#Pre-Departure

[adamarks]

Now for the challenge of getting the 16 year old out of bed to get it to the amusement park

[witchspeka]

I think it's fun that you can usually tell a fanart is pre-anime by the colours they chose, like Minori being blonde or the Suzukis having green eyes

[akkivee]

NAGOSAKA MANGA IS BACK!!!!!!!

[sage-nebula]

may i have a directors cut on this?Sonic smiled. And before Tails could say anything else, or could think to turn to the Cyclone, Sonic darted forward and pulled him into a hug. For a split second, Tails wasn’t sure how to respond; one arm thrown around his shoulders was one thing, and not too uncommon a thing at that, but a full-on hug was a different story altogether. Those were so much rarer. But Sonic’s hug was secure and warm, and knowing that it would be the last time for a long time that

Sonic smiled. And before Tails could say anything else, or could think to turn to the Cyclone, Sonic darted forward and pulled him into a hug. For a split second, Tails wasn’t sure how to respond; one arm thrown around his shoulders was one thing, and not too uncommon a thing at that, but a full-on hug was a different story altogether. Those were so much rarer. But Sonic’s hug was secure and warm, and knowing that it would be the last time for a long time that he’d have the chance to hug his brother, Tails hugged him back just as tightly. But the hug was over as quickly as it happened. Sonic stepped back, his hands on Tails’ shoulders. He was still smiling, but—Tails was sure he was imagining it, but it looked like it was wavering a little.

— Finalizing the Pre-Departure Checklist

I wrote this scene this way because of two things.

One — I'm not a very huggy person. I'm not big on physical contact period, for that matter; touch is so low on my love languages that it usually comes out at a resounding 0% every time I take one of those tests. I've gotten better over the years, in that someone touching me generally doesn't activate my fight instincts, and I'm okay with hugging someone goodbye if I know that's something they want. But generally, left up to my own devices, I only hug in emotional, important moments. I reserve my hugs for meaningful occasions.

Two — Sonic is very much the same way. Canonically, he tends to play it cool when he feels emotionally vulnerable. He has no qualms about showing exuberant joy or even anger, but when it comes to vulnerable emotions like loneliness or sadness, he plays it cool until he's in private. Note that this is not the same thing as emotional repression; Sonic still feels vulnerable feelings, and he's fully aware that he's feeling them, but he just won't show that emotional vulnerability openly in public because he's a fifteen-year-old boy and he has a Cool Guy™ image to maintain.

(And from a Doylist perspective, Sega wants kids to see Sonic as a hero that stays optimistic and that they can rely upon, not one who will fall to pieces and break down crying in stressful situations. The "Sonic doesn't cry" mandate is a lot less about who Sonic is as a character, and much more about the image he presents as a brand icon.)

So while Sonic is not really averse to physical contact or affection (he'll ruffle fur, he'll give casual or happy hugs on occasion), this type of hug is something much different. From my perspective as a person and writer, it's something meaningful and emotional that's not doled out every other day. From Sonic's perspective as someone who doesn't want to show vulnerable emotion, it's again something he'll only do at the last second, and only for a fleeting moment.

Of everyone in Sonic's life, Tails is the first and only person that Sonic will ever allow himself to really be vulnerable around, up to a point; Tails is the person he's closest to and feels safest with, but also, he's Tails' guardian, and he doesn't want Tails to ever doubt that he (Sonic) is a rock that Tails can rely upon. Of course, by this point Tails has long since stopped seeing Sonic as an idol, and instead sees him as a brother and a person, flaws and all—but Sonic, as Tails' guardian, will never be able to fully accept that.

Regardless — because of how close they are, Tails is able to recognize the significance of this hug for what it is, which is why it throws him for a loop. And also, because Sonic is the one who raised him, Tails is very much the same way; he doesn't like showing vulnerability in public (and really only will with Sonic himself), he doesn't give full-on hugs that regularly either. So he takes the opportunity that he wouldn't have had Sonic not initiated it first, and hugs Sonic back just as tightly.

But again, it's fleeting. Because Sonic is teetering on the edge of not being able to play it cool anymore, because of how worried he is about Tails and how much he doesn't want to let him go, but knows that he has to. So he ends the hug, wishes Tails well, and bails. Because as close as they are, Sonic still won't cry around him.

It's a bittersweet moment.

[widowshill]

also yeah I’m still thinking about Poppins V, specifically: “Mary Poppins, you won’t ever leave us, will you? […] Whatever would we do without you?” “I shall stay until the wind changes.”

[disregardandfelicity]

poking around online for information about Janet Flanner (the writer and journalist whose book the iwtv writers tweeted about the other day) made me think: i bet the théâtre des vampires, or possibly just armand, will be much more embedded in the paris arts scene of the time than they seemed to be in the book. for one, the theater would have been around for a long while by the 1940s, if we go with book canon's backstory.

but more importantly, we saw in season 1 how the show runners like to work in the cultural moment of the setting and time period, louis' brothel didnt have to have jazz music and it def didn't have to have jelly roll morton playing at it.

so catch armand taking louis to folies bergère on a night the théâtre doesn't have a show or for a drink at les deux magots. if josephine baker doesn't cameo i will be shocked

[bacchilles]

grrrrr hisssss barkbarkbark (<- guy who wants to be in greece rn)

[nakeddeparture]

Politics, Barbados. Deputy Prime Minister, Santia Bradshaw, said she never ‘touched’ the $7,500 (thief got it first) so she’s innocent of any bribery charges.

https://youtu.be/9t_v5Hrhsk0

She further stated that she has already dropped pre-action letters in some ‘tails’ and promises to drop more if people keep on talking about her and that $7,500 check that was dropped through a window and ended up in a tray. Have your say. Naked!!

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[possamble]

Needlessly close reading and long commentary on chapter 57 and how the audience actually has an extremely limited view on what Marcille has been like over the course of her life.

I am once again thinking about how pre-dungeon Marcille is so quiet and stoic that she seems like a completely different person. How jarring chapter 57 is for the audience. Like you have Marcille, who has been just the most blindingly expressive person with resting baby face

And then the chapter drops a title page of Marcille hearing from Falin for the first time in four years and it's like.

Who is that. Genuinely. Would you even realize that's Marcille without the context clues?

And then the chapter just keeps coming in with the sucker punches.

We have SEEN Marcille meet strangers. It was never with this understated of a smile.

literally who the hell is this. the few times the audience gets to see some Signature Marcille Faces that they're used to is when she finally gets to see Falin again

when she's testing out her new spells

(and when Laios and Falin are fantasizing about her being their damsel in distress, funnily enough)

And then finally. Finally you get to a fully recognizable Marcille when she fucking DIES and comes back to life to geek out about necromancy.

We know she loves magic. We know she loves Falin. So it's not so surprising that she wouldn't be able to keep a mask up when thinking or talking about the things she loves. But why the mask in the first place? Where does it come from? It's tempting to think that, maybe, Falin's departure just hurt her so much that it turned her into a quiet person.

But that's only half true. If you go back, the first instance you see of this incredibly mild personality is actually introduced much earlier, in chapter 17.

What if she was always like that. What if her default after her father died was to hold people at arm's length, to never really emote past being polite and friendly. What if Falin was the first person who was able to bring her out of her shell, and when she left, Marcille just went back to how she was.

And when comparing her detached demeanour with someone else...

It's not exact, but wouldn't you say there's a resemblance? Wouldn't you think she might be trying her best to imitate what she saw of her own mother working as an accomplished mage?

It would certainly explain why she's hiding behind her portrait in her nightmare, at least.

We aren't told that Marcille has been distancing herself from everyone around her using a mature and dignified personality she modelled off her mother. But we sure as hell are shown it, I think.