#puppet history taught me

[piratemousey]

Laszlo Cravensworth watching Ru Paul's Drag Race: "This Ru Paul dominatrix has stolen my signature eloqution and my style, which I call "sexual debotury" I will not staaand for this insult and I will challenge her to a cock off."

Colin Robinson: "I thought that the cock-off was going to be one of Laszlo's usual Friday night circle jerks. But apparently a cock-off is a complex event which ranges from religious experience, foot race, philosophy debates, competing lemonade stands, to, in fact, a lip sync battle sword fight where the swords are replaced with a cock."

(Cut to old sketches, the last one is two roosters being shoved together awkwardly by two people dressed like high fashion foxes)

Colin Robinson continues: "The funny thing about swords is that they're often used as a symbol of virility and the phallus. The once mighty ronin Miyamoto Masashi, a famous tactician from the early edo period, believed the duel began when a challenge was laid. Now..."

Nadja doll: "Shut the fuck up Colin Robinson!!"

My good lady wife Nadja: "No one wants to listen to your dick-tales, Colin Robinson!"

Camera zooms in on Guillermo's embarrassed expression.

Scene

[thebutchprinxe]

excited for coordinator training ! dreading the hell houston project that still needs finishing 💀

[br-disaster]

Nie Mingjue's Fatal Journey crying scenes appreciation post

There's no way I wouldn't make this post, but it ended up way longer than I intended.

Fighting with Huaisang

When is this man not tearing up?

This fight is so important for Huaisang's character development and the movie's themes, with Huaisang being ready to challenge and question the Nie ways and Mingjue doing his best to uphold those traditions and keep the peace through the only way he knows how.

But it's still hard to be challenged like this and to face the possibility that everything you've ever known might not be right, actually.

And this gif specifically is from the moment Huaisang questions if Mingjue even knows what they're there to fight and what this supposed great evil that will come to Qinghe if they fail to balance their blades even is. Mingjue has no answer, of course, I suppose he was only taught this and never had reason to question it.

But Huaisang is also talking about the disciples they already 'lost' at this point of the movie, and he says something along the lines of " You don't know anything, you only know how to bring them here to die" and that does it. Because it's both "you can't follow these rules blindly when they rely on sacrificing people" and "you've changed and I don't trust your judgement on these matters anymore".

And as he says it, Mingjue looks at their disciples and he sees the puppets for a moment. And Huaisang just questioned if the other disciples were really attacked by puppets.

So that's a big moment and Huaisang is right, of course, but he doesn't have a confirmation that this is the result of Mingjue's health deterioration yet, so he keeps pushing. And Mingjue doesn't really have a counter argument because he knows what's going on with him, but it must be very scary to hear it from the person you care about the most and realize just how much you're being affected.

(Actually, Mingjue has one counter argument and that is "Well, I am at least trying to do something while you're painting and living a carefree life", and he's not wrong either. Huaisang is right and rightfully harsh, but this is the first time he's being confronted with these difficult choices and all their family history. He can reflect on and question it, but his brother has been meking those hard decisions since he was 14, when did he ever had a break to question and change things?)

Which leads us to

The Talk

After seeing his brother sacrifice himself for him at the bridge, and then seeing Mingjue be so vulnerable and lost, that anger from their fight is gone. They can meet in the middle with "You are right, I wasn't thinking straight, this is not a long term solution and I've failed at changing our ways" and "It's not your fault, you did everything you could but you're not responsible for this situation" and it's very beautiful and heartbreaking.

Mingjue is so remorseful, both because he has condemned Huaisang to die with him and because he feels like he failed everyone and everything (even if he doesn't seem to know what he could have done differently to avoid all this).

And Huaisang's reaction in this scene is so calm it made me think this Huaisang is somewhat used to his brother displaying vulnerability around him. This isn't book NMJ with all his victories, this isn't a man who never let the Unclean Realm be conquered and who could afford to keep Huaisang far away from the war. This is a man who was attacked and subdued in his own home, who had to send Huaisang to the hands of the people who killed their father.

This Huaisang doesn't have reasons to see Mingjue as this unmovable force, he has seen Mingjue hurt and threatened and fearful; and he's now seeing him remorseful and defeated.

(I'm sure Mingjue telling Huaisang about the fact that he's dying and admiting his mistakes and insecurities is something new, especially considering their previous fight, but this Huaisang doesn't take it as a shock, because he knows his brother is only human and there's only so much he can handle. He even, like, explicitly says this)

And so he assumes this calm, reassuring and empathetic posture, because that's what his brother is asking for. And it's the most beautiful thing, Huaisang has so much love for him, so much empathy. And this is Mingjue's reaction to his brother's reassurance that it's okay if they have to die there:

I'm sure Huaisang is still processing Mingjue's "I only forced you to practice because I'll die soon", but he's so good at reassuring his brother.

Because Mingjue just told him "I am dying and I'll go as a failure" and Huaisang insisted "None of this is your fault and you did everything you could and more, and if I have to die here with you today, I don't regret a thing, and you shouldn't either".

There's no despair or anger that his brother is only telling him this now, there's only understanding and acceptance and so much love and they really knew what they were doing with this movie.

His people love him

Mingjue is so moved. He just admitted to Huaisang that he's not in peace with his accomplishments, or lack thereof; that he feels ashamed to face his ancestors, having done so little.

So I truly believe Mingjue doesn't consider himself worthy of this much trust and support. (And I can't ignore how this is tied to the Nightless City situation, where he led the men who trusted him with their lives to a dangerous situation and couldn't save any of them).

As we see in the confrontation at Jinlintai, that technically happens after this movie, that is still a very sensitive topic.

And here he has his loyal disciples saying they will follow him yet again, despite his previous 'failures'; just like Huaisang was ready to die with him. They have so much trust in him, and the way he's nodding a little here, just like he was nodding when Huaisang reminded him of everything he's done for their sect since their father died, is like he's convincing himself of it. That he can do this and he can do this right this time.

And yet

He fails again. And I don't even think he knows it was him who killed those disciples, like some people say. He doesn't need to because it doesn't matter. His men, who followed him till the end of the world, are dead again. And so is the hope he had of doing this one right thing before he dies.

Yes, he supressed the saber spirit like he had to, but they're still dead, all of them.

He falls apart, how could he not?

At some point I'm sure Huaisang his holding all his weight because he just gives up. There's only so much loss one can handle and that's way too much.

And look at the way Huaisang is watching him as he realizes something inside Mingjue shattered forever.

There's so much pain in this scene, it looks physically taxing and I hope people gave Wang Yizhou a break after he shot this. I know it's his job and he's phenomenal at it, but this has to mess with your head a little.

And hey, it's a Huaisang crying scene as well. CQL Huaisang only really cries twice. First he watches his brother have a mental breakdown in his arms after unknowingly killing his own disciples; and then as he watches his brother qi deviate and die, while unable to do anything to either stop or comfort him.

(And a lot of people said there's no hesitation on Huaisang's part when he rushes to his brother's aid when Mingjue is hurt on this post's notes, and that's true for book Huaisang too, because he runs towards Mingjue as he is qi deviating, gets hurt in the process, and still keeps calling for him, which makes CQL's decision to have JGY holding him back kind of cruel, tbh, there's not a Huaisang who would run from a hurting Mingjue regardless of the risks

But at least we have this scene.)

And that's it, I guess. There's nothing uplifting to say about this, really. He just went through a lot and kept shouldering everything until he couldn't anymore. I just wish book NMJ had gotten to receive the same love and comfort and acceptance from NHS before he died, I wish he had been able to tell his brother what was actually happening, but thats kind of the purpose of this movie, so I'm just very grateful that it exists.

It's like that post says, it didn't change anything but the love was there, you know? That's how this movie feels for me.

[shaniacsboogara]

if i ever have grandkids i want them to ask me about stories from my past, the trials i've endured in my life, the things i've learned... they'll expect some grandiose story from when i was young, wild and free, but hoo boy i won't hesitate to start rambling about that one time a puppet taught me history

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

I realise you're HE, but any thoughts on how high school level education should be run/changed/etc? I'd love to know your views!

Oh sure, plenty, but they're not particularly informed lol

Well; Wales is actually massively and fundamentally changing secondary education atm, but we won't be getting students from it until the year after next, I think, so no real comment on effectiveness yet - but it's very interesting. They're getting rid of isolated subjects in favour of broad umbrella areas, as I understand it? So there's now Science and Technology (Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Computing, and all the various DT subjects like Woodwork, Electronics, Cookery, etc), Maths and Numeracy, Humanities (History, Geography, Ethics, Religion), Languages Literacy and Communication, and Health and Wellbeing (actually maybe Cookery comes under this one now? Dunno.) And there's a sixth to do with arts but I can't remember what it's called. But it includes Art, Drama, Media Studies, etc.

And then the idea is that a class will learn about a given topic at a time (I don't know for how long, so let's say six weeks), and this will be taught in each of those six umbrellas but via their own methods. So like... I dunno, let's say the Tudors:

That's fairly straightforward for Humanities, but in addition to giving you the historical facts you'd also explore historic trade routes and natural resources of the time and how they related to the politics (geography), the religious make up of the country and how THAT related to the politics (religion), etc.

Maths and Numeracy might explore how to use statistics to analyse Tudor era population or trade data.

Science and Tech could look at disease outbreaks and virology, or technological advancements and how they worked and get students to build one, or get students to construct a Tudor-era town using computer software

Languages can study plays from the era (Shakespeare), look at linguistic development, or use historical events as talking points to practice using vocab in conversations

Health and Wellbeing can explore stressors and challenges of the average Medieval peasant and how they overcame them, or play some popular Tudor sport or game, or make food to Tudor recipes, etc

The Arts one (god I cannot remember the name) can look at art history of the period, fashions, perform plays, etc

So everyone is still teaching the skills and knowledge of their subject areas, they're just united by one big case study. It apparently allows for far more integrated teaching, too, where two previously discrete subjects can join forces on a project.

All of which seems pretty good, on the whole, but also rife with issues if everyone isn't careful, so we'll see how it shakes out over the next few years.

From my own experiences of school though. Jesus. Something definitely needed to happen, fuck me.

What I should have learned in Textiles:

How to use a sewing machine

How to sew by hand to mend a tear

How to darn a hole

How to hem, dart, take in, and let out clothes

How to sew from a pattern

What I actually learned in Textiles:

How to use a sewing machine on its most basic setting

How to phone in creating a hand puppet out of felt because gluing was easier than sewing

How to badly sew an extremely makeshift and shit bag out of scrap fabric that you in no way want to then use

How to lose all interest in Textiles because it was useless and uninteresting

Like that is a VITAL skillset-imparting subject, and they fucked it, lads, they completely fucked it. Why did they never set us the task of buying a cheap shirt from a charity shop that we then amended in class? That would have been so useful.

Games and PE! Fucking hell! Here's what I should have learned:

How to stretch my body safely to target specific muscle groups, and in particular, how to cultivate a daily stretching routine I enjoyed and wanted to do

How to find a physical activity active enough to get me out of breath that I genuinely enjoyed, so that I wanted to continue it, e.g. salsa dancing or rope climbing or ice skating or hill climbing or assault courses or fucking anything at all

How to build my body up to doing particular activities safely and sustainably

How to find a physical activity to do on wet, cold, rainy days that would still be fun and I would still enjoy

Here's what I actually learned:

Physical activity is always uncomfortable and miserable and sometimes even painful

If you aren't enjoying running around in the wind and rain instead of the indoor gym The Problem Is You. Start Enjoying It.

Wanting to stay warm and dry and comfortable is a punishable choice.

You are only permitted to do physical activity in clothes that make you feel profoundly exposed and uncomfortable (a gym skirt and gym knickers in my school. Cycling shorts got you detention. Don't get me started on jogging bottoms.) Again, if you do not enjoy this, The Problem Is You. Start Enjoying It.

There are only three activity options. If you don't enjoy any of them, physical activity is not for you.

You should be able to Just Do physical exercise, without any training to build you up to it. If you can't and it hurts, this is because you're Bad At PE.

You will only be shown Once

Physical activity is only ever a team sport that you aren't good enough to be willingly picked for

LIKE WHAT THE FUCK

And you know what, LET'S round off with Food Technology/Cookery. Because I remember the things I was asked to make in FT. As a little baby Year 7, I still vividly remember two of the things we made.

Angel Delight. Easy, you might say! A simple treat, you might think! Easing the children into food prep, I hear you cry! But no, because the theme of the year was healthy eating, and so we were to add fruit to our Angel Delight. Any flavour Angel Delight, any fruit. Off you go. I don't know if any of you have encountered fruit, Tumblrs, but it famously has faintly acidic juice. This will prevent the Angel Delight from setting within the one hour lesson, no matter how well you mixed the pudding, or how quickly you got it into the fridge. It will result in soggy gross lumps of oxidising fruit in sloppy liquid pudding. Lesson learned: fruit makes food worse.

Cake. Easyish, you might say! A little harder than the Angel Delight but good training, you might think! A fairly straightforward process with a child-friendly food at the end, I hear you cry! But no, because the theme of the year was still healthy eating, so the teachers made it into an experiment; make four small cakes. One with sugar, one with sweetener, one with apple, and one with carrot. Then taste them and rank them in order. Off you go. I don't know if any of you have ever tried eating sugarless carrot cake, Tumblrs, but I have, and I can tell you categorically that it really puts the "Did you know" into the phrase "Did you know that fructose and sucrose are not actually equivalents of each other in a culinary setting?" It was rancid. It was disgusting. It was vile. It made me hate carrot cake for the next 12 years, in case my mouth had to go through that ordeal again. I'm still highly suspicious of the stuff even now. To (I assume) the surprise of fuck-damned no one, we unanimously put them in the order of sugar, sweetener, apple, carrot. Lesson learned: FRUIT MAKES FOOD WORSE AND CARROTS ARE ACTIVELY DISGUSTING

What possessed them?! No idea. Fucking hell.

Anyway this is getting long and I am still ill-informed. Peace out.

[ppth-forensic-technician]

Introduction

Hello. I’m Melvin Rideau, I use he/him pronouns and I am 26 years of age.

I work as a Forensic Technician at PPTH, down in the basement.

I work for Mister Corcoran ( @head-of-forensics / @1mlostnow)

You want to… see my credentials? What.

I’m 187cm tall, and yes, I was taught to walk around with a straight back. Please don’t ask me about my fingers, I am anxious and I fidget.

I am of Italian and French descent, but I was born in Mississippi. I’m not going to disclose to you my family history… that’s absurd.

I have a Border Collie named Spots, we live together in our apartment. I don’t take many pictures but when I do I’ll post them.

Here are all the credentials you need to see.

(And I'm Jamie! Melvin's puppeteer :3

I'll be communicating in brackets

I'm 18 so there's no restrictions on the type of content, but I will keep the other @ppth-staff people in mind.

I live in Europe, UTC +1 time zone

I'm not that well versed in the medical field but Melvin will come to reflect that :3 please be patient

Yes the art was made by me!! More to come hopefully

This intro will probably change a lot as I am new to this whole concept)

(My main account is @consumed-star and my House sideblog is @feralpeasures)

[smiley-positivity-potato]

i feel like i didn't get to talk about this much online in great enough detail, but for the young or OLDER transmascs and trans men out there, it is perfectly natural to look for a masculine or male role model to look up to for masculinity inspiration and guidance, whether you personally know them or not. Whether they have passed or not, it's okay to search for somebody to look up to and grow ideas from on what it means to be a man in your eyes. It's natural for cisgender boys and men to do it, so why not you as well?

as you grow, you will come to discover there are all types of role models that'll you be able to relate to. or you may only find one. and when you find that person that brings out your inner sense of worth, and what it means to truly be a man to you, and not just from what the media presumes, you'll know. you'll feel comfort in not just your skin, but also your mind. you'll feel a sense of strength, security, protection, balance and loyalty. you'll speak with actions over words. you'll be able to proudly follow the path of a man, something you hadn't been able to envision before. thanks to having a masculine role model, you will now have something to strive to surpass.

there is no perfect male or masculine role model. there isn't anyone in this world who is perfect. in fact, due to your past womanhood and cautious upbringing, you may believe you don't deserve to receive guidance in this new world as a man. you may still believe and remember the words you spat and the evil you were taught about the everyday man, especially if you grew up in a dangerous area being groomed, abused or having had experienced traumatic history. this doesn't mean men can't hurt others, but you have been taught every man WILL and CAN hurt you, if given the chance, by the men AND women in your life. so now you worry and wonder, "Will people think I've become a man so I can become the attacker, instead of the prey waiting for the pounce?" you'll begin to think, you betrayed yourself as a fellow transmasc, and trans man. you'll see that frightened, confused "girl" who was still in the "attic"- because at this point you shoved those thoughts about your gender so deep inside the closet of your brain that it rose above your head until it finally collapsed on top of you. you'll wonder, "If I was cisgender, would I have hurt me too?"

the answer is you don't AND will never truly know. and it always will be like that. but what you do know is that if given the chance, you'd save yourself all over again in this life right now. you'd rescue and hold that little girl that was scared and misunderstood. because at the end of the day, your soul and values are your own. and your character still shows, regardless of your gender. and even if you aren't that socially aware, you'd comfort that little girl because you would KNOW what pain she was talking about. the pain of feeling misplaced. the anguish of following everyone else's advice, desperate to feel SOMETHING BETTER, only to end up feeling empty- just another puppet on someone else's strings. "But at least I made everyone else happy?, you'd think. but in the end, you didn't make yourself happy- not even a little.

you will know what it feels like to want CHANGE in your life, even if you are still unsure how you'd like to accomplish it. because you've been there. you've done that. and now you can say, you ARE your younger self's hero.

as you search inside yourself, and around you, for a role model on what masculinity means to you, you'll start to realize it all starts with acknowledging who you truly are, who you want to be, and how you want to stand. you begin to realize that the media and radfems have made you think a "perfect man" exists if they just follow a list of rules and guidelines they've made up when you KNOW it's not true. for you were born and went through a lot of the "womanhood" they experienced as well. and even if a masculine person meets ALL THESE GUIDELINES AND RULES, THERE'S STILL ROOM FOR A GRAY AREA. BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE HUMAN BEINGS. WHETHER FEMME OR MASC, ANYONE CAN BE A BAD OR GOOD PERSON.

being a masculine person or man doesn't make you a horrible person, it just means you're human. and if we aren't taught to self hate, hurt ourselves or dismiss our own feelings as men, we can achieve so much. especially when we aren't hating ourselves on our journey through our manhood. i am lucky to know the few cis men i do in my personal life that i do; and that i get to look up to them. for they are leaders, strong both mentally, and emotionally. they are loyal and love, loudly and silently. they behave differently based on their relationships with others, but are never indirectly inconsistent, for they are honest. and i admire them for that. for they are themselves and they demand respect. and to me, a nonbinary transmasc human being, that is and has been the hardest thing for me to do: demanding respect from others.

when you find your masculinity role model, you'll begin to understand what younger cis boys most likely felt when they looked up to some of their heroes; whether family, family friends, older classmates, entertainment stars, sports players or historical figures. you'll get to experience the newfound feeling of walking down a different path then originally planned as a transmasc man. some cis people will tell YOU you HAVE to act this way to discover your role model AND to live like said person. you do NOT. for your personality, AND your manhood are a part of you that show your inner character. your clothes, morality and male role model(s) show what you like, honor and value. but your soul shows your identity. your words explain your story and heart. your wisdom shows your willingness and strength to learn how to be an honest, hard-working man.

and just like the male role model you are searching for, you'll soon start to find out you may be someone else's reason and inspirational story. thanks to you they may have a reason to continue exploring their own masculinity. they can now define their own path on what it means to become a better man. thanks to you.

[yxstxrdrxxm-a]

SYNOPSIS: To Lyney, secrets must be kept hidden. Maybe it's why, in the end, this 'love' feels like a sense of betrayal.

TW/s: Yandere behavior, Lyney becomes a bit of a ‘detective’ lol, toxic sibling dynamic (not inc/st god fucking no, just twisted morals on siblings + family), Lyney is fucked up and deranged. NSFW warnings include mentions of graphic description of violence, puppet moment™, implied trafficking (might not be here but be warned), arson, the whole nine yards.

NOTE FROM HR: A matchup with ties to the background of MixMatch… How curious. Now, this may be tame from some of these entries, but be warned, there may be things that can trigger someone.

Lyney is one of those that people underestimate a lot more than they’d like to admit. And for one thing, they wouldn’t be blamed… Much.

After all, he looked quite innocent, and wouldn’t seem to be the type to have any malicious intent for those he’s with. Which, if they knew him well, they would see that it’d be the biggest lie they’ve ever been told in all of history.

Including himself, ironically enough.

To Lyney and his siblings, he's a dead man walking. His intentions are not as pure, but his ambitions make up for it. All he wanted was to provide answers and insights for their Father, Arlecchino, and if it meant they had to work in the establishment… So be it.

This led to him speaking to Eros and Cupid—both matchmakers who, in his eyes, never signed up for the changes they were presented in front of them. In Cupid’s case, they were simply hired for the sake of alluding the crowd with the potential of MixMatch, and with who they can be with. Sure, the selection is tight and there’s been shady scandals in the past with Celestia Inc., but it was all fine, right?

As for Eros, he gathered from Freminet when he was speaking to her that he’s in charge of what goes truly with the ‘transactions’ from both client and rented ‘boyfriend’. She even mentioned how Cupid is also tied into it as the messenger, which was an irony, considering the Boss had his days numbered due to such an exploit before both came to work.

Speaking of, he was seeing them both now to see who his match is, and it looks like he got a catfish— courtesy of Cupid telling him and was now apologizing rapidly because the person he was matched it never really existed. It looked like they were groveling on his feet for forgiveness.

What a sorry sight.

…

How odd, mused Lyney, as he noticed the bandage on Cupid’s left cheek. It looked like something happened there, but he knew he couldn’t bring it up, lest it’d spark up suspicion that he was ‘looking into things he shouldn’t be’.

“No need to apologize,” he told them, watching them frown and shake their head once more. “Please, I must apologize for this mix-up. Eros and I were working overtime to set up these matches for you and everyone, and I feel as though it's my responsibility for what happened. Please forgive me, Lyney. You were meant to be with someone else.”

Someone else?

“Well, what’s done is done, little Cupid,” he says, patting their head. “You’re still getting used to things, so I’m sure I’ll be able to manage who you assigned me to. Now, you were saying that it’s ████████, right?”

“Yes, ████████. We don’t know their full name, but maybe you’d know them better than I do—you did tell us that you knew them.”

“Oh, that I do,” he added, his eyes twinkling as he reached to tilt his hat. “In fact, I met them long, long ago. It’s such an irony that now I’m matched with them. I thought that man would keep them locked shut in his little ‘team’.”

“I’m… Sorry?”

“Haha, nothing! Anyway, where are they? Did they tell you where they’d go?”

When Lyney managed to reach the venue, he had a few things in mind. Catfishing is never taken lightly in the corporation, and they were taught how to deal with those who pretended to be certain people and ditched when they had to meet their match.

The one thing, though, is that he had additional help. 

"So, you're sure that the catfish used a fake profile to try and get into the bigwigs of MixMatch?" asked Lynette, raising an eyebrow as she watched him prepare for the surprise he had. "And here I thought that Father warned us to not be too rash. We still have a few things we needed to keep an eye on while you're working for them."

"I know that, Lynette, but I can't help myself! Having to impersonate someone and even getting my hopes up... Only to strike it down is a crime," he said, but the twins knew that he was merely pretending. With a sigh, he placed his hand on his heart, the other one holding some wire cutters.

"Oh well. It's not like it'll be such a bother, not with the bag of tricks we carried. Isn't that right, Lynette?"

"... You brought me with you, though."

"Ahaha! Nonsense! Besides, it's not just you. Freminet is with us, but he's working on the distraction as we three discussed," Lyney tutted, sauntering to the house and preparing the surprise. "Now, Lynette, would you be a dear and help your big brother cause some mayhem?"

The latter sighed. She knew her brother wouldn't back down for his need of doing something 'fun', and especially when his 'fun' involved committing enough crimes and getting suspicious people back to their... Hideout.

"... Fine," she muttered, donning a mask as she went to the back door. "Don't mess this up, brother. We need to be swift before people catch sight of us 'cleaning' this house up."

"Oh, I know."

When she was in position, he was quick to cut the wires, letting the lights go out inside the house. The voices coming from within were muffled, but he could already hear the anticipation from them. Tossing the wire cutters back to the bag, he grabbed a few things and heard a few thumps— that must mean that Lynette has done her part.

A sound of breaking glass, panicked voices, and he managed to get to the door. It was already unlocked, courtesy of their carelessness to locking the damn door, and he had simply tossed bombs that looked like mice. He could simply relish the screams as they went off, magenta smoke, sparkles, and splatters coming out when its timer reached zero.

He could hear them panic as she done quick work from the inside, the fumes travelling upwards and to the second floor, causing the house to be fogged up. Counting down a few seconds, he grabbed a few more and sent the next batch in.

Their plan was to cause a bit of mayhem as they 'cleaned' up the place. After all, their tricks only served to have cause the illusion, and it was nothing more than that. Although, the crime of impersonation and fooling him, an illusionist, is far bigger than those that the judge would state in the entire expanse of Teyvat.

After a few bombs, some things exploding and the fire starting from the inside and glass smashing, he saw Lynette come out with a body. Seems like she was unconscious too. With a nod, the twins left the house as swiftly as they came, but not without the illusionist tossing one more surprise.

A plush.

Upon making contact with the flames leaking from inside the house, it seem to blow up from the seams, wrecking it even more and urging the flames to consume more than the house as they escaped.

Running down to the streets below, Lynette caught whiff of soot and the special (flammable) smoke they made and scowled.

"Did you really have to use that?" she asked, scoffing. "You smell rancid in that."

"Hah! Like you're one to talk, my dear sister," he taunted back, lugging the bag up as they both saw Freminet coming out from the phone booth. He was carrying a receiver and his mechanical penguin, though his face looked rather grim.

"Lynette, Lyney... ██████ is calling us."

Their faces became serious.

"What is it?"

"I'm... Not sure. She said that we need to come back... Urgently. It's about the suitors and their involvement."

Lynette remained stone-faced. Sparing a glance to Lyney, she adjusted her grip on the body.

"I see. I'll be returning post-haste. Brother, can you make it there in 3 days?"

Lyney seems hesitant, but he nodded. If ██████ needed them, then he had to settle a few issues in the corporation. Turning his gaze to the watch, his brows furrowed at the time they had left.

"I need to return to Celestia Inc. Lynette, Freminet, please inform him that I need to file a leave before I can get there. After all, I am still apart of the corporation, and it'd be bad if the boss caught on."

The two nodded.

"Of course. I'm sure ██████ will understand."

If not, they have their methods to do such a thing.

It was 3 days too late when the meeting was set, but ██████ didn't mind when the oldest was late. After all, the company he was tied with willingly wouldn't allow any sort of leave unless there was definite proof of such a thing.

"Lyney, do you have any updates for the clients matched with you and the other 'suitors'?"

Lyney bowed, his expression remaining serious as he looked up towards her.

"██████, some of the clients have been killed by them. The others wound up missing, and no one knows where they are. Asking the two 'matchmakers' yielded no results either, as they are uninvolved of the process."

"I see. Lynette, how are the others that we've 'rescued'?"

"They are safe, ██████," she replied, lowering her head as she bowed alongside Lyney. "Some are a bit shaken as they didn't expect it to happen, but the suitors who saved them are cagey. A few have threatened me and Freminet from getting too close to them because of the danger that we 'possess' to them."

How interesting.

"And for those who were killed?"

"Buried 6 to 12 feet under. Some are left in docks and inside wells," Lyney was the next to respond. "There are others who's faces were mutilated. It was troublesome to confirm their faces. And the rest..."

"... I see."

██████ placed down the folder full of evidence she had. Most of it had been from the clients, and it came from one of the two sources itself.

"██████, what should we do? Freminet and I have our matches, but we can't be sure that the boss wouldn't try and assign them with someone else if he catches on."

"No need to worry, Lyney."

Grabbing one of the papers, the three could see ██████ smile.

"After today, that company will be in ruins. All I need is to tip off a few investigators and act as an 'unknown' source, and everything will fall into place."

It was a wonder for the three, Lyney included, for how devious ██████ can be. But they all nodded and bowed once again, concluding the meeting.

If there was one thing that Celestia Inc. didn't took account for, it would be the growing restlessness of their workers and those who managed to 'get in' without suspicion.

Just like in chess, the King is in position. Every other unit is now in place.

All it needs is a scapegoat to start the domino effect.

@.throw-letter-away | do not republish or repost my works anywhere | 2024

[aita-blorbos]

AITA for trying to live life to its fullest?

I(???M) am a substitute history professor at a university. I am the interim replacement for my friend (???M) who was brutally murdered last year by one of his students (32M, let’s call him BB) and BB’s accomplices (???M, ???M, ???M). My friend and I were as thick as thieves. People even said we were like the same person with how similarly we look and act.

Anyway, I have had very weak senses for my entire life, especially touch, taste, and smell. I have tried to find a way to remedy this for a very long time, and nothing ever works. But things are starting to look up for me.

Near the beginning of my time at the university, I won an auction for something that I think can really help me get what I want. I spent a lot to get it, but I think it will be worth it in the end.

Now, here’s where I need to talk about BB. When I showed up to teach my first lesson, he looked like he’d seen a ghost. Again, my friend and I look very similar, and I don’t think he was prepared for that. Over the last few lessons I’ve taught, BB’s expressed his regret for killing my friend and has tried to convince me and his classmates that he was tricked by his accomplices. I do not believe him, but I need him to trust me for the next part of my plan to work.

I’ve been secretly bumping up BB’s grade. He’s never done particularly well in the class from what I’ve heard, so his new grades are coming as a shock to him and his classmates. I’ve also adopted my friend’s method of giving the student with the highest grade at the end of a lesson a little prize, although I’m giving out lotion instead of a little plastic trophy with jellybeans inside it. 

I want to get avenge my friend, and the only way for me to do that is if I kill BB. I can tell he’s suspicious of me, but I don’t care. I’ve put all the pieces into place, and I am nearly ready to enact my plan, especially since the item I got from the auction is supposed to arrive tomorrow. 

Tomorrow, BB will get the highest grade in class and be given his prize. It won’t be lotion this time, it will be a vape laced with ether. Once he hits it and passes out, I will wait until everyone is gone (and he is awake again) to kill him.

I am going to use his skin to heighten my senses. I will be able to feel, I will be able to smell, and I will finally be able to taste jellybeans. Once I’m done gluing his skin to myself, I will use the item I got from the auction to make everyone in the world into my little puppets. My friend often felt like a puppet in the grand scheme of things, and I want everyone to feel how he felt.

I feel like what I’m doing is justified, but I wanted to get the opinions of others.

So, AITA for trying to live life to its fullest?

[toomanywatchers]

Why I Love Travel Season’s Editing Style:

Okokok- I already made a post stating my love for Travel Season after my first initial watch-through of the first two episodes, but I have more to say. Last night, I could not stop rewatching these episodes. Possibly because I am just over the moon seeing Steven, Andrew, and Adam back in action in a show created 100% by them, and where they are allowed to make it their way- BUT there is another reason I could not stop watching it. All do in part of the editing style.

As a self-taught (and soon to be academically-taught) video editor, my favorite thing when watching digital media is seeing what techniques and styles creators use to convey an overall concept to their videos/shows. Some of the more detail-oriented editing I see in today's climate of internet content comes from Watcher's shows. For instance, Mystery Files with the corkboard graphics. Are You Scared of the hand-drawn art from illustrators Mollie Ong and Rafael Mejia. Dish Granted with the use of circle cutouts and white negative spaces. Weird Wonderful World with its cartoon sound effects and stylistic graphics/music to fit whatever atmosphere the boys are in. Puppet History with the motion graphics being put within the confines of the puppet theatre and just everything that goes into the post-production process of the lore events of that show. I could go on, but I might end up writing a whole novel in the process.

Plus, this is about Travel Season... so let's talk about Travel Season.

I was barely 5 minutes into the first episode when I realized just how different Travel Season stands out against anything Watcher has ever created. The overall vibes of the show are calm, peaceful, comforting, and relaxed. The whole show feels like I am watching an old family home video made in the 90s with a camcorder. This style of content that isn't constantly moving at a fast pace and in your face would not perform well in the YouTube algorithm, and I am glad that Watcher was able to launch their own platform to make shows like Travel Season because gosh, this is the kind of content I miss. Oversaturation and pleasing the algorithm can only go a long way as a creative, trust me.

Anywho- back to editing. I am going to point out just some of my favorite editing details that were showcased in the first two episodes of Travel Season. Starting off with probably my favorite scene from both episodes:

This small clip highlights many of my favorite details of the post-production of Travel Season. The first detail I brought up in my previous post involves The Brick aka the camera. The concept of The Brick ties in with what Meredith, Watcher's Development Coordinator, said in Pod Watcher episode #23 about physical hobbies. Something that we can create in a physical sense that does not belong to a digital realm ala the internet/social media. The idea of having a functional prop with The Brick can tie a whole show aesthetic together, but in this case, The Brick also aids in the post-production allowing the team to make smooth-flowing transitions. What I mean is sometimes, especially with a show like Travel Season where they cover many different locations/activities in one video, finding a perfect, easy-flowing transition can be difficult. Jump cuts can be useful in certain cases to hit a comedic mark or shock the viewer, but that is not the overall vibe of Travel Season. The pictures taken on The Brick from their work tripe an easily organized B-roll for harder transition points and simple things such as finding Seoul provide space for much-needed voiceovers for context.

Another editing point that is provided in this clip is the audio. Watcher has never missed the mark regarding audio choices and the addition of sound effects in their work. Sometimes people think that when editing, the editor finds a song that fits and slaps it on the timeline, but here showcases the idea of editing for the environment. What really stuck out to me is the jump cut to the location and using an effect like Lowpass on the audio to make the audience feel as though they are truly standing outside of this nightclub-esk restaurant. Then it jumps to the audio back to normal with Steven dancing as Andrew browses then back to Lowpass edit as they introduce this next location. It's just such a subtle touch that had me all giddy because small details as this audio editing elevate the scene to another level. Showing that Watcher was trying to make you feel like you are there with the boys on their travels. A true immersion effect that I just love.

Also to Adam and Annie who were both camera operators, your b-roll is absolutely superb and adds to the overall vibe of Travel Season.

The last point of editing I want to bring up as it's on the top of my head are these moments:

When they use a frame hold and then change the aspect ratio for a transition. I just find it such a charming technique in video editing. Plus I feel like this transition fits in with the whole "taking photos" approach because in a way the changing of the ratio on a frame hold is like taking a snapshot of that frame like a picture.

I just... I just love it, okay?

Honestly, I could go on and on about every little detail of this show and how they decided to overall produce it, but like I said- novel.

Watcher just puts so much love and care into all the shows they make. Even when it comes to the last process of video production which is editing the episodes together. I have not seen many channels put this much thought into the specificity of their videos like Watcher. This is why I gravitate towards them so much they care about the little things in the shows they create.

Moral of the story: I am in love with Travel Season and with Watcher as a whole.

thank you for listening to my ted talk aka my nerdy ramblings

[ell0ra-br3kk3r-writes]

The Phoenix and the Crow

part eight

pairing: (hinted) kaz brekker x fem!reader

genre: netural... maybe a tiny bit of angst?

el's thoughts: supriseee part eight!! i still can't believe i've written this much so far haha i love this part cause of y/n and zoya! i hope y'all like it too! please remember to leave comments and reblog :)

masterlist

A knocking on the thick wooden door of her room startled Y/N as she was splashing her face with water from the wash basin. “Yes?”

“Downstairs now. Your country needs saving.” Kaz’s voice was muffled through the door. Y/N’s eyebrows furrowed in curiosity, “I’ll be down shortly.” She finished getting ready and tied her hair up before leaving her room and walking downstairs. The moment she spotted Kaz and Nina sitting at a table with two others whose back was facing her, she froze. She’d recognize the back of that head anywhere.

“Zoya Nazalensky. Well, I’ll be damned.” The inferni could feel the dramatic eye roll she received in return as she walked to the table. “Old friend, how are you?”

“Y/N L/N. Thought you’d be six feet under by now.” Her tone held a biting sting to it, but the inferni knew her too well to take it seriously.

“Always a pleasure, Nazalensky.” She pursed her lips in faux disdain before breaking into a smile. 

Nina looked between the two etherealki with a wide smile, “Oh it’s like we’re in the Little Palace all over again. Isn’t this nice?” 

Kaz’s glare didn’t lighten up as he glanced at all three grisha women with the sharpest side eye Y/N had ever seen. She moved to stand behind the Heartrender and placed her hands on her shoulders. “So what’s this I hear about my country needing saving?” She shot a quick teasing glance to Kaz before directing her attention back to the topics at hand.

Zoya cleared her throat, “We need you lot to get us the Neshyenyer.”

Nina scoffed, “The Neshyenyer? Sankta Neyar’s blade?”

“So, you haven’t completely forgotten what you were taught at the Little Palace.” The Squaler leaned back in her chair with her arms folded in front of her. “Just your loyalty to Ravka.”

“Ravka? Or Kirigan?” Both older grisha stiffened at the name. “It didn’t take him destroying a city for me to question my loyalty.” 

Y/N pulled back at the sharp words that fell from Nina’s lips. She knew she should’ve run far before Alina came to the Little Palace, and she was ashamed to say how long it took for her to finally think over her loyalties. 

Jesper cleared his throat, “So, now that we all know that you two have history, what’s the payment for this job?”

The Shu man finally spoke, “Name your price. It matters that much.”

“Who are you?” The inferni questioned.

“Toyla Yul-Bataar. Member of Prince Nikolai’s personal guard.”

Nina opened the letter handwritten by the prince of Ravka himself. Everyone looked over her shoulder to read it. 

“Is that the Lantsov family crest?” Wylan asked.

“You know it is because it’s hideous.”

Y/N snorted but collected herself quickly.

“Prince Nikolai requests your services to retrieve and deliver the Neshyener to Alina Starkov in East Ravka.” Toyla said.

Nina looked up, “She’s returned?”

“As has the Darkling. With an indestructible army of shadow monsters.” Zoya stared directly at Y/N as she spoke. 

“I don’t like the sound of that.” Jesper took another sip of his drink.

Y/N shook her head in denial, “That can’t be. We saw him in the Fold. Zoya you were there, he-”

“We didn’t see his body. He’s back, Y/N and he’s stronger now. Or so he seems to be with these new puppets of his. That’s why Alina needs the blade to kill them. It’s the only thing that might work.”

Toyla spoke, “Retrieve the blade and the Prince will pay whatever you ask.”

“I like the sound of that.” Jesper downed the rest of his glass.

Zoya turned from the zemini to Kaz, “I assume the same goes for you?” He nodded, “I’d welcome the chance to help your prince spend his country’s money.”

“I don’t need kruge. I need to get someone out of Hellgate. The Lantsovs, they must be able to pull strings with the Kerch government.” Nina vocalized her thoughts.

“For a certain Fjerdan?” Zoya’s tone held a smugness to it. She smiled, “He must be quite the slab of fur.”

Toyla stepped in, “The offer is the offer. Prince Nikolai is a man of his word.”

“But we need to go now.” Zoya’s voice turned assertive. 

“It’s settled,” Kaz folded his arms, “We’re in.”

“And your Wraith?” The squaller asked, “I was expecting to see her.”

“She’s gone.”

“No, she’s not. Not yet. She’s-”

“Not an option.” Dirtyhands threw the sharpshooter a glare, ending the discussion then and there.

~

“The Neshyenyer at Ahmrat Jen is definitely a fake.” Kaz limped towards the group standing around the bar. Zoya rolled her eyes, “Which we told you. Perhaps now you tell us something we didn’t know?”

“According to my contacts, it’s been stolen by a thief known as The Disciple. He had a penchant for stealing Saint-related relics while on jobs.”

Y/N hummed, “A thief and a collector.”

“And retired.” Kaz made eye contact with her briefly. “But he has since put a few pieces of his collection on the black market.”

Toyla nodded, “So, to get to him, we go to his fence.”

“Ohval Saran. She has a tea shop in Bhez Ju. To speak to her, we’re going to have to order yellow chrysanthemum tea, off menu.”

Nina turned to the shu and repeated the type of tea in his mother tongue. “It pairs well with sesame rice cakes.” He told her. Nina smiled, “Let’s discuss.” She walked to him, “Tell me more.”

Kaz shoved passports into Wylan and Y/N’s hands before walking to Jesper and Inej.

Zoya placed a hand on Y/N’s arm, “You look ill, L/N. Don’t tell me you’ve been holding back on your practicing now.”

The latter sighed, “If only you’d’ve known what we’ve been up to. I haven’t had the chance to use my power lately. I didn’t think it was that noticeable.”

“It wouldn’t be to just anyone, but I’ve seen you at your strongest. No one else here could say the same now could they?”

The inferni smiled, “I’ve missed you.”

“It hasn’t even been a few weeks since you saw me last.” Zoya rolled her eyes fondly, “You’re just dramatic.”

“Only for you, my love.” Y/N threw a wink at her as she got up to go pack her things.

~

Shu Han was a colorful city, always bright and full of light. It was a stark difference from Ketterdam and Y/N was loving it. Walking the streets she could smell all the different street foods and incense floating through the air.

Toyla walked to an altar that had candles and burning sticks of incense. Inej, Zoya, and Y/N followed shortly, all wishing to pay their respects to their lost loved ones. Toyla said his prayers in shu and the girls just knelt before the altar.

“When the fold moved, your aunt…” Nina sat down beside the squaller. Zoya avoided her gaze and that was all Nina needed as an answer. “Zoya, I’m so sorry.”

The suli shook her head, “Who here hasn’t lost someone?”

Both Y/N and Zoya leaned forward to grab the burning sticks and held them to the flame, saying their prayers.

Kaz, Wylan, and Jesper stood at a distance watching the others perform their religious rituals in patience. That only lasted so long before Kaz walked to the four girls still kneeling. “You two, we have a teatime to make.” Nina and Inej quickly stood, following Kaz down the street.

Y/N’s eyes strayed to follow the all-black silhouette before it got lost in the crowd. 

“So, Brekker?” Zoya stood and dusted her skirt off, waiting for Y/N to rise as well. The inferni looked at her sharply, “I don’t know what you're talking about. I hardly know the man.” 

“You don’t have to know him to fancy him.” Zoya nudged the y/h/c-haired girl as they walked from stand to stand looking at all the foods and sweets. 

“I’ve been with these people for hardly a few weeks now, Zoya.”

“But he’s caught your eye, yes?” 

The lack of response caused the suli to snicker. “Well, once this war is over you’ll have plenty of time to get to know him.”

Y/N shook her head, “Who said I’d be going back to the Barrel? You brought it up yourself, loyalties. Ravka is my home. She’s my country, and I’ll serve her till my dying breath.”

“You’ve done beyond enough for Ravka and you know it. No one would blame you even now if you decided not to fight or come back home. You need to go and make a life for yourself. You above anyone deserves that.” Zoya rested her hand on her friend’s shoulder.

“I’m not the only one who deserves peace. I would blame myself for not helping my country. I don’t do anything to meet the expectations of others, you above all people should know that by now.” Y/N turned her head and saw Toyla waving them over to where he was seated. She smiled and nodded before turning back to Zoya. “I’ll think it over though. Making a life for myself, that is.”

The two grisha walked to the table Toyla sat at. “What are we watching?” Y/N followed his line of sight to see Jesper and Wylan talking at a firework stand. He chuckled, “Jesper attempt to get his man back.” Zoya rolled her eyes while Y/N hummed. 

“Toyla?” Wylan walked over calling for him, “Toyla could I get your help?”

The inferni stood on her tiptoes and looked over to Jesper mouthing ‘What happened?’ To which he just shrugged, his shoulders dropping in defeat.

The group got up to keep walking around, all looking at different stands and carts that piqued their interest. Someone shoved into her back, she turned around to tell them off but noticed the familiar black silhouette continue his way down the street, stumbling into people with every step. 

Y/N quickly followed after him, threw herself into his back to stop him in his path, and wrapped her arms under his, around his chest, pulling him into her. He thrashed in her arms as she moved him to a more secluded section of the crowded street. She released him quickly and backed away, giving him space. 

Kaz was breathless as he curled into the wall behind him. Y/N watched him carefully making sure he was alright and noticed his lack of gloves. He turned his head enough to look at her for a split second before he flinched farther away from her causing her to back up slightly and nod to herself. “I’ll be back.”

He barely heard her voice over the panic and buzzing in his mind. Flashbacks of his brother and the bloated, rubbery skin of the corpses plagued him as he tried his hardest to get control of his breathing again. His bare hands clutched the metal head of the cane, holding it tightly against his side as he slid further down the wall. His shoulders ached while the wall dug into his muscles painfully. His lungs burned from the uneven rapidness of his breath. He tried calming it by breathing in through his nose, keeping his mouth shut but that only caused his body to falter and panic more. He closed his eyes and twisted the cane between his hands feeling the metal and wood beneath his fingertips. 

He didn’t notice Y/N’s return till he finally opened his eyes and noticed that she placed his leather gloves beside him, making sure to keep her distance from him. Not sparing her a glance he picked up the gloves and held onto them for dear life, feeling as if he could finally take a proper breath. “Did Inej-”

“She followed Ohval Saran.” Y/N kept her voice low in order not to startle him again.

“And Nina?” His eyes started to clear and he was beginning to gather his senses.

“She’s fine. She’s with the others.”

He nodded and took a deep breath before looking over at the girl beside him. She looked paler than when he first met her, her fingers thinner. Overall she looked weaker. She’s a grisha. He couldn’t recall a time when she used her power since the bomb in the accounting office. He took a mental note to assign her some role so she could use and practice her power again. Despite her physically looking weaker, her eyes never let go of the same kindness that they held from when they first met. Her y/e/c-eyes sparkled with concern and care, but they didn’t smother him, making him want to push her away. No, instead he was drawn to it, and that terrified him. Never before had he felt so comfortable and relaxed in the presence of someone he didn’t know. Never before had he felt the need to constantly look over and make sure that person was alright or just simply to admire them from a distance. 

Kaz couldn’t exactly place a name to what he was feeling, but he had become a master at controlling his emotions and he will learn to rein this one in one way or another. 

~

“Ohval’s not just a fence. She’s The Disciple.” Kaz sat at the table in the center of the room with Wylan and Zoya. Nina lounged, fanning herself, on the couch with Y/N while Toyla stood next to them and Inej sat on a stool behind Zoya. Jesper closed the doors to the room for privacy.

“What… What tipped you off?” Wylan asked.

“Her tea cup. When she set it down, she did so without a sound.”

“And her heartbeat never fluctuated once. It held at one beat a second like a clock.” Nina sat up straight causing Y/N to lean closer and fix her skirt.

“So, she can control her heart rate and her emotions.” Toyla held out his bag of walnuts to the two grisha on the couch, each taking one. 

“Those are useful skills for a thief,” Wylan noted.

“Now’s the part where you tell us where the blade is.” Jesper spoke cooly as he leaned on the wall closer to Inej. 

“Ohval has it. Her signal to the waitress to spill tea on me told me as much.” He clutched his cane a bit tighter. “It’s as if I know you.” The zemmini smirked. Kaz ignored him and continued, “And if she’s not going to sell it to us, we’ll just have to take it. After Nina and I ordered the tea, I had Inej follow the tea shop employee who was sent to notify Ohval.”

“She lives just outside the city. When she stopped at the tea shop, she placed an order at the apothecary that she’ll be picking up tonight. I watched her home for a while and no one came or went except her.” Inej said while twirling her butterfly knife between her fingers.

“So, while she’s out of the house, Nina will tail her to make sure she stays out of the house. The rest of us will go in and grab the blade.” 

Once Kaz finished speaking Zoya scoffed, “You don’t seriously expect me to break into this woman’s house.”

“Uh, why do you think we’re here?” Jesper asked jeeringly. 

The squaller turned around in her seat to face him, “I’m a soldier, not a thief. Why else would I need you, criminals?” 

Y/N chuckled, “There’s much less of a difference there than you think.”

Zoya rolled her eyes and said, “I’ll go with Nina.” Making the heartrender choke on her snack and quickly clear her throat. “Are you sure you don’t need me?” She asked Kaz. “I mean, Zoya can tail Ohval.”

“Nina and Zoya will wait for Ohval at the apothecary. Follow her. If she starts heading home, buy us some time. Distract her.”

~*~

taglist:@rachelcarroll1819 @xcharlottemikaelsonx @khaleesihavilliard @simrah1012 @foulkryptonitepeanut @astridyoo15 @queenofshinigamis @peakyispunk @jahayla-parker @maliciousbrekker @brekkershadowsinger@winstonthecow22 @lee-says-things@bunneex@writingmysanity@sleepynightchild @madnessinwrighting @romanticvampire if there is a cross through your url.. i couldn't tag you, sorry!

[genderfluid-insomniac]

OH WAIWAIT I HAVE ONE! I HAVE ONE!

Patching up scaramouche after the fight pretty please 🙏🏻 like as much as I'm looking forward to fighting him I really wish we could take care of him afterwards :( I just wanna bandage him up and cuddle him even if he hates me for it

hi shizunxie, I wanna do the exact same and this is the most I can do besides shifting so I hope Kuni feels a lot better now than when he fell 😅

Patching up scaramouche after the fight I just wanna bandage him up and cuddle him even if he hates them for it

You didn’t even think before you took off running with the shouts of Paimon behind you as you sprinted towards the falling puppet and jumped to catch his body before it hit the floor, landing harshly on your back that was sure to bruise later but what mattered was that he was safe and physically unharmed from what you could tell and still intact. Cradling him close to you chest when the traveler and Nahida came closer to you, the archon stepped in between you both and held up her hands. “Traveler that’s enough, we have to get to Irminsul and Y/N I trust you can take care of him until we return.”

Both parties nodded and then in the blink of an eye they were gone, leaving you and the previous Fatui Harbinger along in the empty room. You tucked yourselves behind one of the arms of the mech incase anyone else came in (you had a feeling that Dottore wasn’t entirely gone despite him saying so) and leaned Scaramouche or Kunikuzushi against your shoulder so you could get a look at the tubes still connected to his back, doing your best to disconnect them entirely before ripping off some of your clothing and stuffing it into ball so whatever violet fluid was spilling out stayed inside him.

“You’re going to be okay. It’s going to be okay. I won’t leave you. Not even if you push me away.” Most of this was mostly being said to yourself but even if there was a small chance he’d hear it, you would take it. To your surprise tears cascaded down his cheeks and his eyes, briefly forcing his eyes open to speak. “You better mean that. It’d be pretty cruel if after all this time you left me.” Kuni’s eyes closed and you could hear the nearly silent whisper of love fall from his lips; the archon and duo came back from their travels soon enough.

Nahida sent the traveler away to make sure all their other friends were okay, turning to you and asking for help by carrying the former Balladeer to a spare room beside inside the Sanctuary of Surasthana. The dendro archon brought you inside her personal space and led you to a nice guest area, instructing you to leave him in your care before stopping herself and then turning to you. “You seem to have a close relationship with Kunikuzishi and he cares a great deal about you even if he doesn’t show the full extent. While looking into Irminsul, I saw both his past and your history together. You both remind me of the moon and sun, both fitting together yet opposites in many aspects.”

“Can you stay with him until he wakes up? I know it’s a big ask but I can watch over him whenever you leave and you can sleep in the same room if you wish or I have a separate room if you would like that better.” Further explaining how she was sure that he’d probably want you by his side when he woke up given his track record and getting betrayed. His hand was so cold in yours despite his lack of humanity as it always seemed to hold some warmth but you wouldn’t leave him, not when he needed you most. “Of course, Nahida. I was about to ask you if I could accompany him and I know how to treat him with first aid given he taught me.” Begrudgingly you would add but that seemed unnecessary. She nodded and told you to go collect your stuff before heading back here, letting you know to ask one of the guards to help you and show this specially marked leaf.

Luckily, Kunikuzushi always packed light being as he didn’t hold much dear to him except you of course so it didn’t take long before you were back in your shared room, bidding goodnight to the kind young god. The silence was overbearing given normally your lover would be ranting about his day and how “incompetent” his subordinates were but all you could do now was undress him of his accessories before getting under the covers with him. Your new day by day activities became routine and you grew a habit of talking to him about how your day went, sometimes complaining about how the traveler was insistent about you not trusting him and to escape while he was in a coma.

You always told him you loved him and how you missed him more than you thought you would, often kissing his forehead while you rewrapped his bandages and sleeping with your arms wrapped around his small waist. This went on for a couple more days, coming back from the marketplace with a sandwich after leaving a note on the table that you’d be back in case he was briefly awake and opening the door to see Kuni upright peacefully watching wildlife on the branches through the window. He faced you when he heard the door opening and let out a yelp as you basically tackled him against the mattress, realizing it was you and returning the hug (he did double check that the door was closed).

“You’re back! You’re back! You’re back! I missed you!” You spewed out a bunch of happy sentiments that got some laughter back from him and peppered kisses all over his face, leaning back up to cup his face and allowing him to lay against the pillow. “When did you-” “A few minutes ago but I heard every word. Every sentence you spoke while I was out. You’re the one good thing to happen to me after centuries of getting betrayed and abandoned. I don’t deserve you.” Frowning when he felt tears slipping past his eyes and rubbing his eyes to quickly disperse them, his heart you gave him cracking when he you crying as well and had you straddle his lap whilst hugging you tightly. “Thank you for loving me. I love you.”

[fipindustries]

Leí en una pregunta que aprendiste a animar de forma autodidacta. Yo quiero aprender también y quiero saber cómo fue tu experiencia. ¿Que libros recomiendas? ¿Que herramientas usadas cuando aprendías?

im going to respond in english because this might help others too. also i should let you know, i can only give you tips for doing hand drawn, frame by frame, 2d animation. i really dont have the faintest clue how to do puppet rigging, interpolation, or 3d modelling at all. that is just not the branch of the skill tree i chose to specialize in.

my history

i started animating when i was 6 by reading a children's magazine that promised me to teach me how to do cartoons "like the ones you see on tv". it taught me how to make small animations with just power point and ms paint. (it also taught me to never ever trust something that sounds too good to be true and is sold to everyone for cheap).

much much later, when i was around 15, after i got a proper tablet to draw digitally, i figured how to use photoshop to animate mainly by fucking around with the program and checking some tutorials on the internet.

then when i was 19 i actually bought a simple book called "the animator's handbook" by tony white, where i was able to learn the basics of ease in and out, curves, overlapping animation, follow through, anticipation, line of action, etc. that is when i started properly learning how to animate the correct way.

i tried to learn how to animate on flash by following the video tutorial series by harry partridge, and that gave me a few basic pointers but at the time i had a really really really shitty genius tablet that kept breaking all the fucking time and also the drawing tools in flash were extremely limited and i didnt like how it vectorized your lines, making it so that you never had full control of how the final drawing was going to look, so i ditchad that rather quickly.

for the longest time i kept using photoshop to animate, it wasnt until i was 26 that i moved on to clip studio paint, got a simple wacom intuos and started using "the animator's survival kit" by richard williams as a guide.

begginer's advice

before we get deeply into it i would suggest you get some passing skill at drawing. many people say that you dont need to be a good artist to be an animator and while its true that you dont have to be the greatest artist that ever lived or have a super developed style or anything, having some basic training will be a powerful multiplier to your animation skills. although in fact you dont need to be that great an illustrator, what you really want to be is a draftsman. that is to say someone with the pulse, the muscle memory and the eye to replicate a drawing, do straight lines and clean curves. esentially is more important that you can do the exact same drawing a thousand times and rotate it and move it around the page keeping proportions than you need to draw beautifully. also you NEED to know anatomy. in order to be good at depicting the human body moving you have to have a good understanding of how the body is put together in the first place.

so yeah, get the animator's survival guide by richard williams, that is step one. im not being any kind of radical by suggesting that, is like recomending the human figure for all its worth by andrew loomis. you gt that book and its going to explain to you all of the most basic rules, mechanisms and techniques to get to animating. there is going to be a lot of outdated advice there about animating on paper with the old tools of the trade on an animation studio. a lot of it is superfluous now with digital tools tbh, but the fundamentals of actually creating sequential images are still rock solid.

i would also recomend walt disney's "the illusion of life" which is centered more on the overall general rules for good appealing animated character without getting too bogged down into the actual intricacies of animation.

and as always, you have the entire accumulated knowledge of generations upon generations of humans called "the internet". there are a million guides and tutorials online that are eager to teach you all the good fndamentals and techniques you need to get started, dont be afraid to consult time and tme again for any doubt, i still do that myself!

now as for the tools.

you want a tablet, any basic nice tablet will do. you dont need the latest cintq or whatever in order to do this, im doing well enough with my little black intuos. you could also do it on an ipad or you could even do it on your phone.

then for software, there are a million options, opentoons, toonboom, procreate, flash, etc. again, i use clip studio paint. its basic but its powerful, it has really good illustrating capacity and its a good introductory tool. each software has its own use peculiarities but once again there are a thousand tutorials online explaining each one.

i have all this, now what?

start small. the books i suggested will throw a million bouncing balls and sacs of flour and rotating cubes and people walking and you should do all of those, for sure. but also you are doing this because here are things you want to express! you want to draw the fun shit! the anime girls and the sexy furries!

start with a single character you like turning their head. that is a good begginers exercise. or maybe try a simple idle animation for a videogame sprite, just someone bouncing in place. after that you can start tackling more ambitious stuff

jesus there is so much more i could explain right now, how to plan for a project, how to manage your workspace, how to set up a pipeline, going from script to thumbnails to storyboard to keying to inbetweening to editing and etc. camera framing, composition, timing, writing and so much more! but i think this is a good place to stop at

dont hesitate to come back to me if you have any more questions

[shroudkeeper]

My dreams are filled with the faces of those who are not long for this world. It is a haze, a dark sea made of bodies, most are unrecognizable to me, people that I have never come across; I perhaps never would if not for the duty passed unto me. When I awaken, the images are embedded into my memory, and in darkness, I seek to set them free. Each one has a name, a life they have lived, and in some cases, barely had an opportunity to exist beyond their youth.

One would assume I would be accustomed to it, to watch life diminish before my eyes, but it never gets easy; as I stare at your face now, I am haunted by the twisted vision of your end, while being wide awake.

❝A gorgeous blade, but that steel has not tasted blood since it has fallen into your hands,❞ Shigure's smile was that of a shark, far too toothy and wide, full of hunger.

Mortals were monsters that I could not willingly fight and kill.. and he knew it.

His eyes darted quickly to the katana held, watching for a tremble, any indication that my resolve had been weakened.

❝But mine has, and it has fought against Hayate, so you know that drawing it against me is pointless, I know every move your dear master has taught you, every deflection, every single attack.❞

Behind his words, stone met with steel with his languid approach. But the blade itself seemed to be wailing under the scraping sound in a pitch no one could hear unless they were sensitive to the otherworldly.

For the first time, I felt hesitation. His silhouette did not match the outline of his tall frame. That is why I did not recognize his gaze, it was a stranger that looked at me now, and behind his eyes, something called out to me.

He was no longer just a man. Something brewed within, corrupting from the inside, dismantling what made him mortal.

He read my expression, the wordless inquiry I wore, and from his lips bubbled out a malignant chuckle, one that struck a chord of caution within me. To execute him outright, would take more than Amanokaze.

❝Each one of those souls, paid to be broken reflections of you. I had them paint their face, wear your perfume, and even found similar pins the old man gave you to complete the look. But none of them could amount to who you were, what you are.

I could not taste the same darkness in them. In the end they were all the same, useless puppets, puppets whose strings I had to cut for their lack of perfection. But they have found a new purpose, sacrifices I offer in worship.❞ He glanced down at the blade, my assumptions were correct, but he continued, forcing my eyes back to his own with a wave of his hand directing me to pay attention before he continued.

❝Then I realized something.. I was still just a man, a man chasing after a monster, to catch one, I must become one.❞

There it was, I suddenly felt my grip loosen and something inside me twisted into sickening knots. He chose this, to give himself to a spirit, to let it infest him, and soon devour anything that made him who he was. The madness that drove him will lead him straight to his grave, he just did not know that dawn would not come to greet him after tonight.

❝The floating world could never compare to the pleasures you will unleash unto this world. No more hiding your nature, no more having your wings clipped and forced to live behind your father's crafted cage. A flower trapped in a vase, nothing but an ornament made to admire. Let me liberate you from that prison; together we may be free to be our true selves. Clans will recognize our strength, our power, and bend to us.❞

But he would not stop there I feared, the Shigure of the past was my teacher of history, he instructed me on the battles and bloodshed that happened between the clans seeking power. He was educated in the histories of their rise and fall. These lessons enriched my knowledge of a land still new to me, I am ever thankful for his patience; I thought nothing of it, only that he simply enjoyed learning about the foundations of our society.

Not use it as his handbook to further an agenda, one I never wished part of.

I could only fathom what delusions he had about me.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sight of his shadow slithering behind his heels, with each pendulum swing of the lanterns hanging above us, much like too much ink spilled upon rice paper. There is no remorse that I could sense, only hunger was a constant found in his steady gaze; his lips were primed, his blade unwavering and deafening with each step he took closer, making the gap between us smaller. ❝I have loved you and been denied every dark part of you, time and time again. So I fixed it, your pathetic ijin may have not found a treasure to bring to your father's feet, but I certainly found something, and it has brought me every delight possible, except for you.

I deserve you now more than before..and I won't denied anymore, little bird. ❞

[eurovision-revisited]

Eurovision 2006: The Interval Act and Other Performances

From the outset, ERT is putting Greek history and culture at the forefront of its musical offering at Eurovision. It kicks off with perhaps one of the greatest opening musical montages in Eurovision history. A host of camp versions of mythological Greek figures act out Eurovision songs from the past including Nel blu dipinto di blu and Save Your Kisses for Me. There's nothing quite like witnessing Prometheus taking fire from the gods while miming along to A-Ba-Ni-Bi to tell you that Eurovision has arrived.

Our two hosts join in with the final rendition of Love Shine a Light as the pantheon is raised high above the stage. Straight from the overture and into the main body of the night seamlessly.

The small breaks in the running order to let the stage crew have a small breather are simple cutaways to the green room (semi-final) and time lapsed montage footage of the behind the scenes preparations - something that is almost a tradition at this point.

The interval for the semi-final is the traditional local dance culture, ranging from swirly-skirted women rotating, to the more linear Greek line dancing. Pan makes an appearance with a flute in what looks like the middle of a labyrinth - although that's myth-mixing, so I'm not sure I'm correct.

The final also opens with a bang. There's a sun full of Icaruses that slowly approaches the stage like a meteorite threatening the Earth in a 1950s B-movie. I'm not sure what health and safety assessments were required to strap at least twelve gold painted men to a massive globe suspended from the ceiling then winch it hither and thither through the air, but I hope their skimpy gold trunks were unsoiled. It looks terrifying.

While this is occurring, Foteini Darra is singing a piece composed especially for the opening of the final - The Mermaid Song - which has some of the most forced lyrics I've heard. There's a ballet going on around her to represent the sea and the wind. For a finale, resplendent in a white suit, Sakis enters on wires descending from the roof in a John Travolta pose. Maria enters similarly on wires, but she has a whole lot more trepidation and less élan floating around above the massive audience. You can sense her relief when she reaches the stage and her harness is removed by the ballet dancers.

This is followed by our first dose of Helena Paparizou for the evening, opening with a reprise of last year's winning song My Number One. She's back as the voting is taking place to perform her big Greek hit Mambo! The voting sequence itself is launched by former Luxembourg Eurovision representative Nana Mouskouri, born on Crete and one of Greece's most famous contemporary figures.

The main interval is another ballet/dance sequence commissioned by ERT for the evening. This one is 4000 Years of Greek Song which takes in everything from chants from Oracles, through a sequence that seems to imply that Greece taught birds to sing. The are larger than life puppets, and a section that's approaching but isn't quite Zorba the Greek.

The highlight is that opening mix of Eurovision's past. It's possibly the first show-opening medley of songs that I can remember and definitely one designed to highlight the stage and get you in the mood both for Eurovision itself as well as a night of siting in an amphitheatre watching Greek culture.

[zennesamuel]

Puppet Theatre Around the World, a Pleasant Surprise

There are so very many different types of puppet theatre around the world! Here, I will create a sort of "tasting menu" of differing experiences that we have examined. I'd first like to venture to Brazil for Mamulengo: The Theater of Laughter. Local Brazilian puppet shows like these exist primarily in the state of Pernambuco, combining witty and humor with music, storytelling, and heavy political satire. These puppets are typically handmade from wood or cloth and depict a wide range of stock characters. (I see some Comedia del Arte here, folks!) Short sketches draw from popular culture, folklore, oral traditions. The performances are lively and scathingly critical of the government, power dynamics, and the struggles of the working class; they also carry influences from a variety of cultures through their colonial history. Next, let's take a trip to the continent of Asia. Now, there is a wide variety of categories of puppetry in Asia, but one that I found particularly intriguing were shadow puppets. When I think of shadow puppets, I think of the ones that we were taught to make with our hands as children. The puppets from Asia that I am referring to are flat and transparent. They are crafted from leather or paper, and are rather ubiquitous across several Asian countries (India, Thailand, China, etc.) Seeing shadow puppetry as a performance and cultural display rather than a simple children's game opened my eyes. It shows me that the simplest of elements can create an elaborate story. Finally, Russia and Czechoslovakia. Specifically, Russian and Czech folk theatre and puppetry. Morality plays in figurines. These performances prioritize adaptations of stories of old. Greek tragedies like Elektra, or Shakespeare. There are also puppetry performances that discuss serious social justice issues such as medical propaganda and political strife. I had no idea that puppetry could hold space for such elaborate plotlines and can provide such insight into the darker corners of the world around us.