#and I think the plot and characters finally worked for me

[kyouka-supremacy]

Kafka Asagiri Tianwen Kadokawa online Q&A

Polished automatic translation of the online q&a by Kadokawa after Asagiri's panel in Shanghai. Asagiri answered 35 selected fan questions that were submitted online, divided in three categories of questions about Asagiri-sensei, about the plot and about roles. Answers were reported both in Chinese and Japanese; this is the translation from the original Japanese. Signaling any mistake I might have made is not only welcomed, but encouraged. Enjoy!

Earlier, we collected some questions about Mr. Kafka Asagiri and "Bungo Stray Dogs" on various platforms . We sorted and forwarded them, and Mr. Asagiri selected some of them and responded. Thanks again to everyone who enjoys Bungo Stray Dogs.

Questions about Asagiri-sensei

What interesting stories and motivations led to the selection of literary masters for the plot of Bungo Stray Dogs? Also, will there be more literary masters added in the future?

When creating a character based on a new literary figure, there are various criteria, but the one that left the most profound impression on me is Oda Sakunosuke. There's a story about how Dazai Osamu, Sakaguchi Ango, and Oda Sakunosuke all drank at the Ginza bar "Lupin" and took a photo, and from that photograph the character Odasaku was born. He died shortly after the photo was taken. This lead to the "Dark Era" story, with Odasaku as the protagonist. Of course, there are new characters I would like to introduce in the future. The first character that comes to my mind is the "queen of mystery", Agatha Christie.

Besides from supervising original scripts, novels, films, and stage plays, do you also contribute to the writing of spin-off projects for the animation team, such as April Fools? Are you involved in the writing of the upcoming mobile game Gakuen Bungo Stray Dogs?

In addition to the work I write myself, I also participate in other works as a supervisor. I contribute in the script for the anime April Fools Project and Gakuen Bungo Stray Dogs as a supervisor.

Why does Asagiri-sensei like "Dragon Quest" so much?

Half of the Japanese men of my generation are Dragon Quest fans. The other half are Final Fantasy fans. The reason I'm on the Dragon Quest side is because the first game I played was Dragon Quest. It's like a baby bird that thinks the first thing it sees is its parent.

Did Asagiri Kafka's thoughts while writing "Yukkuri Yomu and the Really Scary Cthulhu Mythos" (or "Minase Yomu and the Really Scary Cthulhu Mythos"¹) have any influence on the creation of "Bungo Stray Dogs"?

I love the Cthulhu mythos so much that when I first featured Lovecraft in Bungo Stray Dogs, I think I made him a little too overpowered.

How do Asagiri and Harukawa collaborate on the production? Does Asagiri write all the lines for Harukawa every month and Harukawa design the scenes based on those lines?

At first, I would write the script and Harukawa-sensei would create the storyboard and manuscript, but recently I've been drawing the storyboard myself and handing it over to them.

Has Asagiri-sensei decided on the ending of Bungo Stray Dogs?

We have a rough outline in mind, but there are many different paths to get there, and many parts are still in the planning stages.

After finishing the main storyline of this series, will you consider creating some side stories?

If you all request it, I'm always willing to write something new.

Does Asagiri-sensei have any other favorite manga or mangaka?

There are so many, I can't choose… Some examples include Hirohiko Araki of "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure," Yoshihiro Togashi of "Hunter x Hunter," and Sumito Owara of "Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!"

The avatar frame in the manga is a cube bug. What does it mean?

It's inspired by the poisonous insect² that appears in Kafka's "Metamorphosis." It's just a little joke.

When creating Bungo Stray Dogs, do you first identify the writers corresponding to the characters, and then design their special abilities and personalities; or do you first come up with the character traits you want to portray, and then match them with suitable writers? During the writing process, when you develop unique "catchphrases" or iconic gestures for each character (such as Dazai Osamu's bandages and Nakajima Atsushi's little gestures of inferiority complex), are these details planned in advance, or do you suddenly think of them while writing?

Most of the time, I start with the literary figures. First, I decide who to include, then I get a sense of the character's outline from the author's anecdotes, image, and works, and finally I complete the character by adding a little bit of the role required for the story (such as villain or advisor to the protagonist). I usually think about the character's quirks and detailed characteristics when I'm first creating them.

Questions about the plot

In the Fifteen novel³, Verlaine was waiting for the storm to come in the basement. What exactly is this storm? Will Verlaine have a chance to appear again?

What "storm" he was waiting for, and what it specifically was, is something only Verlaine knows. However, the scene in which Verlaine will return has already been decided. Please look forward to it.

I'd like to ask when Dazai Osamu and Chuuya will appear, and what exactly happened in Meursault during this time?

It has not yet been decided when the two will reappear, but if your support is strong, they may appear sooner. I hope you can imagine what happens in Meursault from the scenes and lines in the manga.

Bungo Stray Dogs seems to have reached the end of the Decay of Angel arc. This arc, as well as previous ones, have mentioned Europe. Will the next arc be the home of the Order of the Clock Tower? If so, will the plot of Storm Bringer be brought to the screen first as a prelude to the plot?

Although I can't reveal too much about the next chapter, it will feature Agatha Christie, a stalwart of the Order of the Clock Tower. As for stories linked to Storm Bringer... Maybe there will be some.

When Dostoyevsky said to Gogol, "You tried to kill me // I'd like to return the favour", was this sentence said simply out of revenge, or was it said as someone who understood Gogol and hoped that he would continue to pursue freedom and continue the game of prison break duel?

On the surface, it sounds like simple retaliation, and it seems certain that Dostoevsky did not consider Gogol a friend, but even the author themself cannot fully understand Dostoevsky's deep thinking, so nothing can be said for sure.

I'd like to see Oda return the painting to the wealthy adopted son after joining the Port Mafia. Will Dazai return the painting with Oda?

It is not yet clear whether that story will be written, and perhaps they will return it together, but I doubt Odasaku would want to involve Dazai in anything like personal atonement. The silence⁴ in Odasaku's heart is surrounded by walls so high that even Dazai would find it difficult to penetrate.

How did Dazai know from the beginning that Chuuya was a vampire when they were in Meursault? Is there some special way they communicate with each other? Or do they just understand each other through eye contact?

As he states in the work, unlike Dostoevsky, Dazai had confidence that "his allies will definitely do this." It may also have been simply a matter of trust that Chuuya wouldn't be defeated so easily by a vampire.

Regarding Beast, Chuuya uses the phrase "Kyoka also agreed to the proposal of revenge" to encourage Atsushi to take revenge on the Detective Agency. So, what were Kyoka's feelings when she agreed to avenge Dazai? What kind of feelings does Kyoka have about Dazai's death?

That's a difficult question. Unlike Kyoka in the main story, Kyoka in the Beast world lives by accepting the dark side of herself, which is killing. For her, killing to protect the people and places she cares about may be a natural inclination of her heart.

In the incident of becoming a vampire, Chuuya was pretending to be a vampire under the order of the boss, but Higuchi Ichiyo really became a vampire. So after she returned to the Port Mafia, how did the Port Mafia deal with and control the vampire bites?

Too many people were infected within the Mafia, and tragedy struck. I guess the mafia members who were able to return to their normal lives did not receive a severe punishment.

Questions about roles

Will there ever be a day when the stories surrounding the founding of the Detective Agency, the president's youth before he became an assassin, Tanizaki's background before he joined the Agency, how Kunikida became a member, etc., will be filled in?

Each story is fascinating and I would love to depict them all, but as the author, what interests me the most is Tanizaki's past and how he came to join the company.

I'd like to know how Mori Ogai picked up Dazai Osamu, and why Dostoyevsky wanted a world without superpowers. Would you consider publishing two separate books? Thank you.

There may be an opportunity to write about the meeting between Mori Ogai and Dazai Osamu, but this story of Dostoevsky's past "creating a world without abilities" may be a little tough. That's because at this point it is unclear whether he really wants to "create a world without abilities."

What was Dazai Osamu like before he was taken by Mori Ogai at the age of 14? Was he an orphan or something else?

That's a very acute observation. If that is the case, Dazai's action of saving the orphan Atsushi may have been a way of returning the favour for what had been done to him.

I would like to ask how Yosano felt when she found out that Dazai was a leader of the Port Mafia. Does Yosano know about the complicated relationship between Dazai and Mori?

At least as of volume 1, Yosano probably didn't know about Dazai's past. Judging from the way the story unfolds, Yosano's feelings are directed towards Ogai alone rather than the mafia as a whole, and her feelings seem to be more terror and dread rather than anger.

Chuuya seems to be constantly working and traveling. Is the workload very intense for the members of the Port Mafia? Do they get statutory holidays and annual leave?

Many of the mafia members in Bungo Stray Dogs live their daily lives like company employees, but they are still the mafia, so many of them work as freelancers, handing over part of their income to the organization. Therefore, they don't have days off (ouch).

I want to know what was the most frightening moment for Dazai. The most profound thing he has experienced that he does not want it to happen again.

Humans' greatest fears are often rooted in the threat to their own life, in other words, their own death. However, Dazai has no resistance to death itself, so he rarely feels fear. What he does feel is a strong sense of loss, like when he lost Odasaku. He probably never wants to repeat that experience again.

I'm curious about what kind of "meaning of life" Akutagawa seeks in Dazai. After defeating the group in Season 2, he's already heard his teacher acknowledge that he's become stronger, and others, including Chuuya and Atsushi, have told him that Dazai-sensei has recognized him. So why does he continue to seek Dazai's "recognition" even after all this?

For Akutagawa, Dazai's approval was not something that could be achieved by receiving a simple compliment once. For Akutagawa the meaning of life was not something superficial like "I want Dazai to praise me," but rather its essence lay somewhere much deeper.

What reasons/events caused Gogol to become what he is now, a person who pursues freedom?

It wasn't that some specific event caused him to seek freedom; rather, after much philosophizing and experimenting, he came to the realization that the freedom that ordinary people seek is not true freedom.

What kind of relationship do you think Dazai has with the Agency members? Friends or something like family?

They are probably closer to what we would call friends or family, but he is Dazai after all, so even I, the author, don't really know.

How did Dostoyevsky discover his special ability? Did he discover it when he was killed for the first time?

There is no doubt that the trigger was the first time he was killed, but when it happened and who killed him remains a mystery.

What kind of animal does Asagiri-sensei think Dazai looks like?

That's a very difficult question. I think it could be likened to a free-spirited cat, an intelligent computer, or many other things, but since humans are the only living creatures in the world that decide to kill themselves, I think it would have to be a human.

What do you think of Kyoka-chan after Dazai's remark that "so what's a mere thirty-five people" brought out her inner struggles? For example, does she find him unpredictable and terrifying?

She must have realized just how insignificant her own feeling of having "killed 35 people" was. I think her anguish was eased by the boundless vastness of the darkness that is Dazai, which surpasses her own (and she probably understands that this is Dazai's way of encouraging her).

Why was Chuuya's true identity based on Arahabaki, the name of an indigenous god from Aomori? Is it related to the real-life author Dazai Osamu, who was also from Aomori?

Arahabaki is a god whose identity is extremely difficult to pin down, and only vague legends have been passed down. The name was given by the military and researchers in that field, so it does not seem to have much to do with Dazai, who was from Aomori.

For the president, are there any important distinctions among members? (Just like how a kindergarten teacher has their favourite children.) If so, what criteria are used to rank them?

There is no difference in the importance the president places on his employees. They are all part of a community and embody the essential principles of the detective agency. However, for Ranpo, who he has taken care of and walked alongside up to this point, he probably feels a different emotion.

What role does Natsume-sensei play in the story? What is Dazai's attitude towards Natsume-sensei's tripartite framework?

He is the ultimate "observer" and the strongest cat, who can see through any event. He doesn't interfere with most events, and because of that he never fails. I'm sure he will continue to appear in my works. Dazai probably doesn't feel a particularly strong sense of mission towards the tripartite framework, but since Dazai is the person who connects the night of the Port Mafia with the dusk of the Detective Agency, he's likely to be a very important element for Natsume.

Why can Oguri Mushitaro still see Yokomizo? Is it a psychological effect or is Yokomizo turned into his ghost, like Kyogoku Natsuhiko in Bungo Stray Dogs Gaiden?

The reason he sees Yokomizo is purely psychological. The countless interactions they had over the years have given him a solid image of Yokomizo in his mind. In other words, it's friendship.

Can I ask what Asagiri-sensei mentioned in the postscript before, what did Chuuya think after Dazai left the Port Mafia?

Since Chuuya didn't find Dazai working as a detective in Yokohama, he must have thought that Dazai was dead. Since Dazai was always trying to kill himself, he probably didn't find it suspicious.

¹ Asagiri's works prior to bsd, respectively a video series and its novel adaptation. ² The expression “ungeheueres Ungeziefer” as used in Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis is commonly translated in Japanese as 「毒虫」, lit. “poisonous insect”. However, the literal translation of “ungeheueres Ungeziefer” is closer to “monstrous vermin”. Despite the insect-like features (many legs, hard back, curved belly, antennae), in The Metamorphosis it is never specified that the creature Gregor Samsa turns in is an insect, nor ever implied for it to be a poisonous one. For more on the translation of the term “ungeheueres Ungeziefer”, please refer to Simms, E., & Andrews, K. (2019). The Ungeziefer and the Insect: the Social Connotations in the English Translation of The Metamorphosis. ³ “之前在15岁小说中魏尔伦在地下室等待风暴降临” Not entirely sure why it says Fifteen here, as far as I understand this is a question about Stormbringer's ending. I may be getting this wrong. ⁴ I translated 「静けさ」 as “silence” because it sounded more poetic, but it's more about the concepts of quietness / serenity / calm.

[xxgoblin-dumplingxx]

Unconventional Truth: Two

Jack leaned on the railing of the roof and watched the sun spill red gold over the rooftops. Like the blood of some god everyone forgot about. And just breathed in the city. A maisma of dumpster, concrete, iron, and life.

"Good to see you over on this side," Robby observed.

"Wasn't the worst day," Abbot answered. "Saw an old friend. More of him than I wanted to but- he came through surgery fine. His kid sister is with him now."

Kid.

It felt weird calling you a kid when he knew you were 32 now. But in his mind all he could really see was your school picture. Beaming at the camera behind silver wire frames. Mischief and baby fat.

Robby came and leaned on the railing next to him, nodding. "Gonna go see them?"

"Thought I'd stop by. Check my work," Jack said shrugging.

"And check out the sister?" Robby snorted.

"It'd be nice to meet her," Abbot admitted.

Robby looked at him, brow furrowed and Abbot's lip twitched. "I served with Walker. His sister was just a kid and she used to write him stories and send them to him- it became," he broke off for a second. Grappling to describe it. "A distraction. It broke up the boredom. The stress."

He shook his head and chuckled. "I was actually mad at a 10-year-old on the other side of the world once because she killed off my favorite character."

"Sounds like she had a fan club-"

"She did," Abbot said. "She really did." He glanced at Robby and then back out over the rooftops.

Remembering for a moment the way it had felt when Walker got an Envelope with stickers all over it. The way they'd cheered when a letter from home came; from the parents that had a news paper clipping. You got a little poem published in the paper and you never even told them you sent it in. Walker's feelings had been hurt about it, but he kept that poem in his pocket anyway.

"How old was she then?" Robby asked, curious.

"10," Abbot said.

"So-"

"Shut it, Robby," Jack said warningly.

"I was just going to tell you to get her Autograph. And maybe see if she can get you copies of anything still. She might have kept them."

_______

Jack knocked on the door and waited until he heard Walker's "Come in."

"Hey, man," he said, "How's the pain?"

"Felt worse" he said, "When the ex wife took the '56 in the divorce for her new man-"

"Damn," Abbot cringed, "that's some shit."

"Yeah, well." Walker shrugged. "That's what I get for not listening to my dad I guess- the bastard."

"In fairness," a new voice added, as the door opened, "Dad also liked to stick his dick in crazy. I think it's genetic."

"Your mom was just the fun kind of crazy," Walker snorted. "And you well-"

The two of you are bickering, playfully and Jack can't really focus. He knows who you are without an introduction. The eyes and the big bright smile are the same. Even without the baby fat on your face.

Kid is definitely not a good descriptor anymore. You're a woman. Comfortably into your 30's with a healthy figure and a presence. You don't demand his attention but he's drawn to you anyway. And it startles him a little.

"This is Dr. Abbot," Walker said, "Abbot, this is Y/N, the baby baby sister."

"Nice to finally meet you," Abbot said, taking the hand you offered. It was... solid. Warm and real. He wasn't sure what he expected but when your hand met his it was a jolt.

"Likewise, Dr. Abbot-"

"Jack," he said, smiling, "Call me Jack. Even if you did kill my favorite dragon once."

"Sorry," you tell him wincing. "I was stuck. And my teacher told me if I had less characters-"

"To just kill someone to further the plot?" Jack mock scolded.

"For the plot... yes. Just the plot." You give him a conspiratorial wink, "Never to solve any other problem ever."

"Before you ask, Jack," Walker put in from the bed, "Yes. She's always like this."

[blueteller]

Hello amazing human on the internet! Hope you're doing well!!\(>○<)/

I want to ask you for your opinion regarding TCF.

Is TCF one of the greatest pieces of fiction you've ever stumbled upon and if so, what do you think makes TCF so great? Does it have a certain charm that other novels or manhwas can't capture?

Why hello, fellow amazing human on the internet! I hope you're doing well too :) As a certified fantasy nerd and huge TCF/LCF enthusiast, I'll be honored to answer your question: what makes this series so great? (Don't worry, I'm making this spoiler free)

There is a lot of things manhwa does not convey very well from its novel counterpart. There are many details missed, which might not seem like a lot at first... except this series excels at build-up. So losing details and adding visual errors make a HUGE difference in the long run. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

There really is a lot to cover, so avoid making a huge essay out of this post, let's just divide "what I love about TCF" into 4 major categories: the humor, the characters, the world-building and the action.

The humor is truly the cornerstone of this series. The subversion of numerous tropes is a big part of it as well. Where other series use misunderstandings to drive annoying, pointless conflicts, here they provide comedy AND drive the plot forward. And it wouldn't work the way it does without the excellent characterization provided by the author.

Take our main character for instance. In any other series, his obliviousness would have no justification other than "he is just that dumb". Cale Henituse, however, is under no circumstances stupid. His obliviousness is a defense mechanism caused directly by his life experiences. His trauma shapes his personality and his way of thinking. He doesn't act the way he does for no reason.

His behavior also justifies why other characters misunderstand him. It is a perfect, neverending cycle of misunderstanding-based comedy. Cale acts the way he feels logical (read: heroically), others misunderstand his reasoning and adore him for it, and Cale misunderstands his own reasoning due to trauma AND the reactions of other people, fueling the cycle yet again. It's hilarious. It's all just great!

There is a lot of heart in this series, and it shows in every page. The characters are crafted with love and SHOW love. They're also mischevious, enjoy spreading extremely entertaining chaos, and participate in all sorts of hilarious hijinks. And when angst and drama hit the stage (and believe me, they do!), you FEEL it, because you care about these characters. They're so memorable! And there are so many of them too!! I don't know how the author does it.

A large part of the series is slow-burn, but oh boy does it burn well! We only get crumbs at first, but slowly but surely, the complexity of the story unravels before the eyes of the readers. The manhwa is only in the build-up stage yet!! It's like a puzzle, and we only get a piece at a time, but piecing the full picture is so satisfying. It all fits together so well.

And finally, the action: this series is literally NEVER boring. There is always so many things going on! For such a long series, it's nothing short of outstanding. The author never runs out of exciting action sequnces, and intertwines them with drama and comedy seemlessly. The schemes Cale comes up with are just so incredibly entertaining and so satisfying to watch. When he wins, it's not because he was just lucky; he properly EARNS it. He fights and struggles and suffers like a proper protagonist (not that he'd ever admit to being one lol), so his successes never feel hollow.

Don't get wrong, th manhwa definitely has good things to say about it: the character designs look beautiful for example. But I always felt sad and frustrated over how many things we didn't get in that adaptation. The visualization of landscape of this huge, facinating fantasy world, the censorship of the brutal and tragic parts of the story (the Harris Village massacre didn't show a drop of blood for example), the overlooked subtle comedy in many character interactions (I think the manhwa makers really miss a lot of it and don't pay enough attention)... And most importantly, the worldbuilding details. The color of a tree in a specific scene? You might laugh it off, but it MATTERS when the tree comes back later and it's like "surprise, this detail you missed 300 chapters ago MATTERS! And here's what it means!" We will never get that from the manhwa, sadly.

Forget details like symbolism and worldbuilding, when most of them either don't make it to the manhwa or are completely backwards. I mean, they didn't even get Cale's eyecolor right! They're only now getting around to giving Cale longer hair. Well... at least we have and adaptation at all. It could have been worse. I still sincerely love the character designs!

So, regarding your question: "Does it have a certain charm that other novels or manhwas can't capture?" The answer is resounding YES. It only ever scratches the surface.

I hope you find this helpful, and give the novel a chance! I know it's a long read, but for me personally, I see it as an absolute win :D

[dailyneil]

What are some facts/things about Neil that others haven't payed much attention too? (Also I love your page and when u talk about Neil he's been my favorite character for like 5 years I absolutely love Neil! This page is actually soooo cool!!!<3)

Thank you so much! I really appreciate the kind words :) I also really love Neil and I think he's rather unexplored as a character, both in the fandom and in the show! So here are some fun facts and little things I've noticed about him going through the show frame by frame XD

First off Neil wears Velcro shoes! Perhaps he doesn't know how to tie his shoe laces, or just wears them for convenience. This ties into my headcanon he is autistic because its common for people with autism to struggle with some skills, such as tying shoe laces.

Second, Neil as asthma! Or at least was originally meant to. He's shown with an inhaler in the teaser trailer and the pilot so it's likely this was scrapped later on. Its a common trope for nerds to have asthma so I'm not surprised XD

Neil is 11 years old. This makes him 1 year older than Max and Nikki. This information is from the camp Camp Press kit where Neil's age in the description is listed as 11. Further evidence for this is in season 2 episode 12 Parents Day Nikki says "I've always wanted an *older* brother." When referring to him. In season 5 he would be 12. (sorry this was the best quality of this image I could find) XD

This is an odd one but Neil is tied With Cameron Campbell for appearing shirtless the most out of any character, that number being 4.

Neil browses some kind of 4chan adjacent text board.

Neil is very media savvy. In the official director's commentary it is noted that Neil often exclaims, "Have you seen any *genre* movie ever!?", on many occasions. Another example of this is all the stickers on his safe in Anti-Social Network. It's implied that he has seen Akira, played Fallout, Ect. i strongly recommend the directors commentary as its very interesting, I actually haven't watched it in its entirety myself but if anything else about Neil comes up I'll defiantly mention it :)

Neil does something called Raptor arms, this is a very common symptom in people with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Ive actually asked Miles myself through a cameo if Neil is intentionally implied to have autism but he said it wasn't intentional. They do acknowledge his raptor arms though usually calling them "T-Rex arms." Instead. Here is a piece of art work made by one of the creators of the show, and there's another "T-rex arms" mention in the directors commentary.

Neil has canonically prevented three suicides. He stops the foreign exchange campers from killing themselves by offering them ice cream. "WAIT!! Would some ice cream make you feel better?" This is one of my favorite moments from him. It shows how golden hearted he can be. I also enjoy the scene where he comforts Jasper and makes sure they tell David about him and honor his last wish. What a good fella <:)

Neil and Space kid love each other Mr Rooster Teeth told me :)

Neil created a weapon of mass destruction when he was put in his new science camp (Napalm)

Neil bot says "time moves about a million times slower for me than it does you". I believe this may be a reference to 'I have no mouth and I must scream'. One of the main plot points there is that AM, the sentient robot, experiences time very slowly and it's extremely painful for him because he sentient. That's why he curses the last living character to experience time the way he does.

Even though Neil is Jewish, he's shown to eat bacon. MISC. -Neil is seen drinking two different types of energy drinks throughout the series. One is called Maple zap and the other is just coffee. -Neil knows Morse code, Space Kid does as well :) -He's allergic to sauerkraut -Neil's design changed from the pilot to the final series. Nikki, Max, Gwen, and David did not. -Neil was originally going to have dreadlocks -Neil has rosacea Wow that sure was a lot! Another one that I haven't personally confirmed yet but I believe Neil appears in every single episode as well, although I know he doesn't have a speaking roll in every episode as he doesn't speak in Fashion victims (S4E14) but does appear in the bg. That's all i can think of for now but there's likely more things! If you have anything you'd like to add or comment on feel free to! I really appreciate getting to discuss my favorite character with others :) Thanks so much for reading and sorry for the late reply it took me a moment to write all this out, I wanted to make sure it was the best it could be! Have a great rest of your day :)

Day 244 Images 1. Camp Camp Teaser Trailer 2. Camp Camp Teaser Trailer, Camp Camp Pilot 3. Official Camp Camp Press Kit 4. Camp Kool Kidz S1E4, Order of The Sparrow S1E12, Who Peed the Lake? S4E3, The Butterfinger Effect S4E17 5. Anti-Social Network S2E2 6. Anti-Social Network S2E2 7. Artwork 8. Foreign Exchange Campers S3E3 9. Eggs Benefits S2E9 10. Camp Corp S3E12 11. Anti-Social Network S2E2 12. Mind Freakers S1E10

[kings-highway]

First, just wanna say I love your writing! Inspires me so much!

Second, I wanted to know if you had any tips for writing giant multi chapter fics? Like, something around 30-40 chapters with multiple ships included. I have this Magic school au idea that’s been floating around in my head but I have no clue where to start 🥹

Ohhhhhhh this is an interesting one. First of alllllllll 🥰♥️🤍💕💞💖🥰

Second of all, writing longer form works can be very difficult, because much like any “long” anything, it’s a game of endurance rather than inspiration. You gotta get good at forcing yourself to write chapters that are necessary, but boring as fuck, because you won’t be passionate about 100% of each chapter you write. (Whereas shorter stories can often JUST be what makes you the most inspired.)

Although this isn’t advice specific to massively long works, I think my best advice would be to sort out your ending first. Not necessarily every single detail, you don’t need to write it first, but know what you want those last pages to feel like. Do you visualize the reader closing the pages on a triumphant victory, with the main characters bloodied but survived? Do you imagine a slow, pensive last few pages, as the heroes reflect on what it took to get them there? Do you imagine the last pages closing out on a final love confession, two people getting the happy ending they deserve? Blocking out where the finish line is will GREATLY help you write stories that otherwise can get unwieldy and confusing. If you try and pants out the entire story, a 100k story can turn into 200k and you still don’t know what’s going on. Then, as you’re working on the meat of the story, you can keep your eye on your finish line and make sure everything is working towards that ultimate goal, and this prevents you from going off on tangents that might ruin the overall plot of the story (killing off characters you actually need for that ending too early, changing locations in a way that prevents that ending from coming back, etc.) This will, of course, also decide what genre you need to write in, the tone of your works, and what kind of plot points you need. Triumphant ending? You need plot points to show your characters grit. Slow, pensive ending? They need to lose something over the course of the story. Two people finally coming together? They need to have been kept apart.

My second piece of advice is to give everything space. That is to say, you’re going to write “filler” chapters sometimes only for the purpose of fluffing up the literal distance between two plot points. Now these aren’t fluff chapters, these filler chapters shouldn’t be meaningless, they absolutely can serve an important role in the story - I use it for establishing characters, in whatever current time you’re in. “Character development” is no good if it’s going by at the speed of light. So if your character arc is A going from a weak to a powerful magician, the first 15 chapters they’re weak, the middle 15 they’re learning, the last 10 they’re powerful. Well… that’s 15 whole chapters you need to fill *before* you give them a substantial magic upgrade. So your filler chapters can be character setting. Maybe they sneak out, maybe they go to a party, maybe they have a late night study session, it doesn’t matter, but the goal of these scenes will be to establish the day-to-day of this character being shit at magic, so that when they start to be better at magic, you actually have something to compare it to. Similarly, once the character is learning, if you don’t slow the fuck down and show them being mediocre, even good sometimes, when they get that final big magic, it will seem like it comes out of nowhere. So give them moments when you can show them learning that magic, being proficient even, ahead of the final push. These chapters can be… arduous to write. They can drag, they can suck. They’re not what you want to write. But it’s VERY IMPORTANT to put distance between when your character decides to learn magic versus when they’re good at it. And timeskips DO NOT COUNT. This is distance for the reader, distance for the experience. Focusing on this for long stories also helps minimize rollercoaster style plots that go all the fuck everywhere. The character development for a long novel is the same as a short one, but you’re giving it more time to be felt. Otherwise, you end up padding your story length with seemingly endless plot events and dramatic changes and your character’s development is CONSTANTLY spiking and turning and changing.

I don’t know if you’ve read “This Is Not The End”, my currently longest continuous work, but I use filler chapters there like nobody’s business. Chapters 22 - 27 were written in this format. This was an emotional “reset” for a lot of the characters, in which the only thing that happens in these chapters are… uh… they walk around and talk about stuff. BUT the reason that was important to me to write, was to give the story itself breathing room. My ACTUAL plot points were “Ittou tries a coup” and “the gang goes to Kyoto to do politics for the first time.” But if you stick those back to back, or if you only give like a chapter and a half between them, you end up jumping time, jumping development. It was really important to me to slow down and let the reader feel the distance between these events, and allow a new version of Daichi, of Oikawa, of Yamaguchi, of Suga, of Iwa, to be shown breathing and living and settling into their new normal. To let the characters come down from the high as well as the reader. These chapters establish Daichi’s character to separate him from the chapter 1 version, and set him up for where he’s going; I also take the opportunity to have a bit of relationship development, I have Kimiko get bitten, set up Daichi’s Satellite with Hinata, introduce the cult town as a piece of horror to reconnect the story back to the original premise of post-post-apocalypse, and push forward the idea of relearning trades. I also, writing this, wanted to die, because I was bored and wanted to send them to Kyoto. But I knew that the coup occurred in winter, and the kyoto trip was supposed to be in summer, and you can’t timeskip that many months (in a story like this. Others might get away with it, but…)

[Now I need to take an Aside to say that The End was meant to feel like an Epic, covering massive change, and I went into it knowing I wanted a 450k slow burn on survival. For a story thats not focused on that slow movement, you probably dont need as much space between your events. But, if that IS the kind of story you're going for, then there you go. Comparatively, Paranormality is long mostly because it was meant to be sort of monster-of-the-week, so there were a lot of "one off" chapters - two entirely different ways to write long stories! I didnt need as much filler in Paranormality bc the filler was the monster chapters between plots. So part of what you need to decide, is WHY this story is going to be as long a as it is. I knew Para would be about 300k, and I've only slightly over shot The End's anticipated 450. But I also knew going in exactly how I wanted them to feel. So maybe decide "why" this story is going to be long, instead of average, and use that to start building out your chapters!]

Writing a magic school, I’m assuming at minimum you’re working with a 4 year education, you might even go longer. So I will try and give actual advice.

If you want to write a “long story” I think you’d have two options for good pacing. 30-40 chapters as a benchmark (assuming your chapters are average, at about 5k each), that’s gonna run you about 200k. Which is, of course, plenty of words to play with, but it’s not as much as you’d *think* when you get down to pacing - all the mentioned above stuff about giving space and filler is in service of creating the correct feeling of a long fic, since the writing is fundamentally different from a faster paced shorter story. For example, my story “Paranormality” covers about 3 months of *active investigation* and hit 290k - “The End” is at 450k and has covered about 2.5 years of in-story time. A 4 year degree or magical education will feel rushed in a 30-40 chapter/200k story. So I’d recommend probably focusing on one specific year, or maybe even one specific event - ie, a transfer student comes in and you follow up until they… I don’t know, pass the exam that allows them to stay permanently. Not sure if this is meant to be slice-of-life or magical adventure, but I’m sure you can pick something that fits your genre.

It’s important to note that you *could* cover all 4 years in 200k, but I’m guessing that you want to keep the slow-paced longfic feel. And that (in my opinion) mandates those slow character developments and that space between events, which makes it a lot harder. Doing all 4 years in 40 chapters would limit you to 10 chapters per year on average, and that’s TIGHT. Even for 200k. Imagine the reading experience of “haha yeah 5 chapters ago we were doing our second year exams, and now we’re gearing up for 3rd year prom” - and that’s assuming IF you don’t need 3-4 chapters for an event and every event is handled in one chapter.

NOW my instinct is to say, if you want to do “magical school au” with no specific goal for the story in mind, to just commit to it, and say “hey, if it turns out to be 500k, that’s what it is” and let yourself enjoy the process of fucking around and letting them play in each year, and just really show off the idea of a magical school au and your worldbuilding. But that’s an entirely different kind of writing. Assuming you want this story to eventually end, that’s not necessarily feasible.

The last piece of advice I will leave you on is more of a bad habit of mine than actual writing advice, and that’s the constant use of backstory or flashbacks or dream sequences to nail in thematic points of chapters. Obviously all stories will have events that took place before the first chapter, and I’ve found a great joy in writing these flashbacks, not only fleshing out and lengthening the story post-humerously to the actual events (making it feel like something that started 10 years before the actual story starts) BUT it really helps me get through those filler chapters. When I don’t know what to do, I wiggle my little fingers and say “well, what’s a memory from their childhood that would fit the theme of this chapter?” and then I write that memory instead, and 90% of the time it spurs me on to start getting the rest of that otherwise boring chapter done. Do I recommend this? Absolutely not, I got lucky because both Paranormality and The End (my longest works) focus on the impact of your ancestors and the choices they made, so it’s justified. But I pull this bullshit in all my fics. “The Island,” “In The Woods of Japan” for some fucking reason has flashbacks despite “American Summer” not really doing that, “Soulmake Adventures” is an entirely different genre and it’s still 40% flashbacks. I need to reiterate: I don’t think this is good writing advice, HOWEVER, you said you liked my writing, and you asked my for advice, and I would by LYING to you if I didn’t tell you that writing these flashbacks and using them as context within a chapter is a HUGE REASON why I manage to write my stories as long and as thoroughly as I do. If YOU want to take the mantle of my terrible bad writing habits, that’s your own risk. But it freaking works for me, and when I wrote “Time Enough,” where I distinctly did not want to change POV or break from the current consciousness for thematic reasons, I literally ended up griping to my roommate about how much I missed it and how much harder it was to write without it. (this is me handing you a cigarette at a party btw.) - but maybe it doesn’t have to be flashbacks! Really, what this does for me, is give me something exciting and immediate to write, and then once I’m writing, I can transition into the more difficult scenes. You know, like giving a car a jump-start lmao. So maybe there’s something else that would work for you, something that you really enjoy that you can use to help keep your writing flow on.

Uhhhh other quick advice is to make sure you’re writing in a comfortable position. Clicking with your fingers stress tendons that run along the back of your hand that run up your arm, and you will develop sore spots and aches. I know I do. And… write what makes you happy. Obviously diligence in writing and getting through those less interesting chapters is important, but make sure it’s all in service of a plot you love. Don’t compromise that in favour of something you think someone else might like more. You will never finish writing a story you don’t care about. So. you’re locked into this thing for like 200k minimum you better damn like it.

Did this even at ALL answer the question or help? I have no idea. I got distracted halfway through I think. Anywho 😘

[chloesimaginationthings]

Poppy playtime got a guy worse than William Afton

[rosetheocto]

Hey guys here’s my totally original Mario OCs that I definitely did NOT steal for myself from an old-ish obscure Minecraft series I watched when I was like 10 that I’m now rewriting in my head for fun hahaha

This all isn’t final since it’s my first time drawing them and everything with their lore is very much subject to change but YEAAA the duo!! :D

character/lore yapping under the cut cuz screw it, i gotta feed the like two other Nintendo Fun House fans somehow LMAO

These two are Tyler Busybee and Gilliford “Gill” McAllister! This dynamic duo met each other in early childhood, and became inseparable ever since! They used to also be in a trio with a Toady named Four-Eyes (don’t ask why he’s named that), but that friendship… unfortunately didn’t go as planned. That’s okay though, because they recently befriended Bowser Jr. himself!! He was surprisingly nice to the two of them, never in a million years would they expect to click with literal Koopa royalty as well as they did, but life is always full of surprises!!

Tyler might seem like a typical dudebro jock at first, but there’s a lot more to him than just that! He’s very obsessed with comics and especially superheroes, and his presence and high-energy definitely helps lift the spirits of others when it’s needed! Despite being a Hammer Bro, he doesn’t really put any focus on hammers or throwing things at all, opting for a more showing-off kind of battle strategy. He lost his birth parents when he was young, but was found and taken in by Stingby triplets that he considers his closest family! He occasionally helps in their delivery work too, though after moving out of their place he’s had less opportunities to do so. Tyler is probably the most impulsive and risk-taking out of the Fun House Trio, tied with Junior, and also has a deep sense of loyalty to his friends, which makes betrayal feel all the more personal to him. He has a confident and energetic demeanor, and while he isn’t exactly faking that, he does try to hide bits of the more “uncool” parts of his personality, along with the trauma he deals with later on from all the stuff that goes down in this story. Tyler wants to be the one to help others, not the one that needs rescuing, and he tends to shut people out a bit if he is greatly embarrassed about something that makes him feel weak or pathetic to those around him. He does have an interest in sports/athletics too, and could be pretty dang talented at them, but that is far from his main thing! At the end of the day though, he loves his friends, and his friends love him!

The way most people would describe Gill would probably be something like “the nerdiest nerd to ever nerd”, meaning that he’s very antisocial at times, very into science and history, and generally not as much of a risk-taker as his friends are, preferring to stay in his own safe little bubble. When the Shy Guy was a kid, Tyler was one of the only people that Gill would actually talk to for more than a minute, and a lot of the relations Gill had are most likely connected to Ty as well in some way. Maybe the Gifted Kid treatment he’s gotten throughout his life had something to do with that, Gill never really had the time to make other friends on his own with how many academic expectations he’s had to uphold… hopefully now that he’s graduated from school and is able to move out of his parents’ place, maybe he’ll get that chance with Junior and the rest of the Fun House Crew! Although, another problem Gill has regarding friendships is the fear of being “replaceable” to people. Even if the gang don’t mean anything hurtful, from time to time Gill would end up feeling like a bit of an outsider with his more introverted personality and interests. Oh yeah, and that bag he has? It’s like a bag of holding, there’s tons of gadgets and other random stuff, mainly used for more episodic shenanigans!

[foursidecity]

LOTTYYYYY final eps of win or lose how are we feeling what r your thoughts. <just finished watching

HIII OTTTOOO I loved them so much they were so fun!!!!!!!

I was so excited to see kais story play out too... ofc I'm sad it wasn't the trans storyline they had first drafted but a pressure based storyline with gender-queer elements is rhe next best thing! I loved the aha- mind the pun- scene transitions when she goes from being the new kid with a baggy hoodie and cropped hair, to being very brightly colored, longer hair in a ponytail, wearing silly outfits and having fun... it was so good... and her animation motif of flying/sinking... and the baseball/softball transition metaphor. SO GOOD also loved her family dynamic etc etc

I REALLLLYY liked how they stitched everything in the end all together too... coach Dan's #1 fan he's so silly he just wants the kids to have a good time playing softball ok...I liked the ballooning out of control visual motif also AGHH the animation in this show was brilliant...cheers and claps

[bacchuschucklefuck]

the one thing amiss from nsbu's concept and the general isekai/modern jumanji medias in general is the fact that in the original jumanji all that shit happened in the real life town. people died for real. we need to bring funny games (1997) to the tabletop scene

[purplespacekitty]

donna troy, kyle rayner, jason todd trio run when???

[deeplyridiculouslyinlove]

I just rewatched 02 x 07 for the first time since finishing all the books and I can't stop thinking about it. I feel like everyone is either on the side of (1) it was all a big ploy, or (2) that's it for Moiraine and Siuan they can never come back from this--but I really don't think either of those are true.

I think the most in character thing Moiraine could possibly do is forgive Siuan, for the following reasons:

Moiraine knows that she would do the exact same thing that Siuan did here--namely, sacrifice anything (even their relationship and their trust in one another)--for the sake of the world and their mission. And this shared goal, these compatible values, and this mutual understanding is literally what has kept them together despite 20 years of distance and secrecy from the world.

[MINOR BOOK SPOILERS] We see in one of the books that Moiraine believes she and Siuan have made their beds and will lie in them one day by becoming involved in the quest to find the Dragon -- I believe the way she phrases it is about payment coming due for all the rules they've broken and the secrecy etc. that they needed for their quest. If this is her attitude, she is not only willing to give up everything, but expects to give up everything. And she expects it of Siuan as well.

Siuan has already proven how much she would give up for their quest. She became Amyrlin despite, as we learn this same episode, how much she did not want to be trapped in the tower and could not see her future there. She gave up any semblance of a happy life (how she would picture it both with and without Moiraine!) for this quest.

In some ways, if Siuan had just let Moiraine take Rand through a waygate to Falme, it would have actually been a betrayal of their mission. Their mission wasn’t “get Rand to Falme.” It was “protect and train the dragon reborn.” Siuan feels the need to do that as acutely as Moiraine does--and critically, Moiraine knows this about Siuan.

This goes quadruple if Siuan actually did think Moiraine could be a dark friend. Siuan thinks Moiraine lied to her!! And Moiraine knows this too, since Siuan does at least have the chance to say "You lied to me!" Moiraine would understand that if there was any chance Moiraine had been turned or was compelled, Siuan had to try and stop her from taking Rand off to god knows where.

Literally just a few days earlier Moiraine had threatened to have Alanna take Lan’s bond by force if he stood in her way--aka, the way of her mission. At this very moment, Moiraine herself has spent days (weeks?) contemplating what it would mean to betray the autonomy and trust of those she loves most if it means saving the world. And she knows what side she's on.

When Moiraine says, “if you have ever loved me don’t do this” my heart shatters into a million pieces. But that line is not just ,“it will be a betrayal of our love and trust if you compel me." It is that, but it's also a call for Siuan to see Moiraine for MOIRAINE. She’s saying “you know me.” She’s trying to get her (Siuan) to see that what she (Moiraine) is doing is not about her shame and pride but about the mission. Because it is ALWAYS about the mission, Moiraine IS the mission, and Siuan loves her because of that, and Moiraine knows Siuan loves her because of that 

Moiraine clearly hesitates before going through the waygate. Her character isn't one to linger out of shock and betrayal. She lashes out and she puts up distance--we've seen this all season. Moiraine moves forward. So I read her looking at Siuan here as far more "I love you and I'm sorry [I can't help you? it's come to this? we can't reconcile?]" than "How could you?" or "You're a different person to me now." I’m not trying to minimize the violation Moiraine is also feeling in this moment, I just think that if the violation was her primary emotion she would likely behave differently. And if she can have this messy a set of emotions even in the heart of the moment, I have faith she can similarly hold multiple emotions later when reconciling.

The flashback scenes are so heartbreaking but they don’t have to mean that Moiraine and Siuan feel so betrayed and far from those versions of themselves that they will never be together again. Those flashbacks can also be saying “remember when we were those people?” Holding onto those versions of themselves is how they hold onto their love despite this scene.

Those flashbacks also remind us that their relationship in the show is like 50 years old. It is deep. People don't throw away 50 years of relationship without a conversation, even if there is a deep betrayal involved. And that's normal people--not even people who have given up absolutely everything for a cause that the relationship has now gotten wrapped up in. In the books, they are together for a few years and then seemingly go their separate ways when the Dragon is reborn. I don't think the show would have gone out of its way to deepen and lengthen this relationship just to end it so quickly and unceremoniously.

[wackywatchdotcom]

realizing just how LONG its been since ive posted a ragatha comic. i need to do that again its been too long despite the fact that i think most of my best work wrt tadc has been my ragatha stuff...

hey wait wtf i posted this and tumblr deleted like the last 12 tags. what the hell . that sucks. maybe i hit tag limit and it just didnt tell me or stop me from adding more tags...

[rimmerslustmonster]

I really wanted to love Arcane but after watching all of it I still find the majority of it really unfulfilling. Like, the animation really is gorgeous (as in, I literally think it's the prettiest/most smoothly animated show I've ever seen in my life and the action sequences especially were incredible) and I found basically all of the characters and their relationships initially really compelling but ultimately it just felt really empty to me.

So many characters' decisions/motivations (not all--there are a handful of obvious choices) seemed to shift aimlessly depending on what music video the creators wanted to make at the time, and the fact that the vast majority of characters actions feels reactionary to whatever outside force (the arcane/hex tech/black rose/whatever) they decided to invoke at the time was really annoying to me. Reactionary character choices aren't inherently bad, but when you have certain characters that everyone in the show plays up as strategic geniuses or powerhouses or whatever and then they also end up just kind of drifting along with whatever is thrown in to get them to end up wherever they ultimately need to be like dust motes and they don't end up being the actuators of basically anything at all in the end it's just fucking irritating tbh. (Especially thinking of season 2 Ambessa here--so much of what she found/achieved was basically by chance and it didn't feel like a coherent effort of her own that actually ended up getting her anywhere and maybe that's a commentary on the opportunistic nature of power or something but it still sucked imo because of how often everyone talked about what a great strategist she is and how dangerous/formidable she was in her own right and she just kind of wasn't in the end because the things she consciously put such a big investment in immediately fell apart for her so it was like... what was the fucking point? she could've been so much fucking better).

It felt like half the stuff that happened didn't happen in service of some overarching message or story but to fulfill vibes and the drama of it. Which again isn't inherently bad but there was just so much of it. Too many things felt like they fell into place 'just so' despite nothing the characters doing as individuals really feeling like it earned them that place. I do think they managed to pull a decent amount of it together in the end, but frankly it's only out of spite I ended up watching the final episode anyway, and you really shouldn't be counting on viewers to do that.

Anyway. Ultimately I guess it's just not for me I think, and the parts of it I did like (style, animation, themes, certain characters) didn't make trying to internally patch the parts I didn't (what felt to me like inconsistent characterization, mishandling themes/messages) to make it work for me feel like it worth the effort so in the end I really can't be bothered to care about it beyond just finishing the series and that makes me kinda sad.

As a show it was fine. The finale did a pretty good job of wrapping some things up mostly satisfyingly enough but damn it was hard to get there.

[comradecowplant]

so Ivanova is nearly killed off, saved by actually killing off sweet baby space legolas, and now she's left anyway? AND my boy lennier is going off to "find himself" too? mkay.

[hanakyu]

Me: Wow! I really enjoyed Cinderella's castle, and it's about time that we had a WOC lead a starkids production. It was a really creative take on the fairy tale, but the story has some glaring writing issues, especially in the second act. I'm sure the Fandom would be open to talking about these valid critics in an understanding manner

Twitter: 💀💀💀 tf are you talking about how dare engage in a piece of media you like in a critically. while you're at it why don't you just piss on my dog since you're such an ASSHOLE

[signs-of-the-moon]

Hey. Hi everyone. I'm alive still. And around. But not here, not on the warrior cats side of things. SOTM isn't over, not yet. But I need some time. I'll be back, I promise. Just give me more time. Thanks to everyone who's stuck around