for Claw and Blood individuals!

Should the soul transform however, the latter part of their name will be replaced by "soul".

Should the soul illuminate, this will then again be replaced by "light", for as long as the soul remains in their illuminated state.

Aand that's that basically! Just thought I should go over this real quick since I really didn't want to cover it in my post about souls!

As you might have guessed, sorting people into categories based off of their vibes isn't really the best idea, as it leads to a lot of stereotyping. Just because Frostblood is named Frostblood, doesn't mean that she's some coldhearted sociopath. But you go and tell that to Demonsoul!

It's also kinda nice because that way my characters don't have to have boring human names and can sound egdy hehehehe

#Sorry for always linking my infodumps everywhere I just don't want people to be confused!! #my crown in red #story tag

[asharaks]

2, 4, 5 for Everyone :3

ough juleeeees you're makinge my life DIFFICULT (<- LOVE talking about my guys)

How easy is it for your character to laugh?

tiavyn: not difficult, per se, but they have quite a specific sense of humour and a very flat affect; they're pretty deadpan generally even when they find stuff funny

falyn: if you are one of her specific favourite guys, not hard at all! she likes funny (mean) people:) if you are not one of her faves you get Nothing.

fathom: he loves to laugh:) is he being sincere? were you actually funny? is laughter appropriate in the situation? doesn't matter! he loves a joke he loves a laugh he is a smiley joyous boy<3

razakh: he laughs a lot and it is almost never a good sign. he tends to laugh as an emotional reaction to stuff that's not necessarily funny, and his sense of humour is Warped also🥰

lysander: she is a very serious person with a very deadpan sense of humour, so if you can make her laugh out loud that is an Achievement<3

How easy is it to earn their trust?

tiavyn: it really depends on the situation - quite difficult, but once earned it is very very difficult to break. they make this snap judgement based entirely on vibes also.

falyn: very hard. probably requires multiple demonstrations of reliability before she can really be said to trust someone.

fathom: what does trust mean, really? he is very quick at judging people's behaviour, and a lot of his decisions are made on faith that his own conclusions are correct and people will act the way he predicts. and if that's not trust, what is?:)

razakh: it....really doesn't matter that much to him. similar to fathom, he often leans on his interpretations of people to behave the way he expects, and treats them accordingly, but unlike fathom he generally won't adjust his behaviour or change anything to endear himself to people - he doesn't need people in the way fathom does, so trust really isn't an issue for him (real answer: very very difficult)

lysander: she'd like to say difficult, but really if someone is like. decent and somewhat helpful to her she's like 💕yay💕. she generally assumes people are Reasonable and Rational and can be relied upon to act Correctly if the situation is explained to them properly (<- high wis bitch who thinks everyone else thinks like this too)

How easy is it to earn their mistrust?

tiavyn: they're fairly distrustful in general, but they try not to be? they like giving people the benefit of the doubt...but if you take advantage of that it's over<3

falyn: easy. babygirl is on a hair trigger at all times

fathom: assumes everyone is out for themselves all the time,just like him; he will leap to conclusions and decide almost at random that people hate him/want him dead/are actively trying to sabotage him, etc cetera. easy.

razakh: doesn't trust anyone, as a general rule; not in a particularly paranoid way, but he is the centre of the universe and that comes with its own drawbacks:/

lysander: there are very specific things you can do that will ruin your relationship with her forever, but she's pretty forgiving on the whole! still, once broken, her trust is very hard to gain back.

#my gaggle of idiots #razakh and fathom. problem boys #ty juleeees<333 #mwah #razakh #fathom #lysander #tiavyn #falyn

[jaime-brienne-fic-exchange]

JB Festive Fest 3: Fest With a Vengeance

You asked and we answered...

Signups are open for the JB Festive Fest!

Now in its third year, the JB Festive Fest is an opportunity for Jaime x Brienne fans to close out the year with some lovely gifts. It's a low-key, inclusive exchange meant to celebrate our favourite knights! All fanworks are welcomed (and encouraged!)--art, fic, fanvids, any creative endevour!

Already convinced?

Sign up here!

Need more information? Read on!

Important Dates

Signups: November 23rd - November 30th Assignments out: December 1st Posting Window: December 23rd - January 1st Stocking Stuffer Prompts Released: December 23rd Last date to check in: December 28th NEW THIS YEAR. In order to simplify the knight writing process, you must begin posting or check in with us by this date, or we will assign a knight writer. If this happens, you can still post, we just want to ensure everyone gets a gift!

Rules

1. You create one (1) fanwork, and receive one (1) fanwork. 2. If you can't complete your gift on time, please let us know as soon as you do! Life happens, but the sooner we know the easier it is to deal with. 3. For recipients: no specific, detailed scenario prompts, only a list of general likes/tropes/vibes and your squicks and triggers. For gifters, any detail you want from your recipient you’ll need to sleuth on your own, or guess. 4. Have fun! 2022 was hard for a lot of us, and this is meant to round out the year with a little extra joy.

FAQ

Who can participate? Anyone! Artists, writers, vidders, poets, interpretive dancers! This is an inclusive exchange – whether it’s your first or hundredth, you are welcome!

What do I need to do? When you sign up, you’ll provide three general ideas of what you like--tropes, vibes, nothing too specific!--for your creator to work from. Once sign ups close, you’ll be assigned someone and you’ll need to create a fanwork for them based off the information they provided. It could be a short fic, a piece of art, a poem, a vid, an interpretive dance, whatever you like! There are no minimum requirements, but as a rough guideline, think of it as something that would brighten your day if you received it.

When do sign-ups open? They’re open now, and will close on November 30, at the end of the day for you, anywhere in the world.  

What if I can’t finish something in time? Please send us an email at [email protected] to let us know and we’ll do what we can to either let your recipient know you’ll be a little late, or organize someone else to backfill.

Does my fanwork have to be festive themed? Definitely not. You’ll just be sharing it between December 23rd and New Year’s Day.

Will my prompts be private? No, they will be released to everyone on December 23rd to allow for the Stocking Stuffer exchange (details coming later in the month). This will be open for anyone to contribute to, not just the people who participate in the main exchange.

When is the posting window again? Between December 23 and January 1. If you have not begun posting by December 28 and have not contacted us, the prompts will go to a knight writer to make sure that everyone receives a gift by New Year’s.

Important Notes:

You must have an AO3 account to participate. If you do not have an AO3 account, you can either request one via the AO3 website or email us at jbficexchange @ gmail.com

If you have any questions, please email us at jbficexchange @ gmail.com. This will be a tight turnaround for signups–about a week–so get in quick if you’re interested!

Click here to sign up!

#jaime x brienne #jaime/brienne #braime #jaime lannister #brienne of tarth #game of thrones #asoiaf #gift exchange #jb festive fest #we hope you''ll join us!

[rottentiger-art]

given the changes they are making in the show, how do you think are they going to make the relationship between daemon and rhaenyra develop?

Quick disclaimer: I'm writing this before the third episode airs, so I'm basing myself in the impression I got from the first two episodes + what we've seen in the trailers. Also if what I write doesn't make sense it's because I'm still recovering from a fever, my apologies.

Spoilers:

I think the second episode showed the direction their relationship was going, or so it seems to me.

Before the show, it was debated wherever Daemon ever loved Rhaenyra or just used (groomed) her for his own ambition. This is what the text tell us: Rhaenyra was enamoured by him from a very young age, since he would always bring her gifts, spend time with her and be really kind to her/spoil her. He proclaimed her the most beautiful maid in the seven kingdoms; when she was around 14 it was rumored Daemon took her virginity/has been giving her lessons on how to please a man, which caused him to go into exile again, they'd would go on dragon rides together, he would make her laugh mocking Alicent and the rest of her party, they got married (is secret and without the king's approval) the same year both their spouses died and she gave birth to their first child together at the end of that same year, which started the rumour he had already gotten her pregnant before the wedding. He would become a strong supporter of her claim and fight for her untill the end of his life, however there we reports of him cheating with Lady Mysaria and Nettles (though, some believe she was actually his bastard).

So all in all, these events and make it hard for both the people of westeros and the fans to judge wherever he actually loved her, or if he had simply been grooming her from a very young age (since she was around 7, I think) and has been using her and staying by her side because it benefited him. Daemon is a very ambiguous and complex character, it is said half the kingdom saw him as a hero and half as a villian. I personally loved his complexity, and thought his relationship with Rhaenyra could be both based on love and ambition. Still, many deny any kind of love from his part or even by Nyra's part.

But the show seems to be leaning to genuine love from both sides, the intensity between them, the soft and lingering stares, even the general audiences picked up on the romantic vibes these two had. Now, in episode 1 I wasn't sure what direction they would take, their first scene could be interpreted as Daemon having the intention of securing his status as heir, either by marrying the royal princess or by having her loyal to him. But in the second episode we see Daemon does care for Rhaenyra, as he rather swallow his pride and yield immediately than kill her or even bother to threatened her, it seems they both know he's incapable of that. I'm not saying he's a good person now because he loves Rhaenyra, I'm not even saying he's in love with her right now or that he'll stop fucking other women for her. But the show (ever since the trailers) is painting them in a romantic light and seems to be wanting the audience to root for them.

I think Milly was the one who said their conversations had double meaning. This is the way I interpreted the bridge scene: when Nyra asks if he's going to have a child, he answers "one day" and pauses to look at her, as in saying with you. And after that Nyra says "I'm right here, uncle" which I interpreted as "come and take me". I think the bridge scene states their intention or hopes of what their relationship may be in the future.

But I think there's ambition there too, for sure. Like I thought when reading F&B, I think it's a bit of both. I thought it was 50/50 in the book but in the show it looks more like love than ambition. I'm also not sure if they'll have Daemon cheating, wouldn't put it past him, but we'll see.

I knew it from the trailers there would be romance there, I mean look at each other on their wedding.

That's the face of lovers that have waited long to get married.

Tl;Dr: I think the show is leaning more to romanticism with them, but I don't think that'll be the only motivation of their relationship. We'll get a lot of longing and yearning until they finally get together.

#ask box #anon #daemyra #house of the dragon spoilers #hotd #rhaenyra x daemon #daemon x rhaenyra #fire and blood #asoiaf #meta #? #no more like feverish ramblings #rhaenyra targaryen #daemon targaryen

[autisticshadowthehedgehog]

Sonic Storybook but it's Greek mythology. Which characters are which gods?

ask @birdsareblooming she's working on it but i'll do my best

and also NOT taking into consideration familial/romantic relationships bc hot damn:

ZEUS (sky, storms) – Sonic. i mean... lightning, "knight of the wind", all that jazz. Alt: Surge.

HERA (family, marriage) – very few sonic characters are married so we should focus on the family aspect. Vanilla, then. Alt: Aleena

POSEIDON (ocean) – logistically, Chaos, BUT there's also a greek god literally named Chaos so, well. Other answer, Marine or Kitsunami.

HADES (underworld) – obvs answer but probably Shadow

DEMETER (earth, harvest) – hmm... perhaps Mighty

ARES (war) – OMEGA. do i even have to? Alt: Amy

ATHENA (strategy, wisdom) – Knuckles is probably an unpopular opinion but i think he'd fit. otherwise, Blaze or Sally.

APOLLO (sun, poetry, healing) – Silver. He's got the desire to heal the future, and, well. Solaris

ARTEMIS (moon, the hunt) – Whisper. personally i think Artemis is aroace but the lesbian interpretation is p good too so! let's go

HEPHAESTUS (construction, invention) –Tails. obviously. alt: Wave, Eggman

APHRODITE (beauty, love) – Rouge, not bc of her looks but bc of her love of pretty things. Alt: Breezie

HERMES (messengers, thieves) – probably bokkun let's say Charmy. Alt: Ray, Omochao, Rouge

DIONYSUS (drunk ppl and theatre kids) – Vector would be really funny lol

HESTIA (the hearth, home) – Blaze

PERSEPHONE (spring) – YOU KNOW IT'S COSMO. YOU KNOW

IRIS (rainbows, light) – Tikal

HYPNOS (sleep) – Big

NEMESIS (justice) – Espio.

NIKE (victory) – Jet. that hypercompetitive bitch? yea. Alt: Honey.

HEBE (youth) – Cream, w/ bonus Cheese lol

TYCHE (luck) – Tangle. i dont have a reason just the vibe

HECATE (magic) – AMY. absolutely Amy. alt: Nicole, Merlina, Ebony, or Infinite if u wanna go dark.

PAN (the wild) – STICKS.

BOREAS (north wind, winter) – Dulcy. she breaths ice y'all

ZEPHYRUS (west wind, spring)– Bean the Dynamite. he seems like the type to accidentally kill a guy he had a crush on

NOTUS (south wind, summer) – Wave

EURUS (east wind, autumn) – Storm, Eurus is seen as a Storm god

and then the muses:

CALLIOPE (epic poetry) – Aleena. Alt: Elise

CLIO (history) – Gold the Tenrec

ERATO (lyric + love poetry) – Mina Mongoose cause why not. Elise is also an alt for her, also Breezie.

EUTERPE (music) – Sonia

MEPLOMENE (tragedy) – Void (Sonic Shuffle)

POLYHYMNIA (sacred poetry) – Coral the Betta

TERPSICHORE (dance, choral music) – not a lot of sonic characters are dance-based– however, Manic could work, he's musical and quick lol

THALIA (comedy) – Lumina (Sonic Shuffle)– gotta match her twin

URANIA (astrology) – Amy would fit good here too lol, but I think we should go with Maria/Merlina.

and OBVIOUSLY Kronos is Mephiles like who are we kiddin

[multi-lefaiye]

MUTUALS POWERPOINT NIGHT: MULTI EDITION

HELLO gamers! it is i, tumblr user xavier multi-lefaiye, here to present my very good powerpoint to y'all. i am posting this early because i like being early <3

as some of you may know, i had a few other ideas for powerpoints, one of which i finished before going "hm i wanna do something else" and doing something else.

as i am sure you are all very well-aware by this point, my biggest fixation is tales from the gas station. so i decided to do my powerpoint about that instead of explaining in-depth how i'd rewrite every episode of notable bad horror tv series lost tapes. you're welcome <3

tagging the participants real quick (if i forgot you i prommy i am just forgetful and it was not intentional, ilsym): @wherearetheplants @nicola-writes @cnnamonrolls @abouttogetshellshocked @approximately20eggs @yourlocal-lichen @astralrunic

anyway! my slides will be under the cut, but if you'd rather see the actual presentation, here's the google slides link: [link]

comments are enabled but no one is obligated to leave any for any reason! i mainly enabled them because i may send this to some discord folks later who enjoy leaving silly comments.

anyway let's gooooo

[Transcript:

TALES FROM THE GAS STATION: A BRIEF SUMMARY

OR: an explanation of my blorbos

by tumblr user multi-lefaiye

/ End Transcript]

[Transcript:

what the fuck is this series?

Tales From the Gas Station started as a creepypasta series on the NoSleep subreddit

Then it kinda blew up and became popular enough that the creator reworked and rewrote the series to make them into books

There are four books total and also a seven-part comic series in the works!

Essentially, this is a horror-comedy series centering around a character named Jack Townsend, the minimum-wage employee of a shitty gas station at the edge of an even shittier small town, which also happens to be the epicenter of many supernatural happenings

/ End Transcript]

[Transcript:

DISCLAIMER

I haven’t finished reading the full series yet because [redacted] redacted] [redacted]

But regardless I’m MOSTLY basing this presentation on book one to avoid spoiling later events for people who wanna check this out themselves :)

This is not an exhaustive presentation unfortunately.

Look at this raccoon

/ End Transcript]

[Image Description: An image of a raccoon behind the wheel of a car, positioned as though it's driving. End ID.]

[Transcript:

Content warnings!!

So I’m not gonna go into the triggering stuff in this presentation, but if you wanna check out TFTGS yourself I wanna give a heads up where I can.

I also will try to give context to things where I can if I feel that it’s needed, but yeah point is I want to make sure anyone who checks this out knows what they’re getting into.

Anyway full list of warnings on the next slide let’s go

/ End Transcript]

[Transcript:

Okay here are the actual content warnings

There are a few side/minor characters who are really blatantly racist and xenophobic b/c TFTGS does not shy away from the fact that it takes place in a small, shitty southern US town--these characters are condemned by the narrative and clearly The Assholes but still, tread lightly.

Casual ableism, especially towards Jack, including the use of the r-slur (once again also condemned by the narrative but still)

Lots and lots of violence and murder

Suicide

Lots of talk of terminal illness

Drug use

Cults

Psychiatric abuse

SOME graphic depictions of blood n’ gore n’ corpses, but the gore is never the focus thankfully

/ End Transcript]

[Transcript:

CHARACTERS!!!

FULL DISCLAIMER: THIS IS ALL PRETTY MUCH MY INTERPRETATIONS OF THE CHARACTERS. Many of them don't have much in the way of physical descriptions and these are all just my personal designs for the characters :) Yay

/ End Transcript]

[Transcript:

JACK TOWNSEND

The universe’s favorite punching bag

He’s got that autistic tboy swag and I love him so so much

Chronically ill since he was in high school

Just fucking vibing

Frequently gets insulted and beaten down and it stresses me out but he gets less and less chill about it as the series goes on. I think he deserves to throw rocks at people

I relate to him a lot and idk what that says about me <3

Blorbo <3333

/ End Transcript]

[Image Description: A picrew of Jack Townsend from Tales From the Gas Station, a tired young white man with dark bags under his eyes, a small beard, and shaggy black hair. He looks worried and is wearing a blue shirt under a black hoodie. End ID.]

[Transcript:

ANTONIO / TONY

So I’m not quite sure how to talk about him without spoiling a bunch of shit

Ah well

One of Jack’s coworkers and his best friend in volume 1!

Kind of a sweet, anxious guy who’s just trying his best

What’s a little accidental murder between besties??? It was an accident, it’s fine.

King of being a really good and trustworthy guy with nothing else going on

I love him genuinely

/ End Transcript]

[Image Description: A picrew of Antonio from Tales From the Gas Station, a young Latino man with tan skin, curly brown hair, multiple piercings in his ears, and a beard. He has his mouth open as though he's speaking, and he wears a blue collared shirt under a denim jacket. End ID.]

[Transcript:

JERRY PASCAL

Jack’s emotional support human and bestie

Kind of like a puppy, except that puppy does a lot of illegal shit and kills people

Former member of a murderous cult called Mathmetism

Referred to as Marlboro for most of the first book b/c Jack doesn’t know his name

Big stupid energy but also the smartest bitch in the room. Depends on what would be funnier

Would fight god in the parking lot

If he’s being serious, something is wrong

/ End Transcript]

[Image Description: A picrew of Jerry Pascal from Tales From the Gas Station, a white man with shaggy blond hair, a small beard, and multiple piercings in his ears. He has a wide smirk on his face and wears a yellow t-shirt with a graphic of the sun across the front under a red hoodie jacket, and one hand is visibly holding a cigarette. End ID.]

[Transcript:

SPENCER MIDDLETON

MY POOR LITTLE MEOW MEOW

Too sexy and evil for gender

My design for him is very far from canon and I am aware of that. However I think everyone should draw him as a long-haired prettyboy <3

He’s just so babygirl <3

I hate him and love him in equal measure

God let him live another day and that’s everyone else’s problem

Anyway I just think he’s neat and should do more crimes

/ End Transcript]

[Image Description: A picrew of Spencer Middleton from Tales From the Gas Station, a white man with long ginger hair, a light beard, and pierced ears. He has a sharp grin on his face, showing his sharp teeth, and is wearing all black. End ID.]

[Transcript:

AMELIA O'BRIEN

Cop (unfortunate)

I have very mixed feelings about her as a character ngl and most of them tie back to her being a cop

I do think she’s interesting though

Wish she’d cool it with the casual ableism though <3 Like I know it’s not just her but goddamn

Anyway I guess she counts as a #girlboss

One time one of my friends compared her to the gay cop in Onward and I can’t stop thinking about it because God So True

/ End Transcript]

[Image Description: A picrew of Amelia O'Brien, a Black woman with dark hair pulled back into a bun and pierced ears. She has a stern expression on her face and wears a light shirt under a dark vest and brown jacket, with one hand holding a cigarette. End ID.]

[Transcript:

ROSA VASQUEZ

Sweetest girl in the world

Technically doesn’t show up until volume 2 but I love her so much so I’m talking about her here

Newest hire at the gas station and completely unprepared for The Horrors

She adapts pretty quickly though

Has a really huge really obvious crush on Jack and tbh I think it’s cute

Unfortunately he is oblivious

Besides that though she’s a very fun character and makes me very happy :)

/ End Transcript]

[Image Description: A picrew of Rosa Vasquez from Tales From the Gas Station, a young Latina woman with brown skin, dark brown hair that hangs loosely around her shoulders, and pink earrings. She has a wide smile on her face and is wearing a pink shirt under a dark denim jacket, with one hand held up in a peace sign. End ID.]

[Transcript:

SABINE

We don’t need to talk about her

So we’re not going to talk about her

You have to read volume 2 to get this backstory

/ End Transcript]

[Image Description: A picrew of Sabine from Tales From the Gas Station, a young woman with lightly tanned skin, pierced ears, curly brown hair, and freckles. Her mouth is open slightly and she wears a black choker, a black t-shirt with a skull on it, and a red jacket. Two of her hands are held up and her pointer fingers are pressed together. End ID.]

[Transcript:

MISC. CHARACTERS I'M NOT MAKING PICREWS OF

Kieffer - the world’s most killable man! A local politician and, arguably, part of the reason everything goes to shit.

Benjamin - a monster hunter who’s convinced that there’s something evil in the gas station. And he’s gonna kill it.

Vanessa Riggin - another employee at the gas station who unfortunately disappears during volume 1.

Brother Riley - local bookstore owner and ray of sunshine! Got basically excommunicated for teaching kids to read

Dr. V - psychiatric abuse: the character! (Jack’s psychiatrist who doesn’t seem particularly interested in actually helping him)

Deputy Tom - cop (unfortunate), but also Jack’s kinda father figure.

Agents Brick Roscoe - idk how to even get into this so I simply will not.

/ End Transcript]

[Transcript:

PLOT!!!

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[Image Description: Two edited memes featuring raccoons. One shows a raccoon facing the camera, with a photoshopped human hand holding a gun pointing at the viewer. The other shows a raccoon in front of a sunset and looking to the left, with a faded image of a screaming raccoon behind it. The second meme reads: "Physically pained, Mentally drained" / End ID.]

[Transcript:

Volume 1 Premise

The premise of volume 1 centers quite a bit around Kieffer, a local politician.

Picture this: your best friend pulls you aside at work and asks you about the guy who just came into the store. After you explain who the guy is, your friend says, “No, that can’t be him. I killed him last night. His body is in my trunk.”

That’s the day Jack is having.

A wild series of events follows, made worse when Jack starts documenting his experiences in a blog to keep himself sane

People start going missing! Other people start dying! Kieffer especially starts dying!

Jack is not being paid enough to deal with any of this!

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[Transcript:

Other things about volume 1 I wanna say, minus context

I think Spencer Middleton is babygirl material and I will not be silenced b/c I am so right

There is a genuinely really clever bit of writing in volume 1 centering around Jack’s leg injury but I don’t know how to explain it without spoilers so just know I think it’s really cool

The Bathroom Cowboy is a cool dude and I think I would like to be his best friend

I think Jack should be allowed to have a nice day for once in his fucking life

Rita the raccoon is a girlboss

The Man in the Raincoat is so gender

Agents Brick Roscoe confuse and frighten me. They’re also really funny

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[Transcript:

Here's a quote from volume 1 that I think captures the style of comedy well

She walked up to the counter and smiled and asked, "What do you think?"

What a great question. I think a lot of things, actually. I ran through a shortlist of answers. I think people spend too much time mowing their lawns. I think Marlboro's probably dead, and I may be somewhat responsible. I think no man ever steps in the same river twice. I think that, in terms of reality, perception outweighs actuality in every case, but if I were to say something like that in this town I'd get my ass kicked for being a pretentious dick. I think Tony was too hard on 'Temple of Doom.' I think every magazine is a scam. (Why should I pay for a magazine when it's already full of advertisements?) I think forcing children to recite the pledge of allegiance is creepy, and hot dogs are not sandwiches (they are, in fact, American tacos). I think things at the gas station are getting worse and I can't explain why.

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[Transcript:

by viewing this presentation you promise that if you ever read tftgs you have to tell me (tumblr user multi-lefaiye) all of your thoughts about it

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[Transcript:

i’m kidding, you don’t have to, i just wanna talk about this series with people

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[Transcript:

Thanks

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[Image Description: A picture of a raccoon sitting up and with its forepaws together, its teeth bared in a way that makes it looks like it's grinning evilly. End ID.]

#multi makes text posts #mutuals powerpoint night #god i love this fucking series #mutuals tag #typing up the transcripts took a while but it was worth it #tales from the gas station #anyway if you want to understand me. read tftgs.