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laurents-laces · 8 months

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It took me 84 years, but here's the notes for Pacat's Instagram live on January 22, 2022! You can find previous summaries here. This time I added a section for things that involve both capri and dark rise because there was a lot of that.

“It’s funny, I tend to write, as I think back on Dark Rise and then before that, Captive Prince, I tend to write these book ones that kind of don't necessarily reveal themselves until the end or cohere until the end or maybe are written for the re-read rather than necessarily for the first read… I kind of have this philosophy that difficult pleasures are the most enjoyable because you have to work to achieve them, and so you know, I like the idea that you get rewarded at the end of Dark Rise for reaching the end.”

Important Updates

There has been some progress on the capri News™, though it was epically delayed by the pandemic. It’s not a fourth book, hardcovers, Laurent’s POV, or a TV series

There were updates about Dark Rise and Fence too but none of it is news anymore because this happened so long ago. The capri fandom is just unlucky like that

Pacat has a new project! It’s very different and is more adult in tone than his previous works. It’s kind of monster-horror-gore, he’s been wanting to do something with a shounen horror vibe like Berserk or Attack on Titan. It’s coming in the distant future, not soon

Captive Prince

Pacat hasn't heard of the capri fandom term Smaurent (small Laurent) but thinks that the idea of him does exist in the books as he was a very different person as a young child. Pacat likes writing characters who explore the idea that one’s past leaves fingerprints on one’s present self and Laurent is the most extreme version of this that she’s written

A fan said that they think of “Damianos V” as being a roman numeral, so that Damen would be the fifth King Damianos. Pacat really liked the idea

Pacat cried for a really long time while writing Nicaise’s death scene. Got a few strange looks as he sat in the Melbourne State Library with tears streaming down his face for a few hours. Nicaise’s death was planned from the beginning, he was always a bittersweet character to write

Laurent is such a private person. Writing more from his POV would risk exploding the mystery of his character and might kill some of the tension in capri

The capri News is like a missive from Rohan- it's on its way and it'll arrive at some point, just when you need it most

A fourth capri book isn’t completely out of the question but there isn’t one planned for now

The Brazilian capri covers are their own thing but they don’t represent the books well. They have a very dark-ages-hard-masc-medieval aesthetic

How tall is Damen? Laurent thinks that he’s a foot taller and that sometimes it feels like more

Orlant: Rough exterior, heart of gold, didn't deserve what happened to him

Pacat pronounces Vere like Veer (veer off course) but that is not the correct pronunciation that Laurent and the Veretians use so feel free to pronounce it how you want

Pacat wasn’t really involved in the art for the Japanese edition but has been a fan of Chinatsu Kurahana for a long time. Usually the author doesn’t get much input for foreign editions. The Japanese publisher was very welcoming and let Pacat have some input, but he was such a fan of the artist that he let her do whatever her vision was. He gave a bit of a description for clothing but didn’t tweak any character concepts once they were drawn because he likes having different versions of the characters in different media. We shouldn’t think of it as an official version of the characters or as Laurent’s canon hair length

Dark Rise

The submission date for the Dark Heir manuscript was June 2022. At the time of this live, Pacat was just past writing the midpoint of the first draft, heading towards the climax. The climax has been planned for a long time

We absolutely get James's POV in Dark Heir. Pacat had just finished writing one of his chapters when this live happened

How would Anharion describe Sarcean in one word? The answer would change depending on whether Anharion was wearing the collar. If he was wearing it he would say whatever Sarcean wanted him to say

James is not named after the gay king james (James I of England)

We will find out about James’s mother at some point, either in book 2 or later

Pacat’s current favourite Dark Rise character to write is a new character from book two

It was important that the stewards were racially diverse. When Pacat was pitching Dark Rise he had little pictures of the characters to show what the aesthetic of the book is, it was art that he found online. Things might have changed since then but this was three or four years ago and it was really hard to find fantasy imagery of non-white characters. If you wanted to find mages or warriors in suits of armor, all the artwork had white characters. So he wanted to include different types of people in the traditional western fantasy aesthetic

Favourite part of Dark Rise #1 is the ending because it was all of the pieces falling into place

Cyprian’s surname is not St. Clair but saying more than that would be a spoiler

Stewards have family in the outside world

Pacat would love to write short stories for Dark Rise like the ones for capri but she’s a slow writer so it would be some time in the future

Dark Rise/Capri

Justice’s appearance wasn’t specifically influenced by danmei, he has long hair because all the Stewards have long hair. The Stewards have long hair because everyone in the Old World had long hair and the Stewards carry on the sacred traditions of the past. This was inspired by the delightful long-haired-Laurent contingent in the capri fandom because they were so underserved by Captive Prince. No one in capri other than Ancel has really long, butt-length hair so Pacat wanted to change that in a new series

Where do you get inspiration for jewelry like Nicaise’s earring or James’s collar? Pacat has been thinking lately about the importance of creating a strong visual aesthetic for a character. The earring was created as a plot device. It’s long because it had to be very gaudy and noticeable because Laurent would use it as a disguise later, and it has blue sapphires because blue is Laurent’s colour. It's one single earring instead of a pair because it felt more poignant as a memento. The earring was more about purpose than aesthetics, but Pacat paid more attention to aesthetics in Dark Rise. When working on Fence, Johanna is so good at creating characters with an iconic visual look, and Pacat was thinking about that when he created James. He started with the idea of red because it's the colour of blood. The collar started off as a necklace that was a drop of blood, but it was changed to be more interesting and to have more of an impact. Pacat often thinks about the scene from the Hunger Games when Katniss is about to prove herself to the sponsors and they're not paying attention to her so she shoots the apple in the boar's mouth. A lesser author would’ve had her nail the bullseye but Suzanne Collins souped it up one more level, to come up with something slightly cooler or more imaginative. So Pacat goes through his finished drafts and thinks, is there anything I can turn up to 11? And the necklace wasn't at 11. So he thought about making it a choker, then a collar. A choker with rubies looks like a slit throat and that’s a very cool image, so that’s what it was changed to

Pacat is an only child so Tom and Auguste as older brothers aren’t based on personal experiences, but the idea of siblings has a strong importance to her. Dark Rise is dedicated to her half-sister Mandy who committed suicide when she was 15, which was the year Pacat was born

Fence Comic

The process of creating Fence: First Pacat writes the script, then it gets sent to the illustrator Johanna. It goes through a few rounds of notes where the two of them talk about the kinds of things they want to see happen, what would be cute or great in the upcoming storyline, and then Johanna does sketches. Then art edits happen, but usually the art is so incredible that it doesn’t need many edits so the only usual change is to make sure that Nicholas is left handed when he’s fencing. Then Boom (the publisher) looks over it before it goes to inks, then to the colourist Joana Lafuente, then to Jim Campbell for lettering. Jim places the speech bubbles and fits the script onto the page. Where the bubbles are placed and which words are emphasized makes a big impact on the flow of the script. Then everything gets sent back to Pacat for proofreading and editing of the lettering and then it’s done

Pacat worked very closely with Sarah Rees Brennan on the fence novels. They talked a lot about how events would play out, biographical details of the characters, made canon compliance edits, saw the books at every level and loved them. It’s impressive how Sarah can turn on a dime between two sets of opposing feelings when transitioning between emotions. Her books have a lot of wit and charm but also a lot of hard-hitting emotion

There was information about Rise and a preview but I'll skip over that part because it's already out now

Personal

When creating characters, Pacat often thinks of them in terms of dynamics they’ll have with other characters, or what they want to achieve, or what kind of archetype they resonate with, or how to build a backstory that gives them layers. Characters are interesting when they have more than one motivation, when they look one way on the surface but then different aspects of them from the past are revealed

Pacat was an Earth sciences major

Pacat chooses all the fanart friday posts himself and then his assistant Hannah sends a request to the artist

Least favourite book trope: band of misfits who save the world through a hail mary pass. Pacat likes a highly confident crew, not a small rabble of people who fluke their way into saving the world. It's not a bad trope, he doesn't know why he doesn't like it. He doesn't like Firefly because of this trope

He often reads fanfic on ao3 for more of a story than was in the original or more of a dynamic that was underserved in the original. But authors can’t read fic of their own works for copyright reasons

Owns multiple copies of the Lymond Chronicles. Book four is her favourite because the ending is so intense and devastating. Pacat often thinks of that ending when deciding what to do with her own works because most authors would’ve chickened out of writing an ending like that. She read book one for the first time in a restaurant at 9:00am and stayed there until she finished the book. She probably looked like a mess because of all the laughing and crying, and at one point one of the waiters came over to bring her a handkerchief and said “are you okay?” and Pacat said “I’m just at a really intense part right now"

Pacat does brainstorming sessions with friends to come up with ideas for books and looks at art books for inspiration

He’s reading the BL manga Twittering Birds Never Fly

Danmei dramas/web novels are really long so he isn’t familiar with most of them, but he ordered MDZS and he’s looking forward to reading it because he’s heard a lot of good things about it

Pacat doesn’t usually like love triangles, whenever he ships something in a love triangle he ends up choosing the unlucky guy. He liked Gale more than Peeta and liked Edgar more than Heathcliffe

#captive prince #dark rise #fence comic #instagram livestreams #cs pacat #my post

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furbygoblinxiv · 11 months

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Ok now to be annoying about a completely different flavor of Zelda: That cartoon from the 80s that has aged so poorly I take psychic damage every time I watch it (which has been multiple times (I have problems)). A few months ago when rewatching and being sick of the Link's personality from the show (his best feature is how funny the "Well excuuuuse me, princess" line is) I was like "I wish the quiet kid from the games/art was here instead" and accidentally thought too hard and made an au/rewrite of the cartoon lmao.

Anyways Zelda cartoon au where cryptid boy Link saves the post apocalyptic Hyrule of loz 1 and chills in the castle with cartoon Zelda to defend the triforce pieces that they have while trying to find the last piece before Ganon can find it, stumbling across the sleeping loz 2 Zelda along the way lol. Hijinks ensue as he teaches Zelda the brawns to back up her girlboss and he gets an adventure buddy because its dangerous to go alone and Zelda with her boomerang and crossbow goes hard. I think a monster of the week style plot works for the earlier Zelda games, but an overarching plot could coexist with that since that is kinda how games work lol.

As per usual here are a bunch of slapdash barely related sketches of my ideas with my expanded thoughts below bc I think it'd be fun to share:

I look at the official art of Link being a quiet determined little dude with a backpack of tools and wish that that was represented more. Like look at him! What a guy! Imagine giving a quiet puzzle solving 14 year old a sword, lethal magical weapons, and a wasteland to explore! I would love a show about that! In terms of other characters, swap out that annoying fairy character, put in a Navi clone, at least Navi didn't have a crush on Link🤮. Ganon can stay the same so long as he was always a demon pig and was never a Gerudo man because unlike Nintendo, I do not want to imply that the only prominent man of color in the series has only one big braincell thats just screaming "EVIL" on loop. But! Keep Zelda the same, I love her so much in the cartoon, she's obnoxious in a slay girlboss way, maximum vibes. By virtue of not having a paper thin plot, most other characters that were fine get fixed by proxy.

I think plot wise? It takes place a few years after the first game. Initially, Link saved the royal family and they started rebuilding that area of Hyrule, and Link traveled around to help people. One day, Ganon's minions start making attacks on the castle to steal the triforce pieces back to revive him fully, and a Zelda who greatly admires Links steps up to defend the place. Eventually, Zelda requests Link return to help defend the castle while they search for the mysterious hidden third triforce piece in order to combine the full thing and wish for peace in Hyrule. Link agrees and the hyjinks begin.

IIRC the og Link backstory was that he was the son of the hyrulean queen and the elf king or smth? In the manga? I didn't want him to be hylian royalty but I wanted to keep that cryptid vibe, hence why I have him related instead to the great fairy and the kokiri. He just leaves the forest/cave one day with literally nothing to go save Hyrule, what a chad. I think it'd be funny if people describe Zelda as feral due to how boisterous and headstrong she is, especially out on the field, but Link is the quiet version of wild that you don't notice at first. She is openly intelligent and snarky in comparison to "says 3 lines a day, bombs first and asks questions later, explore under every rock and bush" forest kid Link.

It would be fun though if "rushes into danger" Zelda resonated more with the triforce of power and "solves dungeon puzzles for funsies" Link with the triforce of wisdom, then they both resonated with the triforce of courage upon finding it. idk tho lol

I also think two different young Zeldas coexisting with each other after one awoke from a cursed slumber would be really funny. Like that's gotta be so awkward, especially if one has the fighter girlboss slay up to 11 and the other just woke up from a coma to her family gone and her kingdom destroyed and just kinda wants to read books and drink tea in peace. Imagine being the same age or older than your great (great?) aunt. Or imagine if the old lady Impa nursemaid to Zelda 1 Zelda was the young Impa nursemaid to the Zelda 2 Zelda. Wild.

If I wasn't incapable of remembering to finish writing wips I'd write that series lol. Alas, this is all I can pull for now.

I'd love to call this propaganda to go watch the show but maybe don't because its yikes. This is moreso propaganda for someone to make a Zelda cartoon show instead of the movie that I sense Nintendo is plotting to make. Also, if you've read this far, I should mention I also will probably be posting art from some of my actual long term Zelda aus beyond just expanding on the cartoon, though I may continue to do that if my train of thought continues on these tracks.

#legend of zelda #loz #zelda cartoon #legend of zelda au #loz au #zelda cartoon au #zelda au #my art tag #actually yeah i think i WILL post more of my aus actually #to free myself from the shackles of cringe and also to do something with these huge documents sitting dormant on my drawing app

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wasyago · 7 months

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some rambles about gillion trans headcanons and other stuff

im realizing that i write these posts because i have no one to talk about riptide with, so this is like a monolog that is meant to be a dialog? sort of? the point is, the thought process is unpredictable and this is just everything that goes through my head and not like a structural point or anything and some things are random and not uhhh pretty(?). i dont even know why im writing these disclaimers, no one cares probably?

anyway. so, if gillion was a trans man, how would that work?

did he know from the young age, before the elders even, that he was a boy? was it just an obvious thing for him and his family? was he loved and accepted? and when the elders took him away, did they accept him as well? did they even see him for a kid/a person he was, or did they only think about the prophecy and didn't care what gender The One was? when gillion got older, did he get his top surgery inside the walls of the palace without anyone questioning him or looking down upon? or did he have to sneak out? probably definitely not sneak out, im not sure gillion ever left the palace or seen the world outside much. did he even get top surgery?

that's an interesting question to me actually, because if tritons (in this campaign at least) hatch from eggs, do females even have bigger boobs? technically no, right? do they even have boobs? i mean, they do have chest muscles and stuff, but do they have nipples? the one time i drew gill without a shirt i didn't draw him any, so im gonna say "no" for now. sorry im huge bore when it comes to these types of questions, i don't even know why actually... is it weird?

uhh what was i talking about... so i guess yeah, if female and male tritons don't have that different of a body structure, gillion probably didn't even need a top surgery to begin with. and maybe he didn't experience much in terms of dysphoria, which honestly? good for him, he had enough going on already...

but if gillion wasn't trans before the elders? if he was fine with his gender, he was only five after all, he had better fiveyearold things to worry about. what happened after he was taken away? was it his own realization, just at an older age?

or was it forced on him by the elders? (its definitely a darker concept and would be out of character for the elders, but as an alternative universe I think its interesting as well). because "the chosen one", the hero of the prophecy, the one who will decide the fate of the world and who will protect the undersea, in the eyes of the elders could've only be a man (if they were misogynistic). and when they come to this family and they see a 5 y.o. girl, what can they feel except disappointment? they will try anyway though, because what are they supposed to do? and if they need a man for a prophecy they will get him one way or another...

again, a darker concept, and i think i like it like an au better than a headcanon for the main campaign. because it's ooc and brings up slightly different topics from the original.

at the end i think i wont headcanon gill as trans? (although who knows, maybe I'll come around eventually, we'll see) maybe as nonbinary or a secret third thing though. gillion to me doesn't feel like a "man" man, his gender is "a guy" i don't know how to explain it hdgsbbs (maybe im just projecting idk o_o)

I love it when people hc him as trans tho, its very sweet!!!!!!! and i believe he does have the top surgery scars in the official art? so like, pop off king lets go???? (actually i just checked and no he doesn't, but im gonna think he does anyway)

im a little scared to re read this post and i think i'll delete it later probably, but uhhh yeah... again, just rambling and thinking out loud (not out loud but you get what i mean. writing all this down or drawing something really helps me to think and figure things out, so that's why)

#yagotalk #ask to tag #if someone wants to talk about it or add something feel free to

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reanimatedheart · 2 months

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AHHH this is my first time asking something on here so am nervous sorry~

I’d love to know how our romancable companions would react to hyper expressive auDHD MC? You know, theatrical kind of manner, not really much of a filter in terms of what’s proper to ask or say, lots of stimming and incoherent noises. Very energetic but can get quiet and dissociate easily. (Totally not asking to self-insert better before working on fanarts haaaa haaa haaa)~

Also I need you to know how much I ADORE this game. The lore, the world-building, the characters and the choices that actually MATTER. THE WRITING! THE SOUNDTRACK AND THE ART AUUUUGH!!! It’s so good, it’s officially my newest hyperfixation. Thank you for making this piece of art, I’m buzzing and can’t wait for moooore! And the gnome scene really was hilarious, I was choking on air and saliva, xoxo

Thank you for the nice compliments! I'm so happy you like it. :D

This is an interesting question. I try to avoid specificity with the MC because I want people to be able to immerse themselves in them as much as possible, but I do have a lot of thoughts about this scenario.

Black would honestly find it refreshing. I don't think he's accepted it himself (he doesn't believe in therapy LOL), but I'm pretty sure he's autistic. Esp if the MC is very blunt or makes their thoughts and boundaries very clear. Black is the type of person that misses a lot of social cues, and people make fun of him for it. He takes things people say very seriously. If the MC just tells him their thoughts, he'll remember them and act accordingly. And I think this would make the MC feel safe too, because they would feel like he's not playing games with them.

This scenario is interesting with Crux in particular. They aren't in the game yet, but actually, his bio dad and favorite little sister are like this, and he would be able to tell immediately. He won't make a big deal out of it, but he'll be adjusting around the MC. Take them to quieter places, make sure their seat is comfortable, etc. The MC will just find this out that oh, he's always playing obnoxiously loud music in the car and smoking, but he never does it around them.

I also think in a weird way, he'd be way more honest around the MC, but he won't let them know he is. Like Crux is the type of person that keeps his real feelings and thoughts close to his sleeve, because he has a whole complex about being "weird" in ways he can't control, so it's made him a bit of a liar. But if it's the MC, he'd just say his real feelings, because he suspects they won't judge him for it.

Vincenzo is complicated because he is very mentally ill and neurodivergent, but for most of his life, he was in an All Boy's Catholic Boarding School. He was bullied for being weak, weird, effeminate, etc. If he notices these traits in MC, he'll degrade them for it, and in a fucked up way, see this humiliation ritual as actually beneficial to MC, because it would teach the MC not to show strangers their neck.

But I feel like, if the MC gets closer to him, that he'd be able to face aspects of himself that he's tried to suffocate for years, and it would be liberating to him.

#asks #black lumaban #vincenzo maria fontana #crux hertz

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figmentof · 4 months

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so i've been seeing a lot of people ask "what streaming service would want to pick up a show that only has one season left?" and i think that's a really valid question

now i'm not by any means a media analyst nor do i know the inner workings of the streaming industry but maybe my logic could help alleviate some of that anxiety

ofmd has a solid and very loyal viewer base. the ratings of both s1 and s2 have proven that, especially s2. s1 already outperformed in every way by running circles around MCU projects like Moon Knight and Loki, left both SW shows The Mandalorian and Book of Boba Fett in the dust, and did exceptionally well for a freshman series when going up against existing IPs. now we know that that alone was what got us s2 with max, but even then max/WBD went and slashed the budget by 40% 😬. BUT, even with this limitation and the pacing getting fucked up by rewrites/cut downs for the last three episodes, s2 still came through and delivered record breaking numbers, rave reviews across the board with major media outlets, and outdid their s1 performance that max officially listed ofmd as their max original flagship show. the unfortunate thing however is that none of this made a difference, we still got dropped last minute when the bts crew was already gearing up for pre-production

just because WBD/Zaslav doesn't respect or see the value of the show, doesn't mean other networks/streamers don't. a huge reason why i pushed for apple tv is bc they're a service that i've noticed cares about letting a show do their thing and not as much about viewership. apple tv did get a lot of attention and money from Ted Lasso though, and it was their flagship show for the three seasons it aired. i'm sure their 45 minute per episode season 3 was granted to them mainly because the show brought so much attention to their platform, so i think they'd absolutely do that for ofmd too what with it also being a feel good rom com with positive messages

ofmd also has a huge social media presence. the most recent and very successful example DJenks could use within his pitch is the astroglide incident. within an hour of astroglide tweeting about ofmd, fans are already photoshopping their product into screencaps, editing them into clips, and drawing fan art-- free advertisement delivered to them just because they gave us some attention. the fan tweets with astroglide reached thousands of eyes and astroglide was trending. any service that chooses to pick ofmd up isn't just getting a fanbase that would save them some budget in terms of marketing, but also help them market their lesser known shows too. and Casey Bloys said so himself, albeit very tone deaf and for all the wrong reasons, the twitter gays are the ones who have the power to bring attention to a show (queer word of mouth is no joke)

sometimes all a streaming service needs is a show to push people to subscribe, and i think a lot of these services have good shows but no one is looking for them. ofmd fans are pretty good at browsing through what a service has to offer but you need to give them an incentive, as would any business, that makes them want to spend money. i just think that picking ofmd up is only ever a win for a streamer and it would be stupid of them not to

of course, if you want actual insider knowledge with stats and more realistic talks of what might happen (cautiously optimistic!), you know to check out thecozypirate and meowzawowza_ on twt

#Our Flag Means Death #ofmd #save ofmd #renew ofmd #renew as a crew

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natsspammityspamspamham · 2 years

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Why You Should Watch Romantic Killer

This is the new anime series that premiered on Netflix a few days ago! Before you inevitably cancel your subscriptions, give this show a go! Trust me, it'll all be worth it! (I'm personally riding on my sibling's Netflix, so I got to watch it officially!)

Edit: I think it’s important to mention since it’s in the very nature of the show that nobody is actually forced to fall in love with Anzu or vice-versa. It’s all purely consensual in terms of that even though the wacky circumstances are not.

I even made gifs for this post just to convince you, reader of this post!

Story

A high schooler named Anzu Hoshino is living the life. She has games, chocolate, and a cat named Momohiki. One day, her life is turned upside down by the devil-- I mean wizard, Riri. Riri confiscates her three most prized possessions with the ultimate ultimatum: Fall in love or live life without your most cherished commodities. Living in this awful world, Anzu swears to not fall in love out of pure spite for this arrangement and for Riri, but unfortunately, Riri has plans in store that might make things harder than they seem. (source: me)

For such a nonsensical story, it fricking works. I like it. As someone who's aroace, I feel this. I really do. I don't object romance, but I sure am not looking for it, and I would be pissed and spiteful too if my belongings were taken.

Characters

Anzu is so much fun. She has got to be my favourite reverse harem protagonist of all time. Her reactions to everything are absolutely priceless, and I love how they incorporate random references. I never thought I'd see Kazuo Umezu face incorporated into a fricking romcom! Characters like her and Bakarina make the genre worth watching (even if Bakarina is too... baka at times). I want everyone to experience this anime without me giving too much away.

The side characters are good in their own right. Sure, Riri is annoying, but that's kind of the point. They canonically don't have a gender so the "they/them" pronouns were used in the subtitles I'm pretty sure. Tsukasa is pretty cold, and I felt indifferent about him until I found out his reasoning for being like that in the last few episodes, and let me just say, whatever you're expecting, it's probably not going to be that. I've never seen a show handle that type of situation for men quite like this RANDOM ROMCOM did. It puts its male characters into situations where they don't need to be strong, and they aren't criticized for it. That right there is positive masculinity. I like it. It diverts the idea of traditional macho masculinity, especially those of archetypes in dating sims. The characters and their dynamics actually seem pretty natural for such an unnatural situation and setting.

Music

Yooo, that soundtrack fricking fits. I like it. Sure, it doesn't stand out, but with the absurdity of this series, I'd be lying if I didn't laugh when a certain string track came on. I don't even think that was the point (I think it's supposed to be when the audience swoons).

That ending theme fricking slaps harder than it needs to. I watched the opening once. Look, that opening skip button is so tempting. I only watched the ending once, but it was the background music for the voice actor interviews, so I got to know it better.

Voice acting

YOOOO, THIS IS THE PART I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT. Sure, they hired your local "ikemen" to play the "ikemen" characters, but can we talk about Rieri for a second? She makes this show good. Her and Mikako Komatsu apparently auditioned in a pair, and you can see, hear, and feel that chemistry. It is absolutely fantastic. Not many anime have had me laughing out loud, but I kid you not, I laughed a few times watching this. And yes, Umehara and Gakuto did sound good. I will give them credit where it's due. They did fulfill the ikemen part really well. Almost too well.

Art

You know what? Even though the art was pretty mediocre, I'm going to give it a pass. It's hard to make a coloured manga. And it's hard to make an anime look good. Plus, they probably spent all of the budget on Anzu's face to the point where the guys look mediocre at best and can only be given "ikemen status" based on their voices alone.

Conclusion

I get why this anime might be a bit mixed in the aroace community, but I think we should enjoy media as it's handed to us. And what was handed to us is a genuinely good show that requires zero brain cells until the last half! Zero brain cells? That's me too!

Unlike most of the shows that I watch, I will rewatch this. Without a doubt. I'm rewatching it as we speak. Even for specific moments that made me laugh.

#long post #romantic killer #romakira #rie takahashi #seiyuu #umehara yuichiro #umehara yuuichirou #kajiwara gakuto

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blacktabbygames · 1 year

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Hi! Thank you guys for amazing games 🖤

If that's okay with you, would you mind telling, of course without giving away stuff that is not meant to be known now, how did you come up with the story of Scarlet Hollow in the first place? The theme of a small town with horrible secrets tied with supernarutal goes back to Twin Peaks and is so much loved by storytellers that I wonder, was Twin Peaks your insiparation?

Also, what do you think about the idea of making a spin-off of the game where it is possible to choose to play for each key character? Like, same story, just from the perspective of a key character like Tabitha, Stella or Sybil.

I understand how much work it entails so I can only dream of it lol. Also, there has to be some official art for the Main Character

The last but not the list, the soundtrack for Scarlet Hollow is SO good. I really want to play more games from you 🖤

Thank you so much for the kind words!

Scarlet Hollow started from a discussion about a hypothetical dating sim set in a small town, where every date you went on took a turn for the monstrous and horrific! We're both suckers for overarching narratives though, so it quickly evolved into what it is now, though you can definitely see where some of the original ideas made their way into the story.

In terms of inspirations for the setting, Abby is from North Carolina and loves to set her stories there, and I'm heavily influenced by the songs of Bruce Springsteen, especially the ones about wanting to leave small towns full of memories and broken dreams.

I don't think we'll be making new games in the Scarlet Hollow universe after we've finished it, since it's a self-contained narrative, but we did play around with an idea last year about making "Dustin Quest" as an April Fools gag/prequel game. But it didn't really feel like it had enough meat on the bones, and Slay the Princess quickly took over all of our side-project time.

We do have a pitch for a TV show we'd love to put out there when everything is all said and done, though, and that's an adaptation of Scarlet Hollow where the player character never shows up to the funeral, and the events of the game transpire without their presence. In this case, the story would be told from the perspective of other characters (mainly the Kaneeka/Stella/Tabitha trifecta). But who knows if that'll ever happen!

#scarlet hollow

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thefirst3chapters · 21 days

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I love the work you’re doing with your blog, bringing back older posts and spreading the Literati love 🧡 And your meta posts are so insightful! Would love to hear how you got into the ship, if you feel like sharing 😊

Thank you so much, that is so kind!

I'm fairly new to Gilmore Girls in general and started casually watching a few years ago because my sister (also a Literati shipper) recommended it. I think the first episode I saw was "There's the Rub," and I was drawn in by the generational dynamics right away. It is tough for me to precisely remember first impressions in hindsight, but I didn't particularly care for Dean or Jess as love interests for Rory. My sister said maybe I'd like Logan, but I wasn't convinced on him either. Then Jess's Season 6 appearances endeared him to me a lot more, and he became my reluctant favorite of the three boyfriends. It is a huge testament to Rory's character that she didn't know what Jess would accomplish in the future, and she believed in him right away despite most of the people she trusted disliking him!

Last year is when I really got into shipping Literati. In the classic love triangle setup with a nice, dependable character and an adventurous, brooding character, I am typically inclined to sympathize with the former archetype, but the character arcs of Dean and Jess ultimately defy those categories in interesting ways. Rewatching made me notice more details about how much teenage Jess was struggling, and I really grew attached to him and his relationships with Luke and Rory. I lurked around the Gilmore Girls subreddit for a while and saw so much animosity toward Jess. Even though he's of course fictional, it was still frustrating to see all that directed at a kid who was dealing with a lot, and it made me even more protective of him.

Then I came across a few Literati-focused Tumblr blogs and saw the interest in themes/subtext/symbolism/character motivations and the amazing fan art and GIFs (like yours!) on here. Seeing multiple posts about other people not having a penchant for the subreddit discussions was quite validating. It was an "I've found my people!" revelation, and I've really enjoyed looking through blog archives. There's so many great older posts!

What compels me with Literati, far more than the debates over who was the "best" boyfriend (what does that even mean?), is how narratively rich their story is. It starts and ends with Jess looking at Rory through a window (if the frame around her picture on the mantle counts as a window). In the first and last episodes where they interact, they show each other something they've written because they were inspired by the other person. As this video lays out so artfully, they went through parallel challenges in their lives and helped each other find the strength to work through them (including by writing a book). Then there's all of the intriguing visual cues and emotional depth and period drama reminiscent scenes. Two bookish characters being portrayed in such a poetic way is so fascinating.

Ships that don't get a conventional happy ending are often captivating because there's so many questions to ask and alternative scenarios to imagine. There are a lot of tragic romance elements to Literati, and the angst is certainly not lacking, but the neat thing is that at the end of the official narrative, both characters are alive and on good terms with each other, and it's implied that maybe their story isn't over. The last words of dialogue they exchange mark a beginning of sorts (it's what this blog is named after). How many doomed romances end up with something that positive? I do like to think that Rory and Jess end up together for good after AYITL, but after everything that happened when they were younger, just the fact that they are friends as adults and are so encouraging of each other is a beautiful thing in its own right.

Thank you for the ask!

#thefirst3chapters asks

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accio-victuuri · 1 year

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EXPLAINED : WANG YIBO IS DESPERATELY ILLITERATE???

On a normal day and considering what’s been going on for years & years, I wouldn’t want to address any negative press about Yibo. I would rather spread positive news and showcase his talents but i’m making an exception on this one. I am writing this as a Yibo fan who has watched a lot of his interviews and shows and feel like I have a good sense of what type of person he is. A fan who is sick and tired of people using the fact that he doesn’t have a college degree against him. There is really nothing that disgusts me more than those who feel superior just because they have a piece of paper. I accept people’s criticism of him but this is obviously beyond that so I wanna talk about it.

Sadly, he is at a disadvantage as casual people will only see a cut video or a certain post and will tend to run with it. add the fact that the general public don’t have much good point of view towards celebrities. I’m not going to discuss the alleged attack from yyxq’s side or the fan war going on cause that’s just too messy. and well, organized black propaganda is expected cause everyone can’t fuckin comprehend how Yibo is embarrassing everyone else with how good he is at acting and making money for companies that invest on him.

»»————-　　————-««

I thought this was gonna pass naturally but today “Beijing Youth Daily” shared the article called : can the desperate illiterate perform well?

The reason is that the lead actor of a Chinese New Year film was interviewed during a road show. When asked about his impressions of the work and the characters, he didn’t know what to do. Netizens dubbed him “desperately illiterate”.

This first paragraph clearly talks about WYB and the incident at one of HB’s roadshows. This is the whole article and it goes on to talk about literacy in terms of being an actor and all that, trying to make their article into a legitimate thinking piece. Take note that WYB is not the only one “mentioned” here but the title and the intro is about Yibo so he is at the center of it.

In fact, "illiteracy" in this context does not mean to engage in academic discrimination. We all know that there are specializations in the art industry, and the level of education and professional ability are not necessarily directly linked. The "illiterate actors" that everyone refers to often refer to those actors with low cultural reserves, empty heads, incomprehensible scripts, and incomprehensible characters.

This has been going around weeks ago but today, there were lots of verified accounts sharing it. I’m seeing talks of this is a fake account, organized verified entertainment accounts reposting or whatever, it doesn’t matter. the point is — this is out there. People have read it. Some have talked about it. I would have loved to see them actually name Yibo if they are really so brave, but I guess not really. They can only hide in their accounts like the cowards they truly are. This should come as no surprise, trending today of all days because it was officially announced that HB’s cinema run will be extended. Also that HB is at the #2 spot with only a meager 7% of the slots. It’s only a matter of time before HB overtakes everyone and that’s bad news for a lot of people. Also HB will be released in North America this week.

Coincidence? I think not. We all know what’s going on here. 💀💀💀

Now let’s see the Q&A portion that sparked this talk of illiteracy:

Q: In another time and space, if you met Mr. Ye, what would you say to him?

Wang Yibo: "Are you asking what will I say when I meet the character? First of all, I think this question is meaningless. I don't want to say anything, and we won't meet."

Q: Yibo, who is Mr. Ye in your mind? Do you think you shaped him and wanted to show him to the audience, what do you think is the most difficult thing about him?

Wang Yibo : In fact, I really don’t know how to answer this question ..

( He tries to answer this but the host and CE end up speaking in behalf of him )

As a Yibo fan, this kind of answer is not new to me. This is not the first person on a Q&A that Yibo has shut down if he doesn’t like to answer. He’s always been honest, sometimes, painfully so and may be misinterpreted by those who don’t know him. I can explain that he’s already tired of all the roadshows or the question itself was too much etc etc but as i said in the beginning, I CAN ACCEPT CRITICISM. I understand why certain people was put off by this answer. Especially if this your first exposure to him after hearing about Hidden Blade or watching it. There is nothing more that I wish for Yibo, than to be appreciated by the General Public and his popularity to extend to more than just his fans. I wanna say that this may be a learning experience for Yibo. This is his first roadshow experience. Promoting a movie is totally different from what he did with Dramas. He has two more movies, and I hope he will be more prepared. The Yibo i know and support will not be screaming and playing the victim because of this, he would learn from it and bounce back. He will be better.

What I can’t accept are the people who obviously are insulting his whole being because of this 1 thing. Don’t mind all the good things he said in other cities or other times — let’s just rally behind this and attack him. The thing is, they don’t have much negative things to say about his performance in the film or how it’s doing in the box office so they will find something to make him look bad. and this is it. It’s also too much to say that he is ILLITERATE. I don’t think someone who is illiterate can host, memorize/choreograph dances, memorize scripts, be considered a language genius, act scenes, understand directions from directors etc.

It’s so unfair cause there are people like Yibo who need time to articulate their thoughts. Or those who prefer to reply in shorter sentences. It doesn’t mean they are illiterate. they are not stupid. All the comments saying “of course he is, he didn’t graduate college..” not only on weibo but on international platforms. It’s always what they say. I wonder if they actually believe it and like how do you sleep at night with that poison in your head? It’s not like Yibo chose to not go to college cause he’s lazy. He had work to do. He had a career that will leave no time to focus on studying. He is clearly not stupid cause he got high marks while studying in Korea. It’s so ironic, especially those people in China who are saying this cause they know a college degree does not even guarantee them employment. Even a Tsinghua University graduate will end up as a tutor just to make ends meet. It’s the same thing all across the board — A College Diploma alone does not guarantee success. but of course people will just happily insult him and it’s fine, at the end of the day, Yibo is thriving and will continue to do so.

The next coming months, as BTF & One/Only gets released, expect more attacks. I hope we don’t get distracted and just let the positive be louder than the negative. 🙏🏼

To the people behind the scenes working to bring Yibo down, well, I hope they turn purple in anger cause this is only the start of his success.

#the way i avoided talking about it cause it makes me so mad and i know it’s a sore spot for yibo #and what makes me livid is i know he said so many good things in the roadshows but people only cared about this incident #wang yibo #personal

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meeblo · 5 months

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Any ops you think really need their story expanded or any you think had underwhelming story compared to what they could have been? Stuff like op recs, events or even module tidbits.

I should probably preface this by saying that I am chronically bad at remembering to read the operator records I have unlocked, I've read maybe two or three total. If there's anyone I say I want more story for where that story already does exist in their op rec, I just haven't read it yet.

Blaze has a ton of interesting potential with what main story episode 6 sets up for her, regarding her father, his relation to the Yan officials and Jiezhen in particular, and more. I would love to have her backstory expanded, but I feel like that plot thread is eternally shelved because it would require having the Yanese government as an antagonistic force and China would never allow that. I'm surprised Arknights gets away with their actions in episode 6 as is and they were largely just evaluating another city that doesn't directly feel their administrative influence.

Kafka, Robin, and Mountain I think are all excellent characters that definitely have the potential to take the focus of more events. Not that Mansfield Break left them underdeveloped, just that they definitely feel like there's a lot more that can be done with them. Show Kafka interacting with Silence and the rest of the Rhine Lab cast more, have Robin and Mountain continue the plot thread that leads to Mountain's Bloodline of Combat skin, etc.

Ch'en maybe doesn't belong on this list but I'm putting her anyway. Dossoles Holiday was hugely underwhelming for her character, and also devastating for public opinion on more Ch'en content. Ch'en hasn't dropped out of the story entirely, she does still appear in events like What the Firelight Casts or Where Vernal Winds will Never Blow, but I really hope she returns to major main story relevance in act 3 because there is so much potential with her and Talulah finally meeting again and being able to talk and be together as sisters after all these years. They have so much to work through.

Not an operator, but I would love more Closure. Whether it's more main story relevance or an event featuring her, I want her playable and I want her to get a ton more screen time.

Myrtle I think has a ton of potential for a really funny storyline going over the city she and Durin are from. Make her actually the official Generalissimo and show her as a respected leader of this Durin city, it would be hilarious.

The story will likely get there eventually but I need to know what happens to Kroos in Rim Billiton and if Beagle dies in the Great March of Bolivar. Kroos is great in Who is Real and Invitation to Wine, she could absolutely carry another event as the main point of view.

Mudrock has a ton of interesting story potential given act 2 of the main story's focus on the Sarkaz and Kazdel. She's an excellent character and I'd love to see her get some more screen time. I personally don't subscribe to the idea of Mandragora being alive but it would be very funny if she was so Mudrock could show up in the story and then skill issue her with more powerful and skilled rock/soil related arts. Big Bob has continually gotten story development through Integrated Strategies and through stuff like the storyline in the Angelina comic, but Mudrock has basically trailed off after she became playable in terms of having new content and it's a shame.

#arknights #ask

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three--rings · 1 year

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You Should Watch Moonlight Chicken

Welcome to my formal rec of this show, which has stolen my heart so completely over the last few weeks.

What is it?

Thai BL series from GMMTV which has just finished airing (as of March 2, 2023). The characters all revolve around a chicken rice diner called Moonlight Chicken. It's got eight episodes a little over an hour each.

Couples:

Jim and Wen:

The main characters and couple are Jim (left above) and Wen (right). They meet when Wen passes out drunk at Jim's restaurant one night and they end up talking and flirting and then going home for a "no strings attached" one night stand.

Afterwards Wen is determined to attach strings but Jim holds firm to his "no complications" rule. Wen starts working part time at the diner in a not-at-all-sneaky plot to win him over.

Heart and Li Ming:

The adorable teen couple of Jim's nephew Li Ming, who he is raising, and Heart, a boy who has been extremely isolated since becoming deaf three years ago. They quickly develop a friendship and learn to communicate and it's heartwarming and adorable right up until it deal with very real issues of ableism.

Other characters:

Alan

He's Wen's not-quite-or-maybe ex. It's complicated. The show might be just as much about Wen and Alan as Wen and Jim, but theirs is a breakup story.

Gaipa:

He's a young friend of Jim, with a massive crush on him. Unrequited love and his relationship with his amazing mom is his focus. Standout performance from the actor.

Saleng:

The token straight. I felt bad leaving him out, okay? He's a good boy.

Okay but what's it ABOUT?

Life. Love. Relationships. Growing up, healing, building community and family even in the face of adversity.

Could you elaborate?

Okay look, the way the plot of this show was sold was "One Night Stand leads to complications when one of them already has a boyfriend?!? Drama!" Which is downright misleading. I showed up for messy gay drama and got a profound piece of queer cinematic art about the struggles of modern life and love and relationships.

This is honestly not your typical BL series at all. It really does feel a lot more like serious drama, queer film, etc than what we are used to. (I'm not saying it's ALONE...just rare.) It feels like a director/creator coming into their own and really stretching their abilities.

The cinematography is gorgeous, creating a quiet and pensive mood throughout. The acting is remarkable, excellent across the board with some real stand-out performances from the "side" characters.

The plot flirts with melodrama/soap opera turns but it always comes down on the side of grounded, realistic takes. I'll just say there are some moments that really hit me because they reflect experiences I've had in my life so well.

This show is very Adult to me. And by that, I don't mean steamy or sexy. It's really not, despite the first episode. It's a very chaste show, all things considered. I mean Adult in terms of These are Problems Adults Have. Dealing with the ending of relationships, getting over past relationship trauma, dealing with grief and loss, figuring out what you want in life, having to be there for your ex because they need you and you still care, etc. Just life, sometimes messy and painful, but ultimately beautiful.

If you can't tell I could go on for a while. But honestly, even if you're not a BL watcher normally, I recommend you give this a try. It's a feel-good show that will make you cry.

Okay where do I watch it?

Good news! The show is available for free on YouTube in its entirety! Just look for the GMMTV official channel.

Content Warnings under the cut to avoid potential spoilers but they will remain vague

Having sex while under the influence of alcohol but fairly lucid, cheating as a topic, breakups, ableism and parental neglect as a result, death of a partner, death of a parent, motor vehicle accident aftermath, age gap relationship(s)

#moonlight chicken #threerings' recs #threerings watches moonlight chicken #threerings recs TV Shows #long post

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linesonscreens · 2 months

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Let's Read Peanuts (Yup, still at it) – May 1954

There are lots of great strips I just don't have room to comment on. I strongly encourage everybody to read the full month at the official GoComics page. Today's month starts HERE.

May 3, 1954

~tugs collar~

Yeah... About that.

May 9, 1954

Aw yeah, here we go! I was wondering when this would pop up.

May 15, 1954

1) That's not a joke

2) Yes, Violet. I got that from him kicking the radio.

Also I hope you enjoyed this strip because “Charlie Brown doesn't like coconut” is now a running gag.

May 16, 1954

This definitively proves that adults exist in the Peanuts Cinematic Universe, they just happen to be 20 feet tall for some reason. Or maybe the kids are like 2 feet tall? It depends on how you look at it I guess.

May 23, 1954

Oh man! What's going to happen!? I'm freaking out!

May 24, 1954

Lucy is so unbelievably awful to Linus in these early years. Granted, she's literally four(?) years old so I can cut her a bit of slack but god damn do these kind of interactions not endear you to her.

Weirdly enough though, I actually like that the strip doesn't punish her for doing stuff like this. Others have made this observation long before I came along but the fact that Schulz is willing to just sort of... let bad things happen without immediately having the universe make an example of the perpetrator or teach them a lesson is one of the things that sets Peanuts apart from the competition. Life just kind of be like that sometimes and it's OK to show it.

May 30, 1954

(No, really. That's the last one)

Thoughts:

The golf tournament arc is kind of notorious and nobody really knows what the hell is up with it. You have continuity in the Sunday strips (very unusual due to how they are made), weird off-model art, the cast acting out of character, and of course, on-screen adults. Then it all just kind of... stops. It's very odd.

I've heard people speculate that this might actually have been ghost drawn (is that a term?) by another artist but I'm not sure if I buy that. The art is a bit different but it still very much feels like Schulz to me, particularly in how he draws his backgrounds. I ~do~ think there might be something to the idea that this is a repurposed experiment from another project though.

What this feels like to me is Schulz experimenting with “bigger” stories, perhaps something intended to be sold as a proper comic book rather than just a collection of strips. The art looks different because he's trying to set it apart from the strips by adding more detail and action (kind of like when an animated TV sitcom gets a theatrical movie).

As for why it just ends like that? Well that's a sort of punchline Schulz does in a lot in his daily strips so it's not actually that weird if you think about it. I think he just didn't realize that this kind of anticlimax punchline works with a 4-panel strip but not a 4-page event comic.

There's no official word on the matter though so your guess is as good as mine.

#peanuts #comics #peanuts comics #comic strips #charles schulz #charlie brown #lets read #snoopy #Violet #Schroeder #Lucy #Linus #golf #golf tournament #Read the strip from May 20th. I didn't have room for it but I thought it was pretty funny.#If those were ghost drawn than the artist gets insane props from me for coming remarkably close to Schulz's style. Good job dude.#The Unpacking Peanuts podcast did a pretty good episode on the golf tournament. It's worth checking out.

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mariam246810 · 3 months

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How do you write dialogue for characters like Genshin and Klint that don't really have much dialogue to work with in game? You always seem to capture them so well. Is it just based off what little we have in canon plus headcanons of their personalities?

I ask because sometimes I doubt whether my Genshin in my stories "sounds like him" even though there's not much to work with anyway 😅

And don't even get me started on writing Klint,lol

Thank you im glad you think I capture them well💕

I was doubtful about my characterization at first of the two especially that as you said we don't have much to go with with these two.

But when I voiced my concerns to someone they told me an answer that stuck with me. There is no right or wrong characterization when it comes to characters that we barely know anything about . They're like an empty canvas (you can treat them like an OC) so really do what you see fit with them lol.

Im an artist, not a writer. Writing and giving characters personalities are not things im really good at- in both English and my mother language- but I love to make these little scenarios and dialogs in my comics and sketches for fun. I don't take them so seriously.

As for my process of writing dialogs and making their personality, it wasn't a linear process as I keep changing things and going back and forth between some steps and HC but roughly it can be summarised in the following:

1-taking the little snippets we know about the characters in canon: either from the obvious facts that are given to us like how Genshin's weakness was Kazuma, or from not very obvious facts like how genshin used a western sword to duel Klimt. This means that he was taught how to fight with the Western sword possibly during his stay in Britain (now who taught him is unknown but since I can think of no one besides the van Zieks as people who have a sword attached to their hip in the game I'm gonna assume it was Klimt)

2-looking at the official character art: usually ace attorney characters show so much personality through their character design and official art in general. You can know so much from their expressions and stance

3- basing some characteristics or HC on real life: either based on family members, and friends or even me sometimes if said person has some resemblance to that character

4-make up scenarios: so I don't know how writers usually come up with the bases for their stories but the way I usually do it is by making up scenarios in my head when im doing something that doesn't require my full attention like doing chores or working out. Literally, the majority of my comics are me daydreaming lol.

Of course, after I come up with a concept I write it down and start brainstorming for a dialog that fits the personalities I gave them from the previous steps and that's it!

Naturally, characters like genshin and Klimt are gonna differ in terms of personality from one person to another since very little is known about them so don't worry about the differences in characterization in the fandom too much. Differences are normal and what makes fandoms fun tbh, to see everyone's perspectives of the same character.

Thank you for asking me!💕

#dgs2 spoilers #dgs 2 spoilers #tgaa2 spoilers

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noa-ciharu · 6 months

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Hi!! I love your meta about X! I would like to ask your opinion, if you feel so inclined: Kamui is drawn in official artworks in a very seductive, sensual, erotic way. He is often more naked than Fuuma, clad in tight leather clothes and such. But Kamui in the actual story is not a sensual character: he seems to not have particular erotic desires. He loves Kotori, he loves Fuuma, he feels very close to Subaru, but he doesn't seem to live erotic longings. And in anyway, he does not try to seduce anyone (not even Fuuma). He is beautiful, but he does not wear seductive clothes or such.

So, why this difference? Why is Kamui in artwork so sensual and carnal?

My guesses is

1- Kamui is a temptation, more specifically Fuuma | other Kamui's temptation .

2- to win, Kamui has to connect with his earthy side, including his sex drive.

But I'm not sure. What do you think about this?

Thanks! I wish I had more time for writing metas but alas, irl work to be done + writing fics takes a lot of time.

About Kamui...well, most obvious answer would lay actually outside of narrative and in marketing strategies actually: fanservice.

Or perhaps not even that but simply the fact clamp loves to portray certain characters in more sexual light and Kamui happens to be one of them. But again, out of all male tbx characters he's the mostly sexualized one, especially in rather 'feminine' light, so to speak (as opposed to, Yuuto for example who has bold arts too, but is taking far more dominant masculine roles). Subaru is sometimes seen in bondage-like scenarios in offical arts, but again, it's nothing compared to seductiveness on Kamui's arts.

You're right about Kamui not being 'the temptress' in manga, I wouldn't say he's trying to provoke anyone. There's a matter of how he's drawn during his battles with Fuuma but again, I'm nor sure how much to brush that off on fanservice. Issue is that X is in hiatus, thus we can't know if there's additional reason for sexual undertones - aka if matter of sexual attraction (be it one sided or not) would be ever addressed.

In terms of 1) I have two options:

- Kamui was either sexually attracted to old Fuuma and cannot differentiate between him and doe!Fuuma thus doe!Fuuma is fulfilling his 'wishes'

- or old Fuuma had repressed sexual desires towards Kamui and doe!Fuuma is acting upon them with all inhibitions gone.

If we go by hypothesis doe!Fuuma was, initially, created as extension of Kamui, then both theories could withstand - old Fuuma and Kamui yearned for one another and doe!Fuuma is manifestation of that unfulfilled craving.

As for 2) I think it comes back to Kamui's subconsciousness and how he lacks awareness of what he truly wants. Bat wings are usually symbolism of darkness and 'flying in the dark', so to speak. Bats are creatures that use echolocation, they don't have sight thus rely on something innate - if we translate that onto Kamui it'd mean he'd have to get in touch with his subconsciousness and intuition, to simply get in touch with himself. It doesn't necessarily have to be in terms of sexuality, just whatever he needed to realize in last volume

Sexuality is often seen as something innate and earthly - primordial to human beings. Thence sexuality might not be necessary something Kamui needs to get in touch with, just serves as manifestation/example of unconcious wishes. At the end of the day, I really doubt last 2.5 vols of X would dwell deep on exploration of Kamui's sexuality, so my guess is that we'll always be in the dark what clamp truly meant there.

I mean, at one hand fanservice is answer laid on silver plate. But on other they could have drawn every male character in such provocative aspect but did not - thus I guess there were additional reasons why they viewed Kamui in such sensual manner

#thanks for ask #i hope this made some sense #x/1999 #kamui shirou

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petitelepus · 1 month

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Writing A Love Story, Part 2

MODERN!KYOGAI X FEM!READER

Summary: Kyogai learns that you are not only a teacher but a writer also, much like he used to be and you soon learned that. You want to read something he has written and despite feeling reluctant he lets you read something. He just didn't expect to care so much about what you thought about his work.

Warnings: None

A/N: Modern!AU, Female Reader, Teacher Reader, Teacher Kyogai, Sanemi Shinazugawa, Goto, Tengen Uzui

PART 1 - PART 2 - PART 3 - PART 4 - PART 5

You and Kyogai, the two of you had been friends now for about a week or two, and while you didn't hang out outside school, you were talking and on pretty good terms together. Whenever you were having a problem you couldn't solve alone or if you didn't understand something, he was the first person whose help you asked.

Kyogai kind of liked it, helping you and being needed by you. It made him feel like he was important to you… And why did he care so much about it?

But students absolutely adored you and no one had anything bad to say about you. Some even liked you a little too much sometimes… But you had really blended into Kimetsu Academy's life and the Academy accepted you happily.

All of you teachers were doing some paperwork, grading, and such while students had their club activities.

Kyogai was just about done when he heard you whine for some reason. He glanced at you over the mountain of books and noticed that you were stretching, arms high in the air and chest pushed out-!

He quickly returned his gaze to the computer screen in front of him before you could notice him staring. As soon as you had worked out the kink on your shoulder you returned back to your work at the computer, writing harder and faster than he had ever seen anyone else write.

The music teacher admired your dedication and he thought that he should aim to be as productive as you were, so he returned back to his work.

…Though it looked like no one other than you was as productive as you were being. The teachers were talking amongst each other, one way or another putting off their workload.

Finally, one teacher had enough and that was the math teacher Sanemi Shinazugawa. "Fuck, everyone, focus! We need to get everything done before the day ends or else!"

"Don't worry about it Sanemi!" Tengen the art teacher laughed, "There is still plenty of time before we have to return all the work."

"That's what you say now, but in the end, you end up rushing because you were taking too long!" The silver-haired teacher shouted as he pointed at you, "You all should take the example of the young Lady here! She may be new here, but she is doing her best with her work!"

"Oh, thank you Shinazugawa sir, but, I finished my work ages ago." You replied and every teacher turned to look at you in shock, "So fast!?"

"Ha ha, yeah, I was feeling like writing so I finished my work so I could use the rest of the time for my hobby!" You laughed in a good manner.

"Leave your hobbies back home!" Sanemi snapped but you weren't shaken by his shouting. No, you just smiled happier, "But Shinazugawa sir, writing takes passion and inspiration and those two can strike at any given moment!"

"You're…" Kyogai blinked as he registered your words, "You're a writer?"

"Hm?" You glanced at him and nodded, "Not an official one, but kinda? I don't get paid much and it's mostly my way of venting and expressing myself."

"Kyogai used to write." Goto, the English teacher quickly added to the conversation, much to his red-eyed colleague's horror.

"Goto!" The music teacher glanced at his fellow teacher, shocked that he was called out like that, but it was too late, you had heard about Kyogai's past as a shameful failure.

"You're a writer also?" You asked as you looked at your friend who avoided eye contact with you, "I used to be…"

"That's amazing!" You cheered happily, much to his surprise. He willed himself to look at you and to his shock, you were looking at him as if he was a famous movie star.

"What did you write, if I may ask?"

"Nothing worthwhile mentioning…" He averted his gaze as he got ready to be ridiculed by you, a successful writer…

But then he saw you got up from the corner of his eyes and next he felt your petite fingers wrap around his hand and he turned to look at you in shock, only to be confused by the twinkle in your eyes as you looked at him.

"Please Kyogai, may I read your work?" You asked and the music teacher was stunned. You were being genuine and not mocking him for failing as a writer. The man frowned a little as he averted his gaze, not standing to look at you in the eyes when you looked at him so adoringly.

"Alright… I'll bring it tomorrow." He finally gave in and your smile just grew as you nodded, "Thank you, I'm so excited to see what you have written!"

Kyogai nodded and you let go of his hand and returned to your seat and despite Sanemi's shouting, you continued writing. The music teacher turned back to his computer and sighed as he continued his work, nervous about how you would like this writing.

The next day came quicker than he anticipated and each step he took towards the teacher's office increased the butterflies in his stomach. Once by the entrance, his red eyes immediately went to your workspace in the room, but you weren't there yet. In fact, it looked like he was the first teacher there.

Kyogai sighed in small relief, but the nervousness in his stomach didn't go anywhere-!

"Good morning Kyoga!"

The music teacher nearly jumped out of his skin as he quickly turned and saw you walking down the long hallway. You were waving as you approached him and the man could feel his heart go out of control in his chest.

"Good morning young Lady," He greeted you as you stopped before him with a huge smile on your lips, "I'm so excited to read your work, I barely slept!"

Well, that was one way to make him even more nervous and self-conscious.

"Just a second, please," He said as the two of you entered the office and went to your own places across from each other. Kyogai grabbed his shoulder bag, pulled out his script, and offered it to you over the tables, "Here you go."

"It's on paper?" You asked as you accepted the bundle of papers and Kyogai felt insecure.

"I… I like doing things old-fashioned…" He looked aside, "Sorry for the inconvenience-"

"No no, this is fine!" You smiled at him, "I actually prefer books this way!"

"You… You do?" Kyogai asked and you nodded eagerly, "Yep! I own many books and comics myself because why not? Like, what would happen if one day I wouldn't be able to go online and read my favorite work?"

"You wouldn't… Be able to read them?"

"And that is why I own real books and not just eBooks! Besides, it's way nicer to own a physical copy of something you like."

"I…" He nodded, "I can relate to that."

You smiled as you nodded and looked at his script in your hands and opened the first page, "I'll start reading it right away!"

The music teacher nodded and he left you be, focusing on his teaching plan for the day. It didn't take long for other teachers to turn up to work and you happily greeted every teacher as they entered the room.

You reminded Kyogai a little of an excited puppy, always so happy and full of positive energy no matter what. Hopefully, your positivity extended to his work. He could still vividly remember how his friend had given him harsh criticism by calling his work dull and boring…

And just like that, he got nervous again about you reading his work.

The day went on just like any other school day, but every time Kyogai stole a glance at you he saw you reading his work, your pretty eyes glued to the words on the papers before you.

You weren't smiling, your face neutral and not revealing anything you might have felt as you read. It was more nerve-wracking than anything, not seeing you smile as you usually did.

And then the worst happened and his fears turned out to be true. He saw you yawn.

Just like his friend, you must have thought his work was boring… For the rest of the day, Kyogai was feeling down. He knew it was childish to get upset because of something as simple as another person's opinion, but he was only a human and for some reason, he really wanted your approval. Maybe because unlike him, you were actually a successful writer, or maybe because he liked you?

Wait, did he like you? But you had only known each other for a couple of weeks… But he had read about people falling quickly if they had plenty in common with each other.

No, he should ignore those feelings for now and prepare himself for your criticism. The day went on and he waited nervously… Until the school ended and you were still reading.

Kyogai sighed as he picked up his bag and turned to leave. "I'm heading home." He said and the teachers who were still there waved him off and he left quietly. The hallways were already empty as he walked, so when he heard his name being called it almost echoed.

"Kyogai!"

The music teacher flinched and turned around to see you running at him with his script in your hand. You stopped right in front of him and smiled, "I read your work!"

"Okay?" The man nodded as his gaze fell to the floor, "It was boring, wasn't it?"

"No, not at all!" You shook your head, "I liked it!"

"You don't need to lie to me." He said, "I'm an adult, I can take rejection."

"I'm not, I swear!" You sounded so distressed, so he raised his eyes and saw you frowning before you repeated yourself, "I'm not lying!"

Oh, how genuine and honest you sounded…! Could he have been wrong?

"But… I saw you yawning earlier…?"

"That's because I barely slept, silly!" You smiled as you looked at his script in your hands, "I really liked your work, Kyogai. I can tell you put your heart and soul into it and into every word and sentence there was."

Kyogai's eyes widened and he felt a sting as tears rose to them. You recognized his work and complimented it? No one had done that before and it filled the music teacher with such joy.

"H- hold on, are you crying!?" You gasped and then panicked, "I- I'm sorry, did I say something wrong? S- Should I get someone-?"

"Thank you…"

"Huh?"

"Thank you," Kyogai repeated as he raised his head and you flinched as you saw tears running down his face, but they were tears of joy, "Thank you for your kind words. I… I never received them so forgive me if I'm a little emotional."

"Oh…" You blinked and a blush rose to your cheeks as you looked away and the tall man used this as his chance to wipe his tears off to the sleeve of his shirt.

"I actually wanted to talk to you about something." You said and he looked at you, "What would it be?"

"You know I'm a writer and that writers are constantly looking for inspiration?" You asked and he nodded, understanding what you meant really well. You smiled as you tucked his script under your arm and gently grasped his hands in yours.

The man blushed slightly at the contact and you smiled as you looked straight into his red eyes, "Kyogai, would you do me the honor and let me use you as my muse?"

Kyogai blinked, confused as his brain slowly registered your words. You wanted him to be your source of inspiration and passion? Him of all people?

"R- Really-?" He stopped himself and corrected what he wanted to say, "Are you certain? I'm not that interesting or anything really-?"

"You're to me!" You declared with an excited smile on your pretty shiny lips, "You can say no, but I would love to write something with you in my mind!"

"Well… In that case…" He swallowed nervously as he nodded, "But please, when you're done, would you let me read what you have written?"

You nodded happily as you squeezed his hands gently, "I will! I would love to hear your opinion about my writing!"

"I'm looking forward to it." He smiled a little and you let go of his hands and picked his script so you wouldn't drop it.

"Well, it's time to head home. I'm gonna go back to the teacher's office to pick up my stuff. I guess we will see each other tomorrow?" You asked and he smiled a little as he nodded, "I'm looking forward to it."

And he really was.

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