#fit so well imo like they have a specific style that you can hear in every cover

[harbingersglory]

miko is SO REAL for that, two switches fighting over who gets to dom is the best dynamic. if you have time/want to i'd be curious to hear any sub headcanons you have for lisa, ei, ningguang and/or kafka!

this is so incredibly self indulgent because i see ningguang, ei and kafka in the same sentence and explode. everyone pretend i didnt accidentally pick a fav here um

ningguang i already see as a pillow princess more than anything she fits this so well. absolutely adores going slow + worship. treat this woman like royalty and lord you will not regret it. she goes all out to make the night as perfect as possible. will not let you have a hand in any of it sorry!! this is her turf. perfect atmosphere suited to your tastes (tons of candles, if you like that, or just going by moonlight is also her style). incense, taking a few minutes beforehand just to really get settled in the mood (usually by cuddling, but shes not against just taking a moment for some tea or even a game of chess).

you'll also probably need all that extra time to sort through whatever shes bought this time. when i said she goes the whole nine yards i mean it. she has money and she will use it. very expensive lingerie for herself (and you, if thats your thing.) and literally anything you could ever want. it heavily depends on what you both want out of the night but she spares no mora making it the best she can.

the non-sexual intimacy before hand (and especially after) is important to her she takes it very seriously (for the both of you). you'll probably get dragged into taking a long bath afterwards before actually going to bed. hope you arent too tired! because its gonna be a while before you actually sleep.

because this woman has stamina. technically. she's just really pent up and theres no better way to get that stress out then soft sex with her partner. shes not picky about positions really but she has a soft spot for laying on her stomach with a pillow to prop up her hips (really accentuates the pillow princess part, huh /j). if you start massaging her she's gonna wake up the entirety of liyue. she's normally quiet but lord knows she needs it and she cant keep quiet for the life of her.

genuinely just very soft and gentle. she just needs some good pampering after a long day to unwind (preferably with a glass of wine, but thats for later).

ei..is very awkward about it. she probably gets embarrassed if you bring it up but shes not. opposed per se. she's just used to domming that she has no idea what to do. genuinely a mess the first time around but she gets the hang of it quick (shes a quick learner :])

also you just really get to see a side of her you usually never do! she's usually big on topping and shes pretty calm and composed about it (usually). not cold, just..she doesn't outwardly express things often. except when shes subbing. its like a switch flipped

just dont tease her about how visibly flustered and awkward she is about it. because she is. horribly so. shes still pretty quiet but thats just ei, to be fair. its like a cute, nervous puppy. call her a good girl though and she might short circuit so badly the shogun comes out

though i also see ei as someone who prefers giving even when subbing. a dangerous combo considering her body is a puppet and, yknow, cant get tired. you will have to pry this woman off you shes lowkey insatiable when it comes to pleasing you. 100% less of a brat, though. you give her an order shes following through with it before you can blink. efficient!

kafka is similar to miko, imo. maybe yelan too?? she gives off big brat vibes when she subs. she wont use suggestion in bed unless your 100% cool with it and even then its usually when she doms but when she subs? shes a menace. bit of a masochist, to be honest. she'll push your buttons until you crack and decide to punish her but woops, thats just what she wants so she wins anyway!

she cant feel fear but she certainly enjoys a good thrill. specifically sensory deprivation. cover her eyes with a blindfold and keep her guessing. its probably her favorite part, the closest she can get to fear. especially if you add a bit of pain into it.

choking, spanking, bit of blood..this woman is smiling through it all like she's the happiest woman in the world. especially if it makes you frustrated. shes like it desperate and rough.

if thats not your speed, though, she can get that thrill in other ways. semi public sex is her jam so sandwich her against a wall in some random supply closet and make her scream. shes not quiet even in the comfort of whatever room shes booked this time and you'll have to physically shut her up if you dont want to get caught. shes still a brat at heart, though. put your fingers in her mouth and she'll bite. your gonna need the patience of a saint to dom kafka.

[vykodlak]

sorry to bother you, but seeing some of your art recently has inspired me to start doing (digital) painting again. it's going... surprisingly well, all things considered, but there is one thing i'm having problems with.

im really struggling with head shapes/angles (esp profiles), and i was wondering if you remembered how you improved on those? did you just do studies of existing art/photographs, did you use any of the construction techniques - some other third thing? i feel like i skipped a basic step somewhere and now idk how to go back lmao. tysm! (also it was implied above but i think your art is awesome and really enjoy looking at it!!)

Hey, it's no bother at all. I'm always extremely honoured when I hear I'd inspired someone to get back into art!

Imo heads are one of the more difficult parts of the human body to draw considering how many little details they have so don't feel discouraged if you can't get 'em quite right yet, especially since you're just getting back into the swing of things. Don't be afraid to pull up a reference even when you're doing personal work.

For me, 99% of it is studies. Make yourself a pinterest folder or a regular folder on your computer and hoard any face you think looks interesting. I try to stay away from having them all be typical instagram models with chiseled jaws and so on. Having variety in your references is an important part of building your visual library. I also like people watching when I'm outside.

Strengthen your observational skills - when I look at a face I don't just take in the whole, I try to take note of how individual features relate to each other: the distance between the bottom of the nose and the bottom of the chin (and between the top of the forehead & the eyebrows), how large the space between the eyes is, how large or small specific features are (both on their own and in relation to each other), etc. Eventually you'll be able to start mixing and matching these into unique faces, as well as exaggerating them to fit your style.

For guidelines, to be honest I've always been a bit resistant to using them, but that's more of a me problem lol. I got started off with the loomis method: here's the book if you want the instructions directly from the horse's mouth (all of his books entered free domain a while back I think). If you're more of a visual learner like I am, proko's got a series of videos breaking it down: basics, how to adapt it to more varied faces, freestyling it.

The important thing about this method (or really, any draftsmanship method) is that you'll have to adapt it to suit your own needs. Especially considering that these guidelines follow a more ''idealized'' face (according to loomis) that you'll probably wanna break out of eventually. Think of it as a springboard – the method is good for giving you the fundamentals to begin visualising how proportions work, but don't get bogged down in following it to the exact mathematical line every time you draw a head. Of course, this comes with time and practice (where those studies will really pay off); once you start to feel that you understand the proportions, you can start branching out.

Practice drawing the skull! This helped me a lot - if you know where all the bony landmarks underneath the skin & muscles are, like the cheekbones, browbones, eyesockets (the eyesockets are especially helpful for profiles – you can build the rest of the features around them), etc. it becomes easier to keep track of your proportions in perspective. Sketchfab has a lot of 3D skull models you can rotate around, here's one where you can visualise how the skin sits on top of it.

Learning how to break the head down into basic flat planes is also helpful. Here's an Asaro Head you can turn in 3D space.

It's a bit more advanced but I also really like doing this exercise to practice drawing the head at different angles. Especially how he starts off with simple blocky shapes in the beginning.

I know I mention this a lot, but try working in 3D. Whether with a digital program or real clay. Sometimes sculpting things out in three dimensions is what it takes for things to really click.

Doing studies from tv shows/movies is also fun 'cause you can get video footage of the head turning in real time.

Hopefully some of that was helpful (and coherent, I'm still a bit loopy from my fever/the cold meds)! Again, it all really boils down to time and practice - you'll be noticing new things and building up your knowledge for as long as you're alive, so the most important thing is to stay curious and observant!

(& thank you!!)

[hoes4hoseok]

txt as 1989

look who's on top of her shit! me! anywaysss lmk what you think, as always! <3

hueningkai as welcome to new york

"the lights are so bright but they never blind me"

this song is optimistic & bright & so is hueningkai imo!!

the energy he brings is just so 🤩 (esp in blue hour) & I can see him being the guy to romanticize a new city

also, I love this song & disagree with the haters 🤌

beomgyu as all you had to do is stay

"had me in the palm of your hand, then why'd you have to go and lock me out when I let you in?"

this is wild card that's based mostly on the production rather than the lyrics

this song makes me think of loserxlover or 0x1=lovesong era beomgyu though. no justification just vibes.

yeonjun as wildest dreams

"he's so tall & handsome as hell, he's so bad but he does it so well"

mmmmmm is it mostly for being hot? maybe. but also...try telling me it doesn't match him

it's just such a powerful song production-wise as well & I think it matches him!!

I can just imagine yeonjun being the type that you date knowing he'll leave you in the end or that it won't work out (plz star in a movie with me yeonjun)

I debated giving him style & giving sunghoon wildest dreams instead but I think this works better in my head...lmk what you think!

taehyun as I know places

"let them say what they want, we won't hear it"

I gave taehyun delicate before and I think I have the same reason for choosing I know places.

"he’ll put effort into his image, but when it comes to his family, friends, & relationships—yeah that’s none of ur business 😤😤" it still applies!

it's more urgent than delicate though, which somehow fits taehyun even better in my head.

soobin as clean

"rain came pouring down when I was drowning, that's when I could finally breathe"

once, I wrote a fic about soobin inspired by butterflies by kacey musgraves (that will never see the light of day again) & I chose it for a similar reason—soobin would be great boyfriend.

clean is about finally getting over a toxic situation (specifically a relationship) & soobin, imo, would feel like this song does. a relief.

enhypen version ☆ lover version ☆ masterlist

[thesherrinfordfacility]

Good morning/afternoon/evening! Three things:

If Crowley is crucified Jesus does that make Aziraphale Judas? You sort of touched on the option in your Fall spec but what about if it's referring to something in s3's modern scenes?

I don't really want the time travel/Book of Life/unreliable narrator theory to be true - I love unreliable narrators, so that could work depending on how it's done, I suppose... but in general I feel like that'd retcon too much of this season? - but I'm beginning to think there could be something to it. It's not just the okay-human-hair-does-grow sideburns and the well-there-could-have-been availability-issues-maybe-Crowley-just-changed-his-style sunglasses which you could handwave away. The shape of his Resurrectionist sideburns and the length of his Job hair seem to change as well - you know, the fricken fake hair that someone needed to deliberately change? There's *something* strange going on...

I forgot to save a link to a - I think Google Docs - meta picking apart the opening sequence and now I've lost it. I was wondering/hoping maybe you or one of your followers knew where it was or even just where I could look? Thank you!

Oh wait, four things. Thanks for all your amazing speculation, it's really enjoyable to read. And I'm glad you said you think season 3 will happen because I have no doubt it'll good but I'd feel much better if it was confirmed, so it's nice to see people being optimistic about it!

good afternoon anon!!!☀️ (afternoon for me, anyway!!!) and thank you so much, it's honestly always so nice to hear that my screams into what feels like a void sometimes do actually land somewhere!!!

re: google doc, the only one im aware of is the Magic Trick You Didn't See analysis, but not sure if this is what you're after... can anyone else help?

as for the rest of your ask: couple of tasty things to talk about here, so let's goooo!!!

i think it could be an interesting concept, aziraphale choosing to betray AWCW pre-fall in the interest of protecting - in his mind - the sanctity of heaven. it certainly would be a fitting bridge, imo, in tone and atmosphere between the pre-fall scene and the wall of eden scene. that being said, i think the analogy would have to be handled quite delicately given the general belief that judas was motivated by greed, or political gain*, and im not entirely convinced that GO would be influenced so literally by scripture, even if allegorically - aziraphale = judas / crowley = jesus could feel a bit... on the nose.

*though, if you consider psalms and john, there is the understanding that jesus chose judas as one of his disciples in order to fulfil prophecy which given that i anticipate there will be a further exploration of free will in GO, this could have fascinating Implications✨

but the thing is: the above only really works narratively, in my opinion, if there is an element of unreliable narratorship and memory modification. if crowley remembered that aziraphale hypothetically dobbed him in, i can't quite believe he would be so cordial, or seem as innocent, as he was on the wall. that, to me, screams that he doesn't remember all of the fall specifically (and his conflicting/piecemeal recollections of why and how he fell in s1 would make sense), at which point there would need to be an element of memory erasure.

as for the source of the memory erasure (and anon, im writing this on the assumption that you haven't read all of my musings, so forgive me if im repeating shit youve already read!), this is where i think i think the BOL comes in. i think the whole wording around 'cease to exist' - upon being erased from the BOL - potentially refers to angels losing memories of their angelic self.

however, the issue with this is that we have crowley and beelzebub both remember snippets of their time as angels (funnily enough, when talking about 'extreme sanctions' to frighten the younger angels). so, whether the BOL in fact erases memory, or if instead it erases angelic grace, i think regardless it has to have something to do with the sentence of falling.

im not a huge fan of memory-wipe plot devices for the same reason you've said - i think it removes too much character accountability - but the allusions to it in respect of crowley in s2 are too much to ignore, so there must be a grain of truth to it. and we know heaven has the power to do it - they outright plan to erase gabriel's memories in ep6.

all of that being said, however - i personally don't subscribe to the 'metatron has been fucking about with reality and memory and has been rewriting it using the BOL' theory. personally (and this doesn't mean i wouldnt be 100% on board with it if it turns out to be the case), i think it's a little too convoluted, even if it does explain the sideburn/hair length/sunglasses shenanigans.

i hasten to add here that even i am not fully behind my own time-travel batshit theory, because it doesn't really make a whole lot of sense and is similarly ridiculously convoluted, but i do think there has to be an in-story explanation for these discrepancies (ie. it's nothing to do with wardrobe choices or dt's filming schedule).

the fact that only (iirc) crowley is affected by this weirdness however is compelling, because lbr; who would care enough about crowley himself for there to be any fuckery where his specific narrative is concerned? well, that only leaves aziraphale and crowley himself*.

i have to admit that i need to examine the job and resurrectionist minisodes closer to see which specific scenes show the discrepancies (and possibly look at the 1941 minisode to boot), but the thing is - we know that crowley has the power to affect time. messing about with his own timeline, possibly in a bid to protect aziraphale (?) or prevent him going back to heaven, would account for a lot of his lines and his decisions in s2, and to my mind would account also for the very suspicious colour grading in s2: what is posed as a non-diegetic might in fact be the opposite, and the reason why we're seeing so much yellow and red grading is because it is all literally influenced by crowley's power himself... essentially, we could be seeing a colour signature of his power.

*i know metatron could be in this list; he obviously remembers him and bears a grudge, but im not convinced at this point that he is that threatened by him. he is able to separate crowley and aziraphale rather easily by social engineering - i think timeline/reality manipulation would be a bit overkill...

alternatively (and i can't take credit for this, this was my bf*), could it be that aziraphale in his new status as supreme archangel goes back to try and prevent AWCW falling? crowley rejects his offer of restoration (quite rightly), but aziraphale wants to prevent the pain that follows his fall, fully believing that he didn't deserve it, and goes back to the pre-fall scene to prevent AWCW asking questions?

that would explain in some sense why aziraphale seems to have a concept of punishment during this scene (when, to my mind, there's not currently any firm narrative explanation as to why he should). obviously it doesn't work, aziraphale fucking about with time - and trying to influence/retcon past free will - and AWCW is made to fall as punishment on aziraphale (hence scapegoating AWCW). this in turn would explain why crowley doesn't seem to know why he fell; he 'only asked questions'.

*both bf and i understand that there are a lot of loopholes in this (we were just spitballing about your ask, anon!) and im personally not sold on it because of what it could implicate for the wider narrative, plus it doesn't quite make sense re: the colour grading, the changes in crowley's appearance etc, but it is a valid speculation and could hold some weight... would probably need to think on it more to see if it is more plausible than im currently giving it credit for!!!

just a couple of ideas, and nothing that i firmly believe!!! i think one of these days, because all of my speculations link in together, i might need to write it all up into one long essay - but until that day, i love answering asks like this that make me think more on themes and allegory, and speculate on s3 - frankly, still in the wake of s2, it's what's keeping me going!✨

[commiecricket]

Candela Obscura S2 - Thoughts So Far

Spoiler-Free!

i had the pleasure of seeing the premiere in theatres and it was PHENOMENAL. im gonna get right into it.

first off! you don’t necessarily have to watch the first season. i think you’ll have a bit of a better grasp on things and it’s also just fucking fantastic so i highly recommend. but no, you don’t have to in order to enjoy this campaign.

everyone embodies their characters so well. you can absolutely feel the love and detail put into them. you can feel them getting into their roles as the episode goes on and by the end, you’re completely attached.

it definitely starts off a lot quicker than season 1. we get right into the good stuff with a cold open directly to action. it starts off strong and ends with a bang.

HELL of a first episode, i’ll tell you that.

the vibe is definitely different from matthew mercer’s campaign. spenser has a unique GM style that took a minute to get used to. threwe off a bit at first, but i think it fits the narrative so far.

i pulled together an auggie cosplay just for the hell of it. did some makeup inspired by s1e3 and got dolled up in my best paperboy attire.

unfortunately i was literally the only one dressed up (+ my sibling in just general dark academia clothing). i also had to walk around a very busy store beforehand. so that was a bit awkward but honestly, i was so excited i didn’t care.

all in all, it was incredible. if you enjoyed the first season or are into any kind of body horror or thrillers, give it a try.

and now.. for the details.

SPOILERS under the cut!

i cant wait to see more of their backstories. im super happy with the amount of backstory we got this episode. not too much or too little. just enough to be intriguing and get you invested, while still leaving some mystery.

starting the episode into immediate action was a bit off putting, ngl. i was startled by the pretty significant difference in how spenser is GMs in contrast to matt. i adore his play style but it took a second to get used to. as the episode progressed i could tell it was working really well for this campaign, which is pleasing.

im immediately drawn to sean and marion. i loved auggie and have a fixation on newsies so i obviously have a specific character type i enjoy LMAO. their personalities and interactions with everyone are fantastic.

the PTSD-flashback-type scenes were a great addition imo. it added a lot to their characters. plus that interaction when marion gets his scar? 100/10, gorgeous, tore me apart. i will be watching that scene again when it gets posted and that is a threat.

marion’s breakdown shattered my heart and the other party members had such interesting reactions. im hoping we have more moments like that sprinkled throughout.

of course i love everyone so far. auntie b’s complex history with each party member, nathaniel’s bits of family history, jean’s struggle beginning to shine through, sean’s internal battle with trauma / vague history, marion’s conflict with his own abilities… its all so good.

needless to say i think we’re going to be fed well this season.

my sibling was crying during a few parts but i only really teared up when jean said goodbye to her dad. i knew it was coming but damn it still tugged at my heartstrings.

that entire last scene was just so. GOOD. the entire theatre was losing their fucking minds. you could hear whispering, gasping, nervous giggling. jean’s gilded 6 was wild.

my favorite part of the night was probably when jean was investigating the body and pulled an eye from his heart. as spenser revealed what she found, a loud cough/hacking sound came from the back of the theatre.

you could tell it was probably just a coincidence but after a few seconds of silence people started to laugh. it was just a silly moment that made me really appreciate the atmosphere. as someone who rarely watches films in theatre (or at all tbh), it was a pleasant experience.

anyway i fucking LOVE co and have not stopped thinking about it since the last season ended. so i am very obviously hyped. cant wait to see whats next!

spenser sparke, taliesin jaffe, chris lockey, shaun ellis, matthew mercer, the party members of both seasons, and everyone else who has had a hand in this series — thank you. youve created something viscerally beautiful.

[cigaretterivals]

DSMP Rivals and Fighting Game Archetypes

Also relating to the last post because now I have fighting game brainrot, its been a handful of years since I was more interested in a few of them but I've always been a sucker for the character archetypes

You already have plenty of locations that you can choose from for the maps considering the entire dsmp map is your oyster in that regard. Community house, L'manburg, Las Nevadas, Artic Commune, etc etc you get what I mean. Pandora's Vault could definitely be thrown in there as well and whether its inside or outside would be up to how much room exactly you would need but I think main cell could be feasible imo

I'm not the most WELL versed in the actual specific archetypes, also because some characters are either super niche or feel like they could overlap multiple archetypes (and the websites im looking at are bombarding me with ads) so we're gonna take all this in a lighthearted fun way okay? perfect, anyway

c!Dream is either a rushdown archetype OR hes hit & run. I'm more inclined to say rushdown soley for the fact that Dream feels very much like he would come with a moveset that rewards juggling your opponent with long complicated combos. He would probably have a good reset ability, and his character would be the reason the game has a burst mechanic so that you don't get stuck in an endless loop of getting your ass kicked (unless you get baited into that burst which is the worst thing ever esp when you can practically hear the clown music in the background)

However combos can't last forever, and to keep things fair, his heavy hitters would most likely be something that launches his opponents away from him. Dealing stronger damage, but also giving the opponent a chance to regroup away from his onslaught until rushdown characters do what they do best

I'm inclined to say he probably wouldn't have a projectile move, if it worked with his kit he could have one maaaaaaaybe two as a treat, but for the most part his utility comes out of getting up close and personal. Aka he would not be having a fun time against zoning characters

Special move wise I can't think of many specifics right now, but for almost all of the characters they would probably be references just cause I think that's fun. One of them would have to be related to the revive book because how could it not be, and the others could even be references to some of his best manhunt moments if you're in the camp that believes manhunt is canon to the dsmp (which I personally am)

c!Techno is a bit trickier because his fan interpretation really depends on whether or not you picture him as a hybrid with a more human appearance OR if you go full piglin/hoglin. You could also have your "both is good" moment by having him start off with the more human looking hybrid form and have his Piglin form be one of his special abilities. Going with that version though would most likely make Techno an Install archetype (or even Stance? Listen these ones were too complicated for me in case it wasn't obvious yet I played characters that either hit fast or hit hard)

But Stance or Install aside, I'm a bit torn on his actual moveset/ combo ability. Techno often tanks a lot of hits because he makes up for his physical lack of a shield by use of potions to keep him up and running and increasing his damage output (which could fit into the Stance archetype if he had a move that essentially let him power up by giving him a potion ability? Or would that be more like a Charge character?)

Giving him a secendary archetype after Install/Stance he would probably be a Punisher or Reversal or whatever the archetype is called for when he's stuck in a block chain but the second the opponent fucks up and drops that chain he's able to jump on that oppurtunity and absolutely ruin the other persons day. I also like how it feels like it plays well into his "I shall repay that injustice a thousand times over." general vibe. Not a defensive fighting style, but one that does play more into countering an ongoing attack vs being the one immediately on the offensive. While his combos would deal a lot of damage, to balance that out I would say he doesn't have good juggle/reset ability so he eventually needs to back off to recoup and wait for his next moment of oppurtunity.

Special moves again not really sure, like the most my brain can come up with right now is him absolutely chucking a human sized potato into his opponent. Other than that his 3-5 meter special could also be wither related

c!Tubbo is a zoner you can't tell me that little shit is not spamming the HELL out of the stage with bombs and mini nukes and bees and who knows what else tell me I'm wrong.

If I get more fighting game thoughts for any of the other characters I'll probably be back but thats all for now k thanks <3

[suns-blood]

Hey. Hey, do you want to hear about hair, cars and twenty one pilots? Great, then click keep reading you won't be disappointed I prommy

(This is a brain vomit of theories / analyses i have bouncing around in my brain like the DVD logo)

Zoroastrianism

This religion I've seen mentioned only like twice in the clique which is just such a shame bc I love the ties it has with vialism.

Anyway the basic rundown is that Zoroastrianism is a religion that originated from 4000 years ago. It was practiced in the middle east by persians. It is one of the oldest (if not the oldest) monotheistic religions and one of the core beliefs is related to the duality of good and evil*, which has been prevalent in tøp's music since fucking self titled. I am not saying zoroastrianism has influenced Tyler since fucking high school??? However I think this is another case of them utilising irl concepts that have similarities with their lore (the other case being nicolas bourbaki). The duality of good and evil is a popular concept, so this is most likely a coincidence. However what is not a coincidence are the towers of silence.

*(It has a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheistic-style ontology; meaning that the religion's eschatology predicts the ultimate triumph of good over evil.) -Wikipedia. Yes I'm using Wikipedia as a source, I'm not doing anything scientific, it's fine.

The towers of silence

...Also known as Dakhma. And what is the city in Trench called? That's right. Dema. This whole time I thought dema was based on the word "demon" which fits the narrative as well, however the parallels between vialism and zoroastrianism are unmistakable.

Below are excerpts from the "rationale" section from the corresponding Wikipedia article bc i don't see a point in rewording it.

"Zoroastrian tradition considers human cadavers and animal corpses (in addition to cut hair and nail parings) to be nasu, i.e. unclean, polluting.[1][2][3] Specifically, Nasu the corpse demon (daeva), is believed to rush into the body and contaminate everything it comes into contact with.[3][11]

To preclude the pollution of the sacred elements: earth (zām), water (āpas), and fire (ātar), the bodies of the dead are placed at the top of towers and there exposed to the sun and to scavenging birds and necrophagous animals such as wild dogs.[1][2][3] "

That, I believe, is the function for the towers in Dema as well. The bishops dispose of bodies they've used that way (through seizing, which is marked by yellow eyes. that way we know that the show hosts in good day dema were actually bishops and that the bishops sometimes take control of dead vultures)

Admittedly this connection was made by Dema in yt so go check them. They great lore/recap videos. Specifically the video on vultures.

However unlike zoroastrians, the vialists do mark their graves. More specifically with neon gravestones and they don't consider elements like fire to be holy. Neon lights are a great contrast to the bandito's love of fire. I believe we don't have the bishops' opinion on fire, but it is heavily associated with banditos so i doubt they'd consider it holy.

What is more interesting to me is the sentence about cut hair being consistent impure.

The hair

So considering the similarities between the role of vultures, the towers and everything else, we can assume that shaving your head is an act of rebellion from the rule of vialism. That theory is supported by the aforementioned belief in zoroastrianism and the fact that in "levitate" it is the banditos who shave tyler's/clancy's head.

That theme is, imo, also reflected in the music video for car radio, which is pre-lore, however most themes in the lore have been there since self titled. (For another example, cars. We will get to that.).

In that video it is tyler who shaves his own head and if my theory is correct then it symbolises him ridding himself of his negative thoughts (that will later become to be symbolised by blurryface who will later become his own character)(I told you the themes in the lore were not new)

In the music video for "levitate" the banditos shave Tyler's/Clancy's head. This is a clear parallel to his community/friends/etc helping him get rid of his negative thoughts.

The other explanation for the importance of those moments would be that cutting/shaving your head is also often done when someone is going through a change/wants to change their life.

I also heard it in a another post that Tyler has once again shaved his head. This aligns with my theory that Clancy is returning to Dema, but not of deceit or desperation, but intentionally, though i think we can all agree that this is pretty much canon. The other thing to note here is that all of the red we've been seeing has been a lot more orange (in general) than the red from the blurryface era (in general) and i believe that to be bc of this era's proximity to fire. Fire symbolises life, how real and unpredictable it can be, which is juxtaposed to neon lights, as mentioned.

Nicolas Bourbaki

Staying on the topic of dema/the bishops, i wanted to mention nicolas bourbaki. I have no big revelations regarding this one, though i assume i have missed some larger meaning as to why they added so many references to them.

So, Nicolas Bourbaki is the name of a group of french mathematicians active in the 1930s. Their purpose was to write and publish textbooks and the name they published from under was Nicoals Bourbaki. To my understanding it wasn't known that Bourbaki consisted of multiple people. Many so-to-speak faceless entities working as one, under one goal is how you could also describe the bishops, however i assume the fact that there were 9 of them is not hidden.

One of the fields they studied was, get it, topology. In university of waterloo's words (bc i am wayyy to stupid to fully understand it):

"Topology studies properties of spaces that are invariant under any continuous deformation. It is sometimes called "rubber-sheet geometry" because the objects can be stretched and contracted like rubber, but cannot be broken. For example, a square can be deformed into a circle without breaking it, but a figure 8 cannot. Hence a square is topologically equivalent to a circle, but different from a figure 8."

I believe topology is the inspiration for morph. That is also the song where they namedrop Bourbaki so the connections are pretty obvious. I won't do a whole ass analysis of the song rn, i'll do that when i vivisect the entire album like i did with self titled (the document ended up being like 17 pages long).

Anyway the general idea of morph is that becoming someone else is a defense mechanism. It is a way to avoid(?) the bishops because in that song he admits he cannot avoid the bishops' (his fears) and that he will be someone else in the meanwhile, perhaps someone better.

That ties into very nicely of my own personal theory regarding whether Tyler is Clancy or not. I believe that Tyler is Clancy the same way that Tyler is blurryface. Those are his best/worst sides separated from Tyler and turned into their own characters. So in that way Tyler is Clancy but Clancy and Tyler are not the same person, so Clancy is not Tyler in his entirety and the same goes for blurryface. Basically none of us are our worst/best qualities alone, and you cannot compare someone to the distilled good/bad versions of them.

I've also seen people on reddit theorize that Tyler is becoming Clancy, that Clancy was another person that lost to the bishops and Tyler is simply taking over his role as the leader of the Banditos and I really like that theory. It works so well with Tyler and Clancy still being sort of different people but in a way that the I am Clancy video still makes sense.

(Btw for the life of me i cannot figure out where i read it but i remembering seeing somewhere that the bourbaki group were the ones that started using the ø use which is a nice detail)

Car symbolism

This will be a condensed version of 17 page long self titled analysis (which i might clean up and release someday idk)

I just need to talk about cars bc they're still prevalent.

Cars, as a whole, are metaphors for our lives. There are many many lyrics that support this idea in St specifically but also quite likely in other albums however I've yet to look through those. I think cars are a another metaphor that have just stuck around and are still not a proof that Tyler has been loring since 2009.

In a car, a torch, a death we have the lines "I begin to envy the headlights driving south". He is jealous of people who get to direct their lives towards positivity. It's been a while since my analysis of this album so forgive my memory, but I do believe south has the same connotations as light/mornings/sun. I won't do a line by line but this song is about protecting someone from depression and because of that devotion Tyler doesn't get to go where everyone else goes. That is the main song where the car metaphors stem from I think, however another one is the heavydirtysoul music video.

Now that we've established that cars are people's lives it is obvious that in that mv it is not tyler who is in control of his life (car), it is depression (nico). The video ends with the car on fire. It would be reasonable to assume that his life is a wreck, a dumpster fire but to that I say no. That is a good thing. Because after all, did we not establish fire to be good? To symbolise escape from dema? His life being engulfed in flames means that he is alive, he's actively interacting with the world around him because fire is active and neon lights are passive. As are cars simply driving by. That, I believe, is also the symbolism of burning cars during trench era live shows.

Another thing. Look at the jumpsuit mv. It begins with tyler jumping on the burnt car and saying "we've been here the whole time. You we're asleep, time to wake up." And the car bursting into flames. The car got engulfed by flames and however destructive they may be, they are active. The car literally woke up. Then the entire music video happens and at the end we get a continuation of the scene at the beginning because the pilots love cycles/circular narratives nearly as much as I do. At the end tyler opens the trunk and grabs the bandito jacket. He had to return to his old life, the one that was controlled by the bishops, to find the necessary equipment to go forward.

Anyway thank you all for coming to my NEDtalk, I just needed to get these out of my head and I don't rlly see anyone else talking about these theories. If you have anything to correct me on, add on to, or just share your opinion on, I implore you to do so.

[wheelie-butch]

how did you get involved with your wheelchair rugby group? there are a few in my area but i am not quite sure if i'm supposed to just like, email them? ask if they're doing anything soon and if so can i show up? i'm a most-of-the-time wheelchair user for over a year now and i'd like to get connected to things like that but i guess i don't know what to expect (and i've not been diagnosed with whatever my issue is yet so i'm using a hospital-style chair still, not exactly sporty but i've modified it as much as possible to make it work better). i am really missing being active & would love to be in touch with my local disabled community

ooh that's so exciting you're close to a few! I'm incredibly lucky my club is literally 10 mins down the road but some of my teammates travel hours.

I joined my club back in about September, I just messaged their facebook page asking how to get involved and they told me to just come along to their Saturday training to try it out. Now I'm more experienced I go to their Tuesday night training as well. I think most clubs have a casual and a more intense training. I'm sure email would work just as well, just let them know that you're looking to join a club and interested in a taster session!

At my club you get a couple of sessions free before you need to get a memberships and insurance so I was able to try it out but I knew from the start it was going to work well :) We get new people coming along every few weeks I'd say, usually they're just paired up with me because I'm still mostly doing fairly basic beginner stuff. At my club everyone's very friendly and respectful and welcoming to beginners, I hope the clubs by you will be the same :)

Don't worry about your chair, you won't be using a day chair, the club should have specialist rugby chairs you can use. They're reinforced and designed for the contact, it wouldn't be safe to use a day chair. And honestly, if you've been using a hospital chair please go and try it out so you can see how fun these chairs are, they're huge and go so fast compared to a hospital chair it's amazing! Whenever I get to training at the end of the week and get in my chair I just start doing laps around the hall because I'm excited to be back in it, it feels like putting on running legs after being stuck going slow all week :)

The main thing I can think of to expect is that it's really damn hard work at first. I'd had my chair for about 3 months when I started and I thought that had improved my strength but that was nothing compared to playing. It's a lot of muscles you don't use in your daily life, even using a day chair, and the chairs are heavy and it's a high intensity game. Especially if you haven't been as active as you used to be, it might feel a bit discouraging at first to get tired out and sore so quickly. I still get upset with myself when I struggle at sessions. But it really builds up your strength and fitness fast, and it's so much fun I really think it's worth the hard work! I just really wasn't prepared for how tough I found it at first, especially when the professionals look so effortless with it.

It's also a mentally intensive game, you have to think tactically all the time and pay attention for the whole duration because things change so fast. I found that type of concentration really tough at first. It's honeslty only the past few months I've started feeling like I know what I'm doing during games. Again, I don't mean to be discouraging or anything I more mean like it might seem like a lot at first but you definitely get through that initial confusion and have even more fun than the start!

in conclusion yeah it's a super fun sport, it'll really help your fitness & day to day life using a wheelchair too tbh, and honestly finding a good community of disabled people is just as important as the sport imo :) I really hope you give it a go and I'd love to hear how you find it! Please dm or send more asks if there's anything more specific I can help you with!

[bigskydreaming]

Tbh, that last reblog about “woman compulsively overshares but somehow people still don’t know anything about her” actually sums up Dick Grayson very well IMO.

Because its one of the easiest and most subtle ways for people to keep secrets:

Convince people you HAVE no secrets or the capacity to keep them.

I can readily see Dick as someone who habitually almost overwhelms people with random information about himself, his day, his past, in such a way that they almost start to tune him out when he launches into some random anecdote......while most people aren’t likely to think too much about the fact that still the only information actually being shared is information Dick is WILLING to share.

And when you freely volunteer information that you can’t see as possible to use against you or have no reason to protect or not give up, but as much to use it as a smokescreen as because of any real reason to share it....you retain full control of what information you do and DON’T share, and its kinda a preemptive defense. If Dick’s always freely volunteering information about himself or his life without anyone even having to ask.....most people aren’t likely to ever realize that its equally true that they’re never really even getting the CHANCE to ask SPECIFIC questions in search of specific answers.

Even someone actively looking to use Dick as an information source or think he has some info they want to get out of him, like, upon seeing how freely and casually he talks about himself....is likely to be more inclined to sit back and wait, erring on the side of doing nothing to reveal any particular interest they might have in learning any specific information from Dick....instead banking on the fact that with this guy running his mouth as freely as he does, all they really have to do is wait and he’ll lead them close to what they’re trying to learn and they can just hone in from there all without ever revealing their hand.

Meanwhile, Dick’s just leading them on a merry conversational chase that isn’t likely to ever get anywhere NEAR any kind of actual sensitive information, because just because he gives off the IMPRESSION that there’s no subject he won’t talk about or keep hidden, he never at any point is actually oblivious to what he’s divulging and is really just keeping up a steady patter of seemingly innocuous conversation that’s actually intended as a never-ending maze of conversational red herrings. Keeping people eternally on the hook and thinking they’re about to hear some juicy intel but always skipping juuuuust shy of giving anyone anything Dick doesn’t actually want them to know.

Its the feint within a feint idea. Even the most secretive people have varying DEGREES of secrets. Even the most guarded individuals have layers of things they consider to be greater vulnerabilities than other lesser ones.

Someone like Dick, I imagine, might be likely to view even varying levels of conversation as something like a chess match. Where the goal isn’t necessarily to keep someone from ever learning ANYTHING about him, but rather just to keep them from realizing they’re only ever earning exactly what he wants them to know and not a thing more. 

The goal isn’t to ‘win,’ but rather to just ensure that one’s conversational opponent never actually realizes they’ve ‘lost’.....even if sometimes the best way to do that, from Dick’s POV, is to offer up a sacrificial pawn, let them have an ACTUAL secret of his, or learn of an ACTUAL vulnerability he’d rather not disclose....but that BY disclosing or giving up.....he’s able to steer them away from his greater secrets or vulnerabilities. As instead they leave the conversation thinking they’ve ferreted out what it is they were there to learn or get out of him, while in reality he only put up just enough of a ‘fight’ or ‘chase’ to sell them on the idea that they accomplished something he didn’t want them to, or they pulled one over on HIM, learned something he didn’t want them to....and in doing so, allows them to ‘walk away’ with a sense of accomplishment, their goal already succeeded at, all without realizing that there was a much greater treasure trove of secrets or vulnerabilities that still lay ahead....with its greatest protection being that people think they’ve already found all there is to find and thus turn back before ever looking deeper just in case there might be more.

Essentially....its just another version of the Brucie act. Keeping people from investigating the deepest parts of a person by leading them to believe they just have very little depth to begin with.

But while Bruce’s version of this tactic is to shroud himself with the illusion of being a very shallow body of water, with so little depth you can see all the way to the bottom just from the surface, and thus turn away because you’re convinced there’s literally nothing TO see there, because if so you’d already have been able to see it with a glance.....the ultimate bluff....

Dick’s version of this tactic is to hide his secrets in a maze that people never realize is a maze, because he presents himself as more than willing, even eager, to act as a tour guide and show them around the place himself, take them right to whatever it is they want to know.....but all while steering them down a self-chosen path that keeps clear of all the more intricate and better-defended parts of the maze.

And so ensures the people ‘exploring it’ never actually get a clear view of how much bigger and more complex it is than they’re even being ALLOWED to notice.....the ultimate misdirection.

I think it fits both their overall personalities and even is reflected in their combat styles too.

Bruce is of course a master of misdirection himself, but his approach tends to be more brazen. He bulldozes through expectations and hides his true motivations or thoughts or feelings beneath the cover of the massive, distracting debris he throws up wildly in his wake, everyone too busy gawking at the DISPLAY he’s given them to witness and speculate and gossip about, to realize that it was all just a carefully constructed diversion meant to keep people too occupied to notice the real work going on just down the street.

Whereas Dick learned both from Bruce teaching him how to hide his secrets and keep things like his identity well guarded, and from watching Bruce put his teachings into action himself at gala after gala and even when interacting with his peers in the Justice League at times....

But just as with his combat style and Robin and Nightwing personas, Dick also flavored his own approach to misdirection by pulling from his origins and utilizing a more performative technique that isn’t as much aimed at crafting an immersive ILLUSION for his true thoughts or motivations to hide behind, but rather is aimed at crafting a more interactive SHOW, complete with audience participation, to put on as a cover for his true thoughts and motivations....where just like a performer calls on spectators to participate and thus help demonstrate how ‘real’ the performance actually is.....the true obfuscation lies in how the performer never actually loses control of the narrative he’s constructed in such a way as to build towards an inevitable ‘big finish’ even while allowing and ASKING for total strangers to play a part along the way.

Its an interesting dichotomy to me, how Dick and Bruce can be so similar even in their guardedness, but still distinct when you hone in on things like the nuts and bolts of how they go ABOUT guarding their most secret selves.

[francy-sketches]

if it was possible to organize an asoiaf map and actually have enough animators to make one, what song or other audio would you want used? i’ve always thought an agot map to house of the rising sun would be very slayful

ooo good question! I've actually been thinking about this kind of a lot so *rubs my little hands together*

ok so first of all we gotta be a bit realistic about the fandom's capabilites lol (yes this is all hypothetical but I like to delude myself imagine something actuall doable) so right away full animation is off the table bc ideally I'd want it to be accessible to as many people as possible and there's so many great artists in this fandom who aren't animators.

I think my ideal is pmv style since then it's just a matter knowing how to separate layers to tween them and that's a lot easier to do than frame by frame animation (also some minor tweening goes a long way to not make the thing look like a wmm slideshow lmao)

Also it should probably be something...all encompassing? like not focusing on a specific character is what I mean. Maybe focusing on just one book at most damn i gotta give up my 7 minute preston greenfield map 😔

SO with all that, gotta pick something that fits both :]

Willow tree march gives me agot-asos vibes, I actually had a pretty solid animatic idea for this one but. I have too many projects already there's no way I could do it on my own rip

Dust bowl dance is another one I think could fit acok-asos, I dont have as much of a clear vision for this one but it's definitely got the vibe imo

You doesn't really have much of an asoiaf vibe but I think it could work in a "pick a bit to draw your favorite angsty moment with" lol. also it's very slow paced so perfect for subtle tweening haha

King and lionheart also has those asoiaf vibes but idk how well it could work as a map, especially with limited animation bc it gets pretty intense. a lot of of monsters and men's songs in general have asoiaf vibes i thing so idk maybe one of those

uhhh kind of drawing a blank rn these are the only ones I can think of if anyone has any suggestions i'd love to hear them 👀 if nothing else just to find new music lol

anyway thanks for coming to my ted talk stream 2009 warrior cat amvs for clear skin 💅

[makeste]

Lately I’ve been hearing people talking about BNHA’s editor, but I don’t really understand it? Could you please have a go at explaining it?

okay so first off, just a quick overview on what a manga editor is/does for anyone who’s not aware or has only a vague idea. basically, they more or less oversee the manga, and work with the mangaka to give them feedback on the story and the layout and the pacing and so forth. a good editor will make sure the series stays true to the mangaka’s vision, but will tweak things to make sure the story meets the publisher’s standards, and just generally help keep the story on track. (this is a pretty good video to watch to get a better idea of the weekly manga creation process in general. incidentally that’s one of my favorite Youtube channels and I highly recommend the "day in the life" series if you have any kind of interest in Japan in general; it’s really good and weirdly calming and addictive lol).

different editors have different styles and are good at different things; for instance certain editors may be more hands-on and involved, while others might be more chill and laid-back and pretty much let the mangaka do their own thing. the former might pair well with a mangaka who’s just starting out and needs more guidance, whereas the latter might work better with mangaka who already have a lot of experience and are more sure of themselves. a lot of care goes into making sure the editor and mangaka are a good match, and it’s not unusual for long-running series to have multiple editors as time goes on. a good editor can help elevate a series and filter out bad ideas and really raise the quality of the work; bt on the flip side of the coin, really bad editors can and have been responsible for terrible decisions that have all but ruined stories at times.

anyway, so BnHA has had I think four editors to date. most of what I know about them I gleaned from this interview tbh.

Koike Hitoshi, who was the editor from June 2013 to June 2014

Monji Kengo, who was the editor from June 2014 to December 2017

Yoritomi Ryosuke, who was editor from December 2017 to September 2020

and most recently Taguchi Hikaru, who took over as editor in September 2020 and is the current editor today

moving on to the actual ask now at last, so when you say “lately I’ve been hearing people talking about BnHA’s editor”, I assume you’re referring to the fact that parts of the fandom aren’t entirely happy with Taguchi’s job as editor thus far. so those complaints mostly seem to be centered around three things:

the pacing (although to be fair I’ve seen complaints about the pacing being both too fast and too slow, so I don’t necessarily put a lot of stock in this one)

the increased focus on action/fighting

and lastly and most specifically, an increase in sensationalized storytelling in the form of each chapter having some new big flashy draw (sexy new characters, dramatic plot twists, fancy new quirks, etc.), and a marked increase in cliffhangers, whether they fit in naturally with the story or not

these are all things that editors have a lot of influence over, so there’s definitely some validity to these complaints. although to be fair, a lot of these are also very subjective, and we also have no way of knowing which decisions have come from Taguchi and which have come from Horikoshi. for a lot of people though, Horikoshi has obviously earned more benefit of the doubt than Taguchi has, especially since the previous series Taguchi edited, Samurai 8, was a pretty big flop. (though from what I’ve heard, I’m inclined to put most of the blame for that elsewhere; Jump was basically hoping lightning would strike twice and that the series would succeed just from having Kishimoto Masashi’s name on the cover, but the reality was that it really just wasn’t a very good manga lol.) there’s just not a lot there to inspire confidence, basically, and so he’s an easy target on top of everything else. and apparently one of his comments in an interview (specifically, that the story was going to get even more exciting from here on out) further reinforced those impressions of him putting too much focus on making the series more dramatic and action-y to attract new readers.

all that said, my opinion on the newer chapters isn’t really that negative, and for each chapter that I have disliked (which is mainly 307 lol), there’s been a 284 and a 285 and a 290 and a 299, 301, 302, 306, 310, 312, etc. etc. etc. which I have very much enjoyed (with several of those actually ranking among my favorite chapters ever). so I would say that overall he’s actually been doing a fairly decent job. and I mean, if we’re going to start rating all of the editors based on the worst chapters they’ve ever overseen, then the same editor who was in charge during my two favorite stretches of the manga (83 through 95, and 116 through 121) would be ranked at the bottom of my list because he also happened to be the guy running things during the worst stretches of the Basement arc. or what about Yoritomi, who oversaw the Pro Hero, MVA, and Endeavor Agency arcs, but also permitted Horikoshi to torture us with that one mushroom chapter?? all I’m saying is that all of these guys have had their various low points, lol.

anyways though, that’s basically the short (or my version of “short”) version of the editor stuff as far as I know. all in all, just like with everything else that’s controversial in this fandom, some of the points are reasonable and some are less so imo. the cliffhanger thing is a bit annoying because it’s hard to unsee once you start paying attention to it. but for the most part I think he’s done a decent job thus far, especially given the huge momentum shifts he’s had to preside over, not to mention the fact that the transition happened in the midst of a pandemic.

all said and done, I’m pretty satisfied, and especially given how long of a tenure the previous two editors had, I think he deserves more time to prove himself before we start making final judgments. I mean, not that our opinions make an iota of difference anyway lol, but still.

[white-tulips]

well, since it’s 5 in the morning I think now’s the perfect time to ramble about my thoughts re: OMORI vs Yume Nikki game design, Black Space, and how trying to copy something successful kind of sets you up for missing the mark 

these are thoughts I’ve been stewing in since january, I don’t want people to forget that I have a lot of opinions about OMORI as a game

(firstly, I’m sorry if this is all over the place or not worded well. it is 5AM)

I’ll preface this by saying that these are merely my opinions. I’m specifically going to be focusing on one aspect of game design here, so if you’re curious about any of my other OMORI game design opinions they’re scattered around my blog and are not hard to find tbh

okay so my thoughts about this are mostly Black Space exclusive, and considering that’s one of the climaxes of the game this might be a bit of a spicy subject to talk about KJFGHKFJG but I am passionate about good game design okay. especially in psychological horror RPG games. (also throwing out there jic that I don’t think OMORI is a bad psychological horror. pls reference this post) 

(also want to say that I genuinely like Black Space. okay? okay)

so this was something that I was talking about with a couple of friends back when I first finished OMORI around the beginning of january. actually, at this point I hadn’t even played Yume Nikki yet, but when I did finally play it recently my thoughts on this were 100% solidified

essentially, our thoughts on this can be boiled down to how Black Space was trying too hard to be Yume Nikki, but didn’t grasp exactly what made Yume Nikki so impactful in the first place

obviously taking inspiration from something you like and wanting to rework it into your own creation is normal, good, and even encouraged! however, the most crucial thing with that is the “reworking” part.  when being inspired by something, the goal is to take what you loved, and didn’t love, and mold it into something entirely new. it shouldn’t be “well I like this thing, and this thing did it like this so I’ll try to do it like that too” because it’s just not going to work. (this is actually an all around issue I have with OMORI, not just Black Space, but more on that later)

so to me, a good 50% of Black Space came of feeling kind of... eh...? it was like... you have 50% that feels so well thought out and meaningful, and then 50% that’s there just to. be there. and be like Yume Nikki, I guess. even before I played Yume Nikki, I couldn’t even remember some of the rooms in Black Space existed until I replayed it again, which is a shame because Black Space is the type of area where everything should leave an impact

now I want to talk about the game design itself-

Yume Nikki is a game about experiences, and atmosphere. there’s limitless area to explore, so much so that it feels endless. there are so few things to interact with that sometimes it feels like you’re doing nothing at all. all you have is aimlessly wandering these huge areas, taking in the sights, and listening to vague sounds and music in the background that are often just a few seconds of audio played on loop. (this is one of my favorite OST in the game. having this be all you hear for 30 minutes as you walk around in a looping forest really does things to your head)

it uses all of these elements to make you feel lost, confused, and very alone. you’re just trapped in a dream, where even with all the space in the world to explore, the lack of anything to do makes it feel suffocating. even the small area you have in the waking world is designed in such a way that feels cramped and destitute-

Yume Nikki is a perfect example of “less is more” and “show, don’t tell.” 

then take OMORI, which doesn’t really know how to balance those things with it’s tendency to try and shove too much in. for instance, think about the over abundance if NPCs with irrelevant fluff dialogue. it was all too much and so dull it got to a point I stopped reading most of them altogether

(and something important to note I think, is that the general feeling of Yume Nikki is the same throughout the entire game. the tone never really changes, and neither do the expectations. OMORI, however, tends to just drop things on you out of nowhere. and that’s not necessarily a bad thing! it works for a lot of different sections of the game, I’ll say. 

however, Black Space was different. it’s kind of like, it just drops you in there and expects you to understand the way it works, despite the fact that all of the other horror segments lead you to have a completely different set of expectations for what you should be doing/feeling. it’s like shifting you into another game entirely, and it’s almost immersion breaking. up until this point, OMORI was not the same type of “show don’t tell” type of game, so suddenly jumping to attempt to do that can make it lose some of it’s impact)

like I mentioned before, Black Space is designed in a way that’s meant to mimic Yume Nikki. and I think we need to ask ourselves “just because we can do this, does it mean that we should?” again, taking inspiration isn’t a bad thing, but it’s the execution that matters

and here’s where my biggest issue actually lies, I suppose. it’s the fact that OMORI has multiple instances of trying to take inspiration from other things, and failing because it’s trying too hard to copy, not rework. it’s just most obvious because of Black Space, I think. because, like I said before, a good half of Black Space is just trying to be Yume Nikki without giving it any OMORI original flavor, and the fact that it’s trying to be something else is immersive breaking as hell to me

for example, take the red mazes. I don’t think the idea to incorporate it into OMORI was bad, but. you can plainly see when you compare the two maps that nothing was really reworked, made more interesting, or even given a OMORI flavored twist-

(Yume Nikki-1 ; OMORI-2)

another instance is less about the game design itself, but surprising/not-surprisingly, it actually has to do with OST

this is something my friend was telling me, because I myself have not read Umineko, but there are OST in OMORI blatantly trying to mimic songs from that VN, even down to their names

the biggest offender imo is GOLDENVENGEANCE which is a decent song, I won’t say it isn’t, but compare it to it’s Umineko inspiration, Golden Slaughterer 

it’s just another unfortunate instance of “this thing I like is good, so I’ll try to copy it!” with no clear grasp on why it’s successful and it’s disappointing. that’s really the only word I have for it at this point, disappointing

and the reason it’s most disappointing is because of things in OMORI that are obvious inspiration, but were reworked so well

let’s take this other Umineko OST, Worldend Dominator. this is a brilliant song, and it’s really fun to listen to. and, it very clearly inspired beloved World's End Valentine

World’s End Valentine slaps. it’s great. it takes aspects of Worldend Dominator and shifts them around to be a unique and fun piece of music that also fits into OMORI perfectly. 

something important to note about this, is that World’s End Valentine and GOLDENVENGEANCE were written by two different composers. what this makes clear to me is that there were people on the OMORI dev team that were better at reworking ideas than others. because, despite a lot of the criticisms I was talking about, there are things in OMORI that are obvious references that I love and think are great!

like this one, the most pointed out nod to Yume Nikki-

I think it’s great. it’s taking a very memorable bit of imagery from Yume Nikki, and giving it a reference while also giving it it’s own deeper meaning beyond just the aesthetics of it. it’s just good, I love it

and yeah, not all of Black Space feels like one giant copy of Yume Nikki. there are plenty of doors that I think take the same aimless, empty, and unsettling feelings and use them in a new way that feels more grounded in OMORI. my personal favorite door is the “Sunny... I love you.” room. 

actually, funnily enough, the area in OMORI that felt the most like Yume Nikki to me wasn’t in Black Space at all. it was actually the snowy area right before Snowglobe Mountain. something about the vast empty space, simple yet atmospheric OST, and little things to find scattered around just gave me a nice Yume Nikki vibe, but mixed with the OMORI style (hell, the OST there and the one for the snowy area in Yume Nikki even have a pleasantly similar vibe, and not in the “oh this is a copy” way [X] [X])

gosh, I feel like if I keep talking I might end up going in circles more than I already have

hopefully my words made sense!! I’d love if anything I said resonated with anyone aha. I just hope that I’m not coming across as hating on something because I’m biased towards something else or something... almost all of the critiques I have about OMORI come from a place of genuine interest

thank you if you read all of this!

[mg549]

rainbow high but they each have distinct and varying styles

hi im putting my Disscusion under the post cause ik lots of ppl just wanna rb the art but also i have Thoughts

-ruby’s style is the strongest in the series imo. they designed a butch lesbian and nobody told them ig. my only slight change was giving her cowboy boots cause if shes from “the country” then she should... actually... look like shes from the country. maybe its just cause i grew up in nc but i would love some southern rep from a character where being from the south isnt their whole Personality. anyways i think she should wear western style button downs is all im trying to say

-bella... her style is ALL over the place. since she is a set designer i wanted to make her a theatre kid!!! her style is somewhere in the 40s/50s zone of vintage inspired so that way she has a definite Range of styles and silhouettes to choose from! im a sucker for the new look bc its so Shapes but i could also see her pulling off some long wool circle skirts and peasant top blouses! i also gave her some hearing aids and braces which you can probably only see if you zoom in dhjnf

-poppy got the biggest design overhaul of anyone. i kept the butterfly theme and nothing else fbhdjd. since her music has some definite funk energies i wanted to give her a 70s inspired look with some glam platforms and denim overalls! i think we deserve bellbottom pantsuit poppy. i also changed her hair bc literally the rh main cast all have practically IDENTICAL hair styles save for the direction theyre parted in. i wanted to give her those anime butterfly headphones but toned down slightly hdsjdnd oh and! shes also wearing glasses bc once again we get a whole cast of characters and not one of them is wearing glasses like smh literally like half of all ppl wear glasses?? anyways in terms of personality i wanted to keep her bubbly but instead of just making music thru like Divine Inspiration i think she should take a more realistic and nuanced approach!! show her nerding out abt music theory and talking about the themes her pieces represent and the stories they tell

-sunny’s design is Mostly the same! her hair is slightly changed, i wanted it to match the cover she drew for winnerz! i also made the rainbows on her outfit pride flag colors, and gave her some button pins on her jacket! every Token Anime Kid ive ever met has buttons plastered all over their bags and jackets and its a nice touch that gives her some more Character i feel

-jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaade. jade. i wish she had kept her dark lipstick. and also that she wasnt just billie eilish. and that she was the token goth of the group. her stitched up shirt is inspired by a shirt i wore in high school! it was from the 90s and SUPER beat up to the point where it was literally disintegrating so i just sewed up any new holes that would form with contrasting thread it was a Look. i hc her as wearing contacts bc when she tried wearing glasses she got upset that she couldnt show off her makeup as much gvhbnf! i also gave her a spider necklace bc i think she should still like spiders BUT i HATE the jokes abt “therapy tarantulas” bc only dogs and like 10 horses can actually be service animals and the whole thing w people lying about their untrained dogs/cats (or worse, exotic animals that they should not even own) being service/therapy/emotional support animals just so they can bring them in public is!! Really Bad!! and it hurts people who actually do need service dogs bc untrained dogs are well. untrained and set a bad example for how service animals will actually act! and owners who print out fake certifications also make it harder for disabled ppl bc it leads to store owners thinking that theres some sort of paper they can ask the owner to flash to prove the service dog is trained when that. is not actually true and theres no such thing as an actual certificate for this. if a service dog company offers a certificate/card/whatever to show authority it is specifically for disabled people to do when faced with this issue and has no actual official meaning. and ANOTHER thing that bothers me abt this joke is that.. Therapy For What? it would be really cool to see a canonically mentally ill character as a protagonist for a doll line! it would be fantastic to see them opening up that conversation for neurodivergent kids and their parents! but we have no indication for that at All just haha funy therapy spider :| anyways jade is an nd lesbian my canon now

-skyler is punk now! shes a fashion major and i think it would be a really interesting character to explore, someone who is shy but dresses really flashy and tough! i also changed her theme material from denim to the blue leather she wears at the party bc im biased towards alt fashion. her hair was really fun to design, with a big Cloud of Fluff at the top and long braids underneath bc get it!! its Rain Cloud Shaped :] i dont have much else to say bc this design is def in my Comfort Zone of styles. anyways we stan andershaw here they literally are in love

-vi vi! i didnt change much bc i dooooooont really know that much about influencer/mainstream fashion tbqh... i Did give her That One Halter Top Style that literally 2 other of the main characters are both wearing instead of a loose 1 piece dress tho. i also decided she should be into holographic fabric bc its very Sleek and Future Is Now and Influencercore. i also think the sleek tight fitting holo shirt/skirt is a good contrast to Big Fluffy Fur Jacket. she also has a prosthetic leg idk i just thought it would be a good Touch 

overall rh def has some MAJOR problems with diversity in all aspects and it shows in their fashion design as well! if you put the characters in black and white save for a few patterned pieces they would all be interchangeable and i honestly think that its representative of the larger problem! maybe i do follow the monster high design philosophy that every piece should only make sense on the character its from, but the fact that they cant even diversify FASHION despite it being a Fashion Doll Brand really Says It All.

[swanqueensalad]

Hi, I'm the drama school anon - thank you so much, your response was really helpful!! I know I absolutely want to be an actress, though I still haven't quite decided which route to take into the industry, but if you wouldn't mind giving some audition advice I would really love to hear it!

hi! so glad my response was useful in some way!

so all of this pretty much pertains to uk drama school/university acting course auditions:

generally you have the standard one classical, one contemporary monologue for everywhere you audition, but it's best to check the audition process page thoroughly online first for every place you go to, because some do have variants - central has a list of classical monologues you must pick from, some places require a song or an interview you might want to prepare for etc.

also as a rule it's best to do your research on every school before you decide to audition just to see what their course offers specifically that might be good/not so good for you personally!

in terms of picking monologues, stick to your general age/casting type. some schools are cool with doing monologues traditionally for actors of the opposite gender, but don't do that just to be different - basically you want something that can be genuinely truthful for you. if you’re 18-23 don’t go in with something about a divorce and kids 😂

it's also good to find something with an emotional journey/several shifts/where you are different at the end of the speech from the start.

obviously, read the plays your monologues are from and know who you are speaking to/why, be prepared to discuss these things with the panel if they ask. it's a monologue, but it is so important to have another character in your head that you are talking to, playing off imaginary reactions etc.

idk if this is controversial, but this is what i was told by teachers who ran the panel at conti - mainly in an audition they are looking to see you play objectives. so they want to see that you want something from the person your character is speaking to, and that you're using the speech to try and get it. (this is very stanislavski and not something to worry about too much but just bear it in mind. actively playing objectives really does bring a monologue to life.)

some places may redirect you - this is literally not a comment on your acting at all, it just means they want to see how you respond to direction/how open and ready you are to play as an actor. so if this happens, you want to just really listen to what they are asking of you and run with it!

obviously it's going to be different depending on what helps you and your speeches personally, but imo if they have a student/someone there to use as an eyeline/bring into the space to direct your monologue to, use them. they're there for you.

if there's a workshop part of the audition, honestly imo those are the best. they tend to relax you and warm you up for your panel, so really try to just have fun and be present in all the exercises/don't worry too much about why they're making you do it or what they're looking for - just treat it as a warm up/something for you. that said, do be friendly, open, forthcoming with ideas.

this may seem obvious but be nice! they're not just judging your acting, they're trying to work out if you as a person are a good fit for their school and whether you would work well with them and get along. so just be honest, warm, friendly and yourself!

when you walk in for your panel, greet them and say hi, don't wait for them to greet you - this immediately makes you seem more confident and on a level with them

because let's be honest, you are also judging them! whether you like the environment/style of working/would feel comfortable working with them for the next 3/4 years! don't think of them as being above you in any way. this is a collaborative, two way process.

also make friends with the people in your audition group if you can! start conversations! everyone is just as nervous as each other especially if it's they're first year auditioning, so if nobody's talking it's because they're all waiting for someone to make the first move. (generally though people are all really friendly and lovely). they are not your competition. they are your support.

equally, don't get worried/freaked out by people in your group having the same monologue as you, it's going to happen, especially with the classical. it's really nothing, and will always be so different because you're different people.

make sure you also chat to any student helpers who are around, ask everything you have on your mind! no such thing as a silly question (from someone who has been a student helper at open days), this is a big decision for you to make, so get all the info you can!

just generic misc advice - bring snacks/food/water, make sure you've had a good breakfast, follow the clothing guidelines on the websites (don't feel you have to wear blacks but just comfy, loose clothes/stuff you can move in with no big designs/logos, minimal makeup), make sure you're a bit early so you can find where you need to be

if they give you time before your panel to warm up, do it. it's easy to get distracted by other people and obviously this is different actor to actor, different things help different people, but even if you can just have a few moments of quiet to ground, centre and prepare yourself in whatever way you find helpful before you go in, do it. nobody will judge you, lots of people will be doing the same thing.

if you have a regional accent, please please please use it! generally doing any accents other than your own is a big no no in drama school/uni audition settings. they want to hear you and your general authentic voice

finally, i know i brought this up a little in my last post but these auditions are expensive. make sure all the places you're going for would actually be a good fit for you before you spend that money, and always check the websites for any fee waivers they may offer to first-time applicants/people of different backgrounds. my first year auditioning i got a few auditions completely free!

(also not to shit on RADA here, this is literally just my opinion, but their audition price is way above the standard and in my experience it's just a very quick panel audition and the odds of getting in if you're a first time applicant are very slim, so if that's not one you've absolutely got your heart set on i'd say it's really not necessary. not sure if they have a waiver or not, but it is cheaper if you apply earlier.)

this is probably the hardest thing, but try to forget about an audition once it's over. don't analyse. don't have any expectations for the outcome. this makes it so much easier. 

and like i said, don't take the rejections personally. just because of numbers the sheer odds of getting into some of these places are so small, and often it's a matter of age, logistics, what casting types they're after that year. don't be deterred <3

i really hope some of this was useful! the main thing is just to really thoroughly read the audition sections of the websites and to try and have fun!

again, if there's anything else i can help with, my DMs and asks are always open. please do keep me updated! this is a really exciting journey whichever way you decide to go and i wish you the best of luck with everything! we gotta stick together in this buck wild industry 💪

[miazeklos]

love what you said about the scripts and I think I may be with you on the not-hating-D&D train. on one hand, I appreciate their unapologetic support of JC and all the content we got out of it. on the other, I do think that they fundamentally misunderstood the characters and the overall story, and that made for some questionable creative choices throughout the years. even on the JC front, I’m conflicted. I love having a version of the story where my OTP doesn’t take the beating that they do in the original, but I also think that that beating is essential to their story. I won’t bore you with the intricacies of my interpretation of asoiaf but, suffice to say, I’m not a big fan of D&D’s interpretation. that said, I used to be much more critical of D&D’s writing until I started thinking about GoT like a big budget, canon divergent, lannicest-centric fanfic. which isn’t ideal, but it’s fine. no adaptation could have pleased every subgroup of a huge fanbase and tbh it’s pretty obvious at this point that most people are just parroting the critical talking points as a way to justify the hissy fit they threw over their ships not being endgame. the average audience member doesn’t actually have an ounce of media literacy and you can tell that simply by asking them WHY the things they didn’t like about season eight* fall under “bad writing” and not under “I personally didn’t enjoy this”.

*it’s also ironic how they only ever talk about the final season, despite the fact that GoT’s storytelling problems started around season 3. it’s almost like they don’t know what “bad writing” means and don’t care to find out.

so, that’s it lol. sorry about that long ass rant it’s just that you’re literally one of the first people I’ve seen being critical of the mindless GoT hate.

much love <3

Hello! Honestly, you make a great point about the 'good writing' and 'bad writing' thing being largely affected by whether people actually liked what was happening on screen. I recognise that my own point of view might be affected by that because, again, a good bit of the show was tailor-written for me in a way that the books, as much as I enjoy them, are not, so it only makes sense that I'd approve, and that goes for the people who were dissatisfied, too. To top liking the content, I enjoy their writing style, too, so that helped.

I'd love to hear your interpretation, to be honest! They definitely have a whole different view of the characters, separate from GRRM's vision, and it does occasionally feel heavy-handed in a way fanfic does - and I say that with a lot of love in my heart, because it's what I do when writing those characters, too, even if it's obviously on a much much smaller scale.

IMO the divide mostly stems from the fact that D&D want to present the Lannisters as fundamentally right in their choices and the rest of the narrative is spun around that*, which doesn't happen in the books because, as you said, their harsh/generally bad decisions have much worse consequences in the books and they get away with essentially everything (until the very very last minute) in the show. Tyrion actively gets away with everything, even, and the twins are remembered well, and the narrative shoves all those things in your face really smugly, which, again, I enjoy and was inordinately gleeful about, but I do realise that it's not for everyone.

*One thing that immediately comes to mind is how they said that Dany killing Viserys - who, while terrible, was her caretaker as a child - was one of the earlier signs of something being wrong while also explicitly showing Cersei - who has actively been antagonistic towards her brother for the majority of their lives - sparing Tyrion's life with no real gain from it twice because none of the three of them actually want each other dead. I think one of the Ds specifically said it in the commentary for 8x04, where the above happens, and the parallel shoved my third eye open with a crowbar. I don't even know if it was a conscious decision they made, but it was... telling about why the show's narrative is what it is.

'I used to be much more critical of D&D’s writing until I started thinking about GoT like a big budget, canon divergent, lannicest-centric fanfic' I love that, haha. With a generous sprinkling of Starks! Honestly, at their core, all adaptations are just that, and you really can't win 'em all. I do think that they could have probably been at least a bit more neutral about it, but then I bounce back once I look at even a fraction of the bitter, thinly-veiled misogynistic venom fans a-la r/freefolk spill to this day, and think that this is exactly what they deserve.

That being said, I agree that the characters are fundamentally different in the show from what they are in the books and, as you said, they diverge very early on - earlier than most people would admit, so what happens in the books would have never worked once the show went on its merry way and shaped its own canon, and while the bare skeleton of the ending is very likely the same, I'm sure a lot was lost in the process and was padded with their own bias and 'lessons' for the audience, which are definitely a whole other thing from what he clearly has in mind.

I don't know if that makes much sense, but the thing that D&D had that GRRM didn't when he was in the process of writing was all the material that he has, all at once, so they sidestepped several corners that he's definitely written himself into by just doing something completely different so that they'll have a finished product even if they're done before him - which they, in the end, were. And again, I love that product, but there's no way the rest of the books will follow even remotely the same storyline, other than a few bigger points, and that's fine, too. It's a rather unique situation to be done with the adaptation before the source material and, whatever the latter ends up being, I'm sure I'll enjoy it, even if the show will now always be the true canon in my heart - for no other reason than because I love what it did with the characters, which takes us back to your point about how for most people 'good' or 'bad' is less about the actual quality and more about their tastes.

You don't need to apologise! Especially not since I ranted in response. ;D Much love right back! ;3

[kinetic-elaboration]

100 Days of Writing: Day Forty

I’m getting really lazy about this lol. Today’s entry: the answers to a few random questions that have spoken to me, from days I skipped.

Project courtesy of @the-wip-project​. Tagging fellow participants @she-who-the-river-could-not-hold​, @thelittlefanpire​, @hopskipaway​, @easilydistractedbyfanfic​, @dylanobrienisbatman​ @fontainebleau22.

This got VERY verbose, sorry....!

*

Day 34: Do you prefer to write fluff or angst?

Funny story. I once had a fic nominated in the Best Angst Category in a fandom fic awards event. The nomination was, of course, flattering, but also really confusing, because I didn’t think the fic was particularly angsty. It wasn’t super fluffy either. It...just was? It was a basic strangers-to-lovers modern AU somewhere in the 7k range, and the main ship was endgame. There was a period where half of the main ship was dating someone else, but that was mostly mentioned in passing during a time skip; most of the actual content was the endgame couple talking/flirting/pining, and, again, they did get together in the end.

The nomination made me reconsider what I think ‘fluff’ and ‘angst’ are and what my relationships are to the genres. I feel like a lot of my work is neither.

Some types of stories are obviously one or the other. MCD and/or illness is angst. Hurt/comfort is angst. Romantic stories where the characters don’t end up together are, generally, angst. Romantic stories where the characters DO end up together but only after considerable obstacles can be angst, also--which might have been the rationale behind nominating the above fic in ‘angst’ although, again, it was only 7k. It’s one thing to have a 300k+ story where the main characters pine for each other, wallow in their feelings, fight, feel jealousy, etc, and the finally kiss in the final chapter--I’ve done that, too. A shorter story is a different beast.

Fluff, to me, is a genre of stories without (significant) conflict. The point is you feel good reading them. Romantic stories with established couples, or first date stories, are fluff. Slice of life or ‘curtain’ fic is fluff. Holiday fic with a found family feel is fluff.

I’ve written some stories that clearly fall into one of these two genres, sometimes because the challenge I’m doing or request I’m fulfilling calls for it, and sometimes because I need a palette cleanser after writing the opposite type of fic.

Another place I’ve thought about genre is with Troped, but I don’t always feel confident in the stories I’ve written there, in terms of theme. The very, very first round had a Fluff theme but I wasn’t sure if my story was fluffy (I’m still not). It had a happy ending and the final scene was decidedly cute, but the characters came from angsty backgrounds, and some of the early scenes had, imo, a melancholy feel. Then one of the 2020 Madness rounds had an Angst theme. I tried to fit my entry into that genre by giving it a general feeling of helplessness and an ambiguous, dreary ending. I think it was angsty, but it wasn’t as... hardcore angsty? as some of the other entries. I also picked the theme “angst” for one of my Choice fics and that one was decidedly angsty, both in the specific-trope sense--it dealt with the aftermath of a major character death--and in the more general ‘mood’ sense. The main relationship wasn’t repaired at the end, and the ending was ambiguous.

I feel like for every fic I’ve written that’s decidedly fluffy or decidedly angsty, and I could give examples of both, I’ve written one or more that isn’t really either. Again, most of the time, unless I have a specific reason to think ‘time to write angst’ or ‘time to write fluff,’ I don’t go into an idea thinking it should be one or the other. I usually have a mood I want, but it might not be simple to categorize.

ALL that said... I think if I had to pick one, it would be angst. I don’t like truly unhappy endings, but I’ve done a decent number of ambiguous endings. It’s also easier for me to think of stories I’ve written that I think are fairly categorized as angst than stories that are clearly fluff. Third, I love writing about pining, and longing, and missing, and needing, and these are not ‘fluffy’ feelings. But most importantly, like I said, I think ‘fluff’ is a type of story that has minimal-to-zero conflict in it and I actually find those VERY hard to write. Maybe We Will is probably the fluffiest thing I’ve written (4k of a first date at a carnival) and my biggest challenge was figuring out: what are these people going to DO?

This isn’t an insult to fluff at all. Fluff writers have a real talent for creating a pleasant narrative, and I like reading outright fluff more than reading outright angst. But for me, there is a lot more flexibility outside of fluff, whether or not the resulting narrative is truly “angsty” or not. It might not have the primary goal of making you feel sad, but it probably doesn’t have the primary goal of making you feel happy either.

*

Day 37: Post your favorite line of dialogue that you’ve written recently. 

Skimmed the Sleeping Beauty AU for this one. As soon as I’m asked to think about dialogue I like, I wonder if I’ve ever written good dialogue in my life! Lol. You think about it too much and it all sounds fake. Here’s an exchange I think is pretty good (perhaps just in comparison to a lot of the Really Rough Writing that surrounds it...).

"That sounded like it went pretty well," she says, as she balances awkwardly against the wall, pulling on her boots. "From what I could hear."

Bellamy shrugs. He's scanning the crowd, glancing over at her impatiently when she stumbles, trying to tie her laces without bothering to kneel. "Roma doesn't ask a lot of questions."

Clarke snorts. "Yes, she does. What you really mean is, she asks a lot of questions, then gets distracted whenever you turn on the charm."

"Yeah, sure. My well-known charm."

Clarke lets her foot fall heavily to the ground again, straightens up and pushes her hair back from her face. "If you weren't flirting and being charming, what were you doing?"

Bellamy hesitates, a light, embarrassed pink spreading across his cheeks, and Clarke rises up on her toes triumphantly, trying to lean into his space. "I should have gotten more ration points," he says, barely more than a grumble, and Clarke laughs and pulls her hat down over her head. Then she picks up the jacket, slips it on, and steps purposefully in front of him.

"How do I look?"

Day 38: What comes first, plot or characters?

Well, I write fanfiction, so I feel like this is a tricky question to define. My current fandom does have a lot of characters though, so it is possible to have a general idea of a plot but not know who to put in it. That’s happened to me on a few occasions I think, but generally speaking... I think the two come simultaneously?

When I’m writing for Troped, it’s easier to start with the plot because certain elements of the challenge suggest (or require) a plot but never the characters to go in it. So sometimes I do work from plot --> characters there. It’s usually pretty seamless in that the plot-idea usually comes with at least some idea of the characters, but sometimes there’s ambiguity--for example, deciding to include Bellamy in Mad Women when he wasn’t initially supposed to be in it, which ended up changing/defining the story quite a bit. Another example is Mountain Lion Mean, where I knew right away what the general plot would be but waffled a bit about precisely which characters would be in it and to what degree.

Other challenges often define the characters first and so then by definition that’s where I start. For example, a Bellarke challenge obviously requires you to write about Bellarke, but depending on the other rules, the plot may come entirely from each individual writer without any additional prompting.

If it’s a wholly original/spontaneous idea.... it either is necessarily about plot and characters at once (ex: AU where X character is in Y place or examination of Z ship in a modern AU) or it comes as nothing but Mood. That mood might have elements of plot and bits of character but the best way I can describe it is that I develop both at once. For example, my Southern Gothic AU came to me as certain elements--a character who does X, a relationship with Y feel, Z ship--and I’m working on combining all of those into a narrative. Or, as another example, I currently have a vague desire to write something with a Slow Summer Vibe but I have no idea what it will be about or who will be in it.

But again, it’s often “I want to write an angsty Jonty AU” or “hmm what about a Bravenlarke fic particularly about being in a poly relationship” or “this song makes me picture Bellarke at the beach; let’s write that”--ideas that essentially capture both character and plot at once.

I don’t know if I’m doing a good job of describing this but I write so much for challenges and events that I don’t have a huge pool of data for ‘spontaneous ideas’ to analyze.

*

Day 40: How do you start a new story?

I feel like I kind of already answered this in the last question. The very first step is an Idea, obviously. That would either come, in part, from the challenge or event I’m participating in or the request I’m filling, or it arrives by itself from some bit of inspiration: a song, a thought about a certain character or relationship, a mood I’m feeling and want to capture, etc.

But I feel like this question is about what happens with the idea.

Most (though not all) of the time, I start with a process of brainstorming and outlining. I’ve talked about this elsewhere, but I start by just sitting down with a notebook and writing down my thoughts, in a conversational style--basically like these posts. I write down any images I have, any plot points that have already come to me, etc. Everything I know. Then I brainstorm some more elements, filling in all the stuff I don’t know. Then I distill the plot down to discrete plot points: an outline of the whole fic in order. What needs to happen and in what order? The outline is generally organized by scene, though it’s flexible: sometimes scenes can be combined; sometimes they need to be split. Sometimes I need to re-evaluate the outline later, but most stories are simple enough that this initial outline works for the whole writing process.

I always write in order. I cannot write out of order. I need to immerse myself in the narrative and that means that events follow logically from each other. Also, sometimes what I come up with in the moment in scene 1 can change what I want to happen in scene 5--not so drastically that I’m re-writing the outline, but drastically enough that I would have to rewrite scene 5 if it were already done. That’s too complicated for me. I think there are probably advantages, in terms of amount of fun to be had, as well as in capturing ideas before they disappear from your brain, in writing scenes as the spirit moves you rather than in order, but I just can’t do it. That’s not how my mind works.

In order to start a fic, or even a new scene, I need to know HOW it starts and some idea of how I will describe that opening image/event/whatever. I often practice this for days before I actually write. For example, I’m going to write another Sleeping Beauty scene soon and I know it starts with Clarke hearing conversation behind her, so I’ve been practicing what that dialogue might be and how I might describe her listening while looking at something else. When I have a strong sense of the opening and a decent sense of the rest--what needs to happen to move along the plot--I just start writing. I do most of my writing as sprints.

Sometimes I write without an outline, and it’s basically the same process as the last paragraph, except I only have the opening and a vague sense of what’s to come. I don’t do that often anymore. But I started a couple outline-less fics last summer when I was just desperate to break my block and didn’t really feel like planning and stuff. I just wanted to get words on a page. Thus I have a couple WIPs that are about 1,200 words long and then just abruptly reach a cliff’s edge and stop!! I don’t know if I’ll outline or not before I return to them but right now I’m thinking not.