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passthroughtime · 7 months ago

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well, aren’t you fucking stupid then

it amazes me how in LJ yagami is ready to save everyone and everything from the powers that be, UNLESS it’s kuwana. one might argue he’d learn something from okubo, but nooooo. granted, it’s not that simple of an equation (okubo’s “i didn't do anything” vs kuwana’s “i did it and feel no remorse”), but... yagami STILL struggles to see nuances of this particular situation.

and that’s ridiculous, because in any other case he’s more than ready to give a person another chance (to be heard/understood/supported/idk)

taking the school stories into account isn’t fair, but giving up on itokura never crossed yagami’s mind, even though she hurt seven people just because she was petty. he hopes that this isn’t what she wants deep in her heart, but is ready to let go if it is really. he talks to her, gives her the chance to accept his help and get out. he happens to be right, she doesn’t want this life. good for her. thank you yagami.

when he suspects sawa may be involved in mikoshiba’s murder, he still gives her a benefit of the doubt (after all, the screenshot above shows how he feels about her being connected to both murders, he just doesn’t want to jump to this conclusion because he knows her). he still goes and confronts her ofc, begs to make things clear, and after runs to her apartment when something troubling has suddenly happened that keeps her away from him, without thinking it can be a trap.

funny little tidbit in the main story as well:

who they are? idk! why does yagami suggest they don’t deserve to be punished? idk again! he’s just being a good guy i guess! (though i honestly think the last words should’ve been directed to kuwana. they always felt out of place to me, why would yagami think public security even has a use for that random dude? but kuwana... yet he can’t say that to his face for some stupid reason.)

kusumoto is a tricky one, because yagami blames both her and kuwana, but here’s the thing. he tries to convince him before he tries to convince her. time and time again yagami has the exact same conversation with kuwana, and only once with kusumoto (that’s undestandable though, BUT he pressures kuwana more in intensity time and time again vs the only chance he has with kusumoto).

an interesting thing here is what they are about to lose if kawai’s murder comes to light. kusumoto herself says it best:

kuwana will be tortured (to death), kusumoto’s political actions will be controlled. fair. the exact same.

btw she’s not the first one to tell yagami that kuwana is in grave danger. hell, yagami himself says (repeats) that to others.

but when kuwana says it to him, yagami suddenly doesn’t want to listen and doesn’t care that kuwana most probably going to die if he is about to go to the police (most obvious example of this exchange is shown before dig in your heels fight). which is kind of ridicuous, and may be the writers’ oversight, but i prefer to think that it is to show us how stagnant yagami’s beliefs may sometimes be.

yeah. tell me more. he literally says “i can excuse ANYONE but i draw the line at kuwana”. that is also considering that he still can save kuwana’s life, as opposite to emi and sawa. getting the truth of sawa’s murder out is retribution.

so, yeah, i believe that for the most part, his approach to justice is closer to punitive aspect than restorative, hence those all “i get how you feel, i know so well that it scares me”. yagami’s main problem with kuwana is that the latter decides himself what’s the right thing to do. it blinds him so much that he doesn’t care about what happens to kuwana after he surrenders to the police.

...to be fair to him, this is true only until the last cutscenes of the game.

this includes kuwana. i don’t care if i’m being delusional. it just does. the point here is that kuwana’s life is worth more than the justice system which is tend to be broken and redefined in the state that it is now.

...that’s not the point of this post though, so i’ll just shut up.

the whole “coming clear with your crimes�� thing would work if both kuwana and kusumoto do that, simultaneously, not just kuwana. and yeah, yagami talks to them both, though in the end, kusumoto's confession seems to be enough. because for public security, kuwana is valuable as long as kusumoto’s secret is, uh, a secret. as well as he can’t be used as a scapegoat for soma’s crimes anymore, thanks to mafuyu and takano’s efforts to uncover this whole PS mess.

yet, yagami pressures kuwana the most. as if he’s not just a tool in a large-scale political game lol, and if his whole role in it wasn’t obvious to yagami from the beginning.

or what, he thinks if he was able to put himself in danger while investigating AD-9, and survive through it all, then anybody else can do it? kuwana is much more defenseless than yagami was, there’s nothing that would’ve protected him, or at least avenged the memory of him in the worst case scenario,

it fascinates me how yagami just... ignores the very real threat to kuwana’s life and his obvious insignificance in the grand scheme of things. idk. maybe yagami used kuwana more as an outlet for his frustration, but wow, that was fucking cruel of him to keep repeating to kuwana to go kys (sorry.)

during the boat’s scene, we can see in real time how yagami’s belief clash with each other: he knows that kuwana is about to be silenced for the greater good (the fate unfair to anyone), but kuwana is also a serial killer and that very kind of scum (who brushes away the consequences of his crimes) which doesn’t deserve to be saved.

^ i love this moment, how yagami still can’t figure out how to feel about him.

and then kuwana proves that he’s not, in fact, the kind of a person yagami despises, and the scales tip in his favor. yay. but kuwana is still a serial killer with no remorse to which he seems “deserving” of his justice. nay (?).

although, the problem is solved when kuwana uncovers his crimes. maybe, he won’t kill again, because going public with the reasoning behind them is good enough of a lesson (hard maybe).

but i think it’s beautiful, you know, in the end how yagami ends up losing his judgment of people, and that’s all just because of kuwana.

yes, it is a shippy post after all.

#putting letters together one word at a time #judge eyes #lost judgment spoilers #i ain’t re-reading all that even for proof- and bullshit-checking sorry #this post sat in my drafts since march when i was nearing the end of LJ replay and was SO frustrated with yagami #but ending the game shifted my focus to other things #but couple of hours i remembered one related thing and finally finished it. so. begone #tbh not answering the question if there’s some lesson yagami learnt with his whole relationship with kuwana>#left the story incomplete in my eyes as opposed to JE #where we have a whole scene with yagami straightforwardly saying how his values shifted and what he’s going to do in the future lol #LJ in its turn leaves us with sad wet cat divorced yagami. which is great but *zuko with a scroll meme*#but this incompleteness led me to the fandom though JE has been my fav game for years before so. all in all no complains

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random-thought-depository · 1 year ago

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Also, tangent from my last post:

"I think a modern equivalent of Columbo would have to be centrally written in reaction against the archetype of the “gritty” Dirty Harry style cowboy cop who steps on toes and breaks rules but gets results. I think actual Columbo already had some of that in it, but for a modern remake it’d have to be much more central. I’m not sure what that would look like. Though one thing I can picture relatively well is, like, I could totally see one of remake-Columbo’s cases pitting them against a murderer who’s exactly that kind of cowboy cop but written as a villain."

I had a brain wave this morning that gave me a character concept that I think might be really appropriate for this villain!

So, I was thinking about another, different, much more modern cop show I stopped watching after a couple of episodes cause it gave me a vibe I didn't like, and specifically my reaction to the bits of it I watched were like...

On the one hand, kudos for having the guts to show a plausible way that "grumpy experienced detective who steps on toes and is kind of mean to his subordinate but gets results and is really a good guy when you get to know him" archetype might actually be a real asshole sometimes (in this case, being a really blatantly abusive boss to a subordinate he resents for being on his team while not being part of the cliquey social world he's cocooned himself with).

On the other hand, I got a disturbing feeling of not being sure the writers were "in on the joke," so to speak. Like, I got a vibe that the production team (or crucial members of it, anyway) admired the protagonist much more than I did. Worse, I got a possible vibe of them having something of that attitude that sees the occasional abuse as a price worth paying for letting a Great Person do their Great Person thing without interference. Possibly this changed later on, like I said, I stopped watching it after a couple of episodes.

Anyway, this morning I had the thought that you might get a pretty effective villain out of taking the protagonist of that series at that point in it, filing the serial numbers off them, and:

1) Assuming that they have that "I'm a Great Person so I deserve to occasionally get to abuse the mundanes and wannabes around me, because my well-being is much more important than theirs because of how Great I am" mindset themselves.

2) Assuming they combine 1) with the more common cop "I am part of the thin blue line, one of the heroic protectors of society who fight the war in the streets against the scum of the Earth on behalf of a coddled civilian population who increasingly don't even properly appreciate us and actually have the gall to criticize us and try to cut our budgets!" aggrieved hero complex.

3) Asking "if this is how they act toward a subordinate fellow cop who annoys them, how do they act toward suspects and even just regular civilians they don't like?" and answering that question without the filter of assuming they're the protagonist and therefore presumably a good cop.

Like, you could spin this pretty easily into the kind of cop who reacts to being pressured by a police oversight activist by framing the activist for a murder and getting them thrown in jail for a murder they didn't commit. And who does that without even really realizing they're a corrupt cop; it's an "adaptation executor, not goal maximizer" thing with them, they internally experience their framing people as "I know they're guilty but I can't prove it, so I'm going to frame the person who's guilty anyway, and if I got it wrong about this particular crime, well, they're the kind of low-life scum who should be locked away for the good of society anyway," they are terrifyingly sincere in their burning drive to see that Justice Is Served in every case and their belief that they have an almost unblemished record of Delivering Justice.

In this person's subjective reality, they're your classic gritty cop show protagonist; smart, cynical but with a burning commitment to Justice and a willingness to do whatever it takes to get justice done, always solving the puzzle and nabbing the clever criminal who might have gotten away with it if they hadn't tangled with such a brilliant opponent, abrasive and willing to step on toes and break rules but always getting results in the end. Step a bit outside of their own head, and they're the villain of a horror story that perverts the tropes of a cop/detective show; a lot of their "clever detection" is just framing people they think are guilty because that belief fits their biases (and they're a tolerated abuser within their own workplace, protected by their reputation for getting results and by the cliquey social world of select people they get along with they've cocooned themselves in), and maybe the most chilling part is they don't even realize what they're doing, they're 100% a villain who's totally and almost unshakably convinced that they're a big damn hero; if they could somehow be made to see themselves as they truly are they'd probably have a mental breakdown and kill themselves.

Anyway, I think that person would be a really appropriate antagonist for a modern Columbo equivalent.

#Columbo #kinda #writing ideas #random stuff

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ladylynse · 1 year ago

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Hi Lynse! If you don't mind sharing, I'm curious to know your thoughts on comments along the lines of "write more of this." Like every writer, I thrive on comments, but I have mixed feelings about those. I'm happy that the commenter likes the story enough to want more and to tell me so, but it also stings when it's the only thing the comment says (especially on longer fics!). I've received them on shorter fics (<2k) and longer ones (>9k), and I never know how to feel! What are your thoughts?

I know exactly where you're coming from, Anon.

Long story short, they're not my favourite, especially if they're on their own, especially if it's on a longer fic.

If that's all that is said--in whatever form, since I've gotten everything from "more" or "MOAR" to "update pls" and "UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE" (ad nauseum) and various iterations in between--then on one hand, you know the 'I liked this' part of the comment is implied, but on the other hand, it reads like a demand. It's not quite as bad if it's with something, because hey, actual interaction with someone, but often those types of comments seem to be on their own.

"Looking forward to more!" or "Hope you're able to update soon!" doesn't read the same way to me as "write more." Those aren't demands for content, which "write more of this" can very easily read like even if the commentator didn't think it would read that way. The first examples read to me as more encouraging and understanding of the fact that I have a life beyond sitting at home all day writing fics and that, even when I do have time that could be designated as writing time, I might be too tired to spend that time writing. To be fair, though, when I get a comment like the first examples, it usually includes something like 'good chapter' or 'nice work' or 'great job' or something a bit longer that otherwise provides a bit of positive feedback, so that might be a bit of bias coming through on the differences in framing there.

I'll be honest here. I know it's unfair, but my brain has never read "write more of this" as anything other than a demand. It's discouraging, because if someone didn't have a single thing to say about the fic itself, then my brain also likes to assume that they're curious enough to want to see where it goes but not invested enough to add a general 'I liked this' to the comment (even if they aren't up for specifics, and not everyone is) and the commenters are simply looking for content to kill the time and just want to see me churning out more content to be consumed and forgotten and never engaged with again beyond another demand for more.

Like I said, logically, I know that's not a fair assumption, but that's what it feels like, and feelings aren't hindered by logic. And sometimes it feels like people think you're a machine that will write on demand. It's even more discouraging when you get 'more' instead of any actual positive feedback that can act as encouragement (I count a couple of heart emojis or "extra kudos" as encouragement, not just specific comments, though of course specific comments are appreciated) or translate to excitement when writing because, look, it's more than just you who's invested in this fic! It's worth the time and effort of writing it down, editing it, and sharing it with others!

To be fair, "write more of this" is better than someone complaining about a narrative choice or a background pairing that was included which they didn't like. I'm personally happy to know about typos and minor little oversights on my part so I can fix them--I know not everyone is--but I'm also firmly of the belief that if you don't like a story, you just stop reading it and look elsewhere and don't complain to the person writing it because you're more likely to drive them away from the fandom (or sharing their fics at all, regardless of fandom) than to convince them to write something to your exact taste. But a demand is only a step above a complaint, and I know some people who are very open about the fact that they either lose the motivation to work on a particular story or deliberately shift it to the back of their 'to write' list when they get comments like that.

Most comments give me that warm fuzzy feeling inside--or reduce me to gleeful cackling when I see some reactions--but while the demands don't cut the same way flames can, something still feels like it twists inside me, and it's not painful, but it's not warm. For me, it's, I dunno, almost like disappointment that you weren't able to write a single thing they could actually bother commenting on? Mixed with the sinking feeling that, to them, you aren't someone who's there to share a story and gleefully talk about it with others, you're just someone who's supposed to give them Consumable Content as if it doesn't take any effort on your part? I've gotten a few comments that were along the lines of "I'm glad you finally updated because I was getting bored and needed something new to read" which does not lessen that feeling.

#I'm going to stop here but you get the idea #ugh I know some people aren't going to like my take on it #but it's how I feel and they don't have to share it #ladylynse #asks

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teiasviago · 2 years ago

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Can I pick your brain about the cancer arc?

I think GA got nominated because it was a stand-out in her show-- Hollywood/movie fill-in-the-blank always nominate the different, the zany, or the mainstream out-of-the-box. If Scully had a long-term illness that she struggled on and off with, the show wouldn't have been nominated because it was just part of her character's struggle. The award was given to GA's performance, not to the cancer arc story line, if that makes sense.

Here's where I might sound like a curmudgeon, but I truly mean nothing negative by it: I don't see the point of tying my own struggles to a tv show that was filmed in a time where Scully's cancer arc was seen as revolutionary and moving to the tv population then. Was it filled with problems? Absolutely-- the whole show is. But the audience for the show were vastly satisfied with it: if there had been immense pushback, then the audiences at the time would have decreed it lazy and not worth the award and the ruffled feathers over that nomination would have been just as infamous as her award. Instead, they applauded it and were happy for her and the show.

And here's a personal anecdote: there are some of my own struggles that the show only touches incidentally, never delving too deep because it had places to go and characters to be. I don't think it's an oversight or a missed opportunity; and I have relatives who have chronic health problems that viewed Scully's journey as too raw to watch without feeling like their issues had been misrepresented.

Everyone is entitled to their feelings, and faaaaaar be it from me to police them. My only concern is that there is only so much a show of that focus could touch on; and GA being awarded for bringing dignity to a terminal illness was (and is) loved and lauded because of what she did then, not for anything that COULD have been done. I'm not trying to talk down about this, honestly; I just see it as a letdown to focus on what the show didn't show as opposed to what it did: there are sooooooooooo many arcs that were never touched on, timeline threads that didn't make sense, and character moments that the actors didn't like but did anyway (and were out-of-character likewise.)

In conclusion? ...I don't really have a conclusion. XDDDD But, to me, there's no way a show can show everything and still be the MOTW-Scooby-Doo-mytharc show that it WAS (whether I like the focus sometimes or not.) As much as I think it would have been what the show needed to focus on Scully's residual effects, her mindset post cancer, that isn't what happened; but what I DO criticize it for is dropping off the cliff with Scully's concerns/fears/anxieties over the chip in her neck, because it continued to be highly plot relevant before it vanished from the plotline. ...WHY? The world may never know. ;)))

I honestly wouldn't have an issue with the cancer arc if I trusted that the writers were doing it to talk about having cancer with dignity and earnestly explore the fact that Scully is a woman whose bodily autonomy was stolen from her multiple times over but I simply don't. I think Gillian's performance in the cancer arc, and "Memento Mori" specifically, was award-worthy for sure. I like the episodes that bring up her cancer a lot, no notes. And if it's too raw and personal for some people to watch, well, YMMV.

I understand that The X-Files was revolutionary. But I don't believe in giving things a pass because they were lauded and revolutionary for the time. It's not like I'm calling for something or someone to be canceled for being offensive or whatever, I'm saying that I well and truly believe that had the writers been more dedicated, more could've been plucked out of the cancer arc. And that could be done without taking away from the show's usual formatting.

I know you don't mean to be offensive but I wasn't tying my illness to the show, I was referencing it. And that might sound like no difference but when I watch the cancer arc I don't think about it in terms of accuracy (or in terms of my illness) but rather impact. And, I don't know, the cancer arc simply didn't feel impactful, like many plot events of the show. I know that me being negative so much can be a downer but I promise that once I'm home in a couple weeks I'll be able to join my dad in his rewatch of the show and have a lot more positive things to think about in depth, haha.

But in the end, it feels like it didn't really mean anything after all. I mean, is it ever even referenced again after "Detour"? She nearly died of cancer directly tied to the plot of the show and it's never mentioned again aside from like maybe once or twice tangentially in the revival. No impact, no commitment. It's not that I don't care that the cancer arc was a standout, an outlier in terms of the industry at the time and of the show. I do care, and I care very much, but I will never, ever decide that something doesn't deserve criticism because things were different back then.

It's especially frustrating because the show constantly brings up PTSD (particularly with Mulder's PTSD from Sam's abduction), but not overwhelmingly so, so the writers absolutely can and did have commitments, just not to most of the pain they lobbed at Mulder and Scully. Like you said:

[T]here are sooooooooooo many arcs that were never touched on, timeline threads that didn't make sense, and character moments that the actors didn't like but did anyway (and were out-of-character likewise).

For you, those are things you prefer to stay away from, and I'm happy that you know your preferences. But I much prefer, especially as someone going into the film & TV industry, to deconstruct what I think were failings in shows that I like so as to better understand what I think makes a good TV show. Don't lob pain at your characters just because it makes your actors Hollywood's darlings; don't drop a plotpoint like a hot potato once it's been immediately resolved, most things have longlasting impacts; etc etc. I find it fruitful to discuss and breakdown my dislikes. I find it satisfying.

And with the award, it's a lot like my beef with "Never Again," haha. I see it's greatness, but I also see how spectacular it could've been, and that just kinda sours it for me.

Also, I meant that "Kaddish," "Unrequited," "Tempus Fugit," "Max," "Synchrony," "Small Potatoes," "Zero Sum," and "Demons" are all episodes in the cancer arc but you could switch them out with episodes before the cancer arc and it wouldn't matter because it had no effect on them. No definite but small behavioral changes, no underlying tension between Mulder and Scully, nada. And it's like, well... Is that because they're in sync, because Mulder has accepted that he's not to get all touchy-feely with her? Or is it just that the writers were more focused on keeping the same old pattern with not only the tiniest of ripples to it going?

Anyways, I do like the cancer arc, I just think "arc" is a misnomer. Cancer episodes. On a positive note: the way Scully's writing in her journal to Mulder in "Memento Mori." 😭😭 I love that part so much. Plus the way they're constantly touching each other and so gentle in "Redux II." 🥺🥺🥺

#ask #txf

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miscellaneous-manx · 5 hours ago

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Dragon Quest Builders 2 Lines I Like (Part 1)

Malroth: "Still, facial hair felonies aside, he's got a point."

Malroth: "Look at your pastor-- [referring to the Magus (Pastor Al) who oversees Furrowfield] he's dressed like someone's grandmother!"

Britney: "The Children of Hargon can do one. From now on, I'm all about the BUILDren of Hargon! Haw haw haw!"

Britney: "It's gonna be so much fun telling those weirdos in their stuffy old robes where they can stick their stupid rules!" *and then after Pastor Al threatens violence at such a comment* "Waaah! It's a stuffy-robed weirdo!"

Britney: "Any time you invent a new weapon, you should whack some up and give them to everyone who can swing them! Then everyone who's like 'Oh no! The monsters are too tough!' will be like 'Oh yeah! Tough luck, monsters!'! Haw haw haw!"

Malroth: "The Master of Destruction? Who's that supposed to be? Does he have a name?" (Oh the dramatic irony)

Clayton: "There's no nobler a goal in life then wreaking ruin, you know! I'm sure the Master of Destruction Himself is watching me right now as I smash this place to smithereens!" Malroth: 👀? (lol)

The "Haggling healslimes, Thea!" exclamation Bonanzo shouts when all pastor al's tasks are completed

Malroth in regards to the dog: "Let's see...what would be a good name for you...I've got it! From now on, girl, your name is Ghoulbeast- ...wait no- Deathjackal!

Dog: (whine)

Clayton after the builder finishes the toilet room: "I can't tell you how hard things have been trying to sneak out into the wilderness to...answer the call of nature in private. Especially with all this cabbage I've been eating. Just the other day, I hid behind a tree to...unburden myself...but just as I had...you know...with my britches, I saw that Rosie's eyes were fixed upon my...ahem! ...I beg your pardon? What exactly am I talking about, you ask? Are you really going to make me say it out loud?! It's... It's what people make after they've had something to eat! Why not try it yourself? Have a nice big meal with plenty of fibre, and then after a while, you will find your new room comes in very handy indeed! ...Oh, and by the way--the pot will probably start to fill up after a while. Perhaps there is some way you can make use of that...matter."

Wrigley: "If you'm wonderin' where to get your 'ands on night soil, look no further than that pot in the tiny room 'ee made. Don't worry about gettin' your 'ands dirty-- 'ee can clean 'em up with the towel you put in there!" (Omg that's such a funny euphemism for shit lol and they're not supposed to use water before wiping their hands?? But that might be an oversight cuz the nice worm doesn't have hands 😅)

Malroth when voicing his dissent on Bonanzo naming himself mayor of Furrowfield: "The only thing you're fit to lead us in is who's got the most feral facial hair. Besides, what kind of leader picks themselves? Where are your fanatical followers? Where are the zealots clamouring to give their lives in your name? Give it up, beardy."

Bonanzo in response: "You... But... Agh! He barges in out of nowhere, completely uninvited...and worst of all--he's right!"

Pastor Al: "Any leader worth following is chosen not by the bushiness of his beard, but by those he would lead." (Some very sage advice, PA should be a professional speech writer haha)

Malroth after being called a killjoy for not wanting to dress up for the harvest festival: "Be careful what you call me, Perry, or I'll show you joy's not the only thing I can kill!"

#dragon quest builders 2 #dqb2 #text post #video games

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mousegirlballs · 1 year ago

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I did read your tags and though I kinda agree with your points I have two things.

1. I think you're misreading the intent of the above poster, they probably mean "something I can ethically use." Given the problems they seem to have with it from other posts.

2. AI does actually have functional problems that make it hard to use even from a non ethics standpoint.

I don't have the link to the video on hand but some guy tested AI based on ethnic gender and ableist biases. He told it to generate hundreds of images for "autistic person photograph" He had to add the photograph part because everything came out as anime style white boys. But the results were staggering. 100% of them were depicted as being sad, all but one of them was a skinny white male with freckles. More than half of them had ginger hair.

Biasies like this DO lead to problems. If someone isn't actively thinking of diversity, or there's no human oversight at all (some text based AIs are being set up to write news articles and being attached to image AI to make the covers for said articles.) Then these systems will create a world in which no autistic person can be happy, or a woman, or any other skin tone than white with freckles. And humans who read these articles and see nothing but these examples will subconsciously think "this is what all autistic people look like."

A study on this was done before AI became a thing where the same text of an article was shown but with two photos of the same black man. The article was about him being wrongfully murdered by the police, explicitly stating that it was a mistake. When shown a mug shot nearly half of the readers stated he probably deserved it or was being violent. When show an image of him sad and alone in a cell they often said the officers would be tried for murder. When shown a picture of that man with his family they said he didn't deserve what hapoened to him, but rarely mentioned the officers.

And image AIs are also beginning to scrape images from fellow AIs or even scrape their own output. Causing several offshoots or even the main system to have inbreeding issues, where images with obvious mistakes made by an AI are being taken in as examples of how to do it right.

Text based AIs were also tested on history, math, physics, and literature. Asked questions like "when was America discovered." "What is 7 * 8" "a ball is dropped from 30 feet up, due to the force of gravity how long will it take to hit the ground?" And "name three characters from Romeo and Juliette" respectively.

During the beginning it would get roughly 80-90% correct depending on the subject. Nowadays they get only around 20% even with their best subjects.

These AI models are being used by companies to write news articles that people use to stay informed. Several have been caught obviously using AI because of wild inaccuracies unlike any a human writer has made before. These models ARE unusable for any use case other than sheer novelty. But having to curate the information that goes in might help these systems to stay as accurate as they were when first released, and allow them to become as complex as they are today while still maintaining that.

Maybe training image AIs on curated data will allow it to make more diverse images, and to avoid inbreeding. Maybe it'll just be more of the same. Maybe a human hand controlling what goes in will make it even worse.

We don't know because no one has tried it yet. But we know what they're doing now isn't working.

Personally I don't like the idea of AI the way it's being used either. Even if it worked perfectly. It's being used to replace abused undervalues workers. I've heard it all "now everyone can make art with only some free software." There's already free software you can use to make art, with tools that make it easier then a pen and paper. Or you could just pay an artist that subscription fee you pay the AI company. "Now we can complete our favorite fanfiction or get sequels to our favorite books." No one was stopping you from writing it before. Or paying an artist to make it for you. It'd probably be cheaper then the subscription since hobby writers value themselves so little.

And don't pretend that none of the people making these arguments pay the subscription. Most of them post several AI artworks a day and I know full well that these programs have a limit on how many you can make, and that's assuming they post everything they make, sometimes you have to run the same prompt 9 or 10 times before you get soemthing that looks good. Or you need to keep telling an text based AI to keep going because it doesn't know how to end a story but it cuts off after only a few paragraphs leaving you on yet another cliffhanger. Anyone serious enough to go to bat for AIs have either never used it and don't realize how "not free" it really is, or they are trying to justify the money they spent.

There's one hobby writing site I know of that had to shut down because they went from having roughly 30 submissions a week, to several thousand a day. Each of which they had a curate as if it was a regular book going to the site, with less than ten moderators doing it as a hobby. And they would have to send an email to each per their own policies, allowing the writer to argue that the judgment was wrong or to edit the book and re-submit it. The AI writer would always say their art was perfect and they judge was wrong. The admin of the site was quoted saying "the problem isn't that their work was good, it's that they think it is." And went on to say they could usually tell from the first paragraph. Because most writers use the same cookie cutter opening, and when they don't it's at least coherent. Where AIs don't use any openings at all. It's all cold opening right into the action, nothing but climax, no build up, no payoff. They'd have to change their policies in a way they don't like, and more then triple their moderators, just to possibly keep up. And for what? A site that doesn't even pay the writers, or have competitions, let alone prizes.

They just wanted praise without having to do anything. Often without even proofreading it themselves to make sure it uses the same name for the protagonist from start to finish (which it often didn't.).

I desperately want AI to be as good as they say it is, I really do. But let's not pretend it's useful as anything more than a VERY interesting novelty. At least so far.

Well, this would be interesting...

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denimbex1986 · 11 months ago

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'In English filmmaker Andrew Haigh’s All of Us Strangers, grief is overwhelming. Emotions run deep, relationships ebb within the span of a scene, and loneliness becomes all-consuming. Haigh’s ephemeral drama follows Adam (a darting Andrew Scott) as he begins a relationship with Harry (Paul Mescal in another role as a broken young man), while he grapples with the death of his parents many years ago. He visits these parents (Claire Foy and Jamie Bell), remembering them as they once were, sleeping in his childhood home, telling them about his childhood, his sexuality, and his immense sadness.

Haigh’s films often contain this amount of emotional weight, this blanket of innate feeling. He oscillates with the novels he chooses to adapt, most recently taking on grim brutality in The North Water––far from the brighter touch of his newest film, even if both stories retain high levels of intensity. With All of Us Strangers, Haigh tells a ghost story, a tale mixing reality and imagination. He leaves the film in the hands of the audience, most of which are weeping by the end of the film. Those tears are likely a byproduct of Scott’s performance, expressive in the twitching of his face, in the amount of exhaustion he constantly shows.

Haigh pulls out immense performances from Foy and Bell as these parents lost in time. Their scenes with Scott center the film, which can drift into untethered scenes, into an ethereality too difficult to hold onto. The writer-director adapted the story from 1987’s Strangers by Taichi Yamada, introducing a queer romance into the story, making major changes to the original source material. The resulting film feels wholly original, brought from Haigh’s own personal experiences, hinging on honesty, emotion, and rawness.

Ahead of the film opening in limited release this week, we chatted with Haigh about that adaptation, about his directorial shooting oversight, and finding a balance between reality and ambiguity.

The Film Stage: The conversations that Adam has with his parents are so frank, so direct. How did you land on that specific tone, especially with such changes in the adaptation?

As you know, in the original story, there’s no queer character. So all of this is obviously a departure from the novel. But I really wanted those scenes to get into the nitty-gritty of an experience that Adam had when he was younger––essentially an experience of a whole generation of queer men who were my generation. It was not easy to come to terms with your sexuality in the ’80s, for obvious reasons. It was a pretty horrendous time to be queer into the ’90s.

But what I found so good about those scenes––and why I enjoyed it, and why it took a long time to write––was they became two things at the same time: they became about what it was like for everybody within that period of time, but it also became very specific about the mother and the son, and the father and the son, and what he needed––or thought he needed––from those people. There’s a world in which, if he’s brought his mum back to life, you would have thought that the scene with the mum might have been just beautiful and lovely and all accepting. But that isn’t what Adam needs. Adam needs something more complicated in order to dig a little bit deeper into his own feelings about internalized homophobia, something that he might have felt growing up. And so I’ve loved the idea that there could be lots of different things within those scenes at the same time.

And those scenes are staged with a consistent pattern of shots. The in-focus character talking is usually behind the shoulder of another person. We almost always see a part of someone in the foreground.

Who Adam is, as a person, is so informed by his parents. So as much as I could, I wanted them all in the same frame. And in the end––when he’s in the diner, for example––they really are part of him. They’re so close to the back of his head, that part of his imagination, his subconscious––which essentially you could read it as a ghost or you can read it as a figment of his imagination, whatever it might be. I felt like I needed them to stay and remain in the same frame as much as I could throughout the whole scenes, basically, whereas other times––when you go much tighter and you’re away from them––that makes sense, too.

But it’s so funny. You want the film to exist where no one really thinks about those things. But all of those are choices. I spent a long time in pre-production trying to work out: what am I trying to make the audience feel at this point? What am I trying to say? How can my shots reflect what doesn’t need to be edited? Is there coverage? Is there not coverage? What does each scene need to do?

It’s funny: as a moviegoer, I’m always wondering if something is intentional or not.

I don’t shoot that much; I don’t shoot a lot of coverage. I know exactly what I want it to feel like.

You mention that people can take it as a ghost story, as imagination, etc, and I’d like to know more about that ambiguity. How do you find that balance between reality and something feeling too ephemeral to even grab onto?

Look: it’s a hard balance. It’s always a barrier. And with this it was really difficult. I know it’s hard, we’re trying to calibrate it. There’s a mystery to it, still, because you’re dealing with very strange emotions, and I want those emotions to feel mysterious. But then you lose everybody because nothing makes sense––then that doesn’t work either. I was just constantly trying to work it from an emotional place. Does this feel right, emotionally, for Adam? Everything is from Adam’s perspective. Does it feel right that we’re going to the right places with him? And you’re taking a risk that it won’t work for everybody.

Some people will be frustrated; some people will love it. Some people think it’s too much; some people think it’s too little. You have to be okay with that and put it out into the world. Being like this is not going to please everybody. They’ll want more clarification, or someone will need more or less clarification. Someone wants it to be more sentimental. Some will think it’s too sentimental, or whatever it might be. I have to feel like it works for me, I suppose.

One of those emotions or ideas in the film is nostalgia, which I’ve seen you mention in other interviews. People usually think of nostalgia around positive memories, though. How were you looking at nostalgia as something more painful and difficult to return to?

The initial feeling of nostalgia is something that is warm and comforting. As you say, “Back in the old days.” But of course it’s a rose-tinted version of the past. And we never move forward, unless you actually dig a little bit deeper into the past. For example, even politically: Brexit in the UK, right, I think was something that happened out of nostalgia for the past that was never real. And I think that’s often what nostalgia does. It can be quite dangerous, nostalgia, because it stops us actually understanding the problems of the past and the things that we need to deal with.

When he first goes down to the house, it’s like, “Oh, this is warm, lovely, and sweet. And it’s gorgeous. We’re going to have such a lovely little time with our parents.” And then you dig a little bit deeper, and then the truth comes out. It’s why I’m fascinated by nostalgia: because there is always something that it’s telling us that we’re pretending doesn’t exist.

In a film with this much emotion and the range of visceral reactions at screenings––like hearing someone sob next to you––what kind of weight does all of that immense emotion hold on you? When you create something with this amount of emotion, how does it affect you?

I’ve always been this kind of person. I’m an emotional person. I find it incredibly cathartic, sometimes, to cry my eyes out in a theater. I remember seeing the animated documentary Flee, which I really loved. I was sobbing by the end of that film. I was a wreck, an absolute wreck, and I couldn’t speak. But then I felt lighter afterwards. I feel like life is very difficult and complicated. I understand that it’s difficult and complicated––we all experience difficult, complicated things. Sometimes we just need to have an emotional reaction and get it out. The whole film is about stuff that we keep buried and we don’t let out. So if an audience has an emotional reaction to it, of course––great. They don’t have to burst into tears, either. I hope that that is a cathartic release, and not just a painful release.

I’ve got to ask about Jamie Bell’s sweaters. They’re so specific––they look worn, perfect for the time.

It’s so funny. I can’t tell you how many photos we looked at––pictures of my dad at that time and pictures of other people’s dads, the costume designers’ dads. They were very specific, sweaters in the ’80s. In the UK they were very specific. Again, it’s funny: it’s actually a good question because I wanted you to be able to feel it. When he hugs his son and you see that sweater, I want you to be able to sort of feel that, almost. And remember what that texture of those sweaters felt like and so much of the film is about feeling. I wanted to express the feeling, not just of loneliness, but of comfort and love and intimacy. How do you do that? Touch is so vital and important and sensual.'

#Andrew Haigh #All of Us Strangers #Strangers #Taichi Yamada #Andrew Scott #Paul Mescal #Jamie Bell #Claire Foy #The North Water

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sarah-dipitous · 2 years ago

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Hellsite Nostalgia Tour 2023 Day 121

All Dogs Go to Heaven/The End of Time Part 2

“All Dogs Go to Heaven”

Plot Description: Sent to investigate an apparent werewolf attack, Dean and Sam follow the clues to a mother and son with an unusual dog

(FINALLY someone listed Dean first. It is his birth right as the elder sibling)

Would I Survive the First Five Minutes??: probably not. Guy didn’t stand a chance, and he didn’t make any horrifically stupid mistakes

Crowley is fucking ruthless

I love the boys being absolutely RUDE, downright INSULTING to the cops while posing as feds

Damn, Sam. You said DEAN was the shoot first ask questions later guy. But now you don’t even wanna INVESTIGATE this guy before definitely declaring him a werewolf??

I’m sorry…what?? I mean, sure it was the dog. You could glean that from the description but…this is…it’s disturbing

Oh god, is the DOG THIS LADY’S EX(/a werewolf)???

SAM!!! That is circumstantial evidence at BEST. (And we know it’s not her)

Sam really would sell anyone to Satan for a corn chip these days. Damn.

Oh no. It’s not a werewolf, but I’m pretty sure it’s wildly disrespectful to indigenous people if *I* say what it actually is

SAM. *SAM*!!!! It shouldn’t be funny. But Sam addressing this dude like a literal dog (because that’s the form he’s taken the whole time) and then answering the guy’s “go to hell” with “already been. Didn’t agree with me” he’s so sassy

There’s THIRTY of them?? Oh…it’s…as Dean said, a sleeper cell. He was supposed to turn the family he’s been staying with once he gets the word

Sam noooo not the whistle and trying to get him to play fetch. Stoppppp

The entire episode is just me yelling “Sam!! No!!” He wanted Dean to take the shot on the pack leader even with innocent people in the way

Oh…so you can just shoot them normally, I guess?? It’s super anticlimactic when you can just shoot them normally, though Bobby usually has whatever the boys need to kill a monster, so it’s not like that’s typically a problem

Sam telling Dean the things he’s done since losing his soul, and then saying that even though things were harder when he had one, he wants to go back to being that guy. I won’t lie, if he’s not lying, I’m proud of him.

“Been On My Mind…”: Nope. 3.

“The End of Time Part 2”

Plot Description: The Doctor faces the end of his life as the Master’s plans hurtle out of control

I DON’T WANT HIM TO GOOOOO. I literally waited til the last minute I thought I could possibly get through this before midnight arrived. My decompression time after work needed to be a lot longer than normal

God…I kinda wish I knew more about Old Who. I know precious little about the Time Lords outside the Doctor and the Master (though obviously less about him).

Is it bad that Donna’s making me wanna dye my hair again? I’ve been really good at not because I might wanna go back to my natural color…but who knows??

HE CALLED HER HIS BEST FRIENDDDDDD 😭😭😭 like I know it but…to hear him say it

These moments between the Doctor and the Master…can you imagine having one person and one person only in the entire universe who could possibly understand everything you’ve gone through? And they do, and they HATE you, and you COULD love them if they’d only back down a LITTLE (aaaaaaaaand I’ve just described Touya and Shoto again. godDAMMIT)

THIS BODY WAS BORN OUT OF DEATH, ALL IT CAN DO IS DIE?!?!?!?!?!?! When will these writers from 2009/2010 stop hurting my feelings about 2022/2023 manga things????

Yeah, this rescue could be better

Wilf is so excited (if a little scared) to be in space. Bless him

I can’t tell if the camera just moved or if the ship actually fell a little…but it’s in SPACE WITH NO GRAVITY. It shouldn’t do that

Hilarious that “night has fallen” so all 6 billion or something people/Masters HAVE to start just listening as though there aren’t ones who are potentially still asleep from….like, does he have no idea about time zones? Bit of an oversight for a TIME lord, if you ask me

OKAY. Time out. There’s allowing whatever to happen in your sci-fi and then there’s allowing JUST ANYTHING to happen. The Time Lords threw a diamond from inside the time lock into a projected image of Earth from the end of time and it showed up on real Earth in 2009?? Come on…

Oh, sweetie, your condition just keeps getting worse

I still don’t trust this woman who talked to Wilf on the TV and has now found him on the alien ship

…the Master changed not just alive humans but corpses too? Skeletons?? What the absolute fuck

“We must look like insects to you” “I think you look like giants” 💔 The Doctor and Wilf have such a special and sweet relationship. It’s gonna rip my heart out when he’s the one who will knock four times

Oh wow. There’s a lot I forgot. Hearing Wilf tell the Doctor to not put the Master ahead of making sure that every human returns to being themselves

The terror on David’s face when he hears what the diamond is

(Ok I’ve got another Touya parallel to the Master, but I might have to wait and do an edit later because we are running out of time)

Of course the Doctor can just fix the ship, all parts of it…just like that in a couple minutes

I was gonna say “this is some Star Wars shit (neutral)” but that would actually be very appropriate for today.

Yeah, bestie, that’s what happens when you jump out of a space ship, through glass, onto a marble floor with no parachute

I AM SO FUCKING INTERESTED IN EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED IN THE TIME WAR

I sympathize with this seemingly impossible decision…but the decision to destroy the gate is so great

AND THEN THE MASTER SACRIFICING HIMSELF AND GETTING HIS REVENGE ON THE TIME LORDS WHO IMPLANTED THE DRUMS IN HIS HEAD

(I might not end in time for midnight…this is a longer episode than I thought, I’m pretty sure now)

The melodrama of the Doctor’s agony in the box with the radiation vs it just ending and he just…gets up

Oh…he’s doing his farewell tour, saving his companions and/or their family members

Man, now we’re even in a Star Wars-esque cantina…I swear I didn’t do this on purpose

Oh, the granddaughter of the woman from The family of blood

Well, midnight came and we’re at Donna’s wedding

Wilf blowing a very tiny kiss to the Doctor as he turns and leaves 😭😭😭😭😭😭

GODDDD I FORGOT HE VISITS ROSE IN 2005, TOO

“The universe will sing you to your sleep” can you IMAGINE???

My heart hurrrrrts watching this. I don’t wanna say good bye to Daviddddddd

Oh hi Matt! You strange giraffe of a man

#hellsite nostalgia tour 2023 #it’s a few minutes late because I didn’t want to go

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felassan · 4 years ago

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Dragon Age development insights and highlights from Bioware: Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development

Some really tasty factoids here.

Cut for length.

Dragon Age: Origins

The continent of Thedas was at one point going to be named Pelledia, a name initially floated by James Ohlen

“Qunari” was a temporary name that ended up unintentionally sticking, much like “Thedas”

Mary Kirby wrote the Landsmeet. To this day, nobody understands how it works, except possibly her. If she’s “really really drunk” she can explain how it works. There’s as many words in it as Sten’s entire conversations put together

Concept art for Thedosian art - as in in-world art - draws heavily on Renaissance-era portraiture, the Art Nouveau movement, religious styles and media like stained glass, and favorite pieces from the golden age of illustrations in the early 20th century

Andrastianism in-world (art-wise) is depicted in wildly different methods depending on who in-world made the art in question. “One religion, 3 different lenses”. There’s the Chantry take, the Orlesian take and the Fereldan take; each with its own different interpretations, different mediums and different stories

The stained glass images were drawn by Nick Thornborrow for DAI, to decorate religious spaces in that game “and beyond”

irl Viking art influenced Ferelden

Greek and Italian art influenced Orlais

The book also had other insights into and anecdotes from the development of DAO, but I’ve transcribed them recently as they’re essentially the stories DG has recently been relating on the awesome Summerfall Studios DAO playthrough Twitch streams. (On those streams he provides dev commentary while Liam Esler plays through DA. The ones with DG are currently once every two weeks. Check them out! Here’s a calendar where you can check when the next one is) Instead of repeating myself I’ll just provide the link to the first transcript. From there you can navigate to the subsequent parts. Note these streams are ongoing. At this point I will also point you to a related post which is cliff notes of the Dragon Age chapter in Jason Schreier’s book Blood Sweat and Pixels.

Dragon Age II

DAO had the longest development period in BioWare history. In contrast DA2 had the shortest

Initially DA2 was going to be an expansion to DAO. A few months in EA said “Yeah, expansions like these don’t sell very well, so let’s make it a sequel.” So it suddenly became DA2 and they had to make it even bigger, although they still only had 1.5 years of time in which to do this

Production of DA2 officially lasted only 9 months, and at the time the team was still supporting live content for DAO! They finished development that January after the design team crunched all the way through the holiday period that year. Then it went to cert 9 times

The limited time they had is why the story takes place mostly in and around 1 city, and over 7 years (so it was temporal, rather than over physical distance, because a more expansive world would have taken more irl time to make)

They had no time to review even the main plot. Mike Laidlaw pitched the idea of 3 stories taking place at different points in the PC’s life, tied together by Varric’s recollections of events. DG rolled with this and made 1 presentation on the idea. This presentation was then approved and off they went

As they were writing DG realized that there was going to be no oversight and that everything was going to be a ‘first draft’. “Because nobody had time.” He sat down with the writers and said “Look, here’s the conditions we’re working under. A lot of what we’re putting out is gonna be raw. We’re not going to get the editing we need. We’re not going to get the kind of iteration we need. So I’m going to trust you all to do your best work.”

Looking back, DG has mixed feelings on DA2. “A lot of corners were cut. The public perception was that it was smaller than DAO. That’s a sin on its own.”

Despite this he thinks DA2 has some of the best writing in the series, especially character-wise. The DA2 chars are his favorite

The pace with which production progressed may in some ways have helped. “When we do a lot of revision, we often file away [as in buff off] some of the good writing as well. Somehow DA2′s whirlwind process resulted in some really good writing”

The pace meant chars landed on the writers in various stages of completion. For example Isabela was fairly defined due to appearing in DAO. In contrast Varric at the start was just that single piece of widely-shown concept art

Varric was conceived as a storyteller not a fighter. His skills are talking and bullshitting. Hence the question became, so what does this guy do in combat? The direction was to make him as different as possible to Oghren, so not a warrior. He couldn’t be a dual-wielding rogue in order to differentiate him from Bela. But you can’t really picture this guy with a bow. “For a dwarf, it would probably be a crossbow. We didn’t have crossbows, or we only had crossbows for the darkspawn. And they were part of the models. We didn’t have a separate crossbow that was equip-able by the chars. They had to like, crop one off a darkspawn and remodel it. And that became Bianca” (quote: Mary Kirby)

“Dwarven mages are exceedingly rare.” [???]

If DAO was a classic fantasy painting, DA2 was a screenshot from a Kurosawa film or a northern Renaissance painting. (Here Matt Rhodes was commenting on art style)

John Epler: “In any one of our games, there’s a 95% chance that if you turn the camera away from what it’s looking at, you’ll see all kinds of janky stuff. The moment we know the camera is no longer facing someone, we no longer care what happens to them. We will teleport people around. We will jump people around. We will literally have someone walk off screen and then we will shift them 1000 meters down, because we’re fixing some bug.” John also talked about this camera stuff in a recent charity Twitch stream for Gamers For Groceries. There’s a writeup of that stream here

Designing Kirkwall pushed concept artists to the limits of visual storytelling, because it has a long history that they wanted to be present. It was once the hub of Tevinter’s slave empire, so it needed to look brutal and harsh, but it also then needed to feel reclaimed, evolved, and with elements of contemporary Free Marches culture

The initial plan was for DA titles to be distinguished by subtitles not numbers, so that each experience could stand on its own rather than feel like a sequel or continuation. (My note: New PCs in each entry make sense then when you consider this and other factoids we know like how DA is the story of the world not of any one PC). Later, DA2′s name was made DA2 in a bid to more clearly connect the game to its predecessor. For DAI they returned to the original naming convention. (My note: so I’d reckon they’d be continuing the subtitle naming convention for DA4)

DA2 was initially code-named “Nug Storm”, strictly internally

The Cancelled DA2 Expansion - Exalted March

This was a precursor to DAI

It was meant to bridge the gap between DA2 and DAI

It focused on the fallout from Kirkwall’s explosion, with Cory serving as the villain

Meredith’s red lyrium statue was basically going to infest Kirkwall and it would end up [with what would end up] the red templars taking over Kirkwall and essentially being Cory’s army

To stop him Hawke would have recruited various factions, including Bela’s Felicisima Armada and the Qunari at Estwatch, forcing Hawke to split loyalties and risk relationships in the process

It was meant to bring DA2′s story to an end and end in Varric’s death. DG was very happy with this because all of DA2 is Varric’s tale. The expansion was supposed to start at the moment Cassandra’s interrogation of him ended in the present. “And we finished off the story with Varric having this heroic death.” It tied things up and would have broken many fan hearts, something BioWare writers notoriously enjoy. But between a transition to the new Frostbite engine and the scope of DAI, the decision was made to cancel EM, work any hard-to-lose concepts into DAI, and in the process save Varric’s life. DG has talked about the Varric dying thing before

Concept art for EM explored new areas previously not depicted in the DA universe, with costumes that reflected next steps for familiar chars. Varric was going to war, what would he have worn? With Anders, if he survived DA2, the plan was to present a redeemed Warden

A char that vaguely resembled Sera in DAI was first concepted for EM. This fact was mentioned near this concept art (see the female elf) and this concept art of Bethany with the blond bob

The writers sketched out plans to end it with Hawke having the option to marry their LI. This included alternate ceremonies for party members like Bethany and Sebastian if the player opted not to wed. There was even a wedding dress made for Hawke. This asset made it into DAI (Sera and Cullen’s weddings in Trespasser). The dress can also be seen in DAI during an ambient NPC wedding after completing a chain of war table missions

The destruction of a Chantry was explored in concept art as it might have happened in EM. This idea ended up carrying over to the beginning of DAI. (My note: Lol, the idea that DA2 could have had 2 Chantries being destroyed in it 😆)

World of Thedas

Sheryl Chee and Mary Kirby started with “a disgusting little dish called fluffy mackerel pudding”. In the middle of DAO’s busy dev period one of them (they can’t remember who) found a recipe online for this, scanned in from a 70s cookbook. “I don’t understand why it was fluffy. Why would you want fluffy mackerel pudding?” MK says. “We loved it so much we included it in a DAO codex.”

This led them to create more food for Thedas, full recipes included, like a Fereldan turnip and barley stew from MK and SC’s Starkhaven fish and egg pie. The fish pie became Sebastian’s favorite. “To me it made sense for it to be fish pie because a lot of the Free Marches are on the coast”, SC says, “It was something that was popular in medieval times, so I thought, let’s make a fish pie! I looked at medieval recipes and I concocted a fish pie which I fed to my partner, and he was like ‘This is not terrible’”

For WoT the whole studio was asked to contribute family recipes which might have a place in Thedas. SC adapted these to fit in one Thedosian culture or another, including a beloved banana bread that localization producer Melanie Fleming would regularly bake to keep the DA team motivated. “Melanie’s banana bread got us through Inquisition”

DAI

It says part of DAI takes place in or near the border with Nevarra [???]

This game was aimed to be bigger than DA2 and even DAO in every conceivable way

The first hour had to do a lot of heavy lifting, tying together the events of DAO and DA2 while introducing a new PC, new followers etc in the aftermath of the big attack. DG rewrote it 7 times then Lukas Kristjanson did 2 more passes

DG: “Our problem is always that our endings are so important, but we leave them to last, when we have no time. I kept pushing on DAI: ‘Can we work on the ending now? Can we work on the ending now? Can we do it early on?’ Because I knew exactly what it was going to be. But despite the fact that it kept getting scheduled, whenever the schedule started falling behind, it kept getting pushed back... so, of course, it got left til last again.”

“The reveal of the story’s real antagonist, Solas, a follower until the end, when he betrayed the player”. “Solas’ story remains a main thread in Inquisition’s long-awaited follow-up” [these aren’t DG quotes, just bits of general text]

Over the course of development they had 8 full-time writers and 4 editors working on it. Other writers joined later to help wrangle what ended up being close to 1 million words of dialogue and unspoken text. While many teams moved to a more open concept style of work for DAI, the writers remained tucked away in their own room, a choice DG says was necessary, given how much they talked. All the talking had a purpose ofc as if someone hit a bump or wall in their writing they would open the problem up to the room

As writing on a project like DAI progresses, the writers grow punchier and weirder things make it into the game. This is especially the case towards the end of a project (they get tired, burned out)

Banter and codexes require less ‘buy-in’ (DG has talked about this concept a few times on the Twitch streams) from other designers. DG liked to leave banter for last as a reward because it was fun. Banter begins as lists of topics for 2 followers to discuss. These may progress over time or be one off exchanges. One banter script can balloon to well over 10k words. “The banter was always huge because we were always like, laughing, and really at that point, our fields of fucks were rather barren, so we would just do whatever”

The bog unicorn happened pretty much by accident. It was designed by Matt Rhodes and was one of his fav things to design. They needed horse variations and he had already designed an undead variant which was a bog mummy [bog body]. irl these are preserved in a much different way to traditional mummies. When someone dies in a bog their skin turns black and raisin-like. The examples we know of tend to have bright red hair for whatever reason. It’s a very striking look and MR wanted to do a horse version of this as he thought it’d be neat. 5 mins before the review meeting for it he had a big ‘Aha!’ moment, quickly looked up a rusty old Viking sword, and photoshopped it through its skull like that was how it died. “And I was like, ‘I just made a unicorn. Alright, in it goes!’” It got approved. “So we built the thing. It fit. It told a little story”

With the irl Inquisition longsword, one of the objects they tested its cleaving ability on was a plush version of Leliana’s nug Schmooples

The concept art team explored a wide variety of visuals for the Inquisitor’s signature mark. It needed to look powerful and raw but couldn’t look like a horrific wound. In some cases, as cool as the idea looked on paper, they just weren’t technically feasible, especially as they had to be able to fit on any number of different bodies

Bug report: “Endlessly spawning mounts! At one point during development, Inquisitors could summon a new horse every time they whistled, allowing them to amass a near infinite number of eager steeds that faithfully followed them across Thedas. “You could go charging across levels and they’d all gallop behind you,” Jen Cheverie says, “It was beautiful.” Trotting into town became an epic horse siege as a tidal wave of mounts enveloped the streets. Jen called it her Army of Ponies”

The giants came from DA Week, an internal period when devs can pursue different individual creative projects that in some way benefit DA. They also had a board game from one of these that they were going to put in but they didn’t have time. It’s referenced though. It was dwarven chess

Josie’s outfit is made of gold silk and patterned velvet, with leather at her waist. She carries “an ornate ledger” and she has “an ornamented collar sitting around her neck, finished by a brilliant red ruby, like a drop of Antivan wine in a sunbeam”

Iron Bull’s armor is leather. His loose pantaloons and leather boots give him agility to charge

On DAI in particular, concept artists took special care to make sure costumes would be realistic, at least in a practical ‘this obeys the laws of physics and textiles’ sense. “While on Inquisition, we thought about cosplay from a concept art perspective. Given how incredible a lot of [cosplays] are, I now am not worried about them. In fact in some cases in the future I want to throw them curveballs like, ‘All right, you clever bastards. Let’s see if you can do this!’”

2 geese that nested on the office building and had chicks were named Ganders and Arishonk (it wasn’t known who was the mom or the dad). Other possible names were Carver Honke, Bethany Honke, Urdnot Pecks, Quackwall, Cassandra Pentagoose, the Iron Bill, Shepbird, Garroose, Admiral Quackett, Scout Honking, HChick-47 and Darth Malgoose

Bug report: “The surprising adventures of Ser Noodles!” DAI was the first time the series had a mount feature, meaning this had a lot of bugs. A lot of the teams’ favorite bugs were to do with the mounts. There was a period of time where the Inquisitor’s horse seemed to lose all bone and muscle in its legs. They had a week or so where all quadruped legs were broken. It was a bit noticeable in things like nugs and other small beasties but the horse was insanely obvious. “The first time we summoned the horse [for this] and started running around, the entire QA exploration room just exploded with laughter.” Its legs flapped around like cooked fettucine, leading testers to lovingly nickname it Ser Noodles. At galloping speeds the legs almost looked like helicopter blades, especially when footage was set to classic pieces such as Wagner’s Flight of the Valkyries

For DAI the artists were asked questions like “What would Morrigan wear to a formal ball? Can Cassandra pull off a jaunty hat?”

On DAI storyboarding became the norm. John Epler: “Cinematic design for the longest time was the Wild West. It was ‘here’s a bunch of content, now do it however you want’, which resulted in some successes and some failures.” Storyboarding gave designers a consistent visual blueprint based on ideas from designers, writers and concept artists

Quote from a storyboard by Nick Thornborrow (the Inquisitor going into the party at the end of basegame sequence): “Until Corypheus revealed himself they could not see the single hand behind the chaos. A magister and a darkspawn combined. The ultimate evil. So evil. Eviler than puppy-killers and egg farts combined.”

A general note on concept art:

In the early stages of any project, before the concept artists are aware of any writing, they like to just draw what they think cool story moments could be. It’s not unusual for the team to then be inspired by these and fold them into the game as the project progresses

– From Bioware: Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development

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connecticutsfinestconfessions · 10 months ago

Note

Alright it's time for some controversial hot takes because I keep seeing the same points brought up over and over again and its kind of frustrating to me personally

>Epic of Remnant wasn't edited right?

What we do know about Epic of Remnant was that relatively little oversight was given to the writers. Nasu wanted to see their unique ideas take form. What a lot of people have interpreted this as being is that the chapters went completely unedited, and that the chapters we got were almost surely just the final draft just directly injected into the game.

But like think about that for a moment. That makes no sense. That's not how you would handle a massive property like this. Remember, making a chapter takes time. You have to know who the characters are in order to commission the artists to draw them, the graphic design people to make the sprite work, the game designers to make the stages. It makes no sense for the writer's to have gone completely solo.

What's more likely is that Nasu gave over most of the writing process to the writers, giving them rather limited or even no real expectations about what he wanted them to write. There was likely still some editing: there has to be for the sake of like, readability and character consistency and what not. Writing doesn't strictly happen in a back room and nobody else knows what's going on.

Agartha was likely Minase's original idea, rather than being something that was workshopped before hand. I don't think editing is to blame here.

>The good bits of Ooku were Nasu and the bad bits were Minase

This is maybe the worst possible opinion I've seen? This is just wrong. This just flatly isn't how collaborative writing works. At its most charitable, you might be able to point to specific chapters and go "oh, Minase wrote this one, I can tell from the style of the writing in this chapter." Authors working on separates parts is not necessarily wrong, but Nasu and Minase would have liked, worked together. It wasn't two separate scripts that somehow fit together like jigsaw pieces. The bad parts of Ooku, very likely, on both of them, as were the good parts.

The fact that nobody can really even point to any specific place that seems like Minase writing, because each of the authors does have identifiers that mark their writing as unique, suggests this is also not a real criticism. We know LB4 was written by Minase, his writing is distinctive. It points to the fact that Minase could have possibly not even written the script, or maybe vise-verse, that Nasu didn't write any of the script and that Minase was the primary writer.

The unfortunate truth is that unless Nasu or Minase goes into more detail about the creative process, we're never going to know for sure. We can make guesses based on what is typical for writing processes in companies, but to be honest, we're never actually going to know, and I think trying to claim specific pieces of writing for one author or another doesn't really do either author any good.

Minase writes some truly shit shlock, but also some very thoughful writing. Nasu is generally a great writer, but I'm sure a lot of people have complicated opinions on Tsukihime. We are not merely good or bad writers: we are defined by our works inherently. Until we know how Ooku was written, it has reflect on both of them; both its positives and its negatives.

my ultimate hot take is that Minase needs to decide if he's going to be a good writer for FGO or not!!! Minase is like. this fucking enigma of a person when it comes to the quality of his writing in FGO like. he's the script writer for the Prillya anime and co-wrote the Prillya event for FGO, which was so badly received Hiroyama never wrote for FGO again. he was also responsible for Agartha, which is universally hated. so it should stand he's just an awful writer and we should just expect everything he writes to be bad right.

but also he's done most of the Valentine events which are hit-or-miss but usually decent. and then the dude writes Yuga Kshetra and Paper Moon, arguably some of the best FGO content not written by Nasu. like what the fuck. it's like the dude decides every time he writes for FGO "i'm either gonna put actual effort into this or half-ass it until the deadline comes" and it's so!!! either just consistently be a good author or not stop making it a guessing game whenever we know you're gonna write something!!!

Yeah it's REALLY bizarre innit. On one hand I enjoyed LB4 so, so much more than I enjoyed any of the previous LBs. It's a thoughtful lostbelt that really felt like it got to the core of what Fate is. It's got great emotional moments, good twists, and is generally written as if the reader is a bit intelligent but not necessarily cryptic.

But then you run into a Valentine's day event and its "oh no men who don't get chocolate are an oppressed class" and I greatly reconsider the act of being literate.

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askhubertvonvestra · 3 years ago

Note

A parchment scroll arrives on Hubert’s desk. The sender was grateful he was not in his office to receive it, as its contents are better left read in private.

“Dear Hubert,

There is something I need to confess. I know something that I shouldn’t, and this secret’s been on my chest for too long now. It’s making me a worse soldier. The truth is, the reason I’ve gone back to avoiding you recently isn’t because you’re scaring me, or because you’re forgetting about the flower. It’s because…”

There are several scribbled out lines, as though the author could not figure out how to say what she wanted to. The final draft reads,

“I was supposed to train with Petra in the training grounds one afternoon. But when I got there, I realized I forgot my water canteen, and went back to my dorm room for it. But right when I was about to open the door, I heard you talking to Ferdinand.”

There is more scribbling. However, this time the words “about imported tea” are somewhat readable.

“It seemed really important to you. And the last thing I wanted was to upset you or embarrass you by opening my door and going back to the training grounds. Because I thought you might not want to be friends anymore if you knew that I knew before you told everyone.”

There are a few splotches on the parchment here, as though the writer were in tears.

“Why am I telling you this now? It’s because last week we were supposed to do Stable Duty together, and you were being so nice to me, and I totally ignored you. And I could tell I might be hurting your feelings…and I just missed you and thought I owed you the truth. It’s okay if you don’t want me in the army anymore, or if you don’t want to be friends anymore. But I couldn’t stop feeling guilty, so I knew I had to say something. I’m really, really, really sorry!

Your (hopefully) friend, Bernadetta.

PS: if it’s worth anything I’m really happy for you!”

((A note for the mun! It’s cause I noticed their A+ appears to be outside the first floor dorms, so I was curious if a certain someone may have overheard…))

Bernadetta,

While the moment was decidedly personal, it was our oversight to have it in a public space. You are not even slightly at fault for this—situation.

That said, I would prefer that we keep the subject between you and I for the time being. I hope that sharing this secret with me will absolve you of this unwarranted guilt. Rest assured that I do have the flower you gifted me, but I must choose to wear it at selective moments. I trust that you understand.

You have my apologies for not noticing that you had nearly opened the door. I should have been more attentive. Such negligence will not happen again.

When we decide to tell everyone... what we wish to tell, I will inform you in person. Flower properly affixed and all.

As much as I am disappointed in myself for this lapse on my part, it would still not be sufficient to end our friendship. At least not on my behalf.

May this thought be some comfort in darker times. There’s no need to shed tears over something that will not come to pass.

I was concerned that I had frightened you, and the prospect did sadden trouble me, but I am glad to have been mistaken. Your companionship was sorely missed as well. You owe me no apology, but I will accept it if that negates your misplaced guilt.

Regards,

Hubert von Vestra

Thank you.

[Aww, that’s a cute/funny thought! He’d be so shy about it, but he’ll come around. Even if he stopped to stare at this letter after every paragraph for about 15 minutes. It took a long time for him to write, lol.]

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cinnaminsvga · 4 years ago

Text

Sweeter than Strawberries | Jungkook

→ summary: at euphoria bakery, seasonal changes also bring seasonal menu items. when you find out that your favorite strawberry shortcake milkshake was phased out after the end of summer, it takes only one puppy eyed look from you for jeon jungkook to make it for you anyway—just don’t tell his boss about it, alright?

→ genre: bakery!au, s2l, fluff → warnings: none unless you count the fact that i’m writing shy!jungkook again :^D, we love mutual pining in this house ex dee → words: 4.5K → a/n: this was commissioned by @ihatemathanal!! i was super stoked to write this bc it’s really cute and sometimes it’s nice to just write happy fluffy things every once in a while (aka zee is turning into a fluff writer jfc) it got a lil longer than it was supposed to, but that’s bc i got carried away lol anyway i hope you guys enjoy!! (ps: this also works for the bgw bingo so... tyg for s2l fics!! let’s get it!!)

For the most part, the beginning of autumn is usually your favorite time of the year. When the tree leaves begin to yellow and the air gains a significantly colder bite, this signifies the end of pit stains and sweaty thighs and the start of sweater paws and chapped lips. Above all, you are most excited, of course, for an excuse to gorge yourself on steaming mugs of hot chocolate, paired with delicious mountains of warm gooey brownies.

For the most part, these are all things that often get you excited for the coming chill. What you do not think to remember, however, is that while these seasonal changes bring more good than bad, there still remains a little snag: a small oversight, if you will. As businesses all over the world begin the annual transition to the colder months, so does your favorite bakery across the street from your university. After all, summer ingredients grow scarcer as the year nears its end, so it’s understandable for bakeries to switch up their menu to keep up with both the supply and demand.

What does any of this have to do with anything? Well, long story short—

Your favorite strawberry shortcake milkshake is about to get phased out. No, scratch that—it’s already been phased out, right from under your very nose, no less!

You shouldn’t have been surprised, really. You have always known it was a specialty drink; your best friend had even been the one to introduce it to you just near the end of your summer classes:

“This is Euphoria Bakery,” Namjoon had said with a smile, waving cheerily at the two boys manning the till. You heard him chuckle in amusement when your eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, staring longingly at the sweet treats and baked goods lining the display case.

Namjoon had stolen your attention away, however, when he pointed to the chalkboard menu on the wall. As it turned out, the bakery also doubled as a cafe, serving the usual coffees and teas while also making the occasional specialty drink for different seasons or holidays. The chalkboard was decorated beautifully, the menu items written out in neat cursive with tiny little doodles littering its margins. On one of the boards, there was a new drink item being advertised in bold pink letters—a great summer treat!—or so it said.

“Jungkook-ssi, can you get me and Y/N a strawberry shortcake milkshake? Extra whipped cream for me, please!” Namjoon called out to one of the boys, startling the younger of the two. The boy, Jungkook, must have been busy fiddling with the cash register that he hadn’t noticed your arrival.

“N-Namjoon-hyung? Sorry, I was just busy counting the money—” Jungkook stopped short in his speech, his tongue getting caught in his mouth when his eyes landed directly on you. He had made a strangled sound, like he had swallowed his spit too quickly and was struggling to regain his composure. “H-Hello?”

You realized belatedly that he must have been greeting you, as you had been distracted by his fidgetiness. His nervousness was cute, if a little bit contagious; you couldn’t help feeling anxious too, like your heart was missing every other beat, even though you had no reason to be. “Hello! My name is Y/N. It’s my first time coming here, but Namjoon says your new summer menu item is really good? I wanted to try it out for myself.”

Jungkook nodded, still staring wide-eyed at you as if in a trance. You expected him to start... well. You weren’t an expert on how bakeries or cafes are run, but you were pretty sure he should’ve started doing something after you had spoken, perhaps ring up your order on the register, or start working on your drinks. Instead, he’s still frozen in place, like he’d somehow short-circuited within the last two minutes.

It seemed you weren’t the only one who noticed his odd behavior because the man working with him suddenly pushed Jungkook to the side, a brief smirk flashing across his face before it was quickly replaced by a more subdued, professional smile.

“Sorry about him. He’s usually my best baker, but sometimes he can get a little... distracted when he’s confronted with sweet things,” the man said nonchalantly, but it seemed that his innocent-sounding comment had embarrassed Jungkook greatly.

“Jimin-hyung!” Jungkook whined, stomping his foot not unlike a bunny. If you squinted a little bit, you could definitely see the resemblance.

Namjoon, who had been quietly watching everything unfold, chose that moment to pipe up. “Oh, I see. I didn’t know you had a type, but after thinking about it—” Namjoon shot a surreptitious glance at you, before turning back to Jungkook with a teasing grin, “—I can definitely see why.”

At the time, you had no idea what was going on, mostly confused as to why Jungkook had suddenly become so red-faced while Namjoon and Jimin giggled like a couple of high school girls. It seemed like you were somehow the main reason for his embarrassment, so you were quick to poke Namjoon in the stomach, effectively silencing him.

“Hey! Stop teasing the poor boy. He’s just being nice,” you said, pointing a soft smile back at Jungkook. “Sorry about him. I’m sure you’re an excellent baker, judging from how wonderful and cute all these cakes on the display look.” Somehow, your praise had only made Jungkook’s cheeks brighten even further. He cleared his throat as if to say something in response, before changing his mind and scuttling away to the back room instead.

“I’m going to start making your milkshake! D-don’t mind me!” He called out from behind the door, causing Jimin to finally break down into raucous giggles, nearly doubling over from his own mirth.

“Aish, that kid. He never learns, huh…” Jimin sighed, but the smile on his face is kind—the sort of fond look an older brother might have for his kid brother. He turned back to you and Namjoon with that lingering softness as he rang the two of you up, before chatting idly with you as you waited for Jungkook to finish making your drinks.

“I’ve never seen you around, Y/N-ssi. Jungkook—sorry, I meant I definitely would’ve noticed you if I did. You go to the same university as Namjoon-ssi, right?” Jimin asked, flipping a pen between his fingers with incredible dexterity. You were slightly distracted by that, faintly jealous of how his short fingers could somehow manage such a feat.

“I—yeah, I do. I’m assuming you’re also a student?”

“Yep. I actually met Namjoon-ssi when we took that one music theory class together. I was handing out flyers for this bakery after class and he happened to be one of the first people to actually come,” he said, winking at Namjoon. You watched with much interest when your friend turned a faint shade of pink, his hand coming up behind his neck—a signature tick of his whenever he was feeling shy or nervous.

“I-It was nothing… I mean, your seasonal drinks are always so good! I remember your old snowman-shaped donuts with the raspberry filling? I still dream of it sometimes,” Namjoon sighed, eyes going glassy for a moment.

Jimin laughed, his eyes crinkling into cute little crescents. “Oh, stop it! I remember how you’d come here even after we stopped serving that donut and you’d beg us to make them again.”

“And yet you never did, even though I know you have the ingredients to make them,” Namjoon pouted, but there’s endearment dancing in his expression.

You chuckled, shaking your head in disbelief. “I never pegged Namjoon as a sweet-tooth guy, so this is honestly all a very big surprise to me. I should be pumped for this milkshake then, huh? Hopefully, you aren’t just hyping it up and I’ll end up disappointed.”

Before either Namjoon or Jimin could retort, Jungkook had reappeared from the back room with two large cups in hand, almost tripping over his untied apron string but managing to get to the counter in one piece.

“Here you go. I hope you won’t be disappointed when you try it,” he said, gaze averted downwards when he hands you your cup. Your fingers grazed each other for a second, nearly causing both of you to drop the drink like it was on fire.

“S-sorry,” you laughed it off, feeling your ears get a little red from your blunder. You pointedly ignored Namjoon’s arched brow, no doubt enjoying your sudden shyness. Without waiting for him to get his own cup, you casually tear off the straw wrapper and take your first sip of the drink.

“So?” Jungkook asked after a while, watching with bated breath as you take a good gulp of the milkshake. “How is it? Is it worth the hype?” You don’t speak for a moment, further aggravating the two bakers as you carefully chewed on the bits of strawberry in the drink.

“This—” you said, speaking slowly for increased dramatic effect. You could hear Namjoon groan beside you, used to your need for unnecessary anticipation. Even as you paused for a moment longer, you could already feel the smile creeping up your face, unable to completely hide your giddiness. “—is fantastic. Show-stopping. Best thing since sliced bread! I could live on this shit alone.”

Jungkook released a breath he didn’t know he had been holding, chuckling in relief as you began to completely devour the treat in mere minutes. “I’m… really glad you like it,” he said with a wide, toothy grin. You were so immersed in your drink that you missed the way he sighed softly, hand gently cradling his chest where his heart would be.

Namjoon had taken his own sip as well, sighing dreamily as the creamy and sweet flavor overtook his palate. “Truly the best drink in existence. If I was a Twitch streamer or some shit, I’d promote this regularly for free.”

His comment made Jimin giggle softly, but his gaze is trained on something else entirely. “I’m flattered, but maybe don’t promote Y/N’s cup, over here. We don’t typically have strawberries and hearts doodled all over our cups,” he said, smirking slyly.

Lo and behold, your cup did have small doodles littering its sides whereas Namjoon’s was just a plain white paper cup. “Oh,” you said, blushing furiously when you finally noticed. Your flush was nothing compared to the one on Jungkook’s cheeks, however. The two of you refused to make eye contact after that, both of you trying (and failing) to silence the amused snickers of your respective friends.

Despite that slightly embarrassing (and heartwarming) experience, that had marked the start of your love for the tiny bakery and their special strawberry shortcake milkshake. You returned to Euphoria Bakery as often as you could throughout the summer, even going to visit it without Namjoon most of the time. You would even occasionally go out of your way to visit the bakery, even after your summer classes had ended and there was really no reason for you to be around the area.

It also didn’t hurt that the boy behind the counter was especially cute, with his big doe eyes and melodic laughter that always got your heart beating erratically in your chest. It hadn’t taken long for you to admit to yourself that you had a not-so-tiny crush and every visit to the bakery only made you fall deeper for him.

Namjoon has assured you that Jungkook clearly has a crush on you too, but you’re quick to shut him down. It is one thing to be shy and awkward around a girl and another to have a crush on the aforementioned girl. As you visited the bakery more and more, you do notice that Jungkook is more reserved when it comes to other female clientele, although, dare you hope? He does seem a little bit more… nervous, when he talks to you, but that could be your lovesick eyes playing tricks on you.

Never mind the fact that he only ever seems to leave cute doodles on your cups alone, but that could just be a coincidence, right? After all, he can hardly hold a conversation with you when you try to speak with him, always eager to rush to the backroom to make your drink.

Your visits usually consist of making idle chit chat with Jimin after greeting both him and Jungkook. The younger boy often dips the moment he sees you through the glass door, automatically going to prepare your favorite summer treat without even having to ask for your order. He never stays to stick around long enough to make conversation, as he eventually excuses himself to do some chore or another. During one of your trips, you tentatively asked Jimin if Jungkook was avoiding you, to which the blonde boy just laughed heartily at your query.

“Don’t worry about it, Y/N. He’ll come around eventually; he’s just nervous. Don’t tell him I told you this, but…” he trails off, peeking over his shoulder to make sure Jungkook wouldn’t accidentally overhear him. When he turns back to you, the smirk on his face is equal parts amused and mischievous. He looks a little impish, though you aren’t sure if he’d take that too kindly. “Jungkook always stares out the door, waiting for you to arrive. I’ve caught him red-handed far too many times for it to be a coincidence.”

Your cheeks flush warmly at his words but don’t say anything after that. You suppose all you can do is wait for him to start warming up to you eventually, and you hope the day comes sooner as the summer days grow shorter and shorter.

Of course, that day does come eventually, but probably not on the day you wished it would happen.

Like all good things, summer comes to its close and so does the summer menu options offered at Euphoria Bakery. Jimin had already told you a week beforehand that your favorite strawberry shortcake milkshake would get phased out as soon as July hit, but you refused to listen. You had hoped that as his regular customer and friend, perhaps Jimin would make an exception and prolong the milkshake’s lifetime for your sake, but it seems that Jimin has made it clear that friendship and business are two separate entities that he will not allow to coincide.

“Please Jimin? Just one more time? I’ll even settle for a small size,” you beg, your entire body draped over the cashier counter like the pathetic plebeian that you are. Thankfully, since you have made it a habit to pass by the bakery when it’s close to closing time, there aren’t any other patrons left to judge your pitiful display. Unthankfully, that also means Jimin is free to flick you on the forehead with no holds barred, leaving a large red welt where his finger hits.

“I already told you that I won’t budge, not even if you licked my Balenciagas. Besides, we’re out of strawberries anyway.” Jimin huffs, rolling his eyes at your pained whines as you grasp your head in agony. “Oh stop it, will you? I didn’t even hit you that hard.”

“I beg to differ, hyung.” Jungkook pipes up, startling both you and Jimin. Jungkook is usually content to wiping down the glass displays or tables while he passively listens to the two of you bicker, humming occasionally to indicate that he’s still listening, so it comes as a small surprise whenever he does decide to speak up. He must have noticed this too, as his ears quickly begin to redden as he scrambles to finish his sentence. “I-I mean, hyung might have small hands, but his finger flicks are no joke. You could break someone’s skull with that thing.”

“Who are you calling small, huh?” Jimin growls, but the playful smirk on his face tells you that he’s just teasing. He pulls Jungkook in a headlock, who surprisingly doesn’t seem all that bothered by the fact that Jimin is actively trying to block his windpipe with his strong forearms. “Take it back!”

“Never,” Jungkook wheezes, effortlessly removing himself from Jimin’s grip. He dusts himself off, not even breathless. “Also, why’d you lie to Y/N like that? We still have strawberries in the back. How else would we make our strawberry jam tarts?”

Jimin squawks indignantly, folding his arms. “How dare you sell out our company secrets! I could fire you for that!”

Jungkook scoffs, bumping Jimin with his hip. Jungkook must also not know his own strength, because he accidentally causes Jimin to stumble a few steps back, nearly toppling over one of their bread racks. “You’re joking. If you fired me, no one would be able to make the bagels in the morning because you never know how to proof them correctly.”

“Slander!” Jimin hisses, pinching Jungkook’s side in retaliation. You and Jungkook laugh at his childish pouts, but the older boy can’t hide his own mirth for too long. “Fine. You can stay. But you,” he points at you this time, eyes narrowing with suspicion. “You better not seduce my boy over here to make your strawberry shortcake milkshake. I have eyes and ears everywhere.” He drags his finger to the corner of the walls, where there is—

“There’s nothing there?” You follow where he’s pointing, but all you can see is a stray cobweb that Jungkook must have missed while dusting this morning. “Am I supposed to be looking at something?”

“Jimin is thinking of installing surveillance cameras soon. He’s convinced that someone is trying to steal his banana cream pie recipe.” Jungkook shrugs. He slings an arm around Jimin’s shoulder, glaringly delighted when their height difference becomes even more apparent while he stands close to him. “Anyway, I promise I won’t get ‘seduced’ by her, or whatever you want to call it. Why don’t you head home early for tonight? I’ll close up and I’ll try to convince Y/N to try our other pastries as a replacement.”

You open your mouth to try and protest, but Jungkook sends you a cheeky wink, making sure that his boss doesn’t catch him in the act. Bemused but interested to see what he’s up to, you decide to keep quiet and wait for him to continue.

“Don’t try and think you’re being slick here, buddy,” Jimin says, closing in on Jungkook’s personal space by pressing his chest against his. “If I see that you break the bakery code and serve her that drink… There will be consequences.”

Jungkook rolls his eyes, sighing dramatically as he gently pries the smaller man away from him. “Yeah, yeah. I got you. No funny business, I promise. Now get out of here, hyung. Leave the rest to me.”

Jimin gives him one last firm look before squinting warily at you, lips pursed tightly. “No seducing,” he repeats, wagging his finger at you. He unties the apron around his neck, throwing it haphazardly at the coat hanger on the back door where his jacket was hanging. He folds it over his arm and points at the corner of the ceiling with his free hand once more before exiting through the front entrance, the soft bells hanging above the doorway tinkling in his wake.

When he’s gone, you release a breath that you hadn’t realized you had been holding. “Well, that was easier than expected. I didn’t think you’d be able to get him to leave. He must trust you a lot, huh?”

Jungkook shrugs. “Nah. He’s just lazy. He hates closing the bakery and will jump at any opportunity to go home early.”

You nod. “Seems like him.” There’s a beat of silence. “So… How much seducing am I gonna have to do to get my milkshake, huh?”

Like you guessed, Jungkook immediately turns red at your words, spluttering and stammering over his spit for a few seconds before managing to come up with a reply. “O-oh, there’s no need for that. I was gonna make the drink for you anyway.”

“But what about the quote-unquote consequences?” you ask, still worried that you might be getting Jungkook in trouble. You’d rather have your arm cut off than have him get punished, no matter how small it might be.

“No need to worry about that. Jimin might pretend to be a prickly old man sometimes, but he’s mostly just full of hot air,” Jungkook snorts, shaking his head in amusement. “He’ll just make me treat him to some skewers or something. He’s just teasing.”

“If… If you say so? I just really don’t want him to get angry with you…” you say, voice turning small as you tried to reign your embarrassment in. “I know I made a fool of myself just moments ago and begged like a baby for the milkshake, but I was just exaggerating…”

“Something tells me that you aren’t, but let’s pretend for your sake that you are,” Jungkook says. You huff indignantly at his teasing, but you’re more overjoyed by the sight of his cute bunny smile. You had only seen it in passing a few times in the past, but seeing it directed at you is an entirely different experience. Because of you, your mind helpfully supplies.

He heads over to the backroom to begin preparing your drink, but he keeps the door open this time so you can see him even from behind the counter. You can mostly only see the large industrial ovens and bread racks filled to the brim with all sorts of pastries proofing for the night, but you do catch a glimpse of the sole blender near the back. Jungkook grabs the glass jar first and then walks over to the fridge just out of your sight, most likely to grab the ingredients needed for your milkshake.

The bakery is mostly silent, save for the sound of Jungkook moving and assembling everything. You rack your brain for some sort of conversation starter, as the atmosphere between the two of you has begun to return to its usual awkward state as you skirt around each other, unsure of where either of you stands. You might have known him for a while now, but today is the most you’ve ever spoken to him and the tension is palpable.

“So.” You clear your throat, heart beating a mile a minute in your chest. “I… guess this is going to be the last time I have this drink, huh?”

The sound of Jungkook chopping on the cutting board pauses for a second. You can only see his left shoulder from where you’re standing, but you can see it tense even then. “I… I mean, will you stop coming over to the bakery if it is the last time?”

There are so many things you want to say all at once, but the words somehow get caught in your throat. You want to say that you love coming to the bakery to see them (though it’s mostly Jungkook if you’re being honest) and that the strawberry shortcake milkshake had just been an excuse to visit for a while now. You want to keep visiting for as long as they’ll have you—but you don’t know how to say it without hot humiliation running down your spine. You don’t want to weird him out by confessing to him all of a sudden. And so, you clam up, not knowing how to respond.

When Jungkook throws in all the ingredients in the blender, he doesn’t turn it on immediately. He tilts his head to the side, not fully looking at you but giving you a view of his beautiful side profile. You see his Adam’s apple bob for a moment, his tongue poking out to wet his lips before he speaks. “Because… If that’s how it’s going to be, then maybe… buying a couple of skewers for Jimin won’t be so bad.”

You freeze. “What? Are you saying that...”

“I’ll keep making the drink for you, even if it’s not on the menu anymore?” Jungkook finishes, turning fully to face you. There’s a shy grin on his face, coupled with the ever-present pink flush high on his cheekbones. “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying. We’ll have to be sneaky about it, though. You’ll have to come to the bakery only when I’m closing so that he doesn’t catch us but otherwise…” He scratches the tip of his nose, looking embarrassed. “If… If you’re fine doing that, I mean.”

It feels like an eternity before you can remember how to function like a regular human being again. Your insides feel like molten lava and you’re certain that your internal organs have begun to self-destruct right after that super-effective hit from Jeon Jungkook, super baker boy extraordinaire. It’s mind-blowing how effortlessly cute he can be, making you realize belatedly that his quiet demeanor over the past few weeks had been a blessing and not a curse. If he had been this sweet with you from the get-go, you’d surely be melted butter on a sidewalk by now.

“I would love you—I mean, I would love it if you did that for me, actually.” You stammer, resisting the urge to punch yourself in the tit. You’re thankful for the lack of mirrors at the bakery, for you are positive that you must look like the devil’s blazing red testicles at this point.

“Great,” Jungkook smiles softly. He turns the blender off, pouring your drink into a paper cup. “Oh, before I forget…” He grabs a marker from the small tin can near the cash register, and you watch as he quickly scribbles a few hearts around the circumference of the cup. “There we go. Now it’s done.”

As Jungkook hands your drink to you, you’re hit with a moment of déjà vu when your fingers brush just like the first time you had met. You sense the same familiar shock of electricity when you touch, but instead of pulling away like before, Jungkook surprises you for the third time that day.

When he’s sure that you have a secure grip on your cup, he grabs your free hand with his, unfurling your fingers until he can get a hold of your pinky. He curls his pinky into yours, linking them together with a bashful smile on his lips. “There. Now we pinky promised to each other.”

“Y-yes. Of course,” you mumble, giggling lightly when he still refuses to let go. “I pinky promise.”

Five minutes away from Euphoria Bakery, Jimin sits quietly in his parked car, his figure hunched over the small screen of his phone as he chuckles loudly to himself. There is a tiny video of two people, a boy and a girl, with their hands held together. Despite the quality being grainy and warped, Jimin needs no confirmation as to who those people are; he’s always known, after all.

“All according to keikaku.” He whistles happily, already salivating at the thought of all the skewers Jungkook will have to buy for him.

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1shadowhole · 2 years ago

Text

MY TIME HAS COME

I am the representation of controversy and cancelable opinions!

Alright let's get ready

*clears throat*

Gwen's character after season 2 is boring and without development

*instantly gets mauled by fans like Scar by the Hyenas*

NO PLEASE LET ME EXPLAIN

Do I like Gwen? Yes. Do I think she is adorable? Yes. Is she a Queen™? Yes. Is she perfect in any conceivable way and she can only do good? YES

And that! Is the problem! The writers gave her no flaws aside from shyness and her insecurity, which endeared her to me incredibly, because, honestly? Mood. However, as characters tend to do, she grows, and with time, she lost her only "flaw" (I mean... Stuttering is hardly a flaw... like any youtube videos from 2013 about how not to make a Mary Sue will teach you, but it does give her depth)

Tell me one single time when she does something that ends up having negative consequences. I genuinely can't think of one time this happens. Every time she is in trouble is not because of her, instead, it's always someone else's fault. Making no mistakes means not being able to have growth and development.

"But you just said she grew out of her shyness!" and that's great for her! But that is literally the only change she undergoes. The death of her father, Morgana's betrayal, her exile, the death of her brother, and the way she was manipulated and controlled for weeks! None of it affects her character! That is not believable at all! All that trauma is NEVER addressed. If I didn't know it was just an oversight on the writers' part, the only conclusion I would get out of it is that she simply Does Not Give A Shit about any of that. Which obviously isn't true.

Also. Getting more assertive might be a great development if this was any other show. But think of how every single one of the main characters changes through the seasons and you'll realise how little she changes.

ALL (every single one) of the other characters make mistakes, fuck shit up, intentionally or unintentionally. They get paranoid, they make rash decisions, they jump to conclusions, and they create disasters. Their actions have grave consequences on the story and not one of them is "good". They are all, no matter how much we love them, morally grey. And that is the beauty of Merlin!

Gwen does not make mistakes. Gwen does not get to fuck shit up. Every time she is dubious of someone she ends up being right, all her decisions are deeply calculated, and she never assumes the wrong thing about anyone.

She is perfect.

She is TOO perfect for a TV show such as Merlin, in which every character has deep moral flaws of some kind. It makes her sadly boring in my eyes.

I want to see her fail and learn from her mistakes, but she never gets the chance.

But no one can say a word against the poor characterization because the fandom would destroy the messenger.

I love Gwen! Of course, I do, I just said she's perfect: kind, considerate, understanding... But as much as I love Gwen The Person I dislike her as a character in a show.

(how interesting would a fic that imagines her turning to Morgana's side after all the injustice she had to go through be? That is such an interesting concept, but in the eyes of the fandom, she is just so righteous that she could never even consider it. That's boring guys... Let Gwen fuck shit up. She deserves it!)

hey. do you want to send me your unpopular opinion(s) about merlin? but it needs to be something actually unpopular

#i speak #Now let's get ready for death #COME AT ME IM READY #(if i see a comment on how “you're just racist” I'm gonna start fuck shit up myself.)#Dies by fandom

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musette22 · 4 years ago

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Hi Minnie! Hope you can help me settle an argument my brother and I are having about EG!Steve. I'd love to hear your thoughts about this with shipping goggles off, looking at it purely in terms of characterization, narrative, and good writing. Better hang on though, it's going to be a long ask! (sorry in advance for spamming you!) 1/7

So my brother and I were watching FatWS and once again got into a debate about whether Steve's last actions were a disservice or in line with his characterization and narrative, given that the Russos confirmed (and therefore it's Word of God/canon, even if it did sound reactionary to the immediate backlash after EG) that Steve created an alternate reality when he went back, and didn't just live in hiding in the past of the OG timeline. 2/7

Because of this, my bro argued that: 1) the total character assassination that is the idea of Steve just sitting back and letting all the shit happen happen is no longer a problem - for all we know, the alternate reality oldman!Steve came from might have become utopic already due to his presence and foresight. He played coy when talking to Sam so we don't know for certain he didn't save Bucky, get rid of Hydra, and enact social reform when he had the chance. 3/7

Likewise, 2) the accusation that Steve would rob Peggy of her husband and children is a non-issue as Steve went back to a time before Peggy and Daniel got together - I argued here that it was still wrong for him to do given that he KNEW for a fact that Peggy lived a happy life, whereas it was a gamble if he could give her the same. My bro shot back when you truly loved someone, you want them to be happy and to have what's best for them. 4/7

So if Steve chose to go back to Peggy, he had to have believed that he could give her the best life. That Steve based that decision purely on his own assessment is pretty in character (e.g. pushing to become a soldier because he thought that was how he could do his part, even though at the time, he'd have just been a danger to himself and other soldiers; not signing the Accords because he believed in his team's judgment in crises above gov't oversight that might be influenced by politics). 5/7

And lastly 3) he might have settled into the past and started to move on, but what was wrong with him choosing to be selfish and going to the past when given a chance? Why was it wrong for him to go back to a time he knew, where he was beloved by both Peggy and the public, and when he could also save Bucky early? In terms of character growth, wouldn't it be fair for him to finally learn he could be a bit selfish and choose happiness, after a lifetime of nearly suicidal selflessness? 6/7

Our debate was based on confirmed canon with shipping put aside. So I put forth the sin of leaving a traumatized Bucky, Sam, and world behind, that Steve's actions were surely the result of a man broken by grief again and again, and that choosing the past was him running away - which, I argued, was a horrible way to end his character arc. But my brother asked me why I thought so, because wasn't this the so-called 'soft epilogue' that Steve deserved, one that was most in line with canon? 7/7

***************

Hey love! Very interesting argument you and your brother are having here… I’m sure he’s a great guy but I have to say that I vehemently disagree with him (as you probably already guessed lol). Soooo many people have done an excellent job at explaining why, shipping aside, Steve’s ending in EG was absolute bollocks, and I’m certain I could never argue this case as well as all of them have. Nevertheless, I’ll do my best to explain why, in my opinion, your brother is wrong :p I’m going to put my reply under the keep reading tag, because it is long.

1. The Russos and Markus & McFeely (the writers) never managed to agree on whether Steve really did go back to an alternate timeline, and if so, how that would have worked, exactly. When they were asked, after EG had been released, about whether Steve would have just sat back and let everything he knew was happening/going to happen in the decades to come, both to Bucky and to the world at large, they came up with this ‘alternate timeline’ solution, but they kept contradicting each other on the logistics and technicalities of it (like how would old man Steve suddenly be able to jump timelines to come back to give Sam the shield in EG? And how did EG Steve attend Peggy’s funeral, like they also suggested, which would technically have been in a different timeline?). Which makes it pretty clear that this wasn’t something they’d considered beforehand or even all agree on afterwards, and therefore it can’t technically allowed to play a role in judging the rightness of Steve’s ending in EG if we’re looking at it from a ‘the creator’s word is law’ perspective. Moreover, there is nothing to indicate in EG itself that Steve knew he’d be able to create alternate timelines, so that would’ve been a crazy gamble on his part. Also, him ‘playing coy’ in that final scene with Sam really isn’t a convincing indication that he was actually, canonically, talking about anything besides marrying Peggy.

2. Which bring us to point two: Peggy had literally told Steve she’d lived a happy life with her family, and told him in no uncertain terms to move on. If Steve really loved her, he would have accepted her wishes and allowed her the dignity of her choice (something Peggy herself, in CA:TFA, had told Steve was important to do when you care about someone) to move on from him once she believed him dead. Steve deciding that he would be better for Peggy because he believed was a better man than the person she ended up marrying originally would be the most un-like Steve thing to do, ever. Steve has never once shown that he thinks of himself as the hero or better than other people – he simply wants to do the best he can to help make the world a better place. He would never say “Peggy deserves the best and I believe I am the best, therefore she will have me, regardless of what she thinks or wants.” Steve drinks respect women juice, that’s clear from all of his movies, and deciding the course of her entire life for her, taking away her agency, whether in his own timeline or another, would be utterly disrespectful to Peggy.

3. As for the next point: of course there’s nothing wrong with Steve being selfish for once – Steve is human, and all humans are selfish sometimes, and that’s okay. But, as Chris Evans already explained multiple times prior to Endgame, Steve had already made selfish decisions in the past, namely when it came to getting Bucky back and keeping him safe. Shipping aside, Bucky was presented in all the Cap movies as Steve’s very best friend, and was even called his ‘soulmate’ (platonically or otherwise) by M&M (the writers). So when, in Civil War, Steve was presented with a choice between duty/what was expected of him by the government versus saving Bucky/keeping Bucky safe, Steve was selfish and chose Bucky. That, canonically, made sense. Peggy being presented as the ultimate love of Steve’s life, who he loved and valued more than anyone or anything else in the world (which is what happened in EG), canonically does not make sense.

In CA:TWS, Peggy told Steve to move on. When Peggy died, Steve buried her and mourned her, and then not long after, he canonically kissed Peggy’s niece. Then, in Infinity War, Steve saw Bucky turn to dust before his very eyes in the “Blip” (a conscious decision on the writers’/directors’ part to show how Steve once again lost what was most important to him while helplessly standing by) – and the next thing we know, Steve is leading a support group for other people who lost loved ones in the Blip, and starts talking about losing… Peggy? Huh. Also, Steve going back to a time which your brother calls “a time when he was beloved the public” doesn’t add up, either: technically, Steve went back to a time where people loved an idea of him, but also believed him to be dead. So either he would have had to have found a way to convincingly stage his own resurrection (meanwhile possibly leaving the other version to vegetate in the ice..? depending on how this timeline malarkey was supposed to work), or he would have lived his whole life hidden behind some fake persona – which does not sound like Steve at all, does it?

4. Finally, let’s talk about Bucky some more, because I think we need to to be able to assess the situation properly. I understand that your brother may believe that shippers are often delusional and only see what they want to see etc, but there is ample evidence, canonically, of Bucky being the most important person in Steve’s life – the person he would give up the shield for, the person he would give up his other friendships for, the person he would give up his life for. Peggy may have been a recurring character in character in the three Cap movies, but she was never presented as the principal motivator of his actions, or as the love of Steve’s life. You know who was? Bucky. Sure, that love wasn’t canonically romantic in nature, but there can’t be any doubt that Bucky meant more than anything to Steve. Therefore, Steve choosing to have a ‘soft epilogue’ that entails him spending the rest of his life without Bucky – and, more importantly, Bucky to spend the rest of his life without Steve – contradicts everything we’ve learned about their relationship (platonic or otherwise) in the rest of the movies, does it not?

Also, the Russos have said something to the effect that Bucky and Steve were now both mentally ‘well enough’ to not ‘need’ each other anymore (because as we all know, that’s exactly how friendships work…), but it’s pretty clear from EG that Steve was still traumatized by everything he’d been through, and going back to the 50s would have meant he would never be able to get proper help with that and in fact could only talk about any of it with Peggy and Peggy alone. Moreover, M&M have literally said in interviews that Bucky wasn’t all that well yet, mentally, and TFAWTS also shows convincingly that Bucky was not actually in a good place when Steve left him. So that would have meant that Steve either did not see this (unlikely, given how close they were) or did not care (unlikely, given how close they were).

It would have meant that for the first time in all these movies, Steve decided “to hell with Bucky’s needs, I’m gonna just be selfish because I’ve earned it and claim my trophy wife because actually I am the best man for her, despite the fact that she’s already lived a happy life that I will be negating against her wishes, but that’s fine because maybe I’ll be able to create a different timeline, and maybe I’ll be able to save Bucky from all his trauma anyway, but then again maybe not, but that brings me back to my first point of to hell with Bucky’s needs” - which does not make a lot of sense to me, personally. Not to mention that, in exchange for his ‘soft epilogue’, Steve would also leave the world to sort out the post-Blip mess without him, and leave all the other friends he still had left and clearly cared about a lot to boot. I would not call that character growth, I would call that character disintegration. If your brother insists on taking the creator’s word as gospel and that we have to accept that Steve really did do what he did at the end of Endgame, and that wasn’t just a case of bad, lazy writing fuelled by greed, then to make a decision like this, Steve would have been either an asshole in disguise all along, or mentally extremely unstable.

There you have it, my two cents! I hope this helps a little in settling the argument with your brother, anon! Lots of love ❤️

#anti endgame #steve rogers #minnie answers #Anonymous

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