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sleepn0tfound · 8 months ago

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That's MY Daughter

DC x Fem!Neglected!Batsis! Reader x Marvel [Just some midnight thoughts]

Bruce and Tim realised something odd about Stark Industries. Ever since a few months ago the technology being produced there had improved by an unbelievable amount. It was futuristic, nothing that this world has seen before. And the weirdest part of it is the fact that Tony Stark had offered to partner up with Wayne Enterprises. THE Tony Stark, Iron Man, the most egotisical man they knew had willingly offered to partner up with them? After years of being petty with Bruce and the JL?

Tim had been made to prepare to become the new CEO soon, thus he recently started taking up more work at Wayne Enterprises when the agreement was made. Though instead of Tony being the one to talk about ideas it was an unknown woman communicating with him about the ideas, the product, the marketing, etc. And the merge of the two companies was an absolute success, the marketing especially drawing in young adults. (courtesy of Tim and the mysterious women who seems to be around the same age as him)

Who was the mysterious women though? Well both Bruce and Tim could only come to one solution. The least known character to Bruce, to Batman, which says a lot considering the fact that he had made a contingency plan for every Avenger, every hero, including his own teammates, including himself, yet this one character was completely unknown, zero plans if she were to go rogue. And that drove Bruce crazy. Her file was blank. Every vital information was marked with the word 'unknown'. It had been making Bruce paranoid for years since she had appeared next to the Avengers.

The reassurance from the Avengers never helped. It was as if something was gnawing at him. After all how could he trust them anyways? (careful Bruce your trust issues are showing)

One of the only things they knew about her is that she is the main hacker/coder for the Avengers, hence the reason why the Avengers digital security was admittedly better than the Justice League's and how much faster they got, what should be, classified information. (no matter how much Bruce wants to deny it)

And her codename, Special Agent Reaper. No she wasn't originally an Avenger, she was crowned the most skilled assassin of this era, working under S.H.I.E.L.D and one of the sole reasons why all of the HYDRA agents that have sneaked into S.H.I.E.L.D have been successfully taken out, her name would pass by in the wind every so often, they might be rumours or the truth but no one truly knows. Hell even Ra's Al Ghul, The Demon’s Head, had acknowledged her once. Even Talia had admitted that Damian's fighting technique was made to mirror The Reaper's, the only difference is he used katanas while the Reaper, fittingly, uses a scythe.

But one thing was for sure. If you saw the shadow of a hooded figure you better run, though at that point it might be too late.

As the saying goes, "Beware of the Grim Reaper. Wherever it goes death follows closely behind.”

⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆

“Ah! Brucie! Here you are!” Tony said, wine in hand as he approached Bruce at the gala. Well that was a first. He usually never played into the Brucie persona. Well nonetheless the show must go on.

“Tony!” Bruce threw himself at the other billionaire, acting as if he was drunk, ignoring the way Tony’s expression turned into a grimace for a split second.

As usual, they were both around other pretentious socialites who never seemed to run out of questions.

“Ah! Tony, I heard Stark Industries have been bringing in more money than ever.”

“Oh yes! It’s all because of this prodigy i had found. She actually was the reason why Stark Industries and Wayne Enterprises had a collab. I might even give the company to her when I retire!" He let out a laugh that seems to emanate the word 'rich', a small smirk stayed on his lips as he heard the guests at the gala begin to whisper.

"Oh? Is that so? Then I would love to meet the person I have been working with this entire time." Tim Drake-Wayne said as he finally came out of the corner where he would usually stay in to observe rather than interact.

"Be my guest." A subtle challenge, as if Tony was daring him to go through with it as they locked eyes. A smirk on one face while a well practiced smile on the other.

Bruce let out a light hearted laugh as he tightened his grip around Tony, a subtle warning to stay away from his son, "Well then I wouldn't mind arranging a meeting! I'm sure you wouldn't mind the others joining." His tone had a slight change that even the most observant wouldn't realise.

Bruce could barely keep up the 'Brucie' act with Tony bragging about how Stark Enterprises profits have shot up with him finding a 'prodigy' and someone who will take over the company once he retires.

"Not at all. The more the merrier. I assume you wouldn't mind me inviting more people as well." Tony sipped his wine, he wasn't one to back out from a challenge, especially when he is so confident.

⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆

This certainly wasn't how the Justice League and the Avengers expected their next meeting to happen. A petty fight between the two men that singlehandedly funds their respective teams causing all of them to be in one room together.

"Well then, Stark. Where is this prodigy that you speak so highly of?" Bruce said as he sported his famous batglare.

"I assure you she is on her way. She should just be right about done with her mission." Tony replied with the same tone, shooting a glare as well.

Meanwhile the two teams were watching this as if it was the most entertaining show they have seen.

"Hey I'm here." Y/n entered the hall, still wearing her assassin suit, though her signature black hood was down, revealing her face.

Silence seemed to engulf the room.

"Kid... Your hood."

"...Fuck."

hi! i might have disappeared for a month :D To those who are waiting for more parts of DC x Super/Kent!Reader it will come... eventually. I'm having the biggest writer's block for that specific AU so uhm yeah! I wasn't really planning on making that AU a series since it was mostly just me being bored and writing for the lols but since it received so much attention [thank you guys so much!] I have to do it now. i was doing some worldbuilding and already know how I want the reader to be and allat but I cant really think of how to shape the story ukukuk. so yeah stay tuned for that! also this thing was also just a blurb. Might make somewhat of continuation parts if I feel like it. [Also the neglected!batsis! fanfics I've been reading is getting to me. i have a feral urge to create a diff AU series for that] Also would you guys be interested in me creating a twitter/insta account or like a tele channel to post random things

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theabigailthorn · 2 months ago

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Just wanted to share some thoughts and just how much your NHS video has impacted me and just philosophy tube on the way I think. I Saw the Tv Glow hit with me cause of Tara/Maddy cause I’ve been going why do trans narratives and trans content hit so hard with me if I’m not trans. I’m a cis woman but I’ve always felt like when I look in the mirror something just not quite right. When Owen says maybe there is a strong and pretty me inside me that’s the real me it was like yeah thats the feeling. I’ve always struggled with my look, feeling like clothes don’t look on me the way I want them to, hair not quite right, feeling like on the masc to femme spectrum I’m just not quite hitting the marks. And then I became friends with a group of straight women and they all get their nails done and I have never done my nails and since getting gel x nails and fun looks and colors and that almond shape , I look at my hand and go this is how I want them to look. Whenever they get switched out and I see my nails missing them they look wrong to me, short and bare and missing the vivacity of the color. So then I go let’s give a pedicure a try. I’ve never liked my feet, hence why I never did pedicures cause it’s like why doll up my feet no one’s looking, why draw attention to something I don’t like. Now seeing my sparkly green toes I go “this is how I’m meant to look” and suddenly my too big non feminine size 11 feet feel more mine. My mom never let me dye my hair when I was younger when all my friends experimented with streaks of blue pink purple. So I go “why do in every game with a character creator do I give myself dark cherry red hair” so I dye my hair and now go “this is the hair I was meant to have” . My mom never wore makeup so I never learned. Now when I put on my mascara and see the pop I go this is what it’s supposed to be. And my friends say I seem different, more confident. I feel this surge of joy when they go omg I love your hair I love your nails. Which brings us finally back to glow and NHS. Tara knew Maddy wasn’t her, there was a different girl that wasn’t who she was. It wasn’t gender dysphoria it was body dysmorphia. If a trans woman looks at herself in the mirror and doesn’t like what she sees and then makes changes to be more femme, then the only difference between a trans and a cis woman on that femme to masc scale is the starting point. So I feel like I’ve had a an egg crack on “oh this feeling you’ve never been able to quite name is body dysmorphia” and like you said in the video the only reason they make a distinction is “cause you’re trans”. A cis woman gets a boob job a man makes himself taller or gets hair implants, it’s all the same thing, it’s changing things to affirm your presentation, but the world draws this distinction on what changes count as “gender affirming”. They harp on where you’re starting and what’s in your pants. So yeah when I had that eureka moment and thought of your section in the NHS video I was like “I don’t know if I would have gotten to this conclusion without Abbi” and now that I recognize it …. There’s still time, I can make myself look the way I want to look. I can find the pretty confident me that’s been in there all along.

this rules haha, you're FTF, cisgender in a transgender way, congrats lol!

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dreamesamu · 1 year ago

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THE THINGS HE TAKES FOR GRANTED

in which he takes a moment to justify himself after never noticing your little crush for him

starring. akaashi keiji x fem!reader

genre(s): angst to fluff, (super, like-) long scenario

warning(s): none, i think so? except for clueless keiji and not proof-reading

author’s note: akaashi is just a major green flag in this (every haikyu!! boy is 😭) i feel too bad to write them red-flag-y.

choose your character: m. atsumu | k. akaashi

you’ve known akaashi for quite some time, starting from your last year of fukurodani academy and then serendipity brought you both ended up being each other’s classmate at a same college/university. bokuto kotaro was your best friend, the little owl introduced his favorite setter to you and the friendship of three gradually become established, and as if it can not be any more inevitably, you eventually developed a secret admiration for the pretty setter when you three have been closed enough. however, graduating separated ways, kotaro pursued his journey to become professional in volleyball while keiji, once said to you he wanted a place in the literature department.

truth be told, even if you promised each other you would still keep in touch and plan every weekend friend group meeting online or offline, you’ve never expect you would share every class in higher education life with your crush, the akaashi keiji. the great thing is you both are paired up for an presentation assignment in the major you and him pursue, you do have plenty of time to stay close and grab his attention from making gestures that he usually failed to realizes.

here you are again, happily humming your favourite song while carrying a box wrapped with a small detailed towel, some big rolls of assignment paper stuck underneath your arm as you make your way back to where you both planned to finish the project - the library.

“keiji, i’m back!” you set your things respectively on the table, and akaashi nods with a smile on his face in acknowledgement.

“oookay, so here’s your today’s snack, I hope you’ll like it” you grin, tapping on the box before pushing it to his side as he receives it and casually opens it while speaking.

“hmm? are those sketches of our poster? you can always edit them on the computer, why the effort?” he chuckled softly before completely unwrapping the bento box.

“I’m not good at designing and stuff. I may draw as I like and you’ll be the one to edit it on the computer.” you puff your cheek out, hands resting on hips as you watch his reaction to your delicately decorated sweets in the box made for him.

“this looks amazing.” he smiles upon seeing the pastries you made, decorated beautifully with different kinds of fruit as each pastry has different flavours, you probably did not stay up so late last night just to make all kinds of flavours for him to show how much you like him. yeah, probably not.

"oh, it's nothing, I just hope it doesn't taste bad" you chuckle nervously while scratching the back of your neck, letting his praise send you up to cloud nine.

your actions falter when you see akaashi put back the box's cap on, set it aside as he leans over to reach the posters you drew.

"now then, can we start working on the project?" he spreads out the piece of paper, glancing at you as you stand there awkwardly, prefer him taking a bite to look through all of your efforts than just shrugging it off and go straight to the main part of your study session.

"what...? oh- um..." you trail off, a bit embarrassed. "wouldn't you like to try one out? it won't hurt to just have a taste of it..."

"maybe later, y/n. we have other things need to be done right now." he merely states, eyes study the poster in front of him, unknowingly sinking your heart.

"yes, right." you shift slightly, taking the sit by the opposite of him, trying to catch up with him on the progress.

you let your mind wanders off how many times you've lost count already while akaashi quietly focused on scribbling something in his notebook, every thoughts you have are always about keiji, your feelings and the stare you give him thinking it's discreet. what's stopping him from trying my tarts out? and how does he feel being around me? or is that his way of rejecting something without making that person feel bad? flooded your mind.

"y/n?" you realize his faint voice ringing somewhere "y/n..." the voice becomes clearer. "earth to y/n, you're staring." awh, snap. right.

you blink, startled before clearing your throat, mumbling a small apology as you try to get yourself busy with the work underneath you once again.

but akaashi just chuckles, his voice calm and reassuring.

"hey, you seem off today. it's lunch break, please make yourself comfortable." you fumble at his words, it's noon already? as he collects his books and tidy it up at one corner of the table before speaking again.

"yuri satsuki is inviting me to have lunch with her. would you like to also join? i think she wouldn't mind." he kindly offers, probably not knowing the words struck you shocked.

you know satsuki-senpai, she's a year older than you and has been a social butterfly ever since you set foot in student life. she is a nice person, you conceived, but not until you found out that she has a huge crush on your akaashi keiji, her behaviour in your eyes became somewhat annoying. in return, she did realize she had a rival to win over him, you acknowledge that through the smug look she gave every time akaashi was around her instead of you, that is how the tension gradually builds up between you and your pain-in-the-ass rival.

and now she's even invited keiji for lunch? you feel an uncomfortable twist in your belly, screaming that if you do not take further actions, you lose akaashi to her. but his way of discarding your hard work, also known as an attempt to get his attention earlier discourages you hastily. this comes to a realization: ever since he start hanging out with satsuki-senpai, he has never touched one of your cooks once.

"no, i'm fine staying here. you go" you force a smile waving him goodbye. he hesitates upon seeing the downward trend of your mood as well as the strange attitude every time he brings up yuri.

"what are you waiting for?" you scoff, trying your best to make it sound not so bitterly. he nods quietly before ruffles your hair, thoughtfully remind you to get something to eat before start working again, and he'll be back with you soon.

you groan for the nth time in thirty minutes since his last leave, deciding not to eat anything at all after you laugh bitterly to yourself seeing the bento box laid cold by his stuffs which corrects your thoughts that he is not going to appreciate what you did for him.

the chair scraped the floor when you stand up, attempting to compose yourself when you feel your brain need a break from overthinking such situations.

on the way out of the library, your eyes meet yuri satsuki's, assuming that keiji is just somewhere around here as his lunch break partner is the person you least excited to bump into.

"well, well. isn't that the girl whose best friend choose to hang out with me instead of her?"

excuse me?

"don't get too ahead of yourself, satsuki-senpai. just a friendly reminder" your tone evidently irritated as you flash her an unamused smile, trying to avoid her as soon as possible.

but the radio scene of her voice replayed all over your head, your mind goes muddy despite the fresh air you're trying to take in, you let out a shaky breath, tears brimming out.

maybe, he doesn't quite noticed the things I did for him after all...

---

"you're back. where were you?" akaashi worried tone surprises you after a quite fine time of trying to find you because your study desk in the library was empty.

"i was... out for fresh air. why?" your voice is off and he noticed that. he always knew when something is bothering you, and right now he definitely know that something is wrong.

"after i finished my lunch i got yours, 'cause i know when i'm back you would still hadn't eaten anything." his brows slightly furrow seeing your avoiding attitude.

"thanks, keiji." you said briefly, take the package from his hand and sit down on your seat, never forget to notice the pastry box still intact.

your strange attitude didn't just stop there, it confuses akaashi for a more couple of days of your avoidance, he dislike the way you put a small distance between you both in study sessions, you flinch and tense around him more often, your answers and conversations are brief and sometimes awkward as you seem to be more preoccupied and attentive rather than to communicate with him.

"good morning, y/n." he smiles, your state has been bothering him for days as he is paying attention to your fade grin and a small "hey" as a greet back.

then he fumbles. something is missing...

oh. but then, realization sets in him quite quickly: you didn't bring any homemade sweets today.

"y/n..." he hesitates, meeting your eyes as you lift your head up from the notebook you're scribbling on. "does your home perhaps... out of ingredients or something?"

you are stunned for a moment, knowing exactly what he was trying to imply, scared to look at him directly in the eye as you shift your gaze elsewhere, pretending to have forgotten.

"oh... you mean the pastries... I forgot to do it. I was busy yesterday"

lies. he see through it, you know that, but you can't just blurt it all out that you're heartbreaking because of his indirect rejection that never says he doesn't like you, but makes you feel like it did.

"hey... i know something is wrong, can you tell me what it is?"

there it is - the worried look on such handsome face that never fails to make your heart flutter. but you know, that is just his nature of being an attentive and thoughtful person, not just for only you, but for everyone in his orbit.

so his question remained unanswered.

akaashi has been extremely distracted due to the sudden lack of your affection on him. it's just doesn't feel the same. even if he refuses it but deep down, he misses your midday snacks, your bubbly laugh around him and that flushed cheeks you wear every time he caught you staring. it has been a whole week since, and the fact that you didn't join the friend group video call with bokuto last sunday was his last straw.

he misses you, dearly. and if he doesn't do anything now before your project is finished, he might find it difficult to approach you even when you are his best friend.

and then, on an another lovely morning in the college's campus, an emotion he thinks he's aware of stirring in his stomach at the scene of you handing out a bento box wrapped with the same detailed towel, a small smile tugs at the corner of your lips as the other boy laughs lightly, scratches his neck, sending regards with a polite bow before making his way back in the classroom, akaashi doesn't like what his eyes have witnessed, so when he met yours, the bitterful look sends shivers down your spine.

you turn away, begin to walk, you do not want to deal with your bothered heart right now, not if it has anything to do with him, with that thought, you choose to neglect it because it is just your one-sided feelings for him.

but you hear footsteps behind, next is a small "wait" escaped from his lips when he managed to catch up and hold gently on your arm. that stopped you midtrack.

"please. can we talk?" he pleads.

---

you find yourself trapped by his presence in a corner of the school's library. there's no point in avoiding now.

"i'm sorry." he states. "i like you, i should've known."

your eyes widen. why- all of a sudden?

akaashi glances at you, softly sighs before bring your hand up to his face and kiss your knuckles gently.

"i understand now, i was clueless, you have the very right to be mad at me." each sentences he speaks crack your heart, but at the same time, they give you hope.

you neither know how to react, nor what to say, you just stand there, completely speechless, it encourages him to continue his speech of pursuing you.

"the last time i went to have lunch with satsuki, she confessed to me." he stopped, watching your expression. "but i turned her down, then, she got angry and started to brag about you. i did not like what she said, so i got quite defensive and... that was when i realised."

"i didn't know when it started. i just knew that i didn't feel very comfortable seeing you bringing your pastries that was meant for me to someone else, and more it's because i didn't appreciate it."

he squeezes your hand, afraid if not, you'll slip from his grip and become somebody else's apple. he certainly dislikes the thought.

"i want your pastries back, i love them as much as i love you. please let me correct such a terrible mistake."

---

"yes, hello. i've received the box, thank you, my love."

akaashi spins his office chair slightly, softly speaking to the phone stuck between his cheek and shoulder with a smile while unwrapping a huge warm box of freshly baked tarts.

"keiji, bad news, i'm out of powdered sugar after that batch." your voice echoed on output, he chuckles.

"are you free after work? we can visit the supermarket to purchase some. i'll drive, consider this a date with me, 'mkay?"

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kelpiejz · 5 days ago

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Timelines, timeloops, and time travel, oh my! - A (mostly) comprehensive breakdown of timelines in ORV

The following is a presentation I made for a powerpoint party that included some people who have never heard of ORV before, so I’ve replaced the character names with nicknames for simplicity, so don’t mind the nicknames all over the images because I am not redrawing them. Also, all the diagrams were drawn with a mouse in MS paint, which doesn’t allow editing of things already drawn, so please cut me some slack if stuff doesn’t make as much sense lol.

Before we begin, please note that this breakdown will contain both major novel spoilers—which is expected for something like this—as well as major Side Story spoilers—but I will mark where those begin for anyone who would rather not get spoiled if you haven’t read or gotten up to date on it yet. Also, I’m not perfect, and I definitely might have forgotten something as I was going through and making this presentation because this was done entirely from memory, so forgive me if that’s the case.

Since everyone reading this already knows what ORV is about (or, I certainly hope so), I’m obviously not going to explain it the way I did when I gave this presentation. However, because this is necessary context, just know that the nicknames I used for the rest of the presentation are squid, sunfish, and cat to represent Kim Dokja, Yoo Joonghyuk, and Han Sooyoung respectively.

For reference, this is how I described ORV to them lol.

(Art by theta_draw on twitter and u/crimsonsecret7)

Part 1: The Basics

As you can see above, we have one, simple timeline that goes from 1 to 1863, representing the regressions in TWSA. How simple. How neat. Very understandable. You all know this part because it really is ORV basics, so let’s move on to:

Part 2 - The Complicated

This is what the previous timeline would actually look like if I drew them out how they actually work in canon. The very first line on the top is technically the 0th regression, and every time Yoo Joonghyuk regresses, he creates a new branching timeline/worldline from the exact same point of his life—namely, around 7 pm on the day the apocalypse begins. He has only one life where he experienced the world before the scenarios, so that specific part of the line doesn’t exist anywhere else. Of course, trying to portray the regressions in this manner would make this diagram extremely messy to draw (as well as annoying), so let’s look at this from a different perspective.

Instead, we’re going to draw this timeline from Yoo Joonghyuk’s perspective as one very long life where the end of the 1st regression leads directly into the beginning of the 2nd, the 2nd into the 3rd, and so on, all the way until his 1863rd regression just to make it easier to draw. I hope you all understand why I did this, especially since I need to branch off of it for the rest of the diagram.

Part 3: The events of ORV’s main story

ORV begins in an altered version of TWSA’s 3rd round where suddenly all these people from the “real world” have now been introduced to events that previously only existed in the novel. As a result, this is not the original 3rd round, but a copy of it, that we can call Alt-3 for now. The original 3rd round from TWSA remains unchanged, and this round doesn’t replace it completely either. For the purposes of this diagram, these alternate rounds will be drawn parallel to the original timeline.

Sometime before we meet Han Sooyoung as a character in ORV, Han Sooyoung uses [Avatar] and her avatar that contains 50% of her memories (50% cat/1863 Han Sooyoung) goes rogue, makes a deal with the Secretive Plotter, and gets sent to the 1863rd round of TWSA to fulfill their covenant and gain the right and power to create her own world.

Naturally, her presence there was not part of the original 1863rd round, so a copy of 1863 (Alt-1863) gets created as a result. None of her actions in this round have any effect on the original 1863rd round since they have diverged. This is the round where 1863 Han Sooyoung essentially hijacks the story, paints Yoo Joonghyuk as the villain, and proceeds with her plans until the 95th scenario unhindered.

Unfortunately, 1863 Han Sooyoung is not left alone for long, because our dear squid gets sent there later in Alt-3’s timeline, and he arrives in Alt-1863’s 95th scenario, spending maybe a couple of weeks there. Overall, Kim Dokja isn’t there for long because of the 95th scenario involving the Apocalypse Dragon, and he thwarts 1863 Han Sooyoung’s plans.

Due to the meeting between Kim Dokja and 1863 Yoo Joonghyuk (1863), 1863 gains the [Avatar] ability and splits himself in two. One half of himself dies, while the other regresses and moves on to a round that Kim Dokja doesn’t know—1864.

What is discovered later is that the 50% of 1863 that regressed remembered that Kim Dokja said that the round he comes from definitely exists, and had enough desire to go there himself that OD got curious about that story. As a result, the worldline where he went “replaced” the 3rd turn that Secretive plotter had been observing until now.

Because of this 1863 essentially combines himself with the Yoo Joonghyuk in that round—think of it as being the 3rd turn’s body, but with the fragmented memories of half of 1863 mixed into his own. This is the reason why “3rd Yoo Joonghyuk” had memories of events that shouldn’t have happened yet while still completely believing that it is actually the 3rd turn, and why someone like Anna Croft didn’t already know either. It’s revealed that ORV’s timeline is actually the 1864th regression.

Then, Kim Dokja returns from Alt-1863 and discovers that 3 years have passed since he left due to time between worldlines passing at different speeds.

We also learn later on that the Secretive Plotter went back to the 999th regression and either was always part of that round’s tragedy or took the place of the outer god that 999 Yoo Joonghyuk made a deal with. I still decided to include it, but it overall doesn’t have too much impact on the rest of our diagram (for now) because it’s essentially its own self-contained loop.

Now, we have the infamous 51/49 split. 51% of Kim Dokja stayed behind in the train as the Oldest Dream, and 49% went back to 1864 with the rest of the group. After an amount of time I didn’t want to draw, Kim Dokja essentially created a 0th round completely disconnected from the events of TWSA (since the events of the original 0th that SP would have experienced were briefly described in the novel). In this round, Kim Dokja writes his attempt at a fix-it fanfiction, but never once considers what the characters actually want, or that his meddling will affect those wants.

I say that Kim Dokja 'created' it here because the worldline was “given the power of life from his consciousness”, so technically a better way of drawing it would have been a line for yjh's life before the scenarios splitting into the two 0s eventually connecting to the beginning of 1, but this diagram is messy enough already and this was an easier spot to put it.

Meanwhile, Kimcom have been left behind in 1864 and have a disaster of a picnic. As a result, they make the decision to do the group regression, leading to the creation of 1865. 1865, unlike other regressions, is instead specifically repeating the beginning conditions of alt-3/1864, therefore allowing “non-characters” to participate in the group regression, so long as they existed at the beginning of the scenarios.

Unfortunately, even after speedrunning the scenarios in record time, 1865 doesn’t work the way they want it to. Both 49% and 51% Kim Dokjas scatter into fragments across the universe, and kimcom returns to 1864 (1864 pt 2), now 20 years after they originally left.

By now, I’m sure this is probably exactly how I seem with all these diagrams (and trust me, this is what I looked like while presenting it irl), but don’t worry, it gets worse :)

All this worldline stuff is complicated enough as it is, but what’s that you ask? Another timeline?

Buckle up, everyone, it’s time to look at:

Part 4: What do you mean there are two 2s? ***SIDE STORY SPOILERS FROM HERE ON OUT***

One of the big things we know about TWSA is that the future Shin Yoosung aka the Disaster of Floods (DoF) appeared in Yoo Joonghyuk’s 2nd round to tell him information from the 41st round. However, she did not appear in the 1st round, which tells us that there must have been a timeline (Timeline A) where the DoF was not the fifth disaster in the 5th scenario—this theory was confirmed by the Side Story, though we never see what disaster was there in her place (because our dear main character had fainted, as usual).

This means that the round where Shin Yoosung was sent back by Yoo Joonghyuk was not the same 41st regression as the one that appeared in TWSA (though according to the Dumplings made by others oneshot side story, SP and the 41 kkoma have basically no memories of that round, and it was not fully written in TWSA either). However, it is likely that the information on the round had some degree of influence on Yoo Joonghyuk’s choices once he actually got to the 41st round, such as using the spear because the 41 in [Hell of Eternity] also used a spear.

So, the Shin Yoosung of timeline A’s 41st regression was turned into the DoF and sent back to the second round, therefore creating a split timeline (Timeline B), and this timeline is where TWSA takes place. Other than the brief mentions of that 41st regression by the DoF, the ORV main story contains basically no information about timeline A.

So, let’s begin with our dear old man 0, who signed a sponsor contract with 51% Kim Dokja and ended up losing the majority of memories so he could essentially “overwrite” the original TWSA 0th round and join up with the 1st regression. These memories would eventually return to 1864, and it’s unclear if SP got the same memories, since technically he would have experienced the TWSA round 0 instead—the one recorded in the 4th wall library (chapter 266). As of right now, there is no evidence that SP has any of the memories of the 0 that Kim Dokja created, so I can’t conclusively say whether he is considered to have lived through this version or not.

On the other hand, because 49% Kim Dokja and 51% Kim Dokja both fragmented at the end of 1865 (I just really didn’t want to draw all the time in the train for 51% or all the fragments bc that is exhausting), parts of them went flying everywhere to all kinds of faraway worldlines. In particular, a meteor containing the soul of 49% Kim Dokja crash-landed in the Z865123 planetary system. This will be important later.

At the end of Alt-1863, 1863 Han Sooyoung and the dokkaebi king of that worldline travelled to the 1st worldline (hereby labelled with baby squid). I am sorry that it is yellow, MS paint only has so many colours and I was struggling.

Anyway, this 1st worldline is essentially the “real world” before the apocalypse, where Kim Dokja, Yoo Sangah, Han Sooyoung, and Lee Gilyoung come from. This is the worldline where 1863 Han Sooyoung possesses her younger self and becomes tls123, fulfilling her dream of writing a story that will change someone’s life (paraphrased) and saves younger Kim Dokja in the process, therefore facilitating his ascent to the position of Oldest Dream and the continuation of the cycle. This isn’t pictured on the diagram, but the day before the apocalypse, 1863 Han Sooyoung’s consciousness fully disappears from this worldline, and those memories are sent back to 1864 Han Sooyoung.

*Important Note: There are some discrepancies in the timeline between the novel and manhwa versions here that I felt were important to mention.

In the novel: The day before the apocalypse, the final chapter of TWSA is published, Kim Dokja has the conversation with tls123 where he’s told that the epilogue will be posted at 7 pm the next day, and he attempts to recommend the novel on a forum (ORV’s prologue).

In the manhwa: The scene of Kim Dokja reading the final chapter of TWSA is located before the title card, and it’s unclear if this happens the previous day or not. Unlike the novel, his conversation with tls123 happens on the same day as the apocalypse, shortly before 7 pm (webtoon episode 1).

But what does this mean? This means that the scene where 1863 Han Sooyoung reaches out to Kim Dokja on the train platform at the end of Author’s Words before her consciousness fully disappears does not happen on the day of the apocalypse in the novel, but it’s unclear in the manhwa when the final chapter was completed and posted. However, Kim Dokja was messaging the Dokkaebi King and not 1863 Han Sooyoung in both cases, since she would have disappeared by then.

At the end of ORV, Yoo Joonghyuk leaves 1864’s worldline to distribute the copies of ORV to other worldlines, and his first named stop is the Z865123 planetary system, where he connects the struggling web novel author Lee Hakhyun to the [Cloud System] before leaving to distribute the copies elsewhere (not pictured). He drifts around for a while too, and though it’s also not pictured bc I forgot to put the other arrowhead on the line, he eventually returns to 1864 just in time for something to happen in Kim Dokja’s hospital room.

Now, we get to the official beginning of the Side Story. Through an ORV fandom event, Lee Hakhyun and multiple ORV readers get sent to the 41st regression of timeline A, therefore creating Alt-41. Most members of kimcom also end up connecting to or observing the worldline in various different ways (with the exception of Lee Hyunsung and Jung Heewon, who are somewhere else).

Lee Hakhyun is also revealed to be the reincarnation of 49% Kim Dokja, who had wished to be reborn as anyone other than Kim Dokja in his next life as he was vanishing in the train at the end of 1865.

While taking a nap in the subway for plot reasons, Lee Hakhyun ends up spending 3 months in the 40th regression of timeline A, meeting the Yoo Joonghyuk of that round and making a deal with him to be allies in the next regression before returning to Alt-41.

Due to the deal made in the 40th regression, which 41st Yoo Joonghyuk references near the beginning of the Side Story, it can now be determined that the event that created the current worldline was actually Lee Hakhyun’s arrival in the 40th regression, therefore meaning that it was actually Alt-40. The Alt-41st regression was simply created by Alt-40th Yoo Joonghyuk regressing, not the arrival of extra people in the 41st.

Now, you may notice that weird moon-like thing on the right. That’s the Dark Dimension.

The Dark Dimension (where Yoo Joonghyuk trained for 100 years in TWSA’s 2nd regression, as mentioned in the main story) is a domain where time faults exist. The time faults are essentially like simulations of different regression turns in Yoo Joonghyuk’s life, but the events of the real turn are not overwritten by any changes made in the time fault.

So, instead of creating alternate timelines, nothing changes. It’s like going back to re-clear levels of a video game, but it’s impossible for your original score to change, if that comparison makes sense. You’re basically in free play mode, but nothing you do will be saved.

And now:

Part 5: The Complete Diagram

Now, this is what I’d like to call the ‘Complete’ diagram, because it includes instances of characters travelling to/from worldlines that don’t necessarily cause any ripples, but I felt deserved to be there, such as:

The 999 gang travelling to the end of the 1864th regression

The 999 gang, SP, and OD going to a new worldline

The 999 gang and SP going to briefly help Yoo Joonghyuk while he’s floating in space all alone in ORV’s epilogue

After the hospital door is opened, it’s revealed that only 41% of Kim Dokja returned thanks to ORV, and he also goes off to Alt-41 to find the other remaining fragments so he can return to kimcom as 100% of himself so he doesn’t disappoint them again

Lee Hakhyun and 41st Yoo Joonghyuk go to the Dark Dimension for a little bit

41st Yoo Joonghyuk returns from the Dark Dimension (alongside other transcendents), but Lee Hakhyun does not return with him

Instead, Lee Hakhyun ends up in Alt-1863 during the 99th scenario and meets 1863 Han Sooyoung before she becomes tls123. Despite this fact, there are no ripples or different outcomes created as a result of his presence there (as of right now, at least)

Lee Hakhyun leaves Alt-1863 after spending about a month there, and returns to Alt-41, where 8 years have passed

And that is basically everything, up until Side Story chapter 905 (though, as of chapter 922, this still seems to be accurate for the important parts).

Congrats, you survived! I hope you don’t have a headache now, and I’m sorry if you do.

I hope that my diagrams (of questionable quality) and my little explanations made sense, even though I tried to keep certain side story events more vague since I know most people haven’t read it yet. If there’s anything I missed or got wrong, please let me know.

With any luck, this chaotic disaster of a power point was helpful to you, and all my suffering in MS paint was worth it. I would also like to thank my friends in the side story group chat for looking this over and pointing out where I could be clearer, as well as putting up with my rambling for so long, they're all amazing.

#omniscient reader's viewpoint #orv #orv spoilers #orv side story #orv side story spoilers #timeline breakdown #kim dokja #yoo joonghyuk #han sooyoung #orv meta #orv analysis

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andhumanslovedstories · 1 year ago

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I've been running this writing experiment lately to cut out phrases like "I felt" in my fiction writing. Like I was looking at a sentence in a draft that said, "he felt as if character's eyes were pinning him in place." And then I was like, "well, does he think that or is it true? As a result of this person watching him, he's froze. It's not like a thing, it is that thing."

Oh and "almost"! I'm always going, "He felt almost relieved that it hadn't happened." Well, did he feel better that it didn't happen or didn't he? Or "somewhat", I'm always going, "she felt somewhat perturbed."

And like none of that is wrong, to be clear. I don't know if it'd improve your writing, I don't even know if it'll improve my writing, but I use this sentence structure all the time so every viewpoint is from a voice that thinks about what it thinks, hedges its statements, and offers the same ability for wry little jokes formatted in the exact same way. And I have a lot of writing like that and I think (!) that they're good, but read as a whole, I'm like, "god, they all sound the same." Like there's one melody that I write songs to, so even with different lyrics, it's almost (!) the same song. Something I've been struggling with in regards to my writing and why I've felt so blocked is how boring I found writing my usual way. I'd read something and enjoy the individual parts of it, but then I'd step back and I didn't like the whole. And I got good at this enough at seeing that I didn't like it to do it in real time as I was writing, which as you can imagine didn't improve the process of writing because now I was bored AND dejected about being bored.

There's this sentence-level structure fact that I use unconsciously. A pattern I find easy is short sentence, short sentence, short sentence, long sentence. So I write that. "He [verbed]. He [verbed]. Then he [verbed]. As he [verbed] to his [consequence], he [verbed] that [noun] was [statement of condition]." Which could work, it often does make for a nice rhythm, but it's something I reach for often because it's easier for me.

Just last sentence, I originally typed, "I find it easier for me." But if what I mean is "using this pattern is less effort than another pattern," then it's easier for me. One voice is hedging its bets and the other asserting. Either is fine! But they're different! And, again, GOD you would not believe how many words I've cut out of this paragraph as I write it. I'm so chatty. I love using twelve words when six will do. And that gives my writing a specific tone to my ear.

So if I am bored of that tone, why not try using just the six words? Why be understated? Why be afraid of stronger opinions? So right now with my fiction, I'm experimenting with cutting out as many self-reflective words as I can. Sometime you do need to draw attention to the face that this is the character's interpretation, but like you definitely don't need to do it as much as I naturally want to do it. You don't need to always go out of your way to allow the possibility that the narrative voice is wrong. During editing, I trim the weaker ones (I originally typed, "what I consider the weaker ones" Is that more accurate?). But I think them being there in the first place shifts my language which shifts my character's which shifts my plot. It's sentence structure all the way down!!

(this barely applies to my writing on here, btw. i try to do good but yknow this is a tumblr blog. i'm not trying to get a lit mag to accept it.)

Anyway blah blah (chatty!) the point is I've been trying to write in a way opposite of my interests. Something that doesn't take itself too seriously, that emphasizes EMOTION and ACTION instead of minimizing it, and that clips through scenes at a good pace. Doing this been amazingly fun. I've been having such a good time doing it. I am writing so much because I really enjoy doing it. The process of writing is so fun again.

This post is about two things. One is my new mood stabilizer and therapy day camp. The other is about the benefit of pretending to be MXTX.

#mxtx #w.#b.#the thing about writing scum villain is that you have to write a character so is SO CONFIDENTLY wrong.#sqq needs to be as sure of that he is wrong to the degree with which he is actually wrong #i've used more exclamation points in the last month than i have perhaps in my life. i might in fact have too many exclamation points #but turns out that shit's fun as hell #it's word confetti

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avsanderoth · 2 months ago

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Writing Emotions: Sorrow

Welcome. Below lies truths, though not universal, for the art of woe - its reality, its impact and its depiction. Thank you for reading.

To grieve at all scales is an utmost inherent aspect of processing the trials thrown at one by life. Whether for your own loss or the loss suffered by another, sorrow can be grounding when treated as it should be, or deluding when not.

Misery loves company

Ideally, the sadness you express through your characters will draw the reader in, and via their empathy, leave them feeling similarly. Indeed, sorrow has the ability to humanize your characters - it makes them seem vulnerable in ways that allow the reader to understand them better.

And in turn, it allows you to understand your characters better. Seeing and writing someone at their most vulnerable gives you an insight for their qualities when they don’t have the energy to hide behind a facade, whether consciously or unconsciously. Writing scenes that feature your characters grieving over any sort of loss is a good means of getting to know them.

So then, how is one to write sorrow?

Your sorrow is your own

No two people grieve the same. When they experience loss, the reality hits them at different times, and haunts them just as sporadically. It is up to you to understand your character, and reason for yourself - how would they react to losing something? For loss is the great source of nearly all sorrow, be it your own loss or another’s for which you grieve.

In this sense, I can only recommend two broad things.

First, draw from yourself. The idea of sorrow one knows best is their own, and while you don’t need to directly copy the way you experience sadness and paste it onto your characters, it is a starting point you’re already deeply familiar with, and so you can revise it - adjust timings, physical and verbal reactions, the sheer fact it stems from you will make the process far, far easier.

Second, allow yourself to be immersed in what your character is going through. This is a tip I give to all writing, but it is especially important when depicting sorrow. The closer you get to your story - the more “real” you allow it to be - the more natural the result becomes.

I can also list some things that factor into sorrow - things to think about displaying through your story, though I cannot recommend using all of them at once.

Does your character search for an escape, or a distraction? Do they allow the feelings to stew in their gut, waiting for them to settle or disappear?

Is your character’s reaction to loss inward or outward? Do they keep their grief to themselves, or do they shed tears and lament as the feelings naturally bubble up?

More particularly, how does your character react physically to loss? Does it make them feel weak and reach for support, does it make them feel eternally tense, are they overcome by sudden chills or flushes of heat?

Do they try to compensate for their sorrow via other emotions? Masking their feelings over loss through indiscriminate anger, or false content, or utter indifference?

Who does your character reach to for help, and why? Maybe they don’t dare reach out to anybody - if so, why not?

Should your character try to articulate their sorrow in words, do they succeed or does their vocabulary fail them? Grief is so inherent, there are times when not the harshest terms can do it justice - what does that inability do to your character, being unable to rationally communicate their feelings?

Feel free to use these when you depict sorrow - they are drawn from my own experience doing so, and work well for me.

When grief owns you

If not handled, sorrow rots. It grows, though you delude yourself into thinking it’s dissipating. In reality, it merely loses its “shape”, detaches from what caused it in the first place so it may grow with every loss that follows, no matter how minor. The lows of the day grow deeper, the highs flatten out and turn life into a hay field hiding widespread sinkholes.

Depression is one of many things that can follow a poorly handled loss, when the mind’s ability to produce the chemicals that steer your mood is stressed to a point of effectively shutting down. It’s a state of your grief encapsulating you, a suit of armor to protect you from the possibility that things get even worse. It distances you from reality, makes the embrace and touch of your loved ones feel empty. Your own personal abyss.

But not all sorrow takes this path. The vengeful channel it, convert every ounce into relentless fury. If they make right of what happened, take revenge on those who caused it, they may be free - their own personal balance will return!

It doesn’t. Revenge is a distraction, and once fulfilled, the mind is left to fend for itself. There, the unresolved loss stands, waiting with open arms. And with nobody to stop it, the mind accepts.

The hand reached out

Nobody can handle sorrow that deep on their own. They need help, and they need to want it. What is your character’s “safety net”? Do they have one, and if so, do they realize it? Does something keep them from accepting help, whether pride or self-loathing or fear that things will only get worse? Deep sorrow changes your perspective on life - do their days seem bleaker? Does opening their bedroom door feel like a monumental effort, much less making food for themselves or going outside?

Know that handling sorrow is a process that can span a lifetime depending on the event. Do not rush yourself in resolving it in your story, lest the impact is weakened and the end becomes rushed. Even if your story ends with the character still processing their loss, you can make it “good” by surrounding them with people who can help them, or just offering any reason for the reader to feel hope.

These two concepts - grief and hope - go hand in hand when storytelling. When in tandem, the reader’s mind will fill in what your story is not long enough to contain, give happy endings, though distant, and make a resolution as good as the reader wants it to be.

The end

Thank you for reading. I appreciate the support for this blog, and goodbye.

#avsanderoth #writeblr #writer things #writers on tumblr #writerscommunity #writing #writer problems #creative writing #writers block #writers and poets

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jovialoddity · 5 months ago

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Into the PuzzleVerse…. HUMAN EDITION???

So I’m sure some of you were wondering why I was collecting Human Mr. Puzzles designs like Pokémon? WELL HERE WAS THE REASON! IM STEALING THEM ALL SO I CAN DRAW THEM >:)

I absolutely love the creativity in this fanbase, how so many people can interpret the exact same humanoid character almost completely differently but somehow every design still has its own merits and wonderful parts :) 💖 Human faces are some of my favorite things to draw and I’m typically not able to draw those with Puzzles’ normal design LMAO, so this has been a very fun way to still get to draw him while including various human faces!!

(Also if you were planning on revising your human Puzzles design for me to draw, don’t worry! This isn’t the end of this series (I hope), just the first part. Still feel free to send me yours in your own time, and I’ll hopefully get to it!)

Now I gotta take a sec to gush about each individual design under the cut because GOD YOU GUYS ARE ALL GENIUSES

@naetheartisticbutterfly (Pierre Puzzles) - I first saw your design back in November, and I’ve absolutely loved it ever since!! He looks so charming and fancy, you worked his colors into his design so perfectly. And of course, I love when people give Mr. Puzzles facial hair in their human versions. Pierre was an absolute joy to draw and I’m very happy I had the chance to!

@runrabitrunrunrun - UM HELLO YOUR DESIGN IS SO UNIQUE AND CREATIVE??? I think this is my first time seeing somebody interpret Mr. Puzzles as having Vitiligo and I LOVE IT!!! He looks so charming, I love his hairstyle and grey streaks (always nice to see another old Mr Puzzles truther) and droopy eyes so much it’s unreal 💖 also the CLEFT LIP!!! I LOVE THAT HEADCANNON I nearly worked it into my design for him. Five stars I love it

@alien-star88 - THE HAIR AND THE TOOTH GAP ARE EVERYTHINGGGGG your version actually has a very similar haircut to mine when I was around 16-17… just make it a little curlier and it was me LOL. Your design is so cute, I especially love the scar placements you gave him having them on the side of his head is so clever!! It replicates the decals on the side of his TV so fluidly

@michaelscorneroftheinternet - HI YOUR BRAIN IS MASSIVE I AM OBSEEEEEEESSSSED WITH YOUR DESIGN 💖💖💖 genuinely when you told me you referenced my design when making yours I nearly fainted YOURS IS SO AMAZING I ABSOLUTELY LOVE YOUR HEADCANNONS AND ALL THE LITTLE DETAILS YOU PUT INTO HIM!!!! This poor guy needs a fucking break man 😭 obsessed with how exhausted he looks and how he’s already going grey YOU GET IT!!! YOU UNDERSTAND MEEEEE!!!! Also I can’t remember if I said this to you already and this might just be me being insane, but your design reminds me so heavily of 1980s-era Tom Waits (this is a MASSIVE compliment I adore Tom Waits)

@4thwallbreakerdraws2 - A more classic take on Puzzles with all the greys!!! Hell yes!!! He looks straight out of a silent film and it makes his colored eyes pop out so much more, it’s such a cool take!! I’ve seen it a couple times where people have made more “canon” human versions for puzzles, and it’s really cool to see your version. Beautiful fancy grey man 💖

@icedbeverageenjoyer (Brandon Campbell) - What a GORGEOUS man holy shit, I love him so much 🥹 his pompadour-ish hair with the little curls sticking out are EVERYTHING TO ME GOD I LOVE IT!! He’s so charming but yet the slightest bit unnerving (probably just that big ol’ smile) which is the best way to make a human Puzzles design imo. He’s like if Elvis Presley was AWESOME. I love this man and his big scary chlorine eyes 🫶

@yasmin70 - CARTOONY HUMAN PUZZLES YESSSSS!!! I really love how you kept his standard dot eyes in his design and somehow still made it feel so fitting for him!! He looks so awkward yet charming, and it makes all your drawings of him with the more “regular” eyes all the more impactful. Also, you might have been told this 1000 times already (and if so, I’m sorry lol) but he reminds me SO much of Victor from Corpse Bride!! I just love your design so much it’s wonderful :)

@sprigushka-chan (Pachu Puzzles) - this is such a unique take on Mr. Puzzles!! I’m so intrigued by your design and the thought process behind it, like the Frankenstein-y stitch across his left face? I would love to learn more about it!!!! His hair was so much fun to draw, and I loved the simplistic-yet-still-recognizable outfit you gave him!! Amazing work!

@hplonesomeart - I can’t even express in words how fascinating and AWESOME your design is. I absolutely love the idea that Mr. Puzzles has a lot of features that are considered “odd” but still looks charming regardless AND YOU NAILED IT WITH THIS DESIGN!!! GOD this is such an odd thing to fixate on but I love his teeth, them being a little yellow and having the colored braces to resemble his colorbar teeth is just so genius and so fitting YESSS!!! The hair, the earrings, his deranged eyes, I just adore this design so much YOU HAVE NO IDEA

@sauceytwinkietwinkling - BEAUTIFUL MAN!!! BEAUTIFUL MAN YESSS I love it when people give human Puzzles long hair or facial hair and your design has BOTH it’s amazing!!! He’s so charming and suave-looking, I would love to see this version of him go crazy LMAO I love it so much!!! Also a friend of mine in college saw my WIP of your design and said he wants to look like him I thought you might like to know :)

@astroth3tic (AKA my roommate who I forced to watch PuzzleVision with me and he made this design after) - THE SQUARE-SHAPED AFRO IS GENIUSSSSSSS I LOVE IT!!!! I honestly love the black Mr. Puzzles headcannon, I’ve seen a couple artists use that in their interpretations of him and I love it every time and this is NO different. There’s just so many things I love about this take, like the single but HUGE grey streak in his hair, the Afro still keeping his original silhouette, and the mustache?? For somebody who isn’t really into SMG4, you came up with an INCREDIBLE design for him!!! I’m also just a total sucker for characters with glasses that obscure their eyes of course lol

And I got nothing to say about Wikus. That’s just my guy :)

#this was SO fun to work on holy shit #my art #mr puzzles #fanart #smg4 Mr puzzles #human Mr puzzles #jovi’s human mr. puzzles

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byersandhighers · 5 months ago

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Fairly certain Mike did see Will crying, he just didn't say anything. Like I don't think he realized it was because of Will feeling sad over him specifically but I thought it was obvious he did see Will crying but didn't draw attention to it. I also think it is very important for both of their characters and their relationship, as well as very telling of how deeply Mike cares for Will to not say anything when he is crying, to just act normal and move on without addressing it.

Every time in the show that Mike notices Will's emotions and behaviors, especially his negative emotions, Mike never brings it up until after (unless he thinks Will actively needs help like when Will looks scared). This is the same Mike Wheeler who noticed every eyeroll and time Will was moping at Rink-o-Mania when he was literally there hanging out with his girlfriend, but he didn't bring it up until later when the two of them were fighting. The same Mike who, in season 2, said he knew something was off with Will because ‘he was quiet today’ when his friends just wrote it off because he’s always quiet. Mike always notices Will acting up but doesn't usually say anything in the moment unless he thinks Will is in trouble, he just lets him feel things and if it’s relevant later he'll bring it up.

It’s implied he’s very perceptive when it comes to Will's emotions and behaviors and he is always watching, especially when Will doesn’t seem like he is doing well, so it would be so bizarre if he didn’t notice Will crying beside him. It's likely he just didn’t see a reason to bring it up, so he didn't. For all Mike knows, it may have just been that talking about El makes Will think about his sister who is currently missing and in potential danger, which is a justified reason for someone to cry. Or even that the painting reminds Will of the time in his youth he missed out on due to the mind-flayer and upside down and that his childhood of campaigns in Mike's basement is over, or Will could be grieving the party he is no longer near and his friends he is so far from. Or he could be so overwhelmed by many emotions over many different things that he doesn't know how to articulate.

Mike usually just registers what Will is feeling and not why Will is feeling that way. Mike never needed to know why because him and Will are a team and, before this season, Will was, to Mike's knowledge, always open and honest with him (hence where Mike got the 'friends don't lie' thing he told El in the beginning) and Will would come to Mike when he wanted to talk about things, so Mike probably figures even if their relationship feels strained right now, that wouldn't change and if Will wants to talk about it, he will come to him, much like how Jonathan doesn't push Will to come out.

I think it's important to draw parallels between Jonathan and Mike's behaviors, how both act towards Will: both are overprotective of Will, both very adamant early on in the show about how being 'weird' does not equate to being bad, and also about how Will doesn't have to feel negative about being different because they are weirdos as well (making it a shared experience so he doesn't feel alone). Both are also careful when it comes to making sure Will feels safe and comfortable which includes not forcing him to talk about things unless he wants to (while still reassuring him they are there for him should he want to).

This is probably why Mike doesn't bring up that Will is lying (he knew El's letter well enough to know she missed the flowers and brought her some he handpicked so they would be Hawkins flowers, so he would also know about the painting and how El had no idea what is was or who it was for, because Will wouldn't even let her see it), but he doesn't bring that up because he thinks Will probably has a reason for lying, and he trusts Will, so he is happy to let Will share in his own time. This is another parallel to Jonathan and Will when Jonathan hints he knows Will is not straight but doesn't force Will to talk about it, instead letting Will come to him at his own time when he feels ready. I don't think it's a coincidence both Jonathan and Mike act the same way towards Will because both probably witnessed first-hand how Lonnie treated Will.

When Will came back, we know Mike was protective, which we don’t know if it was him trying to cope with the trauma of not only losing Will for a long time but also the recent loss of El, or if he was always that protective over Will, but it is implied in season 1 this was a status quo of sorts from before Will went missing. Mike would feel protective over Will and he would fight back with no self-preservation in mind, especially when people would act in similar ways towards Will that Lonnie did (like the bullies making fun of Will for being gay just like what Joyce brings up Lonnie would make fun of Will for, which prompted Mike to shove them before getting saved by El), which is most likely due to Mike being around during the abuse Will faced from his father which caused him to be protective of Will, and to a lesser extent all his friends (not lesser in extremes, I mean season 1 he jumped off a cliff about to kill himself for Dustin and from Dustin immediately screaming for him not to do it, fully convinced Mike would, and to be fair he does without even knowing El is there to save him, we can infer it is a common thing that Mike is willing to go to great lengths, even risk his own safety, in order to protect. But in terms of frequency instead of amplitude, he is chronically protective of Will while only really protective of his other friends when he feels they need particular protection he can provide).

Mike said he became friends with Will on the first day of kindergarten which means they were likely around 5 and Lonnie was still in the picture. This was before Lucas and Dustin, as Mike says Will was his first friend, so Mike probably knows more about it than either of the two of them, and like Jonathan, was there helping Will through it and supporting him/protecting him to some extent, for longer, which is why he is likely so perceptive of Will's emotions and what Will is feeling, even if he can't pinpoint why.

We are told this whole time that Will is a ‘sensitive boy’, and Lonnie would abuse him and try to change him for that as well as his perceived sexuality, so actually I think it’s important Mike didn’t say anything and let Will cry because it shows Mike provides space for Will to feel, space that others didn't and sometimes still don’t. He lets Will be sensitive and cry even though both of them have had people trying to teach them to suppress their emotions, especially their fathers (Mike's parents, especially Ted, did not respect Mike's grief over Will when he was missing and was not taking him seriously because Mike was not following those same ideals of toxic masculinity Ted and Lonnie were both trying to enforce, to different degrees, in their sons).

Mike is actively trying to stop the cycles Will, and himself, endured. He is trying to be conscious but accepting of all Will's emotions so Will doesn't have to go through what he did with Lonnie. He refuses to give up on or abandon Will when he went missing because Will had a dead-beat dad who stopped caring and abandoned him. And Mike not only praised his art but kept every piece given to him, with binders of it in his room and hanging it on his walls, keeping and displaying it proudly when we know Lonnie didn’t like Will making art because it fueled the ‘sensitive kid’ who was queer narrative he tried to force out of Will.

That's also why Mike immediately looks so guilty in the rain scene when he said what he said about Will's sexuality, because he realizes it is something Lonnie would say. That is also why he immediately goes to apologize despite the same rain he was telling Will not to leave because of. Why he prioritizes making amends and admitting wrong-doing when it comes to Will in a way he doesn't even do with his girlfriend. He is trying to break the cycles and not enforce the toxic masculinity Will painfully had to endure with Lonnie for years and he is trying to, despite feeling the effects of toxic masculinity himself that he is trying to overcome in his own 5-season arc, make sure it is not in his relationship with Will, especially not by his own hands.

Overall, I guess I think it’s not that Mike didn’t notice, but that Mike lets Will feel whatever he feels without judgement or trying to change or 'fix' it. He just sits beside Will and acts normal because he doesn’t want Will to feel like it’s bad to cry; he wants to normalize emotions between the two of them because he wants Will to have a safe place to express emotions, which is important for someone who’s dad abused him and enforced toxic masculinity before abandoning him because he saw him as ‘too sensitive’. It shows Will he is not 'too sensitive' for others and that people won't try to change him or abandon him for being himself, or even for being 'too much' or 'emotional', like his father did and probably convinced Will everyone would do. I don't think Mike realized the crying was because of him, but I think he did notice that Will was crying. He noticed the what and trusted that Will will tell him the why when he is ready.

#I think Mike tries to be very intentional with how he treats Will and purposely tries to act different than lonnie because he saw what will #went through with his dad and he doesn't want will to ever have to go through that again so he is very aware of himself and will to make #sure those same cycles don't repeat and he wants to help will heal from that and part of that is letting will feel instead of trying to #stop it even when it comes to negative emotions because all of his emotions are him and none of them need fixing so he lets will cry #mike wheeler #will byers #jonathan byers #lonnie byers #byler #the byers brothers #the byers family #stranger things #st #stranger things 4 #stranger things s4

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invisiblerambler · 13 days ago

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The Claire Problem

I have not wanted to write about this. Again this is something that draws heavily from my personal life experience and a period of time I don't talk about, so naturally I came to the nuance site to compare it to the third rail character on a very popular tv show.

Whatever I love mess, and I want to start out by saying I don't like Claire I have never liked Claire, she has from day one raised my hackles, it just took me a minute to figure out why.

I am an ethical hater, if I am going to dislike someone to the degree I dislike Claire I will also give you a detailed breakdown of why.

It is the kiss of death in my world for me to dislike something and have nothing to say, but good news for everyone I don't feel that way about Claire.

Okay next disclaimer, Chris knows what he's doing. I promise. Believe me or don't, but Claire is not a character you construct out of thin air. Chris has had a very specific romantic life experience with someone like Claire and we all know he's with Gillian with whom he did not grow up so... do the math on that one geniuses.

That was probably uncalled for but had to be said. Everyone on this damn website forgets that Chris based this on his real life experiences, I do not and will not and have no interest in doing a detailed dissection on that aspect of this show, trust me or don't you're the one reading this.

As someone who has pretty extensive experience writing auto-fiction across many different genres of writing game recognize game, and I don't feel like blowing up his spot in that way is a good use of my time. He chose to veil his experiences in fiction for a reason and he also chooses to do very limited interviews about the show probably for that same exact reason.

It is my very strongly held belief that artists deserve to not have to answer invasive questions about how their art intersects with their real life or put themselves in a position to have those questions asked.

If and what they actually choose to disclose is up for discussion, but requiring a certain level of disclosure or creating some kind of tax for making incredibly personal art to sell it to the spectators at the gladiator fight. Get the fuck out of here all that means is that journalists and publicists and marketing people are fucking bad at their jobs if they can't sell the show without the creator's trauma being aired out. Or the show is bad, but clearly neither of those apply so this is just me yapping about something I find disgusting generally.

ANYWAY, I can never write meta without twenty tangents and disclaimers sorry

Okay so Claire. I want to start with some high level things that people love to throw around about Claire and dissect them.

The first and most egregious is the Manic Pixie Dream Girl allegations.

No.

Just no.

To expand on that, Claire doesn't fit the MPDG mold for a variety of reasons. The lowest hanging being she doesn't help Carmy reach any higher level of actualization.

In every interaction and especially every interaction in S4 we see her actively stunting any progress he could be making mentally and emotionally.

Honestly, if you want to pick bones and find a MPDG, Carmy is much closer to fulfilling that role for Claire. I can fix him is basically the manic pixie dream guy.

Which is at a high level what Claire is trying to do with Carmy, notice I said high level.

Because and this is the thing I think people don't recognize, she doesn't want him fixed.

Claire benefits from a certain level of dysfunction from Carmy.

He fascinates her much in the same way a MPDG is an object of male affection.

Claire may be a side plot in Carmy's story, but he knows her as a whole person. On the flip side, Carmy is not an entire person to Claire. He is the neighborhood boy made good that came back to receive the spoils.

This is the reason we don't see more of Claire. We see everything we need from knowing how the Berzattos grew up.

Second, Claire exists in the context from which she came. Richie, Mikey, Nat and Carmy all exist on a spectrum of the growing up in the same environment.

This is most aptly demonstrated through episode 4.07 The Bears.

Many people have discussed the way Stevie and Claire talk about the Berzattos and their dysfunction. It seems like Stevie relishes it in the same way Claire does, but there is one very big distinction between the two of them.

Stevie has seen the genuine harm of the Berzattos up close. He has a stake in it. He is married to Michelle who is a Berzatto by blood and seemingly isn't in touch with her parents. He was at the infamous Fishes Christmas Eve he was actively involved in attempting to deescalate the situation.

Claire, if you recall, stood outside in the cold Chicago winter and watched Carmy's family tragedy as a spectator.

Stevie has accepted that this family is who they are and this is what he married into. Any humor he finds in it is dark humor to cope. In the climax of Fishes, he is clearly uncomfortable and sad to watch it play out and only be able to intervene so much. That's the tragedy the inevitability of it. That's what he laughs at, the discomfort of seeing people repeat patterns they have no interest in breaking.

Him and Michelle supported Carmy in New York. They wanted him to get out, especially because Stevie represents Michelle's ability to escape the family.

Claire has no stake in any of what happened. She is a bystander.

Claire's humor and amusement and disdain is entirely coming from someone who is buying a ticket to the circus. She's not in danger of getting eaten by a lion in the stands.

This is where I go into trying to explain Midwestern social dynamics in small towns and tight knit communities because that explains so much of everything.

I grew up in an environment that was not a tight-knit upper-middle class neighborhood in Chicago, but I grew up in a very small insular glorified township in the rural Midwest. And I promise this shit is the exact same as the way I grew up. The environment might be a little different but not by much.

To further prove my sociological expertise, I dated a Claire, and my Claire was a guy and unfortunately barely anyone batted an eye so everyone who says 'if the genders were swapped people would be outraged... maybe on the internet but not in real life I promise. People cheered it on until they didn't, enough said.

This kind of charm and coercion especially from someone who is not an outsider will always fly under the radar. Genuinely, this is how so much bad behavior, things much worse than anything Claire does goes unnoticed, unaddressed, and unaccounted for.

What Claire does is normal to them. The ways she breaks boundaries and doesn't respect consent is normal.

HEAR ME WHEN I SAY THIS IT DOESN'T MAKE IT GOOD IT JUST MEANS IT WAS NORMAL TO EVERYONE ELSE WHO GREW UP LIKE CLAIRE DID.

One more time, normalized ≠ good healthy or functional

But it means Carmy wouldn't bring it up as if it was weird and no one would point out that it's weird other than Sydney or Marcus or the like

This means the thing on which Claire's entire character hinges on is that they grew up together and I hear you saying "well duh of course it is" and to that I say I would like to discuss everything on the other side of the door to which this hinge is attached.

The Bear has shown us repeatedly with multiple different characters that the only way to have a healthy successful relationship in the Berzatto orbit is to marry outside of the family so to speak.

Of course Jimmy is going to run his yap about Tiffany and Claire getting away, I'm sure his first marriage was to someone in the neighborhood too.

But that's the thing, long term a relationship built with two people who were fostered in the exact same toxic environment will not thrive.

The only way a relationship like that lasts is if both people have accepted consciously or not that they will in certain ways be frozen in amber to the versions of themselves that exist to the people they have known their whole lives.

Most people cannot survive that, or their marriages don't survive it. I have seen it up close many, many, many times.

Carmy is the only Berzatto child that couldn't to one degree or another freeze himself in the state of who he was growing up. If he hadn't been pushed by Mikey and Nat he sure would have tried, but by the time Carmy needed to be pushed both of them would have understood the consequences of not aiming higher or removing yourself from that environment.

He was fundamentally incompatible with his environment in ways Mikey and Nat weren't, so staying was never an option.

Carmy would not have survived if he stayed. Mikey and Nat knew that, so they pushed.

In that way, Carmy and Claire are two sides of the same coin

NOW BEFORE YOU THROW TOMATOES

What I mean by that is they both left and came back. They did the thing you're supposed to do when you're from a close community in the Midwest. You leave, you get your education or your job experience you see the world and then you come back to benefit your community with what you learned and experienced.

But Claire came back by choice, Carmy did not.

That is a big big fucking difference.

If you'll notice, this is also what Sydney did, she also came back by choice, but she grew up in ways incredibly distinct from Carmy. This is the difference.

The similar but different applies to Nat and Pete, this also applies to Frank and Tiff. Similar but different. But that difference is enough to see many more ways in which the behavior isn't normal.

To an extent as adults, they all know a lot isn't normal or healthy but there will always be things that will feel normal that to an outsider will be observed as fucked up in exactly the ways they are.

(see I don't know all of what happened but I know it was fucked up etc etc.)

The problem with Claire is that she is one of them. This is why they push Carmy towards her this is why they never question Claire's role in any of what happened and only shit on Carmy.

Because of the way they were raised, it can only be Carmy's fault. There is no in-depth consideration of if Claire and Carmy are actually compatible.

She's Claire-Bear, she is a known-asset so to speak.

The version of Carmy that has a long-term relationship with Claire is the one that Nat and Richie can most easily imagine for Carmy being the best outcome.

A nice girl from the neighborhood with a good job and a family they already know.

You can see Richie understanding that that life isn't what Carmy wants or what would be best for him, but it isn't his place to say that, at least based on where their relationship has been since Carmy got back.

Mikey is the one who would have been able to push Carmy towards Claire and then probably eventually Sydney, or he would at minimum plant the idea.

Nat fundamentally wants her brother safe, happy and healthy, and she consistently lets him self-actualize and celebrates whatever he thinks is best.

Should she intervene? Arguably, yes, but like Richie it's not totally her place and she has a baby now she has to be able to trust Carmy not to die sometimes, hence why she celebrates his retirement while everyone else looks like someone died.

Carmy clearly feels unable to communicate honestly with his family about Claire.

On top of that, most of what she's doing would not stand out as odd to Carmy. So why would he say anything?

He does not have a healthy enough understanding of any kind of relationship much less a romantic one to understand he should want something different than what he has with Claire.

When Carmy says I like this, that's because Sydney is the first relationship he's basically ever had outside of Luca as a friend where it was, to any extent, a healthy dynamic. With someone who chose to be there instead of being a colleague or someone that has social proximity to Carmy, i.e., Faks.

Even before he knew for a fact Sydney could have left to go to Shapiro he definitely suspected Shapiro of poaching and understood Sydney could easily go somewhere else. Jimmy among others says as much.

So when you view s4 through the lens that he knows he's probably in danger of losing Sydney and with it the only good relationship in his life. While the review and Ever funeral wake him up to the ways he's repeating cycles of dysfunction. He doesn't take for granted that Sydney could leave. That she is there by choice. Or at least he doesn't by the time S4 starts.

Claire leaves the second Carmy's trauma is no longer making him pliable and convenient for her. She exploits his vulnerability with no regard for what happens after.

And she actively wants Carmy to think that everyone lives with the level of dysfunction that he does, because as long as he doesn't think there's anything better, he won't realize their dynamic is toxic either.

I know I'm just describing an abusive relationship, but this is made so much more complicated with the degree to which these people's social circles are enmeshed with one another.

That familiarity will make everyone around you either blind or silent to the abuse and then can also make them egg on the relationship. Carmy and Claire have too much overlap for a breakup to be neat.

They need to break up that much is obvious. She is actively bad for him, and the fact that he chooses to call her before going to see his mom and then conversation boils down to 'wow everything is the same.' That type of realization will not mesh well with someone clearly actively trying to break cycles. Carmy leaving the restaurant and that decision not fixing everything will very quickly illuminate where the actual problems are.

Which if anyone is still reading this brings me to my maybe most important point

THE SHOW IS NOT TRYING TO GET YOU TO LIKE CLAIRE anymore than it is trying to get Carmy to like Claire.

Nothing we see of Claire is genuinely trying to endear you to her because like I said everything we know about her is in the context of her being the girl next door. The neighborhood girl from down the street. That's why she's always around and shows up to stuff like the wedding. She exists in their social circles, just like the Faks.

The Bear does a really excellent job portraying the ways in which community is essential, but can also be messy and slightly toxic and reinforce bad behavior.

The show is trying to demonstrate that being with Claire isn't a choice for Carmy it's a default option.

We don't see her interact with Donna because it wouldn't be notable. Donna has likely known Claire her entire life, so all we would see is small talk.

Also based on the ways everyone else who has known Claire talks about her I doubt Donna would have opinions either way about Carmy dating her. So again, not anything interesting to see play out.

Sydney is an unknown quantity in the Berzatto universe, at least in regards to Donna.

Sydney is the catalyst of everything The Bear has become and Richie points that out to Donna.

Sydney represents choice, and agency, and new patterns.

By the end of S4 for the first time we see Carmy making choices. Not always the right ones, but actively making decisions for himself instead of leaving it up to other people and the whims of the universe. He's not going to choose Claire because Claire isn't a choice, she's the expectation. She's the rule not the exception.

Choosing to come back to the restaurant or stay after the debt is paid off whatever, choosing to stay but not be EC, those are all choices Carmy could and probably should make.

The only time Carmy makes a choice with Claire is when he goes to apologize the same night he chooses to call Pete and remove himself from the partner agreement.

Those are both Carmy actively trying to do something different.

Yes he kind of chickens out and doesn't break up with Claire but to me that demonstrates the way Claire's behavior doesn't empower him. He doesn't feel like he has agency with Claire, much like his mother puts him in a state of functional freeze.

With Sydney he is much more engaged, he takes charge of his own agency.

That's asking someone to water the plants while you're gone. I am trusting you to for example take care of the restuarant while I can't.

Sydney does not let him disempower himself. She is his peace because she gives him space to make his own choices. Sydney is one of the few people in his life that is usually not trying to push him towards something.

She's asking him to make decisions. All of S2 he is paralyzed by the decisions involved in running a restaurant he runs away from those choices with Claire.

When your agency has been stripped from you in every personal and professional context imaginable, a relationship that also allows you to give your agency away freely sounds like a comfort.

A relationship that continously empowers you to make choices for yourself would be terrifying in comparison. Sydney empowers him, just like he eventually empowers her. Sydney just needed a shot, hence why she wants him and doesn't need him, and Carmy needs room to feel like his choices are his own.

So he walks away from the restaurant. Just like he's going to walk away from Claire.

#the bear #anti claire #the bear meta #this is drawing heavily from my personal experiences in a relationship like this #i dont think claire is a good person but she isnt a supervillian #everyone is unfortunately a little bit complicit because that's how these types of environments work #i would apologize for this being so long but i had a lot of disperate things i wanted to address #honestly the thing i dont like the most about claire is knowing how real this dynamic is having lived it #anyway please be a little gentle #i am not defending claire I just wanted to do a detailed analysis of her character

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marshmallowgoop · 1 month ago

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Heiji Hattori, English Dubs, and Accents

Back again with another video essay about English dubs of Detective Conan, this time focusing on the localization (or lack thereof) of Heiji's Osaka dialect in English dubs so far. How will Studio Nano's new English dub (available on Netflix and Crunchyroll in South and North America, Australia, and the UK) handle Heiji?

VPR: shaky cam, blurs, motion transitions, letterboxing and pillarboxing

Sources:

Song: "Kimi to Koi no Mama de Owarenai Itsumo Yume no Mama ja Irarenai (Instrumental)" by Mai Kuraki (Detective Conan's 59th ending theme, included with the Detective Conan edition CD for the song, which also comes bundled with a DVD featuring the textless ED)

Mauricio Ortiz-Segura's Tweet: https://x.com/MauOrtizSegura/status/1940787207008395437

Molly Zhang's stream: Clip 1, Clip 2

Detective Conan Episodes 48-49, 54, 58, 118, 189, 277, 968; File 115; Movie 21 (The Crimson Love Letter); OVA 6

CinePacks Free Scribble FX Sample Pack: https://cinepacks.store/collections/free-packs/products/free-scribble-fx-sample-pack

Video transcript under the cut:

Every once in a while, Detective Conan draws attention to the way its characters speak. Tequila's accent, for example, serves as a tell that he's from the Kansai region of Japan, and interestingly, FUNimation's English dub localized this:

[Clips from Episode 54, FUNimation dub]

Tequila: Relay the message to Gin, too, if you don't mind. Tequila: What noise? Oh, it's just some kid. Dropped a bunch of change. Conan: I think he was from the east coast. Megure: How do you know where he's from? Conan: Not even a minute before the explosion, I heard him talking in a Boston or maybe a New York accent. I was right outside...

I say “interestingly” because another character from the Kansai region of Japan, Heiji Hattori, does not have his accent localized in FUNimation's English dub. He speaks in exactly the same accent as the Tokyo characters, and references to his dialect are removed:

[Clip from Episode 58, FUNimation dub]

Kogoro: This punk's been giving me grief all night! If he can dish it out, he can take it!

[Clip from Episode 58, Japanese]

Kogoro: Don't you mock me with your fancy Kansai dialect!

[Clip from Episode 58, FUNimation dub]

Heiji: Don't give me that little kid crap, Kudo! I know it's you!

[Clip from Episode 58, Japanese]

Heiji: Your fake Kansai dialect was pathetic!

And don't get me wrong. I love Kevin M. Connolly's portrayal of Heiji—you could argue that his performance is a big part of why I ever really started editing AMVs. The altered dialogue in Episode 58 is charming. Kogoro's line is full of the naturalistic scripting that makes FUNimation's dub so strong; Heiji's line is sweet. He's beyond convinced that Conan is Shinichi, despite having met only once before, because Shinichi can't help but be himself around Heiji, and they just click.

But as I see it, Heiji's accent is also an integral part of his character. It's a source of pride for him, and removing it even destroys entire plotlines, such as in OVA 6, where Heiji is unable to replicate a Tokyo accent.

[Clip from OVA 6]

Heiji: Have ya prepared the money? Conan: No, not like that. “Have you prepared the money?” Heiji: Isn't that what I'm saying?

So, it's always struck me as a bit odd that, of the five different English dub Heijis I've heard, seemingly none of them speak in a different accent than Shinichi:

[Clip from Episode 49, Voiceovers Unlimited Dub]

Heiji: Your deductions were always a step above mine. I guess you win. Shinichi: Huh? There's no such thing as winning or losing.

[Clip from Episode 118, FUNimation Dub]

Heiji: What do you mean? I just wanted you to visit. Conan: You expect me to believe that? You're up to something. Heiji: No, I swear! No business involved. This is just for fun. [Conan gasps]

[Clip from Movie 21, Bang Zoom! Entertainment Dub]

Heiji: Here. You dropped these. Conan: Thanks. Heiji: Did you know that Nichiuri TV was gonna be bombed? Is that why you brought that thing? Conan: No, of course not.

[Clip from Episode 968, Macias Group Dub]

Heiji: So that means... that now it's our turn to bat. Conan: Yeah, it's time to do whatever it takes, right? Heiji: [laughs] You got that right!

[Clip from Episode 189, G Entertainment Dub]

Heiji: I was shot in the stomach, too. We have got things in common. Conan: I'm asking you again... what is so important you had to come all this way, and with flowers, Hattori? Heiji: [laughs] I guess I can't fool you, huh?

There's yet another English dub available now, from Studio Nano, and while Heiji is absent from every episode released thus far, when he does show up, I'm hopeful that he'll speak in a different accent than the Tokyo characters. For the first time ever in an English Detective Conan dub!

Because one very encouraging thing about Nano's work is the emphasis from cast members that Apphia Yu, the dub's director, is a huge Detective Conan fan. Mauricio Ortiz-Segura, Shinichi's Nano VA, describes Yu as a “walking Conan encyclopedia” in a Tweet, and Molly Zhang, Conan's Nano VA, states in a stream:

Molly Zhang: And thing is, the director, Ayu, Apphia Yu, she is a Detective Conan master. Like, she is an OG fan, and she knows how much this means to people watching it. And so, she's made sure that we respect the material as much as we can. Like, truly, OG fans, you are not gonna find a better director for this dub. I know a lot of OG fans don't even care about the dub, but if you do care about the dub, you will not find a better ship captain than Apphia. She's so, so, so, so great.

Further, Zhang later adds:

Molly Zhang: So, I know the director of the show, Ayu, really likes Heiji. So, I'm hoping we can dub her favorite arc.

So, a big Detective Conan and Heiji fan as the dub's director? Heiji having a dubbed “Osaka” accent seems very promising! I can't wait to see what Nano does.

Conan: It's a dialect of Japanese. You know, there are also dialects in the U.S., too, right? Like the Southern drawl. Jodie: Oh, yes, there are. Conan: Heh... Heiji: Osaka-ben is authentically Japanese.

#detective conan #case closed #video #eye strain #heiji hattori #funimation english dub script #ramblings #thank you for the warm reception on the last video essay! i recognize that this maybe isn't the best way to present the info #but it's the best way i can think of to put multiple clips in one tumblr post ^^;

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erinwantstowrite · 6 months ago

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Please yap more about the Psych AU! I just started watching season 7!! Also, who is your favorite character from Psych?

Hmmm well i don't wanna spoil too much... So i guess i'll yap about some general premise stuff?

I should clarify that LoF peter and Psych peter are pretty different backstory wise. I kept the sameish design because i just like drawing peter, but they have some variations between them. Like: uncle ben died, aunt may didn't. she actually gets transported with peter to this alt universe, so she's very involved in this au. i just haven't drawn her yet.

I also chose harry osborn instead of ned because i didn't want every au to be the same. I would have loved writing ned in this au, but he gets a lot of chance to shine in LoF. harry is in more spider-man iterations as peter's best friend and i feel like he fit that shawn and gus dynamic more with peter. (I see them as platonic in most universes.) ((I also see shawn and gus as platonic). in this au, harry and peter met when they were pretty young, sometime after peter's parents died (which would still be when he was around four years old). Norman is a pretty good dad at this time so he helps peter get into a good school so he and harry can have classes together (and also cause he thinks peter deserves a good school too). But harry and norman, over time, end up with a terrible relationship. Mostly caused by Norman slowly slipping into the Green Goblin role. so, he spends a lot of time with the Parkers. After ben's death, harry vows to take care of peter and may both. he ends up being the reason they accidentally find themselves in an alternate universe, but no one is really mad at him about it because May and Peter hit hard times and were about to lose their house, etc. don't want to tell y'all too much because i wanna save it, but that's our basics with backstory and set up

currently, i'm not sure if i want them to start in metropolis and end up in gotham, or start in gotham and end up in metropolis. I kind of lean towards them living in gotham but having a lot of business in metropolis

And by business, i mean that Peter gets into the photography business. He captures photos of all kinds of heroes and vigilantes, and sells them to newspapers for the highest pay. As Peter becomes more sure of his spider powers, he also becomes spider-man but with way more of a journalist vibe. I want him catching crooks in the act and exposing them with the pictures, becoming a mysterious freelance writer/photographer as well as vigilante. You can imagine how Clark Kent and Lois Lane are going to react lmfao

But then you also have the actual premise of the fic itself: Psych. Peter and Harry are both investigating something when they run into someone (at this point in time, i'm thinking Superboy aka Kon-El), and to get out of saying what the real deal is, he pretends to be psychic. Harry is mortified but he decides to roll with it. So now Peter has to pretend to be psychic, and Harry starts up a whole business about it. That means we're getting both of these businesses at once, which will converge that Bats and the Supers both into the storyline.

Why are they putting all this effort in for money? Well, one reason being duh, they need money in this new world. But mostly because it's gonna help take care of May, and they'll also get to start a new life in this alt universe

Also, my favorite Psych character is Gus. I love him so much, he's so stupid and so smart at the same time. Have you heard about pluto?

#psych au #spider man #peter parker #harry osborn #may parker #batman #superman #batman and superman AND spiderman crossover #bats and supers and spiders oh my #batman and spiderman crossover #also dick is still richard parker #still peter's dad #i literally can't make myself separate them now #i will become physically ill #they're a pair you can't separate them

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blueskittlesart · 6 months ago

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Can I have your directors insight on your Mipha comic? :0 I'd love to know why you chose certain imagery like the hand holding and head kisses and wounds.........I'm going insane over it 😭 🫶 Ive been a fan of your art for a while now and mipha's my favourite so Im so obsessed with this comic haha

YESSSS 😁 so as previously mentioned ive been attempting to write a mipha comic for a little over a year now, and most of the time what stopped me was the fact that there's SO MUCH about her that I found interesting and wanted to cover. the process for this comic was a little bit different than my usual one in that I actually started with the last few lines "i thought maybe if i loved hard enough, i could stop time / I could freeze you in place as i knew you once / the little boy whose skinned knees were so easy to heal / what a childish thought" and built the script out from there, which thankfully gave me a clear direction to focus on, i.e. wounds/healing and aging. the script also went through a few revisions (the first version was much more heavily based around the word 'pain' which eventually became 'wound' in almost every instance because I thought the imagery of a wound was easier to tie to the other concepts i was working with than a less concrete concept like pain.)

One of the major differences in structure between this comic and my sort of. standard i guess? is the aspect ratio--when i started drafting in my usual portrait orientation, I realized that a lot of the panel compositions and imagery I had in my head were very vertical, which meant I wasn't getting the level of gutter space I felt I needed for my text to have the right impact, which is why the final comic ended up in a landscape orientation! truthfully i'd also been getting kind of bored with my standard ratio--i'm doing a (VERY LONG) graphic novel in that same ratio for my senior thesis right now, and at a certain point the standard panel layouts that look good and flow well with a page shape like that kind of start to bore you. When I changed the orientation of the page all of a sudden everything clicked and the project started being exciting again!

As for the imagery itself, I usually have SOME idea of the imagery i want to use as i'm writing, and with this one the things I knew for certain had to be present were the use of red for both mipha's body and link's blood. you mentioned the wounds--honestly, the heavy focus on wounds and blood was in large part due to color. Mipha's character design happens to be this really striking red, and she also happens to be a character whose story deals very heavily with wounds and blood by virtue of being a healer, so the idea of using the same singular spot color for both her body and the wounds she was healing, inextricably tying up her presence in link's life with the presence of pain, was SUUUUPER compelling to me. (I do also just. really like drawing wounds. which sounds insane but it's true)

the hand-holding and head kisses truthfully weren't something I thought really hard about beyond like, something that was standard to me as a display of affection between children. One of the most important layers to link and mipha's relationship imo is their relative ages and the way in which that changes overtime. When they meet for the first time, they are both fairly young children. Their relationship at that point is what most childhood relationships are: uncomplicated. easy. they fit together without a second thought. Mipha is slightly older than him, but they're in similar enough phases of their lives that it doesn't really matter; they are able to relate to each other intrinsically in that way. I kind of thought about the gestures of affection common in children who are just starting to understand the concept of romantic attraction--hand-holding, maybe the occasional kiss on the hand or forehead, but never anything more intimate. That way, when they grow up, there's an extra layer of longing on top of it all. Now they're both older, but link has matured much more significantly than mipha in their time apart. Mipha still remembers him as the little boy she knew, and that's reflected in the way she treats him. She'll hold his hands and kiss his forehead, but she's completely unable to go any further. their relationship is so fundamentally juvenile that the only way she can picture his body, let alone touch him, is when it's a job for her to do, when there's a wound there that needs healing. She's younger than him, now, so young that her schoolgirl crush seems monumentally silly and immature in comparison to his adult problems, and the only time she ever comes anywhere close to adult intimacy with him is when there are striking, unavoidable reminders of the weight he has to carry literally carved into his body.

#asks #THANK YOU FOR ASKING I LOVEEEEE TALKING ABOUT MY THEMES AND MOTIFS AND SYMBOLS :))))

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petday · 11 months ago

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Do you think that it is okay to be "slow" at art? I have problems with ADHD and I can never get things out very quickly... while I still improve, learn, and end up finishing things, it often takes me way longer than it should. It ends up being a little stressful because my friends can output drawings a lot quicker, even in doodle format, whereas even for just doodles it can take me at least an hour at times. This makes things like drawpiles a bit hard to do as well.

Yes, it is okay to be "slow" in art.

"Speed" is relative. You are quite fast in movement speed in comparison to a different person.

Going further, there are infinite points to compare your speed against. "Was I the fastest I could possibly be when depicting this character with these series of lines?" Well, there are infinite different series of lines you could have drawn, infinite influences that any one person can have, infinite life experiences, thus no two people will ever draw exactly the same. A person can draw faster than you, but their drawings are different than yours. Even when people emulate each other, there is something about each person that makes their differences clear eventually – attitude, subject matter, tendencies, choice of material... "Would my friend draw this picture faster than I could?" You can ask yourself such questions but it would be impossible to answer, because you are the person who made the drawing, thus whatever 'speed' was required for the drawing was exactly the 'speed' at which you made the drawing, otherwise the drawing would not exist at all.

If you wish to draw 'faster', you can avoid some actions. You can paint without use of the undo button, you do not have to flip the canvas, you do not have to spend time reading color theory, you can just draw. You can qualify even the messiest drawing as a 'finished' drawing. That's what I enjoy.

However, if you avoid actions that you enjoy for the purpose of 'saving time', you may end up desiring such actions, and you may regret your faster pace. Contrary to the belief that 'fast is best', being 'slow' can be preferable over being 'fast', because you are enjoying the actions that cause you to work at a slower pace.

In this world, I particularly dislike the focus on "high speed" as if it is an innately positive quality. It is a neutral quality. Of course, you should be fast in some emergency scenarios. But there is no 'perfect' future, so I do not see why humans rush towards this imaginary 'perfect' future. There are no 'perfect' pictures, so there is no rush to reach such a 'perfect' state. I was happy to refresh an artist's blog in 2006 and see a new picture once every few months. Also, there were some websites in which you could view the time-lapse video of a person's drawing, and some people spent hours and hours. There was no ability to edit the video, so you could watch people redraw things over and over, scrap various ideas, focus on different parts of a drawing, and so on. Even if the 'completed' drawing looked 'perfect' to me at first glance, the person might have taken a lot of time. I had fun watching their videos. Others would draw quickly, so their videos were short. That was cool too. I didn't feel either was superior over the other.

I like a slow pace. My speed varies because life and thoughts vary. I have spent weeks on some of my favorite works. I have spent months thinking about something before finally drawing about it. In artwork, you can spend an eternity. Ideas can mutate into different ideas if you leave them alone for a long time. There is no pressure to act immediately. That is great.

Perhaps you can make things with friends who do not usually draw. You may find that they have a fun insight in comparison to the friends who are experienced at drawing. 'High experience in drawing' can also result in 'doing things only in the way that we are taught is the correct way' which can result in 'repeating the same ideas and techniques.' That is fine, but 'low experience in creating art' can result in great art because they do not follow the common 'rules' that are popularized in various art communities, so they can make awesome, surprising artwork without consciously thinking about making something 'good'.

I am 'slow' in comparison to my friends. Drawing with friends was difficult to enjoy. "Well, I will just doodle fun things at the bottom of the page. Oh, others have already painted complex things." It's alright. It became fun when I stopped thinking much while drawing. You can doodle at your own pace, true friends will not judge you. Also, if you do not enjoy drawing with others, even if you make great effort to enjoy it, it is OK. There are other activities to enjoy with friends too. I can enjoy drawing with others sometimes, but other times, I prefer to draw alone.

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