#it's such a simple thing to like about the whole plot and the performance

[jcollinswrites]

How the fudge are you writting so fast??? I sit down to write and end up with nothing or reworking plot instead of writing 😭Have any tips you want to share? Perhaps the ingredients to the dark ritual you perform to get the motivation and remain focused 👀👀👀

So, first of all, you'll need half a newborn, shaken, not stirred…

lol jk (don't shake babies)

Believe it or not I'm the same as you, so here are some stuff that helped me tremendously, especially with my squirrel ADHD brain:

NUMBER ONE that I needed 20 years to learn, is that… forget editing, man. You can't edit if there is nothing to edit, so first you have to sit ya ass down and just fuckin' do it. It doesn't matter if it's shit at first. It's called work in progress for a reason. Who cares if it's shit? You can edit it LATER when the whole thing is already done. What you're reading in my game is literally my first draft. Lots of scenes might change later. In fact, I'm already changing scenes in the background, I'm just not always telling you. It doesn't matter. If anyone gives you shit for it, tell them to kindly fuck right off.

Have a plan for the book (written down. Not just in your head). Don't even start writing until you have a plan for the entire book. It doesn't have to be detailed. Mine is just bulletpoints, but you should know which chapter will contain what, including plot points, character development, relationship progress etc, otherwise you'll get lost, especially in a big IF. And then as you get closer to the next chapter, you can work out more details in the plan to help the actual writing.

If you don't feel like writing a scene, then don't write it. Leave a placeholder word there (I use 'mandarin' because that word likely won't come up anywhere else in the text), and instantly move on to another scene that you have inspiration for. Later, you can just search for 'mandarin' and add the scene when you feel like it. If you accidentally come across any MANDARINs in my game, that's the reason lol.

If you are writing an IF, it helps to start simple. Write the story until a choice comes up, then write the title of the choices, and continue ONLY with the route you feel the most inspired for atm (use mandarin for the rest). Don't let your momentum die by getting bogged down in choices. That's why I have so many greyed out choices when I start a new origin or chapter. I just write write write until the end of the chapter, THEN I go back to whatever choice is the simplest to add, and put the variations in the already-existing text if needed. Repeat until all the choices are written and coded in. This way, the text might feel more organic too, because you already have a pre-written skeleton that you can just add variations in.

Keep notes. It helps to have them on paper, next to you, so f.ex. when you make 9 different deities to choose from, you don't have to go back to the beginning of the chapter every single time to look up which deities those were and what they mean, you can simply turn your head to the side lol.

Take regular breaks. Exercise, stretch. Keep a daily schedule. Eat and drink enough. Try to keep a good health. Your brain won't work if it's starved.

Know yourself and your habits, and be honest with yourself. I know of myself that once I start working on the big plot points, I won't have any motivation to come back to the beginning again. That's why I'm writing all the origin stories first, because I know that if I start going into chapter 2, I definitely won't feel like coming back to start yet another route from the very beginning. So if you don't feel like doing something, then just… don't do it. Or do it simpler. Do it smarter. Trick that asshole brain into cooperating.

Last but not least, guys, 90% of my motivation COMES FROM YOU! Your engagement, your messages, your feedback, every little interaction is what keeps me going! So write me! I will answer! (if you aren't a dick). Literally, about anything. Even if it's just "hey I really liked this small detail here", that will already make my day, seriously. I LOVE talking about my work, and I'm pretty sure every author is like that, so keep engaging with writers, because that's 90% of the reason when a novel gets finished! I'm writing for YOU! Your enjoyment, your fun, because I love telling stories, but those stories don't mean anything if no one is reading them.

[meadowsofmay]

i genuinely enjoy the amount of respect and love and care the circle has for cosmo. i can't possibly know if it will ever backfire given the circumstances they are in but that's not even what's so important right now. what will happen is what will happen but the beginning, the starting point that is actually a starting point only for us. for them? it's one of many that dotted the path of their relationship, their connection to cosmo.

i suppose it is so nice to see because there is an image of an old, obnoxious, know-it-all figures in media that are presented from the perspective — having knowledge is a grant of respect. but cosmo, at least from what we hear others speak of him, is not that. he is an old man that his grandson relative? father? wants to protect because that's how it should be and not the other way around. he is an old friend to madam glask, and he is the closest and hence the dearest, which means she will step over her fear and lost trust of elsie and follow their mission through. he is an associate, a roommate that elsie trusts to keep her safe and keep others safe from her. he is a professor that has earned his respect from rajan.

and he sees them as his children, he cares for them as he would care for his own and yet, not in a belittling way. they are like children to him but they are not children. they are grown and established in life adults that achieved their status in society and that cosmo respects, while caring for them like he would for his children. and it's almost as if they care and love him the same way in response. his human being does not consists only of work and his studies and they can love him like children would love their elderly parent. and they do.

and surely, we don't know what had happened in cosmo's past 'till it'd be revealed or what will happen in the future 'till it will happen next episode. but i just enjoy how likable cosmo is while being a knowledgeable and important part of the candela and the circle. i like how it's easy for the circle to like him and stick with him even when the circle bends.

and you know, that is the epitome of an actual respect, to have such an influence on people.

[spherekuriboh]

illumination would make a fucking great movie out of blowing up farewell my turnabout into a full runtime because:

- most illumination films have a higher bodycount than the average aa game

- literally everything about celeste and juan and adrian and matt, individually and as relationship units. people love touting these movies as not genuine but the adrian accomplice reveal would be so Good

- the soundtrack would fuck

- the Established Family Unit of nick maya and pearl disrupted violently by the plot. gjdhhshs illumination movies are pretty good at that kind of uncanny loneliness of being various degrees of alienated from your family for any reason and throwing this switch would be effective and terrible

- shelly de killer extra scenes that are just aai2 ice cream man

- nick kicking down those doors wouldnt be a joke actually. there's always marvel quips in these joke posts. they're fun movies but even when they're funny they arent so un-genuine.

- "what kind of jokes are--" matt pulls out his fucking burbon and when nick looks desperately at the guard the guy ducks, obviously having either given it to him or knowing it happens. The action is funny but the framing and audio cue make it clear that the cops not only know to an extent but Will Not Help You. he's only barely in prison. the guard has a large anime sweat drop as the shot re-focuses on nick staring into his own reflection in the glass instead.

- i dont think they'd shy away from this kind of visceral breakdown either? like. i think it'd be discretion cut away but the reunion scene between maya and nick and pearl is the next part and maya is like "what aboutt your record?" and nick goes "i won :)"

- credits scene dance party tribute to the jammin ninja which is a little bit tasteless but it's not worse than anything else that happens generally speaking. de killer is here.

[nipuni]

We went to see Phantom Madrid last weekend!! ❤️ Geronimo Rauch was amazing!! I'm going to write my thoughts on the whole performance under a cut for those interested 😊

I am going to be comparing it to the London version for reference since it's the only one I've seen live. I think my first impression was that It was better than I expected it to be! I read opinions about the Trieste production and I was a little worried but I found that I enjoyed a lot of the things I've seen being criticized.

The stage spinning around was awesome and added so much depth to scenes and made transitions very smooth. The backdrops were very nicely done!

As for costumes I think they were pretty good with the exception of Aminta's dress and the Masquerade costumes being kind of underwhelming.

The singing was good overall, although the translated lyrics are weird sometimes. The main songs translate well but some others become very confusing in Spanish, some wording seems forced and some notes are slightly altered to fit the phrases. Raoul is very calm and soft, maybe a little too much at times, Christine is very neutral and simple. Geronimo was amazing tho no notes!

Now the acting! I have opinions 😫 This show was very Christine and Raoul centric to such an extent that it flattened the plot for me 😬 Christine seems scared and disgusted from start to finish so there is no conflict in her character. She is never torn, she recoils from the phantom's touch during Music of the Night, and during Final Lair she sings the "pitiful creature of darkness" lines looking at Raoul the whole time backing away towards the phantom and steeling herself and only turns reluctantly at the last second to kiss Erik. She comes back to return his ring and just leaves it on the organ stool as soon as he turns around because she's scared to get close to him, when he sings "I love you" she shakes her head at him 🥹 like girl please give us something!!

Geronimo's phantom is a delight tho!! He whimpers, crawls, cries, screams, pants, it's great. He's acting his butt off and is the highlight of the show for me.

A thing that I really liked was in the end when the mob comes Erik is curled up in his bed crying and Madame Giry finds him there and tells him to hide under the covers and leads the mob away from him, I thought it was sweet and transitions into LND nicely.

OH also!! I really enjoyed the Phantom swinging on a rope across the stage during the ballet and Buquet's hanging, it's so good!! the flaming chandelier scene is also good!! in Final Lair they actually hang Raoul in the air which was very nice too! (and with his shirt still on) and even the angel wings and flying that I've seen people hating on was honestly so cool. It didn't look as goofy as I expected it to, it's very smooth and the lighting makes it scary, he casts thunder and flies!! the wings are not very visible since the scene is very dark. The light work was super good in general.

Masquerade and Don Juan were a bit of a let down, much simpler but not bad. I think my main issues were about the choices for Christine really 🤔 and I think some scenes needed more movement, especially the roof one (they couldn't move because they are sitting on a ledge)

The show in general feels a bit one note compared to the West End version but it was good!! I'm just nitpicky 😂 also I want Geronimo's autograph!! I love him 😭

Anyway if you want to see/hear more let me know on discord wink wonk 😁

[vidavalor]

The kiss, the Book of Life and the fly...

I've not seen anyone talk about this in this way so here's a fun theory of sorts for you... one that might make the kiss hurt less, even?!?!

More under the big cutty thing...

So the threat of erasure from The Book of Life looms large, right? The Metatron's plan honestly looks like he was delaying Michael's Book of Life erasure plan for Aziraphale until he could lure Aziraphale away from Crowley and up to Heaven, which makes sense because Crowley is powerful and can raise the dead and all that, yes? Ok, so, because Aziraphale is in some major, major trouble here... let's presume this happens. Let's presume that all the foreshadowing of Aziraphale winding up getting some of Gabriel's plot from their paralleling happens and Aziraphale is stripped of memories and erased from existence. Slight problem here being...

...Good Omens largely cannot exist without Aziraphale and obviously Aziraphale is going to have to come back, correct? So how does he? Well, how did Gabriel? If you say "the fly", you are obviously correct but look a little deeper at what the fly actually *is*... it's literally *Beezelbub*.

It's not some random fly-- it's part of Beez's body/essence/whatever you want to call what demons have. Beez literally gives Gabriel their body and Gabriel chooses to hide his whole self there-- chooses the fly to keep himself safe and to stay with/get to be with Beez on some level, no matter what happened to him. Gabriel got to make conscious choices about all of this because he had a plan and got to try to enact one out. Aziraphale does not.

Aziraphale has been fooled into going to Heaven believing that The Metatron wants him to get to work as the new archangel but, in reality, the plan is to restart armageddon and end all life on earth. It's time for war and Aziraphale is probably inevitably going to get Book of Life'd at some point. They keep foreshadowing it and they also have parallels to it with Crowley unable to remember much pre-Fall, Aziraphale's discorporation and the Madame Tracy plot in S1, and other moments. So if Aziraphale gets erased from existence from being taken out of The Book of Life, he somehow has to *still in exist in some way*, theoretically, to be brought back... which would seem to not make sense as he was just erased, yes?

It cannot be as simple as Crowley snapping Mr. Brown of Brown's World of Carpets back into existence. Mr. Brown was a human who existed and was killed. Crowley brought him back to life. But an angel erased from The Book of Life is then a being who never existed, right? It's not resurrection; it'd be creation, which might be the one thing Crowley cannot do because you could argue only God could. So *some part of Aziraphale must still exist* for Crowley to use to bring him back, right? There has to be an Ineffable Husbands version of Beez's fly... and there is. We've already seen it.

Just like how the fly was Beez, Aziraphale remains alive within Crowley... but how? When?

Crowley's never offered that to Aziraphale, has he?

Oh, hasn't he just, though?

For the record, I'm not saying that Crowley is suddenly going to have a Madame Tracy plot where he's like possessed by Aziraphale lol. I *am* saying that Madame Tracy as a vessel for Aziraphale's essence, Beez's fly, and the S1 Crowley and Aziraphale body swap... all of these things together foreshadow how Aziraphale survives erasure from existence. Plus, this hilarious bit below from S1 that'll seem even funnier in retrospect...

...as here is Aziraphale in S1, in a state of semi-non-existence, in search of a body to live in long enough to try to stop the end of the world and he says to Crowley...

An angel and a demon... probably explode. Except... it's the opposite... and S2 illustrates that. In S2, they perform a miracle together and they do have immense power but it doesn't cause destruction. It protects Gabriel. At the end of the season, they kiss-- a paralleling of sorts to the shared miracle but also to other aspects of shared form. It's not possession, like Aziraphale and Madame Tracy (and like Adam's eventual separation of them/reviving of Aziraphale) and it's not the body swap at the end of S1 and it's not even quite as much yet of a sexual metaphor as 'you can find all of Gabriel's essence-- hook, line and sinker-- in a literal part of Beezelbub'... but all of those things foreshadow and suggest that Aziraphale might actually survive his trip up to Heaven because of the kiss that's literally breaking us all in pieces right now.

Because of Crowley loving him, really.

I'm not saying that Crowley intentionally set out to do this but even unintentionally, he could have opened a kind of container for Aziraphale equivalent to Beez's fly, which would then mean that Aziraphale is alive in S3... in the memories and essence of the being he loves and who loves him. Aziraphale cannot be fully erased by Heaven permanently because he's quite literally *a part of* Crowley now.

It was just (again) like Agnes said-- they were playing with fire and would need to choose their faces wisely.

[jisungsdaydreamer]

sweet, sweet | h.js

there isn't enough rockstar!han jisung smut on here soo...

warnings: porn w/ basically no plot (but make it stupidly romantic), explicit sexual content, dom!jisung, sub!reader, oral (f receiving), slight degradation, unprotected sex, semi-public sex, rough sex, overstimulation, cum eating, kinda corruption kink. 2.5k words, mdni.

Jisung is a different person when he is performing. He’s instantly in his own element, confident, cocky, almost, always having just enough time to shoot his audience a flirty grin. On stage, he makes the spotlight look easy, and to him, it really does feel so simple in that moment.

All he has to do is imagine that you’re right up there with him, that his fingers strumming the nimble guitar strings are skimming your skin instead, that his hands so tightly holding the mic are gripping your hips instead. The lights around him fade into a mist, all of those eyes taking him in when there’s really only one pair that he truly cares about.

There you are, your body draped over the railing while you sway along to the set, your smile radiating with pride. A room full of other people, and there's only you. Jisung looks only at you, looks at the way you mouth along with every single lyric that Jisung and his bandmates sing, the way you tuck your chin into your palms, dreamily gazing at him.

In the intimate confines of the theater that he chose for his venue, he can make out just how stunning you are; the curtain bangs that he cut for you himself are plastered against your forehead in perspiration, the curves of your body shadowed under the hazy lighting. You raise your arms up with the rest of the crowd to cheer, and in doing so, the too-short skirt you’re wearing lifts up, exposing the smooth skin of your thighs, driving Jisung absolutely crazy.

You’re his sweet, sweet girl, and you don’t even know what you to do him.

The show has ended, and he’s now tugging you into an empty dressing room backstage, the door barely closing before he’s slamming you up against it and claiming you with his mouth, everywhere and anywhere. The scent of your peony body wash is stuck to his mind, the way you slowly card your fingers through his hair tattooed on his heart. The gentle kisses he places along the arch of your neck juxtapose the movement of his hands on your body, rough and demanding.

In a moment of vast self control, Jisung pulls back to rest his forehead against yours, properly looking at you for the first time tonight. You stare back up at him curiously, your bottom lip taken between your teeth in heady anticipation. Fuck, you’re cute.

Earlier today, Jisung had witnessed you get ready for the show, dolling yourself up for the opening night of the tour that he’d postponed for far too long after getting distracted by other things. You— that said distraction— had bent over the bathroom sink, trying to get ready and getting adorably disgruntled when your hair didn’t suit your taste, while an amused Jisung slumped against the shower door, just watching.

The black eyeliner you had so painstakingly rubbed on is now slightly smudged, glitter shimmering prettily on your lids; the whole effect makes your doe eyes look even bigger, making you look more innocent than Jisung knows you to be. After all, cherry gloss is now messily stained on your lips, your cheeks tinted a rosy blush, all courtesy of him. You’re his masterpiece, his work of art. You’re his.

“I miss you,” Jisung mumbles, capturing your lips with his own once again, savoring the way you so quickly fall into him, running the tips of your fingers up his back. 

You giggle into his mouth, a sound that sends shivers down his spine in the best way. “You have me.”

“But I’ll be leaving soon,” Jisung responds sadly. Tomorrow, he’ll be on a flight to another irrelevant city, somewhere you won’t be. 

“I’ll call everyday. We’ll do skincare on FaceTime. And I’ll spill all the work gossip,” you whisper theatrically, making Jisung smile like an idiot. “Besides, we still have tonight.”

The unintentional sultriness of your last few words go straight to Jisung’s cock, reminding him of the few hours that you both had left. He decides that he’ll make it count.

It’s why Jisung lets you push his blazer off of his shoulders, ridding him of another piece of pesky clothing separating the both of you. You don’t get the chance to do the same with his slacks, before he’s gripping the backs of your thighs, pulling you up into his arms to move somewhere more convenient for his plans. 

He moves fast, sparing no words to keep back all of those emotions that threaten to spill off of his tongue. You have that effect on Jisung, to unravel the parts of him that he can just never bring himself to convey. He can’t let you have that power today, not when the smallest assurance will have him rooting his feet in the ground, refusing to go without you. 

Jisung gently lays you down on the sofa, taking utmost care with what is most precious to him. He flips up your skirt with haste, pausing when he realizes that you aren’t wearing anything underneath. Your bare cunt glistens in the dimmed lights of the room, and you smirk, knowing your action has had its intended effect. Jisung aches for the strength to crawl back to where his jacket has been discarded, to pull out his phone camera and immortalize that tantalizing gloss on your folds.

“Since when did my sweet girl become such a slut?”

Even now, he can’t help the affection dripping from his tone. But it’s a question that Jisung doesn’t expect a reply to, especially when he’s suddenly launching forward and burying his head in between your supple thighs. He flattens his tongue and licks a stripe through your pussy, down from your clit to your entrance, collecting your arousal on his lips. You moan and grab onto his locks, bucking up into Jisung’s mouth.

How many details of tonight would he retain? The memories that would accompany him during lonely nights in empty hotel rooms, the thoughts that would have him inappropriately zoning out during interviews?

There’s your taste that has got him insane, a lovely tang that’s more potent than any of the pre-show shots that Jisung had downed with the band. Your divine, musky scent that Jisung wishes he could capture in a bottle, a fragrance more priceless than any coveted perfume. The answer is: all of it, everything. From the first night that he had made you his, he couldn’t ever forget a single thing about you. 

And Jisung cherishes the soft noises that you make when he kitten-licks at your cunt— but he can do better than that. He wants you to scream for him, for everyone to hear how good only he can make you feel. He clamps his fingers tight onto your legs, forcing them further apart as he dives in with full force. He wraps his lips around your clit, sucking hard, eliciting a broken cry from you.

“Jisung… please,” you whimper, clutching at his hair; Jisung has to bite back a moan at the sensation, at how much he loves it when you’re reckless with his body.

“Please what, baby?” Jisung nearly mocks you while his gaze is fixed on the way your beautiful features are twisted in utter pleasure. He skillfully hooks two fingers into you, all the while knowing what you really want. After all, what use are his hands when they aren’t grasping your hips as you ride him, his mouth when he isn’t kissing you while he fucks you? “Want my cock, don’t you? So, so desperate for it, aren’t you? Isn’t this enough for you?”

You shake your head, closing your eyes when Jisung leans forward again, placing a tender kiss on your pussy, as if to promise you that in spite of his harsh words, he could never be truly hard on you. “Need you so bad. Please, please, Jisung.”

And you might have given Jisung all of the control, but he never actually has it, not when just a few words from you can make him fold so easily, when his only purpose is to fulfill your wishes and give you all that you want. “There we go, sweetheart. Since you’ve asked so nicely.”

In truth, you could have fucking spat a command at him and he’d obey, a scenario that he’ll tuck away for when he wants to try a different dynamic with you, but he won’t let you know that right now. Instead, Jisung rises to his feet, deftly unbuckling his belt with one hand while swiftly undoing your ponytail, freeing your luscious hair from its tight hold. 

You sit up when Jisung lowers himself, reaching for his tie and pulling him to you with it. You kiss him frantically, like you’re drowning and he’s the air that’s saving you, and therein, Jisung briefly considers the possibility of you wanting him just as much as you do. 

But it’s impossible— Jisung knows that his love for you is unmatched, that not even you can rival it. Maybe he’s stubborn, maybe he’s whipped, but he’s right. He’d move heaven and Earth, steal a star from the sky and trap moonlight within his palms, all for you if you simply just asked.

Jisung groans as he sinks his cock into your heat, relishing in how tight you are around him, how you clench when he snaps forward. “God, you’re perfect. Made just for me. All for me.”

Ever his sweet, sweet girl, you intertwine your hands in Jisung’s, sucking in a sharp breath when he hits that particular spot inside of you. “You- you feel so good, Ji.”

Jisung can’t help the next words out of his mouth, the ones that have been repeated so dizzyingly often on his end. But he wants it, wants to adore you and be vulnerable with you. 

“I love you.”

He cups your cheeks and looks deep into your eyes so that you remember it, for those times in the heavily impending future that he can’t say it all the time anymore, when you’re alone, and you miss him. Because he wants you to know that you’re never really alone, not when he’s thinking of you with every breath he takes. 

He is so gone for you, so painfully in love with you. Jisung, who never thought himself capable of such a gift, loves you with everything that he is. He loves you, he loves you, he loves you. And if those three words pledging himself to you may never be enough, he’ll spend the rest of his life trying to prove it to you.

Jisung reaches his hand down, rubbing circles onto your clit and moving you even further, to that climax that probably doesn’t represent even half of the euphoria he feels when he’s around you. You gasp, delicate tears trailing down the sides of your face with how he’s taking you. “I love you too, always.”

Your response, no matter how many times he’s heard it, doesn’t fail to spark that giddy feeling in his limbs, the pure joy in his heart. Here you are, long hair spread like a halo against the back of the couch, strands soft against Jisung’s exposed skin. You look like a goddess, chest heaving up and down, plush lips parted with lust. And Jisung will gladly worship at your altar for as long as you desire him to.

Sometimes, he’ll fantasize about letting his bandmates take their turns with you, about showing you off to his closest friends and giving them an idea of the heaven he is in everytime that he touches you. Maybe he’d kiss you while Minho eats your pussy, or get himself off while Felix has his way with you. It’s what he should do for his brothers, isn’t it? Share with them what makes him the most happy?

But Jisung has always been a possessive man, and he’s reminded of how greedy he really is when you’re under him like this, looking up at him with wide eyes. No, he could never let the others have you. You’re his.

The thought sends Jisung into an electrifying sort of rage, one that has him mercilessly ramming his hips into yours. He focuses on how you suck him in, so wet, so warm, and how your eyebrows are scrunched together in ecstasy. Your sighs wash over him like cool water, your legs around his waist and caging him in, just like what you’ve done to his heart.

With one final thrust, you come undone as you both moan into each other’s mouths, raw and uninhibited. Your body spasms in Jisung’s arms while he holds you tight, tracing his palms down the sides of your arms, calming you down. Before you can blink, still dazed, Jisung is pulling out. He throws his head back and fists himself to his own orgasm, body tightening in urgence. Stripes of his release paint your pretty little cunt— you the canvas, and him, your devoted artist.

Breathing ragged from how fucked-out he is, he kneels in front of you once more, reveling in the surprised mewl you let out. Carefully, Jisung licks his own come from your pussy, cleaning you up in a way that feeds his selfish desire to have you even more. Your body reacts to the overstimulation in cute, slight jolts, legs attempting to close, but Jisung holds them open until he finishes what he’s started. 

When he’s finally had his fill, he places a soft kiss to your inner thigh, before pulling your skirt down and fixing his pants. He lies down on the sofa next to you, drawing your head onto his chest, where you might just be able to hear how fast his heart beats for you, even in the aftermath of the more exciting events of the night. Because here you are, looking unbelievably beautiful even after Jisung has so lovingly ruined you. 

In the silence that follows, you start to cry again, the sobs escaping your throat, the tears this time more meaningful this time. Jisung immediately smooths the hair off of your forehead, trying his best to wipe the tears from your flushed skin. 

“Hey, hey, hey. Baby, what’s wrong?” Jisung asks you, concerned. He hates when there’s anything other than happiness in your beautiful eyes. “I’m here, I’m right here.”

“I’m just really going to miss you,” you whisper, sniffling. “And I know I said we’d call, but WiFi on the road is really sucky…”

Jisung melts right there. His heart is heavy, yes, but not just with the sorrow of having to leave you. He’s content, happy beyond words. Never before has he felt so tied down somewhere, that need to run with stability. He’d never thought he’d live to see a day in which he’d want to stay, and especially not because of someone who brightens his life beyond any sun.

“We’ll get through it. Sucky WiFi, late nights, and all. You can’t get rid of me that easily, darling.”

You let out a watery laugh and close your eyes. “Come back to me soon, okay? I love you.”

Jisung kisses you deeply, his own tears trickling down his cheeks. He’s weak, he’s so, so weak for you. And he doesn’t mind it, not when all of the strength he’d ever need is right here in his arms. 

And I love you so much. My sweet, sweet girl.”

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[lvndrdaaze]

Hi hi! I saw that you're accepting req & i want to send a req if you don't mind (you can decline it, up to you)! Sfw headcanons/thoughts/one-shot (it could be anything) for wriothesley with gn reader who secretly writing a fanfic about him with the reader, wrio finds out about it 'cause he finds the paper with their handwriting (oof). Thanks in advance!

hiii! so I'm not usually accepting specific story reqs, but this tickled my fancy for some reason so I wrote a short-ish one shot, I hope you like it!! <3

(gn!reader, reader is an adventurer, one light swear ('asshole'))

Wc: 860-ish

Life Imitates Art

Tea with Wriothesley in his office was normally an innocuous affair. You'd come down to visit between your quests across Fontaine, and share a pot of whichever blend had taken his fancy recently while discussing work or literature or the latest performance you had seen at the Opera Epiclese. All of this while desperately trying to hide your attraction to the surely unattainable Duke.

So, when Wriothesley brought up something he had read recently, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. That is, until you had asked that fatal question.

"What was it about?"

Wriothesley's face lit up; he couldn't wait to tell you what the story had been about.

"Well, it was a romance story, about an adventurer and a Duke." His answer came in a light, conversational tone.

The whole world seemed to stop for a brief moment. The steady chug of machinery outside of his office went quiet. Even your heart had stopped pounding in your chest. Those papers you had lost...Archons, you prayed you had not left them in his office.

Meanwhile, he sipped his tea casually, hardly even looking at you as he continued to speak.

"The story was written from the adventurer's point of view, so you get to hear all of their deepest thoughts and secrets." Wriothesley said, glancing up at you with the slightest glimmer in his eye.

"I see..." was all you could manage to say, a hot flush growing in your cheeks as you dropped your gaze to stare into your teacup. He was toying with you, and you knew it.

"The adventurer had invited the Duke on a quest with them to Liyue, and they were staying the night in a hotel by the harbour. But, when they got there to check in, disaster struck- there was only one bed." He went on, an unmistakeable smirk in his voice now. "You see, it seemed the adventurer had some hidden feelings for the Duke. So, as you can imagine, sharing a bed with him would be quite the embarrassing situation for them."

"Yes, I can imagine." Your voice came out quietly.

"But, lucky for the adventurer, it turned out that the Duke had also been harbouring some...intense feelings for them. They barely lasted an hour in that bed together before the plot turned rather obscene."

You sighed, barely resisting the urge to facepalm.

"It was well written, all things considered." Wriothesley went on further, leaning back in his chair. Even without looking, you could feel the grin he wore in his words, the predatory gaze burning into your red cheeks as he knew full well he had you cornered.

"And I thought the plot was quite realistic, too."

That brought your attention back to him properly. Your head snapped up to stare at him, confusion written into your expression.

"What do you mean?" You asked in a low voice, a frown tugging on your brow. You didn't love the way he was toying with you in this moment, but his vague statement was enough to give you pause.

"I mean that I think a Duke like that really would reciprocate the adventurer's feelings." Wriothesley stated as though it were a simple fact. "After all, 'the warmth of their smile was enough to melt the ice that had shrouded the Duke's heart in coldness for so long'."

As he grinned wickedly at your gaping expression, you weren't sure whether to laugh or cry. This had been so humiliating for you, and this was the reason for his teasing?

"You're an asshole." You murmured, still burning bright red in a haze of embarrassment. Wriothesley chuckled softly, and pulled a couple of sheets of paper from his desk drawer.

"You left these last time you visited." He informed you with a wide smirk.

"Yes, I worked that part out." You huffed, snatching them from his hand. "And this is how you decided to tell me?"

He laughed again, a lopsided yet handsome grin on his lips.

"Can you blame me for having a little fun with it?" He asked, leaning forward in his seat to rest his elbows on the desk, mirthful eyes surveying you closer from this angle.

"I can, and I will."

But your voice didn't hold the bite that it should, and he recognised that.

"I thought the adventurer liked the Duke's 'dry wit and caustic sense of humour'?" Wriothesley teased.

"They changed their mind. The adventurer thinks the Duke is a cruel, cruel man."

Wriothesley laughed again, an expression of such smugness on his face, you couldn't help but stare. He was so handsome like this, so relaxed and gleeful.

"Well, if you ever change it back, I'd love to take you out sometime." The Duke said simply, dropping all pretence and glancing down to run his thumb over the rim of his teacup. Was that...a hint of pink in his cheeks?

Floundering. That was the word for what you felt. Like a cat tossed into a bathtub, you were in unfamiliar waters. Wriothesley was asking you out, but what could you do but accept?

"Alright, but you have to promise me you'll never bring this up ever again. Like, ever." You emphasised the words heavily, desperately, and Wriothesley flashed a mischievous grin.

"Sorry sweetheart, I'm not promising anything."

[gwenllian-in-the-abbey]

i think Helaena can be autistic but also a happy and joyful girl , autism ≠ depression. the way the portrayed the only neurodivergent character on screen as unstable, shunned depressed, and with no importance to the plot feel very ableist and weird , but then they're the ones who made the guy with a foot disability a feet fetishist 🫠

Hi OP, finally answering this because the trailer dropped and still the only Helaena shots we have are from her Jaehaerys' funeral. There is also one still photo of her. If you haven't seen it, here she is, apparently sewing the funeral shroud for her little boy:

So it seems like season 2 is going to continue on this trajectory for Helaena as a character who exists in order to suffer beautifully.

Don't get me wrong. I am glad that the show is going to wring the full emotional effect from Blood and Cheese, not just shock value. The audience will feel the real horror of a six year old child brutally murdered in his own home and the psychological torment of Helaena. It should be terrible, it should be devastating, and I hope they do not pull any punches.

What's disappointing about how the show has handled Helaena is that they didn't really put any effort into building up her character before her tragedy. It's all well and good that she likes bugs and she's touch averse, but what are her opinions? Who is she closest to? How did she react to becoming a mother so young? To what extent does she understand her visions? What does she value? She can be happy and cheerful, or she can be frustrated and angry, and hell, she can be depressed too, but I need to know why. It's telling that I can describe the basic internal motivations for each of the male children, including Luke who was a glorified plot device, but I cannot for Helaena. Aegon wants to feel loved, Jace wants to prove he's as worthy as any trueborn heir, Aemond wants what his brother has, Luke wants to be free from his family's expectations. Helaena? Fuck if I know. I guess she wants not to die horribly.

The ableism is an issue. F&B is full of women who were deemed "simple" -- Gael, Daella, Jaehaera-- without being given much else to define them, and HotD adds another (there's something, I think, to the way the "simple" Targaryens are always women and how disability kind of used as a way to remove them from the narrative and shunt them aside, often tragically). And while it's great to see an autistic person represented on screen, the show consistently has an issue with treating representation as characterization. "Autistic girl who likes bugs" is not a personality. Autistic people, (even those with horrifying prophesies I assume), do have hopes and dreams and feelings about things. The one peek we get into Helaena's life is at the in episode 8 when she roasts Aegon and even that scene is open to interpretation (and gets taken wildly out of context). Now, I can read a lot into the actor performances, but ultimately, lines that could have given a glimpse Helaena personality were cut. It's as if they're afraid that if they give her an opinion on anything she would lose that (frankly kind of infantilizing) "pure cinnamon roll too good for this world" "i would die for her" sympathy from people who are not inclined to be sympathetic for her family as a whole.

(And anon, you're right about Larys. And let me say, turning Larys' clubfoot into the punchline of an OnlyFeet joke also does not inspire confidence that they'll handle Aegon II's eventual disability with any sensitivity either, especially when Mushroom's accounts of his last few months are incredibly mean spirited. We need to start that discourse now so they get the memo).

Sadly, I don't think the show really has any intention of course correcting with Helaena in season 2. I imagine at most we'll have her try to warn Aegon and/or Aemond about Blood & Cheese but they won't understand her warning, and then this will be a vehicle to further their guilt and grief. And while we do need to see Aegon's guilt and his grief, I also want to know if Helaena blames herself, if she wishes they'd run away when they had the chance, if she thinks Aegon could have done something, if she is angry at Aemond for killing Luke, if she wants revenge. I do think, with the public funeral for Jaehaerys, they are going to show that the smallfolk are fond of Helaena, and hopefully that will be expanded upon this season and in season 3 because her death is the catalyst for the revolt that sees Rhaenyra driven from the city, and we should understand why her death has such an impact before she actually dies.

[nakedisko]

Today's yap: Commedia dell'arte & Gay subtext; Why is Közi dressed as the Pierrot in Verte Aile?

I've talked about this on Twitter a few months ago but since it is now banned to me i'll post my thoughts here as well. Hear me out.

First of all, let's just summarize the plot: Gackt and Judith are a happy couple who live with the nobleman Kami, Judith's brother Yu~ki and Mana, a maid/prostitute. Everything was fine until Gackt dreamed that a misfortune would befall them. Worried, he and Judith go to visit a fortune teller who, after a blood pact, warns them that they are cursed and Judith will die. Gackt gets depressed and spends his days at the bar lamenting the inevitable. When Judith finally dies, Gackt is left with the regret of not having enjoyed the time he still had with her.

There is also a subplot involving the hooded man and the book that leads to Gekka no Yasoukyoku PV, but that's not the focus right now.

You see, the Pierrot is originally a Commedia dell'arte character. It was an improvised form of theater, the shows took place on improvised stages and carts, the actors using whatever they could find around. The plot of the plays usually revolved around stories of lovers who could not stay together or master-servant relationships. the actors wore masks to play their characters, which were usually the same regardless of the story. Here are the three most relevant ones: Arlecchino, Colombina and Pierrot.

The most popular script involving them is simple: Pierrot is in love with Colombina and writes letters to her in secret, as he doesn't have the courage to confess his feelings. Then he gets his heart broken when Colombina gets with Allerchinno, who is more charismatic and flirtatious. Basically a love triangle.

Now, what does this have to do with Verte Aile?The thing is that there is also a love triangle, although more subtle. Gackt, Judith and Kami, I wouldn't say Kami is in love with Judith though, but with Gackt.

Notice that while Kami's character is in the spotlight, he's always looking at the couple, especially at Gackt. His expression is not one of joy though, he looks upset. And just like Pierrot, he does nothing but watch.

back to Közi, in his pantomime play is interesting to note how the soundtrack gives us clues about the characters' feelings. The scene begins with Közi performing a cheerful song, we have a close-up on each of the characters watching the performance and then... when the camera stops on Kami, he is gazing at Gackt and the music becomes melancholic.

Közi then simulates crying in his performance and cut his wrist, which Kami also did soon after that.

Also, Közi was wearing a mask that he took off just before he cut himself. Kami is the only character to appear wearing masks after this (Bel Air PV.) The mask may symbolize the feelings he was hiding the whole time.

I believe Közi's Pierrot symbolizes Kami's feelings for Gackt. seems very plausible to me, since it's not the first time Malice Mizer includes queer elements and Gackt participated in the script writing. If you know him you know he includes BL in his works quite often.

If you don't like this theory, you can also just say that Kami was in love with Judith. But I honestly don't see him paying any special attention to her during the movie. So it's up to you! Maybe I'll write more another day. ^3^

[mikuni14]

I Hear The Sunspot - Ep 5

I just want to say how special this series is to me. Normally the way this relationship is handled would probably make me drop this series (because I totally read them more like friends, than lovers yet, please don't be mad at me). But here comes something, I don't know how to call it, a simple sincerity? Which is something that happens not that often tbh and which proves how much properly done, honest emotion are needed in BL series not only in general, but which could aslo fill in all the gaps creating a complete whole that in the end makes me unable to tear myself away from the screen 😉

This series touches the heart and mind of the viewer. I really like the fact that the series shows Kohei and his hearing problems from a medical perspective, all this sitting and waiting in hospital waiting rooms, doctors and nurses who take care of him, making appointments, even something like replacing his hearing aid. They show him as a patient and as someone whose life largely revolves around his health problem, who must always take it into account when making every, often the most mundane decisions, as well as the stress and fear associated with the deterioration of his condition. This is not as common as it may seem, because very often illness or disability are treated only as a plot device, something that in romances usually only serves as something to connect lovers in some romantic setting, such as cute caregiving (like in the books that Miho reads), and not something that actively affects the everyday life of the characters. This really appealed to my mind, this respect for Kohei and the viewer's intelligence 🙂 (besides, it would be hypocrisy, calling out Miho for infantilizing and romanticizing Kohei and treating him the same by the plot)

I absolutely love our MLs, their interactions with each other, with their famiy - mom and grandpa, with their friends. How they receive verbal and non-verbal support. Their wide range of emotions, experiences, struggles, reflections, sacrifices. Giving in to emotions on the spur of the moment, but also thinking about them for a long time. Their kindness. And that's what really appealed to my heart 🥺

That's why, despite the fact that I missed a more clear transition from friendship to love with Kohei, I can't bring myself to criticize, because the series makes up for it in other areas.

Kohei is so wonderful, but Taichi steals the show, the actor who plays him is amazing, his appearance, behavior, body language, very pleasant voice. Taichi in his performance, demanding an explanation, crying on those stairs and then appearing as if nothing had happened on the roof to continue his relationship with Kohei and just.. stating the facts matter-of-factly, while Kohei is internally conducting an emotional Olympics… that's Taichi my best boy 🤩

Yep, a special series with a specialest boy who doesn't know his feelings yet, maybe doesn't know how to react to Kohei's kiss and confession, but KNOWS that not reacting at all, that moving away from Kohei even without bad intentions and respecting his wishes, will actually hurt Kohei. And that alone is enough for him to appear by his side, the rest will be figured out along the way. It's his kindness, sincerity and being uncompromising that doesn't allow him to leave Kohei to his despair and dark thoughts.

Kohei's mom remains one of the best in BL series, grandpa is still cool too, because he always gives Taichi space, his friends also show interest, ask questions, and they are completely cool and supportive of Taichi, just like his boss (who with that mustache looks like he's from some anime, I just don't know which one).

It's really nice that Taichi knows about the "Kohei's special burger made with love" (oh, Taichi's face in this scene 🥺), I'm glad it's not a secret anymore. Now I also ask for the "secret" of meeting with Miho to come to light.

Sooo, tbh, I'm a whore for big fan of things like "I can only hear you", or "only your touch can help me", you know the "only you and no one else" trope in love stories. That's why when Kohei said he can only hear Taichi, I was like: oooooh yeah, they're going straight for my throat. Gosh I LOVE IT. This is made just for me lol

🥺

[made-this-cause-why-not]

How I would re-write Supergirl Season 2/3

(as some one who stopped watching after season three, and also has not rewatched the series since 2020) (reign arc and heroes of the week will remain unchanged)

So, starting off strong, at Alex and Maggie would not have gotten engaged. Season 2 finale would have been Maggie realizing she was rushing into things, Alex being all "no I love you, I know I do" and Maggie being like "there is a whole gay world for you to explore... go do it." This would lead to sadness, a bit of tears (Chyler and Floriana would be AMAZING- daytime emmy nominee worthy performance).

Rhea would reveal Kara's identity to Lena in the finale. It would be casual too, she would be like "you are much better for my son Lena, that kryptonian isn't worth her weight in dirt here. I can't believe he would settle for a lowly slave." And then Lena would be all "reporter" and Rhea would be like "Yes Kara Danver's, former slave to a, Cat Grant I believe her name is" and then Rhea would continue on her spiel and there would be a cut scene as the camera focuses on Lena taking in the information

They save the day- Monel leaves for what ever reason he had to leave- don't remember, don't care. Also, Kara and Mon-el would have never dated, he would have just pined for her and James and Winn would be all "join the club"

Season 3

Alex mourned over her first lesbian relationship over the 6 month gap between seasons, Lena hasn't told Kara she knows.

First DEO scene of Season 3 is Alex talking to Kara (and invertedly Winn and James) about her most recent date on an app. It went bad, Winn chimes in like "what was it this time" and Alex is like "she was weirdly into ___" then J'onn walks in, like "Alex I am sorry to interrupt but there are pressing matter to attend to- there is a meta human down town" (que hero of the week intro)

Lena and Kara hang out, audience find out that Lena hasn't told Kara cause Kara has to leave to deal with a alien and does the usual "uh, I hear my named being called, ugh bye" and Lena just smiles and nodds, and sighs wistfully, staring after her (supercorp shippers go crazy)

Ep 2 or three we first see Sam and Ruby in line for Noonan's or something (why did they establish that as a brand, just to immediately ditch it after season 1???) and it's just a cute simple little "Hi, I'm Alex, let me help you out" but Sam is endeared and Ruby just smiles because (I love Ruby but honestly) she didn't have that much of a personality early on in the season

That same ep we see Lena reuniting with Sam. After that, when ever Sam and Lena meet each other (I don't remember when or how) Kara and Lena are like "you two know each other" and Alex is all blushy like "yeah, Kinda, I mean, not really" and Sam is like "yeah, Lena she is the girl from the place". Sam and Lena share a look (agent reign shippers go crazy)

Sprinkles of supercorp here and there- Just Kara and Lena doing their normal friend shit but Kara being like "woah, I am feeling things maybe"

At ep 8 or so Kara is at the bar with Alex and ask her how she knew with Maggie, that she liked Maggie. And Alex is all "well, I guess I always knew I liked girls but it was always objective. Like, I would think, she is so kind and smart and beautiful and amazing, any guy would be lucky to have her. But something about Maggie just forced me to realize that I was the one feeling these things, not some guy. I don't know, something about her just made alot of things clearer. Like, I realized I was the one driving the car, not a passenger. She made me stop being so passive in my own life" and Kara is quiet the whole time. Alex then ask "why" and Kara is all "no reason". Cut to Lena at L-Corp working on something relevant to the plot (supercorp shippers go crazy) (that conversation inspires Alex to ask Sam out- they then start to date)

Next ep, Kara goes to Lena's office, and is all, "there is something I need to tell you" and Lena is all "I already know" and Kara is shocked an all "how do you know" and Lena is like "in hindsight it was obvious. *list of things that hold double meanings cause miscommunication trope*" "Lee- I would have told you earlier but I-" "It's fine, I get it. You were doing it to protect me" "protect you???" "yeah- you're supergirl". Que Kara sighing and then freaking out, Lena saying Rhea told her, Kara being pulled away by some kind of supe situation, and Lena being all "go get them supergirl"

Kara admits her feelings at the end of the episode. Lena is shocked, but agrees. They agree to go on a date, a real romantic date and not a friend one, but oops- it's ep 9 which means Kara fights reign, goes comatose and then we get angsty, driven lena being like "we gotta fix Kara"

From then on, the show goes like usual, but Alex and Sam are dating and Kara and Lena are as well. The show ends with Season 3, Alex leads Deo, Winn stays but James leaves to help in the future but it really doesn't matter because the show it over. Supercorp is canon, Alex and Sam have a daughter and everyone lives happily ever after.

Edit: forgot to say this orginally but more Cat cameos. I love that woman so much- she has to come back at least twice in season 3 and be like "I leave the city for five minutes and you let her do WHAT? Agent Scully, why on EARTH would you let your sister fight a world killer??? Have you no brains under that thick skull" or something. I just want for her to be there, see Kara and Lena together and pull out of peice of paper from her purse that says "gay" and be like "I knew when you first walked into my office. No straight women would willingly be yelled at that often" or something. Idk, she was just very deeply missed

[drakeanddice]

DM Burnout is a D&D Problem

This is a trad-game problem and I’m tired of pretending that it’s not.

The implied structure of Dungeons & Dragons in which an authorial/managerial Dungeon Master provides content to a number of passive/experiential players who provide little to no input into the cycle of adventure creation, plot development, and experience tailoring is a direct cause for the phenomenon of “DM Burnout.”

I say implied up there because, like much of the game, the structure of a D&D game is mostly a matter of “you’ll know it when you see it.” Sure there's a section in the book that lays out the responsibilities, but the book's already told you to ignore it if it feels wrong a couple of times by this point. So really, structure is oral tradition and folkways, passed down by a neighbor kid or an older sibling, or the internet. But the basic fundamental principle is fairly inviolate; the players create characters, and the GM creates an adventure for them to go on. The Players play their characters, and the GM plays everything else, to include the impartial arbiter of the fiction. That’s about all we get. It’s not a balanced equation from the get go.

The installation of a single authorial voice, providing the framework for the players, their context, and their boundaries is heavy. That single brain at the table has to create content ahead of time, present it, and then ensure that the players don't stray. Or else, they have to pivot and adapt real-time, either exploiting their prep or improvising whole cloth. In combat encounters, they have to make decisions for multiple characters, enemies and allies both, and often present those choices as rational and plausible rather than optimal--because the oral tradition of the internet veers toward the death of Player Characters being a fail state. And moreover, they must contextualize and narrate the results and moves of not only their pieces on the board, but also often those of the player. Any collapse down to "17 hits, it does 9 slashing damage" is a reduction of interesting tactical combat to slog.

Players are, on the other hand, expected to show up and react. The content is provided, they make choices in reaction to the content, and the game proceeds. If, perhaps, they did some creative writing and crafted a backstory for their character, it is incumbent upon the DM to weave that into the overarching plot. Otherwise, it's purely an exercise in passivity.

DMs are increasingly called on to provide accessories and sensory input beyond just their narrative and roleplaying performance. Maps, minis, tokens, music, soundboards, mood lighting, handouts, item cards, "scent-scapes" apparently. More plates to spin. More steps to the dance that a DM is expected to perform every game night.

I get it. It's fun. It's a labor of love.

But it's labor.

Eventually, you get tired. One week you realize that you're swamped. One week you don't feel like getting a lukewarm reaction to your labor. One week you're not in a good headspace to graciously lose to your players again. You're burnt out, and you need some time to recapture the joy.

I've never heard a story about a D&D player burning out. I've never seen a person, with martyred pride call themselves a "forever player." Though they're quick to say that the DM is also a player.

The DM is not a player. They are providing play. They are a single point of failure, the single authorial voice who provides content and context for every part of the game.

The thing about single points of failure, they wear out faster. Distributing strain preserves a machine. Redundancy is good. D&D is not built this way. It is a simple machine, a single pulley-- a single brain-- supporting the weight of the fiction.

You cannot be surprised that you can't find a service-minded DM to run this game for you long-term. You should not be surprised when the average length of a D&D campaign is 6 sessions. You shouldn't be surprised that many DMs have an antagonistic view of players as agents of chaos. You certainly shouldn't be surprised that a service industry has sprung up around paid DMing almost exclusively around D&D and its inheritors.

Because if you can endure it longterm and not be reduced to a ragged nub by the friction of being the sole authorial voice, you have a marketable skill. Get paid.

Tldr: D&D tells the DM to prep, improv, adjudicate on the fly, and dance for the amusement of passive players and then wonders why DMs are hard to find. DMs do this dance and then wonder why they're creatively worn-down. This is not a place of honor. This is just the service industry in your free-time, and you deserve better.

[auideas]

Ermmm sorry if this is weird but do u maybe have any like, ““original”” cyberpunk prompts? I want to write something cyberpunk for an au but I just don’t have any ideas right now no matter how long I brainstorm

Exploring Cyberpunk

Cyberpunk is a very unique genre, which is why so many people are both attracted to it and stumped when attempting to develop plots within an unknown world. Think of Black Mirror created by Charlie Brooker (TV show), Blade Runner written by Philip K. Dick (a movie based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, a classic Cyberpunk novel), Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan (modern Cyberpunk novel), etc. -- each of these were incredibly influential in their own right, but they all also build their worlds gradually while having a single easy-to-explain concept that can spawn an entire universe. To be more specific, each story establishes an issue created by an advanced society ignorantly abusing technology, then allow their characters to explore that problem and try to find a solution in a manner that isn't explicitly black or white for society as a whole, but every shade of grey.

For Black Mirror, each episode anthologically builds upon a high-tech future within the same universe and explores how its characters interact with problems created by new pieces of said technology, both good and bad.

For Blade Runner, the story establishes that androids seem to be malfunctioning, but the bounty hunter charged with hunting them down discovers that the true issue lies in society's understanding of what it means to be human.

For Altered Carbon, the novel explores the issue derived from the obscene length of time it would take for humans to travel between planets stretched across the universe, then dives into more detail regarding how a solution has been abused.

How to Construct a Cyberpunk Concept

What we'd recommend is to start by asking the right questions and looking in the right places. Black Mirror takes its inspiration from a variety of technology, both new and old; Blade Runner explores the idea of AI and androids during the 80's when robotics was on the forefront of innovation; Altered Carbon took note of our increasing ability to travel in an interstellar fashion, then posed a simple question regarding the limits of humanity (specifically, time).

This may sound strange, but the best thing you can do is seek out trends online and scientific journals about new breakthroughs, then ask questions about what may go wrong. For example, an old post we featured here on AUideas that has since been removed from ~2017 because it's in the process of being developed into a script (sorry guys, our bad!) called Dreamscape Co. uses this exact method. When the prompt was made, Admin M was in the process of reading a scientific journal about how neurologists had been able to project a person's thoughts into an image. Although the technology was rudimentary at the time, Admin M posed the question "if dreams can be viewed, what if dreams can be watched in real time with a high quality image? What if they could be immersive? What would that industry look like? Who would pay how much to see a certain person's dreams?" This spun out into a sweeping cyberpunk mini-series, yet came from a simple news article.

Some Cyberpunk Inspiration

When performing a quick search, some amazing ideas seemed to jump out from technology news headlines these past couple weeks alone:

Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal (FLC) Technology Being Used in 3D Displays

Unlike holograms, this technology uses liquid crystals that exhibit spontaneous polarization, meaning their orientation can be influenced by an electric field. They're high-speed, low-power, and have innumerable applications in the future. So, what could go wrong?

How could this technology impact the medical field? Although this may not be possible, consider what could occur if FLCs were injected into human bodies and influenced by electric fields to perform different tasks and functions, such as replacing an organ, attacking cancer cells, etc. How could such a technology be abused or go wrong? How many could die with a simple pulse, like an EMP?

Real-Life Freeze Ray Technology Created for the US Airforce

This technology hasn't been developed to be used as weaponry, but instead to replace large amounts of coolant that must be used on space and air crafts to prevent the machinery from overheating (coolant is heavy and can reduce efficiency yet is absolutely necessary due to the fact that space is a vacuum and therefore does not cool heat like air would on Earth). This "freeze ray" technology utilizes plasma's strange property that seems to break the second law of thermodynamics: it chills down when touching another object before heating up, which experts have proposed is because it vaporizes the ultra-thin layer of carbon and water on an object upon contact, similar to how water evaporates off your skin when stepping out of a pool. The question must be asked: how could such technology be used for not just utilitarian means, but outside of the Airforce's intentions?

Perhaps the technology could be manipulated and over-chill an aircraft, or otherwise damage internal engineering.

Consider its potential applications here on Earth: what could benefit from being chilled with something light-weight and low-power? How could it be integrated into homes? What could be disastrously destroyed with such technology?

Breakthrough in Enhanced Geothermal Systems Technology May Completely Replace Carbon Energy Sources

Google and Fervo have successfully developed geothermal technology that has increased its efficiency and broke records by changing existing rock formations in the Earth's crust. For a natural geothermal energy system to produce electricity, it has to have the right amount of heat, fluid, and rock permeability -- these Goldilocks conditions can be difficult to find 'in the wild'. However, this new Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) targets the most-easily found aspect (rocks with high heat) then creates the necessary permeability artificially by drilling to the intended rock formation and injecting fluid to create fractures in the rock, achieving the necessary Goldilocks conditions. Sure, this may be carbon-free energy, but what would happen if this were employed on a mass scale?

When energy is prioritized by a high-tech society over food and water, how could citizens gain access to those resources?

What long-term effects could such a system have on the Earth as a whole? Could the ground become unstable? Maybe earthquakes crumble city after city? Maybe the entire Earth's crust loses its integrity and disintegrates, pulling only a lucky few deep underground and forcing them to survive off the left over fluid injected into the Earth's crust and whatever they can find.

Closing Thoughts

As you can see from above, there's a crazy amount of inspiration that can be drawn from current technology events. What's important to remember is that yes, we've been talking about complicated technology, but only you have to understand how it functions in your universe down to the molecule, not your audience. Deep technology topics can be dry to a certain extent, and over-explaining your world can be damaging to your story. Explanations regarding how technology works in each of the stories we discussed is limited for that same reason (Black Mirror's overarching concepts, specifics about how Blade Runner's Replicant technology are rarely discussed, etc.). Leave some mystery surrounding how your cyberpunk world functions and allow how your characters room to breathe and interact with that world -- it can speak for itself. Your audience may first love the idea behind your story, but what they'll remember and relate to is how your protagonists and antagonists suffer and prevail within your universe.

We hope this answered your question, and feel free to follow up if you'd like some more guidance and advice on how to construct your Cyberpunk story! In addition, feel free to check out our other post which outlines more information on how to build a Cyberpunk world.

Now get to writing, and have an awesome week!

-- Admin M x

[leohttbriar]

julian being this deeply compassionate and self-assured person who knows how good a doctor he is and then being put in a situation where he does in fact fail--however brief that failure is--and this failure is actually just one turn in the dialogue between the value of life and the value of pain so he's left no only with the medical facts of the case (he didn't cure anyone of the blight) but also this philosophical-question-come-life answered with a very simple but devastating "death is the cure" conclusion---

that context makes this moment a bursting kind of powerful to me because dax doesn't say "keep trying" or "you can't blame yourself" or anything else that might have induced the same plot-concluding actions on julian's part. she takes a soft swipe at julian's sometimes exaggerated self-perception and then takes a larger swipe at both his somewhat childish despair as well as the simple yet devastating "death is the cure" ethos that julian had been trying to prove wrong the whole episode.

it's not about whether julian is smart enough or whether a life of suffering is still worth living, but about the idea that there's no such thing as a false hope. the world (galaxy, universe, etc) is too big to conclude that any hope false through and through. there are countless imagined invisible planes where people and other beings have been populated as a matter of habit (heavens and places of spiritual origin and trees and turtles and so on) because there is no grasping at everything at once and it is this very rational truth that undercuts the battle of ethics in this episode. to be a living being means to be conscious of this enormity. so the people who think that after a certain stage of the illness there is nothing for them but pain have also performed a certain arrogance--this arrogance can be self-preserving and a good thing and also never rob someone of their own autonomy--but to call "death" the best treatment for an illness is arrogant all the same.

and then the fact that julian doesn't find a cure but a vaccine, which is nothing but a biological contract with the future which, like all futures, is fundamentally unknowable--it's an almost perfect ending and bolsters dax's moment above.

it's so fascinating to interrogate these questions of knowability through not just science but medicine because you just cannot escape the personal even as the personal is essentially narrow. like the whole point is to use that narrow field of vision for the benefit of everything beyond.

[vidavalor]

So I’ve been thinking about your metatron is Satan theory and how Crowley, the Angels and Adam see what they expect to see and idly wondering if it’s sort of the same for all demons. We have multiple versions of Crowley and Bildad, and lots of theories as to why, but what if it’s as simple as the various characters see what they expect and so we the viewer see variations? Beez getting a new face may throw a spanner into that idea but it just seems to me that if this is the plot twist in season three then the different versions of Crowley may be a clue… anyhow your meta was brilliant and wanted to toss my poorly thought out 1am musings at you to see what you thought.

Hi there @thavron! Hope you're having a great weekend so far. 💕I've been thinking again about bees a bit as a result of your ask so there is baklava for a honeyed dessert. Love your thoughts-- they've been tickling my brain for a few days now. 😊

If you're meaning: do we all sometimes see people as we want them to be or who we think they are, rather than who they actually are... then, yes, I would say that fits in with the recognition themes the show has going on.

To an extent, we all do this, right? And the show about angels and demons is really about the messy and amazing business of being a person. All the angels and demons are people, just like the humans. We all put on a performance in society to some extent. Our clothes, our grooming choices, how we speak, how we walk, eye contact, body language-- all of this is a performance. It's a construct that we get up every morning and do. Awhile back, we were looking at the choices David Tennant is making when it comes to Crowley's walk in different time periods-- especially when Crowley takes the stage to help Aziraphale in 1941-- and how the walk is representative of how comfortable he feels in society in different eras. That's just one aspect of things but, yeah, we're all showing one face to the world as a whole but those we let in often get to see another one.

I think that, for the most part, this holds true with angels and demons. Satan is an exception to the rule because he's Satan and actually evil so he is capable of the dubious kind of magic that the other characters don't really do. Satan will possess someone without consent, for instance. It's not hard to see that he would steal someone's physical appearance to mask his own as he already stole the voice of Freddie Mercury in S1 (which I also think is another clue to the idea that it's not actually The Metatron at the end of S2, as we've seen Satan do something like this before already.)

I think that the rest of the demons see what we see when they look at one another, on a physical appearance level. As you pointed out, Crowley can see that Beez has a new face in S2 so Crowley sees Beez's physical presentation as how we see Beez's physical presentation. He also can recognize Shax when she's bouncing around humanoid forms outside the bookshop in the mid-part of the season. There are different versions of Crowley because Crowley has lived on Earth forever and is just blending in with different societies (and he also gets bored lol.) I think that's one aspect of the recognition theme in the show because what we see when we look at each other and how that informs our ability to recognize ourselves seems like a big thing in the story.

I think S2 is talking about recognition on several different levels. We have recognition in terms of how every character on the show is really desperate for someone to tell them that they're good and that they're doing a good job. Beez's only solo scene in the whole season is actually about that and it parallels Aziraphale's anger, embarrassment, and frustration over Heaven's treatment of him. Everyone's a bit Norman from S1 who wanted a watch and some kind words and to bugger off and go tend to some marigolds but whose company wouldn't let him go and dragged him into a paintball Armageddon lol.

It's only natural to want recognition, really, as we all want to be noticed and seen for what we do, but it also underscores a bigger theme of that how we see ourselves can impact our ability to fully see others... but also how if we open ourselves up and allow room for curiosity and empathy, our ability to see others as they are allows for more open, honest, communication... and how that's good for all of us. That way lies peace-- both inner peace and peace with others.

In almost every major scene in S2, at least one character is trying to recognize at least one other one in some way and it's often literally recognizing the person. There is no one character in the series who is flawless at this and that's because they're all people representing us and none of us are flawless at this, are we? At recognizing ourselves or at fully seeing others at times without our own bullshit getting in the way? Even those of us who consciously try to be open, empathetic people struggle with this because we're people. The angels and demons are no better or worse than any of the humans and their story is actually about the messy but amazing business of being a person, which they all are.

If and how the characters recognize others around them in S2 reflects how those characters see themselves and the world around them. It's a matter of perspective and it's not one-sided because how we present ourselves to the world reflects what we're willing to share and sets up expectations that some others might take at face value but that might not be true. Other, more open-minded people might be able to see through those walls, though, if they're in a place to do so.

Ineffable Bureaucracy are the cleanest example of this (and one of the funniest) because here you have in Gabriel a character that you don't expect would be as open-minded as he is. In a lot of scenes in S1, we saw him putting on airs to cover up his curiosity and empathy as a means to survive. Yet, he has one of the smoothest recognition challenges in S2.

At first, he doesn't recognize Beez with their new face but, once it's established that this is the being he likes greatly, he doesn't think twice about it. Gabriel looks like the kind of guy who would care about appearance of others because he's a bit vain about his own but he literally could give a fuck that his partner changed up their face because what matters to him more is that it was the same person inside.

The guy who seems like the shallowest character on the show-- and, in some ways, is-- is actually also one of the least shallow. He also knew without question that he could trust Aziraphale and Crowley and went to them for help intuitively, even without consciously remembering them. Gabriel is actually a pretty good judge of character, all things considered. In S2, we learn more about him and as the characters recognize that he might not be quite who they thought he was, it's on us to see that we can think that, too. Our perspectives can evolve with a bit of empathy.

Lord Beezlebub also shows that they can be good at recognizing truth in others, too. One of the best moments of recognition in S2 is when Beez sees Gabriel's vanity for the loneliness that it masks when he takes them to see the statue of himself. Most of us, honestly, would probably run screaming from a guy who took us to show us art of himself and bragged about how beautiful it was but Beez gets it. They see Gabriel then even more than he sees himself a bit. They see that he really took them here because the statue is all he feels he is to people and he's being crushed under the weight of being revered like a god by humans and angels alike. He's just a lonely dude with no friends and more heart than he lets on.

The statue scene is also the punchline to the joke started earlier in the season during The Resurrectionist minisode, though, right?It calls back to Crowley saying that Gabriel probably came to the statue to "stare at it for hours" and "marvel at his own beauty." Crowley wasn't wrong, exactly, but he also wasn't fully correct, either. He didn't understand totally why Gabriel might really come to the statue, which Beez later would understand.

Crowley is one of the best judges of character in the series but S2 showed just how much his blindspot is his trauma, like it is for a lot of people. Crowley took almost the whole season to see Gabriel for who he is and he had reason to distrust him, sure. His fear of the situation is reasonable and understandable but it also shows a narrowed perspective. It showed how it was hard for Crowley to admit to himself that maybe Gabriel has been as trapped as he and Aziraphale have been-- that maybe he's as much of a victim and a survivor of all of this as they are-- because they've spent so long ascribing blame to him instead of considering that maybe he, also, had no way out. Recognizing Gabriel means Crowley recognizing and dealing with aspects of his trauma that he'd sometimes rather avoid, which made it harder and caused it to take longer for the two of them to get to a point of actually talking. When they do, we see them recognizing each other's suffering and showing each other empathy. The end of S1 is Crowley spitting hellfire in Gabriel's face but the end of S2 is just him all ugh ok fine...

Growth lol.

We also see how history can provide context that can inform the ability to recognize others as well. Aziraphale has a longer, more complicated history with Gabriel than Crowley does. Aziraphale had more reason to suspect that there could be more to Gabriel than he always let everyone see, especially since there are a couple of scenes in S1 without Crowley but between just Gabriel and Aziraphale (the sushi restaurant and the Sandalphon exchange at the bookshop) where it seems like Gabriel is trying to protect Aziraphale as best he knows how and that Aziraphale seems aware that he's trying to do that. It's how Aziraphale arrives first at "I don't think he has any friends" and thinking that Gabriel needed him and Crowley, especially since he had shown up alone and vulnerable.

Aziraphale also sees the benefit of trying to get Gabriel and Crowley to talk to one another-- not in a would-benefit-Heaven-and-Hell sort of way, just in the sense that they are more alike than they realize and had been through similar things. That's a form of recognition as well-- acknowledgement of a person's pain and needs when they've not had that from others. Aziraphale is proven correct and his ability to see both Crowley and Gabriel for who they are and who they can be is admirable and shows his empathy and open-mindedness.

But mah point is that it's scene after scene of recognition... Gabriel's entire plot. Muriel shows up at the door, doesn't recognize Aziraphale. Crowley can't remember (or chooses to pretend he can't remember) Furfur and Saraqael. Michael almost recognizes Gabriel in the bookshop. Shax is desperate for Satan's recognition for her job performance-- but also for Crowley's attention. Mr. Brown of Brown's World of Carpets wants everyone to see him as a leader. Maggie feels unlovable and just wants Nina to notice her, all while failing to recognize that what Nina wants is for someone to notice that she's in pain and to lend her support... this is all off of the end of S1 and the body swap plot in which Crowley and Aziraphale literally stayed alive by being able to recognize one another on different levels so astutely that they could impersonate one another. (Another hint, imho, that maybe the mirrored end of S2 might feature another character who seems like one character we know but who is actually another with The Metatron-is-actually-Satan idea.)

Even the little moments of the season have recognition woven into them. Do we know a Jim?, Maggie and Nina's first scene is kicked off by Nina recognizing Maggie as a regular and remembering her coffee order...

Maybe the sweetest moment of the whole season is a scene highlighting Aziraphale's struggles with reconciling his own needs in the face of having been taught he's not to want anything for himself and Crowley recognizing that struggle and supporting Aziraphale by telling him he's already perfect as he is. Damn straight I'm including the gifs I love this damn scene lol..

But the big scene that parallels the arrival of "The Metatron" in The Final 15 is the angels failing to recognize Bildad the Shuite coming through the door, right?

When Crowley comes in as Bildad the Shuite to the group scene in the Job minisode, Gabriel, Michael and the other angels fail to recognize Bildad as Crowley entirely because of the things Crowley later explained to Muriel as his analogy around bees. The idea is that context, imagination and ego inform our ability to recognize someone (and also ourselves.)

Contextually, it made more sense to the angels in that moment for Bildad to be some weird human than it did for him to be a demon working to save the lives of Job's children. This is one of the main reasons why the angels don't recognize Crowley-- they simply don't see a scenario where there would be someone to recognize. It's just like how Michael initially doesn't assume that the person who comes through the door in 2.06 could be anyone they should care about-- because they're on Earth, in a bookshop that is open to the public, so the unexpected person who came through the door must be a human person shopping for books.

Context also includes appearance and one of the things I loved about the other angels failing to realize that they know Bildad is how it contrasts with my favorite bit of recognition in S2-- Aziraphale instantly recognizing Crowley from a distance, after over 500 years, and with Crowley looking completely different. The second Aziraphale actually looks at the demon he's telling to avaunt! on outta there, he knows it's Crowley. The jump from the Crowley of The Flood to Bildad the Shuite is huge. Crowley even has sunglasses on for the first time chronologically in the scene and Aziraphale's just like "it's you." He would recognize the love of his life anywhere.

As far as the ego part goes, all Gabriel cared about in the Job minisode was a scenario that didn't undermine him and which got all the boxes checked on their assignment so when Crowley and Aziraphale present him with that, Gabriel is happy to shut down any minor opposition to the truth to go with what he is presented with-- in large part because of ego. Aziraphale and Crowley flatter Gabriel into submission to their plan. Gabriel eats it up and because he has the power in the scene, Michael's suspicions are not given credence for more than a moment.

Michael also lacks the imagination to figure out what could actually be going on and takes what they're told is the truth too easily because, like most know-it-alls, they actually don't really feel like they know anything. They defaulted to Gabriel's "they can come at any size" comment so easily not just because he had the power in the scene but because they suddenly doubted themselves and let someone else tell them how they were to think.

Michael's lack of imagination and tendency towards purely literal thinking is also on display when they are shown to not understand Crowley's shoes joke. They sense shenanigans are afoot but don't exactly know how and they also seek to look impressive to the boss so they jump in that "'Shuite', of course, means 'from the land of 'Shua'," which is correct. It does mean that. Michael is not wrong but they just are so sheltered by life in Heaven and so lacking in imagination that they also lack sense of humor enough to hear the homophony in Shuite/Shoes. The only angel who gets the joke is, of course, Aziraphale.

So, a lack of imagination (which is also a lack of big picture and creative thinking), a reliance upon context, and the perils of ego are why the angels didn't recognize Bildad as Crowley in 2500 BC and are also what Crowley is explaining to Muriel with his bees analogy.

It wouldn't actually occur to the angels as possible that there could just be a demon roaming around in Heaven because they're all too caught up in themselves to consider the possibility, right? To admit that it's possible is to admit that maybe they themselves are fallible and don't know everything. Angels are taught that they are near to perfection and should behave in that way so it's hard to think of themselves as having weaknesses that might need to be addressed. They all know they do have them but they can't admit it or they're admitting at failing to live up to the impossible standards of Heaven.

Many of us have trouble admitting that the point is that we're all here to learn and be curious and we aren't meant to know everything and that things would be less fun if we did. We struggle to admit when we've gotten something-- or someone-- wrong. People who have an inability to see a bigger picture are also sometimes blocked from doing so by their own trauma and issues-- as Crowley himself proves.

Sometimes, people just aren't that imaginative or haven't had the opportunity to use their imagination, as Crowley sees in the angels. The point is that none of us are perfect in our ability to recognize ourselves and those around us. If we all just continue to try to do so and keep a curious, open mind about each other, though, it leads to more peace for everyone. It means we're talking to each other more, which is the healthy way forward.

So, if the whole season is using these characters to talk about our ability to see ourselves and others and if it has us watch scene after scene of recognition or lack thereof between the characters where we feel like these characters might not know what's up but we sure do, right?...

...we knew Gabriel was telling the truth about his memory loss... we knew the Inspector Constable at the door was the angel from the Job minisode... we recognized Lord Beezlebub with a new face... we definitely knew who came through the door and called himself "Bildad the Shuite"...

...wouldn't it then be a kicker if the end of that season is to prove the point by showing us that we're all actually as infallible as these characters are? That we're all bees, too?

And how would they do that?

Possibly by presenting us with a character we think we can recognize but which, if we look a little closer, we might realize is not quite who he seems to be.

[apt502-if]

i must ask, if either in the plot or for a scenario, if there will be any Running Through An Airport. like. this is just one year of the MC's life?

like thats not immediately making me wonder if apt 502 wont be a hime for the gang anymore by the end of the year, because either the mc is moving or everyone is leaving or what. like. Cal is dating someone they intend to marry thats a trust-fund baby (and probably wont want to live with so many roommates) and the MC did pack up their whole life to be with Rainn but then got broken up with and, yeah, that's potentially two out (unless your MC dates Cal, then maybe not, but idk) i duNNO, MAN, I LOVE FOUND FAMILY BUT I HATE WHEN EVERYONE SPLITS UP AT THE END, AND IM SUSPICIOUS AND I NEED TO EITHER BRACE MYSELF OR BE REASSURED PLS 🥺🥺🥺

you can, of course, give a non-answer to all that if such is Spoilers, but then it makes me want to ask: what Big Grand Gesture Trope would the ROs be?? whod be, if not running through the airport (or saying "I never got on the plane" a'la Rachel Green), the wedding crasher? who is confessing in the rain? who has the Love Actually cue-cards and a mix-tape of fake carolers? the 10 Things I Hate About You bleachers seranade? the Notebook ferris wheel stupidity, or the "I wrote you every day for a year" thing or the bit with the house and shutters if you prefer sanity? or any of the romantic parts of The Titanic, i guess?? or, back to cliches over specifics, who fills a bedroom full of roses?? tries to get the MC their dream house or maybe their own library?? who holds a boombox over their head? im sure there's more possibilities i could prompt you with, but i digress lmao just have fun with it and feel free to pick ones i didnt list, this was just to get the ball rolling. you can even pick something simple if all these are Too Grand for a specific character. like a love letter for the ages is still sweet, albeit it privater and simpler than any of these lovebomb-y Grand Romantic Gesture displays lmao rip

ha...

Grand gesture trope:

A would be singing on an airplane/public place Wedding Singer Style or the 'boombox outside window, if they did a grand gesture but they're more lowkey and would write a nice letter or do something big but in private, like a montage reel in their house or something

G would be confessing in the rain (and then write about it), Cal would DEFINITELY be the one to build a house like in The Notebook...just something so big like that would be right up Cal's alley since they'd rationalize it as " a house is practical"

Rainn would definitely fill MC's room wiith roses or run after MC in the airport.

L would do the 10 things bleacher performance, or some declaration of love on the internet

M is like A that they're more lowkey, I think M wouldn't do anything except use their words....like a big, fumbling speech that they're sort of embarrassed by lmao