#oh also obligatory this is not the full piece!

[cicadagaze]

i am about to spend SO much fucking time on this

[dbphantom]

2018??? IT'S BEEN 6 YEARS? I'VE BEEN INTO ROTTMNT LONGER THAN I'VE BEEN A GUY?

Oh, God, I'm OLD

I really miss editing 😭

[waywardstation]

Fair Trade

Akari shares with Ingo a bag of candy she found while distortion diving, though Ingo more appreciates the familiar feelings that sharing candy brings back than anything.

Happy Halloween!! I wrote this off a request an anon gave me about Akari sharing Halloween candy with Ingo. Hope you enjoy!! This is my first bit of writing that I’ve actually published in a while, and it feel like this writing in particular is a lot of nothing, but it was fun just to get something out again!!

OR read here on AO3!

Enjoy!

————

“I am finding it very hard to believe that you dislike chocolate this much.”

“Come on,” From where she sat on the dojo bench, Akari held her hand out to Ingo, the shiny, brightly-colored wrapper in her palm already unfoiled to reveal the candy inside. “It’s not that I don’t like them, I just like other candy more. And I can’t eat all of these myself, so I gotta pick and choose. Also, you have to take it, I already opened it.”

Looking back at her from his position by the dojo, Ingo’s expression was one of discernment — she could certainly just wrap it back up and save it for later. She also could have done that with the last six candies she had handed to him. But eventually, he relented and took it. Popping it into his mouth with an obligatory “Thank you”, Ingo returned to casting his glance at the training grounds’ gate.

Unlike Akari, he had not realized how sorely he had specifically missed sweet, modernized chocolate until she had first given him a piece several minutes earlier, when she had come by the training grounds to see him with a big mystery bag in her hands.

“Look at this, Ingo!” She had called out to him, holding the packaging up against the sunset sky for him to see — orange and purple, it was full of colorful wrappers, and seemed to be decorated with ghost pokemon (some silhouettes he recognized much more clearly than others). “I found this in one of the distortions! Help me eat it!”

A moderately-sized, unopened bag of cheap assorted candies, wrapped in shiny foils that obscured the flavor and kept its brand a surprise until it was opened. No doubt it had been pulled from some store shelf, if not an unfortunate person’s cabinet. Akari had been unwrapping the candies one by one; if it was revealed to be a fruit chew or something of the sort, she ate it herself, but the chocolates were handed off to Ingo.

Reaching her hand back onto the bag, Akari fished out another wrapper and twisted it open, revealing a green gummy inside that vaguely resembled a cherubi’s shape.

“Gummy.” She announced to no one in particular, chewing on it and stuffing the wrapper into her satchel. Picking out and unwrapping another before she had even finished her candy, she held it out to Ingo. “Chocolate. Here.”

“Ah, thank you,” Ingo received it with waning enthusiasm, but dropped it into his mouth regardless. “Have you perhaps considered sharing with your friend Rei as well?”

“Yeah, but last time I did, he got sick the next day. He said he doesn’t want them anymore.”

“How many have you had?” Watching Akari pull out yet another candy from the bag, Ingo was beginning to wonder if she was planning to stop at some point, or keep pushing through until the bag was empty. Knowing her, he believed it would be the latter.

“I don’t know, maybe… Nine? Ten?” The teen did not look up from the candy she was currently unwrapping. “I haven’t been counting.”

Ingo looked away, back towards the dojo’s gates as Akari peeked through the small opening she had made in her wrapper. He was acutely aware of how anything as processed and sugary as candy would not mix well with a digestive system that had become accustomed to a Hisuian diet — concerning both Akari, and himself.

“I advise taking these tracks a little slower; there is no need to rush towards the end of the line in just one night, lest you end up like Rei.”

“Oh man, if you think I’ll get sick off of this, you should really see all the junk I eat that I don’t bring back to share with you,” Akari brushed it off with a laugh as if his recommendation was a joke, before holding another unwrapped candy out to him again. “Chocolate. Here you go.”

“...Thank you.” Ingo echoed once again, tentatively receiving the bite-size candy bar. He chewed it with a look on his face – hard to discern, but appearing to be guilty for appreciating it. He waved Akari off preemptively with a hand before she could even unwrap another candy. “But please, no more; Miss Zisu is supposed to return back from the hall at any moment to accompany me to The Wallflower. I don’t want to spoil my appetite.”

“Well all you have to do is stop taking them, then!” Akari’s voice was tickled with amusement. Plastic crinkled as another wrapper was opened; thankfully for Ingo’s sake, bright, soft pink was revealed under the shiny covering. “Ugh, Taffy.”

Ingo cleared his throat as Akari bit into it anyways, having nothing to say at being called out – he certainly could refuse, but a part of him didn’t want to. And it went beyond the plain craving for the processed sweetness after such a long period of going without it.

Something about the flavor was obviously familiar to him, but that wasn’t exactly what kept nagging him to repeatedly want just one more. In fact, there really was much to be desired from cheap, waxy chocolate.

It was more so the simple act of Akari specifically handing a candy to him that she didn’t want, but knew he liked. It felt like it was tugging on a dormant cord still connected between his heart and his memories.

There wasn’t a lot there, but it was attached to something, deep down.

( )( )( )( )( )( )

It was just like when he and (Emmet went trick-or-treating together as children. The two of them) would always return home with enough candy that (could have lasted them several months, but) would probably only survive a week or two (between themselves and their Pokémon). They would always take turns trading (their candy between each other at the end of the night. Emmet) enjoyed the sour variety of treats and gummies (that would oftentimes end up leaving him with a sore mouth,) while he preferred the sweeter chocolates and (candy bars).

And (when Elesa had come into their lives during their teenage years,) the group would continue the tradition (of trick-or-treating together, and then) swapping at the end of the night. (Chocolates were not willingly traded to him nearly as easily anymore, and) he often ended up being traded the things neither (Emmet or Elesa) wanted. But he didn’t mind (because he liked them well enough, more so than the other two).

And even (into adulthood, when going trick-or-treating from door to door) was swapped out for (late-night scary movie marathons with friends, He found a habit had formed where) he was often handed (the candy bowl near the end of the night, in order to finish off the bit of) untouched candy no one else wanted. (Emmet and Skyla) would lightheartedly jab at him (for functionally being their candy disposal bin, but Elesa would defend him while he himself just laughed,) taking it all in jest.

( )( )( )( )( )( )

…It was just like when he and someone else would always return home with enough candy that would last probably only a week or two. They’d take turns trading, the other enjoying sour candies while he preferred the sweet ones. And when their group continued swapping candy, he was often traded what no one else wanted. But he didn’t mind. And even when things… changed, he still was given the candy that no one else wanted. They would make jokes about him for it, but it was all in jest.

There was so much missing, Ingo knew there was, and it made things confusing as to what actually happened. But he certainly didn’t feel bad about any part of it, when he lingered on the feelings that were left behind.

The fragments were horrifically shattered and spread apart over many, many memories, he could tell. But something about it was comforting. Perhaps it was the fact that so many memories seemed linked together; it implied that this was something that had never changed even while time went on, something that had been continued over a large span of his prior life. He had done something with friends very frequently. And it was something he enjoyed very much.

They were happy memories of people he couldn’t quite remember, and while that was not a novel experience for him at this point, it still dimmed the warmth around the edges. But he could not ignore that it was also cathartic, in an aching, lonely way, to feel that they were so worn and repetitive.

The phantom memories gradually retreated back out of reach, keeping their distance as the sweet aftertaste of the cheap chocolate faded. Something about the fact that an action as seemingly insignificant as being handed unwanted candy, and how it was able to dredge up only emotional remnants of so many hazy recollections… it was a little frustrating for Ingo, if he was being honest.

The complete picture was always just out of reach, it felt like.

But he had lost his entire previous life to the foggy nowhere that used to be his mind. There were a lot of pieces to pick up, and he supposed a substantial amount of them would be small and insignificant — when something shattered like this, there were usually many more small pieces than big ones.

“Another chocolate.”

Ingo blinked, his thoughts giving way to the view of the training ground’s dirt beneath his shoes, then to Akari as he turned to her — she had leaned forward to nudge his wrist with her own hand. Of course, a chocolate nestled within an opened wrapper was held between her fingers.

“Ah-” Ingo hesitated for perhaps a moment too long with a look that may have been a bit too piercing, as Akari’s hand began to retract.

“Right, sorry,” Akari sat back, leaning against the dojo wall behind her as she situated the bag back on her lap. “I know, I shouldn’t keep handing you these when you’re about to go have dinner.”

“No no, it’s alright,” Ingo hastily attempted to correct the misunderstanding. “I apologize, I was not rejecting it; my mind simply drifted elsewhere for a moment.”

“So…” With the usual spirited look returning to her features, Akari held the candy back up. “You do want another piece?”

One last glance over at the gate, but of course Zisu was still nowhere in sight. Only the autumn sunset past the village buildings, and a distant collection of drifblim mingling with the clouds over the fieldlands.

Ingo huffed through his nose and turned to join Akari on the bench, taking the empty spot next to her as the wood creaked beneath him. “…Perhaps just one more; Miss Zisu has not arrived yet, after all. She did say it would be a quick stop by the Commander’s office, but I’ll be honest; knowing her appreciation for conversation, I could be waiting here for her for another half hour.”

Akari held the candy back out to him, and this time, Ingo accepted it. “Thank you.”

Placing the chocolate in his mouth, Ingo sat back as he chewed on it. Mulling over the warm feelings of familiarity that briefly returned once again with the flavor, Ingo wondered if the memories themselves would return at some point as well.

[jessaerys]

your fav mello/near fics??? thank yeww (also love your drawings!)

oohh this reminds me i should pick up my ff.net archival reclist project up again...

it is of note that it's been a looooong while since i've combed the archives and there's a couple of common tropes i don't usually read due to personal taste, so i'm sure there's a lot of good fic i'm unaware of and/or forgetting about! this has totally renewed my interest in making a comprehensive personal reclist >:) perhaps i'll come back and edit this post every now and then.

i owe comments to nearly everyone mentioned here i am SO sorry. it's a lost skill that i am working on developing again. at the very least i've got everyone in one place so i can go down the list this year. i encourage everyone reading from this reclist to leave a comment too!

i wrote "off the top of my head" but this got VERY long so under the readmore it goes

obligatory classics

• the famous @tierfal 's sidetracked (2010) and full of surprises (2009). rated e and m respectively. these are like the allegorical little black dress in the wardrobe of the platonic ideal of the mellonear oneshot. seem to be pretty well known across the ship fandom • stripped (2009) by blueberryash/@tka-trashfire on tumblr. explicit. i haven't read this in a while but i remember it capturing the delicate gossamer tension of the ship in a way that was sooo bittersweet and nostalgic. • to speak of rules and privilege (2008) also by blueberryash/@tka-trashfire, gen, a manifesto on tenderness, soooooooooo soft, changed the game, near being afraid of thunderstorms was immediately adopted into personal canon. big time influence for the way i write near and mello's pre-canon relationship re: big brother, little brother. • an understanding (2008) by blueberryash/@tka-trashfire, rated T, short and sweet, razor sharp prose, the aesthetics of the little piece live rent free in my head. • dual(2011) by ramasi, @ramasi here i believe. rated m. historians say this might be one of the first examples of mellonear choking kink ever recorded,

•scarification (2012) by gacrux11 on fanfiction.net, rated m, big time dead dove do not eat. sorry this one leans early 2010s era grimdark melodrama but i love it sjkdfkjfd. not enough dead dove fics about the boys if u ask me. • salt in the wound (2007) •tempus fugit (2007), and • white out (2006) by vaudevillain king on fanfiction. net. a beloved rare find. all of them are rather grimdark edgy products of their era, but some of the best the era had to offer. they make me so nostalgic for my teenagehood on fanfiction.net. i get the impression these might've been written even before death note was finished? • birthday smut (2009) by kleine_aster on livejournal. explicit. this one is SO funny to me because it is both really, really good, very in character, but unfortunately it suffers from almost satirical misogyny that afflicted fujoshis back in the day. near literally is like oh that bitch... like. he would not fucking think that but i can edit quickly in my brain as i read. bisexual mello rights! otherwise really sexy imo. i might be writing something that's kind of in conversation with this fic.

RARE finds

(please tell me if you enjoy any of these, i want to feel like an explorer that's brought back treasures from far away lands)

contemporary favorites:

• you've heard about it before and you will hear about it again: the archer ensnared (2023) by jabbernatty, rated e. a jessaerys obligatory syllabus read, the fic that made me go fulltime yaoi disease. i owe so much to jabbernatty they are my white whale my friend my enemy the writer i've psychically imprinted on from the beginning. honestly too scared to even leave a comment given the jessarys archer ensnared lore. may one day may contact and pray i don't come across as insane • postmortem (2023) by the_hemlock true gen, a favorite of ALL time. it's only tangentially mn really, it is 99% about near trying to piece together the mystery of lawlight post-canon, but the characterization and prose are some of if not the best i've ever come across. reads like it could be a piece of canon material. if you only read one fic on this list i'd pick postmortem. • it's friday i'm in love by neallo/@neallo rated m. possibly my all time fave in the neallo cinematic universe. something about the after-hours longing and the standing in the kitchen by the refrigerator lights, as the poets say. i love when stories feel like you're cutting out a window to peer into a larger universe that is just out of reach. perfectly captures what it is like to have a maddening crush • i want to hold you (hostage)(2023) by neallo/@neallo rated e. thee defining fic of this current modern mellonear era. manages to walk the line of kinky/sexy/sweet/fluffy all at once. plot twist of the century in the last chapter. near is properly as bananas insane as mello is in this fic, which is the marker of a good mellonear dynamic. really everything by morgan neallo is a safe bet for a great read • there's nothing i want but you (2023) by neallo/@neallo rated t. wammy's era mellonear obsessiveness that is soooo teenagery and yet a portent of just how codependent they might one day get. cute and ominous. • armageddon/kill game (2024) by bolide/@bolide-archive came out of nowhere a couple of months ago and ascended to the top of the game like a dark horse. rated m, chess au. one of my favorite interior mello narrations and one of the most similar to my own interpretation. such naturally talented prose. i rotate lines from this in my head all the time. still in progress but i have faith that it will be completed :') • how to burn down the sacred loom (2023) by dornishviper/@vriskarlmarx a contemporary CLASSIC. the less you know going in the better. beautiful prose, beautiful structure. they don't make fic like this anymore • the house always wins (2023) by mer_curia/@vivi-scera. screaming with my mouth closed. holds a special place in my heart given that it is my posting that convinced vi to give the ship a try, and i was rewarded with a fic that is so catered to my tastes i honestly had to read it through my fingers. SO good, the manifesto on wammyscest, so rather controversial. heed the warnings. • moonlight (2023) by tsukinousagi/@quicktimeeventfull rated t. an austere, cold little glimpse into a vampire au. it's giving let the right one in. so melancholic. one of the saddest near examinations out there. •proximity tells (2018) by abysmallypresent, rated m. truly lives up to death note's second-by-second minutia while managing to keep up the tension the entire time. great characterization. •silhouettes (2015) by bad blood/eroticcodependence, @wxmmyshouse on tumblr. unrated, post-canon compliant. made me CRY! elegantly short and simple, bittersweet and so so wistful. •arsonist's lullabye (2023) by tzviaariella/@tzviaariella. rated t. this one has a heart-wrenching air of realism to it that exists outside the chaotic universe of death note, one of those examinations of picking up the pieces after the titans have all gone away. very bittersweet.

honorary mentions

• let's die somewhere prettier (2020) by firesafinething also one of my absolute favorites, unfortunately it is discontinued and it is likely it will never be completed. sad! the premise seemed SO promising. in my mind i file it right next to postmortem mentioned above. the exploration of the tragedy of 27 year old near we could have had in a better timeline. one day i will leave a comment so good maybe it will bring back the fic from the land of the dead • august underground by me & @firebuggg rated e, in progress. >:) (shamless self promo)

[emmanuellececchi]

Hello Emma! It’s another week of sending out some interesting ASKs to my mutuals. 🥰 Have you read any must-read classics? If you did, which was your favourite and why? If you haven’t, what is your favourite book and why?

Wooohooo! Thanks for this ask! Oh boy, speaking about books... It can take the whole evening 😁!

We had some "obligatory" reading for French literature. The book "une vie" by the author Guy de Maupassant was something. I was never really a fan of the classical books as in "school book". I had read others but this one is the only one I remember, more or less.

I'll say that in the classical french books I loved Jules Vernes (but not all stories) butl once again, he wasn't considered a "classical" (*le sigh*). Sci-fi and fantasy books weren't considered "acceptable" readings for school when I was young.

On the other hand, I had the pleasure to read some books I consider "classical" for Sci-Fi : The robots serie by Asimov, Dune by Herbert, but also a few books by A.E. Van Vogt... As for French SF, Gerard Klein has written a few books I really loved.

As for fantasy, beside Tolkien, I read books by C.J. Cherryh, R.A. Salvatore, Tanith Lee and so on. Our house is full of books from various authors.

Now as favourite. Solaris by Stanislaw Lem is one of the book that really impressed me. it was a mix of sci-fi and horror and it got to me. But I loved it to pieces. As for fantasy, the one I remember fondly is The King of Elfland's Daughter by Lord Dunsany.

So here you go. Thanks for this ask. I had to stop or I would be still writing about ALL the books I love.

[kimberlyannharts]

Ultraman: Rising!

Sure we all know the Power Rangers reboot has been passed on at Netflix but instead we have this hot new piece of toku instead: Ultraman: Rising! And I finally got the chance to check it out last night.

I know Ultraman is one of the big toku/kaiju genre staples but it's never really been on my radar of things to watch. I'm not sure why! I guess Super Sentai/Power Rangers just has more of the it factor that appeals to me. So because of that I really have no context to the story besides it's a guy who can turn into a giant silver superhero that beats up kaiju.........or maybe it's an alien who looks like a human and the silver superhero is his true form? or maybe the human and the silver superhero are two separate beings that share the same body? idk. It's probably all three of those things depending on the series. But this film was marketed as a standalone that new fans could enjoy AND....the big one.....it's ANIMATED, so I felt more inclined to check it out.

And it was really really good!! I enjoyed it a lot!

Spoiler-ish thoughts on the film below:

= Let's get this out of the way: the biggest draw to this was the animation and art direction, and yeah, it slaps. The textures and stylization (always love 2D painted effect animation on explosions and things) and lighting were a full-course meal and the scenes where they focused on Ultraman's shining eyes staring through a window or computer screen were just SO striking. To the point where I feel that if I got around to watching the actual live-action Ultraman, it might feel a little underwhelming in comparison. Oops

= It does kind of fall in the cliches of the "selfish guy learns maturity by having to be a father" plot (with bonus "son is estranged from his dad and mom is missing but they work to improve their relationship" sprinkled in) which makes me appreciate The Return even more (sorry, I'm still Returnpilled) but it's still charming and I can hope if we get more movies they give a little more focus to Ami and Emiko (speaking of which, I know they weren't doing a romance this movie, but Ami having a daughter and the movie being about Ken raising a daughter? oh you know it's happening and I'm here for this because they're both so hot)

= I think Ken is also a better example of the "showboating egotistical hero who learns to mature" than most because the movie isn't afraid to show him vulnerable even before his character development. I was genuinely surprised at that scene where he starts crying out of the stress of balancing his baseball career and figuring out Emi

= Apparently there was some discussion that the movie didn't bring up Ultraman's origins which, as someone who knows next to nothing about Ultraman, that didn't really bother me? Obviously I can still give more benefit of the doubt than people who don't know much about the tokusatsu/kaiju genre to begin with, but even so, I was still pretty down with the concept of "this guy has the ability to turn into a giant silver superpowered man and passed the ability down to his son" - and I think in the age of superhero blockbusters in general the idea isn't that farfetched that it requires more explanation. In any case it's a bit of a moot point since future movies are clearly going to talk about Ultras and their origins more, based on the stinger.

= Is Emi a clear kid-appeal character meant to be shown off in marketing and merchandising because of how squishy and cute she is? Yes. Is she just so fucking squishy and cute and my newest baby child? YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES. I am not immune to monster baby. I think it helps that I always found the old monster screeches cute and applying them to a baby babbling was kinda genius in its execution. And I'm glad they kind of got the obligatory "haha babies poop and are smelly and gross" jokes out of the way early (yeah they had the whole "acid reflux" thing in the second act but I've seen way worse in other media)

= The subtitles calling Sato's Ultra form "Ultradad" and his Ultra mustache were both really funny

= Obviously I knew Ken wasn't going to die when he threw himself on Dr. Onda's mech (btw the mech was sexy) but I definitely expected a little more than just a busted arm with how they were building up how the blast would have "destroyed them all" kdjkfdj maybe they cut to after he had recovered a bit. Though in general I'm not quite sure of how durable Ultraman is

= Kind of a milf. reblog

[into-september]

"Destruction" is the worst episode of Miraculous Ladybug

Oh hey guys, remember way back in April or something when I said I was doing this? Well, the one year anniversary of its premiere is a suitable time to post this, particularly since yesterday saw the airing of the last piece of canon to come out in a while, which happened to be set immediately after these events.

With the always obligatory reminder in place that I generally think that “Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir” is in fact a good TV show whose appeal potentially reaches beyond its merchandise-mandated target group, it has an unflattering pattern of introducing the juiciest story threads and then just… do nothing about them.

The topic of today’s sermon isn't in isolation the worst offender. But it is thanks to this that the worst offender happens at all, so I'm not gonna be nice about it.

Scroll past to skip the negativity.

So, “Destruction”, possibly the most eagerly awaited episodes of out S5 if you don’t count all the false advertisement that was “Revelation”. I remember finding this episode uncharacteristically charmless for this show when I first watched it. They've been onto heavy topics before, but those episodes still had that je ne sais quoi that gives this show such heart. But re-watching "Destruction" I found it lacking already from the first scene, and felt it only in glimpses. It's just not fun.

The episode is also poorly paced, no way around it. It is inexplicably a flashback to two episodes ago which is not evident from the start. More than half the runtime technically consists of Marinette and Alya having a sleepover. The battle and its game-changing outcome is over at 12 minutes into the episode, which is barely past the halfway point. After that, we spend five minutes - a quarter of the episode's full runtime - on a flashback re-playing the same battle but now with verbal exposition explaining Marinette's clever plan. Mind that the confrontation between Marinette and Gabriel lasts for all of seven minutes, meaning that the flashback is nearing the length of the battle itself.

To top it of, it's bogged down with lengthy exchange between Gabriel and the kwamis just to make clear that the haters on the twitter were totally wrong when they bitched about Orikko being OP because actually its powers were something else than we established last season. Here's a bonus plot hole which has nothing to do with everything else I'm going to nag about: Orikko allegedly can't give out the powers of time-travel because no kwami can replicate another kwami's powers. Except for Nooroo and Duusu, I guess, who have done so on several occasions. One of the more remarkable being the episode which first heralded the event that "Destruction" set in motion: "Timetagger".

And who can forget that this was the second time in three episodes where Ladybug and Cat Noir had Monarch at their mercy but spent so much time giving triumphant speeches that he gets away.

Or that that in fact was the second time on the same night.

But while those things certainly make the episode poor, they are not what makes it the worst.

What makes this episode the worst isn't its technical failures, but about the way it leaves its feces all over the themes and the character arcs it seemed like the show had been building up until this point. Moreover: in the role it plays in S5 and the Agreste storyline, and how the show's refusal to touch it again creates a black hole in the season at large, and arguably in the show as a whole.

I. THE INESCAPABLE CONTEXT OF WHAT CAME BEFORE IT

The art of telling a story is the art of highlighting what matters and leaving out what doesn’t. In a well-crafted story, no matter the medium, no detail is insignificant. Every word is carefully chosen, every line or hue made with intention. The curtains aren’t blue just because, and Miraculous Ladybug has made too many meta jokes to hide behind the claim that it’s just a silly rom-com for kids. It has trained its older audience into looking for context and connections; after “Mr. Pigeon 72”, you can’t insist that nothing that happened earlier in this show matters for what happens later. Titles matter a lot in a show where episodes are titled after the villain-of-the-week who usually is the thematic mirror to what our heroes are going through.

“Destruction” is the fourth episode somehow named after Adrien, and the third somehow named after Plagg. You bet this matters.

As some might know, "Kuro Neko" is not my favourite episode. That's not to say I don't like it! It's cute! It's playing a really interesting scenario! We get Plagg hanging out at chez Marinette! But to enjoy it, I have to willfully ignore the storytelling incompetence it flagrantly displays. Because the moment you peek beneath the surface of the events happening to consider theme, motifs, and narrative parallels, it's just

"Kuro Neko" is the second episode that is named after Cat Noir. The first one was "Cat Blanc". There is a thematic connection between the two; not a very clear one and probably not an intentional one, but all the same: both episodes are about an alternative to Cat Noir. One is the result of his father's violence; the other is Adrien's own attempt to become more like the person he presents around his father. They also both show us Plagg and Adrien negotiation Adrien's relationship to Ladybug, and how Ladybug and Cat Noir negotiate that same thing.

"Cat Blanc", for all its apocalyptic visions, starts and ends with hope. It starts with Marinette’s hope at confessing to Adrien, to Adrien’s hope in finally knowing Ladybug’s identity and knowing her like he’s yearned for for three seasons. Those hopes lead to disaster, but the episode ends with Ladybug finding Cat Noir on the Montparnasse Tower, where he is singing his lullaby about the kitty being "all alone without his Lady". As is fitting, Marinette breaks the pattern: after having just witnessed a world turned to destruction because the two of them loved each other, she leans her head on his shoulder in perhaps the most romantic gesture she's ever given him.

"Kuro Neko", in contrast, starts with Adrien resigning the job when he realises that Ladybug no longer needs him and that makes him feel bad. It ends with him coming back and verbally accepting that Ladybug doesn't owe him any exclusive treatment; he isn't her unique partner, just one of many. Where the final scene of "Cat Blanc" seemed to confirm that Ladybug is indeed the answer to Adrien's solitude, the final scene of "Kuro Neko" and its continuation in the first scene in "Risk" both make clear that the opposite is now status: Adrien has to accept the painful fact that as much as Ladybug might be the most important person in his life, Cat Noir does not hold a similar space in Ladybug's.

(The end of “Strike Back” of course claims to remedy this, but those words don’t ring very true when to Marinette’s knowledge, nothing of what went wrong today had anything to do with her keeping secrets from Cat Noir. More damning: Marinette never follows up on her purported regret. In all of S5, she never once sits down to share all those secrets with Cat Noir. Status from "Kuro Neko" still stands, and Adrien is fine with that now. This has nothing to do with the many problems “Destruction” creates, but talking about “Kuro Neko” by necessity means talking about how it wasn’t fixed even if they put the words in Marinette’s mouth. And now back to our scheduled programming)

"Cat Blanc" and "Kuro Neko" by their very existence bring up a thorny topic: That Adrien being Cat Noir isn't wholly unproblematic, and that both Adrien as an individual and Ladybug as the Guardian might have legitimate reasons to question that choice. This has always been obvious to the viewer who knows Hawkmoth’s identity, but the show itself eventually starts calling attention to that from an entirely different angle - namely that of his powers.

Lest we forget: The first episode of S4 that aired wasn't the first episode chronologically: It was "Furious Fu", wherein we learn that The Order of the Guardians has it out for Plagg specifically, and where Ladybug's status as The Guardian is almost revoked on the grounds that she's letting him run around unsupervised. This question of Plagg's whereabouts comes up again in the only episode that is named after Adrien sans Plagg: "Ephemeral", a re-play of “Cat Blanc” except not good. This whole subplot is quickly forgotten, though it being the only one of Su-Han's complaints that weren't about him being a boomer, it's also worth remember that "Destruction" technically happens a couple of hours after he made his last appearance. One might expect that his one consistent lesson would be important enough to echo a bit in the episode where it’s proven to be justified.

"Destruction", as not only one very early episode of the season promising to finally bring about some significant and not the least permanent changes to their lives, but indeed an episode happening on the same night as Ladybug's declaration of regret and Cat Noir's renewed declaration to be her partner, would by its title and its topic seem like the obvious place to finally resolve what "Cat Blanc" and "Kuro Neko" both asked us to question: The existential terror of Plagg's powers, why it is that Adrien is uniquely chosen to temper them at Ladybug’s side, and how Adrien feels about being the one to carry that responsibility.

Yeah. Well.

II. ADRIEN'S PRESENCE IN "DESTRUCTION"

Where "Kuro Neko" and "Cat Blanc" place significant focus on Adrien Agreste in his civillian life, in "Destruction" he appears on screen for a total of 25 seconds - most of which are another flashback to a previous episode, and whose purpose is to highlight Gabriel's hurt from the cataclysm, not Adrien's thoughts about what is happening.

Cat Noir's presence is also marginal. Three minutes of screentime pass from his first appearance until the battle is over. Said battle is the turning point in the war between the heroes and Monarch, thanks to neither Ladybug's powers nor Monarch and all the kwamis, but Monarch using Cat Noir's powers for an impulsive act of self-mutilation. Cat Noir is distraught over this, turning desperate when Monarch first start toying with the idea and being near tears after he carries it out.

I'll get back to the impact of this event, but for now I'll point out that the aftermath is brief: After Monarch escapes, our heroes have this exchange:

LB: We had him, we almost had him! The kwamis were safe, they were right here! CN: I cataclysmed him! I can't believe this, I just cataclysmed someone! Granted it was Monarch, but - there was a real person behind that mask, and it must have hurt him terribly! Milady, you gotta fix this! LB: Cat Noir, Monarch just ran away with my lucky charm! Without it, I can't fix anything. I can't call on my powers and undo the effect of the cataclysm. There's nothing I can do...

We then cut to the slumber party, where Marinette tells Alya that she and Cat Noir "split up" immediately after, and Alya comforts her. From this point in the episode, Cat Noir and Adrien only appear in flashbacks. First a fifty-second flashback wherein Marinette sets up her convoluted plans, then a few seconds of him moving his statue in the wax museum before Monarch appears.

In the episode that more than anything should thematise Adrien, Plagg's powers, and his relationship to his father, Adrien is on screen for a whooping four minutes and twenty seconds.

And because I am that devoted to proving my point, I went and timed all of Alya's on-and-off appearances, which clocked in at a total of five minutes and six seconds.

Alya is of course core to the slumber party which frames the setting of the entire episodes. Moreover, it is with Alya that the emotional arc of the episode ends: it starts with Marinette tormenting hersef watching a Ladyblog report about Monarch's recent win, for which Alya chastises her. The last scene (before Gabriel pulverises the miraculous) has Alya reassure Marinette that she will get the kwamis back. When she regrets her lack of superpowers, Marinette in turn reassures her that Alyas true superpower is being her friend. The journey of the episode was for Marinette to stop blaming herself for messing up, and learning to rely on Alya's support in the new turn the war has taken.

...

IN THE EPISODE WHERE ADRIEN KILLS HIS FATHER.

III. SIR NOT-APPEARING-IN-THIS-FILM

In the episode where Gabriel commits suicide on his son's miraculous, here are some things that got more screentime than the son forced into using his only source of liberation to kill his father:

Flashbacks to past events (four minutes and fourty-five seconds)

Alya (five minutes six seconds)

The kwamis (six minutes and nine seconds)

Bet you can't guess which one is the only kwami who doesn't appear in this episode!

...okay, and Duusu, but you get the point. In the episode detonating the nuke that is the gruesome potential of Plagg's powers, and the potential damage Adrien might deal with them, Plagg never appears on screen.

In the episode highlighting the presence of the kwamis and their importance to their holders, the kwami whose presence is the most thematically tied to his holder's character arc is completely absent.

In the episode irreparably going into the only kwami whose powers is straight up murder, the kwami who The Guardians have singled out specifically as particularly dangerous, the kwami whose irresponsible nature has previously caused problems both to Adrien privately and Cat Noir professionally, said kwami is never even mentioned.

It's almost as if we're not supposed to remember that it is because of his presence that this whole tragedy was possible.

IV. THE EXISTENCE-DEFINING HORROR OF A CATACLYSM GONE WRONG

And ain’t that a funny one, when the gruesome potential in Plagg’s powers was the driving factor in Adrien’s first true crisis as a hero?

Marinette faced her moment in "Origins", where she gave up on her miraculous after the first disastrous attempt. She knows that she is the only one who can do something about the situation, but refuses out of her own lacking courage. She only becomes Ladybug of her own choice when she realises that she can save Alya's life. After this, Marinette never again questioned her place. She would grieve the burden on occasion, but she never once thought anyone else could do better.

Adrien, as we all know, was the polar opposite: he jumped right into it without reading the manual, had to have Ladybug pick up the pieces after a rash cataclysm, and never doubted his calling again until he realised what Plagg’s powers could do when used on a living being.

The NYC special has Adrien quit for reasons that had nothing to do with being unsatisfied with Ladybug's HR policies. It is in part because he effed up his duty as Paris' substitute guardian, but it's certainly also because of the recent horror he just witnessed: his hand forced by someone else nearly killed Ladybug, and killed Uncanny Valley instead as she stepped between them. Adrien just saw a mother weeping over her daughter's corpse, and how only the lucky presence of Ladybug's powers could undo the damage caused by his, unintentional thought it might have been. Adrien would of course never kill anyone on purpose, but Uncanny Valley’s temporary malfunction was a brutal display of what would happen if he stumbled the wrong direction with the gun loaded. Ladybug might have the duty to protect Paris, but Cat Noir has the duty to not to disintegrate people on touch.

The show never before discussed the weight of this burden in Adrien’s presence. “Cat Blanc” did it from Marinette’s side, but this never was a consistent story thread, only briefly brought up as her remembering why his knowing her identity is a bad idea. The sabbatical in “Kuro Neko” has nothing to do with Plagg or with Adrien’s sense of duty, and where you’d think this would be where Marinette finally brings up the issue bridging the NYC special and “Cat Blanc”, neither of the two are as much as alluded to. That Adrien has the power of murder has yet to be explicitly discussed in the show proper, but in combination with his personal relationship to Hawkmoth being a ticking irony bomb, the question of can he even bear it is inevitable.

That Adrien’s post as Cat Noir wasn’t as given as Marinette’s as Ladybug is echoed in the amount of times that Adrien has either quit or at least contemplated doing so (“Syren”, NYC special, “Wishmaker”, “Kuro Neko”). He likes being Cat Noir more than Marinette likes being Ladybug, but he lacks her iron certainty in the role. It is notable, then, that THE ONE TIME where Marinette questions her part, it is after Cat Noir has quit. She says this, out loud, in words. When Cat Noir’s powers become too heavy for Adrien to carry, then Ladybug, too, disappears.

So surely "Destruction" must be the point where this is finally comes together - where Adrien's history of quitting meets his ultimate crisis, where his powers abused on a human being of flesh and blood forces him into confronting the potential cost of being this particular hero, which will foreshadow the ultimate choice he’ll have to take: between being Cat Noir and being his father’s son. And where his choice, in turn, will define whether Ladybug can exist.

Or not.

Maybe we'll never again have Adrien think about how he probably murdered a man. Maybe we'll just - oh I don't know.

Have him start trying to cataclysm people?

Repeatedly?

While showing none of the horror at himself which he clearly had in the aftermath of accidentally cataclysming the villain responsible for his later victims’ possession?

And in the end, after never calling attention to Adrien’s new and trigger happy ways, we’ll have him give in to his fear, claim that he isn’t strong enough to responsibly use Plagg’s powers, and send his miraculous away for Ladybug to use alone, because it turns out that “Kuro Neko” was right and the NYC special was wrong: she can be Ladybug without him.

Growth, amirite.

V. IN THIS HOUSE WE DON’T TALK ABOUT PATRICIDE

Dramatic irony was the main engine driving "Miraculous Ladybug" from the start, and it was Adrien who bore the brunt of it. Not only did he spend four and a half seasons in unrequited love with a girl who rejected him for himself; he spent five seasons doing weekly battle against his own father.

The superpower war between father and son isn't just a source of story tension, however: it is inextricably mirrored in their relationship as family, where the father is openly abusive and the son is magically incapable of protesting. The show repeatedly makes A Point about how the freedom Adrien so wants, is one that he only gets through being Cat Noir, and the only way Adrien is capable of fighting his father - albeit ignorant of it - is with Plagg's powers.

Cat Noir defeating Hawkmoth was necessary not just for his story as a superhero, but as his character arc as a normal boy.

And in "Destruction", this is exactly what happens. Thanks to Plagg's powers, the path to Adrien's freedom is finally paved, in the most gruesome and unwanted manner possible. Adrien might not get the big cathartic show-down with his evil father, but technically he was the one to bring him down.

But we don't talk about that. Except for his one (1) line after Monarch escapes with Ladybug's lucky charm, Adrien never again brings up the fact that his being careless with a cataclysm certainly maimed a man, by precedent (Aeon) possibly killed him. Rather than a story arc about Adrien being afraid of his own powers, it’s only now that he starts aiming it at people when he’s under emotional duress. This could of course have been one hell of a story point if it was intentional, but by all accounts, it wasn’t. When Adrien never again reflects on his having probably murdered a man, or reasons that Monarch is probably fine since he’s clearly still around so maybe a cataclysm isn’t so bad, and he never dwells on his nearly murdering two of his friends, there can’t have been any connection intended here. Moreover: when Adrien is scared of his miraculous towards the end, it’s not about its capacity for normal murder when he’s having a bad day, but its capacity of ending the world if he happens to be akumatised.

Gabriel is likewise disinterested in the cause of his impending disintegration. You’d think the man would feel some kind of special resentment towards Cat Noir and his powers, you could think this was where he’d get to re-thinking his relationship to the two people who are sitting on the keys to solving all his problems. Maybe he’d start doubting himself now, bearing the ultimate testament to his magical hubris. But no. The cataclysm wound is there and it’s a problem, but the reason it happened is completely irrelevant to the man who did this to himself and unknowingly, to his son.

That is almost as mind-blowing as the fact that they really had a straight up patricide happen on screen. Sure, death was never the intention of either of the two parties, and Adrien certainly holds no blame for what happened. But Gabriel must have at least known what he was risking, and even if the soft-hearted Adrien would somehow reason away the gravity, Plagg would certainly now. By its very nature, this one cataclysm drags out and distils a plethora of questions about both Adrien’s role as Cat Noir, about Gabriel’s vision of himself and his goals, and about their relationship not as father and son, but as villain and hero. The gruesome narrative irony looming over all this is in that regard just the icing on the cake.

There is certainly an Oedipal layer to the drama of Gabriel and Adrien, though the often more scandalous incestuous angle is considerably downplayed here. Even so: By the denouement of S5, Adrien has successfully killed his father and set up a home with his mother. That really happened, but we’re sure not going to investigate how this influenced the relationship between two nemesis, between father and son, between Adrien and his kwami.

The cataclysm in “Destruction” turned Adrien from anguished shoujo love interest to the hero of a greek tragedy, but the show is dead set on pretending that it didn’t.

VI. SO THEN WHAT WAS THE POINT

In isolation, "Destruction" comes across as weird more than anything. It's named after Adrien's kwami, it spends an inordinate amount of screentime on Adrien's father, it reaches back to Adrien's perhaps most defining moment as Cat Noir as it fundamentally changes the game between our heroes and our villains as one of them is finally dealt a damaging blow - which in turn sets Adrien's life down a path towards tragedy that must be interfered with for him to have a happy ending by the end of the season.

And yet, Adrien is a peripheral presence in it. Marinette and Gabriel dominate the screentime, Alya and the kwamis are consistently present as the thematic chorus at their respective sides throughout, the episode plays its events twice in order to make it clear that Ladybug is too clever for Monarch's miraculous, the emotional arcs that are followed are the follow-up on where Marinette and Alya stand after the disaster in "Strike Back" as well as Gabriel's renewed vigour. Adrien's only contribution to the episode is to follow Ladybug's instructions and to make clear that his relationship with his father is still awkward. The episode depicts probably THE most important event of the show, but this event is treated almost as an afterthought, and the horrors of it are confined to one (1) line of dialogue from Cat Noir.

The only thing in “Destruction” that is brought up in later episodes is that Gabriel is now actively dying. If they wanted for Gabriel to live on a countdown for his date with the grim reaper, there were countless other ways about it: Have it be his use of too many miraculous which backfires, have him having used the peacock before it was fixed, have it be too much evil on the hands of Nooroo, have him get a serious call from his doctor, have him screw up Tomoe's machinery, have him develop a drug problem. This is a fictional narrative; its twists and turns are absolutely in the hands of the writers, teenage girls being irredeemable or not. It was never vital that this happened by cataclysm specifically.

So what was the point, then? Did we truly turn our magical girl show into a Greek tragedy for the shocked pikachu faces only?

The one thing I somehow haven't seen people bring up, is that "Destruction" makes it impossible for Adrien to learn Monarch's identity. According to the writers themselves, the reason lies in two of the other episodes named after him: "Cat Blanc" and "Ephemeral", wherein he learns his father's identity and is promptly akumatised. This is of course bullshit: both these cases relied not on Adrien learning his father's identity, but on Gabriel specifically scheming to traumatise Adrien with both the Hawkmoth reveal AND the fact that he's been living in the same house as his mother's dead body for the last year or two (timeline here is spectacularly contradictory). There was anothing inevitable about this. You're the writers. You could've set up a scenario where Adrien didn't learn about his father's crimes as an act of psychological warfare, and where he'd have the time to absorb it, to grieve and to find support by the time he'd confront him with it. Having every person close to Adrien keep life-defining secrets from him “for his own good” is, by god, not a good look on anyone involved here. Still it’s understanable, at least for those who aren't either adults or gods of destruction.

"Destruction", however, serves as an explanation for the gaping plot hole in the epilogue: Marinette tells Alya, she tells Su-Han. The one she doesn't tell, though?

The partner who was at her side before Alya or Su-Han ever appeared, and stood by her in far worse storms. Because telling Cat Noir the truth would mean telling Cat Noir that he dealt Gabriel Agreste the killing blow, and ain't that a nifty way to ensure that Marinette won't. Because if Adrien does learn Monarch's identity and the truth about his fall in future seasons, Emilie better hide those garment pins.

The truly damning part of "Destruction" isn't so much what the episode itself does. It's what it doesn't do. It's the storylines it cuts short and leaves behind, and it is the storyline it by its very existence introduces, but which the show refuses to touch.

Per title and content both, "Destruction" should be the culmination of thematic storylines from "Cat Blanc", the NYC special and "Kuro Neko". It’s not; it’s not even about Adrien, and Plagg isn’t even present in it. Moreover: its lacking presence on future episodes make it painfully evident that ambitions, there were none. Those storylines were either aborted like Adrien picking up Felix's spyglass in the S4 finale, or the show never did mean for there to be such a thing as "layers" to this story about a boy who becomes a hero to unknowingly break free from his superhero father.

The real reason why "Destruction" is the worst episode of Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir is that it obliterates the most cohesive character arc this show had going for it, and that this was done on purpose.

[olibensstuff]

Oh great and wise Benny 🙏🙏 if I were to be considering getting into Zelda how would u recommend doing so 👀👀👀

This was such a hard question ooh

Response below the cut because I had.. way more to say than I thought I would

I’d say it depends on what console/devices you have! Every Zelda game can be played as a stand alone which makes the series pretty easy to approach. If you want to really get the Zelda experience and understand what the core of the Zelda series is about, my only recommendation is start with any game except breath of the wild. BOTW is a great game but it really lets go of the vast majority of Zelda tropes in order to explore and test out new concepts. Which is cool, but not a great start if you’re looking into Zelda as a whole.

The defining Zelda game ever is ocarina of time, so if you have a 3ds I think it’s obligatory for me to say that’s a great starting place. A lot of the classic tunes are from this game, and a toonnnn of the bigger lore pieces come from Ocarina of Time. Song of storms comes from this game too so it’s immediately awesome. if you have a Wii I’d also recommend playing Twilight Princess. It gets a lot of hate I feel like in the community, but it was sort of a soft remake of ocarina of time, and it has objectively the best side kick in all the games. It’s a bit empty but the characters are really full of life. I feel like the dungeons are all really really fun too. I’m honestly really biased with this game because it was my first game though so take that with a grain of salt. On the same topic of Wii/Wii U if you have one absolutely look into playing Wind Waker it has some of the most fun visuals and in my opinion the most compelling ganondorf (main villain) in the whole series. Zelda also has a lot more personality in this game that most.

Back with the 3ds PLEASE consider trying out minish cap. It’s my personal favorite from the 3ds i really love the character designs and the story. I wouldn’t recommend it as a first because it’s a bit more difficult than the ones above and it’s lore is a lot looser, but later on your journey it’s absolutely worth your time it’s so good and cute.

On the 3ds there’s also a link between worlds which I haven’t played personally but has some of my favorite lore and story beats. Definitely worth your time it’s game play is so unique and it’s got some of my favorite characters.

If I list every game I think I’d be here all day so I’m just gonna make a quick list of my recommended order!!

Ocarina of Tome (important lore)

Majoras Mask (this one is a bit difficult so feel free to skip and come back to. It’s a sequel to ocarina of time and has some tif the coolest game mechanics/story ever)

Skyward Sword (more important lore, basically the origin story for all the other games)

if you have a wii/wii u: Twilight princess and Wind Waker (two dramatic ends of what a Zelda game could be visually and story wise. Twilight Princess came out a little after wind waker. TP was super edgy and cool while WW was bright and fun. Both have some really heartfelt moments though and are sooo worth your time)

if you played WW, I feel like spirit tracks would be a fun follow up. It’s an indirect sequel with a similar art style made for the 3ds. The game play is really cool and it has one of the most developed Zelda’s, next to wind waker and ocarina of time Zelda’s)

at this point you should be well versed enough to approach basically any Zelda game! My favorites not already listed are Links Awakening, Minish Cap (MINISH CAP IS SO GOOD PLEASE OELASE PLEASE)and the oracle games!! A lot of people like four swords and tri heroes though!

take all this with a grain of salt though haha!! Zelda can be enjoyed in absolutely any way which is a lot of the appeal. I know it looks like a lot, but really playing any game at all, botw included, means you’re welcome! All you ever really need to know to be a Zelda fan is that the player character is Link and he wears green and he saves a cool princess named Zelda with the power of magic golden triangles!! unless you’re playing the upcoming game Echoes of Wisdom which is coming out in September!!!!! That one’s gonna be about Zelda where you save Link with the power of chairs im so excited

anyways if you’re crazy like me here’s a nine hour video of Zelda lore 😘

SORRY FOR THE LONG WINDED EXPLANATION BTW this is my all time favorite series since forever i get really excited

[ghastigiggles]

a test of endurance

i got an ask that inspired me and went a little insane. So more Furina content! this is actually a little more of a personal piece too (haha put too much of my experience in the fic, whhhhhoops) but i hope its something other people can also indentify with!

no explicit ships but my bias is... visible.

obligatory disclaimer; this is a sfw tickle fic meant to be consumed by all ages, nothing nsfw is intended or implied o7 - also, more heavy Fontaine 4.2 spoilers, would reccomend having completed the Archon Quests up to the end of 4.2 & potentially Furina's personal quest before reading.

It was the 40th year into her godhood when the concept was introduced to her for the first time.

It was around 10:14 in the morning. She had finished her cake, and stood before her usual mirror as the tailor came in. While most of her wardrobe had been premade designs up to this point, the Archon wanted – and deserved, of course – the latest in fashion, tailor-made to her tastes. Hence the commission. 

“You’re early,” She’d chirped brightly. And the woman, chuckling, nodded, giving an awkward little bow around the massive bag she carried.

“Of course, I wasn’t going to risk being late for our esteemed Lady of Justice!”

“Very good! Early is on time, as they say! I actually value punctuality quite a bit, you know.”

“Then I am glad to be of full service to my Archon. Shall we?”

With all other staff quickly shooed from the room, Furina stripped down to her base layer – a simple undershirt and underwear – and stood more than a little awkwardly before the mirror, very suddenly hesitant to have another person see the closest thing to her truest self. She cast the tailor a look, smiling nervously.

“... Ahh… Are you quite sure we couldn’t have done this with the clothes on?”

“Please, Lady Furina, be at ease! We’re just taking measurements – wouldn’t be able to do that accurately with all the layers in the way. I promise not to judge you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“No – no, not at all! Forgive me, I’m just… Unused to this, is all.”

She watched in the mirror as the tailor procured a measuring tape from her oversized bag of wonders, approaching her from behind and offering a comforting pat on the shoulder and smile.

“I understand. It can’t be too often that a mortal personally measures an Archon! Just relax – it shouldn’t take long at all. Hold your arms out like this, would you?”

Furina mimicked her T-pose, staring at herself incredulously in the mirror, and the tailor chuckled at her expression, starting with measuring her height. And, to her credit, Furina found herself at ease as the woman made small talk about a recent court case they’d both sat in on.

It went south when the measuring tape was wrapped around her waist, and the tailor pressed her thumb a little too sharply into Furina’s side, sending an utter jolt up through her entire body that caused her arms to fly down and undignified squawk to leave her lips.

“Ah… My apologies, Lady Furina, did I hurt you?”

“N-no! I don’t… Think so?” The sensation certainly hadn’t been pain, but it wasn’t necessarily pleasurable, either – so… “What… Was that?”

She slowly lifted her arms, and the tailor tilted her head. She seemed to weigh something in her mind before giving the Archon’s side another experimental pinch, making her fold slightly with yet another jarring noise.

“Aie! S - stop that!”

“I see… Please forgive me, Lady Furina, I didn’t know you were ticklish.”

11:04, in the springtime of her 40th year. The first time the word hit her ears. The first time it made her gut fizzle and her face heat up, puzzling her to no end.

“... Ticklish? What… What is that?” 

“Oh, I suppose it would be foreign to an Archon, huh…” The tailor blinked, then laughed softly, pulling her hands back so that Furina could relax; “It’s described as a sensation between pleasure and pain. Usually, people use it as a bonding method when they’re rough-housing. Most people dislike it, though.”

“... Oh.”

That… Really explained very little, if she was honest, but she felt embarrassed enough without reopening that can of worms. Besides, she was much more preoccupied with the tailor lifting her measuring tape to pick up where they left off. Just the possibility made her reflexively clamp her arms down again, her face burning, and the tailor laughed.

“Rest assured, Lady Furina, I’ll be more careful this time! It won’t happen again.”

“R-right… On with it, then…”

She managed to pull her arms back up again, and though she flinched preemptively as the tape went around her waist, the expected sensation never came, and the rest of their business went on as normal.

Yet, as the door closed behind the tailor, Furina grappled with a sense of disappointment and confusion, glancing back at herself in the mirror for an answer that didn’t come.

-

It was 2:45 pm on her 234th year. She was in the secret study, books scattered around her, and her nose buried in a dictionary, of all things.

It was possible, perhaps, that a solution could be found even in such an unlikely place. Desperation and futility drove her to search in odder and odder forms for even a sliver of hope – though, admittedly, by now she’d allowed herself to get distracted learning several words she’d never heard before, saying them out loud to herself and trying to find ways to work them into everyday vocabulary.

And that was when she flipped the page and saw it.

tickle verb tick·​le ˈti-kəl  tickled; tickling ˈti-k(ə-)liŋ  1: to touch (a body part, a person, etc.) lightly so as to excite the surface nerves and cause uneasiness, laughter, or spasmodic movements 2: to excite or stir up agreeably; to provoke to laughter or merriment  they were tickled by the clown's antics. 3: to touch or stir gently a pianist tickling the ivories.

Of course, all variations of the word were there, and Furina felt her heart stop for a solid moment, fixated on the page. She didn’t quite understand why even reading the definition of the word made her stomach do flustering, wanting flips, but she couldn’t bring herself to look away.

The blood rushing in her ears must’ve deafened her, too, because she didn’t notice her assistant in the room until he hesitantly tapped her shoulder, making her jump and slam the book shut, her face flushed and burning with embarrassment as she whipped to face him.

“What?! What! Have you forgotten how to knock?!”

“I-I did, Lady Furina, multiple times! I spoke your name, too, but to no response! Forgive me for startling you, it was not my intention!”

She released a soft breath at the man’s terrified and apologetic look, pausing to rub her temples and gather her wits.

“I… See. I apologize for snapping at you. Any updates?”

“N-no, Lady Furina. I just came to tell you that the teams are turning in for the day. The search was fruitless again.”

“Understood. Thank you for keeping me in the loop.”

The man gave a terse nod, and Furina watched him go for a moment before speaking up again, making him freeze.

“By the by… How much did you see?”

“... I saw nothing, Lady Furina.”

“Good. You’re dismissed!”

His shoulders slumped with relief, and he hurried out of the room. Furina waited until she heard the door close down the hall before she slumped down herself, with defeat and exhaustion rather than relief.

She really had to get the idea out of her head.

–

It was 5:45 in the evening, in the winter of her 300th year exactly, when she weighed her options.

Sitting on Neuvilette’s desk, today, she flipped through old case files with him, hardly focused on the words on the page – she knew the damned things by heart at this point, anyway, and she was sure he did too. This was all routine, and all they were really supposed to do was look at the dates and decide which cases could he safely archived and vaulted, and which should stay accessible. Yet, it had been a fun trip down memory lane for the both of them, recalling absurdities and tragedies during the court cases that brought them nostalgia.

The Iudex was the closest thing Furina had to a friend, in her opinion. He was a rock that she could cling to, for better or worse, which made the lying she had to do sting so much more… She could only hope moments like this more than made up for it.

Which brought her to her current internal struggle.

The concept of tickling had been weighing on her mind again. More than once, when these moods struck her, she had tried tickling herself, using makeup brushes and fallen feathers from various accessories to scratch the itch, as it were – yet, if anything, she only grew itchier.

She had profited, relatively recently, from a one-on-one with one of her nation’s independent researchers, when they requested an audience. It just so happened that they had a little interest in the topic on a scientific level, and were more than happy to share details with their curious Archon – confirming, among many other things, that she could not do it to herself.

A pity. But a truth that now led her to her conundrum; would it be weird to get Neuvillette to do it?

Furina thought they were close. It should be fine. And yet – what if he thought less of her for being curious, or, Celestia forbid, liking it? He would never tell the people, but if he ended up disgusted, she would never be able to look him in the eye again.

Yet, on the other hand… He was always tolerant of her drama and antics, and she’d certainly known him long enough to recognize when he was hiding a smile. Maybe he’d like it, too, and they’d have something more to bond over? Or, at the very least, he’d be tolerant and understanding of it.

“Lady Furina, are you quite alright? You’ve been staring at the same page for awhile.”

His voice cut through her thoughts and made her jump, blushing lightly as she side-eyed him. He wasn’t even looking at her, flipping a page in his own file while she cleared her throat and laughed, theatrical as ever.

“But of course! I was just reminiscing on all of these cases! It is great fun to revisit them, from time to time.”

“Hmm.”

He seemed content enough with that answer. Furina stared at him for a moment, her smile falling as she returned to her quandary for the briefest of moments – and decided to commit, stretching her arms up over her head with a dramatic groan.

“Ugh, but sitting here for so long makes one so stiff!”

“You’re welcome to walk around the office to stretch your limbs for a moment, if you’d like.”

Still, Neuvillette hadn’t looked up, and she dropped her arms, swallowing a sigh. She kicked her legs for a moment, looking around for some other way to hint him towards what she wanted. Her gaze settled on the stack of closed files across the desk from her, just barely out of reach, and she smiled, snapping her current case shut and reaching across the desk before him, grunting theatrically with the effort of her stretch.

Neuvillette, finally, looked up from the page – and sighed, taking the file from Furina’s hand and adding it to the pile for her.

“If you need help, just say so.”

“Oh… Thanks…”

She drew her hand back into herself and wilted a bit, the disappointment eating at her. Neuvillette stared at her for a moment before humming, shutting his own file.

“Is… Something wrong?”

“Ah – n-no, no! Nothing at all!”

Furina forced a smile, perking herself back up stiffly, and Neuvillette tilted his head a little, his own expression carefully neutral.

“Are you sure? If there’s anything I can do, you need only ask.”

She felt heat rush to her face at the simple notion of verbalizing her request. Somehow, the idea made her throat feel tight, and the flight instinct kicked in as she hopped off the desk, shaking her head.

“No no no! There’s nothing wrong, I’m just… Hungry! Are you hungry? I’ll fetch us a cake, and we can take a break! Be right back!”

Leaving no room for Neuvillette to get a word in edgewise, she turned and hurried out the room, her cheeks hot and heart hammering.

Neuvillette, for his part, simply watched her go with a faint smile and a sigh, shaking his head. 

“One day…”

–

Why are her nails so long.

It was 1:13 pm in the early spring of her 499th year when she met with Arlecchino for their usual tea, and the first time that she had noticed the Harbinger’s – let’s face it, claws – practically pierced through her gloves. 

Furina shoveled cake into her mouth, already fuelled by nervousness, but the nails drumming against the surface of the table across from her only added new butterflies to the mix. Arlecchino prattled on about something or another, but Furina had long since stopped listening, plagued by unbidden fantasies.

For example, feeling those nails scratching ruthlessly at her underarms. Or having her blouse unbuttoned so that they could trace the expanse of her stomach uninhibited. Or having her leg be seized and the back of her knee tormented by the spidering claws. Or –

“ – Don’t you think so, Lady Furina?”

“... Huh?”

She blinked, her face flushing as she realized she hadn’t been listening at all. Arlecchino sighed, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms.

“Honestly, you’re more distracted than usual, today. What are you so hung up on?”

“A-aaahhh, nothing! Nothing at all,” She giggled nervously, trying and failing to recover from the blunder; “I’m just… Still excited! For the magic show tonight!”

“Ah… Well, it does give me heart to hear that my children have the Archon’s attention. I hope their wellbeing has her heart, too.”

Arlecchino’s motivated stare made Furina stiffen, and she offered a tight-lipped smile, nodding furtively.

“Of course, of course! The wellbeing of my people is always my priority. That being said, I think we should call it here, so I have time to get ready.”

“As you wish. It’s been a pleasure, as always.”

They shared a tense nod, and Furina stood up first, stiffly walking out of the room as Arlecchino’s nails haunted her thoughts on the way out.

I’m going to go insane.

–

“What time is it?”

“Hmm… 9:52, I think.”

“Okay… Okay.”

It was 9:52 pm in the early autumn of her 500th year when it finally, finally happened.

“You remember the rules?”

“Ugh… Yes.”

“And you remember the safewords?”

“Dendro, Geo, Pyro.”

“Good girl. Are you ready?”

In her bed, in her humble apartment, Furina was no longer an Archon, and Navia was no longer her enemy; rather, the young woman straddled her waist all-too-comfortably, keeping Furina’s body pinned to the bed. The ex-primadonna herself grasped the headboard desperately to keep herself under control, her skin already buzzing with anticipation.

“Oh my god, yes, just do it already!”

“Ask nicely…”

“Navia!”

Navia laughed, endlessly amused by how flustered and on edge Furina was, and finally lifted her hands, forming claws with her fingers. She feinted a lunge, and Furina flinched, but kept her arms up, her knuckles going white as her arms shook and she whined.

“C-come onnn, haven’t I already waited long enough?!”

“Okay, okay… You’re right.”

Sticking out her tongue, Navia lunged again – but, this time, she grasped Furina’s sides and squeezed repeatedly, and Furina practically shrieked, her arms already flying down to uselessly clamp over her assailants hands.

“Oh, you’ve already lost,” Navia tutted, anything but disappointed; “Guess that means you have to take the punishment.”

“Khheehee – you’re so meheehee – mehEHEAAN TO ME!”

Furina cackled, throwing her head back and kicking uselessly as Navia slipped her hands under her nightshirt and scribbled across her skin with her own manicured nails, giggling right along.

“I know. And you love it.”

And, of course, Navia was right; she really did.

The wait was worth it.

[synnthamonsugar]

in the spirit of saturnalia: I ask for a coffee shop au fic with savathun

Can I get an art grant to develop this into a full series? Do you want ME to write/draw something outside my usual body of work? Inquire here!

A small crowd gathered near the rear of the cafe, chattering raucously around candlelit tables, framed by floodlights trained on the small stage at the back. Another open mic night at the Gaslight Cafe.

"Good turnout tonight," Lavinia Garcia Umr Tawil commented to the owner and senior barista, Savathûn. The middle-aged woman had long braids tied into a bun at the crown of her head, and a loud floral print shirt peeking from beneath a mint-green apron emblazoned with the logo of the shop. A stylized moth framed by an old-fashioned lantern.

"We'll see how long it lasts," she replied with a note of exasperated humor.

Lavinia tilted her head. Leaned across the coffee-bar so she didn't have to shout above the ambient noise. "Is the lineup that . . . bad?" 

"My nieces are the opening act," Savathûn commented, gesturing at the stage. Two identical women, perhaps a bit younger than Lavinia, dressed in what she could only describe as avant-garde victorian-goth-chic, long red gowns and pyramidal fascinators atop their heads, fiddled with an electric guitar and drum set respectively. The longer Lavinia looked, the more she could make out a familial resemblance to Savathûn, though there was something sharper in their features. 

Ada, in her role as M.C., took to the front of the stage. "Please give a warm welcome to our first performance, the Death Singers."

"Oh — that's, uh, promising? Your family has such accomplished musicians."

"They are talented girls but their style is —'' the first drumbeats started, shortly accompanied by a crunchy, guttural lick from the guitar, "—experimental." The lead leaned in close and belted out a shrieky vocal, loud enough to peak the mic. Both Savathûn and Lavinia reflexively flinched at the sound.  "Highly so."

The ensuing piece of music could be generously characterized as "harsh" and "atonal", less politely as "unlistenable" and "headache-inducing". Ir Halak and Ir Anûk traded off vocals throughout the set, and Lavinia found them perfectly matched not only in appearance but also intolerability. 

When they finally reached the end of their performance, a hesitant, obligatory round of applause fizzled from the crowd — excluding the next performer, who arose to his feet clapping and cheering. The girls waved and smiled at him as they gathered their gear and exited stage. 

The attrition rate among the audience was impressively low, but Lavinia wondered if Toland would change that. The pallid older man was a regular guest, spending hours sitting at different tables, sometimes tapping away at his typewriter but mostly getting into Diogenian debates with other customers. Savathûn permitted him to stay because his coffee habit provided her a reliable source of income. They often wondered what he actually did and could find no other explanation than this. Context clues pointed at a well-to-do wife who supported his unemployment, but not the Cafe. 

"Our next guest needs no introduction. Give it up for Toland, The Shattered, who will share a piece of his poetry—?" Ada enunciated the word as more as a question than statement, "— with us."

Lavinia was just glad he wasn't singing tonight. His timbre was almost as jarring as the twins'. 

"HUSH THE MOON. HUSH THE NIGHT. HUSH THE DARKNESS . . . HUSH, THE LIGHT . . ." If nothing else, she was impressed by the way he seemed to be able to speak in small-caps. He paced about the stage like a caged dog, delivering a performance that might've been pretentious if it wasn't utterly sincere. Some watched in transfixed or baffled silence, while others got up to refill their drinks at the bar. 

As more applause rippled through the crowd, and others gathered their things to leave, Ada approached the mic. "I didn't think anyone could find a rhyme for 'ouroboros', but you have a way with words. 

"Our next presenter is a sleight-of-hand magician—"

"That's 'illusionist', ma'am," the man waiting at stage-right drawled. He was decked out in a sequined suit of teal and green with a prominent snake motif, cowboy hat in hand.

" — Illusionist from the Tower Annex. Let's all welcome Eli—"

He shook his head.

"Wu Ming?"

"It's Germaine now. Legal reasons."

"Ah — well, let's all welcome Germaine, and his thrilling coin gambit—"

"Okay I'm out," Lavinia finally folded, gathering up her purse and books in one hand, and coffee in the other. "G'night Sav."

"Truly, you live up to your title," Savathûn replied, poking at her 'Lucky' nickname. "Goodnight Lavinia."

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay Visuals: We Don't Talk About Bruno

("You're gonna show/talk about That Moment, right?" Yes of course I will be showing/talking about That Moment; who do you take me for? 😝)

This video was uploaded on the 26th of February, 2022, it features Ashley Diane (in her second full-length collaboration with Voiceplay), and it is of course a cover of the ridiculously-popular song We Don't Talk About Bruno, from the very-popular Disney movie Encanto (which I have seen 2 or 3 times, including in cinemas, but I'm also very familiar with the movie soundtrack, because it's amazing). To cover such a popular song (let alone acapella-style) can be a challenging task, because obviously there'll be a lot of people who'll already know the original song quite well and who will be prepared to make comparisons, but this is Voiceplay we're talking about! They're not called "the theatre kids of acapella" for nothing, and Disney covers is one of the things they do best (and the video currently sits at a very impressive 5.6 million views on Youtube! (EDIT: as of the 13th of March, it's now 5.7 million!))

So of course I have a lot to talk about with this one, so let's get into it!

Layne was in charge of the video, arrangement, and direction for this one, and he and Tony worked together on set design and costuming. Needless to say, Layne and Tony did an amazing job (and yes, this was of course filmed at Pattycake Productions Studio, which Layne and Tony own and run together)

As for the costuming/characters: Cesar is playing Felix (is it perfect casting, or is Cesar just amazing at slipping into basically any role he's given? You decide), Ashley plays triple roles of Pepa, Isabela, and Mirabel, Eli is maybe Agustin (Agustin doesn't have a lead singing part in the song but the outfit is close enough), Layne is Dolores, and Geoff is either Camilo, Bruno, or both (Camilo pretending to be Bruno perhaps, like in the original scene in the movie?)

If we don't count Jingle Bell Rock (where Eli was wearing glasses while dressed as "Sandy Claws", then I'm fairly certain this is the last/most recent time that Eli has actually worn glasses for a Voiceplay video? And perhaps the only time he's worn them since growing out his facial hair.

Also I'm pretty sure I heard from someone that Geoff's "ruana" (google it) is in fact just a regular blanket/piece of fabric draped (possibly secured/pinned) over his shoulders (it's kind of a Look though ngl)

Not even 30 seconds in and I already stumbled upon a way-funnier-than-expected screencap 🤣

*pfft* XD

Basically, Cesar 100% understood the assignment as Felix, totally hammed it up, and it's highly entertaining 😁

(Also I swear Geoff did a very miniscule eyeroll here? Amazing, love him)

"Hey where'd you get that?" 😂

I know I'm not meant to be talking about vocals in these posts (per my own rules), but I have to give a big shoutout to Layne, who freaking killed it with Dolores's solo part, and it's always so lovely to hear him actually getting a vocal part in a song, as amazing as he is at vocal percussion 💜

Cesar continuing to do The Most (affectionate), and also it's kinda sweet how Geoff is looking at Layne here imo <3 (and also it kinda fits with how the characters they're playing, Camilo (probably) and Dolores are siblings!)

"Grappling with prophecies they couldn't understand." "Do you understand?"

(If you're rewatching a Voiceplay video, try shifting your focus to someone other than whoever you typically focus on for a certain part of the song! It will probably be worth it!)

Trust Geoff to get a dark/spooky section of the song! Voiceplay is nothing if not consistent 😝 (well, sometimes, in regards to some things 😂)

"When he calls your name, it all-" "-fades to black"

I was trying to get a good screencap of Cesar and Ashley on the "we! don't! talk about Bruno!" line, but eh, couldn't get a decent one.

(Oh btw obligatory kudos to Eli for lighting design!)

"He told me my fish would die, the next day, DEAD!"

(Great face, Ashley 😂👌)

Also pay attention to Geoff during this line (before it cuts to a closeup of Ashley) - I love his little shoulder shimmy to the more-uptempo beat!)

"He said that all of my hair-"

"-would disappear..."

"Now look at my head!"

(Rip Eli, but there was no way anybody else was singing that line - it was practically made for him! 😆) (Also love Ashley touching his head in comfort/sympathy 😄)

"He told me that the life of my dreams would be promised and someday be miiine"

(Yes yes of course Ashley is very pretty and I love the petals and the slow-mo on her, now CUE!)

"He told me that my power would grow, like the grapes that thrive on the viiiine"

Yep, that still continues to be up there as one of the most bonkers-ridiculous moments in a Voiceplay video ever. 🤣 (Also if it weren't hilarious enough, check out Ashley's Offended(tm) face in the first and second pictures above, and Layne's Extremely Concerned face in the second picture! ("uhh, Geoff. something you wanna tell me, dude?"))

I'm a little fuzzy on specifics, but apparently the idea for this moment came about when Voiceplay was acquiring clothing for everyone, and Ashley's outfit arrived in two different sizes (just in case one might fit better than the other). Turns out one of the copies of the outfit was a perfect fit for Geoff, and one thing led to another, and we ended up with Aspiring Disney Princess Geoff that you see in the images above 😄😋)

(When I said "don't just get you a man who can do both, get yourself a man that can do everything" back in my Frozen 2 Medley post, I meant it!!!)

(Oh and this section really was slowed down in post-production in order to make the petals (and hair flips!) look nice, and so both Ashley and Geoff were having to sing/lip-sync to sped up versions of their vocal lines!)

"Hey sis..."

(I don't know why this is so funny but it just is 😂)

Ashley in glasses for Mirabel's part!

"Seven foot frame, rats along his back!" *(goat scream)*

(Genuinely not even joking about the goat scream actually)

Geoff and Cesar were competing this whole video in terms of who could be the Biggest Ham I swear 😂

I somehow didn't pick up on this till a commenter pointed it out, but Layne copies Geoff's "spooky finger wiggles" movement! It's got Younger Sibling vibes ngl (though Dolores is actually older than Camillo iirc, and I'm an only child anyway so idk)

Ashley and Cesar were both great in this video, really seemed to play off each other quite a bit!

Man, what a video. Amazing to watch, and also a really great to watch other people react to, for multiple reasons! ��

There's not much for me to say that I haven't already said about Voiceplay before, but I will say that if you liked this one, go watch their Mini for Surface Pressure if you haven't already! It was filmed during the same shoot as this one (same set, same clothes), and uploaded a few days prior. It's only a short video, sure, but it's still very much worth a watch.

[tonydaddingham]

hey….totally unprompted question not prompted by terrible visions but do you have any tips for making amvs / any suggestions for editing softwares (preferabky on mobile but computer can work too) ? 😁

oh babe ive GOTCHU okay so obligatory "im just a girl that can't escape the brainrot" disclaimer. im not an expert, i do not do this professionally in any capacity, and im sure more seasoned video makers and editors will look at this list and think it's horseshit - and they'd be right!!! but for what it's worth here are the things that help me:

okay so first off, i edit everything (inc music, bc i do Not have the capacity to make edits to a full 4 min song) on my phone, so you've come to the right place - this nifty little app here is what i use.

is it good? as long as you're happy with it not being overly flash, yeah sure. does it get the job done? well id like to think so, as long as you're willing to get a bit creative/think outside the box on occasion. is it free? fuck yeah, as long as you don't want the spanglier functions.

okay so as for creating the vids themselves (very good omens centric, btw):

(here is where i wrote loads of shite but i remembered that you, dear anon, would have to read this and probably just want a simple list but always happy to discuss in more detail just lmk)

(edit: turns out, anon, that i still couldn't keep it to a simple list!!! and for that im very sorry)

obligatory start with: get good quality rips of the show. i didn't do this in the beginning and a lot of my old stuff is uploaded in 720p as a result, whereas now i can upload... decently in 2180p. the longer upload time is worth it. oh, and there is a small aspect ratio difference between s1 and s2, and it's the bane of my fucking life especially when i miss it and it's So Obvious To Me that ive missed it post-upload. don't make my mistakes 💕

right. advice. first, storyboard your vid. even if the song is not particularly relevant to the show/story but has Blorbo Potential™. look at the song you've got, and break it down lyrically (if applicable). what are the words saying? what is the story being told? is it thematically relevant/meta (e.g., RUTH), or is it just so applicable to Them that it's a bit embarrassing (e.g., meatloaf)? or is it neither, and it's just a Vibe (e.g., sushi restaurant)? there have been times where ive had to write out the lyrics physically and make notes on what scenes/bits to put to certain lyrics, in order to not feel overwhelmed with the whole thing... even if i change it later on/it ends up not working out anyway. but yeah take a sec to actually look at your song and work out if you have enough material to tell the story you want to tell in it - ie. not just the chorus/a bit of a verse. (ive fallen into this trap Many a time and have a Lot of abandoned wips floating around as a result)

related to the above, and i can't imagine it will be a problem lol, but being Very Familiar with the source material helps. pay attention to blocking and angles, especially if you want to do a cool/slick transition, or want to group together similar shots for a bit of visual interest and satisfying brain itching (e.g., 00:31 onwards of best shot). keep a track of filler bits, like clicks/hand claps/funny faces/dancing/dramatic head turns, because not only is it sometimes helpful for when you've got a musical interlude, but it can help maintain the tempo. (e.g., beginning of darkness)

ALSO related to the first point, and just a general tip - you don't have to start from the beginning. start, for example, with That Emotional Part where you can Perfectly see a part of the show cut to it. (e.g., cut to the feeling, where i started with the 1941 bullet catch at 1:18-1:27 for the bridge, and then built on it backwards). it helps with motivation too, when you find The Good Bit that you knows others will hate you for 🥰

in general, i recommend to keep the big set pieces (bullet catch, kiss, wall slam, in the beginning, on the wall, bookshop fire) in your back pocket for the Big Emotional, Heart-Swelling points of the song, and build on them from there. if you can, exercise symmetry in your scene choices across the choruses (e.g. dog days), or bookend the vid with the same scene (e.g., bon jovi intro and 1:45); i find it keeps a Theme going and drives up the emotional payoff, and again helps with storyboarding (dog days example: i framed as flashbacks, bon jovi example: i framed it as a flashforward)

i know others do this, and it is Not me criticising it at All because it can be soooo effective, but my personal style tries to avoid mouth movements as much as possible (unless it matches the lyrics, and then i keep it in because it's funny - e.g., "yeah" at 0:39 for bon jovi). so to that end, if you're looking to do the same thing/same style, be mindful of when expressions change/mouths start to move - it can literally be a matter of 0.1s, but be jarring if left in. this does regrettably mean losing a lot of source material (bc. yk. they talk in it, not just make Faces at each other), but i personally try to keep it to a minimum or try to keep any mouth movements out of focus.

now. i love a short cut. i go mad for a short cut. i go berserk for fast, sharp scene changes, they're like crack to me. prefer them to using huge stretches of clips. but!!! when actually editing (especially with the above app that whilst great, is not very good on refresh rate/buffering), id recommend exporting your video periodically or after doing a particularly choppy/fast bit, and Checking if it works/it's in time with the music. rewatch it 5, 10 times to make sure. you will constantly have to adjust stuff if you're creating the vid out of sync, unfortunately, but it will honestly help so much. it'll just give you a "ah yes i have 10 fast cuts there, and sure it only makes up for around 5 secs of actual screen time, but it's perfectly in sync and very satisfying, good job me" feeling, which is awesome. if you have issues with timing, consider downloading an overlaying metronome track in the bpm you need, and match it to that. (that saved in me in more of my vids than i care to count)

that being said, don't use short cuts if it doesn't suit the song!!!💕 or at least try to use a mix of them to give the vid some pacing. i like a pop or rock song, me, so i naturally tend to go for higher bpm songs (rip) anyway, but i try to get some longer cuts in there (especially around the intro/bridge) to give the viewer some breathing room (e.g., 0.00-0.44 for hero)

biggest advice tho: just have fun with it. create what You want to watch. do you listen to a song and think GOD THAT SCENE WOULD BE SO GOOD HERE??? then DO IT!!!💕 it doesn't have to slick or flash or overly clever in the transitions or effects, if you don't necessarily want it to be. don't get me wrong, they can look bloody spectacular - some of my favourite vids are really polished and impressive!!! but some of my faves are technically really basic, but they Understand the material and they Understand storytelling. equally some very kind people have told me that mine are some of their favourites (still makes me grin, months later!!!) and my transitions/effects are rudimentary at best. people will see your Vision because it is a Great Vision and will love your work regardless of the quality. you will improve with time, you will recycle bits and use them in new ways, you will learn skills and shortcuts that you will do better the next time. please pls plssss just create and have fun with it, god knows we need it in the world rn 💖

if there's anything else that i can answer or help with, anon, pls let me know!!! good luck my darling!!!💕

[chalkrevelations]

Oh. Oh, dear.

So I'm actually looking in on We Are, and I think I'm just going to have to file this under "not my bag."

I am. Oh. Oh, I'm literally only watching for the Winny and Satang bits, already. Their characters are genuinely the only couple thing I'm actually enjoying? Mn, I'm kind of OK with Ciize's Obligatory Female Side Character, but we only see her for 1.36 minutes per ep, so it certainly would not be enough to keep me watching.

I can see why they went ahead and gave me a scene of Toey making cow eyes at Q while Q guides Toey's hand through shading three minutes into the first ep, because the promise of more of that is, tbqh, the only thing that got me through that interminable, excruciating drinking/drunk sequence that then took up a good third of Ep 1.

I can see why they dangled the drunken lap nap in front of me during the preview for Ep 2 - because it is, again tbqh, the only thing that made me start watching Ep 2 - and I can then see why they saved it for the last six minutes of the ep, to string me along on the promise of finally seeing that scene. (I do appreciate them hitting me with the "Nong" as a reward.)

And I can see why they hit me with the clay tussle in the preview for Ep 3, because quite frankly, it's the only reason I'm getting ready to hit "play" on this ep. Particularly given the way they made it look like Toey is going to be a tiny bit more assertive. Not that I'm not living for watching Satang doing ... what is the Thai equivalent of saijiao, because I'm not entirely sure it's reached the actual level of bratting? Yet? Or maybe it has?

Anyway, I'm not going to get my hopes up that they'll do something with a little bit of depth, character-wise, as we move into an artistic medium that we haven't seen Q work in so far, and where we therefore have the potential to see some leveling of ground, if it's a medium that Toey has more of an affinity for - even if I wish that would happen. I've seen precisely 47 seconds of this show so far that make me think it has any more depth than a puddle after a 30-second rainstorm (YES, Peem, simplicity can be good!), and I frankly have little hope of seeing anything further on that front.

So, here's where I'm at: I have no pre-existing emotional investment in a PondPhuwin pairing because I got irritated at NLMG about one-third of the way in and then fast-forwarded through the rest to watch the Chopper cut. I'm tired of GMMTV trying to hand me (Engineering) bullies and creeps who the narrative wants me to think are a-OK! no, really! - tired enough that I don't even care to spend enough time with the PhumPeem storyline to find out whether Peem full-on Penelopes that painting and has to re-paint it every night or if he just finishes fixing it and then lies about it, saying it's not done, in order to spend more time as Phum's "slave." I'm a tiny bit sad about all that, because I'm finding Peem 1.75x more interesting than what I've seen Phuwin do up until now, but I have zero hope that Peem's going to make Phum actually pay for being the asshole he is. I'm absolutely not the audience for the super-broadly comedic, practically cartoonish, bit they appear to be doing with Aou. And who's this kid .... Pun? - I need him to be at least one-half as stupid as he appears to be if they're going to drag him out in his pajamas, get him shit-faced drunk, and harass him while filming him for posterity - or I need all that to be an actual issue, which I do not trust will happen.

Also, the writing is ... not good. Particularly the supposed banter during friend-group scenes. Maybe it's actually translation's fault, how try-hard it all sounds, but with everything else going on, I'm not going to count on that.

I probably need to wait for a QToey supercut and just watch that, but I can't guarantee that will happen, so I guess I'm going to fast-forward through 8 more eps and hope the bits and pieces of Phum's smug, punchable face that I actually see don't make me throw the remote control at my screen.

[smol-bean-of-the-smols]

♡🍋♡🍋♡🍋♡🍋♡🍋♡🍋♡🍋♡🍋♡🍋♡

Hello and welcome!! All you need to know before jumping in is that I'm an artist, I'm in love with Kajii, and I'm a selfshipper. (oh i also occasionally write but hardly ever publish)

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IMPORTANT: DO NOT REPOST MY ARTWORK. I do not allow this and I never will. (Sending it to someone in a chat is alright AS LONG AS the link is provided.) Any reposts will be reported for copyright infringement. Thank you.

Please let me know if you find a repost of my work on any platform.

ADDITIONALLY, I am not comfortable with my art being used as pfps, headers, or anything similar. To stay on the safe side, if you want to use my art for anything, ask me and I'll clarify if it is alright or not.

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Current obsessions!

Bungou Stray Dogs (spoilers for new chapters tagged as #bsd spoilers), Cult of the Lamb

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Relevant tags!

#my art

#bsd kajii / #motojirou kajii

#bean's selfshipping nonsense (mostly art, also most are not included in the kajii-specific tags. for blocking purposes if necessary. i also tag some reblogs with '#obligatory selfship tag')

#self insert (includes selfshipping and stand-alone pieces, please note that my self-insert has gone through a lot of changes)

#bean's random thoughts (text posts/personal posts)

#bean complains again (vent/negative tag for blocking purposes)

#nebulas oc / #antonio oc (note that nebulas is tagged in self-insert artwork as well when applicable as he is the ability. reblogs i associate with them are tagged as #nebulas and #antonio)

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Where to find me!

Instagram (despite liking the engagement i get on there, I may stop posting there. i am undecided but currently hesitant)

ao3 (works are only available to registered accounts)

Art Fight

My Discord username is beanthesmol if you wanna reach me there.

Mayoi Inu Kaikitan friend IDs: EN acc: 298807193598 (friend list full rn, mutuals can ask me to free a space up :D) JP acc: 759627650996

I do have a Bluesky account but I'm not yet posting on it, so when I do, I'll add it here <3

And yes I have a twitter account but only for following bsd artists that aren't on here or instagram. It's also handy for following bsd updates.

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That's all, I think. I'm a huge mess of a person, but I try my best. Feel free to ask questions or reach out!!

Also, I've been told that I come across as very serious in the way that I type certain things, but I usually mean things in a lighthearted way, so don't be frightened aksjdfjhskja

B♡

[markh0ffmanz]

also, if you have any recommendations for songs for hoffstrahm or spiralshipping i would like to hear them (if you have a full on playlist drop it on me i'm so serious) <3

i'm guessing by phrasing that you sent me one before this but i do not see it 🤔 ... thank you tumblr, absolute disaster hellsite that you are.

anyway! for hoffstrahm i kinda have to be typical and say that hatef--k by the bravery is probably my favorite song for them. it's on like... everybody's playlist but we're all so correct for this because it FITS. kiss me you animal by burn the ballroom also very much makes me think about them. stripped by depeche mode and lullaby by the cure also make think of them. perhaps not so much lyrics but so much as the Vibe of them you know? esp lullaby, it's one of my fave songs to apply to ships that have the kind of dynamic that they do. desire by meg myers also a very good one for them imo. i'd also include stalker's tango by autoheart and prey for me by korn.

as for spiralshipping, honestly i think you can apply so many of the classic Stalker (tm) songs to them lmao, esp every breath you take by the police. it's a bit cheesy and overdone but it's still accurate. anything that really nails down the adoration and obsession that schenk has with zeke yk? also obligatory mention for gerard way and ray toro's cover of happy together (have thought about making an edit of this personally... whenever i get the time to do so). bits of pieces of tonight by amira elfeky also make me think of them. personal jesus by depeche mode also gives me their vibes. perhaps it only makes sense to me... but i do think of them when i hear that song. oh and i would do anything for you by foster the people, which, if you twist it just the right way.... works well imo.

at SOME point i'll have to sit here and rotate them both in my mind while listening to spotify and see if i can come up with a playlist. if you have one however....... eye. share with the class pls pls

[officially-other]

A longer post because there were some fun dragon things today

I'll be posting the other half (which actually happened first, chronologically) on my other account, but this is the part that I feel like writing out first. Obligatory UPG disclaimer, this is a personal experience so it has no basis in anything other than my own beliefs!

So! Crash course in how I believe reincarnation works for context: I believe that I- and everyone else- have what one would call a "higher self." Think of this like a lake, and each individual incarnation is a little whirlpool. Still part of the overall lake, but it's an individual at the same time. Or, I suppose, you could view it as a cake with pieces or whatever other metaphor you can think of- point is, my soul is whole but I am not all there is to me. My higher self is more aware, and not stuck in a physical body like I am.

My mother works very closely with her higher self. I... somehow just never saw that as an option for me. When I realized I was dragonkin, I immediately knew why; big huge dragon + little tiny human who's easily intimidated and doesn't know that they're a dragon yet = bad time. After I realized that, I decided that when I had the time I wanted to sort of say hello. Today I finally got the chance to meditate and have a chat.

I've understood my Amphitere nature is the draconic form that, in this lifetime, is likely the form it'd be most useful to know of and relate myself to. Not my truest form, but the one that will FEEL truest in this lifetime. So I knew higher self wasn't gonna look like that.

He is... fucking huge. I expected that, but it was still surprising. I couldn't get a good clear image of the body plan or anything, but he had feathered wings. The thing was; he was gold. I asked if he was actually gold, because that would mean that me and my mom separately picked up on that, and the following conversation ensued:

"Wait, so are you really gold?" "Yes.... sort of?" "WAIT OH MY GOD ARE YOU SHRIMP COLORS?????"

He laughed and said yes. I asked in the first place because it was something I just suddenly knew intuitively; gold is really the closest in energy that a human can perceive, but if I had a wider spectrum of color available to me he wouldn't look the same.

After some chatting I asked if he could help me connect us a little better, because I just... have a hard time looking at this massive fucking dragon and going "you're me, but big! :D" like no that's a dragon. Who am I to claim that that's me. Wtf. And after a moment, I just... sort of felt these massive fucking wings?? not my blue ones, but HIS wings. On my back. The full wingspan of them wouldn't even fit in my fucking room, it was wild.

Also, Loki and I have worked together WAY LONGER THAN I THOUGHT???? I asked higher self if he had worked with Loki, not as me, but as him and he and Loki looked at each other like they were in on some joke and I wasn't. I shit you not, he just sort of...

"Not... all lifetimes, just most of them-" LIKE THAT'S WAY MORE THEN A DOZEN, WHO WAS GONNA TELL ME THAT???

Anyway the punchline of this was the "shrimp colors" I just wanted to put the rest of that so I remembered, I fucking cannot deal with how weird my practice is getting over here XD