araneitela - Tumblr blog

[araneitela]

@kafkaisms replied to your post “Knowing/talking to @astrxlfinale is like this...”:

your cat is cALLED MARA

​Yes, YES, she is! I didn't name her, it was already given to her by the rescue I got her from. But in HSR, it always makes me laugh, and I do say it to her often, just in that silly pet voice and I go 'It's good you're nothing like the evil mara that plagues our poor Bladie who we love so very much. (She's a Tortie, so she's quite talkative, so she'll usually meowpurr in response here) Yes, I know, we feel very bad for our Bladie--"

But she's exceptionally sweet, she's almost 16 now and as a typical pet owner, I must now showcase little miss to the world:

[araneitela]

Knowing/talking to @astrxlfinale is like this video (x). You're the random stranger and he's the artist jamming out with a wonderful song, making your day. Every single time.

[araneitela]

♢      —        send  [ META ] + a word / phrase / person / etc  and i will write a head  canon around it.

[araneitela]

I just wanted to note that it's finally come about: tomorrow (the 28th) is my official moving day, and I'll be temporarily staying with some relatives of mine (and I'm rather excited about it, as it'll put a ton of my stress of the last months to rest). Any way, this means that despite some possible activity from me on today, I'll be relatively quiet on Tumblr until I'm properly settled in later in the day on Sunday (when I've transported and hooked up my desktop and all of that). So if there's some silence like there was yesterday, it's simply me ensuring that everything is packed and moved over properly! Once settled however, I don't anticipate a big difference in my activity-levels, since as much as I'll be a bit social around food-times, I'm very based around my PC even for work. So I think that you'll see me around as per usual!

[araneitela]

Me over here: Ah yes, the month where I did all of my preparation for Kafka's release. Yep, this is about right. Thank you for calling me out on my absolute and total devotion to this woman.

You're welcome, my darling of darlings. Here's to the next year, where I hope to learn a little bit more about you. But until then, I'm happy to simply dissect even the tiniest of crumbs.

[araneitela]

As I walk around the apartment with my phone, sipping my tea as I'm waking up, and packing up little tidbits in my bathroom; all I can think about is the following sentence: 'She dresses to impress', and how utterly false it is for Kafka. Even within a context where she needs to catch someone's eye, trust me, she doesn't need to "dress to impress". The entire concept of this woman doing anything aesthetically, even if it could also benefit for and/or with others, is absolutely unfathomable to me.

[araneitela]

​ Perhaps intensity lay enraptured most within the minutiae of details, grasping at a significance overlooked more often than not, and then left to triviality by most. But not by her, not here, and not with him: never with him. There was nothing inconsequential about the way his fingers whispered across that bare expanse of skin and gathered by her neck at their trail's conclusion, the caress as delicate as the moonlight overhead that had traced his form in turn before her, as if it were needed, as if he were anything less than intrinsically and excruciatingly familiar to her as it was. Though this, this was different from the way he had drawn her to him, and this was different from how his hand had lingered at her back, when the strains of music enveloped them into a proximity closer than this. And yet, this was different still; this, the way she followed her gaze and had come to face him in entirety, none of it held part of any script of destiny.

Answers were so far from relegated to merely the wine-colored gaze that had remained steadfast in its focus on his own; they crept into the deepening of her breaths, with each exhale drawn with a subtle hint of urgency, as if each alone could betray the longing that simmered just beneath the surface of her veneer. And as a hand rose to seek out the lapel of his jacket, fingers grazing its fabric, foolishly flattering it under the pressure of her fingers, before gathering it into the palm of her hand into the lightest grasp, there too, lay the answer that no, he was not alone in this. And yet, no answer could rival that of when that grasp would serve as her anchor when her gaze finally strayed, though only for a sliver in time before they returned, to the lips that were now merely inches from her own. And so when the tilt of her chin came, it was bare, and though it left her out of reach for him still, it had brought her achingly close; close enough to allow for the sigh that she'd cradled between those parted lips, to become little less than a tender caress meant for lips yet untouched, almost, almost as if it were yet one, more, answer.

The barest tightening of fingers upon his arm gives him momentary pause, his gaze still lingering almost longingly upon the face now turned so absolutely to him. There is little he does not notice about this woman, few things he can miss in her very being, and those soft, subtle reactions do not escape his notice. And all of them from a simple touch of his fingers, the lightest graze of his touch. He is not alien to this, of course. The way his name falls from her lips invokes memory deep within, sends a whisper of a shiver down his spine, across his skin. The breath he feels ghost along the line of his jaw summons a heat that coils tight, threatens to burn him whole.

He does not withdraw his hand; rather, he lets his curious touch skim further across that which it desires, fingers creeping almost delicately to the nape of her neck. He can feel the silken strands of her hair against his skin and there is a fleeting temptation to find the ties, the clips, everything that binds it into shape, and pull them free so it can spill down her back, so he can thread his fingers through the strands as he finds himself longing to do. "Kafka," is his murmured answer, in a tone that threatens the kind of softness suggestive of something more.

At last, it seems, his gaze finds hers – is there a question in those eyes, those words ever still unspoken, perhaps doomed never to pass his lips? Is there yet more wondering in the way he looks at her, as if seeking confirmation that he is not alone in this?

[araneitela]

I'm writing, finally, but this thread made me want to leave a little note on the dash about the topic of affection/care in my portrayal of Kafka, because I don't want any assumptions made about what you can expect on this little blog of mine. Any way, I think that I've made it abundantly clear that I don't shy away from touching on the more emotion-driven aspects of her character (1, 2, to note just two quick examples) that tell me there's a deep-rooted capacity in Kafka to care, despite her confirmed lack of fear. While I respect that people may play into the concept of a 'numbness' across the spectrum of emotions for her as a whole, it's important to note for my end and on this blog (and this isn't any sort of jab at anyone, truly), that I do not play into this same take. This'll be a larger meta soon, but I wanted to add two specific 'little' things as a bit of a driving force alongside these numerous scenes, so that people may know where I'm coming from until I actually write this meta. This is from her SQ (Letter from a Strange Woman):

Trailblazer: Why did you join the Stellaron Hunters? (If Kafka says the truth) Kafka: Because I wanted to change myself. Kafka: I have no mechanism for "fear". There's an empty space in my mind and my heart, but I'm unable to perceive it. Changing that part of myself isn't something I can do alone. Kafka: Elio can help me, if I follow his instructions.

It has always struck me ever since the confirmation in this story quest, that 'feeling fear' is something that she actively wants to find and more so, seeks to obtain. Fear isn't just any random emotion, it's one of the most deep-rooted emotions that we have, and it is the one thing that we use to not only actively instinctively protect ourselves, both physically and emotionally; but fear is a fundamental part to attributing value to something or someone. And the reason why I bring up the latter, is because of Blade's line in the same quest:

Blade: Every Stellaron Hunter has a deal with Elio. I do not know the nature of those deals, but I do know that Kafka and I agreed to take orders from Elio. She must have sought something extraordinary. Everything she does comes at a great cost. Blade: She will have done many things to keep you alive until now, young one.

How do you measure 'great cost' if there is a lack of emotion, and therefore investment? If there is a void across the board, then does anything ever, truly, come at a great cost? Of course, one can claim that Blade is an unreliable narrator, but he is arguably, likely, the one who's known her longest after Elio, and then Sam.

[araneitela]

I live for when these unexpected little things happen. Okay, so I forget to loop the song I had picked to listen to on Youtube, and it ends up auto-playing to a live performance of a song. So I peek over, and I see the outfit that she's wearing. High-waist trousers, and that shirt, mostly tucked in as it is, with its sleeves rolled up just like that? It's a bit of that old-school romantic aesthetic, it exudes a certain old-fashioned femininity, it's quite timeless in its simplicity, and classy despite a rather relaxed fit. This is something that I see Kafka wearing during her downtime, and especially within the comforts of the Stellaron Hunter HQ/complex, and exactly in that color-scheme as well: darker in the legs, lighter in the upper body. It's simple, there might be the ever-enduring presence of that single earring (pearl), a thin bracelet at most but even that I'm hesitant about, and while she'd be void of any sort of necklace, you could smell the fragrance of that signature Black Opium as always.

[araneitela]

And I can't believe that it'll be playing for Kafka. /chef's kiss #2.

Having finished the new content (Remuria, at least), I would just like to say, no spoilers— but I'll have a specific track from it playing on repeat. Hoyo delivers.

[araneitela]

In a universe far, far away, while "restraining" Welt as her vastly alternate universe self: Sticks and stones may break my bones, but chains and whips excite me...

[araneitela]

Quick interruption: This may (somehow, still?) be a hot take, but I swear to all that is unholy and insane, I've been sitting on this salt about the TB and Kafka since like May of last year. This isn't going to be a long meta at all, but I do want to make something abundantly clear on this blog.

I know that people say the 'mommy' thing jokingly because they have the hots for her (listen, I understand the motivation, I just firmly hate the term), but I know some people actively still believe that Kafka is somehow related to the TB even if her story quest has since entirely debunked that claim and proved the opposite. Let me just, share this for a second:

(source) Can we put this to rest now, pretty please? I'm too old and too tired for this, guys.

[araneitela]

I live for when these unexpected little things happen. Okay, so I forget to loop the song I had picked to listen to on Youtube, and it ends up auto-playing to a live performance of a song. So I peek over, and I see the outfit that she's wearing. High-waist trousers, and that shirt, mostly tucked in as it is, with its sleeves rolled up just like that? It's a bit of that old-school romantic aesthetic, it exudes a certain old-fashioned femininity, it's quite timeless in its simplicity, and classy despite a rather relaxed fit. This is something that I see Kafka wearing during her downtime, and especially within the comforts of the Stellaron Hunter HQ/complex, and exactly in that color-scheme as well: darker in the legs, lighter in the upper body. It's simple, there might be the ever-enduring presence of that single earring (pearl), a thin bracelet at most but even that I'm hesitant about, and while she'd be void of any sort of necklace, you could smell the fragrance of that signature Black Opium as always.

[araneitela]

Okay, so I failed. I looked at my bedroom and did some packing instead. And then I failed again when I woke up today, because I had the longest meta chat with @sortilegii. But I already have my tea with me now, I have had dinner, I've beaten after-dinner fatigue, I have the right kind of classical music going for this Kafka mood, I'm ready. I also am actively itching to cook (I blame specific individuals for this term now) on the topic of Kafka, care and emotional engagement, but! /tigger tail bounce; I insist on doing this reply, and some askbox things first.

So sometimes, I note that I'm here and then life happens and then I end up not being here for a bit (5/6 hours) longer in typical Sae fashion. Aka: business as usual, at least for a bit longer. I still want to get to the reply I teased almost 12 hours ago, and the things you guys sent in for the HC prompt. So, let me make my tea, and get cracking.

[araneitela]

Cause of death in... 3(?) months from now: @avaere

[araneitela]

So sometimes, I note that I'm here and then life happens and then I end up not being here for a bit (5/6 hours) longer in typical Sae fashion. Aka: business as usual, at least for a bit longer. I still want to get to the reply I teased almost 12 hours ago, and the things you guys sent in for the HC prompt. So, let me make my tea, and get cracking.

[araneitela]

HONKAI: STAR RAIL • INTERSTELLAR JOURNEY — official release trailer