i would like to talk abt how yuzuru tachikawa went OFF in storyboarding/directing the separation arc w/ the use of natural and artificial light on reigen.
we only see his face w natural light before opening s&s
and then after his fallout with mob, it’s only behind him.
his face becomes illuminated by only his laptop in his apartment
also after mob leaves him, the blinds in the office are closed compared to when he first started. this is the window that originally showed him the light. he is subconsciously shutting out that dream of “being somebody”
more under cut!!
the only exception to this rule is his convo w/ ekubo, who is the character he can be the most honest to.
when we get to the bar scene, it’s nighttime, so there’s ONLY artificial light. it’s framed similar to him looking out the s&s window, which was the last time he was able to live w/o the fake “psychic” title. except now, it’s lit blue instead of warmly.
he wants the same thing, but the second time is leading him to a path of self destruction: like a moth to a flame.
when we get to the Cancellation, he’s under studio lights and, later, camera flashes. the lights are brighter but his shadows are harsher. he’s being seen but in the worst way possible.
lastly, you’d expect sunlight to be on his face when mob tells him he’s a good person, but it stays in the shadows because reigen doesnt Say it. he hasnt Told mob hes a fraud. you can see the shadows creep into his face when he lifts his face. the good part of him is acknowledged
“Bookmarks are for readers, I can say whatever I want in them” has the same energy as “I can say whatever I want in public, it’s not illegal.”
Like yeah, you can technically say whatever you want in public. But you’re not free from people judging you or being upset with what you say.
Which is to say. If you’re being a dick in the public bookmarks of someone’s fic, yes people are allowed to be upset. And no, you’re not cool or edgy or “honest.” You’re just an asshole who doesn’t know what a private bookmark is.
listen horror is supposed to be reflective of the fears of our time, right? tma's big theme was constant surveillance and now tmagp's focus on digital horror has just made this even more apparent, like the different ways people's online activity can be found and collated, its just so weirdly satisfying seeing how relevant it is
i adored the eldritch cleo and voidwalker pearl ficlets so maybe… mayhaps.. eldritch pearl please?
(beware, mild rambling follows) it’s fascinating to see what elements of common characterization people keep vs get rid of when doing this fanon swap, and it’s making me reconsider how much of my perception has been filtered by these almost omnipresent ideas of species matched so closely to certain hermits. but i think it’s neat too, to see how cleo almost always retains some aspect of being a zombie, for example. x tends to keep his armour. it’s just. fascinating as… maybe a fandom study, in the vein of character studies. i adore all of this so much. also it’s wonderful to see how people are exploring the prompts!
At any given time, most of Pearl is not here. At least ninety percent, if she had to put a number on it, though she doesn't really like to do that, because it always feels strange, doesn't it, to try to quantify what she knows innately is not quantifiable.
The numbers aren't important. What's important is: most of Pearl isn't here. It's somewhere else.
"Okay, but where?" Gem says slowly. She's looking at Pearl like if she just stares hard enough, and tilts her head just right, she might be able to see the rest of her hiding behind her narrow shoulders and long neck. Pearl doesn't fault her- Gem, she's learning, has a tendency to map out threats, a habitual leeriness of predators- but she doesn't think she's going to get anywhere with it.
Pearl shrugs, looks up at the sky. "Up there, maybe? Or..." she kicks at the dirt, thinks of the hole that goes miles and miles down to bedrock. "Under there. Or both? I'm not really sure."
What Pearl is trying to explain to Gem is that sometimes, when she blinks, she loses track of herself.
The sensations of the world, as soon as they're not pressing up insistently against her mind and orienting her in space, are gone as if they never were. Sometimes she closes her eyes and forgets to open them again, because when the life and sound of the world fade from her mind it's the only time she can remember everything else, all the vastnesses of her true body and the comfortable blackness of its habitat.
One time Mumbo found her like that, standing at the edge of the Boatem Hole and humming to herself, right at the lip of the swallowing nothing that feels like home.
"It's like sleepwalking," Pearl says, finally. "No harm in it. Just a little scare sometimes."
"But that sounds dangerous," Gem says, brow furrowed. "What if something happened?"
Pearl waves it off. "I'm not worried about it," she says. "Someone always wakes me up before long."
Reminder to my followers since a dangerous US censorship bill (KOSA) is looking more and more likely to pass and they've explicitly mentioned targeting fanfic in addition to everything else:
You can download fics off AO3 for your own personal reading. Most fic authors I know are fine with it, and I know I'm down for it, whether it's because you want to bind it or make it more accessible with a different reader or just if you're gonna be internetless for a bit (if you're not sure about another author, feel free to ask). Now, at this point, I actively encourage it. Fic needs to be preserved as a part of fandom culture, and on top of that, between the recent DDOS attack on AO3 and the coming bill, it's not entirely clear where our fics will be a year from now.
AO3 has the option right at the top of each fic. Click it on mobile and there should be a little pop up. I generally go for PDF.
(Above: download button highlighted at the top of an AO3 fic)
(Above: download button has been clicked, revealing a popup of various formats to download. PDF is highlighted)
This is useful for fic authors, too. If for whatever reason you've lost your draft, or you've made some edits over the years (I'm constantly going through and neatening sentences, fixing the occasional error, or making lines more clear), you can redownload your fic to ensure YOU don't lose it if something happens.
"All that remains of the collection:: my empty tote bag and a shipping receipt longer than I am tall 🥹"
— @mittensmorgul
Fundraisers we donated item(s) to:
SPN Family Giving: J2M 2022 birthday fundraisers ($1,791 Thinkery, Austin; $2,180 Attitudes in Reverse; $1,350 Nova Ukraine); Jensen's birthday for Random Acts: direct donation $3k + $1k from auction = total of $4k for Random Acts
deanismybuddy, awomanredacted & friends: $1200 ($1475 including Jarboard) for Misha's United24 Demine Ukraine fundraiser + Entertainment Community Fund (Jarboard raised $510; $275 Demine Ukraine + $235 OutYouth)
The Green Cooler: $1100+ The Transcend Project & OutYouth
aborddelimpala, thewalkerwiki & friends: $1000 OutYouth for Jared's birthday ($1235 including Jarboard)
#ScullyCoffee4NF 2024: $3897.50 raised for the NF Network
Total: $17,028.50
Fundraisers/Raffles we ran:
$45 GoFundMe receipts
$50 Project C.U.R.E.
$175 National Network of Abortion Funds
$7048 ($6848 + $200 off-counter employer match) The Trevor Project
$3820 worth of receipts submitted for the "Thank You" raffle (Misha's United24 fundraiser)
$5066 World Central Kitchen
$10086.10 RIP Medical Debt
Big three: $22,159.10
Our total: $26,249.10
Shenanigans in total (ours + others we donated prizes to): $43,277.60
Update: Jan 12, 2023
The $10,086.10 we raised for RIP Medical Debt abolished $1.18 million in medical debt for 621 people living in five states!