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patronsaintofelsewhere · 8 months

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Thoughts on Angel Crowley & Healing from Trauma

(Minor Good Omens S2 Spoilers)

As someone who’s endured my own Trauma and dealt with the resulting PTSD, watching Crowley’s journey from a joyful, silly, and entirely innocent angel to a withdrawn, lonely, hyper-vigilant demon as a result of the Fall both shattered my heart and confronted me with the fact of myself, and I’d like to talk about it.

When you* experience Trauma, you experience an existential disorientation and a profound sense of grief over the world you thought you knew–one where you were safe and nothing bad had ever happened to you. “Innocence died screaming,” and all that.

You're also therefore mourning the loss of who you were, and struggling to make sense of who you are now. Which is why this conversation is so gut-wrenching:

“I know you.” “You do not know me.” “I knew the angel you were.” “The angel you knew is not me.”

This dialogue admittedly still makes my eyes swim. It’s reminiscent of the many conversations I’ve had with people close to me who knew me Before and After. Not only are you grieving the loss of your own innocence, so are those around you, and it feels like you’re wearing their loved one’s face like a mask.

And then underneath the grief, there’s a river of–what you’ll later discover is misplaced–guilt. They want you to be who you were. Fuck, you also want to be who you were -- to not have experienced what you did -- but you can’t.

And when they catch a glimpse of something that reminds them of Before-You -- because it's not like that you has just up and vanished, you've just changed -- they say things like, “I feel like I have you back!” Like the After-You is a consolation prize, something to be tolerated while they wait for the Before-You to return.

It’s not malicious. They love you. They want you to be happy. But it just serves as a reminder of your loss and suddenly you’re acutely aware of how alone you are with the Thing that hurt you.

After trauma, you’re lonely and you're afraid. But those emotions make you feel quite naked, because both of those things would require you to depend on other people to feel better and, at this point, the thought of doing that is far too scary, so to the world, you’re angry. Thus begins the cyclical self-fulfilling prophecy.

And that cycle goes a bit like this: People see the mistrust and the bitterness and the volatility (the shield that keeps people at an arm's length and helps you feel safe). They don't see the profound sustained fear underneath, the desperate need to feel seen and accepted. And so people pull away.

And that real or perceived abandonment feeds the monster that’s taken up permanent residence in your ribcage and screams at all hours that you’re not worthy of love, that you’re irreparably broken, and you’ll always be alone. And you pull away from the people that love you. And the cycle repeats. And you start to believe all of the bad things about yourself that the monster tells you.

Being confronted with a character who you adore and who you also relate to closely is bittersweet in that it’s both immensely painful, but also offers you an opportunity to interrupt that cycle, to explore a different -- perhaps more forgiving -- lens through which to view yourself. To practice self-compassion by proxy, if you will. After all, we tend to extend far greater empathy and forgiveness to others than we do to ourselves.

Angel Crowley, "who squeaked and squealed when he was happy; who flailed his arms around and made explosion noises with his mouth to explain nebulas; who preened when told his stars were pretty,” (joycrispy) reminded me a lot of “Angel T,” or rather myself before Trauma.

And Crowley's story is tragic. I was heartbroken and angry for him; I felt the depth of the betrayal he experienced at the hands of someone he loved who he'd believed loved him; I found myself wanting to protect him, to comfort him. Crowley did not deserve what happened to him.

And, over a decade later, I realized that I’d finally accepted that I’d been an innocent, just like Crowley had, and I didn't deserve what happened to me, either.

And -- if you find yourself relating to this post -- neither did you.

Once we can tell ourselves that and actually believe it, we can start to lower the shield. We can allow people closer, including ourselves. We can bring the parts of ourselves we may have hidden away back to the surface. We can soften again. We can truly start to heal.

Crowley, at his core, remains the same. He is still kind, deeply loving, playful, silly, and – against all odds – hopeful. But his trauma has changed him; his innocence is gone.

He struggles to trust others; fears abandonment; engages in unhealthy coping mechanisms; finds it easier to prioritize and tend to Aziraphale's needs and desires than his own; and has difficulty expressing his emotions.

But he also gained an abundance of empathy, a deep love for humanity, and a strong sense of justice.

We adore Crowley exactly as he is now; we don't wish for him to be who he was before the Fall. And neither does Aziraphale.

In kind, we won’t be who we were — nor should we try to be — but we can be something new, a different version of ourselves that is equally good, equally worthy, and equally deserving of love.

After over a decade, I think my Trauma wound has mostly healed, as much as Trauma wounds can, anyway; it’s a dull ache rather than an acute pain. Yet Crowley's story assuaged that remaining hurt like a salve I hadn’t realized I needed.

So thank you to @neil-gaiman for giving us such a beautiful story, and to David Tennant, Michael Sheen, and the rest of the cast and crew who bring the characters we love to life on screen.

Good Omens truly is a gift. May it continue to inspire us to offer kindness and love to ourselves and one another. 🖤

* I am aware that I say “you” when I should use the singular first-person “I,” but I still struggle with this when talking about my own trauma. So I’m using “you” and you, reader, will deal with it x

#good omens #good omens season two #good omens 2 spoilers #aziraphale x crowley #anthony j crowley #angel crowley #anthony crowley #crowley #crowley good omens #good omens crowley #crowley trauma #gos2spoilers #go s2 #go season 2 #good omens 2 #aziracrow #david tennant #good omens character analysis

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grunckle · 2 months

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Qualia and Ascension in Rain World

(To clarify I'm mostly talking about base-game lore and not including Downpour, but honestly most of these things can transfer over)

Qualia

One thing that’s relatively hidden in Rain World’s text and subtext is the concept of qualia. Qualia is described as being, “sensory experiences that have distinctive subjective qualities but lack any meaning or external reference to the objects or events that cause them.” It’s a personal sensory experience that cannot be comprehended by another person other than the individual themself, and are often hard to convey via language.

Qualia is a reoccurring motif in Rain World, but what’s more important is the way in which it’s conveyed to the player. The picture that’s painted is that of a world or civilization that placed a great importance on the individuals’ experience, and it’s shown through pearls or environmental details.

Here are some examples of qualia appearing in the text through pearls.

“It's qualia, or a moment - a very short one. Someone is holding a black stone, and twisting it slightly as they drag their finger across the rough surface. The entire sequence is shorter than a heartbeat, but the resolution is extraordinary.”

“A memory... but not really visual, or even concrete, in its character. It reminds of the feeling of a warm wind, but not the physical feeling but the... inner feeling. I don't think it has much utility unless you are doing some very fringe Regeneraist research.”

“This one... is authored by Five Pebbles, when he was young. There has been an attempt to scramble the data, but it's sloppily done, and most is still somewhat legible. It's written in internal language, or thoughts, so it is hard for me to translate so you would understand.”

But the most prominent examples of qualia and it’s importance in this world are the Memory Crypts and possibly ancient naming conventions. The deep purple pearl (shortened) found in Shaded Citadel states,

“In this vessel is the living memories of Seventeen Axes, Fifteen Spoked Wheel, of the House of Braids (…) Seventeen Axes, Fifteen Spoked Wheel nobly decided to ascend in the beginning of 1514.008, after graciously donating all (ALL!) earthly possessions to the local Iterator project (Unparalleled Innocence), and left these memories to be cherished by the carnal plane. The assorted memories and qualia include:”

Ancients likely mutated their own neural tissue into the cabinet beasts we see in Shaded, which were used to store their memories and qualia before ascension. Even james said once "how 5 pebs got the rot is a good hint here" in response to someone asking how cabinet beasts work, and how they're made.

Adding on to this, ancient (and iterator) naming conventions seem to be built off of the concept of qualia, with them focusing on individual images or experiences.

Nineteen Spades, Endless Reflections

Droplets upon Five Large Droplets

Two Sprouts, Twelve Brackets

Looks to the Moon

Generally, this all points to a world focused on the expression and preservation of the individual experience. You could even consider some of the echo dialogue as more evidence for this running motif, but I already have too many quotes lol.

Ascension

So now time to talk about my interpretation of ascension. In short, you turn into a worm, but I should probably explain more than that.

So its been surfacing on rw-tumblr that the light in the end of the game is called the egg in files. Although file names shouldn't be taken as fact or canon, it is pretty obvious given the birth imagery.

But something a little lesser known is what happens to the worm that takes us down to the void-sea depths. Void worms normally have a bright glowing effect, on their body, which is present for ours as well. But after it unhooks us, it swims down, and when it passes us on it's way back that glowing effect is gone.

To be honest, I don't really think this can be interpreted in many ways, but the most obvious one and the one I personally subscribe to is that the worm laid the egg. Biology and spirituality really aren't that different in Rain World, it's implied that karma is stored in the brain through Five Pebbles's slideshow. Adding on to that, we see voidspawn after eating an iterator neuron. One's spiritual state is innately tied to their mental state, and that dictates what and what they can't perceive.

And for that reason I decide to take a more biology leaning approach to what happens in the ending. At face value, we are fertilizing the egg of a void worm to be reborn into a voidspawn.

Not only do void spawn and void worms have multiple characteristics in common, (worm like bodies, tendrils/tentacles, glowing heads, void spawn look microbial and void worms are likely some of the oldest "life" in game)

but voidspawn are seen inside egg-like coverings and share the same egg light seen in the end of the game, confirmed to be the same thing by Videocult in a livestream they did.

I believe that all this points to ascension being re-birth into a voidspawn, which eventually undergoes metamorphose into a worm. Higher-dimensional beings, who manifest and give birth to a new world.

So how does this tie in with qualia? Another thing you might know is that the area in which void spawn are most plentiful is Shaded Citadel and areas in Shoreline near Shaded. And shaded is absolutely packed with Cabinet Beasts, even outside Memory Crypts. I believe these qualia-storing creatures are what manifest voidspawn.

From what we see in ascension, it still looks physical and largely based around the real world. Hunter still has his scars and see's an iterator, survivor sees the slug tree in a more mystical and formless state, and monk sees survivor frankly just looking like a normal slugcat. I think that ascension is a product of qualia. We transcend our earthly knowledge via the egg, and our own qualia is used to give birth to a new world. This is why voidspawn appear most in Shaded Citadel.

Now I won't be getting into Void-Worm theories too much here, I'm mostly focused on ascension but I can't ignore the Gnosticism parallels. For those who don't know, Void Worms heavily resemble the Yaldaboath from Gnosticism, along with sharing some similar celestial motifs.

and running with that some people theorize that, like the Yaldabaoth, void worms are responsible for manifesting the material world. Ascension seems to be a mix of the concepts of Gnosis and Nirvana, but I believe it might lean more on Gnosis.

From my limited knowledge, Gnosis is a few things, some of which being a state achieved from experiences or intuitions, and an essential part to salvation is personal knowledge. While researching a bit, I came across this text by Peter Wilberg called "From NEW AGE to NEW GNOSIS" which brings up some comparisons between Gnosticism and qualia as well.

"Gnosis is subjective knowledge of an inner universe made up not of matter, energy, space or time but of countless qualitative spheres or ‘planes’ of awareness – a knowledge obtained directly through inter- subjective resonance. It is the subjective science of this inner universe."

One thing though that has been brought up when discussing this is how this can be consolidated with the tone of the ending. It is pretty un-ambiguously happy, but if we're going with the Void worm Yaldaboath theory then that would put a bit of a sour twist on it right?

I agreed with these for some time, but now I actually think it ties in perfectly with Rain World's core themes as stated by the devs, "overcoming differences and finding empathy." I don't think the void worms are "evil" or malevolent, but I think they (and subsequently us after ascending) play a key role in demonstrating this theme.

By manifesting the physical world, we allow these souls to experience life and develop their own qualia so one day they can ascend themselves. We are shown compassion, and pass it forward.

#rain world #rain world lore #lore #rain world spoilers #gnosticism #gnosis

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writerthreads · 1 year

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How to write a found family

By Writerthreads on Instagram

The found family story is a type of YA trope where individuals from different backgrounds come together to form a family, possibly to make up for their lack of true family. When it’s done well, found families can be so wholesome and heartwarming, and I simply adore this trope. Here's a guide to help you write a compelling found family in your WIP:

Create a diverse group of characters

The key to writing a successful found family story is to have a diverse cast of characters with different backgrounds, cultures, and experiences. This diversity will make the story richer and allow you to explore different perspectives and themes from different points of views. It also allows for a wide range of readers to find a character that they can relate to.

Establish a common goal

In a found family story, the characters come together to achieve a common goal. This goal can be anything from surviving an apocalypse to starting a business together. It is essential to establish this goal early on in the story, as it will help to create a sense of unity among the characters.

Themes

Using themes can add depth to a found family story by providing a framework for exploring the emotional and psychological growth of the characters. Here are a few examples:

Belonging: The idea that characters finally have a place where they fit in, and the struggles that come with feeling like an outsider previously.

Identity: The idea of self-discovery when a character finally becomes part of a family and has the time and people to communicate with to understand themselves.

Acceptance: Characters accepting themselves and others for who they are, overcoming previous prejudices.

Family: What makes a family, and the classic tropes associated with families and variations of them. Eg. the "mum" of the group who also doubles as the "wild child" at times.

Explore each character's backstory

A found family story is all about the characters' individual journeys and how they come together, and this can be done by giving each character a backstory that explains their motivations and desires. This can justify bad choices that characters may make or simply allow the readers to relate to them more. You can also use flashback scenes or dialogue to reveal important details about each character's past, however, I think flashbacks can be used more sparingly and only if they serve a purpose.

Create conflicts and obstacles

Like any good story, a found family story needs conflict to keep readers engaged. You can create conflicts within the group or create some external obstacles that the group must overcome. These conflicts challenge the characters and force them to grow and change through adverse situations. It’s especially interesting to see how characters with conflicting personalities or life views have friction with each other.

These are some of the tips I could think of for creating a found family in your story. As always our tips are just guides to help you with your book and definitely not a set of rules to follow. Good luck and have fun! :)

#writing #creative writing #writing inspiration #writing tip #writing tips #writing advice #teen writer #writers on tumblr #writeblr #writers block #found family

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creaman · 1 month

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—BECAUSE KUNG FU PANDA 4 KILLED MY GRANDMA, OKAY?

To preface, I watched this movie and I'm genuinely tweaking right now so I had to write down a very brief (lie) criticism on this film — which you should boycott, by the way.

Starting with the things I liked, before briefing my primary points of criticism:

Po's Character Regression

Po and Zhen's Dynamic

The Chameleon

I'd also yap about Lord Shen and the death of the art style and the entire narrative and pacing and use of the staff of wisdom but my therapist says being such a hater is 'unhealthy' or something. My heart is full of hatred.

SPOILERS for the entirety KFP4 for the 2 people who care.

KFP4 undermines and ignores the previous three movies — Unwriting character developments, outright removing the Furious Five, straying from the character design philosophies and is completely inconsistent with the established lore.

Things I Liked About Kung Fu Panda 4

The Chameleon's character design

Visual gag in the Tavern where Po uses a recently thrown axe as a hat rack (made me laugh)

When Mr. Ping did this:

so cute! the little heart!

Po — Character Writing

Po, as established in the previous movies, is confident in his abilities and identity — he’s learnt inner peace, he’s matured as a character. However, in KFP4, his character has completely regressed. He’s immature again (such as KFP1, possibly worse) and says verbatim, “only knows kicking butt and taking names” — UNLEARNING inner peace and insisting that “…being the Dragon Warrior is all I know.”

It’s childish, and sort of Hotel Transylvania-esque.

Which isn’t helped by the comedy, the dialogue — a large chunk of which are jokes in the style of:

Master Shifu says something philosophical

Po quips off of it / doesn’t get it (i.e. Whoa!! beat I don’t know what that means.)

Oh, it’s great, yeah, very tolerable. Po’s shenanigans are normally reeled in by the presence of the Furious Five who are generally more serious in nature, creating a much needed balance in the dynamic — So without them, it’s just Po becoming increasingly obnoxious and insufferable with every consecutive quip throughout the screenplay.

Po and Zhen — Character Dynamics

[No more graphics sorry I'm too angry]

As if it wasn’t obvious that Zhen was going to be the next Dragon Warrior the second she was introduced.

Zhen, as a character, has no depth besides being a quippy thief. She quips, she steals. This character has no motives — it can be assumed that the writers intended on a ‘change of heart’ thing, but she isn’t established as evil, her working for the Chameleon is written as a (albeit poor) twist reveal.

By which point, her taking either side wouldn’t make sense, given that she has shown no loyalty or attachment to either Po nor the Chameleon.

The movie artificially strengthens their bond by having Zhen start opening up about her backstory out of nowhere for no reason but they have done nothing to grow closer to each other.

Small tangent, her backstory is exactly what you’d expect it to be with no subversions or even emotional weight. Woe is me I was so small and hungry I had to steal to survive. Glossed over in about a minute.

The majority of the dialogue between Zhen and Po is spoken exposition — explaining how powerful and badass the Chameleon is, explaining how ‘we have to go here to do that’ and ‘this place was cool until the Chameleon did such and such’, and the rest of their time together is spent engaging in filler chase sequences and fight scenes.

The Chameleon

Where do I even start…

This is where it becomes apparent that the movie relies heavily on telling rather than showing —

She is the weakest villain by far, not only in universe but as a written character; which is particularly disheartening because I genuinely adore her character design and feel as though a shapeshifting character has great potential.

The movie artificially inflates her power by insisting through exposition that this is the most capable antagonist thus far (lie).

The audience is TOLD by Zhen and various restaurant patrons that the Chameleon is a powerful shapeshifting sorceress and that she 'dominates the city' whilst the film does nothing to showcase this.

'Dominating the city' meaning letting her henchpeople run amock and bully the civilians just like Lord Shen's wolves in KFP2... uninspired.

I just realised they didn't even give her a NAME what the FUCK is going on

She describes HERSELF as ruthless, clever and unsentimental when comparing Zhen to herself.

She says HERSELF that she’s “Stronger than every opponent you’ve ever faced.”

Let’s see what vile reprehensible things she’s done, shall we?

Gently push someone down some stairs

Her first appearance is through Zhen’s exposition, as opposed to the dramatic and memorable entrances of the previous villains. Her motives or character aren’t established until the final third of the film. She doesn’t even FIGHT anybody until the final third of the film; and even then, her fight sequences are uninspired and she never really poses a real threat. (She goes down in two hits.)

That being said, WE CAN STILL SAVE HER GUYS WE CAN STILL GET HER OUTTA THERE I'M COMING FOR YOU CHAMELEON I'M GONNA DRAFT YOU A PROPER BACKSTORY AND MOTIVE AND YOU'RE GONNA BE THE MOST THREATENING VILLAIN THUS FAR

There's a scene after the climax of the film where all the kung fu masters and previous villains from the spirit realm bow to Po. I'm not going to provide my thoughts on this because I fear I may burst a blood vessel. Good day!

Closing Statements

To put it simply, Kung Fu Panda 4 was my Megamind 2.

The film rejects its predecessors in every way. It really feels as though they brought in somebody with no prior knowledge of the franchise to direct the movie.

It's a film that relies heavily on telling rather than showing — banking on the previous three movies to carry it through the box office.

It's just really disheartening to see studio execs turn one of the best franchises into a safe sequel cash grab and regress every character's development.

Nevertheless. I do adore the chameleon's character design so I might do my own take on her character.

As far as I'm concerned, there is no fairy godmother, there is no tooth fairy, and there is no kung fu panda 4.

#creaman talks to drywall #kung fu panda 4 #spoilers #I'm actually tweaking #sorry I stopped drawing the graphics because the film crushed my soul #you drive me to drink kung fu panda 4 #when the rantsona crosses their arms #hating on main #kfp #discussion #criticism #kfp4 #technically a vent post #i've lost it #the chameleon #zhen #po

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saraswritingtipps · 10 months

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How to describe emotions? Please help.

1. Show, don't tell: Instead of simply stating the emotion, use vivid descriptions and sensory details to create a sensory experience for the reader. Show how the emotion affects the character's body language, facial expressions, and actions.

Example (Anger): His fists clenched tightly, his face turning an alarming shade of red. He balled up his trembling hands, nails digging into his palms, as his voice exploded in a torrent of seething words.

/////

2. Use metaphors and similes: Comparing emotions to relatable experiences or objects can make them more tangible and relatable. Metaphors and similes add depth and richness to your descriptions.

Example (Joy): Her laughter bubbled up like a symphony of tinkling bells, filling the room with its infectious melody. Her eyes sparkled like the stars on a clear, moonlit night.

/////

3. Incorporate body sensations: Emotions are not just felt emotionally but also physically. Include physical sensations that accompany the emotion to make it more tangible and immersive for the reader.

/////

Example (Fear): A chill crawled up her spine, prickling her skin with goosebumps. Her heart pounded like a drum, reverberating through her chest, while a knot tightened in the pit of her stomach.

/////

4. Consider the character's thoughts and internal dialogue: Describing the character's thoughts and internal dialogue can provide insight into their emotional state, allowing readers to connect with the character on a deeper level.

Example (Sadness): As tears welled up in her eyes, she fought to hold back a sob. Why did everything feel so heavy? Each breath weighed on her chest, as if she carried the weight of the world within her.

/////

5. Show the impact on the character's environment: Emotions can influence the way we perceive the world around us. Describe how the emotional state affects the character's surroundings, whether it's through changes in the atmosphere, colors, or overall mood.

/////

Example (Excitement): The air crackled with electric anticipation. Vibrant hues danced before his eyes, as if the world had suddenly transformed into a kaleidoscope of possibilities. It felt like every corner of the room was infused with a contagious buzz.

if you have further questions or would like to have it explained more explicitly write to me on my IG: Saraswritingtipps, I answer much faster

#writing #writing tips #writer on tumblr #writerscommunity #character development #writer tumblr #writblr #writing advice #oc character #writing help

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sendothetaurus · 10 days

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How to write good dialogue

Almost every story needs dialogue - obvious right? Well, this post is about the not-so-obvious sides of conversations. I've struggled a LOT with snappy and realistic speech, so I've made it my mission to collect some handy directives. Here is what I found:

Contents

Information Dumps

Setup And Payoff

Characterization Through Dialogue

Three Simple Questions

Four-Sides Model

Depth

About Answers

Sources And Credits

⮮ Let's go! (^▽^) ⮯

Information Dumps

Everybody knows them, everybody hates reading them. But how do we avoid them? Something really clicked for me when I understood context. If your character talks about something that happened in the past, they don't need to explain what happened. They were there. Here's an example:

"It would be nice if we at least got a B for that paper. Since I will go to college next year, I feel that this is important to me."

The speaker and the listener should be aware of the exposition (regarding their last year at high school). During dialogue, these conditions go without saying.

Setup And Payoff

Instead of dumping everything at once, let the reader guess what's happening. This is done by mentioning something that is not answered right away. Also dropping hints can increase tension.

Scene 1 "Why do you always carry that with you?" she asked and pointed at the box cutter. Her friend eyed her with suspicion. "For cutting." "Yeah, but why?" "Might come in handy sometime." Scene 2 An ice cold shiver ran down her spine as her fingers felt around the bag, searching for the familiar shape. There was nothing. The other tossed the thing onto the floor between them. "Care to elaborate?" She couldn't have known. "How could you!"

Someone definitely has a secret here that they don't want uncovered. It makes the reader speculate: Does she carry the knife to defend herself or does she plan on hurting someone with it?

Characterization Through Dialogue

The general rule of thumb is: Show not tell. If a character is shy, self-absorbed or chaotic, make them act like it. Also, readers take part in the characterization of your protagonists. Make them guess why a character acts a certain way.

"C- can I have your pen?" She twirled her thumbs and looked at the ground. "What the hell, no!" Disgusted, he brushed off his hands on the front of his jeans. "I'mma better disinfect that."

Notice how the girl is stuttering and the boy has a loose tongue. Mannerisms help identifying traits in a character. Everyone has a distinct way to speak (e.g. relaxed, polite, malignly) which makes it easier to tell them apart. Sometimes there is a difference between speech and behavior. This can be quite useful to highlight conflict inside a character.

Three Simple Questions

Who wants what from who?

Why now?

What happens if they don't get it?

These questions ensure plot consistency. For question 3 the only other outcome is conflict. Conversations thrive off of conflict and it is of benefit to have a supplicant and potential provider for a solution. It's basically intention versus obstacle.

1. She wants to be his wife. He doesn't want a marriage. 2. She is pregnant. 3. She needs to provide for a baby all on her own.

Tadaa, a conflict ensues.

Four-Sides Model

The four-sides model is a theory on communication. It assumes that a message has four distinct ways of being conveyed:

Facts -> data, facts, truth and relevance

Self-Disclosure -> explicit and implicit information about the own mindset; likes, dislikes, opinions

Relationship -> information about whether the person is liked or detested; approval and disapproval; "I assume you have [this] opinion of me"; body language

Want -> a direct attempt to influence the behavior of another person; advice, desire or instruction

Since this is highly technical stuff, I'll provide you with an example:

Customer: "I always drink my coffee black." 1. Fact: The coffee I drink is black. 2. Self-Disclosure: I like black coffee. 3. Relationship (POV of the waiter): Did I do something wrong? OR It's their fault! They ordered the wrong thing! 4. Want: Bring me black coffee.

Controlling the message through sender and receiver gives a new level of influence to an author. The relationship-level is the bottleneck in a conversation that holds the most potential for misunderstandings. I'm trying to be aware of it when I write subtext (see below).

Depth

On the nose dialogue is what we want to avoid at all costs. For this reason subtext is created in stories. Read this:

Scene 1 A: "I like you." B: "Nah, I don't like you back. You're so annoying." A: "Ouch, that hurts. I'm not sure if I heard that right." B: "We were never friends. Go away."

This is not how conversations work. Thankfully, dialogue like this is not entirely useless. It conveys what the characters really want to say. The challenge is to think of a way to not say the thing but keep a similar meaning.

The true meaning behind the dialogue is called subtext (scene 1). If I don't know how to continue after a certain line, I write down the subtext first before I decide on how to paraphrase it.

Finally, I add a fitting description of expression and body language if needed. I try to keep it short and simple.

Check this out:

Scene 2 She tucked her hair behind her ear. "I need a ride home later. Are you free?" -> I like you. "Sorry, all seats' re taken," he said without looking at her. -> Nah, I don't like you back. You're so annoying. "Uhm, okay. But I'm small. You could fit me in the footwell, honestly." -> Ouch, that hurts. I'm not sure if I heard that right. He leaned forward as if he had the urge to stand. "Ha, funny. But no, I'm not planning on doing something illegal tonight." -> We were never friends. Go away.

A character's action depends on their own intention and the other's response. I feel it is easier to keep track of what's happening behind the curtains when it's written alongside the dialogue.

Simultaneously, you can keep habits and traits in check. Does the the character apply all criticism to themselves? Are they disregarding or constantly marginalizing others? Do they worry only for themselves or solely for others? Subtext truly is the most powerful tool in conversation-writing.

About Answers

Did you know that you don't have to answer every single question? In fact, there are two other ways to show an emotion without telling it.

The first one is called sidestepping. The character ignores the posed question and carries on with an entirely different topic.

A: "Do you still love me?" B: "We should get going."

It's very obvious, right? By sidestepping the question, we can assume that the character is uncomfortable or angry with the other person.

The other way to answer is actually a bit paradoxical. Through silence, a great variety of emotions can be displayed. It is recommended to refrain from actually describing silence with words like "he remained silent", "he refused to say anything", "he never responded".

- The laptop hummed. - The birds chirped in the trees. - She felt her legs going numb from sitting in an uncomfortable position. - His eyes wandered around, searching the parking lot for a familiar face.

It feels more natural to explain the things that grab our attention when we sit in silence.

This is it, folks. That's all I could find on the topic - for now. If there's anything missing, I'd love to hear it.

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ Anyway, thanks for reading, I hope this helped ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

My sources are this and this video as well as this article.

Also a big thank you to @zoropookie for helping me with the colors ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡

#writing dialogue #writing tips #writing #writing advice

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queenshelby · 2 months

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The Director (Part Three)

Pairing: Cillian Murphy x Reader

Warning: Infidelity

Later that day, you were set up on set two for your first scene with Cillian who paced around nervously, re-reading his lines again and again as he waited for the takes and positioning to be ready.

You stood there, offering him a smile, but sensing his inner turmoil, you quietly retreated to the background, allowing him to take a few deep breaths in order to calm hisonedown nerves.

There was a talent in acting that never ceased to amaze you and even, back when you met him, your husband James had a passion for it of some sort. This kind of passion however had since been lost for him but, for Cillian, it was something that you could still sense radiating off his every movement.

You had watched some of Chris's earlier takes on set one and saw the freckled actor immerse himself into every scene, adding a level of depth and emotion that was far beyond what you had experienced in most movies.

Maybe it was his background in theatre that gave him his signature accuracy in his expressions and dialogues that left you in awe, or maybe it was because of the potent charisma that he exuded right now. Either way, you couldn't help but admire how engrossed he became within this character.

"Are we ready, Cillian?" you asked him eventually, bringing him back to reality.

"Yes, yes. I am ready," Cillian replied softly, his gaze fixed on you with a rare warmth before you explained to him how Chris wanted this scene to play out.

Striding over to set two, you observed Chris and the cameramen get into position, adjusting the lighting, and reviewing the scene's blocking. Cillian took a moment to collect himself and then nodded.

"Alright," he whispered, all nerves dissipating as he took his position and transformed into the character of Oppenheimer.

Chris gave you a thumbs up and with a nod, you called out action.

The set was electric with this magnetic energy, a charge that composed the heartbeat of every photograph, every scene.

The dialogue was like a tightly woven dance as, together, Cillian and the other actor swayed to the rhythm.

The sequence of words and movements in this seductive choreography was fascinating, each action and reaction ripe with meaning and intent.

Cillian's piercing blue eyes, ardently focused on his scene partner, sparkled like stars as they artfully exchanged dialogue.

You stared in awe, observing Cillian's methodic and confident stance, incredible presence, and the emotions he poured into the scene. The raw intensity and precision conveyed through this performance left you feeling stunned, you thoroughly understood why Chris had chosen him for this role.

"Cut," you

finally called out, your voice barely audible after the intimate scene.

Cillian blinked, snapping out of the trance, offering you an endearing smile which allowed a breath of relief to pass through your lips.

"Overall, excellent," you instructed him with a nod of approval, enthusiastically clapping your hands as you watched Cillian's body language relax considerably.

"But I think we should take the scene again and move the camera to the other side this time," you said while discussing a particular issue with the lightening with Chris.

"I agree Y/N," Chris said, looking at the pictures through the screen and the stills from the other camera. "Cillian, do you think you can pull this off again?"

Chris said, addressing him confidently. Cillian, with his ever-present Irish charm, flashed a smile.

"Sure," he answered, his eyes sparkling with ambition and the following takes confirmed what you had expected - this man was nothing short of mesmerizing. With every one of five takes, he effortlessly surpassed all expectations and, in the process, unwittingly awakened a strange feeling within you.

"You zoomed in on the last one. Why?" Chris asked as he looked through your work while Cillian was waiting patiently to be dismissed for his next scene. "Why did you choose this angle?" Chris asked curiously while Cillian looked at Chris, and then over at you, awaiting your explanation.

You took a deep breath, collecting your thoughts before speaking, "Well, I think we need to bring more depth to this scene. From this angle, we can see the nuances of Cillian's expressions more clearly. His blue eyes, in particular, convey a multitude of emotions in this scene, from intense concentration to a subtle vulnerability, which will draw the audience in and make them feel as though they are a part of it. It will be a powerful moment, I promise you," you confidently told Chris, who nodded in agreement.

"Good pickup Y/N," Chris said beaming at you, pride beaming in his eyes as he appreciated your input in this particular scene.

"My pleasure," you replied, momentarily sidetracked from the lingering heat that still radiated from Cillian's last scene before he was moving on to the next scene.

Cillian gave you a knowing smile, before nodding his goodbyes and striding off towards set three.

From that moment on, it was in itself a thrill to observe his meticulous artistry, as he spun stories of duplicity, desire and a passionate yearning for truth with just whispered words and heartbreakingly moving gestures.

It couldn't be denied that he was one of the most magnetic actors you had ever met, and you couldn't help but be captivated by his presence.

Even Emily Blunt, whom you have known for many years and who has been a close friend of yours since about 2018, noted your intrigue after as little as two days on set as she whispered in your ear, "You have it bad for our Irishman, don't you?" she giggled, nudging you gently with a familiar playfulness that took you aback.

You blushed, heat rising in your cheeks as you candorockily laughed shortly thereafter. "Oh stop it, Em! I do not," you muttered, feebly as you nudged her back "Despite, I am married and so is he I believe," you told her while the truth was that Cillian stirred up something inside of you that you hadn't experienced in years.

"So what? Looking doesn't do any harm," Emily teased, an impish smirk playing on her lips as she unapologetically stated the obvious. "I still look around and my husband doesn't mind, but then again, your husband is an idiot, so who knows what he would do if he found you gushing over someone else," she added, rolling her eyes.

"James is not that bad," you lied, knowing very well that Emily was speaking the truth. Your husband was abusive and arrogant, and at least the latter was publicly known within the industry.

Doors had been closed to James due to his behavior, yet he still believed that his privileged status afforded him preferential treatment.

It was no wonder that you felt trapped in your marriage; his sense of entitlement made it impossible for him to accept the concept of separate lives.

Through it all, you struggled to maintain a healthy homelife balance for your precious children and he had threatened you many times that, if you were to leave him, he would ensure that neither you nor your father's clients would get any more work through his father at Universal.

You may have told Emily about this at some point during a late night heart to heart but you didn't want anyone to know about the toxic dynamic between the both of you. Not so that they would gossip about you, but so that you wouldn't be confronted with pity.

The thought brought you back to the present as you sighed at Emily's words. "Okay, you are right. He is an idiot sometimes," you admitted, smiling wistfully as she patted you on the shoulder.

"James is bad for you, Y/N," she said with a knowing frown. "You should leave him," she added, but you merely shook your head, unwilling to acknowledge the suffocating reality of your own marriage.

"Let's not talk about him anymore," you suggested, changing the subject in an attempt to steer clear from the toxic, lingering shadow of your husband. "I need to focus on work," you told her and she nodded.

"Alright then," Emily said, giving you a supportive squeeze just as Cillian walked by, greeting you both.

"Hey," he said with an easy smile, his eyes twinkling with unspoken warmth that sent shivers down your spine.

"Oh, hey Cillian," Emily replied with a low, flirtatious whistle just to tease you both as you were preparing for the next scene in which Robert Oppenheimer meets his wife Kitty, portrayed by no other than Emily herself.

"You are early," she then observed while you stood there, blushing slightly and, just as you glanced up at Cillian, he flashed you another smile.

"I finished my other scene early," he told you both in a low voice. "So, I figured I would come here to see whether the next scene is ready to go," he then said honestly, looking at you and a pause lingered between you as you exchanged a lingering glance.

"Give me five minutes. I am waiting for Chris to approve the setup, but here is what I think the scene should look like," you replied, summoning up a mental picture of the scene with Emily and Cillian. You began to give him a rough idea, accessorized with hand gestures while Cillian listened with genuine interest.

In this moment, you felt your creative passion surge. There was nothing quite like generating captivating scenes and characters and seeing them come to life.

As you explained the dynamics, vivid images inched their way to reality, the scene unfurl as if drawn by an unseen scriptwriter.

"When you explain to Kitty how quantum mechanics work, I want you to place your hand on hers after lifting it up from where she is resting it, using just two of your fingers gently. Just like this," you started to explain while guiding his hand upwards and intertwining your fingers with his to show him how you wanted the scene to look.

"And I want you to use those eyes to look right into hers as I will have the camera zoom in on your face," you told him while Cillian's eyes stayed locked on yours as the words sunk in and his hand still rested against yours.

A charged sense of connection crackled between you both and for a lingering moment, time seemed to stand still before he finally released your hand gently.

If you thought the previous scene had stirred something inside of you, the contact of your skin against his ignited a flame that threatens to burn you from the inside out.

"Alright, I see," Cillian said, his voice a bit hoarse as he slowly pulled his hand back, creating an emptiness in your grasp that, for a moment, made it hard to breathe. It took all your restraint and professionalism not to shiver just by the lingering heat of his touch.

Emily looked at you both knowingly before walking away with a soft giggle, unwilling to push her luck and leave you both alone to process what had just happened.

"Uhm, where are you going Em?" you asked as you saw her leave and Chris arrive, just in time for the next scene.

"Just to the bathroom. I will be quick," she chuckled , casting a coy smile over her shoulder at Cillian and you before disappearing into the distance.

An awkward silence fell between you as you tried to regain your composure, attempting to shake the unbidden attraction that had bloomed between the two of you.

Cillian cleared his throat, breaking the tension hovering in the air between you before gesturing towards the set. "Alright, well, I should go get ready then," he stammered slightly, his cheeks now matching your earlier blush and, while Cillian re-read his lines again, you took some time to speak with Chris.

Deep down, you told yourself that experiencing a flutter of attraction was completely normal - and allowed - as long as you did not act on it.

"Y/N, are you alright?" Chris asked, sensing some inner turmoil.

"Yeah, I'm fine," you replied with a reassuring smile, collecting your thoughts, before turning to Cillian and Emily again who had returned from the bathroom.

The two of them were chatting briefly and you showed them where to stand and rest their hands during the scene.

As expected, their on-screen chemistry was simply intoxicating - a simmering tension that crackled between them like an electric current.

You directed the camera man, snapping photos, and gave them a few minor instructions as you watched in awe, thinking that there was literally something electrifying about their interactions.

Every glance, every whisper, and every gesture exuded a kind of unspoken confession between the two before the scene ended with a shot of the two of them within three takes.

"And- cut!" you called out, feeling a familiar flutter in your chest while Chris nodded with approval.

"I think that's a wrap for today," Chris announced as the entire crew started to pack up and leave the set one by one. Emily and Cillian went off to their trailers to change and freshen up, chatting amicably as they walked away why you went through some particulars with the camara crew and Chris.

"Thanks for holding up the fjord for Nilo for these first few days. You fit in well," Chris told you warmly, giving you a pat on the back as you chatted about finalizing certain details for the next day of shooting.

You beamed up at him with gratitude, unable to contain the pride brimming within you.

"It's no problem at all," you assured him, your mind already planning out the sequences for tomorrow. "I am enjoying it and I am grateful for the opportunity," you added honestly, feeling yourself relax as the weight of the day's work began to dissipate.

"You deserve it, Y/N. And I'm glad I can give you this opportunity to flex your artistic muscles," Chris smiled, his eyes radiating a warmth and understanding that touched you deep within your soul. "I will see you at 5am tomorrow, alright?" he then asked, dragging you out of your own world and reminding you of the quickly approaching new day.

"Sure thing," you answered with a nod before turning around to get the set cleared for tomorrow.

You wanted to be involved even in the work that you were not directly responsible for because, ultimately, you were pedantic about making everything right.

It was your innate sense of responsibility and dedication that made you successful in the first place and it would continue to propel you further up the ladder of success.

With that in mind, you rolled up your sleeves and dived into the work of preparing the set for the following day which is when you were startled by Cillian himself.

"Hey," Cillian said, approaching you from behind and placing his hand on your shoulder.

You looked up at him, momentarily speechless but then managed to find the words to ask him what he needed. "Shit you startled me. Is everything alright?" you asked as you turned to face him.

"Yeah," he replied with a smile. "I actually just got a call from the car-hire company, and they approved the claim. My assistant just printed the papers out for you," Cillian told you as he handed you three pieces of paper, his hand lingering for just a moment on yours as your fingers brushed against one another.

You couldn't shake the feeling that there was an undeniable pull between the two of you, an attraction that was not just physical but intellectual and emotional as well.

"I am sorry again, about the accident," he then said while finally pulling away his hand while spotting two large scars and a bruise on your forearm.

"It's fine. Thanks," you said, realizing that he had seen the injuries on your arm, causing you to quickly pull down your sleeve to cover the burns.

Cillian, like any gentleman, deliberately ignored the burns, not wanting to pry or make you feel uncomfortable. But his concern was obvious in the crease on his forehead.

"Uhm, well," he then hesitated, his gaze lingering for a moment before continuing. "Emily, Robert and I are going for some dinner later if you would like to join us," Cillian said confidently, his casual tone somewhat masking the deeper meaning behind his invitation.

Though socializing after a long day at work was the last thing you wanted to do, you saw no reason to protest.

"Yeah, sure, that would be lovely," you thus said with a warm smile, politely accepting his invitation and already mentally preparing yourself for a night out.

You would do anything for Em and, besides, this could be nice opportunity to get to know Cillian in a less formally charged environment.

To be continued...

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#cillian murphy imagine #cillian murphy x y/n #cillian murphy x you #cillian murphy smut #cillian murphy #cillian murphy x reader #oppenheimer movie #cillian murphy fanfic #cillian murphy fic

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arctophyllax · 6 months

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THIS CONTAINS ZEVLOR-RELATED SPOILERS, MAINLY ACT II

Can’t believe that they got us to attached to Zevlor when you chose to help him in Act I and then you can find him again in Act II and you learn so much about him and his story is so well thought through. The rescue gives his character so much depth and the fact that when you don’t rescue him Orin kills him and sends his corpse to your camp alongside a letter and a painting and in that letter she describes how she tortured him and that he screamed and he calls him “our pet” LARIAN IF HE’S “OURS” WHY CANT WE KEEP HIM AFTER WE RESCUE HIM.

They made him a reoccurring character, gave him a story with so much depth and gave us choices that determined his fate SEVERAL TIMES. And they expected us not to fall for him? They expected us not to want more?

When we first meet him he seems insignificant but the longer you play and (if you) actively go looking for him he suddenly seems like such an important part to the story.

Zevlor’s story explains faith and the Absolute’s power over people’s minds, how it affects their will and their memory and their actions. The guilt that comes with a broken oath and the self loathing that comes from being of a race that had no choice in who they are. The bittersweet memories of fighting alongside comrades and losing them before suddenly being ripped out of that world and exiled. How prejudice and racism affects someone’s life so deeply and how someone can get thrown into a role they weren’t ready for in mere seconds. How the goodness of the heart doesn’t leave some people no matter what horrendous things they go through and how some others will still find a way to hate them.

There is more to his story than what you can read in dialogues, more than you perceive without thinking too much about it. But to every Zevlor simp, if you haven’t played through Act II yet— or anyone who did but didn’t pay any mind to it:

Read the subtext. Dig for symbolism and meaning, learn about his past—the reason why the fall into Avernus made the prejudice again tieflings near unbearable, the book in Zevlor’s quarters in Act I, how it talks about the misery of being of infernal heritage:

“…It is not as if we were well-loved before the archdevil's gambit. Our people have always struggled against the notion of 'devilkin', as if a single drop of infernal ichor inescapably corrupts. How amusing, when so many others willingly sell their souls to fiends, yet their culture as a whole escapes the blame…”

How he blames himself constantly for any tiefling under his care lost. How his anger at Aradin was his way of grieving over Kanon. How his facade dropped instantly when we offered to help. He isn’t used to help, he didn’t expect us not to despise him and his family.

He is used to hatred and not to love, we were one of the first people who chose to help him like that, to take the burden off his shoulders. I imagine the only other one was Halsin when he granted them a safe place.

In short: we should absolutely be able to date him (the perfect moment to recruit him would be after we save him in Act II). We should be able to show him what being loved feels like, that we look past his infernal traits and don’t see them with hatred or fear but instead with love and adoration.

The pics attached are the painting and the letter Orin sent alongside his corpse.

#bg3 zevlor #zevlor #baldur’s gate 3 #bg3 #bg3 spoilers #bg3 act 2 #tav x zevlor

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artist-issues · 4 months

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Be careful of emotional music in movies and TV Shows.

By "be careful" I mean, when you're doing that thing I never stop talking about—you're trying to figure out why a moment in a story moved you—think about whether or not the story really set up and followed the moment through...or if they just threw a really emotional-sounding track/song over top of a rushed, cheap moment.

Like in the Vampire Diaries, or Suicide Squad, or an animated-streaming-movie. The characters will be saying something normal or maybe a bit cheesy to each other, the scene is about to end, and the storytellers don't have a good way to end it, so some song starts playing quietly under the dialogue. And suddenly you're feeling something, even though a second ago you were not that into it.

In the Vampire Diaries, it's usually The Fray. In Suicide Squad you'll get a punk-rock song as a new villains-enter-the-room scene starts...or several, every time a new scene starts.

In a streaming-budget musical, it might even be an original song with original lyrics that the characters are singing...

But pay attention! Music is one of the very easiest ways to engage a human's emotions. It's why influencers play inspirational piano music or covers of good movie soundtracks over what they're saying when they're trying to send out an encouraging message. It's why motivational speakers have a musical pad under everything they're saying. And yes, it's why movies use music, too.

And that is not a bad thing.

But what is bad is music that is used to try and make a moment impactful...but the story itself, and the characters in the scene, and the context of the scene, and sometimes even the lyrics of the song itself, can't support it.

The lyrics could be total crap—they could fail to fit the characters singing them, or the moment they're being sung during, at all—

—or it's an indie pop song that is actually about a friend with a drug addiction, but it's playing over, like, a scene where a young girl is saying "see you around" to the boy she has a crush on, so you feel all hyped emotionally.

It's cheap. It's silly. It's what Disney did in Wish (you knew this was coming, I've been on this topic for weeks)

Having Asha and Magnifico sing "At All Costs," which is a love song, to a room full of tangible bubbles makes zero sense. The song's lyrics only work if you're a pair of lovers declaring your devotion to each other—or, maybe, if you're a king and apprentice singing to actual people, not a room full of their daydreams. But!

The music is pretty. And it's literally engineered to be inspiring, and play with your heart strings. So you're sitting there going, "oh, wow, what a breathtaking magical song, I love it,"

but try and explain to me why you love it in connection to the story and there's nothing there.

Nothing that makes sense. You've just been emotionally manipulated by music. What you're really responding to is just the way the song sounds, and nothing else.

It's like the song (whether it's a musical number sung by the characters, or a piece of the score, or a pop song playing quietly in the background) is a beautiful set of curtains.

If you hang it up on a curtain rod, or even drape it artfully from the ceiling, it can do a lot for the space. It can make the place look bigger, or more comfortable, or show off the room's depth, or set off other pieces of furniture. It can even be a focal point.

But you know what the curtains need to do all that? A curtain rod. Something to be hung on!

If you just ball up the curtains and drop them in the center of the room, someone might walk in and go, "oh, are these curtains? They're pretty!" But you know what else they'll say? "Where are you going to put them? Why are they in the middle of the floor?" Because they don't belong there. The curtains are wasted on the floor.

Like a song that has no contextual meaning and is just laying in the scene like discarded curtains, arbitrarily playing with your emotions. Doesn't belong there; and what a waste!

So next time you really love a scene that has music in it at all, see what part the music plays.

If the lyrics make sense with the characters, if the story has reached a point where the song is all that's needed to accentuate the emotional depth that's already there, instead of creating it where it was lacking, then awesome. Now you can articulate what made you appreciate the song, so much better!

But if the lyrics made no sense with where the characters or the story was at; if it sounded pretty but didn't fit the scene; if it was the only emotional thing about the context of the scene—then it's not the story that you like. It's just the song, by itself. Add it to your Spotify playlist but don't say you loved that movie or that scene. You just loved that song.

Give credit where it's due instead of letting filmmakers trick you with cheap musical moments.

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i-heart-hxh · 11 months

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Reason for Hope: A Gon and Killua Meta

I’m surprised by how frequently I see people saying that they think Gon and Killua’s story arcs are over for good; that we likely won’t see them again in the series, or if we do it’ll only be brief and they won’t reunite.

After spending years obsessively analyzing Hunter x Hunter, I disagree with this viewpoint, and I wanted to lay out some reasons as to why I anticipate an eventual reunion and reconciliation between Gon and Killua. This will be long, but bear with me!

The Separation

So, after thousands of pages of development between Gon and Killua, many things unfinished and unresolved between the two, at a point where the audience is expecting a big, maybe tearful reconciliation between Gon and Killua, instead we get…a mere 5 pages devoted to their separation. Many of the words on these five pages aren’t even dialogue between them, but rather setting details about the World Tree.

What we get is complicated; they seem on good terms, but it’s also somewhat fraught–they must have had a conversation before this, when they initially reunited, but Togashi opts to skip that entirely and only show us the aftermath, what’s happening right as they’re about to go their separate ways.

Killua teases Gon about that painful line where Gon told Killua it wasn’t his business, and Gon quickly apologizes, but this is a very light conversation where Killua is clearly prodding Gon to make him feel bad. In the original Japanese version, Killua then says that Gon “already (もう/mou)” apologized, which implies they did talk enough for Gon to apologize in another conversation, but clearly this prior conversation also wasn’t in-depth enough for Killua to explain how Gon was healed and by whom. I also assume in this conversation that they discussed parting ways, as their parting doesn’t seem to be a shock or surprise to either of them.

Togashi is known for his anti-climaxes to arcs–often he’ll build an audience expectation up, only for things to go a completely different way than what it initially seemed he was building towards. It’s one of the things that makes his writing brilliant. It applies to this scene, in a way, in that he doesn’t give us the big, cathartic, emotional conversation we’re expecting at this point, and much is left unsaid between the two boys. However, I don’t think Togashi’s tendency for anti-climax means that this is it, the end, all we get is this parting with ambiguity and Gon and Killua’s arcs are over. There are a bunch of questions left unanswered here, even though they’re not stated outright. The central one is: Why, exactly, are they parting ways?

There are a bunch of reasons one can come up with, both emotional and practical: Killua may need a break from Gon after all of that (because he feels unwanted/rejected by Gon or he just needs to heal, or he may feel it’s unfair to Alluka/Nanika to split attention); he may feel he can’t be with Gon and also fully focus on protecting Alluka/Nanika; he may be concerned about Illumi pursuing them and the danger this may pose to Gon; he may simply feel he has no excuse to be with Gon any more now that Gon is about to fulfill his mission and Killua found something he wants and needs to do (going back to the promise they made under the stars previously); he may feel he’s already failed at protecting Gon (particularly after what Bisky said in Chimera Ant Arc) and what right does he still have to be with him? It’s possible Gon has reasons for them to part too–we’re not given reasons so we have no choice but to infer. It likely could be a combination of these reasons, too.

It’s hard to feel closure with a parting that we don’t even entirely know the reason for, and I do think eventually Togashi intends to give us more answers. He even indirectly makes us a promise, through Alluka.

I come back to this line over and over again, and I truly think this is Togashi reassuring the audience that this isn’t forever. I think that’s 100% what this line is here for.

There’s a lot of ambiguity in these few pages, between Killua teasing Gon in a way that feels pointed at times (the instance I discussed above, as well as the scene after Alluka says she’ll let Killua go, where Killua tells Gon he’s second place to Alluka), to the specific word (仲間/nakama, essentially teammate or comrade) Gon quoted from Kite being tied to Killua’s “friend vs teammate” concerns, and where we leave off is with a lot of tension and uncertainty even if overall they leave off on good terms.

It is made clear several times that neither of them fully want this parting to happen: Gon’s “I’d better go… Any longer and I’ll…” (Not be able to let you go, it implies.) Gon looks crushed. Killua agrees, also with a sad/resigned expression. Gon also says, “Wish you could go [meet Ging].” Both of their expressions change to sadness as soon as they turn away from each other. Neither wants to show the other how much this hurts. We get the sense that there’s a lot more they want and need to say to each other, things they’re saving for another time, once they’ve had some time apart to heal and grow on their own.

These are two of Togashi’s main characters, and the two he has spent the most time developing and portraying throughout the story. This parting is confusing, bittersweet, ambiguous, and unresolved. It’s dense and thought-provoking even in its brevity. It also doesn’t feel like a permanent endpoint.

Apologies

Ging tells Gon, “There are rules when you apologize to friends. You promise what you’ll do next time. And then you keep that promise!!”

Gon is talking about Kite when Ging says this, but even within the same conversation, Ging tries to tell Gon that what happened to Kite is not his fault. When Gon apologizes to Kite, Kite also asks “Apologize for what?”

I don’t think most of the audience blames Gon for what happened to Kite. The narrative makes it clear that Gon, Killua, and Kite were all simply outclassed by Pitou’s strength, they had been ambushed suddenly, and Gon and Killua fleeing was the only way they could survive. Gon didn’t even flee willingly, Killua made that decision for him.

So, why include this whole lesson on how to apologize to a friend, when neither the audience, nor Ging, nor Kite think Gon needs to apologize to Kite?

Isn’t there someone else Gon needs to apologize to–someone Gon did in fact hurt deeply with his actions?

As stated above, Gon likely did apologize to Killua, especially because he already brought up that he needed to in the conversation he had with Leorio in the car. Chances are, he did that as soon as they were reunited. But…also as stated above, there’s likely a deeper apology that Gon needs to give Killua; one where he fully understands what happened, and one where he can promise not to hurt Killua like that again.

I believe Togashi included this whole dialogue and conversation with Gon apologizing to Killua in mind, not Kite. We never saw this apology, and I believe it’s something that will happen when they see each other again.

Unfinished Plot Threads

While Gon and Killua’s original goals have been achieved, there are still a number of plot threads dangling for both characters. If the parting between them was supposed to be the end of the road for these characters, why bother building up so much unfinished business for both of them? Here are just some of the things in the story related to Gon and Killua that have not yet been addressed:

Gon meeting Gyro, which Togashi explicitly says is supposed to happen.

Gon fighting Hisoka again (assuming Hisoka survives the Black Whale).

What will happen with Gon’s nen? Will he remain nen-less forever or be able to restore it?

What will Gon do with his life now that he’s no longer hunting Ging? Hopefully not do homework on Whale Island forever!

Don Freecss and how he may or may not relate to Gon’s story.

Nanika came from the Dark Continent, something only brought up after Gon and Killua part. This gives Killua a direct link to the Dark Continent arc. How did Alluka come to be possessed by Nanika, an Ai creature from the Dark Continent? Will Alluka have this incredible power via Nanika forever (I suspect not)?

Illumi vowing to hunt Alluka/Nanika down, and also generally will Killua manage to cut ties with his family altogether, to have the kind of future he wants?

Kalluto, now with Illumi and the Phantom Troupe on the Black Whale, has mentioned wanting to bring his brother home, presumably/most likely Killua.

Gon’s mother or origin remains a mystery. While Gon himself didn’t want to know, that doesn’t mean the audience is satisfied by the non-answer.

While none of these guarantee a reunion between Gon and Killua, they certainly signal that Togashi is not done with these characters.

Killua’s Birthday

When Togashi gives his characters birthdays, he does it thoughtfully–imbuing them with both numerical and other symbolic meanings. Killua’s birthday is Tanabata, a Japanese holiday wherein two separated lovers are reunited every year. There’s an excellent piece of meta here that explores a lot of the parallels between Tanabata and Killua’s story and character trajectory, as there’s more to this than I can easily explore in this meta. Note how many similarities exist between the legend of Tanabata and Gon and Killua, particularly in the Zoldyck Family arc.

Gon and Killua have been separated once and brought back together again. With the legend of Tanabata, there are many meetings between the separated lovers, so the motif tends to lean towards them separating and then reuniting again, as they already did once in the Zoldyck Family arc. This leads me to believe that their parting is not forever.

Togashi Exhibition Promotion Video

As a lead-up to the Togashi Exhibition, a video showcasing Gon and Killua was released with newly recorded lines by their voice actresses from the 2011 anime, Megumi Han and Mariya Ise. The vast majority of the lines in this video are actually re-recorded major lines from the series summarizing the relationship between the two. But there are a few brand new lines. One of these is, essentially, “We’re so far away from each other right now, but I believe we’ll meet again someday!”

This video is a promotion for an exhibition devoted to his works, so Togashi himself must have approved this video. Why would this be one of the only brand new lines in the whole video if he has no intentions of reuniting them within the series? It would have been a simple matter not to mention any sort of reunion between them, but the fact that it was one of only a handful of truly new lines feels important and noteworthy.

Off-Screen

Just a small point, but one worth considering. At the end of the Yorknew City arc, Leorio and Kurapika go their separate ways as they fade out of the focus of the story for a while, only to be put in the same stage together once it’s their turn to be a point of focus again. (Never mind that they haven’t gotten much time together in this arc yet, but I’m sure they’re in the same place for a reason.)

One of the reasons Togashi may have chosen to separate Gon and Killua at the end of the Election Arc is that they, too, are out of focus for a while. This makes sense if you think about it–Togashi spends all this time developing the relationships between these two pairs of characters, having them remain together while the focus is not on them means the audience would miss out on developments and interactions between them. It’s easier to separate them and then reunite them again when it’s time for them to have the spotlight again.

The Little Detours

This is more abstract than the other points, but I think it’s just as important.

One of the most prominent themes of Hunter x Hunter is summed up in Ging’s words, “You should enjoy the little detours to the fullest. Because that's where you'll find the things more important than what you want.” This is what Gon learns when reaching his goal–that the most important things in life are not the achievements you make nor the way your journey ends, but the people you meet along the way, the enjoyment of the journey itself, all the places it takes you, continuing to seek more throughout life.

Gon meets Ging at the end of the Election Arc, his original goal, but is this truly the heart of Gon’s story? Killua finds something to do, as he told Gon he wanted to do, but is this truly the heart of Killua’s story? The heart of their stories is finding each other, the ways they changed and helped each other, the joy and solace and pain they found in each other. That’s ultimately what their stories are about–not simply achieving their goals. To say that their goals are achieved and their story is done now misses what Togashi is trying to say.

Hunter x Hunter is filled with characters whose life trajectories were changed by an encounter with one important person. Many of these characters also had their life trajectories changed by losing those people. Togashi can be a harsh storyteller at times, but I don’t believe he’s crafting a story in which his two main characters find each other and change each other so deeply, tragic circumstances and painful misunderstandings happen between them, much remains unsaid, and then they simply part, never be seen again in the story.

In my viewpoint, the only major obstacle standing in the way of an eventual reunion between Gon and Killua is Togashi’s health and how that affects his ability to tell what he has planned of the series. He has stated a commitment to finishing the series to the best of his ability, so it’s just a matter of what his body’s limitations will allow him to do.

At the very least, for all of the above reasons and more, I do think Togashi fully intends to give us a reunion between Gon and Killua in the future. I hope that in time, we will get to see him share the rest of what he has planned for these two characters.

#hunter x hunter #hxh #killugon #gonkillu #gon #killua #hxh meta #meta #long post #my posts #I've been working on this for so long!#it feels weird to finally post it but it's TIME #I hope this is reassuring to people who have been concerned about this #especially because I see people saying we won't see them again all the time both in western and eastern parts of the fandom #and I just really don't think that's togashi's intent #he wouldn't include all of this for no reason

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helpallthenamesaretakenblog · 4 months

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EP 4 was just mostly talking and conversations, but there was so much depth THAT I MUST TALK ABOUT IT.

I could literally feel the anguish exuding out of Sally trying to teach Percy to swim

Ngl i was a lil skeptical about azrien’s acting but hearing that scream changed everything

“Hey, you still sleeping?” “Yes” she’s so relatable i love it

i thought we were going to wait until the zebra truck scene for the trauma bonding but we got some of it now which is cool and also makes me wonder whether they’re going to take it to a whole level in the zebra truck scene

I kinda like how annabeth knows so much about grover their dynamic in the show is just so chef’s kiss

I dont know if the whole “thalia made me earn it” thing is canon but its an interesting spin on their dynamic

Grover is such a mood pls shoutout to grover (this episode focused a lil more on percy and annabeth’s dynamic)

Its interesting how they changed frederick chase in the show. In the book frederick never wanted annabeth but in the show frederick loved annabeth. It makes more sense now that percy asks her to go back especially in the books, that was very controversial to have annabeth seem like she was overexaggerating about what she went through with them

i was waiting for them to introduce the searcher pan stuff i almost thought they’d erased it, thankfully they brought it up

ANNABETH’S FACE WHEN THE COP CALLED HER A “LITTLE GIRL” LEAH YOU’RE A ROCKSTAR

Medusa>>>>echidna in the show IM SORRY ECHIDNA WOULDN’T STOP TALKING

The architect in annabeth is coming out i hope she explicitly talks about it later on

I don’t think the writers knew what to do with grover when percy and annabeth were talking so they just made annabeth a little unnecessarily rude for some reason?? At least its better than the movies, where annabeth and grover just WALK AWAY from hermes and percy

i didnt expect the random posh voice it threw me off but it was so funny

OK but can someone help me with this? Percy in this scene says “i have a gift” to annabeth? Could someone pls explain? What gift?

Last episode i was cringing at the screen at percy for the “can’t we just call your mom?” This episode i was cringing at the screen for annabeth’s “you wanna say hi to your dad :))))” these kids have no sense of touchy subjects do they

you’ve done so much more to me in the past few days than poseidon has done in my whole life. If i have to stick with somebody, i—“ “be careful, you were about to call me a friend” THIS DIALOGUE IS SO PRECIOUS ITS WORTH A BILLION DOLLARS

Im suspicious about the percabething this series is doing so far, i feel like its too early, its giving me a feeling that there’s going to be some big angst thats going to happen later on to break the world

When Percy fell, i was genuinely thinking he was going to give annabeth a hug lol (“wow annabeth no you are my friend!!” Something like that)

alexa play jump and fall by ts

I love that they’re expanding the consequences that came with sending medusa’s head to olympus, and how it negatively impacted annabeth, which will probably turn angsty later on

Also, percy looks half dead

The plan to push annabeth into the stairs was executed so smoothly wow

i like they are exploring the very concerning side of percy too, the part of him thats like “im the useless one im ready to die no probs” ALSO THALIA PARALLELS THEY’RE DEF GONNA TOUCH ON THAT NEXT EPISODE

i like how the water grabbed percy like a little tunnel

Its so funny how the nereid says poseidon’s name and percy just starts struggling more like “HELL NO”

THE PARALLELS OF THE START OF THE EPISODE OF PERCY TELLING SALLY TO BREATHE AND THE END OF THE EPISODE OF NEREID TELLING PERCY TO BREATHE

What the heck is that throne thing? Why is percy turning golden? What is happening? HUGGGGGG!! (Too early, as i said), oh look ares—OMG ITS ARES!!

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yuurei20 · 1 year

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Cater Info Compilation part 1: Secret Inner Life

We are given several hints that there is more depth to Cater than he wants people to know about. His lab wear vignette is particularly interesting: tasked with infusing mandrakes with magic, Vil, Lilia and Cater agree to “make mandrakes that are totally on-brand” for themselves.

Cater’s first attempt is “an ultra-pink mandrake with big, round eyes”. Vil expresses surprise, saying “I never knew your tastes trended so feminine, Cater”, but Cater insists that they don’t: it is the influence of his two older sisters.

“In the Diamond household, everything’s judged by one simple question: ‘But is it cute?’. Day in and day out, no matter what I did, if it wasn’t cute, it didn’t cut the mustard! Drawings, handicrafts, store-bought sweets, you name it! So I guess I’ve got ‘make it cute’ burned into my brain as a first instinct.”

(This is why the word “cute” comes up so often in Cater’s original dialogue, which NA sometimes removes or rewrites, despite being a significant character trait.)

This also possible connects to Firelit Sky where Jamil notices that Cater isn’t buying any souvenirs for himself. Based on Cater’s name brand phone case and bag, he recommends a shop more for locals than tourists, and a salmon pink scarf.

When Cater explains “It’s not really a color I usually go for…” (due to how cuteness has been imposed onto him his entire life), Jamil explains that he “thought a softer color suited (Cater’s) personality”, as he is “so friendly and easy to get along with."

Jamil says, "You give off a gentle vibe….I’ve been grateful for your and Trey’s steadying presence today.” Cater is surprised, saying “That’s really how I come off?…I didn’t know you saw me that way”, but ultimately does buy the scarf.)

Cater’s next mandrake has “a deep crimson coloration with a card pattern” that “almost looks like it’s holding a guitar”, but his third mandrake is described as “hugging its knees and huddling in place”. Lilia comments, “Perhaps Cater’s sunny disposition belies a morose side that the rest of us never see”, but Cater insists that they he is “reading too much into this”. Cater successfully presents three mandrakes, “a skipping one, a flashy, bright-red one…and one rolling on the table laughing”.

When Vil says that he saw Cater make more than the three required for the assignment, Cater insists that they are the only ones he has. When Crewel calls Cater out for socializing in class Vil and Lilia claim he “should take class more seriously”, despite being equally guilty (“The key to being a good performer is knowing when to leave the stage”).

Cater defends himself by presenting three more mandrakes that he had been trying to hide, saying, “It just doesn’t say Cay-Cay if it’s not happy enough to life people’s spirits”.

Cater says he is “a party boy at heart”, but also, “Just between you and me, keeping a smile plastered on my face for hours on end at a party is a exhausting. Ah, just kidding there, really!” and “You wanna know more about me, huh? I can’t go giving away ALL my secrets.”

In a voice line Silver says “Cater’s very cheery and upbeat…which is why the sinister expression he wore in costume sent a chill down my spine”. Trey says, “Cater won’t stop asking me if there’s a trick to growing taller. I keep telling him I have no idea, but he never gives up", insinuating that his height might be a sensitive topic for Cater.

He has a voice line that says, “Sometimes I’ve got no clue what’s going through your head. Whaddya mean, “pot, meet kettle”? I’m plenty easy to understand!”

#twstcater #caterfacts #twstfacts #twisted wonderland #Cater Diamond

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stripa · 1 month

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Daan and Karin Romance Mod Alpha 1 (daarin_mod v0.1)

HUH??? SO THE DAARIN IS FINALLY REAL???

uh, yeah. apparently.

This is pretty bare bones, but I was proud enough to release it, in case some of you guys want to go through all the dialogue I made. Took me a while, there are many different options to chat with Daan :)

I feel like I am pretty satisfied with PRHVL Bop. I may add some touch-ups here and there, but It's pretty much done.

Beware, you can still compliment Daan's hair as any character, but only Karin will be able to start a conversation with him, almost as If he's only interested in her! :O

I spiced it up by including some lore about her! I plan to expand the lore of both characters since like with Marina, Levi and O'saa, I feel they are the characters that have most depth, and It would be awesome to add even more to them. Source for the lore is the "Trivia" section in the wiki: https://fearandhunger.wiki.gg/wiki/Karin

(I'll probably change this dialogue to include the fact it's oversized, could get some cool dialogue out of that.)

So yeah, enjoy Daarin gang, as I deploy this Holy Friday's gift upon you. Next week school starts again, so expect mod development to reaaaally slow down. I need to focus on my studies. Sorry. At least you have this.

DOWNLOADS:

They are both the same file. Just decided It would be wise to have two links in case one goes down. Media preservation!

Installation is explained on the readme text file. Just drag and drop onto the root folder of Funger 2 basically.

I recommend 7zip to unzip the file, but I think WinRAR should work as well.

By the way, I have a YouTube channel, yesterday I uploaded a video of me killing Centaur with only Karin and Daan! Check it out here:

youtube

Take care, and thanks for the support! If you notice corny/unbelievable dialogue, let me know here so I may make it more appropriate.

#daarin #karin x daan #fear & hunger termina #fear and hunger 2: termina #fear & hunger 2: termina #fear and hunger termina #modding #rpg maker mv #romance mods #shipping #Youtube

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biggie-chcese · 5 months

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rain code age headcanons because i have literally only ever been choosing ages based on what's funniest but now i wanna cast away my grand layers of irony and be genuine for a moment. also. this goes pretty in depth so be prepped for the long haul when you click read more lmao.

spoilers for the whole game below and it's because of one specific character iykyk

Yakou - this man has the soul of a guy in his late 40s going through what would be his midlife crisis if not for the fact that he's fully aware he passed the midpoint years ago. but that soul is trapped in the body of a guy who doesnt look a day older than 28. what moisturizer does he use? i doubt he even uses anything other than that 13 in 1 shampoo. anyway, i think he's 32.

Halara - 26. nothing really to justify this other than they've got that mid 20s swag but 25 didn't feel right. adult enough to be as competent as they are yet young enough to look like that. moving on.

Desuhiko - 19. i think he's the youngest of the NDA because. well. idk man have you read his dialogue? he's got a whole lot of growing to do and is still very lost on his direction in life. he's giving 'bitch fresh outta high school (or in this case, detective training) and relishing in his freshly obtained freedom."

Vivia - 28? yeah i got nothing for this i am going purely on vibes here. 28 just feels right.

Fubuki - 23. she's clearly still a bit young but is also clearly a grown ass adult who wasn't raised right so i think this makes for a happy medium, especially if she's already been on some worldwide adventures n shit before the game. works out quite swimmingly methinks.

Kurumi - 18. for my personal comfort bc we'll get to yuma later but im not gonna sit here and ignore the way the game constantly grovels at the audience's feet to ship them so id rather she not be any younger than this. anyway, more about her: she tends to hold her own as an informant with more competence, maturity, and effecience than most of the NDA. but she also has a pretty childish black and white view on things, like believing her beloved detectives are always right (girl if you were real you would be ENTRENCHED in stan culture oml do NOT get into minecraft youtubers) but i've... seen 18 year olds on the internet that are exactly the same so whatever

Aetheria girls - putting them all at 17-18 because, based on honorifics, they are treated as upperclassmen by their peers in the Japanese dub. i think waruna is the youngest and kurane is the eldest.

Yomi - 25. he has that vibe. old enough to be taken seriously as an adult but young enough to act like That™. yknow?

Martina - 32. she's giving older woman sexy librarian vibes and generally carries herself with a certain level of poise and maturity but is also a freak in a way that can best be explained by being a woman in her 30s. not elaborating on this

Swank - 41. to me he's like those awful surly businessmen who go to cabaret clubs to drink and smoke their office job woes away and cheat on their wives. but he also has extreme mafia boss swag about it so i kinda love him for that. dunno what this has to do with age tho. moving on.

Seth - 22 because he's giving youngest brother. i think he's the youngest of the peacekeepers in general. guillaume definitely bullies him about this.

Dominic - 34. bro is built like a jojo character what else do you want me to say. he's still got that youthfulness about him that makes me think he's still not going through his midlife crisis, so i wouldn't place him any older

Guillaume - 23. guillaume is so girlypop manic pixie dream girl core that she's definitely got the energy of someone who is young but also strikes the balance of being someone who has a job and a mortgage. dunno how she does it. id like to think she isnt even much older than seth but still bullies him for being the baby of the peacekeepers. do u understand my vision. please. they have so much annoying coworker potential.

shinigami - idk like 1000. she's a death god who cares.

yuma - okay. yeah. look i dont give a singular fuck about age discourse- headcanon whatever you want- but from looking at canon material i genuinely think that he could not possibly be any younger than 21. 20 if we wanna push it. yes, i know he looks young. i have eyes. but also, im in my 20s and the most common thing people tell me when i reveal my age is "oh, i thought you were 15." one time a person asked me if i was 12. at my job. that i was actively working at. i was 20. adults can look young, and contrary to the classic 1000 year old loli dragon trope he doesnt act overtly childish. he acts like a normal fuckin guy. yes he cries but like. you wouldn't in his position? bro speedruns lifelong trauma so skillfully that he's backwards long jumping into alternate universes where everything is somehow worse. i'd be freaked out if he didn't cry. also im aware that the child prodigy detective trope is a thing and that kodaka has written that before but... he was number one three years ago. and the training takes two years. which means, if he is a minor in the game's present day, he started working at the WDO at 12 and became number one at 14... at the oldest. have you ever met a 14 year old? forgive me for not suspending my disbelief here. and really the kicker for me is that yuma has a line where he says he's not sure if he's drinking age (which would be 20 in japan), but you know who would be sure? you know who knows yuma's age better than yuma?

makoto kagutsuchi - this megacorporation CEO has a fully stocked minibar installed in his penthouse. <- sentence i cannot bring myself to believe if it's about a child. since i also cant picture him becoming CEO at age 14 without yomi at least once angrily pointing that out (he only ever mentions that makoto is an outsider, or has his head in the clouds), id like to think both him and yuma, at their youngest, earned their top spots at their respective organizations at 18. it keeps their gifted kid syndrome and young prodigy-ness without making things comically ridiculous or uncomfortable for the sheer amount of sexual situations yuma gets put into.

anyway that's my silly little ramble on age headcanons. this was actually really fun to think about. shoutout to kodaka for leaving out the ages. funniest choice he could've made

#rain code #raincode #mdarc #master detective archives: rain code #rain code spoilers #mdarc spoilers

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