#i did not realize that through my whole reread somehow.. | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

eldritchamy · 26 days

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omg i completely forgot about the grand folia hotel. i read it when it came out, it rewired my whole dang brain, and then i moved on. aaaa im gonna go reread it right now even though I've been up all night and need to sleep (there aren't any plants around to stop me from making self-destructive sleep cycle decisions muahaha). thank you for your post about it! also if it's alright to offer a recommendation, Hospitable Takeover on Readonlymind.com was the second ever HDG fanfic and in my opinion greatly informed the tone of the setting in 2021 and 2022. It's also just super cozy and comfy and a perennial favorite of mine ^w^

You're welcome for the brainworms!

I understand completely, I'm not sure WHAT chapter 10 did to me but I think my brain is a torus now. I didn't THINK I had a free use kink (I PROBABLY still don't, at least as a participant), but I didn't think I had a PETPLAY kink either until this fucking universe started turning me inside out a few days ago.

I'm already rereading The Grand Folia Hotel myself because I feel like given the plot there's a lot more to get out of it by reading it through a second time (somehow I didn't realize that Phoebe was basically in a perpetual lesbian bluescreen from the moment she stepped into the garden in chapter 1).

Plus it was just EXTRAORDINARILY HOT and I can't wait to watch Phoebe/Amaranth get broken all over again.

It's a shame the story didn't keep going into the ongoing corruption and implantation past her initial surrender, the characters had such good chemistry with each other that I'm really craving more of them. Would have LOVED a chapter or two (or six) of newly implanted pinnates, especially with how amused Celosia was by the fact that they fucking tricked her into taking them at all. Celosia and Phoebe are fucking perfect for each other.

Her revenge must have been DELICIOUS.

And GOD Becca must have been so fucking smug about it once Phoebe was ACTUALLY a floret. I need to know the teasing that happened once she got her real implant.

This is what I meant in a previous post when I said I was "frothing at the cerebellum" to read it again. I'm going actually insane.

Which, as many new people are I'm sure rapidly learning about me, means it is Once Again Infodump Time, because I suffer from a terminal case of Someone Needs To Shut Me Up With A Kiss disease. (I am also a long sufferer of Capitalizes Letters For Emphasis syndrome.)

I'm like the free use kink of infodumping, a bunch of people seem to have figured out how to make me do it almost on queue, and they do it, because they think it's cute. I don't DENY that it's cute, but god does it seem to cost me a lot of the time that I meant to spend reading about the good little florets.

I CAN'T keep taking an hour to write every goddamn post I make about HDG. WHEN WILL I SLEEP? More importantly, WHEN WILL I FINISH REREADING CHAPTER TWO? It took me four extraneous paragraphs to even mention that the read more continues exactly from the train of thought I left off on an aforementioned four paragraphs ago! God, I need help.

AND Phoebe never even saw herself in a mirror ONCE in the story! I want to know what happened the first time she saw what the Class Gs were doing to her! (Do you think Celosia put her in Doll Mode and made Amaranth pose in front of a mirror and be perfectly still, watching her own blank expression obediently while Celosia and Jazz just relentlessly caressed her with every imaginable affection? Do you think Phoebe's wake up trigger was Amaranth saying "Good dolls know they are deserving of love. I'm a good doll and I am worthy of love"? Do you think, beyond the moment when she accepted she was meant to be broken by Celosia's will, that that was the moment she understood what it meant to be put back together, and it was the moment she truly felt, and for the first time could not deny or run away from, that she was the happiest she'd ever been? Because I DO think that happened. And I need it.)

It even would have been nice to see INDRA further along in her own corruption later on. Altiss seemed like a good influence on her, it was really sweet that she had that nice moment with Phoebe at the end of the Matinee.

I'm STARVING for more of that specific story, it was SO good. (Keysmasht, if you ever see this somehow, how much of my soul do you want for a few more chapters? I'll beg.)

Hell, I might beg for permission to write those chapters MYSELF someday. That story is too good for there to not be more of it.

Anyway.

Thanks for the recommendation! I can't BELIEVE I've never heard of this setting before now, it's extremely my shit (apparently) and I'm loving the discovery of new, interesting content that I can not fucking put down. Judging by the tags on my posts, and a friend on discord, flinging myself headfirst into all of this has inspired a few other little seedlings to follow me into florethood.

Recommendations from people more familiar with the setting and stories are definitely welcome, though I can't promise I'll get to any one particular story soon.

Abscission and Divaricated come up in a lot of recommendations for lore reasons? But I've been putting off some of the longer stories like those and Dog of War because they're HUGE commitments and it's so hard not to consume as many stories as possible.

Except, of course, for the fact that I keep rereading the ones I've already gone through because I like what they did to my brain.

I'm struggling not to make TWO other ones I've already read (the original and Inosculate) the next ones on the list after rereading Grand Folia.

Hospital Takeover sounds like an EXCELLENT recommendation, I LOVE cozy and comfy stuff within a primarily kink setting. I'm SO glad the second one I ever read was A Normal Grocery Run During Which No Domestication Occurs. I adore the way SapphicSounds writes dorkier more nervous Affini, and I'm glad I got to see THAT QUICKLY how much of a tonal range there was in HDG stories.

Sleepy Bitch also sounds cute, so I wanna do that one soon.

Also the reading of any particular one is slow going because unfortunately my brain is absolutely churning with ideas of my own. I'm VERY tempted to do a pinnates one because I'm absolutely HOOKED on that concept in particular. I already know one of their names and I just came up with a great title for the story while ...rather vividly imaging a very intense domming scene.

I do want to read a fair bit more before I try my hand at writing one, though. While I've got enough domme in me to feel like I could do some of the Affini taunting justice (seeing Akash in the first story use almost the exact domming style I go for was... enlightening, to say the least; now I know why I get such good keymashes out of my teasing victims), I want to have a bit more confidence in the world itself first to make sure I get it right.

But it's far from the first time I've considered writing erotica. I definitely have the brainworms for it at the moment.

#HDG #human domestication guide #floretposting #is it just me or is every post I make about HDG a huge infodump #gimme the Class Ws so the part of my brain that makes language can turn off and I can go back to reading

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theconstitutionisgayculture · 7 months

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The zoomer anon, you know that official works with the malice part remind how I got into comics

“Man I love this complex character I sure do-aaaand the next writer character assassinate the living fuck out of them because of personal bias or editorial mandates”

I could work at the marvel and dc comic divisions, I would either murder about 50% of my coworkers or burn down the HQs

Actually both most likely sorry with modern “takes” on Tony stark, Damian Wayne, and dear LORD what they did to Starfire and Barbra Gordan

I often wonder

“How the FUCK did these writers went with such interpretations?!”

Welcome to the pain of being a long time comic reader, my friend.

I've said a few times that I gave up on Marvel with Civil War, but what made me give up on mainstream comics as a whole was twofold. One, I hated the New 52 reboot. It ripped everything up everything I liked about DC and replaced it with cheap knockoffs and diversity hires. But after Rebirth, I started to soften a bit on DC. I read a few of the Scott Snyder Batman comics and didn't hate them. But the thing that really intrigued me was Peter Tomasi's Super Sons. I discovered it late into the run through image sets and meta a mutual from my old, non-politcs blog posted and it looked like a lot of fun. I heard the book was ending and I decided to wait until it was done to start reading it properly, so I could have a nice contained story to read and maybe use as a jumping on point to dip my toes back into DC full time. Maybe I'd even finally get into Superman, which I've tried a few times over the years, but he'd never really caught on with me the way Batman did.

Then I heard what Bendis did to Jon Kent, and I realized there was no point in ever getting invested in any of the Big Two ever again. Anything you like will inevitably be changed, and changed in a big, negative way. Editorial mandates and writers with a grudge against a character will always find a way to mess up anything that manages to somehow be good. Mainstream comics is a fully compromised art form. The days of Denny O'Neil, Chuck Dixon, Greg Rucka, Chris Claremont and the like were well and truly dead. The days of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby seem like a fever dream, because how could comics ever actually be that good?

Honestly, the best thing that could happen to our favorite characters is entering the public domain. The horrible takes will multiply, but there will at least be a non-zero chance of seeing a long running story with those characters done right for the first time in years, if not decades.

Until then, if that ever happens, we either reread the books we used to love and ignore the rest, or we try to find new voices outside of mainstream comics. For the latter, I can't recommend Eric July's Rippaverse enough. They even have Chuck Dixon writing for them now, and his first book, Alphacore, was great.

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wario-speedwagon · 9 months

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i wanna hear abt whatever "the backflip failed to assert dominance" had going on

Haha, now that one is quite a silly name for what was a more serious, mystery story, with the title stupidly referencing what the plot twist is, hehe! Sadly, this wip was abandoned a long while ago as I didn't have clear ideas for what I wanted to do with the story to its end after a certain point, and I wanted to focus my creativity on the two WIPs I was still feeling inspired by (one of which was Pruny! :). However, I'm feeling generous, so I'll just copy/paste the whole unfinished draft below the cut for your own reading, maybe you'll still enjoy it!

It's very rough and clunky at parts, and rereading it for myself took some strength to not immediately change several lines to make it read less confusingly, but it was better than I remember it being! :) The next paragraphs will be spoiling the "twist" and what plot plans I had for it in case you wanna read it for yourself and come to your own conclusions first, so Spoilers in 3, 2, 1...

. . .

So this story takes place in 1993, the year Freddy's would end up dying. We follow the Scott Cawthon phone guy of the Utah location who has just doomed himself by hiring the infamous Dave Miller. Previously up to this point, DSAF 1 happened as normal with the gnarly ending (where Jack and Dave got away with murder and shut down Colorado), but when DSAF 2 happens, Dave arrives to Bakersfield as Jack never showed up, meaning Vegas was the last he ever saw of him. So Dave has been continuing his Freddy's closing mission one place at a time, though eventually losing his passion for it since he's alone again doing it.

However, the Scotts have gotten more and more cautious of Dave over the years and this one is especially proactive about watching Dave and preventing him from achieving his killing MO if at all possible. Killing time at work to cool off suspicions, Dave records some phone tape recordings (which are featured in and taken from Project: Save the Kiddins), then he checks out Scott's paperwork and sees an application by "Mike Schmidt" who seems suspiciously like an anonymous Old Sport, which excites Dave and inspires him to get his old Spring Bonnie as well as Sportsy's Spring Freddy suit too, now! (After all, he can't just kill the kids not suited up, can he?) Sadly though, it would turn out that this is actually the canon FNAF Mike Schmidt, who as you know is also a rotting anonymous zombie serial working at Freddy's...

Meanwhile, Scott, with Dave having left the premises, finally has some free time for himself and decides to fix the Happiest Day machine before having a "dream" (not realizing he's gone into it) and meets a puppet and some ghost children. And then the story leaves off with Scott feeling compelled to save the children's souls.

I didn't have enough draft written to make my subtle hints grow more obvious before revealing, but if you were somehow very smart enough to figure it out, this Scott is actually a Phonified Jack who springlocked himself (perhaps by backflipping, hence the dumb title hehe) on day one of DSAF 2 before he could ever reunite with Dave. That's why he was extra aware of Dave's danger and methods while also feeling drawn to saving the children in the Happiest Day machine :)

I'll almost certainly never return to this WIP, but it was fun revisiting it and even sharing it, so thanks for the opportunity! :D

Hurricane, Utah, 1993

Friday, XX/16/93

Model 51_1 was swamped in paperwork to work out like usual. As always, too many employees to replace, and thus too many positions to refill. Another dayshift spot to fill after another typical event, another nightguard they'd inevitably gone through, it was always the same sh- crap here. Over half a decade of it for this Scott, not that counting did anything to help his spirit any.

Spirit? No, at this rate, he probably didn't have one of those anymore. That’s assuming he ever had one to begin with. Freddy's was effective at killing those off in anyone who worked there.

Focus, Scott. Let's see what we got for today.

Sighing for impending boredom, he adjusted his gloves in preparation for a whole lot of handwriting and took the first packet.

Applicants. Alright, let’s see.

As often as they cycled through employees at Freddy's, new applicants were always found for him by means he didn’t want to know. Probably the cause of their staff being so chronically sketchy though.

Top sheet.

Randall Jade.

Applying for night guard. A-And dayguard, how convenient…

Experience: sex work, goose control… the latter might be a relevant skillset…

Phone no.: 1-800-8=D SEXY PHONE

Place of residence: Freddy's hopefully.

Well…the honesty was the opposite of professional, but Freddy's values rock bottom desperation in its applicants above all else. All in all, the programming in his head told him Jade was an ideal candidate for the position–uh, positions.

Next.

Dave Miller.

Oh.

Oh no.

Dave Miller.

Applying for dayshift worker.

Experience: ur mom.

Phone no.: 69

Place of residence: ur mom.

Scott felt like he had been marked next for a death sentence. That's essentially what Dave was, all Phone Guys knew it. Dave Miller was an open secret, a promise for destruction for whichever location he picked next. A blight on Freddy’s not even a crucifixion could solve.

The programming in his head told him Miller was an acceptable candidate for the position.

Next.

Scott's hand trembled as he continued to whittle down tonight’s stack of papers.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday, XX/19/1993

Dave had received an unsurprisingly quick response to his work application just a day after submitting. He was naturally hired. Freddy's only survived because it had no standards. But of course, Dave vowed that that would also be its downfall.

So he showed up for his umpteenth first day. He didn't bother finding the Phoney; both of them should know exactly what was up without fake formalities. They knew their place by now. Those guys were like a hive mind with their programming and company newsletters.

Yet as he entered the building, Scott of course was waiting there to meet him anyway. Dave walked past his trademarked Phone Guy greeting to go see how this place’s Saferoom had changed over the decade he’d been gone. Phoney sighed at being ignored; both of them knew it was better for his immediate safety if he left Dave alone to his devices. Dave had to admit, it was in some ways nice to have his reputation finally precede him.

Old Sport had disappeared after Vegas in 87, and once he finally learned he would no longer be following him around, Dave realized he was going to be alone again for a while. But of course, Sportsy would surely come back for him sooner or later?

But in the years of meantime, Dave had tired of the mocking charade he used to put up for the Phoneys. The end result was always the same anyway. It just wasn't fun anymore, and it certainly wasn't needed.

After all, Dave's score was still undefeated.

He was more wary than usual about trying something too soon, though. The Phone Guys these days are always on edge about him, and they're always the most paranoid in the beginning.

To prove his point, he could see this new Scott carefully watching him from afar right now in his periphery. There was something… distinct about this one though… off-putting in some way he couldn't yet pinpoint, but he had a boring week ahead to digest his thoughts.

The best Dave could come up with for now was that it felt like he knew something the other Phoneys didn't. Like he was “in the know.” Whatever that would mean.

Dave checked the Saferoom, but to his surprise, there weren't any springlock suits here. That…was definitely an unexpected wrench in his plan. He promptly went to go properly meet this Scott after all.

“Phone face. Where the fuck're the suits?”

“Ah, now that I would’ve told you during orientation; we had to get rid of those after the original five murders here back in the 80s. Y'know, to prevent any more scandals here after miraculously saving this location from going under. Higher ups are really attached to this first location for some reason.”

Dave was right ticked off. This Phoney smelled like bullshit.

“Freddy's is dying, Dave, and the company's had to… adapt.”

Dave now had weekend plans to visit Bakersfield.

Not dignifying Scott with a response of acknowledgement, Dave just marched off to the office to fuck around on the computer.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday, XX/20/93

Another boring day of not murdering children. Another day of ignoring Phoney’s paranoia.

Dave decided to explore the security office next to kill some time.

Scott of course noticed Dave’s detour. Seeing him in person again… it filled him with determination. A determination to… do something about him, certainly to stop his usual plan to shut down this location. He’d already gotten rid of the springlock suits last weekend, a crucial ingredient to Dave’s shenanigans that hopefully bought him more time.

He was personally familiar with what this “man” was capable of, and he wouldn’t have it occur under his watch. And certainly not if his hide depended on it.

…

Well shit.

“Rip in fuck, nerd.”

Dave kicked the dayguard’s nearly headless corpse aside to raid the office drawers for anything interesting.

Most of it was junk like tape, post it notes, pens… no scissors. Maybe he could just draw some dicks and post them around the–

Ah. A tape recorder. Those’re always fun to mess with.

He played the one that was currently inside.

“Hello? Hello, hello? I have a message for you... to help you get settled on your first night. Umm, I actually–"

Dave immediately paused it. He didn’t know why he expected anything other than the same old tiring Scott voice stuttering through some training script. As the years went on, that same voice only irritated him more and more.

But then Dave smiled with bored inspiration and pressed Record.

"Sorry. I just had to cut that asshole off. What a fuckin' nerd.

Anyway, good fuckin' going on landing a minimum wage job. Where you have to fend off gigantic felt-covered bastard animals who want to smack your neck and stuff you into a fuckin' bear suit.

That phone guy left some tips of his own to help you survive. But honestly, it didn't do him much good. Spoiler alert: he fuckin' died. What a nerd! So, good ole Davey's gonna give you some of his pre-recorded safety tips!

By the way, this place is totally fuckin' haunted, and that's on me. I sorta murdered a few dozen kids, back in the 80's and stuffed them into the robots out of pure spite for the company. Don't worry though: kids don't count as real people. I'll call ya tomorrow. And remember: you can't out-wrestle the bear, so don't even try."

Satisfied with a job well done, he hit Stop. It felt good to make a positive difference in the world sometimes. Ah, who was he kidding? He smirked thinking of the next nightguard they’d hire hearing this as they fended for their life.

…He was still bored, so heck, tape #2.

"uh, hello? Hello? uhh, well, if you're hearing this then you made it to day 2! um, congrats! U-uh, I won't talk quite as long this time–"

"Hey, how ya doin' man? It's me again: Big Dick Davey! Night 2, eh? Good job on not getting stuffed into a tacky fuckin' bear suit! Honestly, the night should be the exact same as last night was, just with slightly angrier robots who will try to rip your throat out twice as hard.”

He drifted onto a Foxy-related tangent. He had too many opinions to not share them.

“...Well, that's enough pretending that I care about your safety for this night. I'll call you tomorrow with more Freddy's-related bullshit trivia. See you on the meanside.”

Dave looked up at the clock. Seriously? Only 2:15?

Ugh, whatever, let’s just record another.

"Hello, hello! Hey, you're doin' great! Uh, most people–"

"Hey, yo, doggo, it's me, Davey. Wow, night 3. Incredible. See, if there's one thing I can do, it's give bad advice to future night guards.

By the way, since these messages are pre-recorded, I have no actual idea whether you're actually alive or not. Let's be honest, statistically, you probably died back on night 1.”

He looked down at the poor bastard on the ground behind him.

“Priceless. If you're still alive, worry not. To survive tonight, just do the same shit you did last night, but better.

Just don't dick around and you'll be fine. I'll speak to you tomorrow, dude.”

Dave was starting to get bored again, so he called it a day and stood up from the office chair.

Oh, right. He should probably let Scott know about that bozo on the ground. He considered just letting him be a fun surprise for Scott later, but he was still in the paranoia phase, so Dave would probably be blamed for murdering him if he didn’t report it. He missed that one Colorado Phone Guy, he was probably the most chill one he ever had the pleasure of fucking over.

It was also the Phone Guy he and Old Sport got to take down together.

Man he missed those fleeting days.

…

“Hey Phone-fuck, yer dayguard’s dead.” He thumb-pointed behind his shoulder toward the room he’d just come from.

“Oh godd-dang it, already?”

Scott grumpily walked over to the security office. Dave had to admit, this one was off-putting for sure, but he appreciated the laxer programming on the fake professionalism of this guy.

Though it made him uncannily human to him, and that circled back to off-putting.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Another night, another stack of papers for Scott motherhecking Cawthon.

He let out a stressed sigh.

Already he could expect to file another dead security guard. More applicants to reconsider already too. Jeebus, it was only the first night on the job, Randall!

Well, comparing the previously declined applicants against each other again, he– hey, wait a minute, there’s another new application that was submitted today.

Mike Schmidt

Applying for nightguard.

Experience: 20 years in night security, 10 years with Freddy’s.

Place of residence: Hurricane, Utah

H-How conveniently perfect. Although there was no Mike Schmidt in any of the company files despite such a history… He was one of those name-changers. …Whatever, taking their applicants at face value was the Freddy’s way. He of all people should know that better than anyone else.

The programming in his head told him Schmidt was a perfect candidate.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday, XX/20/93

Dave came in for day 3 of bored snooping around. Hell, maybe he should just start the killing already, just so he could move on from this extra depressing, windowless dump.

The Phone Guy learned surprisingly quickly not to interact with Dave if not necessary, but that still didn’t end his unusually keen hypervigilance on his movements throughout the building. Dave half considered just dismantling this Phone Guy early himself since his usual MO was already being derailed off tradition.

Not committed to any particular plan yet, Dave went to the kitchen to locate a knife or any sort of stabby paraphernalia for future reference. And to his severe chagrin, there wasn’t a single knife to be found in any of the drawers or counters. Not even any forks.

It was a good fuckin’ thing Dave was a creative thinker, and right now, he was using those creative juices to think of payback for that damn Phoney. Phone Guys were never this annoyingly proactive.

But what, did this guy really think Dave wouldn’t provide his own tools when the time comes? The more annoying Phoneys often had a knack for thinking they’re two steps ahead of his plans, but all those Phone Guys were long gone now. Dave grinned at the thought of that. Served those creeps right.

He found himself in the office. There was paperwork strewn about the desk. There was no reason not to rifle through it. At the top was an application that Scott seemed to have accepted based on the red pen marks circling him when the others seemed blank.

Mike Schmidt, huh?

The more Dave read and pondered his application, the more a hope unexpectedly began to flicker where his heart should be. This guy had quite a history with these restaurants…

He booted up the computer to check the employee file on him, and there was one. Opening it… it seemed to be created this morning? This was a good sign.

Mike Schmidt.

Age: ?? (Note: Avoided answering)

Residence: Hurricane, Utah

Employment history: 1993-current, Nightguard, Location #1

Note: Skin does not look healthy. Avoid physical contact in case of STD, we can’t afford such lawsuits like we used to. Mike doesn’t talk much either. Exercise caution around him.

Heart elated, Dave promptly headed off to the security room.

…

He hit Record.

“...Old Sport! Oh, how I've missed you! You came back. You always come back. Have you come back for me, old sport? Have you come back for ole Davey? I knew it, I just knew that you really loved me!

Look, I have to go, old sport. But, I'll be right back tomorrow night, okay? Stay alive, old sport. I'll speak to you again tomorrow, sportsy!"

And with that promise recorded, Dave excused himself from work early to start his drive to Bakersfield a couple days ahead of schedule.

And Scott was awe-struck to see Dave just run out like that. The programming screamed how wrong it was and urged him to drag him back here, but the programming also screamed at him to stay here on-site during working hours.

But most of all, his memories screamed that Dave was up to something disastrous. And this time, he would be at the receiving end of the catastrophe.

His programming faithfully corrected each and every one of the panicked swears he muttered as he paced back and forth.

Unable to calm down all the tension in his head, Scott looked for something to distract his mind from the impending dread.

There. Something. That da-dang machine over there.

It was always broken, and with no Dave to watch like a hawk right now, maybe finally fixing the poor thing would calm him down. Clearly no one else was going to do it so he might as well. He went to Parts and Service for a wrench.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A dream of being at his old Freddy’s job.

It was disorienting.

It probably wasn’t real.

Before long, he noticed a puppet standing there before him.

“I’ve never seen you before.”

“W-What do you want? What’s going on?”

“The five children.

Ten years later and they still do not rest.”

“I… don’t understand.”

But that felt like a lie after he said it.

“Gabriel. Fritz. Susie. Jeremy. Cassidy.

They’re all still waiting for rest.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday, XX/21/93

Yesterday was strange. He’d had the strangest dream when he fell asleep against the machine he’d just fixed, and then he felt compelled to carry out even stranger errands for the puppet in that dream. But… it felt right to do it. Something about the robots seemed tame this morning.

-End WIP

#thanks so much for the ask! :D #dsaf #dayshift at freddy's #dsaf fanfic

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vialism · 2 months

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Oh wow carte blanche on dab questions!

For the scene where Tyler calls Josh asking if he wants to be in the band, please tell me you based it on the 2012 Columbus Monthly interview and it was not a complete coincidence because I would die if it is!

I did not find that interview until after I read dab and was like.. no fucking way!!

Are there any other things lifted from interviews or stories? (Other than the RAB series, love how you intertwine that so well).

I fucking love and laugh everytime at the "what do I feed Tyler Joseph do not read into it" lol

Love the way you handle Nick and Chris leaving feels very realistic and particularly Tyler's reaction and what we know about his fear of people leaving him (Navigating looking at you, even 10 years later).

And finallyyy, I am a bottom Tyler truther but I am always interested on other people's reasons why, particularly since you make Mark even so aware of it enough to ask Josh if he is a top lol

ack holy moly i love these questions! i will do my best to answer!

of course, of COURSE it was not a coincidence... hehehe I knew what I was doing! I love love love taking dialogue from actual things they've said and weaving it into fics as realistically as possible. I've seen other people on twitter discover that interview and been like "WAIT LIKE IN DREAMERS AT BEST" and honestly... MIND BLOWING that people find out canon things from my fic before they realize they're like. real. humbling as fuck and also makes my research feel worth it!!! i started writing dab not too long after i went through my clikkie rite of passage in which i deep dived and watched every single pilots interview of all time (which i assume all fans go through, or at least all neurodivergent fans LOL). so a lot of these things were fresh in my mind.

i'm trying to think of other major things off the top of my head that came from real interviews or stories that we know are true. we know they met at the newport (sadly the exit sign detail came later!), we know the timeline and details of how mark stumbled into tyler's life, ditto the timeline of josh filling in for colin in hoh - i REALLY tried to get the timeline leading up to josh joining the band right. we only learned later that he had been about to move to nashville when tyler asked him to be in the band. sitting on the rooftop of the grocery store is something they've talked about from their early friendship... obviously so much else was filled in around what we know, but the goal was to make everything believable with the details we had, and it seems like that's part of what really resonated with people about the fic!

i went through a phase where i could not stand rereading the first 4 chapters of dab. so hearing that you love that random text josh sends in chapter 3 is actually so validating. i feel like i grew as a writer SO much over the course of writing the fic, and sometimes it's weird to read the early chapters in contrast with the later chapters where... idk, the language is more sophisticated? but i try to remind myself that they were growing up over the course of the fic too. and, people love and cherish those chapters for what they are. and i finally do too.

ohhh i'm glad you mentioned the whole "kinda feels like everybody leaves" stuff in regard to nick and chris, because that is absolutely where my mind goes. part of the story that dab tells is that josh isn't just a great drummer and friend with sex appeal who would help the band get famous - josh did not want to do anything else with his life except play music with tyler. he would do anything for tyler. he would break his back hauling that fucking piano case for as long as it took. he was never leaving. and somehow we are still living that narrative in the lore in 2024. tyler. that boy is not going to leave you.

hello, bottom tyler truther... we are the same. i love the idea of either of them bottoming and truly either works, but... josh is generous. josh wants to give. he wants to take care of people, and he shows his love through quiet protectiveness. tyler has a personality where he clings to control - we know this. so a true mark of trust for him, his truest form of intimacy, is ceding control to someone else. it really doesn't matter whose dick goes where... tyler just needs to be cared for. and everyone, including mark, can see how well josh takes care of him.

OH!!!!! this got extremely long. i guess i also just want to always say that even 8 years after starting it i am IN AWE of how many people still care about that fic. it is humbling for real. thank you thank you for caring enough about it to ask these questions :')

#yapping about my fics again fork found in kitchen #<3 #dreamers at best #my fics

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velkynkarma · 5 months

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I’ve been rereading Parallel by Proxy recently (just got an ao3 account and immediately made it the first series I bookmarked), and it occurred to me that we never see the actual moment the team and Ryou find out he’s a clone— we get a description of it when Shiro is waking up from the coma, but it starts in media res after that. Im curious how you imagined the moment of the reveal and the immediate aftermath (If you remember, I know Mirror Image is like seven or eight years old now? man that’s crazy! Which by the way, it’s so weird— in an GREAT way— to reread Mirror Image and see Ryou act like Shiro. It’s almost uncanny compared to how he comes into his own later on; it’s really interesting) Also, is there like an “add to playlist” sorta option for works? I’d like to organize all my old VLD gen favorites now that I finally (after like seven years lol) have an account!

Hey anon! Welcome to AO3 proper! Being able to bookmark things is amazing.

So I never actually wrote that "actual moment of discovery that this is in fact a clone of Shiro" moment because back when I actually was writing Parallel by Proxy, S4 had just come out. That meant 2 seasons already where fans suspected the returned Shiro was a clone, but we didn't have official confirmation yet. Everyone on the Kuron train had already written that scene, and I didn't really want to rehash it when I wanted to get into the actual horror elements of the story (i.e. Shiro being trapped in his own head and then the inverse side from the clone perspective).

At the time I wrote Mirror Image, there had also been no plans to turn it into a whole series with Ryou. Mirror Image was originally written for a Halloween-themed PlatonicVLDWeek event, so at the time I was just having fun writing spooky horror stories. The original crux of Mirror Image was supposed to be a mental horror story of a character thinking they're fine but getting messages to wake up. Ryou wasn't originally even supposed to be in it, but the clone theory worked well with the idea of Shiro constantly seeing himself telling himself to wake up, so Shiro's subconscious warnings to himself were upgraded to an actual other person trying to pull him out of the situation. Because of that, HOW Ryou got there wasn't really as important to the story as WHAT he was doing there, and I never felt the need to get into it.

After that when I decided to write more stories with Ryou and turn it into a series, he'd already been established as part of the team, so I just rolled with it from there.

How would it have actually gone? More or less how it's described as an afterthought, but with a lot of tension. "Shiro" would have realized after they lived through the Naxzela debacle that Haggar had arranged for them to be there somehow. He'd look into their data and their intelligence and eventually realize the changes and the nudges always came from him, but he didn't remember doing it. He'd start putting two and two together with some other facts that never lined up (why did Black teleport him into Galra hands? Why did he wake up on a table with too-long hair and a beard when he'd only been gone for a couple months? Why did he see another him on a table in his escape? What was the deal with that whole control blip with Black? Why did he always have those awful headaches? etc etc). Once he began to suspect, he'd bring it to the team honestly, because even if he's starting to realize he's behind all of this, he still cares for them, and he's horrified at the thought that he's the reason everyone could have died. The team does more in-depth digging once they know where to look, and...well. Shiro's not real.

There's probably a lot of mixed emotions at that point. They definitely would not have trusted "Shiro" at first, but he'd have been pretty compliant with their demands because he'd feel guilty and is in the middle of having an existential crisis about not being "real." They need him and his ability to lead and pilot though, so they eventually deal with any mental conditioning or control left in his head and grudgingly work with him to find Shiro and keep Voltron running. Even in Mirror Image, you can see everyone is kind of awkward with him at first, and he realizes he's more or less filling in for the real thing. He's helping them look for Shiro out of guilt and obligation, because he stole this person's life.

As for your other AO3-related question, I'm not sure what you mean about a playlist. But you can tag bookmarks, add comments or notes for yourself and others, and either leave them public or make them private. That would let you organize them on your end. I recommend against making "collections" as this can take control away from the writer (for this reason I never agree to let my works be put into collections when people ask).

Happy reading anon!

#Velkynkarma answers #Velkynkarma writes #Voltron #AO3

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mauveberries · 5 months

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You do realize Harry fought actual adult death eaters who were mostly pure bloods and won? Oh no, wait now you are going to blame the book being children's even tho you spend all your time talking about the said book nvm what's funny to me is that you are out here acting Voldemort was actually given any depth in canon. He was literally written as an one dimensional villain with sad past and now wants to take over the world. WOW SO MUCH DEPTH. Absolutely not generic. There is a reason why Draco has more fans; even though Voldemort is the main villain. He. Wasn't. Developed. If it wasn't Harry Potter, Voldemort would barely have any rep. Hell, even before 2020 Voldemort barely had any fics dedicated to him. He used to be really niche. He was an one dimensional character and saying he would react to this situation like this because I know more is weird because dude has barely any lines. Also, pure bloods canonically aren't really much. So it's obvious Harry is going to win, especially in a time travel au after he fought a war. But okay you do you. Just you thinking JKR didn't fumble hard trying to write a good villain with Voldemort is funny. Just because you project onto Voldemort, doesn't automatically makes him a genius villain who never tripped. All the "great" things we know about Voldemort is through the narrator/Dumbledore dictation. We don't see Voldemort ACTUALLY living up to the hype. Maybe go reread the books, instead of fanfics about pro pure blood shtick. Bro, in the books all Walburga did was scream like a lunatic and that was her character. That's it. Your hate for Molly Weasley was funny too. You hate someone who's trying her best to help everyone with actual human flaws that is actually well written but somehow like Walburga black who's one personality is. just screaming dirty blood? Like holy fuck molly has flaws that makes me really less fond of her but at the very least her whole personality is not just shrieking and advocating death to a group of people because their blood is dirty. I feel like you read too much fanfics.

harry only won because voldemort instructed them specifically not to kill him. also, im not talking about survival fighting, im talking about formal duels. in a formal duel, harry would lose to them.

i never said voldemort wasn't one-dimensional you illiterate fuck. and i still talk about hp even though it's a childrens book because i like it.

voldemort obviously isn't a good villian because harry won in the end lmao. i never said he was.

you say i make up stuff as if tomarry isn't utter fanon. like.. yeah, no shit i make stuff up. so do you. but the stuff i make up aligns to how i think canon voldy would be, unlike you who insists harry is suuuper duuper powerful 🙄. you do you though. just... not in my askbox, yeah?

yeah, walburga was a bitch. i still like her though. the fictional characters i like has no bearing on what i accept in real life, or else i would not be a voldy fan account 💀

i dont like molly because she annoys me. being pureblood isnt real, but being annoying is. cope.

#anon.ask #its so funny I'm accused of reading too much fics when im struggling to even find one that vaguely interests me

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jennhoney · 1 year

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I somehow yet again missed a call from my neurologist. He yet again called me himself. That’s wild for a specialist, I think? Everything is relatively fine. My tests keep coming back normal or close to normal. It’s just that my body isn’t working. I’m almost certain it’s not currently getting worse and it might actually be a tiny bit better very recently. So we decided to wait a month and touch base at the end of August. I have stuff to tell him but I think it can wait and I’m curious to see if I can get a little better in that time.

But I want to tell you and @songbirdstew about the building that my neurologist is in. I think it is a liminal space. Our town has a whole neighborhood called The Medical Quarter and it’s right next to downtown and, not to brag but, I’ve been to a lot of the hospitals and medical offices in the Quarter lately. A LOT. They are all pleasant, bustling, busy places. Except for the building my neurologist is in. This building is right in the middle of everything. It’s between two large hospitals and a ton of other medical buildings. To help paint the picture my cardiologist (and lots of other stuff) is in Med Pavilion 1 and my neurologist is across the street in Med Pavilion 2. But I can’t really tell you what medical Pavilion 2 looks like. I sat and stared out the window at it when they were stopping my heart at my stress test. It’s sort of tucked behind a Firestone. It must be taller than the Firestone but I cannot for the life of me picture it. I have a clear image of the parking ramp. There are always plenty of spaces very close to the door but that’s pretty common for Iowa. We’re a great place to park. Stepping into the building feels like stepping into a very nice, bigger on the inside, empty elevator. This could be explained by it being the overflow building, maybe they aren’t at capacity yet but they anticipate growth. We have a lot of old people. Anyway, this is the building where I was accidentally called back for a mental health check when I was actually there for bloodwork and they quickly realized had “the wrong Jennifer”. But the thing I may not have mentioned at the time was that I was sitting in a big empty waiting room. Not only was there not another Jennifer in there. There wasn’t another soul in there. Medical Pavilion 2 is also not in the MyChart system. Everything else that I’ve done seems to be. I don’t get any reminders about appointments I don’t have any way to verify appointments or reread appointment notes. When I do have to get bloodwork there it goes through some weird journey where they apparently walk it over to the main collection site, a few blocks away, and ask them to book an appointment for the blood they’ve already taken. I know this because once that happens I get a notification that I have a bloodwork appointment in like five minutes but it has already happened in the futurePast that is Medical Pavilion 2. Some such bloodwork came back over two weeks ago. I could see it in MyChart. But I knew something was wrong when I still hadn’t heard anything from the office last week. So I was talking to someone from the office and explained that I had read my report in MyChart and I was pretty sure it said I was normal but I wanted some confirmation from someone that knows what they are doing and she said, “I don’t see it. Did you say you read it in..” and she says a word that I assume is their system but I have never heard in my life and I swear was something like Morpheus or Excalibur. So just before 5 tonight I get a call from my neurologist and I miss it by a second. I keep my phone on mute almost all the time so that wouldn’t be weird except I think I was holding my phone (although not looking at it) and NOW I have a smartwatch that lights up and vibrates on on my wrist when I get calls and texts and I didn’t feel a thing. I only caught the light and motion on my wrist of the words Missed Call fading away. And in the voicemail message my neurologist apologizes for not hearing from him sooner he- “tried to leave a message” on my bloodwork results “but I don’t think it went through”.

So, if I vanish at the end of August for a little while I’m likely on a journey in the Fey realm or some shit.

#Treva says the entire state of Iowa is a liminal place #I don’t think I want OtherJennifer’s life #but I don’t think she would want mine either?#jennhoney personal log #the messages are coming from a liminal space

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mageofseven · 1 year

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Idk how my work always has so many typos

When I say I go through and search for errors, I mean multiple times. Typos tend to bother me so I will stop writing both as a mental break from the creative side and to reread what I've wrote so far to look for typos multiple times throughout the writing process just to reread the whole story afterwards to check for typos again and still post a story with like 10 obvious, ugly, confusing typos.

Like, it's one thing when I put 'their' instead of 'there'. Annoying, but at least you know what I meant in that regard.

I think it was in the post where MC had the triplets conceived via chiropteran conception when I did it, but there was a sentence where I used the word 'room' and it made no sense in that context. And I published it that way.

I had to think on it for a couple minutes before I realized I was actually supposed to write a completely word different there, I think the word that was supposed to be there was literally 'word' but for some reason I wrote 'room' and moved on with my day.

I am literally not here mentally but somehow get shit done.

#sia speaks #typos suck #im not stupid Im swear #though it is kinda funny in a way #still hate them tho #help Im drowning in typos!

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dark-night-star-light · 1 year

Text

Spirit Animals: Against the Tide (Reread pt. 5)

DISCLAIMER: WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR BOOKS ONE THROUGH SEVEN AND BOOKS ONE THROUGH FOUR IN SECOND SERIES.

Masterpost

Chapter 1

“ . . . it was enough to instantly and badly burn any foot, or boot, or paw . . . ” (2). How did the four get on top of Muttering Rock during the climax, then???

“Kings and empires had risen and fallen since his imprisonment, but still, he waited” (2). Foreshadowing Kovo saying that it’s better for kingdoms to fall than for the Wyrm to claim its host?

Kovo and Gerathon bickering like siblings is lowkey funny???

Chapter 2

“‘She’s just jumpy. We all are.’ ‘I wonder why’” (8). Abeke and Meilin’s relationship has regressed significantly . . . damn.

“Except that Abeke’s family usually made her feel uncomfortable and small and worthless, while being with Conor was easy and warm” (9). Abeke’s abusive family literally makes me so angry. Also “being with Conor was . . . warm” . . . she probably means that literally and figuratively, considering what happened in Arctica.

“‘ . . . I saw what happened when Conor and Meilin chose their families over our quest - and when Rollan nearly did . . . ’” (9). Abeke is the only one that hasn’t attempted to choose her family over the quest somehow. Huh.

“The falcon shrieked, which might have meant, ‘Oh, put your shirt back on’” (13). REJECTED.

“‘That’s not fair,’ said Rollan. ‘That’s barely hilarious at all’” (16). He does have a point.

Chapter 3

“‘They probably already know,’ Meilin said unhelpfully. ‘Since someone is passing them information, as you might remember’” (20). Meilin is so mean in this book.

“‘I thought we were friends’” (20). That’s literally so manipulative of Meilin. She was being hostile first.

“‘ . . . you realize that was the second time you were conveniently captured so you could be used as leverage against us?’” (21). The first time was Glengavin, right? But she wasn’t even used as leverage then???

“ . . . every time he thought of Shane, he wanted to punch something . . . ” (21). The third time Conor has expressed interest in punching Shane, you guys. In case you’re keeping track.

“‘I knew that boll weevil in my soup last night looked suspicious’” (23). LOL.

“He had a strong, sinking feeling that this mission was going to end with loss and disaster” (25). The foreshadowing is done with a heavy hand in this book. Not sure if I’m a fan.

Rollan and Meilin arguing for a whole page be like: Actually, I’m right-

Chapter 4

“Nope. Don’t even think about it. I refuse to be eaten by sharks” (34). I talked about this briefly during my Hunted reread, but the tone of the story after the first book is vastly different from the first book’s tone. It gets lighter and more joke-y. This quote is another example. “Nope” is a word that is too informal to have ever made an appearance in the first book.

“ . . . oh, and PS, also had deadly sharks snapping and lunging only a few feet away” (35). This book is even more informal in tone than the past three. Again, it makes sense given the change in author, it’s just interesting.

“‘Hruumf,’ she observed at the sky” (37). This is so cute.

“The top of a rockback whale was clearly no place for her, and hey Jhi was trying her best to do as Meilin had asked” (38). Yeah. Yeah, I wonder why that is.

Chapter 5

“‘Foolish stupid crazy stupid lunatic brainless-’” (41). Ladies and gentlemen, may I present the extent of cursing in this book.

“Then she started pointing to the shark bites and barking orders at everyone swimming or paddling around the whales” (44). She’s ordering people she doesn’t even know? What an icon.

“With a whoop, he did a cartwheel in the sand and fell over” (44). This is too hilarious.

“Uraza turned up her nose, flicked her tail, and stalked off toward the jungle of dark green trees visible at the top of the beach” (45). She’s back to her arrogant self, lol.

“Two islanders ran up as Kalani took off her dripping green seaweed cloak; one took it from her with careful ceremony, while the other handed her a new, dry green cloak” (47). Kalani has servants?

“‘Compassion and respect! So THERE’” (48). LMFAO.

Chapter 6

Does Abeke have trauma from island jungles?

I actually think that Ngaio and Tangaroa’s spirit animal might be the best in the whole series. Really. They literally play hide-and-seek together. That’s so cute. Also totally what I would do if I had a spirit animal.

“She almost missed the freezing wind and icy, insect-free snow of Arctica - but not really” (53). Didn’t Abeke grow up on a hot savannah? She really shouldn’t be preferring coldness to heat.

“‘Probably because he expected you to help them,’ Kalani said. ‘Instead of acting like an embarrassing mule-headed pig’s snout’” (55). This is such a teenage insult, it’s funny.

Ngaio and Tangaroa’s relationship is probably the best spirit animal bond ever.

“‘This lunatic is nearly as old as a whale king. Show a little respect for your elders’” (57). Didn’t she just call him “an embarrassing mule-headed pig’s snout” though?

“Abeke could tell that Meilin was ready to stab something. Fun was not something any of them had time for, not with the future of Erdas at stake” (58). This would be so fun to draw.

“Definitely no falling into the crocodile-infested river” (61). Seems like something Rollan would say.

Can’t Abeke call foul play on Tangaroa for the river stunt?

“It reminded Abeke a little of Kunaya, the kitten she’d rescued on their trip to find Rumfuss” (63). Oh yeah, that reminds me, what happened to Kunaya? Did Finn take her? New headcanon: Donn-Kunaya parent-child relationship.

Chapter 7

“Briggan came back from sniffing the undergrowth, licked Conor’s hand, and sat down on his foot” (66). The image of this is too funny.

“Briggan was trying very hard to look dignified, but it would be very hard for anyone, even a Great Beast, to maintain his dignity while wearing a bouncing orange hat” (68). Grumpy Briggan.

Nightshade Island is cursed because of the First Devourer War catalyst event happening there, I’m pretty sure.

Bruh, Meilin is literally physically abusing Rollan? I hope this is a one-time thing-

“‘Jhi, for the love of Mulop, would you stop rolling around like a drunk chimpanzee?’” (72). Meilin is kind of psychologically abusive toward Jhi as well.

Chapter 8

“‘Meaning people who’d rather throw a meal away than give it to a starving orphan’” (74). That wasn’t Rollan’s code of honor, though? It was don’t steal from sick or poor people, and don’t steal if there’s a better way. I guess there’s a footnote there, then.

“‘If anyone knew where we were going - if anyone spoke of this island to us - if someone helped us get there even just by giving us a canoe . . . ” (75). Why can’t they just ask someone to give them a canoe and not tell them where they were going? They can lie.

“‘I’m not sure his head is going to fit in the canoe anymore’” (76). LMFAO.

Ah yes, Essix’s iconic blood-curdling shriek.

Meilin thinks being with Rollan is like being with a panda: parallels.

“If the word tapu hadn’t already existed, Meilin thought someone would have invented it just to describe this island” (82). That’s probably what happened, though???

“It was a little weird if she thought about it, and a little weird that she liked it, and a little weird to think about Rollan at all . . . ” (83). You don’t say.

“‘I can still control Jhi . . . ’” (85). Meilin feels so toxic in this book? Like more than normal??? It’s concerning.

“ . . . [Tarik and Rollan] looking almost like father and son . . . ” (87). Foreshadowing.

Chapter 9

“Conor, Abeke, and Kalani had spent most of the day lying in a shallow hole, covered with palm fronds . . . They were waiting for it to get dark” (90). Why didn’t they just wait for it to be dark before coming? Then they wouldn't've had to be in a cramped hole.

“Conor wasn’t sure what system she was using for the symbols” (93). I kind of want to know how Kalani is marking the walls so they don’t get lost, as well.

For some reason, I remember them meeting Timone on the island itself, not in the cave system??? Huh.

“‘You can’t take us anywhere near the tribe!’” (94). Is he trying to warn Kalani about the Bile’s effects?

I kind of want to know what Timone was doing wrong with his bond to make Waka resist him before he took the Bile.

“‘That no-good shark-faced backstabbing son of a jellyfish’” (97). Kalani has such descriptive chain insults.

Chapter 10

“If only the Bile didn’t exist in the first place” (102). Foreshadowing the end of the first series?

Kovo, a Great Beast, and one that thinks humans are stupid, gives the Devourer the Bile, a substance that enslaves animals to humans. Very logical of him.

“‘You mean - he would have come to me anyway?’” (103). So that means the first Devourer is literally not even old enough to be bonded. He’s not even eleven years old.

I’m not really a fan of the use-dreams-to-further-the-plot-or-explain-things trope, and this is no exception.

“‘Thank you, Jhi,’ Tarik said. ‘Yes,’ said Rollan. ‘Thank you very, very much.’ ‘Why would it be here, on the beach?’ Meilin demanded” (108). Meilin is the only one that didn’t thank her own spirit animal.

Chapter 11

Wow, they killed a whole-ass Komodo dragon.

“They had to run, and hope against hope . . . ” (112). Hope against hope? Kind of a cool line.

Abeke! Riding! Uraza! It’s mentioned in Tales of the Great Beasts that Uraza was too proud to let just anybody ride her.

Katoa seems so cool. Like if he were human, he’d be one of those chill, laid-back surfer-type people.

Chapter 12

If Meilin has a grandfather, how come she never tries to see him? We don’t ever meet him either. Is he dead?

“They would be furious - for five minutes. Then they would roll up their sleeves and start cleaning it up” (118). Kind of reminds me of Meilin: angry during the war, but afterward she helps rebuild Zhong.

“‘She’s not,’ Meilin said. ‘I thought so at first, but . . . we are meant for each other” (119). Meilin was kind of abusive to Jhi for the majority of this book. There was a cute moment after Jhi found the shell, but before that, it was all verbal lashings.

Is this dream Jhi attempting to warn Meilin?

“‘Worse,’ murmured Jhi. ‘Oh, Meilin . . . I can’t tell you, but you need to know . . . ’” (121). So, she is trying to warn Meilin. Can Gerathon control the animals, too? I mean, she can control the humans that control their spirit animals, but can she control the animals directly? I’m pretty sure she can-

Chapter 13

“‘Has anyone ever told you that your trust issues are all over the place?’” (124). Yeah, get her, Rollan.

“Lenori was on the beach . . . ” (124). Where has Lenori been all this time?

“‘Kalani is a wise and strong queen’” (125). Isn’t she sixteen?

“She looked straight at Abeke. ‘That’s the person who killed my father’” (127). She is in for a surprise. Also, she was good with Abeke in the last book? In one of the previous books, she makes an effort to not let her distrust for Abeke show outward.

“Rollan found himself appreciating the fact that at least his spirit animal had a face” (129). LOL.

“‘I fear that something awful is about to happen’” (132). Heavy hand with the foreshadowing there.

Rollan’s carpet memory with his mom . . . awww.

“He wondered if he and his friends would survive long enough to see a day when they could just enjoy a place like this . . . ” (138). Really, this needs to happen. Canonically.

“‘Float there unhelpfully like a wet piece of silk if the answer is yes’” (140). HA. Also, she should’ve switched that to no.

“‘I’ll go first,’ he offered” (141). So Rollan was scared to get onto the Kingray, but he’s willing to be the first to go into a giant hole?

Chapter 14

“The wolf sniffed at the tentacle and sneezed . . . ” (143). This kind of reminds me of the line in Fire and Ice. Parallels?

“‘Remember the tall ones from last time?’” (144). What is Mulop referring to? What humans? Conquerors from the First Devourer War?

“ . . . being the only underwater Great Beast” (145). But the Great Beasts had to migrate to the Evertree, which is in the middle of Nilo . . . how did Mulop . . . ?

Mulop’s question-answer talking is so funny.

“‘I thought the war was the Devourer’s idea, and Kovo and Gerathon were just helping him’” (148). Yeah, I thought that, too. I really don’t remember anything, do I?

“‘Kovo wanted to rule Erdas. Why?’” (148). I kind of wish easter eggs about why Kovo did what he did were planted while writing this series, instead of Kovo just pacing in his cage muttering about how he wants to crush the human race. Also, he’s a Great Beast. Doesn’t he already kind of rule, in a way?

“‘We also guard the secret of the bond between humans and spirit animals. That is the source of power’” (148). The Evertree???

“‘Very few still remain with their Great Beasts. Tellun’s. Cabaro’s. And mine’” (149). Didn’t Olvan say that the four fallen’s and Kovo and Gerathon’s talismans went missing after the First Devourer War? The Conquerors have Gerathon’s, obviously, but where are the others, then?

“‘It is a terrible thing,’ said Mulop. His deep green eyes bored into Meilin’s. ‘You will wish you had been kinder, little warrior’” (152). So Great Beasts can sense the Bile? Also, why didn’t Mulop, just, like, tell them that Meilin had taken the Bile?

Chapter 15

“‘Essix would have warned me if we were being followed’” (158). Only if Essix knew.

“‘Plenty of boats to carry us straight to Stetriol and into the hands of the Devourer. Aren’t we lucky’” (159). LOL.

“She could see at once that the enemy had planned for this attack . . . ” (159). Okay, so step one: Gerathon looks through Meilin’s eyes. Step two: she . . . tells the Conquerors??? How??? Isn’t she in Stetriol? It’s not like she can send messages? Or does she control them instead of telling them???

“Zerif tucked the Iron Boar back into his shirt, still grinning smugly. Abeke wanted to smash something. Ideally his face” (163). I personally think we should allow Abeke this basic human right.

“A heartbeat later, Essix dropped from the sky and drove her talons and beak at the Conqueror’s face” (164). GO FOR THE TALISMAN, ESSIX! THE TALISMAN.

Chapter 16

Oh, here it is.

“Abeke was taller, but Meilin knew ways of holding people that made it almost impossible for her to break free” (168). Does that mean that Gerathon can only work within a person’s arsenal of skills? Can she force someone to fight if they don’t know how?

“It’s me. I’m the mole” (168). *dramatic music*

“Did my father do this to me?” (168). If he did (he probably did), then he quite literally got himself killed. He tricked Meilin into drinking the Bile → Gerathon can see through Meilin’s eyes → the Conquerors swarm the Lake of the Elephant → General Teng is killed.

Also, why? Why did he want Meilin to have a spirit animal so badly? It is mentioned that Meilin’s mother and all four of Meilin’s grandparents had spirit animals. Maybe he felt isolated and didn’t want his daughter going through the same thing?

Also, how did he even get Bile??? Where did it come from??? Why was he just willing to give it to his daughter? So many unanswered questions . . .

This is referred to several times throughout the chapter as a “betrayal”. But it’s not??? It’s not even close??? Betray is defined as “to treacherously reveal information or secrets”. Meilin did none of the above. So this isn’t a betrayal.

The only person doing anything evil is Gerathon, who they already knew was bad. Obviously, that doesn’t make it any less devastating, but it’s not a betrayal. Thank you for coming to my TedTalk.

“Jhi was being controlled by Meilin exactly the way Meilin was being controlled by Gerathon right now” (170). Which allows room for some level of resistance, right? Also, it feels like they made Meilin ridiculously toxic in this book in particular to foreshadow this. She was less toxic before this and barely toxic at all in the first book.

“ . . . it would only take a moment for Rollan to switch talismans . . . ” (172). Can you not use more than one at a time?

“I’m the mole . . . I’m the reason the Conquerors are winning the war. I’m the reason they’ve always been able to find us; it’s my fault they have the talismans they stole from us. It’s my fault my father is dead” (174). Literally none of those things are her fault. They’re really all her father’s fault. And again, referring to her as the mole is inaccurate.

Chapter 17

Again, saying Meilin is the mole is inaccurate.

“‘Why didn’t the Greencloaks protect her?’” (177). Honestly, yeah.

“‘I’m glad you guys are safe, too,’ Conor said . . . ” (178). Yeah, about that . . .

“Conor stared at him in disbelief, his green eyes wide and confused” (179). I think this is the first time we’re getting canon Conor eye color?

Okay question: couldn’t the Greencloaks have just stopped trying to collect talismans and instead focus on building their army for the war? Because so far, the Conquerors haven’t actually gotten the talismans themselves, just stolen them. They probably wouldn't have either, considering that the Great Beasts only gave theirs up because the four fallen were there. So if the talismans stay with the Great Beasts, neither side will get them and Kovo will never be freed?

Final thoughts and rating:

I like Kalani as a character and her insults are definitely top tier. Tangaroa and Ngaio are definitely my favorite bond thus far. I liked how Conor doubted Abeke in certain places then felt ashamed. It really made him feel more 3D and not like a perfect angel that trusts everyone, because in a situation like this, it’s a bit impossible. The author did a good job of conveying Nightshade Island, like I could picture it in my head, and I usually can’t do that very well. It wasn’t really the physical description itself that was so good, it was the way it made you feel that was done exceptionally. Sunlight Island’s cave system was really cool in my opinion, and I wish it could’ve been revisited at a later point in the series. I enjoyed Mulop’s personality a lot, it’s nice to see the Great Beasts show some character and really come to life. The plot twist was definitely pulled off perfectly, and was clearly foreshadowed with the sleepwalking and whatnot. I think Meilin’s devastation was written quite nicely. I enjoyed Abeke’s slow realization that her family was pretty abusive towards her. I also liked how Rollan’s mother and his feelings about it didn’t weigh the story down too much, only at critical points. A very good choice in terms of writing efficiently.

Meilin choosing to help the whales redeems her a bit, but I still think the way they decided to make her ridiculously toxic right before the reveal was a bit unnecessary. Meilin was definitely more toxic than needed in this book. Personally, I think they should’ve taken it down a couple notches. Mulop not just telling the four that Meilin had taken Bile was a questionable choice. I think easter eggs and hints toward Kovo’s true motive, stopping the Wyrm, should’ve been planted in this book instead of making him out to be this human-hating villain that is bent on ruling Erdas. Just small things, like Kovo perhaps worrying about a “mysterious ancient force” or justifications involving how he will “save Erdas”.

Rating: 8/10

#draeyem rereads spirit animals #against the tide #spirit animals series #spirit animals books #spirit animals #spirit animals thoughts

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larathia · 2 years

Text

BSD Manga reread, ch’s 1-10

I’ll be kind and not spam and only post after I’ve reread 10 chapters at a go.

And I’ll use cuts, too. Cos this time THERE WILL BE PICTURES.

Chapter One

* My first thought here is ‘wow, Dazai’s manner of speech is different’. I’m...not sure I can quite place how, and it could of course just be a translator thing, but he sounds rather more refined here at the beginning of things than he generally does later. (I’m not saying he speaks crudely, just...he gives much more of an upper class impression here, somehow.)

And he reads. I didn’t notice this the first time around because - it’s a series about literary greats, no? So of course there should be reading? But on a reread, I’m finding myself going “wow, almost nobody is seen reading.”

* There are three things that happen here, that I think are why Dazai chooses to take Atsushi under his (and, collectively, the Agency’s) wing. Firstly, while alone and clearly afraid of everything up to and including literally his own shadow, Atsushi chooses to save the life of a stranger. (He couldn’t KNOW that Dazai would’ve rather have been left alone. Point is - the kid chose to be kind, in a city that - we are repeatedly told and shown - does not have much kindness in it.) Secondly, on saving someone’s life, and being offered a reward, and while obviously starving, he just asks for chazuke. Which we’re told is basically just a dish meant to clean rice out from a bowl. It’s apparently the equivalent of saving a well-to-do person’s life and asking for a PB&J. So now we have “kind and apparently humble”. And lastly, and this one seems to be the clincher, Atsushi tells Dazai his story in the warehouse and it’s clear that this boy has nothing to live for, and no one who’d be the slightest bit upset by his death...yet he chooses to live. WANTS to live. And even so, choosing to live and wanting to live, he has in no way ...well. Become a beast.

Contrast ALL of this with what we later learn about Dazai’s meeting with Akutagawa. And with what we later learn of Dazai’s own outlook and inclinations. Atsushi is practically Dazai’s diametric opposite...yet there’s no friction here. No competition, no judgment. Atsushi doesn’t even realize that he’s made a very quirky, and rather dangerous, friend. But because he DID, we have ...well, the whole story.

I would be remiss if I did not include probably the single most ignored bit of canon in this entire series.

The number of people who feel the deep-seated need to ignore or deny this one panel is really kind of amazing, when you get down to it. I just thought I’d mention that yes, Dazai being straight is, actually, canon. Chapter one, never actually recanted or disproved in the text canon. It’s important to remember what is canon and what is fanon. It prevents fandom-related insanity.

ANYWHO. MOVING ON.

Chapter 2

Atsushi’s entrance exam. On a reread, what mostly sticks out to me here is what Atsushi learns about Dazai.

Firstly, Atsushi learns that seriously, Dazai’s suicide attempts have completely numbed the Agency to even the idea Dazai might need help:

Secondly, Atsushi learns that Dazai is very much a trickster entity who might be your friend and might look out for your best interests, but has ZERO problem lying and/or putting you through the wringer in order to do so.

He definitely remembers both of these lessons later. It doesn’t hurt that he gets a lot of reminders.

Chapter 3

* Tanizaki is, genuinely, a pretty nice guy on average, and takes a non-mentorly kind of ‘take Atsushi under his wing’ approach. Sort of senior-but-equal.

* Ah, the famous ‘guess Dazai’s former job’ scene. Now, I get why Dazai wasn’t exactly free to admit it (given all the work the government did to cover up his past) but I feel, on reread, that the fandom should admit Kunikida totally had Dazai figured out. And absolutely deserves the financial reward.

Like, seriously. What we later learn is Kunikida was 100 percent right on both counts - Dazai just wasn’t free to admit it.

He promises he ‘won’t lie’. And...very technically, VERY VERY TECHNICALLY, he isn’t? I mean yes, ‘scoundrel’ covers pretty much the entire Mafia, and ‘shipping container’ would in most cases be considered synonymous with ‘homeless’, so I do feel Kunikida is right to claim the pot. But at the same time, “mafia don” is ...rather above and beyond mere ‘scoundrel’ and ‘capable of living in five star hotels but CHOOSING a shipping container’ is not what comes to mind when one says ‘homeless’. There’s a hell of a lot of nuance that lets Dazai’s assertion that he ‘won’t lie’ technically stand, while at the same time allowing Kunikida to be 100 percent right.

But at the base level I’m going to call this as “the only reason Dazai doesn’t admit to his past here is because at the time he probably couldn’t.” This little pot of betting money never comes up again, but I like to think that when Dazai does finally admit his Mafia connections to Kunikida later on, he hands over the pot as well. (Yes, yes, I know. Fanon vs Canon; this is a guess/hope.)

Canonically, what we as readers learn is yes - Dazai will lie. Context is required to understand why and to what degree, but yeah - Dazai will totally lie.

* And we’re introduced to Higuchi and Akutagawa. And Dazai’s tricks (again). This time it’s the headphones, listening to the transmitter he put in Higuchi’s pocket. And the lyrics to his ‘double suicide’ song, which I suppose we have to figure he just made up on the spot to ‘explain’ why he’s wearing headphones, since just saying “I’m listening to our client on the sly” would ...not come off well with Kunikida after that whole ‘drag Dazai into the closet for a beating’ thing.

* Tanizaki really is a pretty decent detective. And his ability is much better in combat than he thinks; it’s really only down to his Light Snow that everyone came out of their first encounter with Akutagawa alive.

Chapter 4

* Wow. Dazai really did come RIGHT over once the fighting started.

* And we learn that sweet, observant, polite Tanizaki has a really hard ‘cross this and die’ line; Fuck Thou Not With His Sister. Accompanied by impressive crazyface.

* This is also Akutagawa and Atsushi’s first fight. Given that Atsushi’s still reeling from a lot of revelations, he did pretty well.

* And now we, the readers, know that Kunikida was right; Dazai was a scoundrel. A professional and high ranking one. Even so, on reread, it’s this panel that sticks out as “whoa”.

Because while we learn in this chapter that Dazai is ex-Mafia, it’s much later that we learn just what his relationship with Akutagawa was. And how very, very much this single mocking sentence would cut Akutagawa.

Dazai gets a lot of information out of Aku here. But all his actual concern is for getting Atsushi, Junichiro, and Naomi back to base.

Chapter 5

Dude, you totally are. And I think it’s Kunikida’s state of “totally rattled” that really pushes Atsushi to think that the only thing he can do to protect the Agency is run away from it.

We’re then introduced to the Black Lizard, which upsells the whole ‘must run away’ idea, We’re given a brief introduction to Tachihara and Gin, which is at least useful to remember for later. And we realize that Higuchi hasn’t processed that Dazai is ex-Mafia. (Probably fair, since most people don’t seem to survive trying to be ex-Mafia.)

And Atsushi learns that he doesn’t have to ‘protect’ the ADA. They’re totally capable of protecting themselves, Kunikida’s case of nerves notwithstanding.

Chapter 6

Our introduction to Ranpo. (And Atsushi’s.) And all we get at first is the sheer awe that everyone holds Ranpo’s power in. And a hell of a lot of Atsushi’s “so done with you crazy people” face.

This is very much a ‘Dazai mentoring’ chapter; he’s the one advising Atsushi to watch closely, and he’s the one that pushes Atsushi to take action when the bad cop tries to use his gun on the group. (Dazai’s also apparently pleasantly surprised that Atsushi managed to handle that well, taking the officer down without killing or injuring him or anyone else...but yeah, Dazai’s probably still comparing Atsushi to Akutagawa here.) Dazai’s the one to show Atsushi that Ranpo isn’t using a supernatural skill, too, just his head - walking Atsushi through those details he himself can spot, as a kind of training session.

He really isn’t a bad mentor. But he’s very much a trickster mentor - Atsushi just has the weird luck to be mentored by this setting’s equivalent of Loki. He learns! Valuable lessons! Just...not exactly in an orthodox manner.

Chapter 7

I tend to focus on Dazai, because he’s a character you kind of HAVE to figure out from context (given he’s a trickster, and often, a deceiver), so ...bear with me a bit here.

The first note is the face he makes when Kyouka corners him:

We don’t know exactly why he makes this face at the time, because we don’t get a clear view of what ability Kyouka has...but realistically, this has to just be startlement that the Mafia Really Wants To Talk To Him Right Now. Because...Demon Snow cannot hurt Dazai; she’d be dispelled at the first touch. And ...frankly, Kyouka may be a skilled assassin but she’s 14 and very direct and in a straight up fight I’d put money on Dazai. So when Dazai’s accused of ‘letting himself be captured’...yeah, he totally LET himself be captured. There’s evidence enough to support that. (Now, ask me why Akutagawa SENT KYOUKA, when he knows damn well what Dazai’s skillset is, and I find myself thinking “Aku wanted to see if Dazai would kill her for him, didn’t he.” Akutagawa knows Dazai has no real problem murdering people. Dazai’s tried to kill Aku, after all.

And then we’re back at the Agency, and treated to a reminder that really, Atsushi is the only member of the ADA willing to accept even the idea that Dazai might actually be in trouble, or need/want help.

Sadly...Atsushi is also wrong - since Dazai DID let himself be captured, and DOES kinda have that whole situation under control...but the thing is, no one in the ADA really knows that, or even HAS a way to know that; they’re just (mostly) fed up with Dazai’s suicide attempts.

And it’s not that Atsushi necessarily disagrees with everyone’s assessment? He totally accepts that maybe Dazai did try to kill himself (again), or is in control of whatever situation he’s landed in. It’s just that Atsushi also accepts that he doesn’t KNOW that - and that, incidentally, he seems resolved to interfering with Dazai’s suicide attempts regardless - and so he’ll go anyway. Which makes him utterly unique in the entire BSD setting, when you think about it. Everyone else that has ever tried to keep Dazai alive, has done so for selfish reasons. Atsushi...just doesn’t want Dazai to die. He doesn’t have work for Dazai to do, doesn’t seem to need him for anything...he just doesn’t want Dazai to be dead. Which may be the only reason Dazai doesn’t ever get mad at Atsushi about it.

Atsushi also doesn’t have the slightest hint of self preservation. Which we’ve seen twice now; first with the fake bomb, second against Akutagawa, and now here - and Yosano snags him to go shopping.

For...lemons, among other things...

Given what happens later, I find the bag full of lemons just kind of ...on the nose.

Also. Let it be known that I adore and admire Yosano and this right here is absolutely why.

This woman owns my soul and you can’t get it back from her.

Yosano also wins points for being the first to realize that Atsushi’s power is a little more than just “turning into a big white kitty cat”.That Atsushi doesn’t just ‘heal’. Something more is going on.

This chapter does a lot to introduce Yosano and her basic outlook on life. She’s fearless, resolute, ruthless, and has zero patience for perverts and idiots. But she’s kind enough to Atsushi in her own way - willing, I suppose, to accept that he’s not stupid so much as he is ignorant of protocol.

Chapter 8

Still on the train.

We’re now given a proper introduction to Kyouka. Atsushi, here, has his little epiphany - if he can save other people, then he can justify his existence.

And because he has this epiphany - because he’s brought pain and misery to others due to circumstances beyond his control, but does not want to die - he’s able to push Kyouka into wanting to escape the dark too. Although, much like Atsushi’s first attempt was curling around what he thought was a live bomb, Kyouka jumps from the train.

And Yosano, man, I would just put every panel with Yosano on here if I could, because I adore her so very much in this chapter. Just picture me back in the stands, waving a ‘go yosano’ flag and cheering. She’s awesome. I love her.

Chapter 9

We open on a discussion of Kyouka, and Kunikida being...kind of an ass. Again. Because someone has to say the obvious and unpleasant truth, and that tends to be Kunikida’s job. And Atsushi ...probably doesn’t even realize that he takes a page from Dazai’s book here. It’s much easier to get information from someone who’s comfortable and at ease with you, than it is to beat information out of them. Atsushi saw that firsthand, when he was the interrogation subject back in chapter 1. But Atsushi doesn’t have Dazai’s leverage with Kunikida, and has to pick up the tab himself. And once more, Kunikida lays out the obvious, unpleasant truths.

(I feel like at this point someone should be asking, “If Kyouka’s so clearly condemned, and she’s only been with the Mafia a little while, how the fuck was Dazai able to just walk out?” - not that we get the answer to that for a LONG time...)

That isn’t the question that Atsushi asks, though. He asks a question much closer to the heart of his character:

And ...I want to say that I think this is actually a very central question, at the very heart of the series’ conflicts. Not about Dazai specifically, but why does anyone reach out to help anyone when there’s nothing in it for them to do so?

Look - we know, as of current time (all the chapters since this one, and all the LNs and spinoffs and all that) that the reason ‘why Dazai reached out’ was that this was something Oda asked Dazai to do with his dying breath. Look after orphans. Protect the weak. Why was Oda kind? Because Natsume was kind to Oda, and Oda’s paying it forward.

And why did Dazai heed Oda’s request? Because, ultimately, Oda was kind to him. Kind when it not only didn’t get Oda anything, it actually put Oda at risk and ultimately cost Oda his life. One person was kind to Dazai. They made one request, and that pushed Dazai forward.

And then in turn Dazai is kind to Atsushi. When it doesn’t benefit him to do so, and in fact incurs debt at first - hiding Atsushi from the police, getting him a place to stay, etc. It doesn’t benefit Dazai to do any of this, nor does he require any repayment from Atsushi for it.

Natsume was kind to Oda. Oda was kind to Dazai. Dazai is kind to Atsushi. And now Atsushi, in turn, wants to be kind to Kyouka.

So very much of this entire series pivots on a single chain of kindness.

And a hell of a lot of unkindness.

The story slips back to Dazai, chained to a wall, and being particularly chill about it. You can pretty much tell Akutagawa finds this utterly incomprehensible...but then, his power can’t hurt Dazai, and Dazai truly wouldn’t care even if it could. Dazai mocks Akutagawa...a LOT. And we find out now for certain that Dazai wasn’t just ‘ex mafia’. He’s an ex-mafia don, a leader, executive, and Aku’s former mentor.

And he is merciless. He rips right into any and all aspects of Akutagawa that might hurt Aku, anger him, upset him. You can practically see Dazai smashing little chisels into every one of Aku’s (many) braincracks. And then he adds the finisher, which will take all of Aku’s hurt and rage and aim it at Atsushi:

We know, from later chapters, why Dazai does this. He knows of old that Akutagawa is obsessed with proving himself, and that the only way Akutagawa knows of to do that is attack and defeat what he sees as his enemy. Dazai also knows that Atsushi has the potential to get through to Akutagawa - as well as survive Akutagawa’s power. He’s throwing these two at each other because both of them will learn just as much from each other as either ever could from him, and he’s well aware someone is yanking some strings in the background.

(And I’m pretty sure he really, really doesn’t want to have to deal with Chuuya.)

If Double Black isn’t going to handle whatever the new situation is, then a replacement team must be forged. Despite what Dazai tells Akutagawa here, we know from side media (the Mimic affair, specifically) that Dazai actually thinks well of Akutagawa’s powers. He just doesn’t think much of Akutagawa’s ability to learn to use it effectively.

The scene switches back to Atsushi, being kind to Kyouka. Which ends with Akutagawa kidnapping Kyouka and attacking Atsushi.

Kindness and unkindness. In this chapter, Dazai’s ultimately at fault for all of it.

Such a trickster. So very Loki.

Chapter 10

Junichiro is, again, the gentle/kind member after Atsushi. And Kunikida is, again, the one to lay out unpleasant facts, although this time Ranpo’s willing to help. The ADA are not really a team, at this point - they’re a collection of employees. There’s no expectation of anyone going out on a limb for anyone else.

Thankfully, Naomi - and Fukuzawa - aren’t gonna be having with any of that shit. That Fukuzawa - who’s had almost NO interaction with Atsushi - is willing to turn the whole Agency on its ear on Atsushi’s behalf...says a hell of a lot about the man’s integrity and sense of honor. This isn’t just a ‘collection of employees’, to him. They are his people. That’s how his ability works, how it can help them. “His people” may not yet be bonded with each other, but from Fukuzawa’s position, they are all connected to him. Once they are his, he will watch over them. Which gives us this gem:

And again, this is something that hits harder after you’ve read all the manga, and all the side stuff, and you realize what Fukuzawa is delivering here isn’t a counter-argument. It’s a very personal bitchslap, reminding Ranpo that Fukuzawa has stuck his neck out for Ranpo, especially in their early years working together, and that Ranpo denying aid to another because it isn’t “logical” is basically Ranpo saying that he didn’t deserve help either. There’s...seriously no way Ranpo’s even going to try making that argument.

And then we cut to Dazai’s little dungeon. I think it’s important to realize that the entire interaction was something Dazai expected - and staged. Much like his interaction with Akutagawa before, everything Dazai says or does with Chuuya in the room is designed to get a specific reaction out of Chuuya.

This is the truth - these panels just before Chuuya enters.

And this interaction truly is a work of art, because Chuuya may not be on Dazai’s level intelligence-wise, but he’s not actually stupid. He knows what Dazai is like - he just isn’t quick enough to avoid the traps. It’s like knowing a magician isn’t REALLY using magic, just sleight of hand, and maybe even knowing how one or two of the tricks work, but being absolutely fooled by all the others.

You’re not wrong, Chuuya. And frankly, your observations are just as valid for Dazai-now as they are for Dazai-in-the-mafia. But the minute you said “I don’t know what you’re planning”, you should’ve realized you’d already lost. Even Atsushi can pick up on that much.

The chapter ends with a lot of hustle and bustle at the ADA, and ultimately, Ranpo being nudged into giving the ADA directions. The rescue is on.

Next up will be chapters 11-20 :)

#bungou stray dogs #bsd analysis #larathia rereads bsd

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kuwdora · 1 year

Note

Hi hello! For the fic writer asks:

✿ did anything major change when you started writing Coin Operated Boy to when you finished?

☉ what do you do when you get stuck writing?

✄ what’s your editing process?

Oh, hi you! These are excellent asks. Somehow I knew you would ask about this story. :)

Okay. So! With Coin Operated Boy I didn’t really have anything major change. I did end up cutting or not writing a lot more detail about Jaskier’s friendship with Cory and more Oxenfurt culture. Mostly because Jaskier was too busy being a puppet and didn’t have time for anything else. I had a lot more detail about Cory and Jaskier and their college friends, and passing around the same $20 for over two decades. Oxenfurt insider jokes, some more throwaway details about The Horrors happening outside the walled garden of Oxenfurt since the story takes place about 4-6 months after Cintra falls.

Also originally after puppetskier had been attacked by a kitty, he was gonna run into a random artist who would help and drop him off at Shani’s. Then I realized it would be way cuter if he actually encountered Karsten again because!! Small child and puppetskier! Relationship already established.

Not a major change either but I originally had a coda I was gonna do but then didn’t. I got so tired by the time I reached the end of the story that I just needed to be done. It was gonna be from Cory’s POV where she’s at a pottery stall or kiln and Karsten returns with some of the hidden treasure he had found and that he wanted to pass on to Jaskier because Jaskier was his new friend. I was also trying to find a way to have Shani stop by while Cory and Karsten were together for that moment. This idea was actually a brilliant suggestion by Castillon02. Alas, being tired and feeling all kinds of squishy about playing with my OCs a little more…the coda did not come to fruition.

I also have a second coda/probably a second story idea. Where Jaskier is hanging out with Yen and makes a passing reference to that time he was turned into a puppet for several days. And something something, Jaskier wants to be fucked as a puppet, something something horny comedy size difference and Yen indulging him.

☉ what do you do when you get stuck writing?

I usually end up in somebody's DMs, usually @sassaffrassa trying to talk through my current problem. And cry a lot. I've been trying to do some short bursts of flashfic writing when I'm stuck editing just to reset my brain. Right now I wish I had better focus to be working on my vidding projects or my painting projects to step away from the writing medium. Slowly trying to get myself back into those things again just because I think it will help o have something else to work on.

But if I leave things too long without touching or thinking about it, then it's so much harder to get back into it. Even though I really, really want to finish it.

✄ what’s your editing process?

AS FOR EDITING, my god. It’s a... process. Going under a cut cause I ramble like the wordy gremlin I am.

I write and do my first round of editing in Scrivener. I usually write a scene and when I think I’m done, I go back and reread and start writing notes about things or highlighting passages I think about or want to revisit again. I outline after drafting a lot of the time. To see what actually happens and compare it to what I actually wanted to happen. Or thought was gonna happen. Cause I forget shit all the time while writing and sometimes can't see what I actually wrote unless I make bullet points. It's annoying.

I like Scrivener because I move a lot of scenes or whole sections around and I end up writing so many notes about different things that I end up with folders of stuff that doesn’t even make it into the story. Probably why it takes me for fucking ever to finish anything because I keep getting distracted with more ideas and details. But editing usually involves going back to my judicious use of brackets and filling in shit or figuring out what I was thinking. I jump around a lot in the editing stages because if I’m not feeling a certain section at the moment then I’m just not gonna get enough done.

Once I feel reasonably okay and like it’s readable, I pop the fic into gdocs for eventual betaing or cheer readers. I hate gdocs so much for anything longer than 4k because I can’t really see the scenes anymore. But it is helpful to be looking at the text on a different screen and I do appreciate that. I’ll continue to edit and make more specific line and paragraph highlights of things that are bothering me so I know what I’m gonna focus on when I come back later. Eventually I’ll reach a point of exhaustion and fling it at someone who’s willing to read it and pray that it makes sense. Usually in the case of my Leshkel stuff it doesn’t but that’s what another round of editing is usually for. When I’m mostly on the ball with my story I happily chew on beta comments and wrestle my paragraphs some more until I’m exhausted and never want to write again.

I recently started using the header feature in Gdocs so I can jump to my scene/chapter breaks a little easier now instead of scrolling through +15 pages and I think that will help my editing brain for this stage.

Anyway that was very long but!! Sort of how I roll.

fic ask meme

#answerdora #crushcandles #fic ask meme #writing meme #meme #puppetskier #a bard's hiatus in oxenfurt

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