#but I don't really like not elaborating my thoughts when I'm on to discuss something
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what did you mean by reblogging that post about the uyghur genocide in china? can you elaborate?
Means I agree with what op said
If you want some elaboration with points to jump off, you can read the direct follow up to their post. Check out the notes as well. I think this post (yes, it's a reddit post. There are links within) also has a good summary of some things. I don't really keep a bookmark of better sources but again, you can use the discussions for jumping off points if you like—there's a number of links from both "sides". I highly encourage you to do your own research as there is much back and forth on the issue, but I think you will find that there is a certain... spottiness... a sort of general Lack of substance but a lot Spin when it comes to the mainstream reports/sources you will generally find on the topic.
I think as you read, it can all very shocking to read the reports by the Guardian or the BBC or whoever, and that points to something that I agree with in the post that I reblogged initially: "Of course, any decent person would rather believe a claim of genocide than deny it out of basic morals, and that's part of what makes it so sickening."
I think with what's happening in Palestine, there has been some renewed discussion about various genocides happening globally. I have seen more than one well-meaning post on this site that has included Uyghur genocide on the list of genocides to stand up against. Now I'm not a particularly politically vocal person—have not really ever said much about anything on this blog until more recently—and I've never really posted on "Uyghur genocide", not even when I started this blog during COVID lockdowns and was getting anons harassing me/demanding I answer for such things (something that has died down a lot, either as I have never responded or I blocked all the anons who were doing that), but the charge of "Uyghur genocide" has always weighed very heavily on my mind; first, a couple years ago when I first learned about it, due to the sheer horror at the idea; then as I started to periodically look into it, due to a sense of guilt over the possibility that my increasing suspicion of its falsity was a sign that I was falling complicit to covering something up. But frankly I don't think that's the case. But, it really is fucked up and vile and I thought OP of the post in question summed up exactly the root of that particular emotional facet.
My own two cents (what little that it's worth) is that in the harshest light possible, you could say that there's a likelihood that human rights abuses have been committed in some cases in the broader deradicalisation effort the government has implemented. I do think that that there is likely a level of prejudice or at least an othering of especially those who live in rural Xinjiang or in bordertowns far removed from the cities (regular rural alienation in other words). Obviously none of this is "good" and should be ignored or deemed necessarily acceptable, but none of it is genocide, either. And by overshadowing any police mistreatment or such with a charge as serious as genocide, it also does a real disservice in terms of rectifying anything short of it (including the claim of "cultural genocide").
That's all I have to say about it really.
Edit: fixed typos
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Buck & Eddie: 7x4 and 7x5 stills in episode order???
When the two separate synopses were released for 7x4, I wondered how 9-1-1 was going to fit everything into the episode that was released via the BTS stills but then I realized they wouldn't be able to especially since the length of each one (without advertisements) is only 42 to 45 minutes. Also, it appears there will be three main storylines, i.e. Athena and Harry, Hen's life changing news and Buck being bothered and bewildered.
After considering all of the information that's been released, a few days ago, I figured the stills of Buck and Eddie in Buck’s loft, the ones of them talking in the firehouse gym and the one of Eddie and Bobby's conversation wouldn't be included in 7x4. Additionally, I remembered the way 3x5 "Rage" ended with Buck and Eddie still on the outs and they didn't reconcile until the end of 3x6 "Monsters" when Buck made Eddie talk to him. With OS recently commenting on someone's IG post about how the two pictures of Buck and Eddie in the loft are from 7x5, it added confirmation to my analysis.
Since I'm a visual person, I like to see things in their totality instead of in increments the way the BTS pics have been released. Therefore, I've put all the stills together in a way that IMO, could be how they'll play out during each episode and there's one picture of Buck by himself that was released but I believe it deals with something else. I've included it at the end because I'm going to do a separate post on it.
Before I delve into this, here's my UNPOPULAR OPINION. I ship Buddie and only Buddie but I have to admit, I'm not really excited about this storyline because IMO, the audience has seen it before in 3x5 and 3x6 when Eddie was temporarily partnered with Lena (post linked here). Sure, he didn't leave the 118 but Eddie did have a new work partner who Buck was clearly not happy about. Also, even though Eddie didn't tell Buck about her, it was evident by Buck's reaction, he was in fact jealous since he thought he was being replaced and it seemed to be part of the reason why he filed the lawsuit (not the only reason but part of it). Reminder, he was ok with being the Fire Marshall until he heard Lena call Eddie's name in 3x4 then once he saw her, he asked Bobby, "You replaced me?"
At this point, in six years, I hoped Buck and Eddie would be at a place in their partnership where they can actually discuss things like adults instead of Buck lashing out. Please don't misunderstand me because I get it, Buck's worried about being abandoned again so it's understandable and this time he doesn't have anyone to cling to. But if they would let him go back to therapy like he went on his own in season 4, maybe he could spend time working on himself and this storyline could have been avoided. Will I change my mind before Thursday... honestly, I'm not sure.
Back to the regularly schedule program...
7x4 "Buck, Bothered and Bewildered"
Based on the look on Buck's face in the stills from them at Air Rescue, IMO, it's likely this scene could happen first because he seems to be bothered and bewildered by how close Eddie and Tommy are. Hopefully there's a scene before this one that explains how they became fast friends but it's also possible it'll be another scenario where Eddie magically contacts Tommy or vice versa and they start hanging out but the audience won't see it the same way we didn't see how Eddie magically got M's phone number? 🤷🏽♀️
Full disclosure: I don't trust Tommy Kinard and I've already posted about my reasoning (linked here) and I may elaborate on it but I really don't want to because I'd rather not focus anymore of my attention on the character.
Buck's face in the stills below while he's at the firehouse, appear to be hopeful like he got his "Eddie" back but when he sees him walk away, he gets that sad look in his eyes like he's being left behind again. That's why IMO, it happens before the basketball court scene but after them being at Air Rescue.
I tried to put the pictures below in order but since there's no context for when some of them happen, I added them where I thought they should go. Also, since Buck's bag is still on his shoulder in the third picture with him holding the basketball, I figured it happens before they start playing. Maybe Chimney hands it to him and he looks at Eddie and Tommy like him and Chimney are going to win the game.
IMO, Buck will have a conversation with Maddie before the end of the episode and that's when JLH's leaked script will come into play. Also, I believe Chimney will be the one to tell Buck he's acting irrationally then he'll ask him if something else might be going on. Reminder, he's going to be on the court with them and he'll witness the event.
It appears 7x4 will end with them still upset with one another just like 3x5 ended with them not talking.
7x5 - "You don't know me"
I've already completed a post on the title of the episode (linked here) but I do believe multiple people will say, "You don't know me" throughout the episode, including Eddie possibly saying it to Tommy.
When the episode begins, Buck and Eddie still won't be communicating just like they weren't in 3x6. Also, since there aren't any stills that show Tommy and Eddie discussing an available job position at Air Rescue, the only information that was made available came from one of the promos that included Bobby telling Eddie, "I can't tell you how to feel about this job, only you can do that" so it appears Eddie's going to be presented with the option to leave the 118 again either at the end of 7x4 or the beginning of 7x5 but I think his conversation with Bobby will happen at the beginning of 7x5.
Now, ever since TM (showrunner) released the two pictures below in advance of season 7, they've always perplexed me and it's mainly due to the looks on their faces, more so Buck's because he doesn't look angry or frustrated, he just looks tired like he's retreating or giving up. Initially, I didn't speculate on the pictures because I had no idea what was going on and I'm still not sure but based on the things that have been released regarding the episodes, IMO, Buck will apologize just like he did in 3x6 followed by him telling Eddie that he'll have his back if he wants to leave the 118 and go to Air Rescue. Reminder, the last time Eddie left in 5x10, he told Buck in front of Hen and Ravi but the audience only caught a glimpse of Buck's reaction.
I believe the stills below will happen towards the end of the episode and it will be similar to their conversation that happened in the firehouse in 3x6 with a little bit of the 3x9 kitchen scene thrown in. My reasoning is because they're at Buck's loft and Buck will be sitting alone probably pondering what he should do next since it'll be a strong possibility (for him at least) that Eddie will leave and he'll have to find a new partner.
I think Eddie will say something similar to the things he said in 3x6, "I forgive you. Just don't let it happen again" but this time it'll be different and more along the lines of how they talked in 3x9 (related post linked here).
This is where their dynamic seems to change because unlike 3x9, Eddie's not leaned against the counter, he's actually touching Buck's shoulder and his waist the same way he did in 3x1 during Buck's surprise welcome back party but they're the only two present 👀.
When I saw the picture above, I had an immediate reaction to it because it reminded me of something the audience has seen before. I'm not going to include my thoughts on it in this post but I will do a separate one about it.
The point of this post is to illustrate with the BTS stills how the scenes in the next two episodes with Buck and Eddie could play out. Will they finally take the leap at the end of 7x5 and become a CANON couple or will the show continue to delay the inevitable? Only the showrunner, writers, producers, actors and actresses know the answer to that question. Hopefully, they will start their romantic relationship because it's been six years and there's no reason to keep delaying it.
#buddie#eddie diaz#evan buckley#911 abc#911 season 7#911 season 7 speculation#911 spoilers#911 speculation#911 on abc#the buckley diaz family#buckley diaz family#911 meta#anti bucktommy#anti tommy kinard#anti eddiemarisol#anti eddietommy#chimney han#bobby nash#maddie buckley
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your characterization of wally not being malicious and just a... weird little guy is my new favorite thing ever he's so silly.. but i have a question! :)
since wallly doesn't understand the concept of crushes or having feelings for someone, and you've already made a post about how he deals with his feelings for us, but how would he react to us telling him about what it really means? would something click in his head, and he'd realize that that's what he was feeling all this time? would be attempt to confess to us then, or would he continue to be oblivious for the rest of his little felt life?
i think it would be an interesting concept for him to be rather weird in his approach to confessing if it ever came to that, since I don't think we would ever really explain that in detail- so he would just have to figure it out himself! as i assume, anyways.. and by that I wonder what means he would do to tell us how he feels, albeit odd or in any other way it comes across to us.. maybe he'd ask for some advice from his other lovely neighbors or just dive head in, whatever his forte is in that department @:)
this was longer than i originally intended, but i love your writing and enjoy reading through it!!<3
I'm glad you're enjoying my characterisation of him :D!! I'm not sure how popular it is (I've been a bit busy, so haven't read TOO many fics other than my own), but I am always happy to elaborate more on the way I see him!
You can explain to him what romantic feelings are, and it still doesn't immediately click for him, nor does he fully understand the significance of any of it. He doesn't have romantic fantasies in any traditional sense of the word, after all. But he does really want to be close to you, and he does think about you a lot. So, maybe…? He has to know more first, so he'll ask lots and lots of question. He'll ask more questions. How does it differ from friendships, exactly? What are things you would not do with a friend, but would do with a partner? How do you know if the person you 'like' also ' likes' you? (He makes quotation marks with his fingers every time he says it.)
Wally doesn't get embarrassed or flustered while discussing this at all, because he doesn't know that he's Supposed to be! He's just curious about this whole new type of relationship and love he's never considered before. It puts some things into new perspectives for him, though. Mainly any and all interactions between Eddie and Frank. He thought that was just something exclusive to them! Honestly, the whole explanation is likely brought on by him making a comment about something they were doing together.
He figures out what 'confessing' is when you tell him that's how you usually figure out someone likes you back. For a moment, he's tempted to ask you directly how you feel for him, right then and there, but he gets a little nervous. His usually calm demeanour does have its limits. Wally realises he's nervous because he doesn't want you to say that you don't feel the same way. So… That means he likes you, right? He guesses he'll have to confess!
But he feels completely lost on the subject after that, and is most likely to ask Eddie for advice. He introduces Wally to the concept of love letters, and the idea of what he wants to do is born from there. (If he hadn't gone to him for advice, it's likely he would've just blurted out the question 'Do you like me?' at a random point during the day.)
His confession letter is written in crayon, with little hearts at the edges of the paper. Wally writes in choppy, short sentences, not unlike the way he talks, that he's been thinking about you a lot, and even more since you told him what a crush is. He likes talking to you a lot, and he wants to talk to you a lot in the future as well. He still doesn't fully get what people do 'in a relationship', but would you like to show him? Do you like him as well?
Instead of having Eddie deliver it though, he will deliver it directly to you himself, and insists you open it right in front of him. It's… A unique experience, to say the least, because he's staring hard at you the whole time, even more so than usual.
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Show vs Tell, Or: Please Stop Making Things Difficult for Yourself
I said a while ago that I'd write a brief essay about the most misused craft advice in writing once I wrote 10k words, and for once I actually held myself to that! So now, I'm here to tell you about Show vs Tell, or why people make it more complicated than it needs to be.
First, a basic primer for anyone who hasn't heard this term before: "Show vs Tell"/"Showing vs Telling" refers to "showing" the audience information instead of "telling" it to them. You may be thinking, gosh, that sounds unspecific to the point of being readily misapplied, and you would certainly be right! Lots of folks throw it around without fully grasping what it means, how to use it, or when it doesn't actually apply. And I'd really like everyone to stop making it harder on themselves when there's a very straightforward way to conceptualize it.
So for starters, Chuck Palahniuk has an old but good essay about eliminating "thought" verbs from prose that holds the hell up. But I'm going to tell you an even simpler way to conceptualize the difference between showing and telling:
Eliminate the inner thoughts entirely.
Ask yourself, if my narrator's interior monologue was inaccessible to the audience, how would I convey the same information—literally showing it?
Forget for a moment that your medium is the word, and imagine you only have dialogue and visuals. If this was taking place on the screen or in a graphic novel, how would you convey that this character has a crush on someone in their class? That they're hotheaded? That they're struggling with a decision?
Here's a perfect example of this from the opening scene of Howl's Moving Castle.
Devoid of context, we have a girl trying on a hat in a mirror, and also trying on a fake smile. Then her expression sours and she pulls the hat down over her face until we can only see her frown. She's wearing a plain dress and the hat is simple, despite the elaborate hats and ornaments on display around her.
You don't have to know anything about this character to understand what's being conveyed in this moment: This girl is deeply uncomfortable with trying to be pretty and flirty, but in the safety of privacy she wants that, even though she feels inept and self-conscious about it. She's in this world, but she's not part of it. Even brushing up against it for a moment makes her shut down and reject it with hostility.
More importantly, it's all communicated with a simple gesture and design choices. Not by Sophie thinking to herself, I wish someone would take me dancing—no I don't! I work too hard to have time for dancing!
That's showing. And it's more resonant, because we've all felt silly trying something on in a mirror! Or, say, if you want to show a character has a crush, having them get flustered and laughing too loud. Or showing that they're a hothead by having them snap at a simple disagreement, etc. etc.
This also extends to worldbuilding, dialogue, and stakes.
Worldbuilding: If your story is set in a town run by a crooked sheriff, you could have the narrator say "everyone knows Sheriff Smith is squeezing the shops for bribes." Or the sheriff can stop the narrator for "smelling like weed" while the sheriff's drunken son speeds by, about to total his third BMW.
Dialogue: If your character is angry, they can say "I'm furious." Or they can slam dishes in the sink and insist "I'm not angry" while openly crying. They can snap "I'm not discussing this again." They can demand "What is he doing here?"
Stakes: You can have an all-seeing oracle say "If you do not return the Mystic Orb to the Sunlight Altar by the solstice, the world will plunge forever into darkness." (And as we'll get into it below, sometimes you actually need that.) You can also have intermittent but increasing periods of total darkness occurring as the party travels to the Sunlight Altar. You can have the Mystic Orb start cracking the longer it takes, and the sun getting a little dimmer with every fracture. You can have people's shadows growing bigger and bigger and acting autonomously.
But showing isn't the end-all-be-all; telling absolutely has a place. Sometimes it's better to quickly and plainly state information and move on, such as a little earlier in the scene, when the other hat shop girls have spotted Howl's castle:
"Look, it's Howl's castle!"
"I've never seen it so close!"
“Do you think Howl will go into town?”
“He’s gone!”
“No, he’s just hiding in the fog from those planes.”
“Did you hear what happened to that girl, Martha, in South Haven? They say Howl has torn her heart out.”
“Now I’m too scared to go out!”
“Don’t worry. He only preys on pretty girls.”
This tells us some stuff directly: Who owns the castle we see in the first few seconds, that he's hiding from soldiers, that he has a reputation for preying on beautiful girls. We can infer also that he's a bit of a coward, he stays away from civilization, and that his reputation for cruelty has spread over multiple regions.
This happens so quickly, and it's couched in enough character between the teasing and the gossip, that it doesn't stand out as capital-t-Telling. That's exactly what expository dialogue should do. "Showing" us all that information would take a lot of screen time that can be saved in ten seconds of dialogue.
It's also not just about saving time; it's setting up an image that Howl initially fulfills when he helps Sophie escape the soldiers... only to be punctured when she actually goes to his castle and sees the real Howl. Telling is good for setting expectations that you know will be subverted later.
So yeah, tl;dr: If you're tied up in knots about "am I showing?? am I telling??" just ask yourself how you'd convey the same information in a movie or graphic novel, without access to interior monologue, and evaluate if that'd be better. Most of the time the answer is yes, but not always!
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Hey! In your practical writing tips - post you said novels require lots of telling. I've noticed this too when I read, amazing books that tell a lot vs. showing but all advice gears to show and that's what I've been learning to do. Since I can't find anyone that teaches when to tell vs. show and how much tell vs. show is right and why telling is good etc. I was wondering if you could elaborate on this? Why some books that tell a lot are very engaging and others can't keep my attention? I'm so interested to see your thoughts! Thank you.
Like I said in that post, teaching people how to write isn't really my jam so this is less a teaching guide and more just my assorted thoughts on the subject based on my own opinions and the habits that I follow.
I guess what it boils down to is this. You can't really say that either showing or telling is more important in a novel, but the things that you show are perhaps more relevant.
For example, if you describe the morning routine of your character in great detail every single morning, readers are going to get bored. The story will grind to a halt. Yes you're showing us that, which most people would say is a good thing based on "show don't tell", but the information isn't relevant. If you're setting up a fantasy or sci-fi story it might be relevant once or even twice to show us how things work, but not every single time.
Similarly, if your character gets news telling them that someone they love has perished, you don't want to simply say that it made them sad. You want to show us their reaction. What do they do? What do they say? What physical sensations do they have? Are they lightheaded, do they feel out of breath, does their throat hurt because they're trying not to cry? That information is all relevant to the character, the scene, and the reader. If you simply say they're sad, then your story feels too shallow.
Many people might consider dialogue a kind of telling, but really it's both. What the characters say, how they say it, and also what they don't say can show us a lot about who they are as a person, which is relevant information to the audience even if they're simply explaining something that would be considered exposition. But what do your characters actually need to say or hear? And what can you relay to us through something happening in the background, for instance?
And what about the genre? I like to write road trip novels, which means I spend a lot of time showing the minutiae of the journey. That's relevant because the story is the journey that's being taken. But sometimes your characters just have to get from one place to another, and you don't need to get bogged down in it. You can just say that they took a bus or boat or horse or whatever.
Balancing it in any given story is the writing equivalent of "this meeting could have been email". What do you actually have to get together in a conference room to discuss (show the readers in detail) versus what can be summarized in a few sentences in an email? What will make you bored out of your mind if you see too much of it, versus what will leave you lost and confused without it?
And of course just because something is telling or summarized doesn't mean that the way that you write isn't important! Your writing should still be engaging even when you're telling. Pay attention to the words you use, the rhythm of your sentences, the variety of sentence lengths, things like that. If something is pleasant to read it will keep the reader's attention on the page. If the sentence rhythms or lengths are too similar, it becomes "monotone" and causes people's attention to wander.
Something I pay special attention to is that - unless the narrator is subjective or unreliable - I don't tell something about characters in the narration which is shown to be false. Nothing gets me riled up like supposedly objective narration which tells me a character is like so and I should feel like this about them, but then their dialogue and actions reveal that to be patently false and I feel some other way. Of course that is something that relies on the narrator being objective and having access to more information than we do. If it's a POV character who might just be unobservant, overly arrogant, biased, or kinda stupid, that's fine
When it comes to showing versus telling in regards to the background/description...well. I struggle a lot with description because I have almost complete aphantasia and can't visualize things easily. So I cheat! Anything that I describe in detail is something that my POV character is actually paying attention to. The level of detail varies from book to book based on what kind of person has the POV and what sorts of things they notice. And again, that's relevant to the audience because it's information which is relevant to the character. This is also really great way to start building up to any kind of romantic interest, because people do tend to pay a lot more attention to people they're interested in!
I feel like this has gotten really long, so if there's anything that you would like me to elaborate on more or I wasn't clear about, feel free to send another ask! I won't say I'm objectively right (usually lol) but I'm always happy to talk shop.
Hopefully some of it can be helpful to you or at least give you some things to start thinking about. And of course, it's always a good way to start by studying books that you read and seeing what you like and what you don't like and how it's been handled in both.
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I have a thought that’s been playing in my head for the past few days. Maybe rooster finds out he’s gonna be a dad w/ reader and on the outside he’s thrilled but on the inside he’s terrified. He doesn’t sleep since finding out and one morning before the sun even rises he hears footsteps come out onto the covered deck behind him, and reader is wrapped up in a little blanket, but it’s raining and cold so of course he’s like, “go inside, you’ll catch a cold, you’re pregnant are you crazy?” And of course the reader knows he’s got something going on so while it’s like early morning raining they sit on the porch and talk about it and rooster feels so much more confident about being a good dad. I just have feels about that and idk if I explained my thots well? 🥹 if you’d be interested in elaborating on this I would love that? 💕
Here’s a wee drabble, nonny x
“Ew, rain,” you mutter, coming to sit with Rooster as he sat on the porch swing. Not what you signed up for when you made your way across the country to live your life with Bradley in San Diego. “Looks like it’s settling in,” you took his hand and tenderly kissed his knuckles.
“Looks like,” he agreed quietly. God, you hated when he internalised like this. He wasn’t great with his emotions at the best of times, but when he took his space, you knew he wasn’t processing your news.
“Talk to me, sweetheart,” you said softly.
“Anything,” he admitted, not meeting your eyes.
“I know it’s scaring at you," you said softly. He noticed your free hand gently rubbing the non-existant bump of where his baby was starting to grow within you.
"No, baby," he lied. He blatantly lied to you, and sadly for him, you were so schooled in the wiles of Bradley Bradshaw and he was so transparent at times. "I’m okay."
"You're internalising, sweetheart. I know you."
He sighed. "Baby," he tried, turning to face you. He watched you shiver as the light drizzle started to cover you. "Baby... come here," he wrapped you protectively in his strong arms.
"Do you not... want the baby?" you asked, the fear in your voice that something you were sure you were both ready for (you'd had the birth control discussion, and he was very excited about that part, you'd had the baby discussion, he was just as excited about that too. Sure, it happened fast... but there was a lot of practice and wasn't that a good thing?).
"Oh, baby. Yes, I do, so so much," he said, his heart falling that you were upset now too. "I am so happy that we're having this baby," he desperately tried to reassure you. He turned you to face him and held your face, the tears threatening to fall from your beautiful eyes - the eyes he hoped your beautiful baby may share too. "I can't believe you're going to make me a father. That is the most amazing thing you could ever do for me. This is the biggest thing we will ever do together.”
"Then why are you being so... quiet? Reclusive?"
"I'm scared," he said simply, the shrug that joined his statement so limp. He couldn't meet your eyes and stared hard at the rain before you. You could see his disappointment oozing off himself and your heart ached. "I am so scared I'm going to be such a bad father. Goose wasn't around... and then I lost him. I hardly remember him anymore. I don't know what a father is supposed to do, act..."
"Oh, Bradley," your tears finally fell. "You are going to be the most wonderful father. I understand why you might be scared. Trust me, I am terrified too. We can be duly terrified together."
His face softened. "What? How could you possibly be scared?"
"Well, we're about to have this baby together and it's not like your job isn't a massive risk. I'm really scared to do it on my own and you're away so often - but there is no doubt in my mind, Bradley Bradshaw, that we are going to be amazing parents. Gimme your hand," you gently linked fingers and placed his big, strong hand under the tee you wore. "That's our baby. And it's going to be a massive learning curve. But I know one thing is for sure. You are going to be a magnificent father, Bradley."
"You think?" he said finally, his hand carefully rubbing against your soft skin. He lowered his face and rested his forehead in the crease of your shoulder, he breathed you in, letting your sweet scent surround him and centre him. “Believe me, I’m so excited, baby. I’m just so scared.”
“Trust your intuition, sweetheart. You do it every day.”
He reached up to kiss you. “I know I will be a great dad…” he said, hopeful.
"You will be a beautiful father. Just have a little faith in yourself. You’ve got time to get your head around this.”
“I don’t want to disappoint you, baby.”
You moved and caressed his face, your thumb tracing the edge of his moustache, and he reached to try and catch you with his lips. “You could never ever disappoint me, Bradley Bradshaw.”
Send me your Rooster thots.
#asks answered#rooster fic#rooster bradshaw#rooster x reader#rooster#bradley rooster bradshaw#rooster imagine#bradley bradshaw#bradley bradshaw x reader#rooster drabble#rooster bradshaw fic#rooster fanfic#rooster fluff#brb thots
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Submitting my thoughts as an Indian and Pakistani fan of GG, but I'm kinda disappointed that a lot of analysts who cover Zepp don't seem all too concerned with looking closely at aspects of South Asian culture and history or anything outside of India when it comes to Zepp. Yes it is Indian but you can't discuss India and just magically divorce it from shared cultural ties with Pakistan (and by extension Bangladesh, however I am not Bengali and thus can't speak much on it.) For example Gabriel's blue uniform is so clearly based on a veshti combined with the female air force uniform for Pakistan, or that Zepp's symbol is based on the Garuda Commando Forces logo- even the uniforms of said force match much closer to Zepp's uniforms than any stated "inspiration" I've seen. Hell even the slavery system within Zepp is a reflection that our countries still struggle with caste and class based slavery on a much larger scale (it's affected my own lower class family). This isn't even to mention Potemkin who seems much more tied to how Indo-Pak militarism, nationalism, and facism can affect areas like Kashmir. People are quick to call "German and Russian" influences but the only ones I remotely even observe as a brown person are literally just Pot and Gabriel's names. I dunno. It's just vexing to me. Like it's a country made by dissatisfied Indians post-crusades, so the idea that the old government was somehow less south asian is like. Weird to me. Like there's nothing to indicate that other than people conflating out architectural styles with Russian ones too. Like a lot of Zepp seems to resemble Rajasthani and Punjabi (both sides) architecture in particular but I'm just saddened knowing nobody will look that far into it simply because they might not have that same cultural attachment to it.
Side note I'm also not a fan of how Daisuke refuses to give names to Zeppian characters that match with their ethnic background. For every Leon Mining, Gabriel, and Potemkin, we could've gotten like... actual references to our rock and metal scene. Even "Zepp" as the country name dissatisfies me. Creators and fandoms have such a bad habit at making something or acknowledging something as "South Asian" and then refuse to elaborate on it beyond a few visuals. It feels gauche.
Something something the prevalence of ki not being touched upon for any of South Asia / Zepp by extension within GG is also a major annoyance when we share a lot of faith based aspects with regions like China and Japan.
This has been kinda long winded but holy shit fighting games really just annoy me sometimes with how they treat South Asia as a whole. I just feel it very strongly with GG in particular since Daisuke was very close to peak. So close. I will say he clearly put in a lot of effort that non-south asians probably wouldn't recognize at a first glance, but the smaller details surrounding Zepp and some of the assumptions made about Zepp fandom wise combine into a "nobody will get it like I do" situation.
It's genuinely very cool to see someone's perspective and analysis on it who has more experience and understanding than most western gamers. I appreciate you sharing!
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Ok you said you wanted ideas for one-shots, so hear me out... (sorry this is really long, I'm bad at keeping my ideas short 💀)
Reader and Jock BF!Yuji have been together for a while but def not more than like a year. Yuji wants to be more intimate with Reader but every time he tries, they always change the subject or make a joke etc. He's fine with it at first but over time, the more it happens, poor bb starts getting all up in his head about it, thinking Reader doesn't wanna get closer to him or doesn't trust him or maybe even isn't as serious about him as he is about them (though he feels awful for that thought even crossing his mind). He tries again one day only to be met with the same response and because of all the anxiety over it, he asks what's up, only for it to come out more combative than he wanted.
You said you were thinking of arguments so this could possibly lead into an argument or it could lead into Reader being startled at how mad he seemed to have gotten. Either way— yadda yadda, angst right? Yeah. 💀 But then Reader tells him that they've just never been physically intimate with someone before. Maybe Reader is just a shy person or is unconfident or something, either way soft apologies happen and this could lead into Yuji waiting for Reader's sake ORRRRR (the better option /j) it could be that they do a whole sweet, soft, lowkey apology based, first time right then and there.
Idk this is so long and might be ooc I apologize SJFBZK I don't even know if you specifically meant sex when you said "first times" but here this is either way I guess 💀💀 Feel free to elaborate if you wanna and sorry if this isn't want you had in mind. Tbh I just want super soft lovey sex with that man. I literally would stfu and never ask for anything AGAIN 😫😫
FIRSTLY!! DONT STFU!! i love hearing people’s takes and headcanons on jock bf yuuji n weird reader !! it makes me happy n it’s super fun to chat wit you!! :3
also omg… this is so on point !! i think yuuji would be sad that you don’t wanna be intimate but also doesn’t wanna pressure you so when he’s finally had enough he sort of snaps :( it would definitely lead to like a nice healthy discussion of yuuji reassuring you and saying he’ll wait but also… soft first time with constant praise and consent checks with a big jock man? I WILL SCREAM
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some kind soul uploaded the full q&a that fall out boy did the other night! here is a highlights reel of things that grabbed me while i was watching for those who don't have time to watch:
they have a rapport with the interviewer and have hung out with him a bunch. patrick says they spent like 30 minutes making fun of couches last they hung out lmao
pete describes working with neal avron as being held like an enchanted forest creature with him standing inches from pete's face and saying "what. are. the songs. about." and pete going "oh my god he's looking into my fucking soul rn"
when asked what their favorite meal is, andy says "mom's spaghetti" and doesn't elaborate, patrick says "sushi" and doesn't elaborate. pete says that he's like the joker and he's a simple man and today he had a full english breakfast and he didn't know what to do with half the stuff that showed up.
pete talks about discussing the name of "the beatles" with elliot ingham (their photographer) and says he finally understood that their name was a pun. he says about this "i'm not the sharpest tool in the shed" and doesn't realize he's referencing a meme. the crowd immediately fills him in that it's a lyric by smash mouth. andy clowns on him for this right after: "he's NOT the sharpest tool in the shed"
the host says that pete seems very intellectual. pete says "i PROMISE you that's not true."
when asked about formative musical influences andy and patrick both cite familiar names (andy namedrops drummers for bands like slayer and metallica, patrick says his dad being a folk singer was a huge influence and the 1989 danny elfman batman score). pete says joy division but says he's a visual person and most of his influences are movies.
there's a moment where patrick and pete banter and pete points at the host and says "he just told me i'm smart, i'm trying to live up to it!!" and patrick says in this very small high pitched voice "please be nice to pete!"
anyway pete says his biggest influences are "all the twilight movies except for the one where they introduce [i have no idea what he says here because the crowd promptly goes apeshit]" and also lego batman.
for newer artists patrick says he really likes the new zulu record and the new incendiary song. he says he also likes MSPAINT, alvvays, and another band i couldn't catch the name of
pete says he likes all of patrick's recommendations and says he also likes games we play. andy doesn't give any artists but says patrick gave a "great list" because he's VERY jet-lagged. he's keeping it together as best as he can tho lmao
when asked about if they would ever do a fashion runway show like they did in 2013, patrick says he was embarrassingly short for the whole thing. "i'm at like, bellybutton level." so he says he doubts they would ever be invited back to do something similar "unless they want a bunch of hobbits"
someone asks about producing and patrick gets really in depth with what producing is like and uses "from under the cork tree" as an example - "nobody puts baby in the corner" was barely adjusted from demo form but "sugar we're goin down" had totally different verses at first until they got better direction from the producer.
when asked about what their favorite video to film was, pete says youngblood chronicles WASN'T a lot of fun to make because it was like 9 months with fake blood in your hair and clothes that haven't been washed oNCE. he also didn't love doing the prosthetics for "love from the other side"
the host asks if they've seen the last of us and pete says yes but points at andy and says "he hasn't seen the last episode though so no spoilers!!!" which i thought was very sweet. he then follows that up with "just watch the fuckin episode so we can talk about it!"
patrick and andy said they shot a music video recently that was a "blast" but it's not out yet. pete calls it "very fun, very funny." the crowd starts cheering and patrick hastily says "YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT! you're under NO obligation to like it! but if you do then that's good :)"
patrick says one of the best parts of being in a band is that they all have imposter syndrome but in different ways so they can build up each other's ideas even if they don't believe in their own.....
pete's very nervous about the lyrics to this album cause he's not sure they'll be relatable since he has a lot of "insane fears day to day about not existing." he went to a lot of places that were terrifying to him and he was like "should i talk about this to my therapist" but his therapist said "put this in your lyrics"
"heaven, iowa" was the song that took the longest to come together on this record. this is followed by a rly long anecdote from patrick that im putting in another post cause it honestly made me howl.
when asked about who they'd most like to collaborate with, andy without hesitation says "ourselves" and nothing else. pete says he wanted a kid cudi feature on the album but it didn't work out since he was either busy or ghosted them fldjflkdf
when asked what song are they tired of playing that they can't cut from the setlist and they DON'T want to answer. patrick says some songs have really high notes that are demanding physically for him but that's as specific as he gets lol
pete's like "well we've got this punk song we end all our shows with from one of our earlier albums and it gets very chaotic and sometimes it's a bit of a fancy crowd of people who are like 'i like centuries, i like some of their other songs....i write sins...' and before we start the song i'm like. oh god this is gonna be bad."
when asked about the songwriting process, patrick says: "pete sends me lyrics, i mine them for stuff i like, and....i hate starting answers like this i feel like i've been saying this all MONTH. so i have ADHD - " [crowd fucking goes wild]
when asked about which projects they're proudest of outside of fall out boy, patrick turns to andy and says "andy is very quiet about being in like thirty bands" but andy says he's proud of "all of it"
patrick remarks that he's heard some love for soul punk but is also super grateful he gets to do film and tv scoring now too! he says he likes that when he's talking to people and they ask what he does and if they don't know bands or anything he can say he likes scoring for film and tv and their eyes glaze over and there are no follow-up questions LMAO??
pete is proudest of the bands on his record label!
for favorite songs on the new record, patrick says he likes "what a time to be alive" and says the lyrics are "so tremendously pete"
pete likes "baby annihilation"
when asked about the most difficult song to play live, patrick said headfirst slide wasn't really that difficult even though he expected it to be. he says a lot of songs on mania were very challenging to play live, like young and menace. pete says "what a catch, donnie" was very hard for his "little brain" to play
at the end pete shouts out the host for being fantastic since they've hung out like 3 times now and he thinks he's a great dude to hang out with. andy inexplicably follows this up with "you look like a DAMN fine cup of coffee" and doesn't elaborate but patrick thinks that's his way of saying thank you too
#fall out boy#*making poasts#SORRY THIS IS LONG BUT THERE'S A LOT I HAD TO LEAVE OUT#go watch the whole thing if you can they talk about producers and stuff for a good long while its rly interesting!!
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Posting my spicy scarlet hollow hot take.
I will warn this is gonna be about me not liking reese romance so if you don't wanna read that, just skip this post and don't click the read more.
Okay just to clarify I don't think the reese romance is bad or badly written nor do I think people who romance reese are bad or whatever, it's just really really not my thing tbh. I think my biggest problems are A. How sheltered he is and B. How quickly it can go toxic.
I'll elaborate a bit more- with A reese barely gets human interaction so like of course he'd latch on to the first person to show him romantic interest and kindness.
And idk I just feel like he deserves to go out in the world and explore and figure out what his actual type is instead of settling for the bare minimum of kindness and interest?
For B I'm uncomfortable with how much potential the relationship has for toxicity. Like I get some people like their fictional toxic relationships and I get that, I'm not judging, its just once again- not my thing.
It made me very uncomfortable once reese starts talking about how he needs to protect me, and when you click something like "I don't need you to protect" he completely disregards that!
And this isn't to say I hate reese, I adore him as a character he is my second wet cat- but this is to say I don't like how overly protective he is (and before anyone says anything- I don't like Wayne romance either).
Reese, after the routes where he kills his mom, is in a mental state where I don't think he's properly ready to be in a romantic relationship imo. Like that guy just killed someone who was incredibly important in his life and now it's changed forever, I think he belongs in a therapist's office to discuss these feelings not in my bed 💀
Sorry if this was just ramblings and hard to understand 😭 I just wanted to get my thoughts out here. Feel free to disagree with me lol I don't mind, just don't like uhh tell me I should die or something EUWBWHEUQ hopefully this fandom is more mature than that. Hoped yall enjoyed reading and have a nice day :D
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A Gentleman Boyfriend
Translations may not always capture the exact nuances or tone of the original text. Expect grammatical errors.
Blank, ageless, and suspicious blogs will be blocked.
Mai: "Huh?"
(No way. Why?)
(Why is my sketchbook in here!?)
I couldn't help but break into a cold sweat as I noticed my sketchbook, full of compliments about Kicho, had somehow found its way into the bag.
If someone saw me bringing it to our client's mansion, this would turn into a big problem.
(How did this happen?)
I frantically retraced my memories.
(I remember taking it out the night before yesterday.)
------------Flashback-----------
(I have to write this down before I forget!)
I took the sketchbook off the shelf and started writing.
Mai: "Let's see..."
I relied on my memory, but after spending the entire morning together, there were some details I couldn't recall.
(What a bummer. I wanted to record everything about him in detail.)
(Oh, I know! I just need to carry it with me and find opportunities to take notes.)
Without giving it much thought, I put the notebook into the bag I usually use.
---------Flashback Ends---------
(Stupid Mai! It's me! I'm the culprit!)
Kicho: "What's wrong, Mai?"
He saw me standing there, frozen, and peered into the bag.
Mai: "Actually..."
Kicho: "Don't tell me you forgot your designs."
Mai: "Of course not. Look, they're right here!"
I pulled out my designs and quickly organized my bag.
He then took the designs from my hand and examined them.
Kicho: "You're right, everything is here."
Mai: "Yup, everything is all set."
Kicho: "Then why are you panicking?"
Mai: "It's not that I'm panicking. I'm just a little nervous."
At that moment, I sensed someone approaching from behind the sliding door.
Darren: "Kicho, Miss Mai, I apologize for keeping you waiting."
Kicho: "No worries, we've just arrived as well."
With the arrival of our business client, the conversation shifted, making me sigh in relief.
(Phew. It looks like he won't ask me about the sketchbook now.)
Kicho: "We'd like to discuss the designs Mai brought with her."
Darren: "Oh, I'm looking forward to it! Let's take a look right away."
I gathered my designs, and the negotiation began.
Darren: "All of these ideas are fantastic! I can picture my wife wearing some of them."
Kicho: "What about this one? Considering your original requirements, this one might be closer to it."
Darren: "You're right. Both are wonderful!"
(Great, it looks like the negotiations will go smoothly.)
I breathed a sigh of relief as I saw Darren's happy expression.
Kicho: "What do you think, Mai?"
Mai: "Me? I really like this dress in particular."
Darren: "I see. It's elegant, but if I were to suggest something, it could use a bit more flair."
Darren: "Is there something with a similar design but larger patterns?"
Mai: "Ah, in that case..."
(I think there's another dress with an elaborate design.)
I was about to respond when I suddenly realized that the only other design I had with larger patterns was in the sketchbook.
(What should I do? That page is full of notes about Kicho!)
I reached for my sketchbook but hesitated to show it to them.
Darren: "Is something wrong? If it's in there, please show it to us."
(As embarrassing as it is, I have no choice but to show it!)
Just as I was about to open the sketchbook, a piece of blank paper was smoothly handed to me from my side.
Kicho: "Use this."
(Eh? Kicho?)
He turned to Darren and spoke in a composed tone.
Kicho: "As an artist, she's hesitant to show an unfinished design publicly."
Kicho: "Let's have her redraw the design on this paper."
(I see. He's helping me out.)
Seeing Kicho's dignified side, I managed to regain my composure.
Darren: "I apologize for not noticing."
Mai: "No, I'm the one who should apologize."
Kicho: "Mai, can you draw it?"
Mai: "Yes, of course. I'll redraw it right away."
Darren: "I look forward to it!"
Darren's eyes were gleaming as I looked down at my hand holding the brush.
Thanks to Kicho's help, I was able to get through the situation and successfully conclude the business negotiations.
That night, I visited Kicho's room to express my gratitude.
Mai: "Kicho, do you have a moment?"
Kicho: "What's the matter? You don't need to be so formal."
Mai: "I came to thank you."
Mai: "I really appreciate what you did today. The business meeting went well, thanks to you."
Kicho: "I was just there as an interpreter. I didn't do anything special."
Kicho: "Your success was because of your skills."
After saying that, a feeling of pride swelled in my chest as the person I loved recognized me.
(But it's not just that. I couldn't have handled those negotiations on my own.)
Mai: "You helped me when I hesitated to show the sketchbook."
Kicho: "You mean by giving you the paper?"
Mai: "Yes, I was saved by that. So, it's thanks to you."
Kicho: "It's only natural to help when someone you love is in trouble. I've said that before, haven't I?"
(He really is a gentleman.)
My heart started beating faster as I felt the gentle love in his eyes.
Kicho: "I'm just happy I could be of any help to you, even if only a little."
Kicho: "But there's one thing I'd like to ask."
Mai: "There's something you want to ask?"
Kicho: "Yeah, I remember the other day you hid that sketchbook from me when I came into your room."
Mai: "You noticed?"
Kicho: "Normally, you leave your sketches out in the open, but at that time, you deliberately covered them on your desk."
(So he knew I didn't want anyone to see that sketchbook, and that's why he helped me.)
Kicho: "You were trying to hide it, so there must be something important written in there."
Mai: "That's..."
Kicho: "Don't worry. I won't pry into your secrets."
Kicho: "I was just a little curious."
With that, Kicho turned his gaze away.
The moment I saw his lonely expression一
Mai: "That's not it!"
I hastily tried to explain.
Mai: "I don't have any secrets that I want to keep from you."
Kicho: "But that was..."
I saw a hint of confusion in his eyes.
(I don't want to see him with that expression again!)
With these feelings in my heart, I grabbed the sleeves of his clothes.
Kicho: "Mai?"
Mai: "It's not like that at all!"
Mai: "Come with me."
I guided him and led him to my room.
Mai: "Please have a look. I don't intend to hide it anymore."
I took out the sketchbook and boldly handed it to Kicho.
Kicho: "That sketchbook…"
He nodded as if he understood.
Mai: "I use it as a sketchbook, but I also write down my feelings on it."
Kicho: "So you mean it's also a diary?"
Kicho: "But are you sure I can take a look?"
Mai: "Yes. Go ahead and take a look."
Kicho: "----?"
He tilted his head curiously but then decided to open it.
Kicho: ".........."
Mai: ".........."
(This is so awkward!)
Enduring the embarrassment, I watched as Kicho read through the pages.
Eventually, he closed it and placed it on the desk.
Kicho: "Mai."
Mai: "Y-Yeah--"
Before I could finish my sentence, he wrapped his arms around my back.
Kicho: "I understand the feelings you have for me."
Kicho: "And this is my answer to you."
Mai: "Huh? Mmm--"
His lips pressed against mine, and I quickly realized what was happening.
His deep and tender kiss conveyed feelings of love, leaving me breathless.
Mai: "Haaa..."
Our lips parted, and he gazed at me, smiling gently.
Kicho: "You not only see me clearly but also appreciate every little thing I do."
Kicho: "Thank you. I love you just as much."
Mai: "Mmm..."
Lost in his blushing smile, he planted another kiss on my lips.
I responded to his kisses and felt my body floating momentarily, realizing he'd placed me on the bed.
Kicho: "Mai."
Kicho: "I want to touch you more."
(I want to touch him more, too.)
While receiving his sweet kisses, I anticipated a blissful night and closed my eyes in a daze.
Part 1 ╎ Part 2 ╎ Premium ╎ Epilogue
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Please elaborate on the Judy Blume fact
from the mid-00s to the early '10s, Random House had a website called "Random Buzzers", a place for kids and teens to talk about books
they had fun activities (short story contests, writing prompts, quizzes, etc), and for some of the activities, you got rewarded points, which you could then use to buy books in their online store.
it was a fun time! I really liked writing short stories and poems and stuff for the contests, and this wasn't like (afaik)...predatory? it wasn't something where the site was going to take these stories and use them later, it was just...for fun.
unfortunately, the site is down now, and with it all of the cool stories/art/poems/etc that people made. :/ but thankfully, I have most of my stuff backed up.
anyway! this site also had events where an author would join their discussion forum for a few days to answer a bunch of questions and talk with people. and one time they had Judy Blume join, and I got to chat with her a bit!
I talked about the books of hers I'd read, and showed a picture of my copy of Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, and she told me that she was impressed I had a copy that was so old, and also that she'd always been annoyed with the cover art for that edition, because the cut of Margaret's dress made her look pregnant. xD
I also talked about how because I was homeschooled, I liked reading books about kids going to public school, because I would never know what that was like - and she said that made her wish she had written her books more descriptively, which I thought was sweet.
anyway, we had a nice talk, and she left the forum a couple days later, and that was that.
then, some time later, Judy Blume was at the national book festival, so I went, hoping that she would sign my book. and when I got up to the front of the autograph line, I said, "hi, I don't know if you remember me, but I talked with you once on random buzzers"
and...she did remember me! she knew my username, and that I was homeschooled, and she was excited that I had come to see her, and that she got to sign my book (even if it was a cover design she didn't like xD)
she just seemed really nice, and I'm glad to have had that experience.
#asks#haniawritesthings#judy blume#random buzzers#random house#personal#sbs polls#it's an interesting thing#as a kid I read#are you there god? it's me margaret#but I didn't end up reading her other book#then again maybe I won't#until I was an adult#and looking back - I almost feel like I would have related to that one more#I don't know if it's a gender thing or just what my childhood was like#they're both good books#and I really loved the margaret book#I just think maybe the second one would have hit home more for me#guess I'll never know
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A look at the past & future of Honkai design: Simplicity vs. Complexity (Part 1)
Link to the YouTube channel of the person whose thumbnail I yoinked off of Google Images for this; it was the best image of the new Hyperion that I could easily find which is why I used it for this.
TL;DR:
Original Honkai Impact 3rd designs tended towards large, simply shapes that gave battlesuits (and other stuff) a strong "mecha" vibe. Many newer designs are trending towards more complex designs that do away with these simple and recognizable shapes, instead using more overlapping textures and ornamentation to create detail. Some designs balance the two, using large and relatively simple shapes that still carry enough detail to stand out as newer while still keeping the original vibes.
Because of this, I think there's gonna be a very clear visual split between Part 1 designs and the APHO+Part 2 designs because of this split between simplicity & complexity, and some Part 1 designs feel off because they stray too far from the original design motifs, making them feel out of place even if they're still good designs on their own.
~
I've been thinking a lot about the design philosophy of Honkai Impact 3rd for quite a while now. As someone interested in concept art and illustration and who's played video games for more than 3/4ths of their whole lifespan.
And obviously I'm not alone in this, given how often I've seen discussion of Honkai's character design. Whether it was the march of the pastel battlesuits or the techwear of the part 2 cast or the upcoming Garuda Fu Hua battlesuit, many people have had many opinions both positive and negative.
But I've wanted to do a sort of "deep-dive" for a while now, because I think HI3rd is a really interesting case where we can see the co-existence of (sometimes drastically) different designs made years apart from one another. It's normal for the style of a franchise to grow and change with time- my personal example is Halo, with obvious differences between Halo CE, Halo 3, and Halo 4 in mind. But typically that has been done over the release of different games over many years, not so much in consecutive releases within the same game. HI3rd's not alone in this regard, of course :)
I don't want to label anything as "bad" or "good". I can like or dislike something, and that's my personal opinion. Of course I COULD try to label designs as bad or good, but I'd want to back that up with serious analysis and get the opinions of other players, and that's way too much effort for a reddit post. Instead, I want to present some different designs in Honkai and share my thoughts, so others can feel free to agree, disagree, elaborate, etc. More of a matter of casual discussion rather than trying to present some solid theory, I guess you could say?
What I will say is I intend to label designs based on whether (or how) they fit into HI3rd's aesthetic(s), so that's the main point- not so much whether an individual design is good or not.
To start with, I'd like to talk about the simplicity vs. complexity of Honkai designs because I personally feel like this is the biggest problem I have with HI3rd, outside of story issues that is. Not because of designs being "good" or "bad", but because I feel like Mihoyo has been moving towards a new design philosophy that's different from what I loved most about HI3rd when I first started.
I opened with the comparison of Hyperion because I think it's a perfect example of this concept, and if we can understand what the difference is with Hyperion then I think it'd be more apparent with battlesuits as well. I also have another image that highlights some of the biggest differences between the two models:
I had mixed feelings about the reveal of the "new and upgraded" Hyperion during the moon arc. It's a neat design I'll admit, but I felt like it deviated a lot from the original Hyperion, not as a difference in fidelity and detail but rather as a difference in the fundamental design of the ship.
What I like so much about the original Hyperion is, as you might have guessed by now: its simplicity. Hyperion was comprised of much larger, blockier shapes with more clear silhouettes. It's actually the same reason I love the design of Halo's UNSC frigates, funnily enough. I'm a huge sci-fi fan and I absolutely adore spacecraft and vehicle design, so I really appreciated the design of Hyperion cause to me it felt very original.
The new Hyperion retains most of the same characteristics, and it's still recognizable as a version of Hyperion. But it bothers me just how much the design was changed. Many of the simple shapes of the design were broken up into smaller parts or almost totally changed, like the cannon going from a sleek polygonal barrel to a spikey... thing.
To me, it feels like Hyperion was redesigned with the idea of trying to make it more "futuristic" or "tech-y", or perhaps it was even designed with some retro anime motifs in mind like the Space Battleship Yamato. But it seems as though this was done by adding many objects that broke up the original silhouette, as well as inventing lots of new detail instead of adding details to complement what was already there. The shape of the winglets was greatly changed; the vent-like structures were totally changed; the barrel was completely changed; most noticeably, the bridge was drastically changed.
The new Hyperion model is technically "better" in terms of fidelity and the amount of detail it has, no doubt about it. But I think changing the fundamental shapes of Hyperion so much really hurts the charm of the original design, to the point that I was actually quite disappointed to see that Mihoyo used the new Hyperion design in the CG of the Captainverse Hyperion farm event. It seems as though Mihoyo wants to consider this as the new default impression of Hyperion, and not a special one-off thing from the moon arc.
I think this can be seen across other aspects of the game, too. In general Mihoyo has moved away from simple designs and towards complex designs, and I think there's been a lot of hits and a lot of misses with this.
For instance, I'd like to compare the three Herrscher Kiana battlesuits: HoV, HoFS, and HoFi.
There's a clear trend of an increase in complexity across the three battlesuits. HoV's design uses fewer and larger shapes, HoFS adds more and smaller shapes, and then HoFi is almost totally devoid of any large clear shapes.
To me, this is what distinguishes a battlesuit that "feels like Honkai" from one that doesn't.
Everyone starts the game in Chapter 1, and most long-time players have spent more time with older battlesuits than newer ones simply because they were playing the game before these newer battlesuits were even released. I think it's safe to say that even though HoFi is the grand "Kiana in her greatest form" battlesuit, most players will still have seen HoV's design more often because of the years that it's been around, and its prevalence in story content.
Most of those older designs were rooted more heavily in the mecha vibes early Honkai had. For instance, even though HoV is obviously not wearing a mecha battlesuit, the large blocky shapes are still reminiscent of armor, two examples being the large frames on her wings and the large white pad-things(?) on her sides. There's other obvious cases like White Comet being a skin-tight battlesuit which used glowy energy bits for its attacks, but I use the example of HoV because it shows that HI3rd was fully capable of creating battlesuits within the mecha theme without being limited to literal "mecha" designs. HoV's battlesuit is far from mecha in its nature, yet still fits perfectly with that aesthetic.
HoFi has pretty much none of that, though. It's a pretty design for sure, but it's also nearly completely divorced from that original aesthetic. There's few easily-recognizable shapes on her design, with the (very little) clothing she wears being almost entirely detail and ornamentation. It definitely fits the "Princess Kiana" or "Goddess Kiana" theme in isolation, but I don't think it delivers on that theme in the context of Honkai Impact 3rd.
Yet look at HoFS. HoFS definitely has more detail than HoV. Yet there are still lots of large blank areas that define clear forms; for instance, the armor on HoFS' waist. It's reminiscent of that of HoV while still adding more detail. This gives that same effect of a slight mecha vibe. It's still an appealing design and it still feels more modern than HoV, but it also manages to retain much of the same design language.
That being said, I have to admit I ADORE the Honkai wings that HoFi has, though I wish they were a little higher in the air. That's one thing that I think Mihoyo absolutely nailed with HoFi, and I wish more of that aesthetic was kept in the rest of her design.
What's also interesting is that (in my opinion) neither of the other two main Herrscher Trio designs suffer from this. For instance, consider Mei's battlesuits:
I've included Lighting Empress as a reminder that old =/= good. I'd like to make it clear that just because it's an "original" battlesuit doesn't mean it's a good one. I said before that I didn't want to label stuff as good or bad but this is a clear exception and I hope y'all can understand why, lol
We can certainly argue about whether HoO Mei's design really fits the image of Raiden Mei. It's a vast departure from her other battlesuits when it comes to her palette, for better or for worse. I didn't like it at first but it has grown on me, and I think part of that is because of that concept of simplicity vs. complexity.
HoO has way, way more detail than the other two Herrscher Mei battlesuits, no doubt about it. But it also retains many large and recognizable shapes. Nothing on this battlesuit is bulky like HoT or other older battlesuits, but it still gives off the feeling of being armor despite being so thin. Much of the detail is created not by overlapping layers of ornamentation and texture, but rather by using intricate shapes with clear silhouettes and light detail inside that outline.
And HoTr is obviously a mecha design, so I don't think we need to elaborate on that one :)
The point is that it's absolutely possible to make detailed and beautiful battlesuits without getting rid of the original shape language that HI3rd was built on. HoFS is a bit dated now but still much newer than HoV, yet it keeps the vibes. HoO is also far newer, yet it still fits the theme of battlesuit. HoFi, though... not so much.
Finally, I want to talk about the elephant in the room: the Part 2 character designs.
Once again, here's the link to the YouTube video by Matt Is Playing, where I pulled this image from!
Much like HoFi, there's very little trace of the OG Honkai mecha aesthetic in these battlesuits. It's not to say that they are inherently bad because of that* , but it doesn't quite feel like "Honkai Impact 3rd".
*except Dream Seeker, I'm sorry but what the heck is going on there???
But the thing is that this design philosophy isn't even new. In fact, it's years old by now... because we see this in APHO.
For a long time now, APHO has had battlesuits that tip-toe on the very edge of the original Honkai aesthetic. So the designs of Part 2 aren't actually some new and drastic shift in Mihoyo's design philosophy- rather, it's reinforcing a design philosophy that was introduced with APHO.
These new characters all feel out of place if we compare them to the original battlesuits. They don't use the same simple forms, instead using dense and overlapping details. But if we compare them to the APHO cast, they fit right in. We can argue about the merits of the new character designs in other terms, but I think these discussions have to keep in mind this context.
I'd say the APHO designs work well in the setting of APHO because they're following the same aesthetic. As we enter Part 2 and once we see more of the story and setting of Part 2, it's very possible that these new character designs will feel more natural and more like "Honkai Impact 3rd".
But it's a different Honkai Impact 3rd.
This is why I think the idea of "simplicity vs. complexity" is so important to understanding Honkai Impact 3rd's designs. I think Mihoyo might be trying to emphasize two different phases of Honkai through this design philosophy. These are going to be two very different halves to the same game, with the designs of Part 2 possibly becoming as distant from Part 1's designs as Part 1 is from HSR.
You have the OG mecha action vibes from the good ole St. Freya days, and we have the sleek tech-wear of the era of exploring Mars, world-hopping in the Sea of Quanta, and fighting literal aliens.
For better or for worse? Only time will tell.
As a bonus, I'd like to include some extra comparisons, though I won't be adding any more analysis. It's more about having extra examples to keep in mind. Also, I think these ideas can apply to enemies and weapons as well, but that's a larger discussion I'm not yet ready for so that will come in a follow-up later on!
#honkai impact 3rd#hi3rd#honkai 3rd#honkai#honkai discussion#as if that's even a tag people use lol#long post#Kiana Kaslana#Raiden Mei#Bronya Zaychik#i just realized after posting this that I used the wrong image for stygian nymph jgkldaflhflhadfhagh too late to change it now!
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Scattered thoughts on "let's have a universal language for the economic benefits".
So like, ok, some object level considerations: languages are not dying out (mostly) in favor of English. Like, English is not naturally becoming a universal language. Languages die out in favor of local majority languages, and there's hundreds of those. I feel pretty confident in saying that the only way to achieve a universal language within a couple of centuries would be some sort of highly authoritarian set of language policies that I think everyone in this discussion is against. So we're not getting a universal language naturally any time soon—in particular, not within the present technological horizon.
I think once we look outside the present technological horizon the issue is probably mostly moot. Like, machine translation is already getting very good. I suspect it will be within my lifetime that the job of real-time interpreters can basically be totally automated, at least outside of particularly high stakes contexts. And maybe in the far future we'll all be a hive mind or some shit, I don't know.
So anyway, I don't think "we're going to get a universal language naturally soon, and that's something that will have large economic benefits" actually stands up very well to scrutiny on the object level. I would bet against this.
Worth noting also that I don't think that at present language barriers are a large source of economic friction in the industrialized world. Like from naive observation that just doesn't seem to be the case. Maybe it is, I don't know. It would be cool if someone had stats on this.
Anyway, I think the large-scale "linguistic homogenization will be really good" thing is probably not likely.
The more thorny issues are local (in both time and space). Being a member of a minority speech community has various economic downsides, and in exchange speakers often report intangible benefits like a sense of pride, a feeling of connection to ancestors, access to works (such as oral or written literature) that are composed in the language, etc.
Obviously I'm a big fan of vague intangible benefits because I'm one of those Gender Havers, and the idea of sacrificing some practical utility in exchange for like, achieving my desired expression is very close to home for me. So I'm always big on defending the value of intangible benefits.
Of course not all members of minority speech communities report intangible benefits. I think this correlates a lot with, you know, ideology, just like gender stuff does. The point is that people have complicated feelings about their relationship with language and you can't always predict what they will be. This is why I compared the ethics of minority language immersion schooling to population ethics questions about ending autism. See that post for elaboration.
Anyway, you could probably predict I was going to say this, but the point I keep coming back to is "languages matter a lot to people, and once they die you can't get them back, so you probably should not throw them away lightly". And when I say that languages matter a lot to people, I don't mean to linguists. I mean like... if you ever listen to someone from a moribund speech community, here in the states at least, the relationship between language and personal identity is something you'll hear about immediately. I've heard some version of "when a people loses their language, they've lost everything" about a thousand times. And like, sure, the concept of identifying with "a people" might not hold much stock for you, but the concept of identifying with a gender doesn't hold much stock for a lot of people. I think it's important to take people's word for the intangible benefits they say they derive from stuff.
So like, I guess the upshot is:
My strong hope is that within my lifetime, redistributive economic policy and the advancement of machine translation will make all ethical debates around language policy absolutely trivial. In the meantime I think it's worth supporting policies that support the existence and continued use of minority languages. Obviously not if it impinges on individual rights—you know, I'm not saying anybody should be forced to speak their parents' language, that's fantastically beside the point.
I'm not just saying this because I'm a linguist and, clearly, find language to have aesthetic value in themselves. Although, you know, I do think that. It's just not the most salient fact here.
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The Plurality of... Blue Beetle! (Movie)
Plurality: A state of multiple self-conscious agents, or "headmates," sharing a single body.
Oh, this one is going to be a little rough!
If you know the Blue Beetle, it shouldn't be surprising that they're a plural character. We've never read Blue Beetle comics, but my host was pretty familiar with Blue Beetle from Young Justice, where Jaime had a pretty big role in season 2.
I went into Blue Beetle with high hopes and, if I'm honest, ended up a little disappointed.
But before we can get into why I felt that way, let's first talk about their plurality!
Spoilers for the Blue Beetle movie ahead:
Jaime Reyes and Khaji-Da as plural characters
In the movie, Khaji-Da, often referred to as just "The Scarab," is a world-destroying weapon that found its way to Earth.
It bonds with Jaime Reyes when he touches it, fusing to his flesh and turning him into the Blue Beetle in an elaborate body horror sequence.
Khaji is established as a sentient being, and is able to communicate with Jaime mentally. Now, it's not actually clear if Jaime can communicate back mentally like many real headmates can. Every time he talks to Khaji is aloud, which I think was also how it was in Young Justice too. It's possible that while the Scarab can send messages to Jaime's mind, it can't read it. But that seems kind of a strange limitation when the movie shows it gaining access to a person's full memory after connecting with them, and is at least able to figure out Jaime's name through their connection.
It would seem weird to me if talking out loud to Khaji was necessary to be heard, but that's how the movie presents it. (This could be a comfort thing too. As part of a plural system, I'll admit we'll often talk out loud through the body when nobody is around to hear us. Words can be clearer than pure thoughts.)
A small part of the movie is dedicated to the two learning to get along, with there being some conflict around Khaji wanting to kill an enemy, and Jaime saying that they aren't killers.
This leads to an important moment later in the movie where Jaime is enraged, believing he's lost multiple family members, and is going to execute the villain.
The word "execute" is important here, because while other good characters have no problem killing (their nana took great joy in it, in fact), it's always against active combatants. Not someone who was disarmed. The movie doesn't make this distinction directly, but I think it's an important one.
It's one thing for superheroes to kill to protect themselves and others, most heroes are willing to these days, but it's another for them to kill someone who isn't actively a threat anymore.
Kahji takes just enough control to hold Jaime back from doing something he would regret, repeating back that they aren't killers, showing itself capable of learning from Jaime.
It's a cool moment, and I appreciated this little character growth.
Despite Khaji being sentient and capable of learning though...
Khaji isn't treated as a character
This was my disappointment with the movie.
Blue Beetle should have been more of a plural story, but Khaji is hardly ever treated as a character by the narrative or the other characters.
Yes, Khaji gets some funny lines here and there, ("Host overreacting" being a favorite of mine) but doesn't seem to have any real motivation, interests or really anything going for it.
And what's worse... there's not even a REAL CONVERSATION between Jaime and Khaji. Even when they really should be discussing things.
Like...
The Rooftop Scene
At one point, the bad guys have found Jaime's family. Jaime tried to activate his powers. They don't work. What's a Beetle to do?
Well, Jaime decided that since the Scarab will try to protect him, the best bet will be to JUMP OFF THE ROOF!
And while this is sorta well-reasoned, I found myself internally screaming this entire to time to just ask it to change.
Like, Khaji can talk. They literally said in the scene right before that Khaji was sentient.
And while jumping off the roof made for a dramatic scene, it eliminated what could have been a great moment with Jaime explaining the importance of his family and his need to protect them to Khaji.
It forced Khaji to help, when Kahji may have been perfectly willing to help if Jaime just talked to it, instead of trying to make Kahji to do what he wanted.
And you might wonder, does Khaji get offended at Jaime risking his life to force Khaji into doing what he wants? I wonder that too, because this moment is never mentioned again in the movie.
For a film so much about family, Khaji is never part of that
Blue Beetle is a movie centered around family.
It's about Jaime's relationship with his family who is very close, almost suffocating but in a good way. Jaime is driven to protect and fight for his family at every turn, and his family will do anything to protect him.
This is contrasted with the Kord family which is dysfunctional and broken, and Carapax who lost his family and sees familial love as a weakness.
These themes are intricately woven into the narrative.
So it is so disappointing how utterly divorced from that theme Khaji-Da ended up.
There is a great story to be told about this extraterrestrial machine that crashes to Earth, never having a family of its own or a concept of what family means, only to be bonded to Jaime and go from being treated as something to be gotten rid of to be welcomed as another member of Jaime's family.
That would be really cool. And they seemed willing to tell a similar story with Jenny Kord, being brought into the family group hug after everything was over.
But Khaji is treated less like a valued member of the family and more like an accessory. And even when Jaime fully bonds with Khaji, it's not about agreeing to integrate and share a mind so much as it's accepting his heroic destiny.
This feels like a huge missed opportunity for the type of story they were telling, and a betrayal of that story's central themes.
Jaime's Mother Addressing Khaji
This is the one exception where a character who wasn't Jaime actually treated Khaji as a person.
She first asks what Khaji's name was. Then says...
I know you can hear me, Khaji-Da. I want you both to get it together. Find your strength, mijito. Use the pain we’re feeling and turn it into power. I want you to go back in there… And kick their asses!
I love this so much. I love the mother's character for thinking to acknowledge Khaji as its own person and talk to it directly, giving her pep talk to both of them at once.
It's a fantastic scene. An incredible moment.
But it's also still treating Khaji as a weapon. The one and only time a character who isn't Jaime talks to Khaji, it's telling Khaji to go fight people.
I'm glad to have gotten this. But I feel they could have done so much more.
Khaji's feelings are never explored
We're told that the Scarab is a planet-destroying super weapon. How does Khaji feel about that?
We don't know. It never comes up.
Does Khaji have memories of worlds it's destroyed?
Does it know why it was created or who created it?
If it doesn't know those things, does the lack of awareness scare it?
Can it feel fear, and if Jaime asked if it was scared, would it understand the emotion?
The fact that these things weren't explored at all leaves me with one important and sad conclusion.
The writers weren't interested in writing a plural character
Blue Beetle's plurality is an afterthought.
The Scarab was sentient and Blue Beetle would use "we" pronouns occasionally because Khaji is sentient in the comics. But the relationship between the two wasn't a priority of the writers.
And in my opinion, the film suffered for it. Not just from a plural perspective but from a writing perspective. The film would have been so much better had Khaji been treated more like a character rather than just a weapon and plot device.
Khaji stopping Jaime from killing needed more build-up, and Khaji needed and deserved to be better integrated with the story's central themes of family.
Conclusion
All in all, I feel that Blue Beetle was a good movie. But I also feel its treatment of Khaji held it back from being a great movie.
I hope I don't come off as too hard on this particular movie. There's a lot of media that, when less explicitly plural, I might be more forgiving of. I once wrote a whole post about why I thought Kronk was plural based on his angel and demon Kronks who never get any sort of character arcs. But those aren't intended to be sentient people by the writers. Instead, they're plural by happenstance, simply by being more developed than other shoulder angels and demons in cartoons.
Meanwhile, Khaji Da is supposed to be a full character, I went in expecting a lot, and I feel Khaji just didn't live up to its potential in this movie.
I look forward to seeing what DC does with the character in the future, and if Khaji can get more development.
And I'm sad that, given the box office, it's probably not going to get a sequel of its own. I'm sure the planned Reach story would have given Khaji some much needed character development.
For more of me rambling about the plurality of DC superheroes, see: The Plurality of... Batman (Failsafe).
#pluralgang#blue beetle#blue beetle movie#blue beetle 2023#jaime reyes#dc comics#khaji da#dceu#dc movies#dc films#plural#plurality#endogenic#multiplicity#systems#plural representation#plural system#endogenic system#sysblr#actually plural
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Some Thoughts on Aziraphale
In response to this discussion, which focuses on the pain Aziraphale must have felt, deliberately breaking Crowley's heart at the end, because he has no choice but to go back to Heaven.
I do think that there's not really an option for Aziraphale to stay on Earth. There's certainly an element of coercion to the Metatron's actions, and an implicit threat. And even if there wasn't-- Aziraphale IS right, they can't really be free with the system of Heaven and Hell looming over them. They will never really be left alone to exist together. Something has to be done.
But I can't buy the final fifteen as Aziraphale knowingly sacrificing their relationship for the sake of protecting Crowley and/or Earth. The order of events is wrong. He doesn't go in to Crowley in a clear-headed, sober way, saying "I don't want to, but I have to leave." No. I think, like we saw him do throughout S2, he's focusing on his own wants and needs to the exclusion of everything else.
He comes to Crowley with the Metatron's proposal and he is giddy. He's excited. Because he thinks he's found a loophole. He wants to have his cake and eat it too. He thinks he can have Crowley AND Heaven.
When he walks back into the bookshop, he doesn't know about Armageddon 2.0 or the Second Coming. The Metatron just tells him they have a big project and they want him to lead it, and he buys in to that fantasy, like he's been focusing on fantasies for all of S2.
Aziraphale goes to Crowley and he's not proposing to keep or protect their same relationship. He says come to Heaven with me, you'll be my second in command. Second in command! Not as equal partners, like they've been for millennia. Aziraphale would be Crowley's boss. He wants to take them backwards, even. Make Crowley an angel again, ignoring how strongly Crowley rejects that idea. It'll be just like old times, only even nicer. Again, he's focused on the fantasy, the memory of what Heaven used to be, instead of the reality of what it is.
I think ultimately, Aziraphale is sacrificing Crowley and his bookshop here in order to protect his own feelings. Because focusing on this fantasy lets him avoid facing the hard truth of what Heaven is, and keep living in denial a little longer. It's not until he's at the elevator that he hears "Second Coming" and then has a very visible "oh shit" look on his face. And by that point he cannot back out. (And frankly, I read his smile in the elevator as mostly self-righteousness, a sort of "it will all work out, he'll see." Convincing himself that he hasn't just royally fucked up.)
I think it's true that Aziraphale doesn't have much of a choice here. But he doesn't approach Crowley as if he's being coerced or forced into a difficult situation. He's excited. I don't think he's thinking about the Earth at all. Or Crowley-- at least not beyond what he, Aziraphale wants, which is the two of them together... but on Aziraphale's terms.
And this is unfortunately part of the general pattern for Aziraphale in S2. He is petulant and annoyed when Crowley tells him no and refuses to help Gabriel. He doesn't ask why Crowley changes his mind later, or consider why Crowley might have been so against helping Gabriel, he just demands the elaborate apology dance as his due and delights in being Right. He overrides Crowley's objections to taking the Bentley to Edinburgh, and ignores his warnings about danger at the Ball. The whole season he is focused on his own fantasies and desires and completely fails to entertain Crowley's feelings or perspective at all.
So yes, I do feel bad for Aziraphale at the end of S2, I'm sure he's also hurt by the separation with Crowley. But this is the choice that he made! And now he has to live with the consequences.
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