#at the end of the day I've edited the og post so much that at this point there's different versions in different blogs because of the rb's

[konveeart]

Kickstarter Update!✨

01.18//// UPDATE //// It’s really happening..!!

Writing a bunch of thank yous’ in every post and still- I feel I am not close to expressing how grateful I am to each and every one of you. Thank you all so much for the endless encouragement, enthusiasm and support over my first campaign!

Within 7 days, all stretch-goals have been reached and I am sitting here, early this morning, still unable to realise what just happened. It’s been an intense week and now I feel it catching up, the goal is staying diligent through this time and moving on <33

Taking a big breath and downing a cold glass of water, I am very happily announcing that all pin designs are now available for all tiers, 22 Books of “Κένταυροι και Διατάσεις” (Stretching Centaurs) left, and I am already beaming while brainstorming ideas for a little extra as a thank you ,,^ ω ^,,

I’ve posted a proper update here, feel free to check it out ♥ //

Stretching Centaurs Original Enamel pins Kickstarter🌟✨{you can get yours here~}

[xecutivecucumber]

Executive Cucumber's thoughts on the Bad Batch: Season 3x06 and 3x07 (I'm pretty sure I'm formatting this differently every time. Oh well)

Okay, there's a subject I'm going to have to postpone until the end of the post because I want all my thoughts on that to be together: the main operative clone. And the rest might be slightly out of order. I'm also doing this before I see anyone else's thoughts, just so we get the pure version.

Let's go!

I honestly thought that Senator Singh and Riyo were dead meat. But no, they're fine because REX IS COOLER THAN ANYONE. Ugh that man. Freaking throwing the grenade back at him.

Clones are beautiful. That is all.

THAT'S THAT ONE PLACE FROM THE OG CLONE WARS MOVIE!!! TETH!!!

Howzer I love you but if you touch Crosshair we will be having words.

I am actually really proud of Crosshair and his restraint this episode. He could have been really cutting to Howzer.

OMEGA WITH THE TOOTHPIIIIICKS and Hunter is jealouuuus

EDIT: ECHO AND THE CROSSBOW HE'S SO SWEET

WHAT DID THEY DO TO YOU CROSSHAIR

It's really nice to see normal clones being normal again. (Too bad it doesn't last)

There's something up with Omega. I'm not going to lie, I think that she and Rex are going to plan to get her captured in order to track her back to Tantiss.

HOWZER STOP DISTRUSTING CROSSHAIR THIS MOMENT

I appreciate that Hunter doesn't seem to distrust Crosshair during this point.

...they really shouldn't have brought that operative back.

Rex is considering stealing Omega, I swear. I love that he gets down to her level.

WOOOOOOOOOOOLFFE (Plo would be so disappointed in you)

It's...odd to see these normal troopers with him.

It's also strange that he cannot comprehend that the clones could be traitors at first.

STOP DYING YOU BEAUTIFUL REGS

'She only bites half the time' I'm pretty sure Omega is lying here but I don't care.

CROSSHAIR IS SUCH A WORRIED DAD HOLY CRAP. 'Oh, I'm much worse' I LOVE YOU

And this just gives such a little insight into how the Batch was when they were together. I have a feeling that Crosshair was a fusser and a nagger.

And I love how Howzer's natural and correct conclusion is: 'no one evil could love that child.' (Unless you're Nala Se)

Hey, actual candor from Crosshair. I keep saying this is who he always was under it all, but I do think he's healed somewhat, at least towards regs. The healing power of Omega.

'Too bad' I LOVE THIS MAN

STOP DYING REGS

Rex talking down Wolffe reminded me so much of him trying to talk Jesse down. So ow.

Okay, what ROCK have they shoved Wolffe under for the last YEAR??? YES THE EMPIRE WOULD GET RID OF THE CLONES YOU DOG BRAINED IDIOT

(Plo would be proud that you let them go)

...they just killed all of Rex's clones, except Howzer and Gregor. And I have a bad feeling about Howzer. STOP TAKING THINGS FROM REX HASN'T HE LOST ENOUGH???

Okay here we are, at the big topic. Hold onto your pants.

That operative clone. Is. Tech. Because if he is not, they are purposefully using the narrative to deceive us.

I might miss a few things, but that's because I'm up past my bedtime and I've been up too late the last few days.

1. The falling and water parallels. This clone falls a LOT during this episode and dives into a lot of water. He even falls into mist. This time it's to kill and capture his siblings instead of save them.

2. The injury. This clone is hobbling around a lot after his injury, which was immediately reminiscent of Tech's broken leg at the beginning of season 2. Both of them are forcing themselves past their limit to achieve a mission. Specifically with injured legs.

3. General attitude and demeanor. In combination with the stealth and injury, this clone has a more hunched posture. His speech patterns are more formal, though we haven't really heard a lot of other clone operatives talk with their helmets on. But he's also apparently allergic to orders. I first thought that he'd be out of the chain of command, but they would have told Wolffe that he wasn't in charge of the operative if that were the case. Or the operative would have straight up told him 'I don't take orders from you' instead of staring awkwardly at him. Instead he runs off and does his own thing. While injured. Not to mention the buttons on his gauntlet. The other clone operatives don't have those.

4. The cybernetic legs. Now we don't know for sure if Tech would have cybernetic legs, but it seems likely for a severely injured trooper. And when Crosshair is looking at the heat signature, you can see that his legs are blue instead of yellow or red. No heat. Not organic.

5. What he says to Crosshair. 'You could have been one of us.' 'You chose the wrong side.' Yes, he's talking about Crosshair resisting the re-education. But flip it on its head real quick. 'You could have been one of us. One of the Bad Batch.' 'You chose the wrong side. The Empire.' Those lines very easily have double meanings.

6. An interesting one is when he starts moving rocks after the explosion. Why would he do that? Why not immediately go find another way in? He's moving only the smaller rocks. There's a large one in the way that he couldn't move himself. And he doesn't get the rest of the troopers to come move it when they arrive. He almost seems confused.

Like he's somewhere else after an explosion, having to move rocks. Like in the Crossing.

I know that this hardly seem like iron clad evidence. But in the language of story telling, it's practically screaming in our faces.

And I'm so glad he's back. I missed him. He won't be himself for a while, but I legitimately believe we'll get one last fight with the Batch all together. Because brain washing is a heck of a lot easier to fix than being dead.

My sister is doing the good work and creating a tik token about it, and I'll probably share it here when she's finished.

(We're getting the episode 'Identity Crisis ON MY BIRTHDAY and so help me if that's about Tech)

Honestly I thought I'd be more excited, but I spent the entire two episodes forcing myself into not having expectations and also I might be in shock.

[melverie]

- how to raise intimacy fast* -

*also known as "how to lose your mind to get laid by one (1) guy"

Dedicated to @winter-sol!

So, as mentioned on here, I already have a.........somewhat high intimacy level with Satan already, cough cough. So here's a quick guide on how I did it!

Keep in mind, this strategy works best if you focus on only one character! Also, this is a f2p guide, just keep in mind that I'm also crazy and spent a lot of time playing this game on release day <3

Since some things differ between the og game and Nightbringer, I'll specify which game a point works for if necessary. If no game is specified, it works for both

Here's also a general guide for the og game and one for Nightbringer if you need it

(last updated: September 25th 2023)

- what you need -

a demon card of the character you want to raise your intimacy level with

that's it! :)

can be N, R, SR, SSR, UR or UR+; doesn't matter as long as it's a demon card

- preperations -

(NB) create a team and put the character you want to raise your level with on it; the other two charcters don't matter -> put them in first position. Not sure if it's just a coincidence, but I seem to get more surprise guest interactions with whoever's in first. So if you wanted to romance, say, Satan, then your team should look like this

(NB) edit to the point above: lately it seems like it switches around every once in a while. In that case, just switch your desired character to the spot of the character you get the most Surprise Guests which

(OG) create a team and put the character you want to raise your level with on it; ONLY use that one demon card, don't put any others on there. Using memory cards is fine Again, if you wanted to romance Satan, then your team should look like this

make sure to do this on stages in normal mode. This method requires a lot of AP, so doing it in stages that only cost 5 AP is cost-efficent. Doesn't mean you can't do it in hard stages

pick a stage you can skip!! Don't sweep!!

- execution -

skip stages until you get a Surprise Guest

(NB) if it's not your desired Surprise Guest, skip them -> again, not sure if it's just a coincidence, but they seem to show up less often if you skip them a few times

if it's you desired Surprise Guest, do whatever actions they like best (guide for anyone that needs it; Satan's a little different in Nightbringer, I've added his preferred interactions toward the end of this post)

rinse and repeat for hours until satisfied (or until your done with everything)

The great thing about this method is that (in NB, at least) you'll indirectly be supplying yourself with more AP by skipping. Every 50 times you use a character in battle and every 50th time you meet with a (specific) Surprise Guest, you'll get 50 AP, which let's you skip more battles and meet more Surprise Guests, which gives you more AP, which let's you skip more battles and meet more Surprise Guests, which gives you more AP, which le--

What I'm trying to say is that it's more or less self-sufficient for a while

Also, it's a great way of passively leveling your cards, so there's another small benefit to this madness!

- additional things you can do -

set them as your home screen guest so you can get them for the home screen surprise guest

have them work a job at their preferred location

(NB) give them items in WW

pick all options in the story (this one hardly gives you any points tho so I personally wouldn't really bother much)

[cerealandchoccymilk]

Trigun Bookclub: Vash's Speech (FLOP EDITION...)

all bookclub posts

so i wrote this entire thing over a span of a day and a half. and found out just as i was finishing it that the ultradeep™ vash lore analysis point i wanted to make is actually NOT in the og trigun. [here's my mental breakdown post lol]

but i spent so much time and energy on this that i cant just say whelp! and delete it... so i'm posting it anyways. the straight-up incorrect parts are crossed out and some post-realization notes are in red. theres also a few paragraphs of postscript commentary/rambling in purple at the end of the post.

read it if youre bored i guess. but take it all with a grain of salt.

in the future (once we get to trimax vash+knives interaction) i will write the version of this that my memory intended, with an actual conclusion that makes sense lol

Mini-entry this time because I got consumed by linguistics brain worms :P But I wanted to make sure I talked about Vash's speech and his usage of pronouns!

A bit of background before we get into the analysis:

Japanese pronouns are very different from English. As the Wikipedia page puts it, "The use of pronouns, especially when referring to oneself and speaking in the first person, vary between gender, formality, dialect and region where Japanese is spoken."

The styles of spoken Japanese in general are another can of worms.... They're similar worms so I'll be touching on them a little, but it's not that relevant yet.

In real life, people have multiple pronouns (and speech styles) that they switch between depending on the situation, like with friends and family, at work, in front of kids, etc. For example, I primarily use 俺 online (along with joke/slang pronouns for funsies like 漏れ or おれっち), 自分 or 僕 in public depending on the person, and 私 in closeted situations. My cis male JP-school classmate uses 俺 with friends/family, used to use 私 in class at first, and then transitioned to 僕 as he got more familiar with the teachers.

Although this sort of code-switching happens all the time IRL, it's way less frequently illustrated in fiction, both for consistency's sake and because fictional characters just don't care as much about status. That's why I thought what's going on with Vash is particularly interesting!

Details continued below...

--original readmore position--

Here are the connotations for the two first-person pronouns that Vash uses (pulled from Wikipedia):

ore/おれ/俺 - informal - males - Frequently used by men. Establishes a sense of "masculinity". Can be seen as rude depending on the context. Emphasises one's own status when used with peers and with those who are younger or of lesser status. Among close friends or family, its use conveys familiarity rather than "masculinity" or superiority. It was used also by women until the late Edo period and still is in some dialects. Also oi in Kyushu dialect.

boku/ぼく/僕 - formal/informal - males - Used by males of all ages; very often used by boys; can be used by females but then carries tomboyish or feminist connotations. Perceived as humble, but can also carry an undertone of "feeling young" when used by males of older age. Also used when casually giving deference; "servant" uses the same kanji (僕 shimobe). Can also be used as a second-person pronoun toward male children (English equivalent – "kid" or "squirt").

(the usage of boku as a 2pp is actually part of a different phenomenon--if you're interested in that kotolabo's video explains it better than i ever could (eng captions available))

And these are the notes for every time Vash has used a first-person pronoun in the span that I've analyzed so far, which is until Chapter #06. I'll be adding onto this in the future as my annotations continue. no need anymore. i skimmed the rest and found out that, aside from a childhood flashback, vash uses exclusively ore after chapter #05.

The first instance is in Chapter #02, when he cries in French.

「なぜ僕がこんな目にあうのママン　何も悪いことしてないのにみんなが僕を狙うよママン」（独り言） "Why do things like this keep happening to me, maman? I don't do anything bad, but everyone's always after me, maman!" (to himself)

Here he uses boku, the softer pronoun. However, because he's putting on a "helpless French boy" persona, this one actually doesn't say much about Vash (other than that he's being silly).

The second time is later in the same chapter, when surrounded by the women of April City.

「奴に…会うまでは！！　俺は立ち止まる訳にはいかないんだ！！」（主婦たち） "Until I see him again... I cannot afford to stop moving!" (Housewives)

This time he uses ore, the rougher and more masculine pronoun. The situation is very tense; he has several guns pointed at him. This is also the first instance we see the trauma and hurt Vash holds inside. Overall he's very desperate here. We can see in a bit that ore is his "default." He drops his usual polite/kind tone to be as sincere as he can with the women. I think he can't afford to code-switch and be polite because this is a very personal and emotional moment for him. This doesn't mean his tone is necessarily rude (in-universe!!! probably better not to talk to strangers like this IRL); he still uses relatively soft language.

The next two are in Chapter #04, both when he refuses the sandsteamer guy's job offers.

「やだやだやだやだ　僕は争いごと嫌いなの！！」（砂蒸気の人） "No, no, no, no! I don't like trouble!" (Sandsteamer guy)

「僕は客なの！！この車の警備態勢にはチョーー期待してるから ヨロシクね！！」（砂蒸気の人） "I am a passenger! I have great faith in your security, so I entrust everything to you, okay?" (Sandsteamer guy)

He uses boku here. As we'll see in future instances, this is the pronoun he uses in front of other people and is the one he chooses most frequently. He constantly avoids trouble, so he always uses soft language and the humbler pronoun. nope it was just out of politeness towards a stranger and trying to sound less assertive/more harmless(?) to get out of the situation

In the next page, Vash talks to himself during his piss break.

「…まったくもう　保険屋の2人組といい…　俺(おら)ァもっとひっそりとやってきたいのに」（独り言） "...Jeez! As if those two insurance girls weren't already enough... I was hoping for a nice, quiet trip." (to himself)

Although the pronunciation here is oraa, it's a reduced form of ore wa (wa is a grammatical particle). His tone here is sort of laid-back (and tired, as you can tell). Again, this is his default 1st-person pronoun.

A few moments later, on the last page of the chapter, he says,

「よく分かった　ツラかったろう！！大丈夫だ 僕にまかせな　悪い様にはしねえぜ！！」（カイト） "I understand. It must have been so hard! It's okay... I'll take care of you. I won't let anything bad happen to you again!" (to Kaito)

Here he switches back to boku. He does this in front of almost everyone, but this is especially the case because he's speaking to a child he wants to protect. Using the boku pronoun gives a softer, more approachable vibe.

In Chapter #05, he goes back to ore when he talks to Kaito about No Man's Land.

「時々考えるよ　この惑星に…来た事が本当に俺達にとって幸せな事なのか　ってね」（カイト） "I sometimes wonder... Was our arrival on this planet actually something for us to be happy about? ...Y'know?"

From here on Vash is more familiar with Kaito, enough to open up a bit about his true feelings about humanity. It is also partially Vash talking to himself. irrelevant/coincidence

In Chapter #06, Vash talks to himself in front of Kaito.

「間違いない！！俺にゃー死神か貧乏神が２ケタ以上ついてるんだ」（独り言・カイト） Overhaul: "Why do death and destruction always follow right behind me?!" Literal: "I swear, I have at least 2 digits’ worth of death-gods or poverty-gods haunting me!!"

He uses ore here again. At this point, he's pretty much completely familiar with Kaito, and considers him a friend/teammate. The speech here is very casual. Skimming through the later chapters, I was able to confirm that from Chapter #05 on, Vash uses exclusively ore.

wait

AAAND CUT! this is where my dumb ass realizes that vashs speech is different between trigun and trimax, and that the conclusion i planned on making was trimax-exclusive :) now forget everything you just read in this post past the wikipedia table screenshot because itll be completely irrelevant in less than a week!!

trimax vash uses boku 99% of the time and ore exclusively in front of knives as far as i can remember. i wanted to say stuff about how he is always wearing the kind persona as a mask and shows his true emotions (aka his sheer trauma and rage) in front of knives and knives only

but like. he really doesnt in og trigun. thats just him being kind to strangers??? and barely has any deep meaning to it. it doesnt mean the individual analyses are wrong but theyre definitely not making the point i was going to make at the end of this post and it just aint that deep.

very frustrated with myself rn... but the 2 good things i got out of this are 1) i wont have to write the pronoun explanation again and 2) i skimmed through all of trigun so future annotations might be faster/cost less spoons since i already have some things to write down in mind.

This will definitely get a part 2+ in the future, especially once we get to see Knives. the redo will just be a new single-part post. this stuff will most likely only become relevant once we see knives+vash interaction in trimax The Meryl speech analysis we mentioned in a past post is currently in the works, and will also be part of this speech series!

[morimakesfanart]

Heyya!. I just want u to know that i've just read your latest fic on ao3 NONSTOP for about 4-5 hours last night and i definitely confident to say that your fic is asuperb work of art...

It's rare to see that kind of fic like you've been working for the last few years... A story with additional comic is really such a breath of fresh air to me these days...

Please, don't stop continuing this super duper amazing fic of yours even. I'm trying not to ask nor demand you to update the fic rightaway, but at least i don't want my hopes got away after just found out about this fic of yours in less than 24 hours...

I'm glad you like it so much!! :D

I have no intentions of stopping. I'm making it for me most of all, and it's been super entwined with my growth as a person and writer/artist.

I always write 2-3 chapters at one time, so if one is posted it's because I have the start of the next set drafted. I just posted ch38, and my drafts go up ch41. There's only one more left in the current arc being posted. I need to do some final edits and the art which hopefully won't take more than 2 weeks. However, I won't start the art until I get ch41 more finalized and get ch42 started. Working multiple chapters at once helps balance the flow in and between arcs.

If I ever hit a point where I think I can't work on Sindria's Prophet ever again, I'll post all of the remaining drafts for whatever arc that ends up being without art. I don't see that happening though since this is not only the only story I'm posting right now, it is extremely meaningful for me, and I can't deny that it's where most of my paying members on Patreon are coming from. The help with the groceries has been extremely important. That pressure does more to make sure I don't lose track of time so I actually finish and post, and not a feeling of obligation tho. I am extremely grateful for the support I've gotten thank to this fic :3

On why writing & art:

I can't tell any story without also drawing it. I'm a visual thinker so I always feel like something vital is lost if I have to describe it in words alone. When I was little I wanted to make animations, but I realized when I was 12 that it would take too long, so I started making comics. I posted my first comics online on dA. They are still up if you find the account.

As it turns out, making comics takes much longer than just writing, and I am but one person. And I also eventually figured out that since I often use writing to process my own experiences there are topics that I want to write about that upset or even trigger me if I draw them to the point I will basically drop a story if I have to draw a long scene of them. That what's happening with my og series PBSN on tapas&webtoons if any one's been wondering why it only updates like 1ce a year now. So with this fic I have figured out how to do a combination of writing and comics. Now I can tell a story in a more timely fashion without losing as much of what's going on in my head as possible AND it has the added bonus of not having to draw the topics/emotions that stop me so I can actually keep working on it :D

But yeah, I am going to keep going with Sindria's Prophet until I reach the end :3

[musicboxmemories]

20 questions for fic writers

tagged by @viola-ophelia <3 Thank you!

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 58 on my primary page, 38 on my trash page, and 5 on my catch-all.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? LOL if you think I'm going to add up the word count of 101 total fics, you're crazy! So instead, I'll just say my longest fic on my primary page is 96,771, my trash page is 34,787, and my catch-all is 11,722, for a total of 143,280. So with that being for just three fics, I shudder to think what my actual word count is for 101 fics lol.

3. What fandoms do you write for? Lately, TURN: Washington's Spies, though past fandoms have been H.annibal, E.mma 2020, and The M.agicians, to name a few.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? I'm just going to stick to my main page for this:

Wake-up Call (From D.usk till D.awn: the Series) (438)

Changing Winds (S.tranger T.hings) (384)

Lost in the Dark (S.tranger Things) (284)

Anyone But You (That 70s Show) (265)

To Thaw and Burst into Bloom (S.tranger Things) (235)

^^The funny thing is, none of these were fandoms I was overly into/participated in much, but they're way more popular than my favored fandoms, which is why none of what I'm TRULY proud of is listed in my top kudos ranking. Ah well.

5. Do you respond to comments? I do! In the past, I've always made friends through reviews/reviewing, so I always respond to comments and leave comments on works I've enjoyed. :) I really wish engagement/fic friendships were more encouraged these days.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Uhh, probably Folie a Deux (H.annibal) or To K.iss, to Consume (Turn). OH, and Let the Weary Rest (Turn), where I killed off Ben lol.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? After 2020, pretty much all of my fics had happy endings. The World is Made Wrong made me happiest though, I'd say.

8. Do you get hate on fics? I'd rather not jinx myself, but I haven't since I was a kiddo! And that hate was deserved tbh, cuz they were just telling me I wrote xyz wrong since I was a child/didn't bother to research.

9. Do you write s.mut? *gestures vaguely at my trash page* Uh. Yeah. lol I don't really have a specific type I write, beyond M/F, if that's what you're asking -- the specific scenarios are typically a case-by-case basis.

10. Do you write crossovers? I used to write quite a few! Nowadays, I save that more for things like RP and edits, though I do still enjoy them. Sometimes, crossovers work better than canon, I said what I said.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? I have! But I was like 13 at the time, and the person posted it in the same ship/fandom, so Idk what their plan was lol. Fortunately, they deleted it the day I reviewed.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Yes! A few times, actually (all for the H.annibal fandom).

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Sure have! They're all RP-turned-fics though, cuz I've never actually asked someone to write something who wasn't an RPer themselves.

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship? Probably David/Maddie from Moonlighting. They're timeless! <3

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I suppose my time travel romcom. It's basically me rewriting a book I've already created, but altering it for the Turn universe. Even though it's fun, it's kind of boring repurposing my old work, and most especially when there's so little engagement. I flourish on comments, alas. Other than that, I mostly tend to finish my works!

16. What are your writing strengths? An editor once told me my strengths are my dialogue and humor. She equated the first 20 pages of my book (a recent work) to a Shakespearean comedy, which really tickled me, ngl.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? World-building! I've improved with this by a lot, but I genuinely do think fic writers are conditioned to stop describing settings/appearance thanks to our audiences already KNOWING, and thus, our OG works suffer for it. Mine certainly do!

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I wouldn't do it personally, since I doubt it'd translate well, but I encourage others to do it! I'll still read!

19. First fandom you wrote for? C.owboy B.ebop.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written? Probably The World is Made Wrong, since I've since reworked it and I'm still very proud of how that second run-through turned out (not the one available on AO3 -- that version is in all its heinous first draft glory lol).

Tagging: @retrograderesemblance @pagetreader @ms-march @culper-spymaster and whoever else wants to!

[raayllum]

1 - favorite fic you wrote this year. 3 - favorite line/scene you wrote this year. 12 - favorite character to write about this year. 14 - a fic you didn’t expect to write. 21 - most memorable comment/review. And 24 - favorite fic you read this year.

I have no precision on fandom or fic... You are free to choose which fandom. Thus, you may make us discover other universes.

1) favourite fic you wrote this year

Looked through and discovered that I wrote 20 fics this year, which is wild, even if the majority are oneshots so... certainly have my pick an picks for various reasons!

These are the ones, probably:

This Fall Might Just Kill Me is 10.2k of Callum trying and failing to get purified, post-S4, and was one of my favourites and one I return to pretty often for a personal re-read. Very Callum/Rayla centric, some magic worldbuilding, and lots of devotion. Oneshot

Twice as Many Stars is 8.7k of Sir Sparklepuff is an existential horror story, the fic, featuring more religious trauma allegory than expected. Also a oneshot

Teach Me How to Name the Bigger Light a fanon s6 currently of 5 out of roughly 26-30ish chapters, and at 41k and counting. Main characters are Callum, Ezran, Rayla, and Claudia in about that order. It's a lot of fun, and a lot of angst

3) favourite line/scene this year

"If it's not you, it's not anyone" has one of my favourite love / Rayllum confessions I've ever written. I also loved this line from a (now non canon) fic regarding Kpp'Ar's feelings on Callum/people "There are many ways to mend broken things, if you can". I deeply enjoyed Callum threatening Nyx over Rayla's safety in this pre-S5 fic and this piece of description as well: "Callum knelt down in front of her, her cheeks heating as he reached up and pried the shawl away again, looking at the way the scar crept over her shoulder like dark ivy" + this Rayllum passage from "this fall just might kill me" (edit in the link):

“It’s because if I die,” he said, squeezing her hands. “I want you to be the last thing I ever see. And you are good enough, Rayla. You are . I don’t care if you destroy me. I don't care if we make each other better or worse or both. I love you. I’ll fall for you every time. I’ll choose to, I’ll choose you, every time.” 

I also really enjoyed writing Callum and Lujanne in "older but just never wiser" because it was interesting to revisit their dynamic now that well, Callum is older, powerful, and much more jaded/angry.

Drabbles wise this Rayllum one has one of my favourite metaphoric uses I've ever been able to pull off and I always love 1) writing messy Ezran and 2) Ezran being a little done with his brother's less than favourable methods, so this one for Ezran's "underhanded" comment for sure

But if I had to pick a singular exchange fic wise, it is of course the end of the Callum and Ezran fight from Ch4 of fanon s6, because it was a line that hurt me so much I was sad the rest of the day, and I also thought of it before writing a decent chunk of the boys' argument, so making sure it felt earned and hit the way I wanted to was very fun if also angsty. I apologize in advance lmao:

Only this time Callum scoffed, peeling away, his green eyes glinting. “Yeah, right.”  “I am your king and I forbid you—” “You don’t get to forbid me from doing anything because guess what?” A manic gleam overtook his brother’s face. “I don’t fucking care what you think, nevermind what you fucking decree. I’m freeing Runaan, and that’s final.”  “Then you can do it without my help,” Ezran said with a ragged breath. “Because I am not giving you my seal.”  Callum stared at him with cold eyes. “Dad would be so disappointed in you.” But this time Ezran was ready for the blow, as he said, “Well at least I called him Dad."

A shameless plug OG fantasy world wise was definitely this lines from my sequel WIP. You can learn more about it/the fantasy world here <3

The Alpha of the Crescents may have worn her old friend’s face and mannerisms, but the girls they’d both been were long dead, just like their families.  It was time to finish the job and bury them.

as well as

“Good. Vita willing I won’t live to see your next lives.” “Because seeing you again has been so pleasant,” Jamie muttered.

from book one

12) favourite character to write about this year

Given my above answers it's clearly been Callum, but Ezran has probably been my standout in "teach me how to name the bigger light," easy, even if I think Rayla's POV is going to sneak up on me more and more as the fic goes on, especially once we reach the chapters at the Starscraper. I've also written a somewhat decent amount of Kpp'Ar POV this year, I loved writing Claudia in "twice as many stars" in particular. Everyone? Can I say everyone?

But if I had to pick, Callum. (Non fic wise it's all the OG chosen one kiddos running around, I love 'em.)

14) a fic you didn't expect to write

Many days of angry muttering and half concocted plot points predated "teach me how to name the bigger light" and I am still slightly internally salty about it. However, it does feel good to have one last fanon season foray, especially since it's been four years since the last one, and I've been having a fucking blast, lemme tell you.

21) most memorable comment/review

This is hard because I do cherish every review and kind word I get (as well as anyone who leaves notes in their bookmarks) but there are some standouts. Basically anything from twice as many stars is fair game as well as this review on fanon s6, cause I'm gonna go the typical write route and say the long bois make my day / when readers catch onto the smaller details, that's absolutely my favourite:

@inamindfarfaraway <3 hope you've enjoyed the most recent chapter!

24) favourite fic you read this year

Have already done some TDP fic recs here so I'm gonna focus on what's in my bookmarks for now! I mostly read LOZ or SOC fics when I'm not making my way through TDP backlog, but this one for Six of Crows centreing on Inej and Kaz called High Wire Act stood out to me and I'm really enjoying "for the children we couldn't be" for TDP because it's trio centric and the exact kind of time travel fuckery I like to read.

This is tricky, though, cause I find most often the favourite things I participate in is like, the stuff I write because it's what I want to read and most tailored to my specific tastes? I also just don't read as much fic as I could / have in the past and it's hard to pick Just One Fic, y'know? So cop out answer, maybe, but this is the one!

[amplifyme]

Twenty questions for fanfic writers

I was tagged by @xxsksxxx. Thanks, friend! ❤️

Edited to add that @randomfoggytiger just tagged me too. Killing two birds with one stone here. Or something like that.

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

76 in total, but only 57 of those are my own fics. The rest belong to two BATB writers who are no longer with us but whose works needed to be available on AO3.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

1,360,745 total. 587,663 of those are actually mine.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

The X-Files, Beauty and the Beast (TV), A Song of Ice and Fire book series.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

These Scars We Wear

The Calling

Beggar's Banquet

Blessed Be (The Third Night)

Pas de deux

All of these are set in the ASOIAF universe.

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yep! There was a stretch of about six years when I disconnected from all my fandoms and didn't respond to anything. Those days are past now and I make sure I always respond to any comment I get.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Pass You By (TXF)

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

The Possibility of Being (BATB)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Nope.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I used to be be a Smut Queen back in my OG TXF days. Not sure what's meant by "what kind"? Um, the kind that makes one hot and bothered? Het? Vanilla? I'll stop there.

I quit writing the more explicit stuff 'cuz I got bored with it. These days I'm more interested in the cerebral side of things.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

No. I have a hard enough time keeping a single set of characters in line. Can't imagine trying to do it for more than one 'verse at a time.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yes. Someone from The Nanny fandom (who knew?) pilfered one of my TXF fics, changed the character names, and posted it. Weirdness.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, several. More than happy to give the go-ahead to requests like that.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes, I wrote Doors with a fellow TXF writer named Alanna Baker. It was fun but I don't know that I'd want to do it again. I'm much more of a loner when it comes to writing.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Can't pick one and you can't make me. My favorites are the three I write for: Mulder and Scully, Vincent and Diana, Sandor and Sansa.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Sticks and Stones, a TXF casefile I started a really, really long time ago. I also have a BATB WIP I've been messing with for the past year or so but I don't know if it will ever see the light of day.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue, pacing, tone.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Will actually sitting down and writing be considered a proper answer? If so, that.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I did a few lines in Italian in one of my BATB fics but that's it. I can barely write in English, let alone another language! 😄

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Beauty and the Beast.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

I'll give you one from each fandom.

TXF: Kintsugi. Not my most popular, but this one was effortless and there's nothing I'd go back and change. My take on Season 7 (aka The Season of Secret Sex).

BATB: The Possibility of Being (see above for the link). This entire project was a love letter not only to Vincent and Diana, but to my writing mentor, Nan Dibble.

ASOIAF (SanSan): These Scars We Wear. Link is above. Another love letter. This one to Sandor Clegane and his Little Bird. Because they deserve a happily ever after.

I figure this one has already made the rounds so I'm not going to tag anyone. Please consider playing if you've haven't been tagged and want to join in. It's fun!

[manonamora-if]

September Check-In

WoW another month has passed already... Is time getting faster or my sense of impending end is just getting stronger...

ANYWAY, existential dread aside... August kinda felt like a mix bad. I did do things, but many days I felt like I didn't do enough (prob that dread again - also injury yay). So let's get into it!

Long post ahead again:

Recap of last month's progress

Recap of last week's stuff

Other IF stuff done

Other IF events

Plan for September

- _ -

The plan for the past month was to:

play more IF: ✅, see reviews in @manonamora-if-reviews

whip out something for the Single Choice Jam: ✅ The Dinner*

fix the website: ✅, new and improved*

write for a WIP: 😐not for a WIP but Goncharov Escapes! was remastered (shelved!), and currently working on DOL-OS.

add to the SG guide: ❌, I have a list though

code TTATEH: ❌, MelS isn't done with the edits (long shot).

*still kind of a WIP

I did kind of predict I wouldn't be able to write much in new content...

- _ -

So what about this week:

DOL-OS has been the main think I've been working on this week. And quite a bit of effort has been dumped in there. Since last week progress update:

the translation has been fully completed, and added to the game files (not all is properly coded)

I added some keyboard QoL for the starting puzzle

the UI re-design 75% complete (like coded complete) <- this is taking so freaking long, but it's worth it

I corrected some bugs (padlock, links)

I've been thinking in more details how the added content would look like (text mainly) and how much writing would be needed (a few thousands, I'd wager).

Obviously, I am not done with the project, but I am getting closer. The current hurdle is the finishing the UI-redesign: I really want things to be pristine in terms of visual quality and that requires a lot of testing and detail change. I have a few minor block of passages left and the booting screen to fix, before I can focus on the final beat of the game (not much UI-wise, more regular coding).

This final part will take quite a bit of time as well, because it too requires a bunch of testing (and there's a few accessibility concerns I need to take care of...). I'm confident it won't be too difficult, just... tedious.

But I really want to do a good job with this remaster, adding all the stuff I couldn't the first time before of time constraint (fun fact: DOL-OS was completed in a month...) and coding capabilities (I learned a ton since). I know people really enjoyed it the first time around, but I know it can be even better. Like it should really have that first-place vibe it deserves :P

I am hoping to be done by next weekend, but depending on how polish I can make it, I might need an extra week on top of it. (This would track: 4-ish weeks to make the OG version, 4-ish weeks to remaster it...).

In the meantime, I might post a few screenshots of the redesign and show it in comparison to the current version.

Some of you have noticed the blog has kinda disappeared. It's not gone, just... password locked. The notifications have been run over a bit by bots, the inbox received a few impatient guests, and it's in need of a good cleaning anyway.

I still want to work on the project (I have so many plans), but since writing anything for it has seemed impossible for the past months, I needed a cleaner break from it.

This project is not over, or abandoned. I kind of see it as my magnum opus (because of the sheer size it should have at the end). But because of this, I've realised I need to plan and re-plan things around the project more carefully. And that includes the blog and its content (original or reblogged). I probably should have made a post, huh... but then again, I always to things on a whim :P

Until things have calmed down, it will stay locked. The game, however, is still available to play.

MelS has been doing his best with progress, but lots of IRL work ahead of him, so he's been pacing himself and write when he can. He's kind of sad our hope to wrap up the game by Halloween probably won't happen, but he's trying his best to finish it as soon as possible!

Slightly related: one ending of the game has been written :P (MelS got tired of writing variation, so to do something new he wrote a bit on the last chapter).

Over at @manonamora-if-reviews, I finished reviewing all Single Choice entries. It was loads of fun to see how people interpreted the restrictions. The Jam was even mentioned on Emily Short's blog (patron saint of IF)!

Also in the reviewing department, I'm taking a crack at the Goncharov jam. I had reviewed a few already, but I thought this might be a good time to tackle on the rest! I think I am about half with them. It's nice to get back into the Gonch meme, especially after the remaster

The upload time will be sporadic, like is was the past month.

After that, I think I'll play from French games...

- _ -

Some IF Stuff:

Today is the last day to submit your list of best IF to the TOP 50 list.

Have an IF ghost in your project drawer? Come share and submit it to the Bring Our Your Ghost Jam. Deadline is September 15th!

The IFComp intent deadline has passed, but if you plan on voting for the entries, you can still create an account!

Similarly, if you are planing on reviewing the IFComp entries, you can get your account settled on the IFDB (many peeps create one at the same time during the voting period, and the system sometimes flags it as spam, and hide ratings/reviews).

September is usually a pretty quiet time... unless you are submitting something to the IFComp... But also, I've been trying reeeeaaaaallllyyyyy hard not to look at the Jam tab on itch, so not to be tempted to do a new thing. I've already put out more games this year than last year (counting the tiny ones).

- _ -

The PLAN tm for September

It will essentially be very similar to August...

continue to play and review games (that front page spot is getting closer...). It gives me an opportunity for a break, and I get to think more about game design or writing, or where I could improve. And I get to give the authors some (hopefully) thoughtful words about their games.

finish the DOL-OS remaster. By mid-September, I think I could swing that. Then it will be another shelved game!

either continue a WIP or fix another semi-completed game. I might try to get La Petite Mort in proper shape and translated for the EctoComp? (I need to check if they accept translation, since it was submitted last year)

maybe try to add another block to the SugarCube Guide? I have a few ideas on what to include, but it is mainly a matter of sitting down and doing it. Though I have another template I've been toying with... maybe that might happen first.

That would be neat if I could manage that :P I need to fix the loading screens of Twine games too...

Taking the list of last month...

To-Do not require much of new stuff:

translate Escape Goncharov! into French. ✅

fix the bugs in EDOC + overall the French version to match

fix the bugs of TRNT + find a way to add the missing pieces (mayyyybe translate into French?)

fix the formatting of DOL-OS + translate into English ✅ (ongoing)

update LPM with the missing content + translate into English

The rest of the To-Do pile:

Finish The Rye in the Dark City (and maybe translate?)

Finish P-Rix - Space Trucker (and try to translate)

Finish Exquisite Cadaver (translation unlikely, current gameplay too complex to port for French)

Add a chapter to CRWL + fix the blog

Re-working TTTT to its originally planned state (lol, not likety)

Re-working SPS Iron Hammer (samesies)

Coding TTATEH (MelS dependent)

Emptying my inboxes

(I am pretty sure the focus for the rest of the year will be to finish the first list. With the addition maybe of a small jam entry or two.)

[theonethatyaks93]

Character Analysis: Pinky POV, Broadway Malady, and Pinky's Dream House (Day 5 of Pinky Week)

Hello and welcome to another installment of Pinky Week! Thanks to all those who've been viewing these posts; I apologize for the messy uploading schedule. But this is finally going to be the week where this series comes to a close. My next post is going to be another character analysis and there's going to be a special surprise to wrap it all up on Thursday (hopefully!). Can you guess what it is? That's enough of that, let's begin!

4/3/23- An analysis of Pinky in "Broadway Malady", "Pinky POV", and "Pinky's Dream House": Yes, we're doing three episodes today. Rather than it be an in-depth analysis on one episode, taking a lot of time, I'm doing a shorter analysis on three episodes, two of which I've already talked about in Pinky Week Day Three. These three episodes are vital to introducing new aspects of Pinky's character and showing how he operates. While these are still not massively influential, they have importance and were considered development episodes before the reboot came around. I also haven't really talked much about the OG Pinky and The Brain spin-off so that fills that gap.

Devoted to Brain (Broadway Malady):

This episode was a character tour-de-force when it came to showcasing emotions. While Brain was honestly hilarious when he became so interested in theater, Pinky truly shows his affection for Brain in so many ways. Though Pinky becomes a successful actor on Broadway, he still goes and checks on Brain when he has time. He even becomes distressed when he realizes Brain has no audience watching his show, begging for Brain to join him. When Brain rejects his pleas, saying he wants to put his creative vision over world domination, Pinky leaves dejected. Pinky then dedicates his big performance to Brain, singing a song about how much he misses his best friend. The song is gripping, emotional, humorous, and well-sung. While the lyrics aren't the best, they aren't supposed to be. It's a parody of "Memory" from Cats, and most parodies from the show don't have complex lyrical changes. It's still incredible to see Pinky singing such a powerful song about Brain. Brain even shows up and watches his performance, crying at one point. This still remains the only time in the franchise where Pinky sings an emotional song entirely dedicated to his partner (though the song "Not Home" from season three of the reboot episode "Royal Flush" had one moment at the end that was kind of close to this). The song was also nominated for an Emmy award for Best Original Song; however it didn't win. This still remains Pinky's most powerful performance, him hitting astoundingly high notes and singing his little heart out. This truly shows his dedication to Brain and how much Brain means to Pinky. He then decides to get every important critic in the world to watch Brain's musical, much to Brain's surprise. Pinky even tricks his friend into coming and tells Brain to make him proud. Though the show is still a flop, Pinky and Brain have rekindled their relationship. Pinky literally puts his own successful career and show on hold for Brain. This episode shows the lengths Pinky would go to in order to make Brain happy and to keep their friendship stable, things that would be taken with the duo throughout the series going forward.

Seeing the World Pinky's Way (Pinky POV):

This is perhaps one of the most unique and weird episodes from Pinky and The Brain. This segment is a literal character exploration episode as we (as an audience) look at the world from Pinky's point-of-view. Through creative animation, little details, and excellent editing, many of Pinky's inner thoughts and perspectives are given. We learn that Pinky's verbal tics are visualized in front of him, and that the reason why he often fails to understand Brain's plans is that he often zones out and thinks about other things. It's astounding to know that the animators took extra care when crafting this segment; for example: when Pinky walks in front of a reflective trashcan, you see his reflection in the trashcan. While this doesn't give us an idea of Pinky's feeling about Brain (aside from the...uhm...interesting idea of him thinking about Brain as a hippo wearing a thong. Yeah, I don't know if that's weird or if that's another red flag to Pinky's thoughts about his friend) it gives us a few answers to questions we may have been asking. This episode is a fun time, despite not being super deep or focused on character development.

A Secret Goal (Pinky's Dream House):

While this show is technically non-canon (though I like to pretend it's just a show the mice filmed on a set because of me wanting this episode to be canon so bad), it still packs a pretty big punch with "Pinky's Dream House." While the show received mixed reviews, this segment cannot be denied the fact that it introduced an important piece of character development to the mix. Pinky's fantasy about being a housewife to Brain is not only sweet, but an interesting insight into his way of thinking. Not only does he desire to live the perfect sitcom life, but he wants to do this with Brain. The song he sings is very nice to listen to and it's so precious. It's a parody of the song "Somewhere That's Green" from the musical Little Shop of Horrors with nearly all the romantic undertones remaining intact. When Pinky gets to live out his dream, he's so happy that he gets to share a house with Brain. While Brain at first doesn't adhere to this new way of living, he soon finds himself comfortable with all the amenities that home life has. Pinky is doing everything to support his partner, and while he eventually grows some concern over Brain's lack of wanting to take over the world, he still does his best to meet Brain and his needs. Though things eventually go awry, it's still cute to know that these two could function properly in a normal sitcom-like situation. Their rapport and Pinky's dedication to Brain is adorable, and it's a surprise to know that Pinky really wanted this. Sure he loves helping Brain with his plans, but Pinky really wants to settle down and enjoy a calmer life. It's almost sad that we didn't get anything too similar to this in the original spin-off since it could've worked very well in that show as a full-length 22 minute episode. And Elmyra, despite not being that annoying in this segment (thank god), she still doesn't fit in and feels like an outlier here. Her appearances are jarring because this is focused mostly, if not entirely on the mice and their relationship. It's not that big of a deal, though. "Pinky's Dream House" still gets a lot of credit for being the segment that convinced a lot of people that Pinky had some underlying desires and feelings for Brain.

Conclusion: In the original series, Pinky wasn't given as much focus in the character development department when compared to Brain. He was still given his moments, but they weren't nearly as expansive or as emotionally impactful as his curmudgeonly companion. These three episodes allow viewers to get an idea of how Pinky operates, giving us ideas about his relationship with Brain and his inner thoughts. It could've been more expanded on, sure, but these moments are still good enough to satisfy those who want to see the world Pinky's way.

And that's it! I hope you enjoyed this installment of Pinky Week. The next two days should be the last of this and then Brain Week is on it's way. Since I'm on break next week, I can upload posts nearly every day! Yay!!! Have a great day/night/afternoon and always remember to just say narf!!

[meimi-haneoka]

First of all, thanks for making all these translation posts. They really helped in clearing up the confusions the official translation produced. How they managed to pass through editing is beyond me.

However, forgive me for asking this kind of a negative (?) question here, because I know you're such a staunch fan: What would you consider as legitimate criticism of Clear Card? I'm not asking for those that are also present in the OG series (such as CLAMP dragging the mystery for various reasons), I mean those that are only specific to this arc. Because when I reread the entire arc in preparation for the final chapter a few days ago, I noted some missed opportunities and details that never had quite a payoff in the end, but I'm currently debating if I should really analyze why I felt that way or I'm just being nitpicky. (And for the record, I don't have much nostalgia goggles for this series. I only started following this three years ago.)

Hello anon! Thank you for reading my translation posts and I'm glad they were useful to you!

Hmmm I think we should always consider and try to understand if the complaint we have is something that affects the plot to a greater extent or if it's just a wish we have, to have seen more of something, but that in the end -doesn't- really change things on a structural level. Like, I dunno, the kiss everyone is complaining about 🙄🙄🙄 And even when we find some, we might need to think hard if they *really* didn't give an explanation (even an implied one). Also it's good to keep in mind that what we might not have liked, maybe was the favorite thing of somebody else, so we shouldn't label it as a "flaw" in absolutistic terms. Just always keep it on the personal, subjective view.

I'll make you an example of what I think it's a missed opportunity that reflects on the plot, in some way.

The cause of death of Lilie (and her husband, at the same time).

Even for this, I have a hunch or two about why they didn't talk about it (my theory is that the cause was a violent one, and they were betrayed by the Association just like little Kaito had been warning her during chapter 60 - maybe they tried to abduct Akiho, thinking she would be super powerful), I've had this theory since long time and honestly now that they ended the arc without explaining it, I can't help but feel that I was right and that mentioning it would've crossed CCS boundaries.

I see many people complaining "why Nadeshiko died, we never got that explored" but I mean, they told us about it, they gave us a reason? Why no one wants to believe that she simply died of illness? Why does it have to be a magical reason?

For Lilie, however, we only know that she died while protecting her daughter in an "accident" (see, my theory?), at least if we have to trust what the Clan told Akiho. I would've liked to know the reason, just a little bit more of it, because honestly....there are people who wonder why she decided to do all that she did in order to help fixing things in the future that would come many years later, instead of just focusing on staying alive and not leave her daughter alone, unprotected, at the mercy of her horrible family? Since she's a yumemi and could foresee her death? Because we could say that if Akiho ended up being abused in her childhood, it's also because she was completely left on her own. Couldn't she avoid death? That would make sense, so she decided to take care of "damage control" instead, meeting her daughter's future soulmate, the one who would give his life to protect Akiho and bring her out of there? And meet Sakura when she was only 13? But I would've at least liked a mention of that because, if we have to be nitpicky about it, this reflects negatively on Lilie's character. And I'm absolutely sure that she's a decent character and was a wonderful mother in the months she could live with her daughter. I don't think she did all that she did recklessly. But you see, I have to make up theories in my head to fill that gap, I would've liked a helping hand from canon, in that sense.

This is different from another comment I often see "couldn't Kaito just *ask Sakura* for help?" because no, even if they didn't spell out with words why Kaito didn't ask for help, they gave us plenty of hints and portrayals of his personality, which make completely reasonable the way he went about it.

For Lilie, we really have little to go by, in the end.

This is just an example, there are other things that I go a little bit 😐at, but all in all they're little things that might be slightly annoying at worst, not stuff that would impact my love for this series. Hence why you see me so staunch about it. 😊

[lurkingteapot]

5 Songs Tag - Queer Asian Live Action Shows Edition

@troubled-mind put this together, and @plantsarepeopletoo tagged me.

When you get this, list 5 songs from the Asian QL shows that you actually listen to. 🎶 They do not have to be custom-made for the series. 🎶 Non-western tracks only. Let's support Asian music and languages! 🎶 Feel free to tag anyone who may be interested in participating. 🎶 Add #5qls tag to your post for others to find the new favourites!

I should probably preface this with the fact that I … don't really listen to music. I mean. I do? but only when I'm learning a language, obsessed for other reasons (songs connected to a shows I love, etc), or trying to drown out other noise out. I don't even have a spotify account.

That said, here are a few songs I've listened to often enough that I can sing along to them by now or even know them by heart. This selection ended up kind of sappy, lots of ballads … l do listen to rock and hip hop, too! but those don't feature that heavily in the shows as much, unless it's Tilly Birds and while I LOVE Tilly Birds, I figure everyone already knows them.

SO.

1. 邓丽君 《月亮代表我的心》 (Teresa Teng "The Moon represents my heart")

This is a bit of an odd one – I'd known it for 12 years at the point Moonlight Chicken unveiled it as a theme song, because it's a CLASSIC. I cannot make claims about whether it's a song every Chinese person knows, but it's definitely one of those songs every person who learned Mandarin Chinese as a foreign language in the past 50 years knows. It's heartfelt. It's devastatingly simple. It's an evergreen. I love it to bits.

2. 25hours ไม่เคย (Never)

This doesn't actually make an appearance as more as a mention: Pat suggests it as a song to play for the Christmas concert in one of the flashbacks to Pat and Pran's high school days in Bad Buddy. I was (still am, arguably) obsessed with the show, so I sought it out, and it hit me like a freight train, because ouch. This was the first Thai song I learned to sing by heart, and I love it lots, still.

3. 宇多田ヒカル 「Prisoner of Love」 (Utada Hikaru)

Since we're talking queer shows in general, I get to include this! "Prisoner of Love" is the theme song to one of my all-time favourite shows, "Last Friends" (2008). It's also a really lovely one for karaoke.

4. Q Flure กันและกัน (Each Other)

THE Love of Siam song. Stuck with me. I prefer the version in the movie, but dang, this is still powerful as all get out.

5. Billkin กีดกัน (Skyline)

The entire soundtrack to ITSAY and IPYTM is FIRE, but I had to go with the OG classic here. First song I tried to copy the lyrics out for in Thai. The Chinese version is also gorgeous.

If you've made it this far, consider yourself tagged and let me know if you do this? :D

[tsintotwo]

(Part 4/4)

(Earlier: Parts 1, 2, and 3)

Okay, finally getting to the 4th and last post talking about Tom Sturridge in his projects. There's not too much left to say as these are mostly cameos.

Vanity Fair (2004)- This was the first movie Tom was in as a grownup (edit: nope, this was the 2nd)- in period clothing (and looking like a million bucks, as you would suspect). Screentime: 2min. You can tell he's still finding his footing in all this. But he's got the it factor already.

Journey's End (2017)- Movie about Brit soldiers stuck in trenches waiting for death during WW2. Sam Claffin and Paul Bettany are in this and I recognized neither before seeing credits 🤦‍♀️ Anyway, Tom plays a bad soldier: drinks and girls are his forte, fighting- not so much. His character is in this movie to basically show the bone-chilling, hope-crushing, cruelly pointless side of wars. He uses his 3/4 scenes to drive that point home like a master. There's one super emotionally charged scene with Sam that sears into the mind- they both absolutely chew it up.

Song to Song (2017)- Tom being in this movie is just the most RANDOM thing in the world, guys. Song to Song is about the music industry and rockstar life, and Tom shows up for like 2mins to play Ryan Gosling's hometown farmland brother of all things??? Wut. 2 lines of dialogue. Cute hair, tho. Cute everything.

Hello Apartment (2018)- Slice-of-life short film about how we all leave our mark in the spaces we move through. Dakota Fanning made this and asked Tom to be in it- they've been friends since doing Effie Gray. Tom is MC's stormy bf- a bit of kissing, a bit of pouting, a bit of shouting. Worth it. (Aside: some STUNNING shots in this, kudos to Dakota). This is on youtube.

That's it, actually. Only movie of Tom's I haven't gotten to is Junkhearts (2011). It's on Amazon Prime for $4 which is worth it, but it seems like an intense movie and I'll take a break before trying to watch this one.

A significant part of Tom's career has been theater work. From what I've gathered, seems like he's done some phenomenal work there- both in UK and US. Got cool awards and noms. Of course, if your play isn't Hamilton, it doesn't get to be on any screen, so there's no way to see any of those now. The one I'm most gutted about is 1984 (2017) on Broadway. I love the og classic by George Orwell, and by all accounts this adaptation/interpretation was banging (AND controversial!). Tom playing a role like Winston Smith... I'd have loved it so fuckin much * screaming-into-pillow break*

How does Tom choose his projects?

"The first thing I’m drawn to is a piece of writing, to an author, to a director. Weirdly, it’s rarely a character. I want to work with people or with texts that push me and make me learn things that I think I can’t do. Because if I think I can do it, then I can’t surprise myself. And if I can’t surprise myself, then I’m definitely not going to surprise an audience." -Tom for Interview magazine, 2022

Why does he often do troubles characters?

"... I think what I’m attracted to is being able to explore a spectrum of emotion. It’s easier to find comedy in something sad than it is to find darkness in something funny. I can be all kinds of people when the darkness is there. Also, the first character I ever played onstage was a boy who murders all of his schoolmates [in Punk Rock]. I do think there’s something to be said by, “You get stuck in a gorge that you start with.” People have always gone, “Oh, yeah. He’s the fucked-up guy.” - same

Here's something about me: I love falling in love with men on silver screen. It's the only space where it's okay to be in love with a version of someone you made in your head because you're not going to know any other version. The only space you get to channel your feelings six ways to Sunday: write posts, write stories, draw, make any art- people will actually celebrate those (whereas try talking to your friend about a new irl crush for five days straight, on the sixth they'll smack you upside your head). The feelings are intense because these men are deliberately performing for you, the emotions forever unsullied because they're not gonna come hurt you (unless they're being cancelled lol). And they're all the finest specimens! So, yeah, I love it, and it happens periodically. What's rarer, tho, is that I get attracted to an actor's whole personality. I mean, like, all of these hot men are hella charming, and you can yassify almost anyone based on interview moments. But, idk, it doesn't always click with me, and I love a character, ship a couple, then move on. Tom, tho, is going to be one of those 2/3 permanent ones. I just find him interesting which to me, is the thing. (And also, he turned out to be one of those rare people in life who lets you know things about yourself that you didn't know before. Huh. Who knew?) And yeah, okay, he's very hot and insanely talented which started this whole intense phase but while this won't last, a genuine fondness and love will. He has a place in my heart forever. It's been such a good time discovering him that I'm legit grateful to the universe.

I'll do a bonus post with links to Tom interviews/vids/ stuff that are worth checking out. Until then, guys.

[casualbluebirdmentality]

do YOU hate Uther Pendragon?

do YOU wish Arthur had gone through with his attempted regicide in S2E8?

...then good news! i wrote a 700-smth word one-shot about Just That!

If you wanna hear me rant about the bonkers way this one-shot came to be, that's down here lol

(...Well, I guess it's not really that bonkers, but to me, it was just such a random little thing that spiraled into something really weirdly motivational, so I think I need to yell the story into the void to process lmao)

Ok so-- yesterday morning, I saw this post in the merlin subreddit (which I'd practically just joined):

And there weren't any in the comments at the time that I saw it, so I responded with this:

Which was quite insane of me for two (2) reasons.

Firstly, it's bc I write a lot privately, but I've never actually posted anything, and it's never been fanfic, but... idk man i just hate Uther. (What more does it take, really, to make someone leap into the unknown and submit themself to the mercy of the internet at large, than to just hate a fictional man So So Much?)

Anyway the second reason is that I tend to over-analyze/labor over every sentence I write, and edit it to death WHILE writing it, so I take so long to write literally anything. But, I wrote this shit:

First thing in the morning (and un-medicated, at that)

In 2-3 hours, a large chunk of which was spent transcribing the entire og fight scene (all dialogue and actions, every notable sword swing) from the moment Arthur first says "I know… what you did to my mother" and Uther orders the other knights to leave the room, to Arthur finally being talked down and gasping out an "Oh lord... I'm sorry" after collapsing to the floor-- all of which was just over a thousand words, even in the most bare-bones, script-ish language. (I only ended up using ~100 of those words as the lead-in to the fic lmao)

And then people liked it?!?!?!?!?

Don't get me wrong, it's not some magnum opus or anything, but like... Idk y'all it just absolutely made me day. I'd been pretty down on myself recently about my writing abilities (and other things lmao) but this made me feel SO much better, like-- damn, maybe this could work out as a career eventually if I ever finish my wips lol, rip. And it was so nice to just write something short without over-analyzing/-editing constantly that I'm DEFINITELY gonna continue doing/posting one-shots like that, which is also really good bc it gives me something more manageable to work on so I can get writing practice in more regularly. Idk y'all I'm just having a great time rn!!!

[quaddmgd]

Did I ever talk about my love for Tekken? There was this post about games you played for more than 300 hours, and after GTA VC and LCS... it would definitely be Tekken 5 and 6 for me.

Anyway, my Tekken brainrot laid dormant deep inside of me for most of my teenage years and early adulthood. To be honest I entirely skipped Tekken 7 due to its performance on my PC at the time and its reliance on DLCs. I did manage to beat Tekken 4 in 2023 (the only one I've been missing until 7, but I quickly went back to not thinking about the franchise at all. That was the case until Tekken 8 demo dropped.

I downloaded it and played for a bit, not understanding what's going on story-wise at all, but instantly falling in love with its fluid 4k60 gameplay and new Nina design (she was always my main after all). It made me hungry for more Tekken and when I was talking about it with my s/o, I just had to check whether Tekken 7 finally received a 60fps patch on Xbox Series X. It didn't, but I ended up buying it anyway to satisfy my hunger for the franchise.

Played it a bit, finished the story and overall I had fun with it. I wasn't really satisfied with the story mode, but the gameplay was pleasant enough. I liked some of the new characters and overall it felt like a fulfilling return to the brainrot. That's what I thought before finding out that Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is backwards compatible on Series X.

I ordered a physical copy and instantly got hyped. I wanted to play it since its release but it costed so much at the time... and after some time I forgot about it, probably due to GTA V coming out. Flash forward a few days, I received my copy and ran back to my house to play as much as I can before my night shift starts.

You gotta understand - it was and still is the ultimate Tekken game for me, mostly due to how many characters it has. I played every mainline Tekken game (and Tag Tournament) before playing TTT2 and to play as Jun, Michelle, Violet, Ogre and Kunimitsu in one game meant a lot to me - I really appreciate OG Tekken characters, even though Tekken 3 and 5 are my favorite entries. If I was to talk here about how much grind in Tekken 5/6 I endured to make certain characters look like the OGs, this post would end up being insufferably long.

Many story-based games take up all my time and attention but I'm still playing it and I'm really close to getting all the endings. I set most levels to have my favorite tracks form older Tekken games and I'm especially enjoying my time with Jun, Kunimitsu and Michelle.

Now that fighting games are one of the most anti-consumer genres in modern gaming, a few years will pass before I'll get Tekken 8. I'd have to spend $100+ on ultimate edition, only to wait years for all of its content to arrive anyway. And since a month after its release they started introducing shops and battle passes, my enthusiasm got tempered even more.

But I'm so happy to be back and Tekken 7 and Tag Tournament 2 (and the older ones) will do it for now! Especially TTT2, it's really a blast!

[aloeboba]

ShinMina sfw alphabet

HITOSHI EDITION | MINA'S

authors note: it's been a while since i've posted and I've finally felt like doing something! I have also really been digging the domestic fluff vibe these days so I did something a little ✨indulgent✨ Something for Mina will be posted soon, I hope :) i might also regret this in the morning haha

(also i took this prompt list from tumblr but i cant find the og user so I'm having a crisis- like i want to give credit really bad--)

(nobody @ me for this)

words: 2,507

warnings: none :D just a bunch of fluff and theres like, mentions of kisses (skip the k's if you're not into that bestie <3)

A: Affection (how affectionate are they? how do they show they care?)

in public, he doesn’t show much affection (not a big fan of pda).

the most he’ll do is hold her hand and kiss her knuckles or her head.

at home, he’s clingy and cuddly.

literally wanders the house with his arms wrapped around her while she gets stuff done.

his love language is probably quality time and physical touch

So he shows he cares by hanging out and doing things together, snuggling or probably just getting her things he thinks she'll like

B: Beauty (what do they admire about their s/o? what do they think is beautiful about them?)

MINA’S F R E C K L E S

Hitoshi already thinks she's super pretty (of course of course)

but I feel like a very underrated headcanon (if it even exists) is that Mina has freckles.

like he counts them and compares them to stars like???? That’s so cute 😭

i also think he loves that she dances.

like he loves her dedication to it and that she’s been doing it so long. He thinks she’s so talented like he’s so proud of her

C: Cuddles (do they like to cuddle? how would they cuddle?)

Hitoshi loves cuddling

probably hanging out on the couch and just cuddling together or he’s using her thigh as a pillow (and vice versa).

he just likes to be held and holding the other person so while Mina koalas around him, he's just chilling

so a huge headcanon is Hitoshi is an insomniac but I think Mina makes him sleepy 🥺💤 (this is probably NAWT how insomnia works but shhhh!! i'm trying my best)

like he’ll pass out if they’re there too long and she’s like “‘Toshi, my leg is asleep” and he’s literally pulling that honk shoe stuff right then and there (the audacity /j)

D: Domestic (do they want to settle down? how are they with cooking and cleaning?)

i think they would get married in the future because, hello, OTP

Hitoshi is probably a better cook than Mina so +1 points for being a rare kind of man 👏

he’s also probably good at cleaning, too.

kind of like “wipe your feet at the door” or “we have coasters for a reason, Mina :/“ energy.

like reminds people to take the trash out and wipe the counters, “clean as you go” kind of person.

E: Ending (if they had to break up with their s/o, how would they do it?)

i think he’d would be Really upset if he had to break up with Mina.

i don’t see him as the type to push things when they shouldn't be so he would have a very serious sit-down talk to Mina about it instead of trying to squeeze the already failing relationship dry.

i know a lot of people say they would stay friends after these kinds of things but I think it would be too awkward and emotional if they still hung out (especially while with their friend groups)

like it would PHYSICALLY PAIN him to be around her after the breakup

as for the reason they broke up, it wouldn’t be a big fall out or falling out of love situation but it’s just not working anymore and he just would be willing to admit that

F: Fiancé (how do they feel about commitment? how fast do they want to get married?)

these days, i usually write them around the age of 19 and in college, so it wouldn’t be “Now” or “soon”

if he knew that person long enough, and they have been seeing each other for a while and trusted each other and he really liked them, he would be down for commitment since Hitoshi has already been with her for so long.

i think, in my writing, they would probably get engaged/married around their mid-twenties (26 maybe?)

G: Gentle (how gentle are they? physically and emotionally)

SO gentle

even when he hugs her Tightly, he’s making sure to be gentle with her

Hitoshi would never hurt anyone unless he had to (probably) and he cares for Mina a lot anyway

he’s always making sure that she’s comfortable and he’s never gruff

if he did somehow cause her accidental physical pain, he would be internally beating himself up but externally making sure was okay and getting her whatever she needs

as for emotional, he’s never rough emotionally

with people he isn't close with, that's when he's not so careful and might come off as cold or rude

he knows to talk things out and acknowledge feelings and emotional pain and he tries not to be aggressive. He’s just really calm

H: Hugs (do they like hugs? how often do they do it, and what are they like?)

dfhkkfjdfhhtyhh this guy-

like he literally does back hugs and smooches the nape of the neck and rests his head on her shoulder like-

back hugs are his favorite

just like with cuddling, he’s grabby and affectionate

his hugs are so warm and homie and calming

i can see his frame being tall and a little small so I think he would just scoop Mina up and hug her ❤️

I: I love you (how fast would they say ‘i love you’?)

probably not so fast

he doesn’t just throw important things around like that if he doesn’t mean them.

the first time he says “I love you” is like almost a year into their relationship and he cant sleep and Mina stays awake with him the whole night so he’s not lonely or restless 🥺✨❤️

and he meANS IT

she was probably so caught off guard

and he's there acting like a normal person like "calm down u knew this was coming"

J: Jealousy (how jealous do they get? how do they act when they’re jealous?)

Hitoshi wouldn’t get jealous super often

i mentioned he was calm and not aggressive earlier, but that’s not to say he doesn’t have a few insecurities

i don’t think he would act out but I think he would get upset if someone was trying to flirt with/impress Mina

he knows Mina is attractive (like c’mon 🙄-) and that stuff happens

(or does it? I have no reference or experience in this field)

He would most likely just hold her hand a little firmer and walk away from a situation like that

K: Kisses (what are their kisses like? where do they kiss their s/o, and where do they like to be kissed?)

So.Tender

he's also not rough with kisses

my guy is a gentleman

he can demand attention and kisses all day but they’re all soft and pretty innocent.

his kisses are soft and feathery

they go from light pecks to a little bit on the lingering side

Hitoshi likes to Mina on her cheeks, lips, nose, nape of the neck (during those back hug moments), and head

BUT

he absolutely MELTS when they're hugging or something and she just kind of presses her lips against his collarbone or chest (innocently!! i dont trust u guys tbh)

and he just freezes up for like a sec???

any kisses are good kisses to him

L: Little ones (how are they around kids? do they want kids?)

i think he’s be good with kids as long as they’re the “quiet kid” (prolly cuz he was That kid)

if they’re loud and screaming, he gets nervous and he can’t blend well

he wouldn’t be the kind of person to want kids either because that’s not something he could do

like he's a great person but he’s not the type to want kids and that's chill

he's the cool uncle anyways

M: Mornings (how are mornings spent with them?)

lazy and sleepy

there is a high chance he’s getting into Mina’s apartment when he’s bored so they just lie around on the couch until like 9 or 10 drifting in and out of sleep

or they go on a walk to get coffee then they pass out

once tried to make toast but it burnt so bad the smell woke her up

in fact, that incident was so bad, she had to get a new toaster (he forgot to check the setting 🙄)

N: Nights (how are nights spent with them?)

it depends on their moods

they either lie around and watch movies and quiet or they’re

chatting and eating takeout and talking loudly about their day (or judging people 🙄)

sometimes she'll fall alseep on him and he just lies awake

or they both pass out

O: Open (when would they start revealing things about themselves? do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

he’s the type to not start spouting his business to random people or talk about himself so things are revealed kind of slowly

Hitoshi doesn’t trust super easily but if they click well he might start speaking up and mentioning things

as life goes on she finds out more about him because he just suddenly decides to tell her

and she just adds it to the notes folder on her phone

P: Patience (how easily do they get angry?)

he’s a very chill person so I think his patience runs pretty long but it depends on the situation

Mina never makes him made tho

i don’t think he would get mad but more moody and frustrated

i can see this happening if Mina is upset and avoids his questions and thats how it starts

with *worry*

if someone was bothering Mina though……. sheesh. I think that’s when something bad might happen

he might try to stay calm but then he might burst

Q: Quizzes (how much do they remember about their s/o? do they remember every detail, or do they forget everything?)

he is VERY attentive to his surroundings

Mina plays an important role in his life as a s/o (but also with friends) so why wouldn’t he remember things?

he knows her favorite color, flowers, song, coffee or takeout order.

he knows when they had their first date and what they talked about.

he knows how many freckles are on her face (ah babe 🥺)

pays so much attention to the smallest things

“I got you these earrings because you mentioned you like the style” “yeah once like 3 months ago????” “idk why you’re weirded out with what I remember considering you have the date and time, Mina 🙄”

R: Romantic (how romantic are they? do they go all out for dates, or do they prefer staying home?)

he is a very casual romantic but if she has needs, he’s okay with trying to meet them.

my guy wil just STEP UP 💪💯

Hitoshi likes to stay inside but he knows it’s good to go outside (and staying in all the time gets boring)

so although he likes staying in, wrapped like a burrito, binging anime, he also likes going out to eat or taking a walk or going to the park (particularly to push Mina on the swings)

actually he likes to go out more than you might think

sometimes he just doesn't realize it (you know how introverts do)

S: Security (how protective are they? how would they protect their s/o?)

he’s not a guard dog and super protective over what she does

like he’ll hold her hand when crossing the street or get a good firm grasp on her hand in crowds but he really doesn’t care what she does

not in a careless way

Mina is her own person and an adult so why shouldn’t he trust her?

if the situation is tense or she’s feeling uncomfortable that’s when he steps in and tries to either help out or get out of there

but if she needs him to be protective in some situation, he will

T: Try (how much effort would they put in? like dates and gifts?)

this kind of coincides with the "quizzes" section

but just enough

like he’s sweet and always collects information about her so gifts are easy

i wouldn’t say he plans forever to do things

but there’s always effort put in for her because he likes it when she’s happy 🥺🥰

he just knows what to do :D

Hitoshi also knows Mina is spontaneous (when she feels like it, which is also spontaneous), so he'll change things up for her or they decide together what they want to do

U: Ugly (what are some bad habits of theirs?)

he doesn’t always communicate well-which leads to misunderstandings or bottled-up emotions (which leads to outbursts)

or he doesn’t always voice his needs

i think what he’s upset about always changes so there’s different sources of upsetti (sleep, school, family,etc)

because I just think they would

they probably non-verbally communicate sometimes

like they just know what the other wants

V: Vanity (how concerned are they with their looks?)

not very concerned.

some days he puts more effect into his look but other days he looks like a tall hobo next to a beautiful goddess.

he knows he’s good looking but he’s not obsessed or super concerned with it

W: Whole (would they feel incomplete without their s/o?)

I think he would be lonely without her.

he doesn’t click well with others (romantically or platonically) so Mina is like a breath of fresh air to his daily life

They do a lot for and with each other so he would probably miss her if she wasn’t around (he would get REALLY clingy if he hadn’t seen her for a while)

even just little things he would miss

like holding her hand or being greeted with a hug when they greet each other

(i would be made at myself if i separated them for whatever reason)

X: Xtra (what’s a random hc for them?)

His favorite kind of dates are when he and Mina get slushies or something and go to a playground when no one's around

they're acting dumb and stuff :')

and hyped on sugar

and it was a huge mistake to let them go near the swings because Mina just dared him that he couldn't push her high enough

shes screaming now because of the mix of adrenaline and sugar rush plus she almost fell out of her seat

people think they're crazy but that's okay <3

they're both tired and sweaty from all the screaming and Mina throwing acorns at him out of revenge

then they just

lay in the gravel and talk

Y: Yuck (what are some things they wouldn’t like, in general?)

he doesn’t like plums or raisins (I guess that also includes dates)

but in a partner it would probably be someone who's constantly seeking attention

or liers

he appreciates honesty to the fullest 😤💯

Z: Zzz (do they snore? sleep talk? sleep walk?)

boy is an angel when he sleeps

like he just lays there quietly and just slumbers

10/10 a big cutie

just wrapped up in a big blanket and fluffy pillows all comfy (I’m honestly jealous)