#notes from anna

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

You know whats a crazy really specific wish I have? Seeing the Great Seven in TWST's artstyle. It would be really interesting to see how they would translate the original designs to anime. (This ask was absolutely inspired by Yana Toboso's Frozen fanart that lives in my head 24/7 tbh.)

I had no idea Yana made Frozen fanart until this ask 😭 (I do know she made Magnifico fan art though???)

I’m not sure if we’ll ever get the Great Seven in her style, but it’d be interesting to see!

[amicus-noctis]

“Pain and suffering are always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart. The really great men must, I think, have great sadness on earth.” ― Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment

Painting: "Sorrowing Old Man (At Eternity's Gate)" by Vincent van Gogh

[servants-hall]

ACGAS S6 Filming Photos - SPOILERS

From Tom Holmes / All Locations Great and Small

More continued below:

From Moorside Farm Holiday Cottage

(cannot find the find on their FB of this fourth photo from this tweet though)

From ros.clarke2018

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[ingravinoveritas]

It never ceases to amaze me that despite everything Michael and David have been doing for the last five years and Neil himself saying they are in love, people are still assuming (or just not wanting to believe) that two middle-aged men might possibly love each other in a non-platonic way...

[juiceboix]

havent had time to make art in a long while but i still like these metro drawings from a few months ago soooo

[starlightseraph]

sighhhhh…

i saw a post claiming that being uncomfortable with some of the wild rpf blogs is homophobia (or rather, that we’re only so uncomfortable with the rabid david/michael shipping because they’re both men, and not by georgia/anna stuff because they’re women), and i find that very funny.

firstly, most of us are queer to begin with, and while being queer doesn’t mean you can’t be discriminatory to other queer people, it’s important to mention.

secondly, the reason no one’s weirded out over georgia and anna is because no one is actually, truly shipping them in the real, actually world. it is very clearly a joke, and some of it is fun stories on ao3. the whole making out thing (which i’ve now seen brought up as evidence that we’re not as uncomfortable with f/f rpf) is literally in response to neil gaiman’s tumblr joke about dottie and sadie, who are fake characters that he uses to deflect from people wanting spoilers. the fandom has imagined them as being played by georgia and anna. they won’t be, because dottie and sadie aren’t actual characters in any fictional work. no one’s saying that georgia and anna, the real people, should make out, we’re making a joke about a fake storyline that only exists in several posts on tumblr.

we’re not grossed out because the the david/michael shipping is m/m. we’re grossed out because these are real people that are being treated like puppets to serve some fantasy. not hypothetical characters created for the purpose of a gag that will never be in any official form of media. not characters in a show who don’t actually exist. actual fucking humans.

rpf stands for real person fiction. fiction. i’m not even sure this qualifies as rpf anymore; no one’s treating it as a fun, made-up story, they’re presenting it as an “investigation” into the real lives of real people. people who are strangers, people who we know almost nothing about.

rpf very often morphs into this, and i really think it’s in a class of its own.

it’s one thing to write silly little stories on ao3 using the names and personalities and likenesses of real people, it’s a completely different thing to dissect every single thing you see about someone and to come to a conclusion that just so happens to perfectly fit your ideal of their lives.

i find even the purely fictional rpf to be a bit strange and uncomfortable, but i don’t have any real moral objections to it. when it bleeds into reality, though, and the wishful thinking of fans presents as a vast, complex conspiracy, that’s straight up creepy. like i won’t even go into why it’s creepy, it should be obvious. celebrities are genuinely afraid of people like this. they’re afraid of the rumours, they’re afraid of stalkers, they feel like they can’t even have innocent fun without it being “proof” that their marriage is just for show. they hate it. i hope all these blogs know that david and michael would all but certainly be very unamused by all of this. they’d probably be a bit terrified, and also embarrassed that anything they did could possibly be interpreted in these ways. no celebrity ever signs up for this, the extent of the obsession some people have is impossible to comprehend until it’s in front of you. even if they’re used to it by now, why, in the name of god, would you pile on?

please, touch grass. smell the roses. leave the parasocial echo chamber. do something to reacquaint yourselves with the real world and how real people function. if you’re really fans, leave them and their loved ones alone.

[moe-broey]

As I've been writing down dialogue going through Book 1. I feel like. There's almost a reoccurring bit, when it comes to Moe.

I'm way too tired to elaborate too much or at all eloquently, but like. It goes like this. Moe's seething frustration at the Situation is just CONSTANTLY increasing. Boiling under the surface. But bc it's in a new location, new people, new social rule set, ect ect, it is ALSO figuring out Okay. What is my personality, here. What am I meant to do? And how do I ensure I don't get thrown out?

Book 1 Moe is just. Horrible combination of off its meds and fake ass bitch protection mode, with the temper and bluntness of an autistic guy who hasn't had to mask in years. It's mostly observing and trying its best to take in as much information as it can, but beyond that. The Seething Struggler (... polite style???)

But the BIT. That just Keeps Happening.

Moe's Anger is Increasing. It is about to go ALL IN to start biting anyone and everyone (it is ESPECIALLY mad about everyone's attitudes towards Veronica. It doesn't care that she's committing various atrocities she's 13 and I'm going to fucking kill you. No I won't tell you why. Actually I already told you why were you not listening?)

But then. Completely unintentionally. Just, extremely bad (good?) (good bad?) timing. Alfonse will say something like the "I suppose we don't know much about your world. And how rude of us not to ask until now! 😊" lines, with that surprisingly warm smile, that throws Moe off completely. Just. Entirely redirected. Moe was This Close to threatening to defect just to see what happens, unsure if it should be throwing rocks at Alfonse (literal prince) or Anna (the boss here, clearly) (... Sharena is curiously exempt from Moe's ire.) -- and then it gets hit with the Alfonse being so nicies super genuine style beam. And NEITHER of them have even an inkling of the big storm coming, when it comes to. Gestures broadly at everything to come.

[uoficial]

Hello! We are the official social media account of Uncanny Operations, LLC! We're based in sionillI ,ytnuoC sillE.

Officially, we are an antiques retailing company, kind of like Goodwill if it was fancier.

Unofficially, (and don't tell Delia I said this) we collect and sell weird shit. Like, "really weird.”

So basically, Toni and I had the idea that we'd get business with people who don't already just go antiquing if we had an online presence! Ms de Fanu liked the idea, so we're golden! She's so cool!

(That said, Delia, our manager, doesn't actually read this and Mr. Conrad avoids the internet like a plague, so Toni and I can treat this as a sort of diary of UO. Please don't tell Delia, I think she might actually kill me. Toni should be fine; she likes them. But me? I think she hates me. And people do tend to disappear around here…)

So welcome, dear wanderers, to the Uncanny Operations home base! Hope you enjoy your visit, and feel free to grab something if it catches your eye! Just make sure it lets go; you do NOT want to walk around with only one eyeball. You only make that mistake once, let me tell you.

OOC time! Hello, I'm Maggie, creator of Uncanny Operations. I also run @masqueuedlime along with some rp blogs. I don't know how good I am at them, but it's fun at least.

UO is meant to kind of invoke a vibe reminiscent to CHnT and similar comedy/horror/tragedy podcasts. I have some plot points planned by now, but mostly I'm using this as a way to give myself ideas and build the world some more. That said, here's the list of characters you can expect to see updates from.

Ella Blackhall - She/Her. Ella is incredibly optimistic. Most of the time! A useful trait for working in a place like this. Most of the time. Aggressively friendly.

Toni Depando- They/Them. Toni is a little shit. If something went wrong with an antique, you can usually blame them for messing with it. They're not trying to, though! They swear!

Marco Swintz- He's a sweet boy, honest. A little dumb, but sweet. Surprisingly practical at times.

Leo de Fanu - He/She/It. Head of Sales. Mouthpiece of Mr. Conrad. If something happens in the building, it knew about it 10 minutes ago. Enjoys her job. Fast talker.

Delia McCarthy - She/Her. Branch Manager. One of the only people who regularly takes their jobs seriously. No nonsense. Does NOT understand technology or social media.

Anna Clerval - She/They. Janitor. Was very enthusiastic about working at UO. Always around to lend a hand. Sometimes, if you're quiet, you can find her, just watching you. Multiple complaints to HR have been made. We're aware. We're trying.

Updates are spontaneous and unpredictable, basically whenever I'm awake and have the necessary impulses (ADHD go brr). I will try to answer stuff at least every day.

Feel free to send asks and questions, I love ppl interacting!

DNI if you're any kind of bigot.

- Luv, Mags!

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

I read Trein's vignette and find it interesting about his background from the RSA, his daughters, and his pedagogy.

I was personally sort of disappointed with Trein's vignettes 😅 It was of course interesting seeing him in his element, but I feel like we barely learned anything new about him. The majority of the vignettes just expanded on things we already knew about him based on previous voice lines or behaviors. For example, part 1 focuses on him exercising to maintain his health with input + advice from Vargas (something which Trein already communicated to us via his Unified Exam voice lines). We also already knew that he was a strict teacher and allows Lucius to police students that are falling asleep in his lecture (shown in part 2 of the vignettes and in the manga), though now I guess we have more specifics on just how strict he can be and how much he values knowledge. He gets really upset with Grim for guessing on a difficult question and seeking praise for it, demanding that Grim not talk back and review the test from front to back, then take a new test and earn full marks on it. And, of course, we knew that he dotes on Lucius and his daughters, which is shown again to us in part 3.

The significant brand-new bits of lore we learned are the names of his daughters (Anna and Dolly Trein), Lucius's thoughts on his late wife and daughters (he loves them), and that Trein can hold a grudge + wished to work for RSA (even going so far as to apply to work there multiple times, even while already teaching at NRC). That last detail was a really interesting way of translating Lady Tremaine’s desire to have one of her daughters marry into royalty into Trein’s character.

I really felt there was a missed opportunity to expand more on Trein's family and how familiar contracts work in Twst. I wanted more about his relationships with his daughters and late wife. What are the conditions to forge a familiar contract? Can you only forge one if the creature is an infant at the time (Trein indicates he has had Lucius since he was a kitten)? How come Trein is the only mage we know of with a familiar in the first place, even at this super prestigious school? Is it not a common thing? What exactly separates a familiar from a regular animal you keep as a companion? I wanted answers to those questions.

I did find the new expressions and poses nice though! The little smirk and the adjusting his gloves combo is a particular favorite. The animation where he picks up Lucius is also very cute.

abildboiabdabofe And the chibis look so silly... I always get thrown off by how small Lucius looks compared to Trein and the other characters. It's alright when Trein is shown already holding Lucius in his arms, but Lucius looks even smaller when he's curled up and low to the ground... I worry someone might step on him by accident 💦

I love how he just... rests on the bristles of the broom in the animation... He's truly with Trein through thick and thin.

afueftiftevoaofeqeywpy POOR LUCIUS THOUGH, LOOK AT HOW PANICKED HE IS WHEN THEY'RE FLYING HIGH 😭😭😭 Definitely peak content.

[kikigeh]

Want to know how I know Frozen 3 will most definitely not be great? The announcement of a Frozen 4.

The problem with Frozen 2 was that it had many, many ideas and they attempted, and utterly failed, to condense them into one singular linear story; the problem with Frozen 3 is that they "have so many ideas" that they realized they can't realistically condense them into one singular movie so their solution to "not repeat a frozen 2" is to instead push for ALL ideas to move forward which in turn has given them an overly lengthy cut.

Watching Frozen 1 in cinemas for the first time in a long while really reminded me how Frozen worked because it was very very simple and most of its heart was in the two "main" characters and how they navigated through life after a horrendous situation they were put through.

The heart of Frozen is not all the mystical and mythical elements that they can't get enough of attempting to push, hell, the most compelling part of Elsa as a character was just how raw and human she felt DESPITE having otherworldly powers.

I truly don't know which road they're taking the franchise through, but if the podcast and the books that have come out are anything to go by, it's straying way too far from what made the first movie compelling and enjoyable: its freaking simplicity.

[servants-hall]

All Creatures Great and Small - Magazine Round Up: 5x07 Christmas Preview (Week 2)

The issues come out sooner in the wintertime. So here's the latest ACGAS features from the recent UK TV Times magazines:

7-13 December 2024

TV Times

(the other magazines did not do CS previews this issue)

[triangle-strategy-notes]

Quahaug Concept Art

Quahaug's concept/reference art! Translation notes and image id under the cut.

Translation notes:

"OP sort of powerset" was literally translated as something like "cheat-like." I feel like OP is the more common English term for that sort of thing, so that's what I used, but some of the meaning was probably lost there.

"Older-tween-ish" was specifically a reference to a particular middle school year for children who are about 12-13 years old. Since grades and names of grades vary a lot from country to country, I just went with "older tween."

ID:

[Image id: Several images displaying different parts of 2 pages of the Triangle Strategy artbook, with both the original Japanese as well as versions with English translations. There are several disclaimers noting that the translator doesn't speak Japanese, and that there are likely many mistakes.

On one page, there is a large colored version of Quahaug's canon portrait, along with a smaller, uncolored version. There is an illustrator's note at the bottom that translates to read, "'Manipulating time' is an OP sort of powerset, so though he looks like a child, I aimed to create a look for him that conveyed a sense of unknowable power. (Tatsuaki Urushibara)".

On the second page, there are many drawings of Quahaug, including a closer bust-up portrait in which he's compared to Lyla, with an arrow and label reading, "Mother." There's also several notes that explain the construction of his costume. The costume is labeled as a Greek "phelonion" (a priest's outfit with no real sleeves, just draping fabric). There is a small drawing of this version, with an arrow leading to another drawing that does have sleeves, with the note, "If you can't display this in pixels, use this one." There are several notes that explain how this draping cloth should be considered his everyday clothes, while the ceremonial decoration that goes around his neck is placed over it. There is a close up of the ceremonial dressing's fastenings underneath the metal decoration. Some more notes highlight details on his staff, emphasizing the hourglass on top and the small wheel to the side that can be turned to flip the hourglass. A larger piece of text underneath one fullbody drawing reads, "Character Who Manipulates Time."

On the second half of the second page, there are drawings of some beta designs for Quahaug. He looks much more punk-ish. On one bust-up portrait, there are the captions, "The burden of the time demon caused some of his hair to go gray…." and "All-natural highlighted tips." On the same portrait, he is snapping his fingers, and there's a note that reads, "Manipulating time is as easy as snapping your fingers. You just have to want it or whatever." A speech bubble near his head reads, "I don't think of Anna as a mother." A caption pointing to some green markings on his arm reads, "Demonic time seal on body." In a fullbody drawing of his beta design (which is made up mostly of chains that barely cover him as well as a long roughed-up cloak, there is the note, "Almost naked cloak."

At the bottom of the second page, there is another note that reads, "Initially when we hadn't quite figured out the setting, we had an idea for a more older-tween-ish character as displayed here, but after discussing it with the producers and Mr. Ikushima, we went with his current form. As a boy who manipulates time, I placed an hourglass at the tip of his staff, and his face resembles that of his mother, Lyla. (Tatsuaki Irushibara)". /end id]

[unhingedlesbear]

Anna Bennet >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.Gordon Bennet

[sovamurka]

You know, I spent enough time in Demonslayer/Бесобой fandom to know people's preferred fancast for Yana. It's Anna Chipovskaya, and specifically her character Kristi in Вычислитель (2014). And... I mean, IT'S VERY ON POINT-

[angel-princess-anna]

Have you seen the most recent news reports about the new film? There's at least one which call into question the paternity of Baby Bates no.2 🤦‍♀️

Oh lol I did see that The Sun (aka The Scum) decided to make up something about there being 'a twist", and a few other places are running a version of the story without that nonsense at least. But it does kinda crack me up that the tabloids and the TV mags are reporting on it but they cannot post the pic, as it’s a fan pic and not a paparazzi snap. So it’s just a "rumor" despite the fact there’s legit evidence...

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Did we actually get Dolly and Anna current age? The request mentioned them being close to Crewel age but I thought they are like in their early or mid twenties 🤔

(it was a hilarious read by the way 😂 I just want to say I'm not trying to start a problem over the age I was genuinely curious. Adding this here just in case of others mistaken my intention lol)

Also I really like the headconan/theory (I think it's no confirmed yet?) of Anna being married to baker parallel to Cinderella 2 movie. Do you have any thoughts about this?

[Referencing this interaction!]

Dolly and Anna's current ages have not been confirmed yet! All we know is that they're "grown up" now and have moved out of Trein's home, so at the youngest they'd be 20-something and at the oldest, probably 30-something, maybe even pushing it close to 40. I think the requester of that interaction either has a different age headcanon or they just wanted to play around with the idea to incite an argument between Trein and Crewel. When writing, I kept their relative ages ambiguous in case canon ever comes out and says they're older/younger than we actually thought they were.

We don't have any details about Anna and Dolly's lives, or if they are married to anyone. I remember really liking the story of Anastasia and the baker from Cinderella 2 as a kid, so sometimes I play with the concept. I actually mentioned it once in another Trein interaction post. Dolly being a governess is also brought up there--and, while not canon, I wrote it as a reference to how Drizella and Lady Tremaine were made into scullery maids in Cinderella 3. I think Twst is at its best when it is incorporating Disney lore into its worldbuilding (rather than when Disney blatantly shoves its franchises at us), so I wanted to do the same in my own writing.