#like its such a style meant to be seen in motion

[exculis]

oh ken might be a little autistic.

[jjkilll]

-—✫UNTIL THE END OF TIME | JJK✫—-

warning: this is completely fictional. this story details personal injuries infilicted upon a main charater. reader discretion is advised. please read all warnings before proceeding. 18+

— pairing | ex-fiancé/idol jungkook x y/n

— summary | six months after you two broke up, you realized life's too short to not hold each other until the end of time.

—  warning | personal injury (car accident), mentions of blood and surgery, a coma brought on by personal injury, mentions and the planning of marriage, pwp (big time), smut, reader giving jk a handjob, cum eating(?), spit(?), ass slapping (jk can't control himself)

— word count | 3.9K

— song | until the end of time - justin timberlake (this is gonna ruin the tour)

— a/n: flashback in bold, enjoy!!

——-—-—-—-✫-—--—-—-——

your phone rings waking you quickly. you at up answering your phone. “i’m sorry to wake you, is this y/n l/n?” a man asks through the phone. “yes, is there something wrong?” you ask eyes barely open.

“unfortunately, yes. i’m dr. hill, your fiancée has been in an accident. will you come down and provide some extra information for me?” he asks sincerely.

“what?! is he okay? is he awake?” you sit up. “um, i think it’s best if i share this news in person.” your heart drops.

you stand quickly throwing on some clothes. “i’m coming. i’m on the way.”

you and jungkook had been broken up for six months. you broke off your engagement. he really didn’t want you to go.

——-—-—-—-✫-—--—-—-——

you asked him to go with you to ask your friend to be in your wedding. you planned a lunch and jungkook never showed. you watched the clock tick and the time pass and nothing but radio silence. you tuck the handwritten letters back into your bag.

you got home and jungkook was passed out on the couch. you woke him, “hey go get in bed.” he stands barely awake, and walks into the bedroom flopping down onto your bed.

you walk past him into the bathroom. “where were you?” he mumbles. “lunch with my friends.” you say simply, taking the pins out of your hair.

“until 7 pm on a thursday? what for?” he asks. you sigh continuing to take your hair down from its high ponytail style. you don’t say anything until he groans lifting himself on the bed walking over to the bathroom door and standing in the frame. “what's wrong?” he asks you cluelessly which angers you. “nothing.” you say very monotone.

“you’re mad. why are you mad?” you don’t say anything and continue looking at yourself in the mirror. “i’m not.” you say simply. “ you aren’t even looking at me.” he grabs at your waist and you pull away. “stop.” you say moving away. “can you just tell me what’s wrong? i’m too tired for this shit.” he spits and that’s your final straw. you we so upset with him, that you didn't say anything at first trying to make sure you didn't say anything you didn't mean.

“today was the day we were supposed to ask my friends to be in the wedding and you didn’t even show. i sat there like a dumbass checking the clock hoping you’d show up. you didn’t. you didn’t even call. so yea, it’s very fucking clear that you’re too tired for this shit.” you motion back and forth between the two of you.

“you know damn well that’s not what i meant. i’m sorry babe, things just got so hectic today,” he explains.

“then a text would have eased my mind,” you spoke.

“i was busy, baby. what do you want me to say? you know what i do prepping for a comeback isn't easy.”

“whatever jungkook.” you dismiss him not trying to get more upset.

“did they all say yes?” he asked sitting on the edge of the tub. “i didn’t give them the letters.” you say simply. “why not?” he asks. “because i need more time.” he raises his brow. “for?” he presses.

“to think. see if this is something i even need to do.” you spit.

“what does that mean?” he asks standing up beside you. “jungkook, you haven’t put your input in. you haven’t seen the venue. you don’t care about the colors and you can’t even show up to a fucking lunch. yes, i know how hard it is to prep for a comeback, but planning a wedding by yourself is bullshit. we haven’t had sex in four weeks. you don’t want this relationship as bad as i do.” you explained.

“i want you more than anything.” he says. “then you’d make time! you'd act like it! i don’t ask for weekly dinners, and i don’t complain when you get home at 3 am and leave at 6 am. but, this is different. this is our marriage. i can’t help but think this is what our marriage will be. i’ll just keep waiting on you to find a balance for this shit, the whole world gets everything you got and i just get your last name. i sit at home and watch you create a life without me. that’s why i need to think jungkook.” you finally turn and look at him.

your eyes brimming with tears. “baby, i’ll figure it out i promise. it won’t be like this forever.” you shake your head as your tears fall. “you don’t know that. you know know your job is ever changing. i love you, i do, and i know how much your job means to you. i would never ask you to choose me over your job, but i make time for you even in my schedule. i’m a personal assistant for an idol. I’m gone just as much as you are.” you explain tears choking you up. he pulls you close and you sob in his arms. “what's wrong with me? why can't you make time for me?”

you take a deep breath, “i can’t do this anymore.” you realize he’s crying too. “don’t say that. please don’t say that.” he begs. “i’m sorry jungkook.” you back away from him. you hate how quick he is to let you go. you twist the beautiful ring jungkook gave you months ago, off your finger. you place the ring in his palm. “please,” he looks down at you. “i’m sorry.” you say walking back into your bedroom. you walk into your closet grab clothes and shove them into a duffle. “you don’t have to go tonight. just stay.” he pleads.

“i’m sorry, baby, please. please don't leave.” he cries. you move faster sobbing, you hated hearing him cry. your chest is heavy, as you cry so hard it’s hard to breathe. he walks into the closet and hugs you tight. “please don’t leave me. i don’t want to be alone tonight. please if you want to leave i have to be okay with letting you go, but i want you, i need you to know that I'm not giving up on us. just one more night. stay with me one more night, let me know you're not giving up on me.” you cry. you want to fall apart. “okay.” you say. he hugs you and doesn’t let go. he holds you so tight and so sure. his hands are shaking as he pulls you in. you get this feeling in your gut, you need space and so does he. one night only.

he finally lets go and holds your hand. you strip yourselves of your clothes and lay in bed holding each other, both of you praying this wasn’t the last time you'd hold each other so close.

——-—-—-—-✫-—--—-—-——

you arrive at the hospital. “jeon jungkook.” you speak to the front desk clerk. “relationship?” she asks. “umm, he’s my-my fiance.” she types quickly as you flash your id. “room 613,” she says.

you speed to the elevator taking it up to the sixth four. you look around the floor and run up to the door. you look through the small cut-out of glass. he’s just lying there, an oxygen mask on his face. tears start to pour from your eyes.

“oh my god” you back up starting to panic. “ma’am?” a doctor calls. you turn. “i’m doctor hill. are you his fiancee?” you nod. “yes, please tell me what happened.” you beg. “unfortunately, he was on the expressway southbound, and it seems that he lost control of his motorcycle, he ran into the back of a semi. he’s helmet saved him from any brain damage, but he is having a hard time breathing on his own as he’s punctured his left lung. he hasn’t woken up since we put him under anesthesia, the surgery was a success.” he explains looking at the file in his hands.

“he’s in a coma?” you ask. he nods sincerely. “he is alive and stable, but we aren’t sure when he will come out the the coma, it could be days, maybe months.” you began to sob. “i’m so sorry.” your soul is fading, it was hard to believe. you walk back up to the glass. you stare at him and curse yourself for ever leaving his side. you open the door and walk up to him. you just look at him, and tears fall. he has a black eye and some stitches about his eyebrow.

“i’m so sorry, baby.” you sob quietly. you hold his hand and sob harder when he doesn’t do the double squeeze he’d usually do. you kiss his cheek. “i’m not going anywhere. i’ll be right here i promise.” walk to the other side lay down your purse in the chair and push it to his bedside. you sit laying your head beside him. you gripped his hand and held it tightly.

you didn’t realize that you had fallen asleep until a nurse awakes you. “i’m sorry, here’s his belongings.” she hands you a clear bag with jungkook’s stuff inside. grab the back sitting up and opening it. his jacket was covered in blood, which made your eyes brim. his wallet you noticed something poking out of it. you pulled out a small polaroid of you and him on your first date. you wore disguises and went to six flags. you’d ask another couple to take the photo after you got off the batman ride. you smile reminiscing about how much fun you both had that day.

at the bottom of the bag is a chain with a ring on it, your ring. it was covered in blood as well. you sob, the nurse turns after checking on jungkook. “i’m so sorry ma’am. is there anything i can do for you. are you hungry? coffee?” you shake your head thanking her anyway before she leaves.

you undo the chain sliding your ring off. you hold it up walking over to the sink, washing and drying it, your tears still falling. you slide the ring onto your finger, holding it close to your chest. you walk over to your chair sitting and laying next to him again. “please wake up. please.” you beg.

you wish you never left his side. this was your fault, you thought to yourself. somehow, some way you had a feeling you could've stopped this.

——-—-—-—-✫-—--—-—-——

it had been three weeks since the accident. you were at the hospital every day since. you called your mom to pack a bag for you with everything you needed. your boss a friend of jungkook’s understood, telling you to take how long it took for jungkook to get better.

“good morning aundra.” you speak to the nurse you have grown closer with since being there. “morning darling!” she says cutely. “i’m happy to see you in a better mood today.” she speaks. “yea dr. hill says jungkook can breathe on his own. he’s getting stronger.” you explain. “i know. you’ve got a trooper on your hands for sure.” she smiles.

a few hours later you’re on facetime with the boys telling them how much jungkook has been progressing since they saw him the first time. they sigh a sigh of relief. “he’s so strong guy. we know he’ll be back and kicking as soon as he wakes up. you nod, telling them you were going to try to sleep before the next nurse came to check on him telling them you’d talk to them later.

you lay your head on his lap looking at him. “my pretty boy. you’re so strong. you know i never understood this part of you. you take on so much and come back so strong. you are otherworldly, baby.” you kiss his hand and stand going to nap on the bench across the room. you lay down slowly drifting to sleep.

——-—-—-—-✫-—--—-—-——

you wake to some talking. “how long has she been here?” you hear a low familiar voice. “3 weeks. every day since the accident. this is the longest she’s slept.” you hear a female voice. you turn your eyes fluttering open. you see jungkook sitting up stuffing his mouth with food.

“jungkook!” you scream running over to him hugging him tightly and he groans. “oh im sorry! you’re just you’re awake. my god youre awake. i’m so fucking happy youre okay. jesus please you scared me half to death.” you hug him sobbing. he hold you tight. he swallows his mouthful of food. “hi baby, im sorry im just so hungry.” you giggle looking at him and pecking his lips.

“you were here this whole time?” he asks. you nod. “everyday, 24/7.” you smile. “thank you. i love you.” he looks at you pecking your lips again. he hold both your hands feeling your ring on your finger his eyes shoot down. “you put your ring back on?” you hum. “yeah… i did. i should’ve never taken it off.” he smiles.

“where were you even going?” you ask him, now you must know. he bites his sandwich and swallows before speaking, “your house. i had taken two weeks off of work, i wanted to show you i was serious. i talked to my manager, and he told me, that if i start doubling down every other day it’d speed things up for us, meaning more free time. more time for us.” you smile at him your eyes spilling with tears. he was on his way to you. you were happy he was thinking of you just as much as you were thinking of him. unfortunately, though you can't help but feel like this was your fault. you shake the thought as he grabs your hand, you interlock fingers.

“i love you so fucking much. so so fucking much jungkook.” he kisses your cheek. “i love you more baby.” he says biting his sandwich. “i heard hospital food sucks, and this could just be because i haven’t eaten in three weeks, but this sandwich is fucking amazing.” you giggle.

“oh i have to call the boys.” you speak wiping away your tears. “i talked to them earlier.” jungkook says. “how long have you been up?” you ask raising your brow. “45 minutes or so, i just didn't want to wake you. the nurse said you had barely been sleeping,” he said.

“duh! my fiancé was unconscious in a hospital bed. if someone sleeps peacefully during that, lock them up and throw away the key.” you state. he chuckles lightly.

“i like when you call me that. it feels good to hear that again.”

“what fiancé?” you ask. he nodded cutely.

“so what are the colors?” he asks all of a sudden. “colors of what?” you ask. “for the wedding. what were you thinking?” you smile and sit beside him. you quickly pull up your pinterest board showing him all your ideas. he didn’t show it but knowing you kept them, comforted him.

“white arch? it’ll clash with your dress.” he points out. “oh. oh my god, you're right! we could do green, maybe like ivy leaves?” you suggest. “i think that’ll be immaculate with my grey suit, too. yea, it’ll look amazing.” he adds.

“you already did so good without me baby.” he says. “but it’s clear that i need you. i would’ve been crying for days about that fucking arch.” he chuckles. “i’m still so stuck on flowers.” you pout. “well dr. hill says i have six weeks to recover before i can’t start schedules again. we have time.” he says. you kiss his cheek fluffing his hair.

——-—-—-—-✫-—--—-—-——

for the first time in six months, you walk into your shared apartment. your pictures still hanging on the wall, everything exactly where you left it.

you lay in bed next to him. he wraps his arm around you pulling you in. he kisses the top of your head. “the bed was so cold without you.” he whispers. “i’m never going anywhere ever again.” you peck his lips.

“i need you. i haven’t gotten a good rest in ages, my sleep paralysis started to act up again. just laying in the hospital room with you i slept more than i have in the last six months.” you say. “you just make me breathe better.” you express.

he pouts it hurts him to hear how badly you were struggling. “i was suffocating without you. i love my job but coming home to you made me feel like i won the lottery. i didn’t realize how much i had won until i lost it. i will not fuck it up this time. winning the lottery once is just luck, but twice is a sign.” you giggle rubbing your nose along his.

“i missed you so much, baby.” he says. “trust me i missed you more.” you reply. “impossible.” he whispers before kissing you deeply. you hum into the kiss, the way he kissed you makes your body tingle. you nervously bury your face into his chest. “you are so cute, why so shy? it’s just me.” he smiles. “you just got that effect on me. you make me feel like a teenager, kicking my feet and daydreaming and shit.” you mumble into his chest, he giggles brightly.

“kiss me again,” you say looking up at him. he obeys quickly kissing your lips. jungkook never found the idea of sucking someone’s tongue until he met you. the way you kiss him had a tent quickly growing in his pants.

he hums. “i’m so hard for you right now.” he states pecking your lips. you lightly push him away tutting. “no physical activity for you sir. dr. hill told me it’s imperative that don’t do anything that requires too much physical activity, for your lungs. so no sex right now.” you explain. “what?! come on. i haven’t felt you in months. now i have to wait even longer?” you nod and he groans throwing his head back in frustration. suddenly an idea pops into your head.

“what if…” he hums letting you know he's listening, “ i give you a handjob?” you whisper. “be serious, babe. don’t tease me.” he whines in his last sentence.

you giggle sliding your hands down his sweats. you stroke him slowly. you quickly look up at his licking your fingers before swirling them on his tip. “oh shit. that feels good.” you continue stroking him at a steady pace. “fuck” he mutters. “i wasn’t trying to cum this soon.” he chuckles nervously. “it’s okay baby. give me your cum. i want it so bad” you say teasingly.

he moans biting his lip. you stroke him faster, “just like like that, ohh shit.” you groan. you stroke him just how he likes. he kisses you deeply as you stroke him. “you are so fucking hot.” he whispers. you kiss him again lightly tugging on his bottom lip. “i’m cumming.” he mumbles moaning as he shoots his thick load onto your hand and in his pants. you slide your hand out covered in him. you look at him licking his cum off your knuckles. he looks at you in awe. “mm” you hum lightly flashing him a smile.

“i just want pick you up and fuck you.” you giggle at his bluntness. “jungkook.” you laugh. “what? the way you were just looking at me when you licked your fingers, you know if i was in full health right now i would be fucking you so good.” you smile pecking his slips. “one week.” you said simply. “that’s how long dr. hill said.” you explain. he looks at you, “you think it’s possible to sleep for a week?” you pinch his nose with your fingers. “yea you were sleep for three. no more sleeping for you sir.” he giggles.

“let’s shower.” you say patting his cheek. “oh definitely, you just made me cum in my pants.” he starts to move but you stop him.

“i’m sorry.” you say for the millionth time. “for what?” he questions. “for not believing in you when you said you'd figure it you. i should’ve,” you say simply. you hold back the tears that are making your throat close up.

“look, i know things were difficult, but i knew that night when you stayed, you weren’t giving up on me. on us,” he corrects. “ you stayed by my side for three weeks. you brushed my hair, you talked to me, you gave me a sponge bath. you always believed in me. this accident was not your fault, i need to understand that.” you pout your eyes threatening to spill.

“nuh-uh, no more tears. it’s only up from here, my love.” you hold his close. his thumb wipes away your tears that fall. “now let’s get in the shower.” he pats your butt before moving and standing up quickly. he groans leaning back onto the bed. “woah, take it easy, baby.” he huffs. “i’m not used to be this slow.” he chuckles.

“in all due time. trust me next week you’ll feel much better,” you explain. he nods as you help him stand. “i got you, babe.” he groans standing. you walk into the bathroom and he leans against the sink. you help him take off his shirt as his shoulder is in pain. “you’d look so hot in scrubs.” he says admiring you as you help him.

“oh hush.” you giggle. you help him take of his pants, his semi hard cock spring out. you look up at him. “what?” he whines. “you’re still hard?” you tease. “yes! i just thought about how you look naked.” he spoke. you laugh. you lift your shirt off and undo your bra and your tits bounce out.

“see? and you expect me not to be hard right now?” you giggle turning around and turning the shower on. “okay you first.” he steps in letting the hot water hit his skin. “hurry up.” he rushes you. “have some patience,” you say raising your brown jokingly. you slip off your shorts and step in. your back faces jungkook as you reach for your shampoo, and suddenly a slap hits your ass. you stand quickly. “jungkook.” you warn.

“what? come on. your ass was on full display, it was the urges inside me.” you chuckle. “that wasn’t me, i didn’t want to slap your ass, but the parasites in me wanted to slap your ass.” you laugh loudly. “shut up!” you chide jokingly.

you apply soap onto a washcloth, and start washing his chest. “i wanna get married tomorrow.” he says suddenly. “what?!” you almost yell. you look at him in disbelief. “i don’t even have a dress.” you explain. “then let’s go thrift one. i realized that life is too short, and in this lifetime i need you to be my wife.” you smile, but you don’t say anything. “what if… we get married tomorrow, and we still have a wedding. we can still do it big, when we actually get married it’s just us. me and you like i will be forever.” you suggest. you smile at him. “okay.” you say. “okay like you're just doing it for me or you love the idea?” you chuckle as you realize his small panic. “i love the idea. just me and you.” you say.

“forever,” he adds.

“and ever, until the end of time.” you grin, finally everything feels good. you stand in front of your soon-to-be husband, excited for what the future holds.

——-—-—-—-✫-—--—-—-——

[kechiwrites]

Hello miss kechi may I request toxic but phenomenal dick game from baby daddy ghost 🤰🍆

i hope you literally meant baby daddy, because that’s what i wrote babe 😭 thank you so much for this request (i am SO sorry i made this angsty). i started writing and COULD NOT stop. also, LOVE the style of your blog. i’ll let y’all decide if this is still medic!reader...

toxic ex!ghost x reader

1/?

wc: 1.2k

cw: afab!reader but no gendered terms (i think), light spanking, taunting/teasing, riding, SMUT BABY, but also angst, toxic relationship, booty call culture, reader and ghost have a kid! ghost fucking SUCKS here, seriously he blows. no use of y/n, ever! mdni

“Come on then, you called me. Make the trip worth my while.” There’s an unusual amount of mirth in his tone, and you’d think with the way he’s staring at you that he was sitting on a golden throne encrusted with diamonds and not, y’know, laying on his back, in your bed, while you’re speared open on his erection. 

“Take the mask off you fucking dick, I’ve already seen that ugly mug of yours.” You bite, bristling at his attitude.

To his credit, Ghost doesn’t rise to your bait, opting instead to brush the blunt tips of his fingers against your clit, shifting his hips to fuck the last few inches of his dick inside you. The stretch is just a little too good, and of course it was, because God was cruel and unfair and Ghost was unfortunately the best fuck you’d ever had. Which is definitely why it’d been three months since you last fucked anything besides your hand, and your ex was only too happy to provide when you called him for a “we’re not getting back together, I just know you’re off base tonight” booty call.

As always, Ghost underneath you is a feast for the eyes, even with the mask on. He lies supine, both arms behind his head while he lazily raises his hips in an effort to egg you on. You roll your eyes at his nonchalance, crouching with your legs bent so you have better range of motion. 

The noise of your cunt welcoming him is embarrassingly audible and the upward thrust of his pelvis into yours drives all the air from your lungs in one calculated move. You let your head hang low, because God forbid he see the dazed, pleasured expression you always get on your face when he bottoms out, you’d never live it down.

Keyed up and wanting, you lean forward, shivering when the slide of his cock inside you reverberates up your spine, lighting up synapses you really, really, wished would just fucking die already. 

They don’t of course. Fucking your ex still feels like hooking yourself up to a car battery; so slowly, glacially, you raises your hips incrementally, before sliding back down, letting the very last inch of the man’s dick leave and enter you repeatedly. Ghost groans below you, murmuring platitudes and compliments while he watches you take yourself apart on his cock, piece by trembling piece.

His hands move to your hips to guide you up and down his length, and his palms are heavy and warm, firm and unabating on your skin. The surety of his grip on you makes you forget why fucking him is such a rare occurrence nowadays, why your breakup was so messy and loud and lonely. 

The insane fullness of Ghost pulling you down onto his dick again and again, fucking you like a toy, ellicits short-breathed pleas for more. You stomp your pride to death when he thumbs at your clit, sitting untouched, minding its business, at the top of your spread open pussy.  It’s almost enough to make you forget the way your thighs are burning.

Almost.

“Okay, okay fuck, no more. Let’s do something else.” You huff, crumbling forward onto his chest, your forehead pressed against his collarbone. “Please.” you add for good measure.

You rise and fall on his chest when he scoffs, flipping the two of you easily. “You used to last a lot longer on top. Having a baby wear you out?” 

Anger flares hot and fast in your chest and you nearly shove him off you. Nevermind it was his fucking kid he was taunting you with. 

“I should’ve called Soap.” 

“He wouldn’t know what to do with you.” He hammers a hard slap against your thigh before he manoeuvres you into a more comfortable position, your legs spread wide, framing either side of his midsection. There’s barely any hang time between the shift in placement and your ex plunging into you in earnest, and for that you’re thankful. Any time with the two of you that isn’t filled with barbs or fucking quickly devolves into regret and bitterness that lingers at the back of your throat like the stench of burning plastic.

Your thighs are soaked in sweat and slick at this point, amplifying the echoing clap of Ghost’s hips repeatedly, brutally meeting yours. He bends down to slot his lips over yours, sliding his tongue into your mouth, coaxing participation out of you until you're giving as good as you get. Ghost is nothing if not consistent, ebbing where you flow until he’s completely blanketed you, just like he used to, pressing so close that there’s no space left between your chests. The way he grinds down into your cunt forces your clit to rub against his pelvis, producing a mind numbing buzz in your abdomen that continues to build as the head of his cock gets reintroduced to your g-spot. Ghost is blissfully quiet when he fucks you this close. Instead of talking down to you, he sinks his teeth into your shoulder, trying his level best to mark you the only way he knows how; with stinging pain and suffocating possession. He wants to keep you, to lock you and his son up where no one can get you, where no one can see you, where he can keep you safe. 

But you aren’t together and he can’t keep you. 

So he settles for this.

Settles for pushing his cock deeper and deeper into you, until you cream sweet and pretty all over his thighs. Settles for wrenching your ridiculous need for control out of your shaking hands. Settles for fucking you like you still call him ‘Simon’. Ghost settles for being the man who you curse at during the day and come for during the night. 

And you do come for him, quick and dirty but oh so satisfying, when he tosses your leg over his shoulder. You gasp and writhe underneath his hands, clenching your teeth and holding your breath while you ride out the sensation. It’s the mask, you think. Even after the last few years it still does something for you. It also helps make it feel…less personal. Like you’re back to being two people who fuck when it’s convenient, and not two people with baggage and memories and a whole ass human being between you.

He finishes not long after, rocking against you until he can’t stop the way the soles of his feet tingle and his hips stutter. 

Then, it’s just the sound of your jagged inhales and exhales filling the space between you. He’s still so close, eyes shuttered closed while he throbs inside you, his shoulders rising and falling with each laboured breath. You hook your fingers under the hem of his mask and he moves fast, clamping down on your wrist and squeezing until you let go. 

‘That answers that.’ You think, and you laugh without humour. You can’t help but want to cover your face, cover your nakedness, now that the deed is done, and as if he senses the shift in you, Ghost stands, barely taking the time to clean himself up before he gets dressed. 

By the time you move your arm from over your eyes, he’s at your bedroom door. 

Hand on doorknob. 

Ready to run. 

You sit up and stare at him, reclined on your forearms. You give your assent with a jerky, unstable nod, and just like that, he’s gone.

The nickname is pretty fucking apt.

part 2

series masterlist here

i hope this wan’t too sad for what you had in mind! (if it was please feel free to request again). requests are open, support content creators and city girls, reblog!

[aloevhello]

Nueva York in ATSV Script

1. Nueva York

Nueva York’s art style is inspired by the work of Syd Mead, a neo-futurist concept artist who often portrayed utopian designs of streamlined urban settings. The ATSV art book also cites other artists from the 70’s and 80’s, such as John Berkeley, John Harris, and John Bell, adding to the retro futuristic look of the city.

The city being reminiscent of Mead’s sketchbook is shown through the sketch lines presented in its architecture to Miguel himself, creating the image of an unfinished world. This style likely reflects Mead’s work in concept design, the idea of the future being susceptible to change, and Miguel’s 1992 comic run being cancelled and in turn his story being left unfinished.

The script also describes Nueva York as being bilingual, which is exemplified later in ATSV when Miguel speaks to Miles fluently in Spanish. This indicates that Spanish is at least a secondary language used in Nueva York, along with the city having a high Spanish speaking population.

The foyer is described as brutalist, an architectural style that emphasizes functionality and structural elements, along with giving a cold and imposing impression. Brutalist structures are often used for utilitarian purposes, which works in tandem with Miguel’s philosophy of utilitarianism regarding canon events.

2a. Downtown

Syd Mead is also known for his darker cyberpunk designs found in films like Blade Runner (1982), which inspired the look for the underground portion of Nueva York; a fitting choice since the comics portray this section of the city being riddled with crime. The use of one main artist to present the utopian and dystopian aspects of Nueva York allows for a visual connection between these disparate parts of the city.

Considering the pistons in this scene, one questions what kind of function they serve for the city? What if the industrial aspect of the city’s underground is focused on providing an energy source that fuels the upper level of Nueva York? What if these pistons are meant to help fuel the city’s lower level?

It’s also interesting to note the script’s use of the word “underbelly” when describing the lower city, since that phrase was used to describe the same area, which is named as Downtown, in the comics. (Below a panel from v1, #45 from sm2099 July 1996)

At least, this region would be called Downtown if the script had not already named this place as…

2b. Viejo Nueva York

In the script, Downtown is renamed as Viejo Nuevo York which translates into “Old New York” in Spanish. The name change likely occurred to reflect the bilingual nature of the city and its inhabitants.

The name Viejo Nuevo York could also provide more insight into the city’s history, considering how the script referred to this section of Nueva York as the “old city.” Maybe this will lead to further exploration into Nueva York’s history and its juxtaposing aspects. Viejo Nueva York is a fitting name to describe this portion of the city, since the comics state that it was once the island of Manhattan before Nueva York was built on top of it.

Viejo Nueva York is also set in “permanent night” due to the upper level of the city being constructed on top of their buildings that prevent any sunlight. This acts as a clear differentiation from the blue sky’s portrayed in the city’s upper level as seen in the film.

3. Anyr

These two scenes present the spider-like contraption, Anyr, found at the Go-Home-Machine. The script’s usage of words like “cocoon” and “spidery arms” gives the robot an organic and animalistic quality, which differs from the other technology presented. The directors’ commentary adds to this point as they state that whale noises were used to make Anyr sound more like a living being than a machine.

In the commentary, one of the directors state that Anyr’s design was inspired by a stop-motion resin spider, The Widow Of The Web, from a sci-fi adventure movie called Krull (1983). Anyr’s namesake was inspired by Ynyr, a character in Krull who climbed across the spider’s web. Considering how Krull was from the 80’s, the retro aesthetic continues despite the robot being in a futuristic setting.

The directors note how Anyr is meant to be this mystical technology Miguel found from the deep future of 3000, potentially from another dimension. While the commentary states that Miguel found the robot instead of creating it, considering how akin to a spider it is, Anyr might lead to a future plot point that goes more in depth about the nature of the Spiderverse.

[laurelwen]

Obscure Media: Encore VFX Article

Brought to us courtesy of @widowswinter, who's been working hard to dredge up these gems from the past.

We've all seen this cover by now, but in case you didn't know, Encore was an Australian film trade magazine. It switched to an online format and then seems to have ceased publication around 2013. Some of their articles can be found at https://mumbrella.com.au/, but none going back to 2006. Widowswinter accessed this article via the National Library of Australia, which houses physical copies of the magazine and will make copies/scans of some of their collection.

Full Article and a plain text version below the break:

ENCORE I 22 I V24 ISSUE 2, FEBRUARY, 2006

Digital effects were integral to writer/director Gregory Read's Like Minds, the UK/Australian psychological thriller starring Toni Collette, Richard Roxburgh, Eddie Redmayne and Tom Sturridge.  

With production split evenly between Australia and England, where the story is set, the dual role of the DFX was to heighten the in camera drama, and to solve problems created by on-set limitations and impracticalities. This was especially true for the film's opening train sequence during which schoolboys hang outside the door of a train travelling at 80 km/h, playing 'chicken' with the rapidly advancing stanchions (posts that support the overhead electric wires).

"Even if we could shoot the whole scene on a live train travelling at speed, getting the angles in and out of the train with the presence of real stanchions isn't realistic, not to mention the danger of attempting such a live sequence," said Read, who consulted with DOP Nigel Bluck and VFX supervisor Dave Morley, of Sydney-based VFX house Fuel International, to determine the best way to shoot this scene. "The upshot was to have two shoots; the first being the boys on a live train minus stanchions, travelling at its top speed of 20km/h. We used a wind cannon and lighting rig to emulate speed. The boys were cabled into the train, which gave them the opportunity to hang out, feel the 'rush' and give me the performance I wanted . The rest of the scene was shot in a shed with two very big guys rocking the train."

Like Minds features Collette in the role of a forensic psychologist appointed by police to determine whether there's enough evidence to lay murder charges against 17-year old Alex (Redmayne), accused in the shotgun death of his schoolmate Nigel (Sturridge).

The train scenes were initially earmarked to be shot in Adelaide but the unavailability of a suitable 1970s-style electric train meant the production shifted to a train museum located in Cessnock, NSW. Fresh stumbling blocks at the new location included a train carriage without a front engine and the absence of on location electricity; factors which necessitated the deployment of a bright yellow ex-BHP locomotive to propel the 'electric' carriage backwards and forwards at a maximum travelling speed of just 20km/h.

Fuel's task included the creation of the CG stanchions, which Read wanted to "crash into frame very close to the carriage then vanish into shadow".

"The shot required the stanchion to race towards the boys, barely missing one of them. However, when the stanchion was put in it just didn't look right so David [Morley] gradually scaled up the stanchion to 300 percent as it raced towards us so that it worked, visually and dynamically. As an added effect, when this stanchion slams past it actually hits the camera on which David introduced shudder."

Morley's team rigged up a series of par cans (stage lights) attached to a programmable lighting desk that enabled them to set the speed of lights turning on and off in series to simulate the feel of the stanchions travelling past the carriage at the desired speed of 80 km/h.

"Each of the CG stanchions has its own light pointing down towards the train and we used the par cans to give us the motion of the light travelling past," Morley said. "We built CG stanchions to match the style of what they have over in England, and from reference gathered off the web and footage Greg shot in England, then tracked them in and composited them all together."

When working on shots looking down the length of the train, the ground plane was sped up 400 percent. This was done to disguise the fact that the train was actually only travelling at 20 km/h.

"That would get put back in and then we'd have the CG stanchions over the top of that," said Morley. 'There was normally only one extra carriage behind the one that we were working on, so we ended up having to extend extra carriages as well. Because we only had one train rigged with the lights we ended up shifting the camera up one carriage length then duplicating this carriage for the two missing carriages."

The variance in visible rainfall during the Cessnock shoot presented another problem to be solved.  

"We'd set up to get the master shot, which was a very large crane shot moving down onto the railway tracks from about 30 feet up," Read explained. "In this environment we had two large rain towers with rotating heads which produced heavy rainfall, however when we swung  around to shoot reverse shots there was very little backlight and the rainfall was barely visible. We knew we didn't have time to move lights - let alone the travelling train in the background where the lights would need to stand. It was a matter of placing CG rain into the background of those shots so they matched the master."

Like Minds is set in the middle of the English winter. Obviously, Cessnock's 45-degree temperatures created obstacles. Among the challenges were short night shoot hours, actors having to wear heavy fur-lined clothing and the need to frame out all 'summer' foliage - especially gum trees.

In addition, while the English shoot took place in wintertime, Read was keen to include a shot of the school location in summertime. Fuel was called upon to make shots filmed in winter appear as though it was summer. This was done with sky replacements, adding leaves to trees and replacing snow with grass. Among these was an interior shot of the exterior through a window.

Fuel worked on 89 shots in total including the opening title sequence, which sees a camera move along a darkened surface before rising to show raindrops falling on this surface, which is revealed to be a train track.

"Suddenly a train rushes over the track and we cut out to a wide shot and there's the boy hanging out of the train," said Read. "I thought we could use a motion control rig and then put in the CG later but then practicality and cost came into it and I faced with the reality that this shot was too much of an indulgence; we didn't have the budget and so I turned to David and said 'Help! This is the shot I want to do'.

Armed with Read's storyboards and a second unit, Morley directed the title sequence himself, opting to use a live train to give it authenticity.

"We had to carefully choreograph the timing of both the camera tracking back and the train barrelling down the track straight for us with quite a few dry runs separately with both train and crew until we were confident we had the positions the camera needed to be in relation to the train," explained Morley.  "We still had several safety people standing by to quickly rip crew out of the way of the impending train if they had not reached the agreed ‘point of no return'  position. In the end we got exactly what we wanted."

Once the shot had been captured, Fuel scanned the image at 4K, smoothed the camera move and retimed the sequence. In addition to the titles CG sparks were added to the undercarriage as the train passed by.

[Like Minds Masterpost]

[orpheusluvr]

Experiment (Orpheus x female reader)

NSFW WARNING

Orpheus requires someone for a new test that he’d like to conduct, and the person he has chosen is you. You have no idea what kind of test it is…

Hey!!! It’s been a while since I last posted something on here (I have 4 fics in my draft atm), so apologies for that :’( but lately I’ve been getting into Identity V and I’m OBSESSED like CRAZILY OBSESSED with that game and its lore n characters n everything, and I love Orpheus sm like he’s so HOTTT but I’ve barely seen any fics of him on here so I decided to write my own so enjoy!! (Idk how many ppl will read this tho)

Also a quick note: I don’t know every detail about the lore for idv so some things may not be accurate!!

You held your breath as you clutched tightly to the envelope in your hands.

“This is it…Oletus Manor…” you said to yourself, looking up at the large manor in front of you.

You slowly approached the door and knocked.

No response.

“Hello? Is anyone there?” You called out while knocking again.

No response again. How strange. You were invited here but there’s no one here that’s waiting for your arrival?

You placed your hand against the door and pushed it. Surprisingly, it opened.

You slowly walked inside, your heartbeat slightly increasing in speed as you could feel your adrenaline rise. There was no one in sight and the door was left unlocked. Something unusual was going on and it made you feel uneasy.

“Is anyone there?” You called out, looking around the manor.

“You finally arrived. How splendid.”

Just as you were about to call out again, you heard an unfamiliar voice behind you. You immediately turned around.

It was a man, presumably in his 20s. He had light brown hair that was neatly combed back and a monocle on his right eye, attached to a silver chain. His clothing and style clearly showed that he was a man of high class, most likely the owner of this manor from what you could assume.

Could he also be the one that sent you the invitation?

His eyes met yours, and you could feel tension between you both. He immediately broke the eye contact, by taking a quick glance at your figure, then immediately met your eyes again. Though, his expression had slightly changed.

“You look even more stunning than I would’ve expected.” He smiled.

Your cheeks slightly flushed at his compliment.

“Are you…Mr Orpheus by any chance? The one that invited me here?” You asked, trying your best not to break the eye contact with this man.

He nodded.

“Yes, indeed it is me.”

He gently took your hand.

“And as you know, by arriving here you have agreed to allow me to conduct a few experiments on you.”

“What kind of experiments?” You asked.

Orpheus came closer to you, your faces only a few inches away from each other.

“I’m going to ask for your consent again, just to make sure that you’re fully okay with this.” He said.

From his tone, you had a slight idea of what he meant. But you weren’t sure if it was exactly what you were thinking of. You could be wrong, considering that he seemed like the type of man that wouldn’t pay attention to things like these.

“I consent.” You said.

Orpheus smiled.

“Perfect. Follow me.” He said, still holding your hand.

-

Orpheus sat on his bed and motioned towards you to sit beside him.

“Come on. I don’t bite.” He said, with a slight laugh.

You nervously sat next to him, your heart pounding and your cheeks turning redder and redder each second.

“Now then. Have you ever been…intimate with anyone before?” He asked, turning towards you.

You shook your head.

A grin appeared on Orpheus’ face.

“Me neither.” He said.

He immediately moved his head closer to you, your lips finally meeting.

You were startled at first, and suddenly moved back from embarrassment.

Orpheus looked at you in worry.

“Oh, my deepest apologies. I think I must’ve-”

You interrupted him by kissing him back, both of you closing your eyes. You felt Orpheus’ hands slide around your waist while you wrapped your arms around his chest. You were both breathless and needy, a complete heated mess. Quiet moans were heard between each kiss.

Orpheus slowly parted away and you both opened your eyes again.

“That was truly…remarkable, I must say.” He said.

“It felt amazing.” You said in reply.

“Now for the next step…allow me to change things up a bit.” He said, changing his sitting position.

He motioned towards his lap.

“Sit on me.” He said.

You shuffled towards him and placed yourself on top of his lap. You gulped as you felt his bulge graze against you. He must’ve felt it too because he let out a slight groan.

“This feeling…is quite intense.” He said.

You were too embarrassed to say anything back, especially since you could feel his cock growing harder and harder. Orpheus could not control his gaze upon you. He was mesmerised.

And you were still wearing your dress. How would he react if you took it off?

And that’s when you decided to step up your game.

Orpheus watched as you moved your hands towards the hem of your dress and lifted it up. You were now only wearing your bra and panties, yet Orpheus could not take your eyes off you at all. His urges were increasing. He was desperate to do anything and everything with you.

“Oh…Y/N…what a beautiful figure you have.” He said in admiration, tracing your skin with his fingers.

He looked into your eyes and could sense the lust that was within them.

“I guess it wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t do the same thing, right?” He said, removing his coat. He also began unbuttoning his shirt, then removed it. You lovingly gazed at his perfect chest, using your hand to stroke his bare skin.

Orpheus moved his hands towards the hook of your bra.

“May I?” He asked, and you immediately nodded.

He gently unhooked your bra and lifted it off. His expression changed immediately at the sight of your bare breasts in full view and his eyes widened.

“My goodness…I must say, the female body is exquisitely intriguing!” He said.

He gently pushed you down onto the bed, towering above you.

“It is quite the shame that I am not an artist, because it would be a great honour to be able to paint someone like you.” He smiled.

He used his hand to caress each of your breasts one by one, delicately circulating his finger around each nipple which made moans escape your lips.

“That sound…is music to my ears.” He said, lowering his head. He began sucking on one of your nipples.

“Ah! O-Orpheus-” you moaned.

Orpheus enjoyed hearing you moan his name. It made him feel somewhat powerful.

He moved towards your neck.

“Remember when I said before that I don’t bite?”

“Yeah?” You said.

“I lied.” He let out a laugh, before biting your neck. He was gentle but it was painful yet pleasuring.

Orpheus continued biting around your neck and shoulders, leaving a few hickeys around. Marking you as his.

With a deep breath, he got up and you heard the sound of a belt being undone.

You looked at Orpheus and immediately felt your cheeks warming up. He held his dick in his hands, precum dripping from the tip.

“Y/N, for my next experiment…

…may I fill you up with my juices?”

[oddygaul]

Zenless Zone Zero

Well, I’ve been playing the shit out of this game, so fair warning, there will be significant brainrot ahead.

Overall, I really dig it. I’m a huge mark for character action games, and well-done life sims tend to suck me in; Zenless Zone Zero is nailing both those aspects pretty damn well. In fact, it’s nailing them well enough that… how do I put this… it starts to slip into the territory of being A Good Game Generally, rather than just a gacha. And while this is a big accomplishment for ZZZ, this also puts it into direct conversation with other full-price games, resulting in its gacha elements causing more friction than Honkai Star Rail’s ever did*.

*I’ll be comparing this to HSR a lot, because I play way too much of both and they’re made by the same developer. I recognize that it is pretty odd and potentially even problematic to A / B compare them when I could be looking at the game through the lens of, you know, Gaming At Large. But hey, that’s why this is a subjective journal and not a holistic review blog! It is what it is.

So, the aesthetic of this game fuckin rules - it’s like, late 90s to early 2000s VHS-core. The main characters run a Blockbuster, for Christ’s sake. Presentation-wise (and systems-wise, and, hell, music-wise), ZZZ is obviously borrowing a lot from the Persona series, but like… great? I’d love it if more things cribbed that style and made it their own, from the confidant hangouts, to the small but comfy explorable areas, to the dynamic menus with edgy character poses. The character design itself is all superb, all the way down to the crowd NPCs - some the shopkeepers here have cooler designs than the main characters of some other games. Even aside from the designs, ZZZ is doing a lot with lighting and color desaturation that really lends it its own unique vibe. They actually have a cohesive artstyle in here! wild.

The presentation of the story is also killer. Sure, a decent chunk of the conversations are just models lip-flapping at each other - although they at least emote and pose a bit here, unlike the Star Rail dialogue scenes with their demure princess waves. In the main story, though, we get not only a heap of fairly lengthy cutscenes, but also this really cool comic panel-style presentation.

I feel like there was a bit of a trend in the PS3/360 era of games to present a game’s story in this comic panel / storyboard style. I understood the motivation: games increasingly demanded a more involved, consistent storytelling approach, rather than the ‘One big rendered cutscene at the beginning and end’ they used to get away with, and the generation’s increased visual fidelity meant that doing even basic, in-engine cutscenes took a lot more resources to make something half-decent. In Spyro the Dragon on PS1 you could get away with a fun little 15-second gag with a barely animated polygonal yeti or whatever; in the PS3 era, you were going up against tryhards like Metal Gear Solid 4. Amidst this landscape, the pitch of having your illustrators pretty up some storyboards and put them in the game sounds like it’d save a lot of work - plus, consoles were finally outputting a high enough resolution that this sort of flat image wouldn’t be compressed to hell.

Thing is, I always kinda hated that approach. In some cases, I think that’s the popular opinion - I fuckin love Bayonetta, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone defend its weird slideshow cutscenes. Even in games where the execution is perfectly fine, though, it rubbed me the wrong way. I think of Infamous - objectively, the art’s solid and fits the tone of the game, and the motion graphics aim to capture some of the dynamism typical cutscenes would provide. Despite all that, it still feels cheap to me - all of the panning, effects, and graphic imagery feel like they’re trying to polish up something that inherently doesn’t fit.

In ZZZ, though, I’m loving every one I come across. It’s obviously still done for efficiency reasons - there’s already a handful of characters that exist only in these panel scenes, saving the team the effort of having to model and rig them. But the freedom this allows for staging and storytelling is huge; the characters are more expressive here than anywhere else in the game, and we’re able to see situations with huge crowds and new locales much more often than would be possible in typical cinematics. And the illustrations are genuinely good, too - full of character, cool poses and creative compositions/angles.

if everything actually had to be modeled, there's no way we would've gotten Legally Blonde Nicole

Plus, the cutscenes are constant, and boy do I love the animation here. It feels so rare nowadays for a high-budget game to do stylized 3D animation of this ilk. Your biggest budget games are all going for the cinematic look, and pushing realism as much as they can - and while I know an immense amount of work and craft goes into animating something like The Last of Us, boy, I just could not care less about something so lacking in flair*. Even bigger properties that use a stylized artstyle these days, like Breath of the Wild, still tend to lean towards fairly naturalistic animation. Zenless Zone Zero’s cutscenes, on the other hand, spin and stretch motherfuckers around like we’re back on the PS2, are filled with forced perspective, and I am absolutely living for it. It’s not even reserved only for bombastic action scenes, either - we get honest to god character acting-focused conversation cutscenes.

*Seriously, take me back to the Naughty Dog that animated Jak & Daxter. Jak’s hero animation is top tier to this day

Of course, the combat animation slaps too; each of the playable agents is absolutely dripping with character. Even characters whose designs initially left me cold won me over once I saw the amount of care put into their movement and combo strings. It’s honestly shocking to me that this is the same studio that made Genshin Impact, a game I dropped after about 2 hours because of how lifeless all the animation felt*. Unique run cycles for every character, actual non-human designs, the flourishes everyone has when stopping mid-combo to snap them back to idle, the absolute synergistic audiovisual bliss of the parry… it’s really impressive stuff from a young team.

*Same studio in name only, totally different team, I know, but still

Mechanically, I have some mixed feelings about the combat as a whole. Zenless Zone Zero is, without a doubt, aiming to present complexity and depth as a team battler - that is to say, it’s more about team synergy, tag combos, and knowing who to use when, rather than soloing as any particular character. Nonetheless, I really would’ve appreciated individual characters having a bit more depth to their movesets; a jump, a launcher, cancels, anything. As outstanding as all the animation work is, there’s some characters that only have a normal attack string on square and one special attack on triangle. Like, sub-Dynasty Warriors level of complexity here. It’s rough.

This is where ZZZ’s gacha nature gets a bit ugly: so far, more complex kits and skill expression are mostly locked behind rarity, which is kind of scummy. In Star Rail, for the most part, 4-star characters are defined as such due to their numbers: they still have mechanics and complexity, they just aren’t tuned as high as the limited characters. Hell, in some cases they have more complexity. Ruan Mei is an almost incomparably stronger unit than Asta, but Ruan Mei’s play pattern is fucking boring: you use skill every three turns when it runs out. Asta, meanwhile, basically has her own risk & reward minigame that demands more thoughtful SP management.

In ZZZ, on the other hand, the lower-rank characters straight up have less going on in their kits. Nicole has like… one tech, sorta. Anby has one single animation cancel to chain her normal into her special quicker. Lucy’s only skill expression is choosing whether to tap special or hold special. Meanwhile, Zhu Yuan, a limited character, has a normal string that bounces between melee and ranged attacks, can be dodge-canceled at any point in the combo to branch into variations of the string, and a hold-normal attack string that’s completely different and has the same branching dodge-cancel tech.

It’s one thing to lock raw damage and meta viability behind a gacha, but locking the characters that are mechanically more interesting to play straight up sucks. If I hadn’t been lucky enough on the standard banner to pull exactly the two characters I find the most mechanically satisfying, I don’t know that I’d still be playing - and this is the point where ZZZ begs comparison to other, non-live service character action games. Sure, it’s probably not fair to compare a random A-rank’s moveset to Devil May Cry V’s iteration of Dante, a feature-creeped nightmare of a kit 3 console generations in the making. But what about Sengoku Basara Sumeragi, my personal character-action GOAT? By all accounts a mid-budget title, yet it offers 40 full characters chock-full of more unique mechanics and animation cancels than you can shake a stick at.

Fuck, can we please get a new Sengoku Basara? Please? I’m desperate out here. I’ll take anything, y’all.

There’s also the inherent issue that plagues every action RPG (usually deftly avoided by the character action genre), which is the delicate balance of player success depending on the numbers vs actual mechanical skill - a balancing act made even more noticeable due to the gacha genre-standard of characters taking weeks of grinding to level up. This is a topic for another day, but suffice to say, a big part of the reason Honkai Star Rail works for me as a very pretty version of Cookie Clicker is because of the Autoplay option. In Zenless Zone Zero, if you’re not willing to grind out the same mob fight for a week or two, you’re gonna hit an endgame roadblock of doing chip damage to a boss you’ve mechanically mastered because you’re underleveled, and boy, that never feels good.

For all those issues stemming from the gacha, I will say, it’s great that the story missions let you use the characters that are actually supposed to be present for those missions, even if you don’t own them. Aside from how nice it is to have an opportunity to put the whole roster through their paces, it goes a long way for actually getting invested in the story. Honkai Star Rail’s storytelling is a hot mess for many reasons, but it’s always particularly jarring rolling up to a sidequest at like, a local theater troupe with a wanted space criminal, the sitting president of a completely different planet, a ten year old child, and a shirtless cyborg cowboy, none of whom have canonically met each other; ZZZ’s approach sidesteps this issue. The proxy angle even provides a pretty valid diegetic explanation for why agents that don’t know each other might be working together.

Now that we’ve sort of meandered back to the story after talking about animation led us on a long detour - the story is surprisingly solid. In particular, I really appreciate how straightforward the writing is. I don’t know if the issue lies with the original text or the localization, but Star Rail’s dialogue, even in simple missions, tends to be incredibly meandering and overstuffed; ZZZ is a lot better about letting all its characters talk like actual humans. It also helps that the plot so far is a lot more grounded, and spends more time focusing on each faction’s group dynamics rather than the overarching plot. These games live and die by their characters, so leaning into those strengths is a smart move.

Zenless Zone Zero is, unfortunately, fully in line with Hoyo’s weird conservative politics - in particular, 1.0 and 1.1 are absolutely stuffed full of copaganda. With how many safety regulation jokes they made at the construction company, I initially hoped they’d lampoon the police faction a bit, or make a commentary on how comically heavily armed New Eridu’s police force are. In a vacuum, Zhu Yuan shouting combat lines like “Stop resisting!” or “Freeze, hands up!” while blasting someone with her gigantic, ‘JUSTICE’-emblazoned rocket launcher shotgun feels like it ought to be satire. Every time we talk to the officers, though, it’s just line after line about their solemn duty to protect the people of the city, how essential and important they are for the community, and so on and so on.

This wholehearted embrace of the world’s current power structure is something Zenless Zone Zero approaches in nearly the exact same way as Star Rail. In both games, your playable character is someone that’s sort of operating outside the law - in Star Rail, as the maverick organization that is the Astral Express, while in ZZZ you work as an illegal proxy. Despite this setup, any time the protagonists come into contact with a governing body, they are no less than thrilled to help them enforce the will of the law.

In Star Rail, you aid the local governments (one of which is an undemocratic monarchy) in committing massive cover-ups to hide their failures from the populace not once but twice. In ZZZ, you aid the police to an obsequious degree - playing along with them to not arouse suspicion is one thing, but helping them organize a fucking community day on Sixth Street? Fuck that. Hell, said community day is even shown to initially be DOA because none of the local residents trust the police - and you best believe we get two full scenes of the MCs changing the resident’s minds, resulting in them spouting shit about “Oh, it was our fault for judging the police too harshly - they really do have our best interests at heart!”

is it tho

There’s an argument to be made that the N.E.P.S. are a little different, given that they exist in a post-apocalyptic world with monsters popping up every day - and ZZZ’s copaganda is certainly a little less flagrant than something like Spider-Man helping the NYPD install civilian surveillance networks in Insomniac’s Spider-Man. And, sure, perhaps this can help excuse why they post fully armored, rifle-wielding soldiers in the Lumina Square DMV, and provides some justification that their existence is more helpful than the real world’s civilian-murdering property guards.

Thing is, though, at every turn you’re hit with dialogue and situations which make it clear that, no, they’re the normal cops. Every other sidequest seems to involve calling the N.E.P.S. in on somebody or helping with an investigation, and for every time we see them handle ethereal activity, there’s two instances of them being called in for petty property theft or something similarly minor - even the playable character has heaps of dialogue choices threatening to call the police on someone*. Much like Star Rail’s reactionary politics were strangely at odds with the ‘blazing a new path’ ideals of the trailblaze, Zenless Zone Zero’s obsession with the police puts a damper on its underground, counterculture aesthetic.

*Including a case where both options threatened this, leaving me without a non-narc dialogue choice.

illustration by Lv01KOKUEN

And finally… I don’t know where to fit this in, so I guess it just goes in its own little section at the end here. Lots of people, myself included, have touched on the Persona inspirations - and they’re certainly significant. One thing I’m surprised I haven’t seen anyone mention as a huge influence is Yasuhiro Nightow’s Kekkai Sensen / Blood Blockade Battlefront. From its sense of style to its worldbuilding, ZZZ damn near feels like fanfic to me. Hell, it’s right in the name - BBB? ZZZ? And this is on top of the dimensional crossover / big city vibe, the retro fashion, the different factions. Victoria Housekeeping might as well be Libra 2.0 - Von Lycaon is a damn near perfect 50/50 expy of Klaus and Stephen Starphase. And then Belle / Wise, who assist these powerful fighters in a noncombat role just like Leo, also turn out to have some sort of special magical eyes granted to them by untold powers from within the dimensional rift??

I’m here for it, don’t get me wrong - love Nightow. But that can’t be coincidence, right?

[tangledbea]

I’ve been seeing a lot of gifs from the Aladdin TV series and it made me really appreciate how the Tangled series stylized its animation instead of trying to look like the movie.

The Aladdin show’s animation looks SO BAD because the character designs were for a major motion picture not a TV show.

That's not exactly accurate. I mean, yes, they were designed for a major motion picture, but they were also simplified to a degree for television. I've seen people do Aladdin series screencap redraws in the movie's style/color palette, and the difference is obvious.

No, the animation in the Aladdin series looks bad because of the era in which it came out. Animation in general was largely based on comedy at the time, on the squash and stretch, and lower budgets (which the series animation studio had) meant faster, cheaper animation. They look bad because they didn't have the budget to put the quality and care into it that the movie did (in no small part because the series wasn't really making them much in the way of extra money).

Interestingly, I watched the Aladdin and Hercules crossover episode fairly recently, and, while similarly rough, the Hercules characters don't look as poorly animated. This, I believe, is because they're already so stylized that they can handle the distortion that comes from the lower quality animation.

If you look at animation across the board today, it's higher quality than it was back in the 80s and 90s. You can even watch a single show that's been around that long (The Simpsons) and see how much the animation has improved since the first several seasons.

[iridescentscarecrow]

self indulgent semi critical stream of consciousness thoughts on p2 & csm's writing style --

re: the comedy point: i do say this a lot but fujimoto uses the same tension for both comedy & horror -- the punchline of a Joke disrupts just as a rupture of tension -> horror occurs. & this is why i appreciate the writing last chapter, personally. the crassness/hilarity to it almost contributes to how i'm reading it. he hates his body/the body becomes a point of comedic objection. this kind of relies on being able to see how this meshing of telling & character overlap: which i find q. compelling re: how sexual trauma works, the way it kind of deprecates, lessens your sense of self. it's a story very lived in & deeply Felt wrt how all its characters are written (the butt of the joke refuses to simply Be that, if it makes sense. kobeni's distress in the family burger chs is hilarious but its also a haunting, empathetic, portrait of corporate/family violence; comedy further built on the hollowness of what the CSM being there/going through This Motion means.)

this for sure won't work for every reader, tbh, & i understand this because it's a fine line to tread between portraying this effectively & it just coming off as insensitive. i'm personally very interested in genres & working within genres|how horror/comedy/character presentations conflict, intersect so i'm enjoying it... but it's true that p2 often feels hollower of a story than p1 & this isn't Bad, per se: i think what fjmt is trying to say is a lot more ambitious, a lot more immersed in technique - that it often takes away from some of the contemplative rawness (which does, by contrast, feature in some of p2's more widely loved chapters) that fills p1. p2's ruptures of tension are more at the forefront, a lot of the frame behind it is *so* based on minimal technical nuance that it doesn't really nestle onto you in the same way, if that makes sense? i'm mostly positive about plot elements on main but i've been eyeing the asa erasure with skepticism for a while. it's really a much weaker story without her, no matter what thematic point that i think is being made here. i mean, perhaps because when you deplete the asa to the story you're left with denji - who is mostly *passive*, doesn't produce narrative (unlike asa/makima) which writes the story for you. denji's brilliance is in spurts, contrasted/set against other character's selves - often in refutation of them - in a desperate kind of <proof of life>, of having been imbued with thus written experience, of this being so deeply felt - & this is what gets to fans too, i feel. his life as visible through <written> form/against, caught within structure & other's wants. this is also why i think those nayuta chapters (as an extension of mkm) were so great because of what it did for nayuta & denji. you see him through her eyes, & then you see *him.* i think the issue with asa is that a large amt of her character also has like a (similar to denji) self hate, a repression which makes itself known very well when we're inside her head but atp rn we can't see that at all, because she's modelled herself (& i think this is rlly cool narratively) around the idea of the CSM she's meant to work as an extension of. & this self modelling paired w. being Out of her head makes her feel (to me) awfully flat. & this is upsetting, because i really like asa!

but at some levels i appreciate the ambition to p2's greater story that i can forgive individual characters being diluted in the fray. but this isn't true for everyone | shouldn't even be because csm is a story *felt* through its characters, within its absurdity... the reason most people like it is because aspects of it resonate with them. & this kind of jarr is pretty much fjmt's biggest writing issue - it's what i've personally criticised / seen others criticise w. p1 (power's character's writing towards the end) & it's why i see people rightfully criticise p2.

this is already a very self indulgent thread so i'm also going to bring up *why* i like characters such as reze, makima, togata: their character presentation compels enough to really intertwine with the flesh of them in ways that are... kind of hard to ignore to fully receive the story. if that makes sense: their surface is so much condensed trope.. in fact, this is true of even aki who i think i'd argue is the best written character in p1 functioning outside the (makima-denji) centre w. the revenge trope.

anyway: it's kind of also because of these reasons that i feel that p2 will just *work* better when read as a whole,, because of the frame fjmt has himself set up it becomes a little difficult to resonate w. it in individual moment, chapter to chapter, because atp you have to either be (a) incredibly aware of this larger structure which is... difficult to do for a weekly release at least to sustain a good amt of immersion or (b) recognise the narrative that emanates from trauma reltd. mechanism & since this is more personal: it's harder to find yourself here & it becomes.. disconnected, frustrating moment after moment where it becomes not just a <character work> but a <one character work>. & i find this hits in these instances w. people who empathise w. denji as do i! but i find little discussion of this as Implication rippling into story structure (although fjmt's story is built on/into his main character as it was in p1)... it's Hard without a writing force like mkm to make denji cohere into a largely invisible narrative.

honestly could talk more about this for ages:: even wrt. my issues with like... a large amount of the back half of Fire Punch which don't come from a place of thematic incoherency at all. i legit feel fujimoto needs a frame for his story to work <within instance> & i see him trying to bring in katana etc. here (& other male characters) in order to deploy what he's saying but their framings don't.. linger enough to really grip into you as Story imo. the single family callback into p1 makima shook me far more.

wishful thought but i think asa's head would be interesting to get into because we *have* yuko there as meaningful setup in order to really direction... i loved the yuko dialogue use in 165 but her ghost feels. Almost too subtle rn, imo. this is just like,,, a small portion of my thoughts regarding p2 & its criticisms rn;; bear in mind, i really like/hold bias towards the themes p2 is playing with [concurrs a lot w. my interests] but i also really enjoy going on & on about storytelling technique LMAO. i'm looking forward to seeing how this arc concludes.

[luulapants]

“I don’t drink beer. How do I write characters that do?”

Beer has been an integral part of human society for about as long as we’ve had a human society. Some anthropologists now theorize that we fermented grain for beer before we used it for bread. It’s the most popular alcoholic drink worldwide, and everyone has their own regional variety. This will mostly focus on US beer culture, which is what I’m familiar with.

Who’s drinking beer?

Beer has a reputation as a “man’s drink,“ at least in Western cultures, but there are plenty of women that partake. Showing a woman drinking beer, though, might convey to readers that she’s “one of the boys” or down-to-earth.

The cheap stuff is really, really cheap, and therefore seen as a blue collar, “working man’s” drink, but the low price point also makes it good for events with lots of people. It has high water content, so it’ll keep people hydrated at an outdoor event better than other options. Most have a relatively low alcohol content by volume, making it a good choice if you want to keep drinking for a while without getting too drunk.

For beer snobs, the craft beer world can be a hobby or a lifestyle. They might brew beer at home or have a local brewery they hang out at. They’ll go to brewery events where new batches or special reserve bottles are released and sold. Some bottles can cost quite a lot!

You could reasonably expect someone to have a few beers in the fridge. Frequent drinkers would replenish the stock often. Less frequent drinkers might have a few they forgot about. It does go bad eventually, so it’s not like a hard liquor where you could have a bottle sitting around untouched for multiple years and offer it up to someone. When it goes bad, it gets a “skunky” taste.

How are they drinking it?

Most good beers are meant to be poured into a glass, and there are different glass shapes for different styles, all purported to enhance the beer in some way. The basic is going to be a 16-oz pint glass. You should pour slowly with the stream hitting the side of the glass, not the bottom, to avoid it all turning to foam and overflowing. The foam is called the ‘head,’ and if it gets too tall, you have to wait for it to go down before drinking or else get foam on your nose.

Pouring the beer into a glass allows it to breathe and means the drinker is smelling the aroma of the beer as they drink. A glass suggests your character is enjoying their beer for its taste.

Drinking straight from the can or bottle, then, suggests a character that doesn’t care about the flavor or a beer that isn’t worth savoring. An exception is Corona, a Mexican beer, which is best enjoyed by cramming a lime slice into the bottle’s opening. It drops into the beer, which fizzes in response.

Cans are cheaper than bottles, generally. Cans often need to be crushed before they go in the recycling bin, to save space. Some people have mechanical crushers, some will crush with their hands or under their boot. If you want to show that someone is a real meathead, they might crush it on their forehead.

Of course, an exception to the “dignity” of glasses is the iconic red Solo cup, a plastic disposable cup associated with binge drinking at parties.

Binge drinking and drinking gimmicks

A beer can only be chugged (drank quickly all in one motion) from a glass, due to a lack of air flow into a can or bottle. Chugging can be a great sexually suggestive shorthand, since it’s best done if the drinker can completely relax and open their throat, basically pouring the drink directly down their esophagus, and... well, you catch my drift.

To get around the air flow issue, cans can be shotgunned, a practice associated with binge drinking, party culture, college/frat behavior, etc. To shotgun a beer, the side of the can is stabbed with a knife. You then cover the knife hole with your mouth, tip your head sideways so the can is upright, and crack the tab. This allows air to flow into the top hole, causing the beer to flow quickly out of the knife hole and into your mouth. It requires you to chug the entire beer or risk getting soaked.

A beer bong involves a large funnel with a long plastic hose coming from the bottom. The drinker puts the end of the hose in their mouth while a second person stands above them, the higher the better (I once saw a beer bong from a 3rd floor balcony), and pours a beer into the funnel. The gravity pressure then carries the beer down the tube at high speed, forcing the person at the bottom to drink as quickly as they can.

Not to be confused with beer pong, a game played on a ping-pong or similar-sized table. A triangle of red solo cups is arranged on either end of the table, each filled with a small amount of cheap beer. It’s a two-on-two game, with each side taking turns throwing a ping-pong ball, trying to get it into one of the other team’s cups. If it lands in a cup, someone from the other team needs to drink that cup and remove it from the table. There are usually elaborate house rules. Most people claim there is a “sweet spot” of drunkness where they are best at the game.

A keg is a barrel-shaped pressurized vessel that holds a large quantity of beer. For parties, a keg can be the most economical option for serving so many people. The keg will be stored in a large ice-filled container, often a trash can or storage tote. The keg must be “primed,” a plunger on top pumped repeatedly to get the vessel properly pressurized. People use the attached hose, which has a button or nozzle on the end, to dispense beer into their cups. It has to be re-pumped regularly, and by the end of the keg, this becomes laborious and frustrating, often leaving you with nothing but a sad trickle of foam.

A keg stand involves doing a handstand with your hands on the rim of the keg, usually with someone holding your legs to stabilize you, and drinking from the keg hose while upside-down. It frequently results in beer going up your nose and can show that a character is a fun party person or a walking disaster.

Ordering at the bar

Yes, in movies, a man will sit at a bar and say “beer me” and a beer appears in front of him with no conversation. No, that’s not realistic. Bars have a wide variety of beers, and you need to tell the bartender what you want. If a character wants something cheap, they might say, “A Miller Light,” or maybe a sarcastic, “A can of your finest Coors, sir.” Otherwise, they might read the menu, either posted on the wall or on a sheet of paper at the bar. They could also ask the bartender, “What’s on tap?”

Most bars will have a stock of cans and bottles in a fridge. They might ask if you want a glass with it. Beers on tap are stored in kegs under the bar and attached to spigots, usually with decorative handles. Some may be mainstays of the bar that are always available, and others might rotate in and out.

No, your character doesn’t have to specifically name drop a brand. You can give a general description: a can of the cheapest beer they had. A stout a little too syrupy for his tastes. A local IPA. All of these choices will say something about who your character is as a person.

Cheap Beer

Most mass-produced are light lagers with a pale yellow color. Those who don’t like them describe them as watery or tasting “like piss.” If one is hitting the spot at the end of a long day, it might taste slightly tart, slightly bitter, but mostly refreshing. Worse ones are more bitter and have a sort of “funk” to them. The big names like Miller, Coors, Bud, Natty Light, or Mich will be instantly recognizable as a cheap beer, but if you really want to get regionally specific in the US, many places have a local one that is so, so much worse.

For home drinking, cheap beers can be bought in the traditional six-pack, but serious drinkers are more likely to buy a case, usually 24 beers. As for where you can buy them, that varies from state to state and county to county. Look up the local laws on whether beer can be bought in grocery stores or convenience stores.

Craft Beer

The craft beer industry has exploded in popularity in the US, with microbreweries churning out small batches of local beers with creative, complex flavors.There are a kajillion different variations, but I’ll try to hit the big categories:

Lagers are usually associated with cheap beer, but there are craft lagers such as bocks, dunkels, and schwarzbiers. They’re fermented at lower temperatures and usually have a lighter flavor and a low alcohol content.

Sours are, as the name says, sour! They are light, low alcohol content, and often fruit flavored. These are summery and the fruity ones are sometimes seen as “girly.”

IPAs (India Pale Ales) are usually light with heavy hops content. Those who don’t like them describe them as too bitter or tasting like grass. Those that like them describe them as floral and complex. IPAs had a “craze” in the early 2010s and were disparagingly described as “pumpkin spice for men.” Because they are light and easy-drinking, they’re less “butch” than others.

Stouts are the other side of the ale spectrum: heavy, black, and thick. It’s like drinking bread. They are often strongly and complexly flavored with things like coffee, chocolate, banana, peanut butter. They can be aged in whiskey barrels to give them a smoky flavor. They can be syrupy or bitter. It’s hard to drink too much of them because they are filling and calorie-heavy, but they usually have a very high alcohol content, two to four times as strong as a light beer. They’re seen as a beer for “serious” beer drinkers. Guinness is the most well-known commercially available stout, but most beer snobs will stick up their noses at it.

Porters are the less-heavy predecessor of the stout. They’re dark brown with lots of hops and a malty flavor. A good compromise if you want a strong, dark beer to show you’re A Man™ but don’t want a beer you practically have to chew.

In nonsense stereotypical terms, darker/heavier/higher alcohol content = more tough/butch, lighter/fruitier/lower alcohol content = more feminine. That said, I wouldn’t want to drink a heavy beer in the sun on a hot day, so context also matters.

Is there anything I missed? Let me know!

[hidingoutbackstage]

Okay I’m STILL procrastinating watching s15 bc I’m SCARED so here’s my extremely biased ratings/opinions on the episodes of s14 to help me procrastinate (episodes which are multiple parts of a single story will be condensed into one slot)

Room Zero: SO cute and good, I LOVED the animation style, it was simple and short but really well done with great colors, fun alien designs, and fluid animation, and I just like seeing the guys go on missions like that. It's a shame that the animated show never got picked up bc I would've adored seeing more of it. 10/10

From Stumbled Beginnings: Very cute and funny origin story for Simmons and Grif, and I love that they were p much always together since they enlisted lmao makes their dynamic rlly good and the humor actually got a couple laughs out of me. 8/10

Fifty Shades of Red: Sarge's humor never quite landed with me like is has for some people (my boyfriend lmao I literally have to pause episodes sometimes so he can stop laughing. Anyway) but it was a very humorous and in character origin for him as well. 5/10

Why They’re Here: Less interesting than the previous two, obviously just meant to fill in plot "holes" and to also show us the origins of the other characters. Also I am completely ignoring that one line from Tucker in the interview, just gonna chalk it up to the "edgy" humor it does not exist to me. 4/10

The Brick Gulch Chronicles: WONDERFUL stop motion, very fun and cute and entertaining, very wholesome and still in the vibe with what the show itself is. I appreciate the willingness to do stop motion for most of it. 10/10

Red Army Unit FH57’s Adventure: It was kinda interesting and kinda funny but I found myself kinda tuning it out cuz it just felt kinda whatever. The combo of the different animation styles was cool though and I thought the ship misunderstanding them was funny. 5/10

Locus and Felix: Okay I'm gonna be a black sheep for a second and say that I rlly don't care that much about Locus and Felix. I don't think Felix is a secretly deep sadboi whom I'm gonna spend an unnecessary amount of time thinking about, I don't think Locus as secretly good all along, and I don't care that much about their partnership and what they were like before Chorus. That being said, the animation here is absolutely gorgeous, this is probably my favorite animated story in the whole season, it looks awesome. The plot is nothing special but who cares like I said it's beautiful, 6/10

Fight the Good Fight!: VERY funny and well-executed propaganda video, short and sweet and nothing more to it. It does its job. 5/10

Meta vs. Carolina: Dawn of Awesome: Another one I really don't care for because literally everything leading UP to the fight between Meta and Carolina is a waste of time. Maybe some people really care about their weapons and stats, but I don't. And even then, you kinda know Carolina is gonna win the fight, the question is just how. 4/10

Grey vs. Gray: I don't know or care about the Game Grumps and the entire thing felt like a short gag that went on for way too long with a predictable ending. 2/10

Caboose's Guide to Making Friends: Again, ADORABLE art style and very cute having a story be told from Caboose's perspective. 7/10

Head Cannon: Kinda funny I guess. I wish we'd gotten it spread out more equally among the heads Omega jumped into. Ik he didn't spend equal time in there but who cares. Whatever, still funny. 5/10

Get Bent: I LAUGHED PROBABLY THE HARDEST AT THIS ONE AND THAT'S MOSTLY BC OF LESBIAN DONUT IT CAUGHT ME OFF GUARD AND IT WAS HILARIOUS (also hello, bisexual church?) 9/10

Red vs. Blue: The Musical: it was fine. it was creative. The dancing was well animated. Enjoyable. 5/10

Mr. Red vs. Mr. Blue: I haven't seen Reservoir Dogs but Kaikaina was in this which automatically boosts it to a 8/10 (I also like that they have movie nights it's cute)

RvB Throwdown: Fine but mostly forgettable. 3/10

The Triplets Story: REALLY interesting concept (y'all know I love the freelancers) that felt like it dragged on too long and only gave Ohio something to do. 4/10

Immersion: The Warthog Flip: I loved the costumes and the actual Warthog and it got a couple laughs out of me. 5/10

Red vs. Blue vs. Rooster Teeth: This was made for the fans/themselves. As someone who is neither, none of it was funny and I just kinda waited for it to be over. At least the animation of the armor irl looked rlly good

[warpedlegacywrites]

Chapter 6: "Residue"

They finally arrive in Kirkwall… a place to which Cullen had once vowed to never return. And it is both the same, and entirely different.

As they make their way along, Cullen moves as if through the veil of a dream, automatically adapting to Veritas’ motions in a detached rhythm, watching the scenery drift past as though it were moving, not him. The streets are nearly empty, thanks to the weather, adding to the unrealness of it all. A simulacrum, half-remembered, instead of a physical presence he can reach out and touch. 

Rain splatters across the uneven stones and their spiderweb cracks, in a long-forgotten lullabye. The shop fronts are dark, most of them old enough to have seen the original faces of the Old Gods carved into the cliffs, before Chantry influence began hacking away at them. The awnings that line the streets – meant to provide relief from nothing more solid than the sun’s heat – offer little protection against the downpour, but the few people out huddle futilely beneath them anyway. They shoot wary glances to the party as they pass, but ask no questions. They’re dressed in the favoured style of brightly dyed chitons that hang loosely from their shoulders. A colourful contrast from the drab grey-black of the surrounding architecture.  

It all floats by, like debris carried off by a swift current. Residue of his past, not so much forgotten as absent – the sort of things he’d never bothered to consciously notice before. Memory of the body, rather than the mind. 

How strange, this sense of not-quite deja vu. A nostalgia he resents rather than laments. He’d expected the city to feel like his nightmares, but he is the one who is haunted, shuffling through its labyrinthe like a shade of the man he’d once been. 

“What happened down at the docks?” Tess asks him, breaking him from his reverie. She keeps her gaze forward, but he feels her focus trained squarely on him. 

“Ran into an old friend,” he answers, evasive. It’s not even a lie, not really. He had considered Maurice a friend… once. “Another former templar.” 

She hums thoughtfully, but says nothing, waiting him out. Despite his mood, he has to admire the efficiency of her tactics. 

“It seems many of them have joined the city guard, since the dissolution of the Order and the Circles.” 

Her head snaps around to meet his, and he sees his own alarm reflected in her face. It’s oddly reassuring, a confirmation that his gut reaction was correct. 

“Well, that’s horrifying,” she declares, and he voices his agreement. 

And yet, infuriatingly, part of him sees the sense in it. A large group of skilled fighters, suddenly bereft of purpose and let loose on a city still recovering from mass violence? Taking them in had likely saved the city more troubles – an idle sword hand often found ways of creating its own necessity. He hates that he understands, that he can even imagine a time and a version of himself that would willingly endorse it. Even propose it. 

Hadn’t he once insisted that Theresa recruit the remaining Templars over the rebel mages? 

This self-reflection brings him face to face with a dilemma he hasn’t considered, though he should have. Very soon, she will be face to face with parts of himself she’s only ever heard him recount. How much will she see? And how will she see him , after? 

He imagines her look of alarm directed at him, rather than shared with him, and violently rejects it. She knows your past , he tries to remind himself, and she accepts you despite it.  

Yet he can’t help the pessimistic rebuke: It’s one thing to know… another to see.  

DAFF tag list: @rakshadow, @rosella-writes, @effelants, @bluewren, @breninarthur, @ar-lath-ma-cully, @dreadfutures, @ir0n-angel, @inquisimer, @crackinglamb, @theluckywizard, @nirikeehan @oxygenforthewicked, @exalted-dawn-drabbles, @melisusthewee, @blarrghe, @agentkatie

[fractured-shield]

thanks for the tag @finickyfelix!! these are always so much fun to look for and choose which of each word to use, when there's more than one

my words are final, open, late, and dark

Final:

Idhren's armor was of a particular style used in some of Linador's vanguard units in the kingdom’s final years. He had already finished wiping the leather panels clean and checking the buckles and joints, and had moved on to oiling the pieces of metal plate. He worked with practiced precision, having done the same task countless times before, even if it was a bit more difficult than usual. His hands hadn’t stopped trembling since he left the market street.

Open:

Therien woke a little after first light. Just like before, she didn’t remember falling asleep. In a terrifying instant she came to all at once and found herself still sitting atop the warhorse’s tall back. She flinched, leaning back and colliding with her papa’s chest.

“Good morning,” he said. He sounded awfully tired.

She tried again, easing open bleary eyes to the sight of the same road and plains as she'd seen last, the sky just barely lightening and the first birds of the morning beginning to call from their hiding places among the grass.

“Do you see the convoy?” He asked her, switching Fuinar's reins to his other hand.

Late:

The entrance was small, sparsely-lit, and empty save for the innkeeper and the woman he was talking to: a woman with dark, well-kept curls and Ilgostian-style clothing. The innkeeper was turning aside as they entered, back into the main room. The woman spun to face the two of them.

“Um—sorry. We’re here to meet someone,” Therien put on her best impression of a Riddana child, a respectable one who didn’t carry a lingering smell of sheep.

The woman smiled, in a particular manner that meant Therien’s efforts had failed. “Really? That doesn’t sound right,” she said politely, eyes flicking warily between the two of them, then back towards the common room with its warm lighting and crackling fire. “Should you be out this late at night?”

Therien pulled Condel the rest of the way inside, and shut the door—louder than she’d meant to—like it would convince the woman to let her stay.

“We’re here to meet someone,” she repeated, raising her chin defiantly.

Dark:

One of them stepped forward: a man with dark curls and a thick beard. There was a red lion on the back of his dark tabard, and hovering over its head a crown, and beneath its feet crossed swords. He bowed to the Lochieru stiffly, in a fashion foreign to her, and spoke loudly.

“We offer our strength, such as it is, and the influence of our name in the house of high lords. We offer to use our influence in attempt to overrule any agreement by the governing lords that would be against Lochieru efforts, and to introduce motions that would be in your favor, if subtlety may allow it. We offer the standing armies of our house for your use in making war, if war is what you desire.”

okay, let's see...tagging (no pressure!) @nczaversnick @ryderwritings @leahnardo-da-veggie, plus an open tag for anyone else who wants to join!

your words are endure, patience, spine, and pluck

[thesiltverses]

I have a question AND a little gratitude to express. First, The Silt Verses became my favourite podcast a few months ago because it's so validating to know I'm not awful for making awful, eldritch fiction. For the question: I know humans can't understand the gods, but how much do they understand us? Like the Watcher in the Wings, does it "get" the performance or is it only there for murder and discomfort? Do they "speak" to us or are those whispers our attempt at understanding the unfathomable?

Hey and thank you so much!

You’re definitely not awful, and I think it’s really important to affirm that awful fiction is a wonderful and powerful thing. It performs a truly valuable artistic function in helping us to interrogate and process our complicated, angry, sometimes shameful thoughts and feelings about a frequently awful world.

(But equally, awful fiction also deserves to exist beyond any of that, just because it can be fun sometimes to explore the monstrous, mean-spirited, dreadful and absolutely gross, and that should be more than enough).

So please, fuck to hell any implied ‘art should only be morally instructive, or conclude with hope, or a celebration of the human spirit, and if you create "bad" art you might just be a bad person’-style messaging you might have seen out there in the wild - it still seems to circle a lot online but so many horror creators have spoken passionately and furiously about how stifling and rotten and false it is, and long may they do so.

I really hope the awful eldritch fiction is incredible to write and is exactly as awful as it needs to be.

To your actual question - do the gods understand humans in The Silt Verses? 

I don’t know. The gods are depicted in line with my general state of beleaguered agnosticism and apophenia - the desperate need to believe that there’s something out there that understands me and knows my heart, my fear and suspicion that I could spend a lifetime seeing patterns that aren’t really there to feed that need, my wonder at ‘miracles’ or wondrous coincidences that are likely just random motions in the fugue…

Because the story is meant to be coming from that place of universal doubt, it’s important to me that there’s no ‘true’ answer in my own head. The gods could be speaking to our characters, or our characters could be fooling themselves, seeing the mechanistic, hunger-led or arbitrary actions of a (supernaturally-empowered) animal and interpreting them as something more. We get conflicting suggestions of both.

The Watcher in the Wings is quite a funny example, though, because it actually doesn’t do anything directly, other than beat its wings. 

Hembry is convinced that the wing-beating signifies applause, and that something terrible will happen if he doesn’t satisfy it, but there’s no real proof that it will, and at the end the Watcher actually flees from him - he’s created that entire ecosystem of belief based on assumption, and (horribly) it might not have even been necessary in the first place.

[moononmyfloor]

New Life Begins: Li family costume appreciation

DISCLAIMER:

I am not Chinese by nationality nor ethnicity, nor have I received any formal education on Chinese culture and history. Therefore my observations may be erroneous and I'd be grateful for any correction offered by a more knowledgeable party!

Period dramas are not meant to be 100% accurate representation of historical details. Some dramas may attempt to have some semblance of reenactment, in which case it would simply be a bonus. Especially ahistorical fusion dramas will attempt more modified takes on historical wardrobes, sometimes mish-mash pieces with elements from multiple dynasties. So take everything here with a grain of salt.

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The wardrobe of New Life Begins, for the most part gave me a vague Song Dynasty inspired aesthetic. If you followed this drama faithfully you may have noticed that it had gone an extra mile with its worldbuilding details, where there are 9 provinces that would remind you of real provinces of China due to their placements and unique characteristics. I did a post about that here.

There I said, the FL Li Wei's home province Jichuan, makes me think of Yunnan- adjacent area because it is described as mountainous and well-suited for farming, atop other reasons such as its placement on the map..

AND how the styling of the Li family stood out among the other characters! Some details, reminded me slightly of Miao ethnicity, who are especially noted for their silver jewellery.

Here are the similarities I noticed:

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The hairpins and combs

(Left: Miao combs, Right: Li mama's combs)

Additionally notice Li baby brother's thick silver necklace.

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Irregular front lapels of the jacket and bead tassels on hemlines

I don't think I have ever seen something like this on Han Chinese hanfu jackets.

(Left: Miao dress, Right: Li Wei's dress when she first arrived)

Later, when she marries as the Legal Main wife, her wedding dress also improves in details to honor her background, compared to when she first married in as a concubine where she wore a regular red wedding hanfu like everyone else. At first I wondered if it's an alternate version of Xiuhefu but then felt like the finer details resemble the Miao dress more. It wouldn't be far-fetch of an estimation considering how the rest of details I mentioned above also direct to the same conclusion.

Notice the elaborate headdress quite different from the Han wedding jewellery we usually see, the dress itself being a jacket-skirt combo and not a one-piece outer robe etc hanfu.

And of course, the beaded tassel details continue. See the dress in motion here.

I really like that during Yin Zheng's visit to Li Wei's hometown, they incorporated some silver ornament details to his dresses as well.🥰

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Overall I think it's not a stretch for me to say that New Life Begins did care for its visual storytelling a lot, that it attempted to do something layered with its character and costume designs. It is so delightful to see the merging of different elements of different heritages like this, and it is very much fun to go treasure hunting for those details!

I hope you enjoyed this AND, once again, do correct me if I got this wrong!

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More posts by me

[oatmilktruther]

16 and 46 for the ask challenge! For 46 I'm curious about your style both narratively and in voice (yours is so unique and I'm obsessed with it) and maybe how you went about developing it (if you even can answer that idk).

16. How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Share one of them?

LOL technically i have so many because none of them are really abandoned but off the top of my head the ones that i consistently think about… vampire stede, lesbian car guy ed, regency marriage of convenience and mutual pining, and fight club not Fight Club. the regency marriage of convenience one is the one im most craving to finish because i havent seen anyone else write marriage of convenience/arranged marriage in a way that really hits the spot but basically my concept is Stede and Ed meet and become friends as teenagers and as they get older Stedes parents are pressuring him to marry someone with a title to give their family legitimacy (which Ed has) and Eds parents are pressuring him to marry anyone at all (he is trans and they are worried no one will want him because hes not “a proper young lady”) and Ed knows Stede would never expect him to be anything but Ed, so he asks him to marry him so he can just live his life and Stede of course says yes. Thus ensues years of mutual pining (and Ed of course living his best life and getting to Ye Old Transition in peace). im regular about this idea and gender and intimacy (lying)

46. How would you describe your style? (Character/emotion/action-driven, etc)

omg thank you for being so so kind this means a lot to me it feels good to know i offer something unique. i would say it’s very emotion driven but primarily because i get so incredibly anchored in the character whose POV im writing from. like i am an emotional person myself so when i get down to writing something im living in my characters head and feeling all their feelings so i can put them on the page. most of my plotting is driven by how its going to make the character feel.

and my voice is most often a variation on an Ed Teach ADHD special, though sometimes its the Stede Bonnet Autism Express, but as i mentioned in an earlier ask the thing that unites them most often is a sense of rhythm. And the main way that i developed this was just listening to so so so much music while im reading and writing and also reading a lot and basically absorbing a lot of language, most especially lyrics, and then actually being auDHD myself. so like a combination of the way i am a rabbity erratic thinker naturally and having absorbed so much musicality and lyricism and rhythm into my brain while associating it with “regular” written prose ive just tried to imbue as much of that as possible into my writing. and then the other thing is like. i get bored easily myself so like. i really dont want to get bored writing and i really dont want my readers to get bored either. so every time i write something new i want it to feel new in general and new for me and i want it to have as much motion and dynamism as possible. well i talked longer than i meant to but i hope this is coherent. thank you again for the ask and for being so kind 💖