#conflict resolution: extreme edition

[deusluxuria]

per my last email..........

(image descriptions: first is pesci and doppio badly edited onto a stock photo of two men getting married. second is a different stock photo of two wedding men with prosciutto and diavolo edited onto them)

[therealdogsinmymind]

✩ My Rival (All Mine) ✩

18+ MDNI

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

AO3 Link | Word Count: 2,394 | Chapters 1/1

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

Synopsis: Sung Jinwoo pisses you off but maybe you've you've finally found a way to ruffle his feathers a little bit.

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

Pairing: Sung Jinwoo/Reader, Sung Jinwoo/You

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

Tags: Reader POV, Gender Neutral Reader, Virgin Sung Jinwoo, Jealous Jinwoo, Rivals to Lovers, Bickering, Kissing, Neck Kissing, Tenderness, Light Angst, Miscommunication, Conflict Resolution, Happy Ending

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

Picture from @oo0mika0oo ‘s icon edits

“You piss me off,” you say under your breath, fully intending for him to hear it. He always fucking does. 

You don’t like Jinwoo, you never have. Not before you awakened as an S-Rank hunter and you saw him on TV and certainly not now that you know him personally. He’s got shitty vibes and an even worse personality. He’s closed off, and you can smell his fucking god complex from a mile away. 

“Good to know,” Jinwoo says coolly, taking a sip of his water. You don’t know why he needs it, he hasn’t even broken a sweat, despite the fact that he’s been running circles around everyone in the training arena for hours. Just to show off, you suppose. He’s kicked almost everyone’s ass so far, sans for yours. You really don’t feel like going up against him though, you’d like your ass to remain un-kicked, thank you. There’s also some cards you’d rather keep close to your chest; but god you wish you could rub his face in the dirt just once. 

As Jinwoo lingers against the wall next to you, head turned just barely so you’re in his line of sight, you grow increasingly agitated. Why the fuck did he come over here? Why is he looking at you? What’s his deal? He’s always doing this, he’ll follow you around just to piss you off. You swear he started going to the only coffee shop you like just to torment you with his extremely pretty, extremely punchable face. As your irritation reaches max cap you decide it’d be better to just take a deep breath and walk away, you don’t need to get into a pissing contest with this guy, you’re better than that. You’ll be taking your leave now.

You spring up, intent on heading for the door when Jinwoo calls after you, ”You don’t want a round?” Yeah, no. 

You turn around briefly, still walking backwards towards the door. ”With you? No. I can think of better things to do with my time.” You take a little pleasure in the way Jinwoo looks slightly shocked at your rebuff. You turn around and pick up the pace, hoping to get the hell out of dodge. 

Suddenly Jinwoo’s in front of you, blocking the door, having somehow appeared out of the shadows. ”Fuck!” You startle, you didn’t know he could do that, is there anything he can’t do? 

“The better things, what are they?” Jinwoo asks, staring at you intently as if your face will reveal the answer.

”What?”

”What are the better things?” He repeats.

”I don’t know, dude? Get laid? Not that you would know anything about that.” It doesn’t even occur to you until his face twists, all sorts of emotions that you’ve never seen on him. They mar his usually such impassive features; he’s jealous. You said it as a joke, really more than anything wanting to call him a virgin, but this is too good.  You have to hold in a laugh, it’s almost unthinkable, you have an antagonistic relationship with him at best. It intrigues you though, you wonder if you could push his buttons like this, he’s usually so unconcerned with others.

When Jinwoo doesn’t reply right away you take that as your cue, needling him, “Anyway- I do actually want to get fucked sometime today, so if you’ll excuse me…” You have no such plans but you wave your hand at him dismissively anyway, just to be a bitch. 

His face stays twisted but he doesn’t otherwise react so you push harder. Leaning in close to him and speaking low so as to not be overheard, “Unless you want to see to that.” It’s just to throw him off his game, you just want to see him gape like a fish, or maybe sputter, curse you out, anything. You’ve thought about what Jinwoo might be like in bed before of course, who hasn’t, a simple curiosity if you will. That’s neither here nor there, you’re truly just aiming to rile him up at this point; surely any second now he’ll reel back and run away.

 Instead Jinwoo grabs your wrist and pulls you out of the training arena. All that comes out of your mouth is a grunt, too worried about making a scene. Although maybe you should, where the hell is he taking you and why? He says nothing, simply dragging you down the hallway until he seems to sense an empty room where he promptly tosses you in; and for all your agility and grace you still land right on your ass. Great.

He shuts the door behind him just as you’re springing up, ready for a fight. That’s the only reason you can think he dragged you out here, to kick your ass away from prying eyes, the room is kind of small though, maybe he’s just that overconfident. You decide you won’t let him throw the first punch but it’s too late, Jinwoo’s fast, faster than you. You’ve barely had any real combat training as a new hunter and he’s the real deal. He’s in your space before you can even blink and you’re sure he’s about to beat you to a pulp. However no pain comes, there’s only a horrible sense of too-quick motion and then you’re seated firmly, feeling a bit dizzy. It takes you all but a moment to realize you’re sitting on Jinwoo’s lap, he seems to have scooped you up and sat down on a couch; you must be in someone’s office. 

“I’ll be seeing to that now,” Jinwoo says in a low voice, giving a healthy pause before he moves at all, perhaps to let your brain catch up with his words. 

It sure tries its best, running at a million miles a minute. You think about the fact that you hate Jinwoo, he’s fucking annoying, he’s stupid as shit. Your mind screams at you that he’s too powerful, it's dangerous, you shouldn’t get close. He’s too confident even if he can back it up, it’s kind of hot. You ignore that last part, you don’t who said that. However you also have eyes, he’s really fucking good looking and maybe if Jinwoo wants to fuck you so bad you can make him work for it a little.

You slip out of his arms and off of his lap. You don’t even dream of laughing at the poorly concealed heartbroken look on his face; it’s actually kind of sad to see. You click your tongue before sliding back onto his lap but this time straddling him.

“Come now, don’t make that face, I'm just getting comfortable,” you coo at him, stroking your thumb across Jinwoo’s cheek, it’s oddly tender for what the two of you have. He just looked so sad. He leans into it and it makes you want to be nice to him again, disgustingly enough. You lean in and give Jinwoo a soft kiss on the tip of his nose, deciding to kiss him more when he sigh softly, happily. You’ve never heard him make that noise, it’s entirely new to you, you wonder what kinds of other new sounds you can drag from him. More kisses, one on each of his cheeks, and again on the corners of his lips, missing the true mark purposefully. Jinwoo audibly swallows and his arms wrap loosely and hesitantly around your back. It appears all of his earlier confidence has sapped right out of him. You wonder if you were right on the money when you said he doesn’t know anything about getting laid.

You press a kiss to his jaw and linger there. “Jinwoo,” you whisper softly against his skin and he shudders. That’s cute, but you must stay focused, you have to ask, “Have you done this before?”

Jinwoo stiffens, “Define…’this’...”

“Fuck someone, baby.” He whines a little at the pet name and you make mental note of that. “Have you ever fucked someone before? Been with anyone? Made out? Kissed? What are we working with here?” 

He clears his throat and turns his head away from you as his cheeks go red. You groan and drop your forehead onto his shoulder. You were just going to mess with him a little, kiss him a bit and leave him wanting more; but there’s no shot in hell you’re going to fuck up his first time. He deserves someone better than you for that, someone he actually likes. You have to ignore the way that thought stabs you in the heart so badly you can barely breathe. 

“I’m sorry, baby,” you say, your forehead still resting against his shoulder, “We can’t do this.” 

“Oh,” Jinwoo says, voice flat, devoid of any emotion, truly reminiscent of the closed-off man that you so often see. His hands fall away from your back and you wince at the way he shuts down. 

“Hey,” you pour as much emotion into your voice as possible, “I promise it’s not you.” You tuck your head into Jinwoo’s neck and squeeze him tightly. You wonder if he can still breathe like this, you feel like you can’t despite nothing restricting you. “When you find someone you like you’ll be glad we didn’t do this.” He says nothing so you pull back to take a hesitant look at his face. Jinwoo looks angrier than you’ve ever personally seen him. 

“Already did.”

He grabs you by the face with both hands and before you can figure out if you heard him right, Jinwoo crushes your lips together too hard and too fast. However once your lips are touching he hesitates for a second, unsure of what to do next. Well, apparently you heard him right, and his hasty kiss answers all of your follow up questions about what he said, go figure. 

You can’t just leave him hanging, so you kiss him back like your life depends on it. All in all it’s a crappy kiss. Your teeth clack together painfully, he can’t seem to find a rhythm with you, and you bump noses incessantly too. Despite all this you can’t fucking stop kissing him; you don’t think you could even if the world was ending. Jinwoo pulls back after a bit, gasping, apparently no one ever taught him how to breathe.

You grab Jinwoo by his hair, “Breathe through your nose, dipshit.” Using your hold on his hair you pull him back into another kiss, delighting in his shocked moan. This kiss is slightly better, he seems to be learning quickly. Jinwoo wraps his arms around you again and grasps at the back of your shirt, you worry if he pulls any harder he might tear it. That could be hot though, an idea for later. 

This time you pull back first and Jinwoo emits an uncharacteristically pathetic whine in response. “Shh.”

 You press kisses up his jaw, before sucking a mark directly below his ear. You’ve never known anyone to leave a scratch on Jinwoo, maybe you’ll be the first. The thought fuels something new and feral in you. You begin covering his throat in as many marks as you possibly can, something delightful burning inside of you when you see each new bruise forming. You want him covered, you want everyone to know that this stupid man, this dangerous, closed off man is yours. Nobody else is allowed to see Jinwoo a mess like this, this is for your eyes only. That’s all you’ve ever really wanted, isn’t it?

“Jinwoo…” you whisper, your breath fanning across the spit-slick marks you’ve just made on his throat. 

Jinwoo shudders beneath you, “Yeah?”

“We are not fucking in a stranger’s office.” Just on so many levels that is not happening.

He sags into the couch like a puppet that just had all of its strings cut. “I truly hate you sometimes…” he says with absolutely no malice, in fact it sounds kind of whiny and you have to hold in a giggle. 

“Until about ten minutes ago, I was under the impression that you hated me all the time.”

Jinwoo scoffs and runs his hand up your side gently, “I don’t hate you ever, you’re just really annoying.”

You rub a thumb over one of his blossoming bruises, admiring your hard work. “Awww thanks, you’re also a real fuckin’ peach.”

“I do try.”

You roll your eyes, patting him on the head now that you know he won’t kill you for doing that, “Come on, you can fuck me in my bed later. I’m dying to know if I can fit your dick in my throat.” The last bit is tacked on with a pointed wiggle of your hips, just so you can feel Jinwoo’s cock straining against his pants. God, he’s such a virgin, it’s painfully cute. You absolutely would give him a quick hand job here just to help him out but it’s so much funnier not to. 

Jinwoo’s hips twitch and he groans deeply, the sound reverberating in his chest, “Fuck you-” 

“Happy to help!” Being a hindrance is your favorite activity, especially when it’s Jinwoo you’re hindering. You can’t believe you’ve finally found his weak spot. 

“Yeah, I’m sure you are…”

“Aww, I’m sorry baby,” you say, voice thick with condescension, “I promise I’ll make it up to you later, just be patient.” You press a quick kiss to his lips before you slip off his lap. He sighs, folding over and dropping his head into his hands.

“You’re a nightmare…”

“Yeah but I think you might like that about me… Just a hunch.” You’re not actually sure if that’s true or not. You’re not sure of anything anymore. Really where the two of you stand now is a total mystery, but the soft laugh Jinwoo warms your chest, and that’s something isn’t it?

With a soft tone Jinwoo says, “Get out of here, menace.”

“Yeah, yeah… Hey- see you later?” Your words come out as a question, quiet and hopeful.

He sits up and looks at you, the corners of his lips quirked up. “See you later,” he says, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

Of course, you almost forgot, ever since you came here it’s been that way hasn’t it? Where you go he follows and vice versa, he’s your rival after all, what would you do without him?

[yangsharperavery]

I was reading five times at a simmer; once boiling over again and idk if someone else already pointed out but I noticed you predicted a lot of things for season 2 like the “I couldn’t have done any of this without you” line, the panic attack moment and syd helping him, the fact that she wants accolades like a star and carmy saying they’re overrated, and probably more! so idk if it’s because they as well as their relationship are very well written so they are predictable for amazing writers like you or because you’re just a genius or you’re actually chris lol but wow this was great to read and you’re extremely talented!

Also pleaseee share some theories you have for sydcarmy s3 I will believe you!!

gah! thank you so much. thoughtful words like this mean so much to me. writers are typically so deeply critical of their own work and i am no exception! i appreciate your sentiments so very much. truly.

it's so funny because the same thing was brought to my attention about the second one shot i wrote after five times at a simmer; once boiling over.

in still don't know what love means i also predicted a few things that ended up happening in the second season.

i watch so much tv and have written a handful of spec scripts so its very possible i just see the story theme threads and follow them in the way i think they would naturally go in subsequent seasons.

i actually don't have any concrete guesses around s3 other than what i've seen other fans speculate about.

there's gonna be a lot of tension and discord. carmy's going to regress and probably drive sydney away/she'll be poached. they'll fight. probably alot. i forsee some type of emotional breakthrough for carmy towards the end of the season. like maybe we'll see him crying for the first time? perhaps over natalie's baby or hearing about the details of mikey's funeral or something happening to or with donna.

maybe he'll go somewhere to attempt to release or process or deal with his anger and grief. maybe even something unconventional that isn't therapy.

he's probably gonna turn into asshole chef from nyc, which is one of the reasons syd will threaten to walk/actually walk.

i'm very interested in the grand gesture carmy will present sydney with this season. first season was the restaurant, second season was the chef's whites. it's easy to say the third season would be a star but i actually think it's going to be more personal this time around. i also am not convinced they'll get the star on their first try.

but that will be his hyper-fixation and preeminent concern throughout the entirety of the season which will likely turn him into someone sydney won't want to be around or can't trust.

this is gonna be their angst season without a doubt. i eat up angst with a spoon so i'm ready.

richie or tina or natalie likely makes some comment(s) about the nature of the sydcarmy partnership. one or both refute/deny/hide, etc.

they might get too physically close or cross the energetic plane during an intense moment of resolution or continued conflict. they probably won't address or talk about it.

carmy may display some jealousy that he'll mask as rigidity and order and discipline in the name of getting a star if he sees richie/marcus/luca being too chummy with sydney.

edit: oh and something like this

[feluka]

what's up i'm still very ill with this bug/flu/whatever and i'm going to start binging all of good omens season 2 in a minute. but to spare you all 59850 posts on your dash about something you might not care about, i will instead use this post to liveblog! i will be going back to this post and editing it with every update, so if you're interested in hearing my thoughts you can come back here (and if you're not it should be easy to avoid)

here goes!

update #1: when i started watching i SWORE to myself i would let it all play out before obsessively rewinding the bits i liked after it was all over. less than 2 minutes in and i failed.

"I'd hate to see you getting into any trouble." now what if i chewed my arm off.

update #2: crowley shielded aziraphale first before aziraphale shielded him in the garden of eden???? what if i cried.

update #3: the power is finally back so i've finished episode 1. all this talk about the book of life is raising my goddamn hackles. terrified to see how it comes into play. it's very interesting to me that crowley hasn't told aziraphale about it, too. i personally think aziraphale would still hide gabriel even if he knew about the extreme sanctions.

also, shelly conn is fabulous but i feel her version of beelzebub is *much* more animated than anna maxwell martin's. she's incredible and i love all her mannerisms but at the same time i was very attached to the stoicness of the previous beelzebub so it'll take a little bit to get used to.

update #4: aziraphale doing the little 'one two three four' with his finger before singing to maggie. he's so precious to me he's the specialiest little guy in the world for me and i understand crowley because i, too, would get into trouble with both heaven and hell to keep aziraphale safe

update #5: episode two done. thoughts:

1- this is just a romcom isn't it. i mean.

2- the music that played while aziraphale said crowley needed to take him to hell invokes the music that played during the bandstand scene in episode 3 of season one. i LOVE each and every scene that examines the themes of 'your side, my side, our side' <3

update #6: i'm (not unpleasantly!) surprised that they're addressing aziraphale's classist rant from the book. on one hand i'd just considered it one of the things the adaptation decided to do away with, but now that they've acknowledged it, i'm now very excitedly anticipating a resolution to that conflict. because if i remember correctly in the book the matter didn't really get resolved, aziraphale just dropped this bombshell on me and i had to put the book down for a minute lol

i guess they've been hinting at beelzebub spying on the bookshop using the flies, but i'm curious as to why they would have that knowledge and pretend they didn't. what's the benefit for playing coy here? either there is, and we don't know what that is yet, or the flies are a red herring.

update #7: finished episode 3 and i'm honestly not sure i understood a lot of it! what happened to crowley after falling through the gorund?? did they send him to the pit of torture or whatever for stopping the suicide? also aziraphale is my favourite character but if he says something like "the virtues of poverty" again i'm going to bite his head off. anyway. crowley. don't you know you're a fictional character and that according to all laws of fiction, if you say "if any harm comes to aziraphale" it means it's probably gonna happen? smh

update #8: i still haven't watched any more since last update but. oh dear. i'm too worried to click 'next episode' because 1- the more it dawns on me what might've happened to crowley after getting pulled into the ground i get so hopelessly depressed and 2- 'it's too late. it's always too late' is a very worrying note to end on and i'm positively terrified!! for future reference don't watch anything emotional or worrisome while having a stomach bug. i'm writhing in my seat lol.

update #8: the chat between "jim" and crowley. i am gonna need a short break before unpausing :)

update #9: so i haven't updated for a while because i couldn't think but i just finished the series. i think i can't think. i think i need to sleep and i think i'm very very very very very sad.

[ouyangzizhensdad]

Do you think with all the censorship in place there could be a good (or better than the one we have) live-action series adaptation of MDZS? I find the existence of this adaptation fascinating - not its popularity or reach because it's a fun, easily-consumable piece of media that is goldmine for fandom work - but the existence of it in the first place. Like, sure, there was a market for it, it was going to easily make money (and made way more than presumed) but it's fascinating to me that out of everything they could make a money-making adaptation of they chose a story with morally grey characters and actions, disrespectful depictions of death and afterlife, and same-sex romance when the censorship broadly covers these three things and MDZS is just these three things. So much of its conflict and themes are connected to these three points, so do you think there could hypothetically be a show that keeps the core of the dynamics and the characters and the themes while still censoring the romance and the gore? People keep saying "they did a great work with the censorship!" and while I do not know the nitty gritty of everything the censorship covers, I think a better writing (possibly with a better budget) could keep so much more of the source material intact.

Hi anon,

I think any adaptations of mdzs having to grapple with censorship will be extremely limited, if only for the fact that it is a romance that actually builds toward a resolution. However, I do think the creative team behind c/ql made many a questionable choices or displayed flaws that have nothing (at least inherently) to do with censorship

Misunderstanding wwx's character so fundamentally, to the point the actor who plays him says things like, 'it's so exhausting playing someone who cries so much' (and while I can understand what censorship had to do with it, could they have not found a way to keep wwx as the, you know, mdzs?????)

Making lwj into the chief cultivator at the end like.... what a Choice(TM)

The change to the non-linear timeline

Changes to dialogue that have nothing to do with censorship (I will never forget the mind-boggling decision to change 不管是什么人，总归是人，不是别的东西 to 不管是谁，反正是个人，不是东西)

Ruining Wen Qing and MianMian

Some truly incomprehensible casting decisions

Bad technical aspects (sound design, editing, costumes, cinematography, vfx etc. etc.)

Bad directing

etc.

[booksopandah]

The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan (The Wheel of Time 1)

Hi! Sorry, I haven’t posted any reviews in a while, I’ve been reading this book. It is very, very long.

For those who know nothing about this book, much like I didn’t last month, it is the first book in a very long series of high fantasy novels. Have you read Lord of the Rings? Then you know what you’re getting into. Except it’s longer.

The story introduces Rand, Mat, Perrin, Egwene, Nynaeve, Lan, Moiraine, Thom, Loial, the eternal struggle between Darkness and the Light, and a bunch of people who I have probably forgotten where are bound to be important later because again this is high fantasy.

If you like witches and knights in shining - or bloodstained - armor, teenagers being told to save the world and suffering through it, great evil monsters and global wars and high stakes and the small joys that have to be cherished to not succumb to the agony and despair of a thankless and seemingly unending quest, with possibly only the knowledge that you helped, and are going to be killed for your assistance at the end. If you like that, you’ll love this book. It’s great for that. On the other hand, my absolute favorite part of the book was either a deliberate time loop, which was spooky and awesome and suprising, or an editing error, so you can see the predicament I’m in.

Do I feel like this book is extremely heavily influenced by Lord of the Rings? Yes. Is it a bad book? I don’t think so. It’s pretty good honestly, I did actually really enjoy the prose, and though the characters (and conflict resolution at the end) were a little lacking, I still consider it a good, very dense read. That being said, if all of this sounds exactly not like your cup of tea, don’t waste your time. There are like, 13 books in this series. It’s too long to not enjoy it. I will read the next book, eventually. Not now. Happy Reading!

[despair-to-future-arcs]

Big yikes!

What the hell? What the hell does that mean, sorry but can you explain it cause I don't understand it.

Very well I'll explain each other, I'll start with your mom; sex addiction, is described as a compulsive need to perform sexual acts in order to achieve the kind of “fix” that a person with alcohol use disorder gets from a drink or someone with opiate use disorder gets from using opiates.

For some people, sex addiction can be highly dangerous and result in considerable difficulties with relationships. Like drug or alcohol dependence, it has the potential to negatively impact a person’s physical and mental health, personal relationships, quality of life, and safety.

There is controversy surrounds the diagnosis of “sex addiction.” It’s been excluded from the fifth edition of the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders” but it's still is studied in psychology and counseling circles, it's why I'm still uncertain but she does fit the criteria.

I see...

Indeed and there are symptoms ranging from chronic, obsessive sexual thoughts and fantasies, compulsive relations with multiple partners, including strangers, lying to cover behaviors, preoccupation with having sex, even when it interferes with daily life, productivity, work performance, and so on, inability to stop or control the behaviors and putting oneself or others in danger due to sexual behavior.

I...don't get half of stuff your saying here, is...is that bad?

Then let me ask this; has your mother bringing home partners cause any trouble, especially when she bring home someone and asking you to take your younger siblings out?

Well... we had some beggers try and attack us before but usually I was there to protect them.

But if you weren't, given she ask the kids to leave the house when you were 4 and take your siblings with you, doesn't that seem dangerous?

Lo-look, I told you that I had it cover! I protected my siblings and they were fine, mom is just providing us money before I got a job, I had to do what anyone would in that situation!

Very well, if that's what you say then maybe we can start with parentifcation; Parentification creates a role reversal in the parent-teen relationship. This problematic dynamic can overwhelm teens with family caregiving roles and responsibilities, leading to issues including mental health challenges, substance use disorders, and difficulty forming or maintaining relationships.

What the hell?! Are... are you sayin' I'm weak, hell am I'm weak, I can kick your ass if I was so damn underweight!

I'm not, I'm just making an observation and what I notice, as say parentification can lead into 3 different types; emotional, instrumental and in a rare occurrence; sexual but that's under very extreme circumstances.

Luckily your mother doesn't go to you for sexual kind of parentification so I'll speak about the other 2; Emotional parentification occurs when a teen fulfills emotional and/or psychological needs for the parent, creating an unhealthy role reversal that can be very hard on teenagers. Being relied on for emotional, physical, or mental support from parents.  Providing conflict resolution or mediating between parents. 

With instrumental parentification, the teen takes on responsibilities that usually fall within a parental role. This can happen in situations where one or both parents can’t fulfill all of the family’s needs, such as when a father leaves and the mom struggles to make ends meet.

Divorce, loss of a parent, disability, and other life situations can lead to teens taking on more adult responsibilities; this include consistently performing parental household tasks, parenting siblings and working and providing for parents, siblings, or the household.

But...But what's wrong with watching my siblings, I thought that was okay, isn't that a good thing?

Well yes it is, usually every once if your mother was busy with something in a while, that's fine; your an older siblings, you have responsibility but the fact that this is going on daily and you haven't even attended school or had any relationships outside of your family is concerning.

And seeing how you acted in the killing game, you shown some symptoms; ranging from attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms, aggressiveness, mental illness and mental health issues such as depressive symptoms, binge eating, or substance use disorders, absenteeism in school and lower grades, dysfunction and distance in their interpersonal and romantic relationships and trauma.

Wh-Why...Why are you saying all this; I don't...I don't get it...

Well maybe because you don't like thinking about it which is understandable but can I ask if any of your other siblings have spoken about this?

Huh? Spoken about it...? What are you...?

I'm asking if anyone has say anything to you at all about this, do you remember anyone saying anything? It does sound like Hinata was the only one that took an issue with it, did he... complain about it often?

I...I uh...

[chriswick47]

Sources from the world of “Totally Non-Biased News Agencies” report that the Israeli jets were on a mission to send a strong message to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. Forget diplomatic channels; apparently, the international community has now adopted the “drop a building on them” approach to conflict resolution.

[852-between-the-pages]

"The Reluctant Fundamentalist" by Mohsin Hamid – A Masterpiece of Cultural Identity and Sociopolitical Commentary.

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

"The Reluctant Fundamentalist" by Mohsin Hamid is a thought-provoking novel that captivates readers with its unique narrative style and exploration of cultural identity, personal transformation, and the impact of global politics. Set in the aftermath of 9/11, the book offers a nuanced portrayal of the tensions between East and West, highlighting the complexities of belonging and the consequences of prejudice and stereotypes.

The story is presented through a gripping monologue by the protagonist, Changez, a young Pakistani man who once pursued the American dream as a successful financial analyst in New York City. However, following the tragic events of 9/11, Changez's perspective undergoes a profound shift, and he finds himself torn between his American aspirations and his loyalty to his homeland.

Hamid's writing style is engaging and evocative, drawing readers into Changez's world and allowing them to intimately experience his internal struggle. The author skillfully crafts the narrative as a conversation between Changez and an unnamed American listener, creating a sense of tension and ambiguity, leaving readers to interpret the story's true intentions and underlying messages.

One of the novel's strengths lies in its exploration of cultural identity and the effects of Western imperialism on individuals from the East. Through Changez's introspective journey, Hamid presents a nuanced portrayal of the complexities of identity formation and the challenges faced by those who straddle multiple cultural worlds. The book encourages readers to critically examine their own preconceptions and biases, challenging them to question the narratives fed by media and political agendas.

Furthermore, "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" serves as a powerful sociopolitical commentary, shedding light on the consequences of America's post-9/11 foreign policies and the subsequent rise of global extremism. Hamid raises important questions about the impact of power imbalances, cultural misunderstandings, and geopolitical conflicts, urging readers to reflect on the far-reaching consequences of such actions.

However, the novel might leave some readers longing for more resolution, as the open-ended nature of the narrative can be both intriguing and frustrating. While this ambiguity aligns with the book's themes, it may leave certain plot points and character arcs unresolved, potentially leaving some readers yearning for a more conclusive ending.

Overall, "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" is a compelling and thought-provoking read that seamlessly blends personal introspection with broader sociopolitical critique. Mohsin Hamid's masterful storytelling and exploration of complex themes make this novel a must-read for those interested in understanding the intricate dynamics of cultural identity, post-9/11 society, and the impact of global politics.

Asia Rahman Khan Lodhi [Consul Press at the Consulate General of Pakistan, Hong Kong (SAR) & Macau (SAR)]

Note: This review is based on the original publication of "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" and not any subsequent editions or adaptations. The views/ ideas in the book are purely of the book’s author and are not necessarily endorsed by the book reviewer. 

[makeshiftsun]

Submission week prep

Some thoughts to prompt discussion with during the meeting with Christina, based off Christina’s set of points.

1. Analysis of your art practice over the year:

- My work is sitting really as a culmination of the continuous development. It has been a lot of linear progress rather than tangential, distilling concepts, developing methodology. Previous work from this year can really be viewed as increments of progress. The first term was focusing on understanding these materials. The second term was looking at compositions, structures and motifs, with materials being more of a means to an end. This second semester has been the process of connecting the materials and painting methodology with the conceptual language, and distilling things down to their key elements.

2. Resolution and plans for completion of work:

3. Selection, editing decisions and exhibition requirements:

- The works I’m creating are all reasonably large scale, so while I’m creating as many works as I can, its still a relatively low quantity. I currently have four works in various stages of progress, but am aiming to complete maybe one or two more for install. Even the largest studio spaces, some of which I’m applying to install in, only have space for a max of many 4 large works. Having five or six large works would give me a couple of editing options, and I also have the option of bringing in some midyear works. I would most likely bring in the small ones as they are more different to these new works than the larger ones, and would be more dynamic in relation.

4. Contextual Portfolio:

My contextual portfolio will definitely be more heavily weighted towards this last term as a point of culmination.

5. Artist statement:

- The evolution of my practice, including the process elements are all heavily conceptual. It’s extremely important to me that the conceptual thinking is laid out in the statement, however a certain amount of opaqueness is also valuable. Some opaqueness is especially important because you can’t adequately describe your entire conceptual process in an artist statement, so you must choose what you make clear and what you leave out. This will also avoid my statement becoming too much of a manifesto.

The key pillars of my artist statement will be Conflict, Structure, Material and Painting/constructing process. Communicating these pillars and the connection between them concisely would be the key to adequately articulating my practice for a viewer/ external assessor.

[greysvs]

Sunrider academy denpa edition

#Sunrider academy denpa edition series#

Her default expression is a frown, and she almost never smiles during the story sections. She is cold and harsh towards everybody, demanding every student to obey every regulation, no matter how inane. This would be far more emotionally satisfying than simply having Chigara say they made up.Īva is a perfect embodiment of the overachieving childhood friend: she is the top student of Sunrider Academy, the President of the Student Council, and a stickler for the rules. This makes him involved in his story, giving agency to the player. Have him engage both sisters throughout the route, and convince them to make up. There’s a simple fix for this: have Kayto refuse to give up on the Asadas, and instead push them towards reconciliation. This is a romance story, though, and there must be a happy ending. The more likely and realistic outcome would be Kayto cutting ties with the Asadas permanently. The final reconciliation was also unsatisfying: it’s hard to imagine that Kayto would suddenly welcome Chigara back into his life after the sisters put him through so much emotional stress. The entire resolution occurs off-screen, delivered only by exposition. Throughout Chigara’s route, Kayto becomes increasingly passive, focusing solely on his club responsibilities and studies. Heartwarming, certainly, but with one problem: Kayto had nothing to do with it. By the story’s end, they have made up and stopped impersonating each other. Instead, the story is resolved in an extremely convenient fashion: as Chigara coaches Lynn to act like her, the sisters find common ground to bond, and resolve their differences. This could have been the setup for a psychological thriller. It gets to the point where Kayto can’t tell who is who anymore. Worse, Chigara gives in to her sister’s whims, allowing Lynn to take her place in the Academy. After all, Chigara is the favored daughter - created by their parents to be the perfect girl.Īs the story progresses, Lynn tries to impersonate Chigara and steal Kayto from her. Chigara just wants to get along, but Lynn wants to take everything from her sister. Where Chigara is all sunshine and bubbles, Lynn is broody and depressive. The conflict in her route is driven by her twin sister, Lynn. She is also meek, innocent and girlish, the very definition of a moeblob. She’s a genius, but she’d rather be a baker. Chigara is the captain of the science club. I’m a pessimist, so I’ll start with the worst route: Chigara’s. To illustrate this, I’m going to break down the romance routes in the story. Tropes are not bad in of themselves, but the developers relied far too heavily on them to carry the plot instead of building on them to build better stories. Sunrider Academy relies on a number of well-established VN, anime and manga tropes: the overachieving childhood friend, the moeblob, the genki girl, the emotionless girl, conveniently contrived clumsiness leading to predictable perverse positions, and so on. While Sunrider Academy delivers competent stories for all four routes, it is hamstrung by its Japanese influence. When you choose a girl to pursue, the humour gives way to drama, teenage angst, and romance. The common route, spanning the first few months, is chock-full of in-jokes and moments of hilarity. The player must juggle Kayto’s studies, club affairs and love life over an increasingly hectic school year. And, Kayto has to keep his grades up to retain his position. When he goes to school, his childhood friend Ava Crescrentia, President of the Student Council, charges Kayto with turning around three sports clubs in danger of being disbanded by the school. In the beginning of his second year, he promises his kid sister Maray that he would get a girlfriend. In Sunrider Academy, you play the role of Kayto Shields, Vice President of the Student Council. That said, I enjoyed my overall experience with the game.

#Sunrider academy denpa edition series#

If not for its tangential connection to the Sunrider series I wouldn’t even have picked up Sunrider Academy. I don’t play dating sims, and visual novels only rarely. Where the original game was a turn-based strategy game featuring intense battles between starships and mecha, Sunrider Academy is a time/stat management dating sim. The Sunrider series is a collection of visual novels powered by the Ren’Py engine, with gameplay sections interspaced with VN storytelling segments. Set in an alternate universe, Sunrider Academy reimagines the main characters as high school students. Sunrider Academy is a spin-off from the Sunrider series.

[thediaryofaudreysaxton]

September 21st, 2022

When I realized I could see myself with The Scientist, I slept with his best friend the following weekend; an instinctual rebellion and clear escape.  

The Scientist was now a neuroscientist, but before that he was just the boy I’d known for 15 years. We swam in rivers and laughed until we choked making fun of our exes. He took me home, annoyed me, and answered my calls. 

I saw our potential in the morning. The potential life of The Scientist and I. 

Fully clothed, we lay in his bed staring up at the white stucco ceiling in silence. The air felt hot as a I adjusted my corduroy pants, tugging at the hip closest to his own vertical body. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. 

We had spent the previous evening making out at a bus stop in the rain. It felt weird and inappropriate and totally hot, me and my best guy friend kissing. 

We would live in a high-rise in a major city like New York or Boston, wherever The Scientist’s chief lab and team of researchers were located at the time. We’d move a lot. I was adaptable. I’d grow my own basil on the roof and he’d insist ‘the help’ tend to the garden and not me. Don’t muddy your softs hands, he’d tell me. I’d frown, kiss his cheek, and then twirl in my satin umbrella skirt—a skirt long enough to reach down and touch our heated floors. I’d skip off across the foyer and into my dense study to continue smelling first edition classics. I’d wear chopsticks in my long hair (I’d have extensions), open a home for foster-care children, and collect oddly shaped rugs. We’d attend gala’s where The Scientist would accept prestigious awards. I would charm his inferior yet distinguished colleagues, and he would adore our union because I made us both more likable. Intellectuals from every corner on earth would know me as The Scientists Wife; a magnetic woman who brought new thought to concert halls in Oslo and Stockholm. The Scientist’s wife, what a lust for life, her genius a surprise. Mars has two speeds of sound, the human genome has been decoded, and Audrey Saxton enhances the opportunity in every space she enters.  

I met The Scientist when I was 15. We had AP History together. He was funny, smart, my same height, and kind of ugly. A pale jewish boy with butthole eyes, a thick penis, and a particular mix of sexual bravado and extreme self-hatred. He was arrogant and judgmental, I was excitable and chubby. We were both severely insecure but hopefully I’d always be better looking and he more successful.  

We would live independently, in this life I let us have in the moment between sleeping and waking. He would be gone a lot and I would fane disappointment for the sake of our egos. Adhering to the expectations of my gender, I would miss him as he continually chose his research over me and our family. But in reality this would save me. Save me from growing bored of him, liberate me from complacency, allow me the constant thrill of conflict and delicious resolution. I would remain free and the chains attached to welcoming his bountiful resources would be brittle because of our history and thus loyalty. I would accept his gifts giddy and we would both know I could have been anything I wanted.  

When we woke up after a night of pressing our mouths into one another, dry humping in clothes, touching tongues, we were quiet. 

Next, we were loud. 

We both turned on our sides to face the other and we screamed bloody murder. We laughed and we cringed. Grimaced, grinned, and pretended to throw up. This is so fucked up, we both said. And we pinky swore not to tell anyone and agreed that this meant nothing.

 We were just friends. 

[mickules]

What are your opinions on rare Danganronpa ships? If you have any favorites, what would they be?

I'm afraid I don't really have any in the way of rare ones, since I tend to hover around canon-compliant. Even then, in general I don't err toward romance very often, rather I tend to land hard on platonic, ride or die, best friends interactions. There usually has to be something specific that suggests otherwise to me.

In the rare-pair platonic vein, I think Hifumi/Tsumugi are dream team collaborators. They would dominate any convention. I like to think they have a surface level rivalry where they try to top each other, but are extremely appreciative of the other's efforts.

Also, I don't know if this is that rare- I've definitely seen it floating around, I think first from @hatteymcstache Romantically or platonically, I think Celeste would love Gonta. Endlessly gullible and accommodating himbo who wants to be a gentleman? That's too perfect, she'd never let him slip through her fingers - although the bugs and lack of shoes might be a hurdle.

I mean is this or is this not her peak aesthetic?

I can see why antagonist-protagonist pairings can be so popular since there's so much interpersonal conflict to delve into and explore- especially since many 'rival' pairings are essentially two allies who are separated by circumstance. In essence that's what Taka and Mondo are, just fast tracked from enemies - friends - soulmates by way of sauna based conflict resolution.

I'm sorry to say that I've been primed by a childhood adoration of Seto Kaiba to be far too generous to Byakuya (excepting that nonsense with Chihiro) He'd never describe any of his relationships in terms other than 'temporarily interesting plebeians with some limited potential use' with any kindness he provides always having an ulterior motive; but his interactions with Makoto give off 'surly cat who happens to be in the same room as you 90% of the time' energy to me.

Nagito is a bit of a nebulous one for me to imagine since he seems a too preoccupied with his adoration of the talent the ultimates posses than necessarily caring about them as people which makes it difficult for me to see him engaging with any of them in a genuine way, either platonically or romantically. (there does seem to otherwise be some 'protag-oriented' energy in SDR2 with how the cast interact with Hajime lol)

I . . .uh. . . I'll be frank. I know he's a fan favourite but I just do not jive well with Kokichi. No shade meant, but because of that no matter how I try, I can't really imagine any interaction between him and Shuichi that doesn't boil down to:

Ah, for the record- No I don't, but I think this is continued confusion from the "v3 cast as the kids of the dr1 cast" post - in hindsight it's kinda opaque- so let me clear that up! The top part was supposed to show adult Mondo and adult Taka with adopted son Kaito meeting newly adopted sister Maki. In my mind it was unmistakable that they would be adopted so I plain forgot to specify! I can see how it looks like two separate parents introducing their kids.

The bottom part was supposed to be completely separate alternate take, showing adult Hiro with biological son Kaito from an unspecified partner. Unspecified because I don't personally picture anyone specific with Hiro romantically. (That's just me of course, I know there's a lotta love for Hiro in the fanbase!)

I hope that ^ clears it up! (Coincidentally my parents have the same age gap, tho' of course they didn't meet in high school with my dad havin' been held back like 6 times XD)

(edit: more pairing [asks])

(next set of asks [about Taka’s eating habits]) (previous set [Head-canons about Taka’s mum/Takaaki])

[bigstripeylie]

Ghosts theory- “sucked off” edition

Apologies for the title.

I have a theory about how each of the ghosts in Ghosts has a parallel with another Ghost and how this could be the key to them finally being able to move on, or “be sucked off’ as Mary would say.

Putting it behind a cut as this is extremely long and rambly. Spoilers for pretty much every episode of Ghosts

First of all I was listening to Mat and Jim on the Empire Spoilers podcast and Mat said something really interesting about how he intended “you stays how you dies” to refer to the ghost’s mental and emotional state, as well as physical. So Thomas always being obsessed with seeking love is because he died broken-hearted and Fanny always being so grumpy is because she died angry at her husband. 

I believe, therefore, that if the ghosts were able to overcome each of their emotional blocks that would be the thing that would allow them to move on. Furthermore, each of the ghosts has another ghost that seems perfectly suited to be able to assist them in that.

Let’s go through them:

Thomas- Thomas died believing his love never loved him back and now is forced to spend eternity seeking for love as a ghost. If Thomas was able to find someone who could reciprocate his affections, this would the resolve that issue. In the Series 2 episode “About Last Night” when Alison drunkenly tells Thomas “if you were alive and I was 200 years older, then we might have…” we hear a choir start singing and Thomas is pulled, as if compelled, through the wall, similar to how Fanny is pulled forwards towards the window to jump when she “doesn’t even realise [she’s] doing it.” Thomas desperately craves love and affection from another person, but in life was constantly rejected by the people he loved most. You know who else that sounds like? Kitty.

Kitty- Like Thomas, she is from a wealthy family who sheltered her a lot growing up, but is ultimately good and tries to be honourable. Kitty also craves love and affection as well as companionship and she tries to seek it, first in Eleanor and then in Alison (because Alison reminds her of  Eleanor, like how Alison reminds Thomas of Isabelle). However it comes up again and again that Kitty’s relationship with Alison isn’t as fulfilling to her as she would like it be because her being a ghost prevents her from sharing every activity with Alison, and Alison cannot show her physical affection. Kitty is trying to recreate aspects of her relationship with Eleanor using Alison as a substitute but this isn’t very healthy for her, as it simply traps her in the constant state of seeking affection that will not or cannot be returned fully. We don’t know the exact circumstances of Kitty’s death but after Series 3, if seems likely that her sister was in some way involved. Maybe what is keeping Kitty trapped as a ghost is her need for approval and love that she never got in life? But by seeking it in people who remind her of Eleanor exclusively, she is further trapping herself.

If Kitty and Thomas could find love with each other, they could each fulfil the other’s need for reciprocated affection. They are both equally needy so this quality wouldn’t likely annoy the other. Kitty seems to genuinely enjoy high romance in earnest and in finding an outlet for her love in Thomas, she could finally move on from her sister. Thomas would also find someone to love him and could devote himself completely to someone who would actually return his love, instead of fruitlessly pursuing women who remind of Isabelle’s rejection. This could lead to the resolution of both character’s finally moving on from their deaths.

Next up, let’s look at The Captain-

The Captain’s central conflict is obviously his sexuality. I believe that the resolution to this conflict would be him finally accepting and coming to terms with being gay and feeling comfortable with that part of his  identity. Which ghost could best help him in this?

Fanny. 

Maybe not the answer you were thinking, but hear me out. The Captain already has a strong positive relationship with Fanny built on mutual respect. He is more likely to value her opinion as an equal that any of the other ghosts and he seems to align himself with her on most issues. Which makes his choice to go against Fanny and defend the same-sex wedding and its guests to her in “Perfect Day” really remarkable.

In “Perfect Day”, Fanny expresses some pretty disapproving remarks about the wedding guest’s attire and some homophobic opinions about the same-sex wedding in general, which prompts the Captain to defend one of the guests to Fanny. “It’s chic, it’s now, and if it makes her feel fabulous…”

Imagine a scene where The Captain has to defend himself towards Fanny in a similar manner after coming out, showing that he is finally accepting of his sexuality as being the right thing for him. 

Anyway, that was a slight digression…

Fanny is still struggling to deal with the circumstances of her own death which was brought about in part because she caught her husband having an affair with other men. Fanny needs to accept and come to terms with the fact that her husband didn’t love her and that while he was obviously wrong for murdering her, she needs to move on so she can stop reenacting it by jumping out the window every morning. Because she died feeling angry and betrayed, she is trapped in that state in death. Discovering that one of her closest friends is gay and realising that it is possible for someone to be both gay and a good person might prompt her to think differently about her own life, as she started do with Humphrey in Perfect Day. 

The Captain, in turn, could be driven by Fanny’s ability to accept his sexuality into thinking ‘if she can accept that part of me, then maybe I can too.’ Personally, out of all the ghosts, I think it could only be Fanny who could prompt him to think that because it would mean the most to him coming from her.

Humphrey- Humphrey died because he was trying to protect Sophie, who rejected any attempt to get to know him and who he believed didn’t even like him. In death he is trapped in a state of being a selfless self-sacrificing people-pleaser and desperately wanting to be included in the other ghost���s activities, even allowing himself be kicked and thrown around if it means he can just be involved. In ‘I Love Lucy’ he even attempts to make a relationship with Fanny work, showing he is willing to sacrifice his own happiness for the sake of others.

Julian, by contrast, is the most selfish of all the ghosts at Button House. Deep down he feels guilty that his selfishness negatively affected the relationship with his daughter but seems not to be consciously aware that he feels like this. Julian’s selfishness to not spend time with his family ultimately leads to his death in Button House, as he neglected his family to spend more time at work and was clearly cheating on his wife, showing he is driven by selfish impulses.

If Julian were to perform a completely selfless act to the benefit of Humphrey, then Humphrey would get to feel as though someone was putting him first for once and valuing him the way he seeks to be valued. Julian would also break the pattern of selfish behaviour that caused his downfall.

The rest are little less well-defined:

Pat is the probably the ghost that we know the most about, through seeing his death and actually meeting his family in “Happy Death Day”, to the numerous anecdotes he reveals about his life throughout the show. However, I can’t decide for sure what is the thing that is keeping him a ghost. Pat himself seemed to think it was that he was missing his family, but this was ultimately proved wrong after he saw them again in ‘Happy Death Day’. Even meeting the boy who killed him and forgiving him in ‘Perfect Day’ didn’t cause him to move on. It could be something to do with Carol’s affair with Maurice but I just don’t know for sure. I like the idea of him fitting in with the plague ghosts. I think his personalty and leadership style would get along better with them than say, The Captain, who is too authoritarian. I also think Pat is someone who thrives in a group setting.

Robin and Mary are also tricky to work out what the thing keeping them as ghosts is because we know so little about their lives and deaths compared to the other characters. I think these are the only two ghosts who have not yet received a flashback to their lives. We know that Mary was in some way involved a witch-trail and this has traumatised her. Robin also has experienced a lot of trauma in his life but he seems to be more philosophical about it and accepting of it. He shows great empathy towards others both in trying to comfort Pat about his death in “Happy Death Day’ and Kitty in “About Last Night’, he could use his experience of trauma to help Mary deal with hers. They both seem to be looked down upon and ‘othered’ by the other ghosts due to their perceived lack of intelligence even though they are both very emotionally and socially intelligent.

If anyone has any thoughts about these last two pairings or any of the others, then please reblog and add your take!

I am not in any way saying that I think this is what will happen in the next series or what even I think should happen, but that this is one possibilities for much further down the road when the ghost are all ready to move on.

Also I have spent way too much time thinking about this…

[synchronousemma]

29th December–10th January: Harriet continues to think Mr. Elton all perfection

Read: Vol 1, ch. 17; p. 93 (“Time, she knew, must be allowed” through to “no true peace for herself”).

Context

Emma continues to try to distract Harriet from her heartbreak. She proves more resolutely heartbroken than Emma had anticipated.

Readings and Interpretations

Where There’s a Will…

Emma notes that Harriet has proven loyal to Mr. Elton for longer than she had previously expected, but that it seemed to her “so natural, so inevitable to strive against an inclination of that sort unrequited” that its force must soon wane (vol. 1, ch. 17; p. 93; emphasis original). Emma thinks of herself, it seems, as having a sense of self-worth and a strength of will that would make this kind of suffering unlikely. The implication that Harriet may prove wanting in this regard recalls Bernard Paris’s argument that Jane Austen’s “self-effacing” characters, who are treated with mingled compassion and contempt, are “tender-hearted[]” but not fully capable of “self-assertion” (pp. 190–1). What is morally necessary for Austen is perhaps, if not a decrease in the strength of an unrequited “inclination,” at least the “striv[ing]” against it.

Absolutely Fixed

Emma laments that her, Harriet, and Mr. Elton “being fixed, so absolutely fixed, in the same place, was bad for each, for all three. Not one of them had the power of removal, or of effecting any material change of society” (vol. 1, ch. 17; p. 93). Cecily Devereux notes that “everyone [in Highbury] is subject to a degree of physical confinement, itself an image of the confinement of each individual to his or her own narrow social space” (pp. 38–9, emphasis original). The claustrophobia of the novel is not, then, due only to a confinement of position, but to a “confinement of society to which everyone in middle-class Highbury is subject,” an “enforced obedience to a restrictive system of propriety” (p. 39). Emma and Harriet can no more avoid meeting a man of Mr. Elton’s rank than Emma could meet a farmer or laborer on terms of equality.

Tony Tanner argues that Austen warns against societies that are either “too free” or “too fixed,” with “directionless, unfocused, self-gratifying (often amoral or even vicious) ‘moving around’, which can have a disintegrating and corrosive effect on true social stability and moral values” at one extreme, and “the life-denying stagnancy of a small society which has become airless, claustrophobic, inert and even moribund” at the other (p. 190). The novel, as long as it remains within the bounds of Highbury, is closer to the latter than to the former:

In Emma’s society there is no room for manoeuvre, no room for rearrangement, no room for any kind of escape. In short, there is no room. This is an aspect of Emma’s small hierarchical society which Jane Austen keeps before us. It explains a lot about Emma’s spirited imagination, which is constantly unfixing and refixing things in a most irresponsible way […]. (pp. 190–1)

Discussion Questions

What impact does Harriet’s continued regard for Mr. Elton have on her characterization? Do you think it places her in a positive light?

What is the relationship between physical and moral or social space thus far in Emma?

Bibliography

Austen, Jane. Emma (Norton Critical Edition). 3rd ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, [1815] 2000.

Paris, Bernard J. Character and Conflict in Jane Austen’s Novels: A Psychological Approach. Detroit: Wayne State University Press (1978).

Tanner, Tony. “The Match-Maker: Emma.” In Jane Austen. London: Macmillan Education (1986), pp. 176–207. DOI: 10.1007/978-1-349-18432-3_6.

[utilitycaster]

Actual Play: How it works

This is a collection of how I think of actual play as a medium, because TTRPG actual play is a unique one - a combination of improvisation, a rule set, and randomizing elements. This isn’t fully comprehensive, and I may add to it in the future as I come up with more ideas. I’m also thinking of providing some examples/more in-depth stuff for the items in separate posts, so please let me know if that’s something you would want.

Most of the observations here heavily skew towards D&D and Pathfinder actual play, as they are what I know best. Other systems I’ve listened to (PbtA, Cortex, Savage Worlds) fit in here as well, but this may not apply to all actual play, particularly GM-less games or games that are primarily played as one-shots.

Finally, and I say this only because it is a recurring problem on the social media that I happen to find incredibly irritating: you are also welcome and encouraged to have other opinions, disagree with me, dislike all of this, etc. If you have things to say, my inbox is the best place; this is too long for multiple reblogs and this is a sideblog so replies are tricky. However, if you are the kind of person who is inclined to say things like “Actually, there was an exception to this rule! It’s in the backmasked audio at 06:59:32 in the outtakes of episode 192c of Dungeons and Discotheques! :)” I would like to provide you with this actual play line quote from Adaine Abernant in Fantasy High: I think that you feel like you have a lot to offer, and please take this the right way... you don't.

Onto the thoughts, below the jump!

On narrative devices and rules and the random element:

Foreshadowing is possible, but limited to specific circumstances. A GM can (and should) foreshadow! The point of foreshadowing is to set expectations, and GMs should have hints that indicate things about the world that the party may encounter later, provide potential plot hooks, or otherwise provide the party with information. Similarly, players can do things that nod towards as of yet unrevealed elements of their backstories. However, it is impossible to deliberately foreshadow plot resolutions, because it is unknown what they will be. That doesn’t mean that in retrospect things may happen that echo back to earlier events, but the intent to foreshadow was not there - it’s a happy accident.

I don’t want to say normal narrative rules don’t apply because what are the normal narrative rules, really? However, I think an important thing to emphasize is that narrative satisfaction is not guaranteed. This is especially true if the cast has agreed character death is an option, but even beyond that, an unlucky or lucky roll can seemingly cut an arc short or take things in a weird and unforeseen direction. Because there is an element of randomness, randomness will occur. This, along with the character agency I discuss later, is one of my favorite things about actual play. It strips out the need for a moral or message or specific beats - not that those can’t arise, but they can’t be forced - and as such it can make for unusual, creative, and very true-to-life stories even in a fantasy setting.

On character role, viewpoint and agency:

Actual play stories have an ensemble of viewpoint characters (the PCs). This is perhaps the clearest restriction that exists, at least in all of the game systems I’ve mentioned. There is no good way to depict NPCs acting on their own unless the PCs have a way to observe them, unseen (magical or mundane). It is extremely difficult to have one player play multiple PCs, and if a player leaves there is not a good way to recast their PC. This doesn’t mean NPCs can’t do things with each other offscreen that have implications for the story, nor that PCs can’t come and go or become NPCs, but it does mean a good GM is very careful about NPC interactions because it gets very boring and non-collaborative very quickly to watch someone talk with themselves.

The PCs hold a level of agency that characters in other media do not. Statements about how the characters have a mind of their own in original fiction aside (sidebar: I am team ‘they don’t, you just didn’t realize that the way you wrote their personality and the way you wrote your plot conflicted until you actually started writing it out, which is very understandable’) PCs do in fact have a mind of their own separate from the GM and from each other.

Something I like about this is that unless you are coming up with conspiracy theories regarding the interpersonal dynamics of the players themselves (in which case I think you’re both a creep and a weirdo (derogatory)) or if the GM is not respecting player agency (which I feel is usually very easy to see; see below for more on that) you do not get cases of “these characters are together simply because the author felt like pairing them off” as can happen in scripted media. Any romantic relationship is, inherently, a mutually agreed choice between the originators of these characters, and more generally any plot or relationship necessarily needs to have something that appeals to all characters involved. It may be as simple as “these are my friends and I want to keep hanging out”, but, despite this being improv, it’s a medium where saying “no” is always an option.

With that said there is still room for players to be uncooperative or selfish. It’s rare, but it does exist, and I’m personally of the opinion that it’s in part the GM’s responsibility to have a conversation with that player and to not play into their attention grabbing. That said, with one notable exception, all the accusations I’ve seen about this have seemed to me to be more “I don’t like this player/character/ship/arc and I am going to claim they are stealing focus, despite it being justified,” and not genuinely about a player being obnoxious.

Agency separate from the person who creates the world is perhaps the most unique element of actual play and at this point I’m going to talk a little about how a good GM fosters that.

I’ve said before that when a GM has things happen that are not at least mostly a direct response to character actions, they are typically either world-building or a hook, and can be both. I think of this sort of as a variant on Chekhov’s gun, actually; the gun doesn’t have to go off, ultimately, in actual play, but it is saying the following:

This is a world where there are guns hung on the wall sometimes.

Someone else might do something with this gun.

You can attempt to do something with this gun before they do.

And then the players decide how they want to interpret it and what they want to do, and the dice indicate the level of success in doing so.

A good GM should encourage the players to explore and be creative, and more than anything, reward agency. This doesn’t mean rewarding it with success; rather, it means if someone explicitly indicates they want to interact with an element of the world, you should give them the tools such that eventually, they can try to do so. You can also give them reasons in-game why they should change their mind, or make it so that it’s almost certain to fail if that is reasonable, but if you are trying to flat-out shut it down without providing an in-world reason why, the cracks will almost certainly show.

One important thing to remember about GM-ing: GMs will probably come into the game with some ideas of what’s going on in the world, and some level of understanding of what the world looks like. That will be influenced by the players, both in terms of the consequences of their actions and choices, and also by what the players are interested in. Which is to say: even if there is a session zero, and the GM states a specific premise, that can change! Characters develop, player interests change, dice rolls do weird things, and so a good GM absolutely must if not kill their darlings at least remove, recycle, and adapt them based on the direction of the game and motivations of the characters. Even in a plot-driven campaign, the players and GM and what makes them happy needs to drive the story, because fundamentally, this is a game that should be fun. Which brings us to...

On the Watsonian and the Doylist in actual play:

Stepping back for a second: the context in which people are creating fiction influences them. End of sentence. It’s ridiculous to think it doesn’t. This means everything from political events and worldwide trends, to the media the creator is consuming or has consumed, to personal life events. There are always going to be in- and out-of-universe explanations for choices in fiction.

In actual play, the players and GM know the underlying rules of the world, and it’s difficult to truly split the party and have everyone not involved leave in a way that feels fun, so everyone always has information that they can’t really use in-game. Also it’s a fully improvised medium that is primarily theater of the mind, so unconscious choices, misunderstandings, and accidents are frequently not edited out, and people are human. Which is to say I think it’s important to take this into consideration in one’s analysis; it’s not that you can’t incorporate a Watsonian reason for something that happened, but Doylist reasons are given a weight that they may not have in an edited work.

Three of the Doylist reasons beyond the misunderstandings and accidents I wanted to cover are metagaming, awareness that this is for an audience, and character knowledge.

Metagaming exists in many TTRPGs, and it’s not actually inherently bad. When a DM in D&D says “that just hits” you get an idea of the AC of the creature, and you know your own attack rolls, and you can make decisions based on that, when, in a ‘real’ fantasy battle scenario, you probably wouldn’t gain all that insight from a single hit. The rules of the TTRPG are considered part of normal acceptable metagaming. There’s also the more general one; if you start the first session in a tavern, there is an unspoken expectation that the PCs will interact and form an impromptu group and not just quietly drink their ale and leave - basically, the rules of improv still apply. This is a good thing. And finally, there’s the acknowledgement that you are people with feelings and this is a game and so if someone is upset you stop, or you have discussions about consent between sessions that inform actions in-game. Metagaming just gets obnoxious when someone rolls a nat 1 and then argues that this is obvious information and they should know, or looks up every monster in the manual when you encounter it instead of playing true to the character’s knowledge.

In actual play, the ‘hey fellow tavern-goers, would you like to be a group’ form of metagaming, the “oh right this is a story and we should move the story forward,” is even more important than in home D&D games. This is where I recommend listening or reading some Q&As or watching some after shows, because you’ll hear players talk about this. A 5-hour shopping episode or extensive foraging can get boring to watch or listen to (and unlike accidentally boring or frustrating things, are pretty easy to predict and avoid). On the flip side, a risky choice might seem more appealing when you know there’s an audience who would love the payoff.

I am personally, perhaps unsurprisingly given what I said about player dynamic conspiracy theories and randomness (or, outside of this post, my strong dislike of certain popular fan theories), not a big fan of creators catering to audiences’ every whim...but it’s unavoidable that they will take the audience experience in mind.

Finally, character knowledge, which is the opposite of metagaming - when a character knows something the player doesn’t. This is sometimes covered with, for example, GM statements like “you would know, as a person with history proficiency, that this country is actually in a regency period.” If the character had, in improv, before the GM had a chance to say that, mentioned the king, that’s just because the player did not know that and had made an assumption.

Personally I find going deep down the rabbit hole with things like this - “why doesn’t this character, who CLAIMS to be from this country, not know this?”, or clearly OOC statements - tends not to actually spark any interesting theories, but that is, ultimately, an opinion.

A few final thoughts on different formats of actual play

True livestream/live-to-tape (Critical Role, Into the Motherlands, and the second season of Fantasy High): the main thing to keep in mind is Doylist explanations are even more important because there is quite literally no editing. Also, there will possibly be some of those more boring stretches or even a little OOC metagaming discussions within the structure of the game, because there’s no way around it.

Editing, but primarily just to remove long explanations/math and doing soundscaping (NADDPod, Rusty Quill Gaming): Pretty similar; a lot of them even make the choice to leave in OOC metagaming discussions, so it’s mostly that there are fewer cases of people slowly adding numbers.

More extensive editing and possibly some predefined other elements (TAZ, most Dimension 20 shows): this may fall into a more traditional story structure. It’s not to say that there won’t be surprises, because the players do still have agency, but the ‘rails’ might be a little more apparent; there might be some DM monologuing done after the fact (beyond just cleaning up the audio) or choices that were not scripted per se, but not exactly improvised either (think how D20 tends to have pre-set battle maps and earlier seasons had a pretty strict RP/Battle structure.

Somewhat relatedly there are broad story structures, which is more of a spectrum, ranging from sandbox (Critical Role) to very clearly GM-driven missions (TAZ Balance and, to an extent, Amnesty); nearly all of the other shows here fall into a structure of “here is your overall goal, how precisely you get there is up to you although, like any GM, I will provide in-story information on where it may make sense to go that will often funnel you towards specific places.”

I do have a theory that since TAZ Balance in particular was an entry point for so many people, it takes them time to adjust to the more sprawling, unpredictable, and difficult-to-organize stories other actual play can have, but ultimately it is a matter of personal preference and all of these still fall into the category of actual play.