#i have examples of all of these from both shows but i have refrained out of compassion toward you

[fictionadventurer]

I am developing some theories as to what qualities make for good and bad children's educational television. (At least when it comes to shows that try to weave the educational material into the story.)

Good children's television is timeless. Technology or current events can be part of the story, but should not be the focus of it. The technology should be there to facilitate a story that's actually about a timeless lesson that can apply to children in any time period.

Bad children's television is timely or trendy. It makes learning about the new technology or trends the focus of the story. This makes for clunky storytelling that applies only to a narrow set of circumstances and becomes very quickly dated.

Good children's television puts story first. The story needs to come from character and be entertaining, and the educational content should flow naturally from that story.

Bad children's television thinks the educational material is the story. It preaches the information to the children so that it becomes adults giving information to children rather than adults engaging with children on their level.

Good children's television lets the child characters learn lessons for themselves. Adults can provide inspiration or help, but the children should take initiative for their own discoveries and come to conclusions based on their experiences.

Bad children's television has the adults tell the children all the lessons and information they should learn. The children are only there as stand-ins for an audience that the writer wants to preach this information to and passively absorb the lessons rather than taking an active role in their own story.

#yes this is about arthur and curious george #i have examples of all of these from both shows but i have refrained out of compassion toward you #joe fallon's involvement explains the excellent early seasons of both #i could tell there'd been a regime change later on in curious george #and when i saw peter hirsch credited as head writer after an inferior episode everything made sense #unfair that he should get to ruin two good shows #(to be fair some of the most painful later curious george eps were ones that i didn't see his name involved with) #(i did see sherri stoner as story editor which was painful) #(slappy squirrel i thought you were better than this) #but whoever's involved the principles are true and seeing the same thing happen in both shows makes it very obvious #arthur #curious george

[diedicontroversial]

[discourse] in defiance of the author’s wishes (re: mxtx fandom)

table of contents : context  : moral arguments : addressing the legal side of things  : closing remarks

Context

on March 17, 2018, mxtx posted:

“As long as you don't split or reverse the top/bottom positions of the main couple, I won't mind what you ship. I myself have a lot of fun shipping couples in mainstream shows, and isn't reading all about finding joy? You can imagine freely or ship whoever you like, just don't break up or reverse the top/bottom positions of the main couple.”

(I realise that the 不拆不逆 “no splitting or reversing” rule might be implicit within the entire Chinese danmei fandom, so i do not wish to single mxtx out. for example, i know that Chinese 2ha fans also go around policing people who ship, say, chu wanning with shi mei — so this isn’t just a mxtx thing. although i do not know if other danmei authors have explicitly stated “no splitting or reversing” since i have not been a part of other danmei fandoms.)

Nevertheless, “no splitting or reversing” became the constitution in Chinese mxtx fandom. Fans parade around with the slogan “拆逆死“ which means “kill yourself if you split or reverse”. Since the pronunciation of 拆逆死 (chai-ni-si) sounds like “chinese”, some fans on the Chinese internet have been putting “chinese” in their bios to mean “kill yourself if you split or reverse”.

From now on I will be referring to split/reverse ships as cult ships, as Chinese fans like to call them.

There are two main consequences of the “no splitting or reversing” rule (on the Chinese internet):

You will receive permanent bans with no option for appeal if you post cult ship fanworks in the novel communities on Weibo

It is implicitly agreed upon that you are not allowed to use individual character tags, the novel tag, or the author tag when posting cult ship content on any platform. So, for example, if you write Wei Wuxian x Jiang Cheng, you are not allowed to use #weiwuxian #jiangcheng #mdzs #mxtx. The name given to this conduct of tagging only your cult ship is 圈地自萌, which means “enclose a piece of land and amuse oneself within it”. You are not allowed to step out of your land. 

However, not everyone agrees with the practice of “don’t step out of your land” — this includes people from both sides of the debate. Some official shippers believe that cult shippers should not have any land to begin with, and purposefully leave the cult ship tag unblocked so they can police cult shippers at every opportunity. Some cult shippers believe that because their ship involves the individual characters, originate from the novel written by the author, they are in the right to use the individual character tags, the novel tag, and the author tag, and that people who dislike their ship should just use the block function. 

-

Moral Arguments

There are two main types of moral arguments that Chinese official shippers make.

1. If you split the official ship, you condone cheating behaviour and that makes you a bad person.

The first argument is too trivial so I will leave the refutation as an exercise for the reader to do at home /j

2. You are not respecting the author's wishes and that makes you a bad person.

The author has wished many different things. For example:

Screenshot 1 translation: I strictly forbid any crowdfunding or fundraising related to me, my works, or my characters, regardless of the purpose, whether it be for celebration, group buying, rankings, charity, or any other named activities.

Screenshot 2 translation: Once again, I emphasize: No new social media pages related to my works are allowed, nor organizing readers in a roundabout way, whether it be for celebrations, group buying, rankings, charity, or any other named activities. Please also refrain from flamboyantly organizing any collective birthday events.

Screenshot 3 translation: I've repeated many things many times and do not wish to repeat myself. Could everyone please just listen to my words occasionally.

(A brief aside before I address the second argument, something I used to say when debating Chinese fans: “I don’t think people who violate the author's wishes mean any disrespect. I don’t think they’re shipping or hosting charity events or birthday parties out of spite, but rather, it just so happens that the author prohibits a ship they enjoy or an event they organise. Just because I cult ship, for example, doesn’t mean I hate the author.” And they would respond: “if you really liked the author, you wouldn’t go against her wishes. You do not deserve to like the author. You are a mxtx anti.” And I would say, “I like my mom a lot, but I won’t listen to everything she says, simply because I don’t think everything she says is right. Plus, I don’t think the world can simply be explained by like vs. dislike. Also, Xie Lian said this: [For instance, if you admire or like someone, you won't always treat them well, no matter what happens.]” But then the most hilarious thing happened, in the revised version, a rebuttal for that scene was added:

【”For instance, if you admire or like someone, it doesn't mean you will always treat them well, regardless of what happens."

"Why not?" San Lang questioned. "If that's not possible, it only shows that this so-called 'liking' isn't anything significant."

Xie Lian shifted the conversation, asking, "Then... does it mean that aside from liking someone, the only other option is to dislike them? Are these the only two attitudes one can choose from?"

San Lang chuckled and retorted, "Why not? Right is right, wrong is wrong. To love is to love, to hate is to hate. Why can't things be clear and straightforward?”】

… ah.)

To address the second argument for real, i believe that producers retain no moral authority over the methods by which consumers engage with their products. for instance, i believe that choosing not to follow the official “twist, lick, and dunk” method when eating oreos does not constitute disrespect towards the oreo brand. Or to use another analogy, suppose a farmer selling apples insist that you peel the apples before eating them. I believe that it does not make you a bad person if you choose to eat the apples unpeeled, despite the farmer being the one who watered and harvested the apples from their trees.

I am thinking of potential counterarguments, and the strongest one I came up with is: “but products like oreos and apples are fundamentally different from intellectual property.” And I think the main issue here is that, to employ economics terminology, the content of novels like tgcf is a non-rivalrous good (not the novels themselves but the abstract content), which means that my consumption of it does not reduce availability to others. In other words, unlike Oreos or apples wherein after I purchase them, the specific items I bought are no longer physically in the hands of the vendor; after encountering characters like Shen Qingqiu, Shen Qingqiu still exists abstractly in MXTX’s head. This gives the illusion of ownership on the author’s part. I want to be very careful here because I think it’s easy to equivocate between different uses of the word “ownership”. I am not arguing that the author fails to retain ownership in negation of all the blood, sweat, and tears that went into the creative process, i.e. their copyright. Instead, I am contending that, just as I paid for my Oreos and apples, upon my purchasing of the Seven Seas version, the paperback Chinese version, and the revised uncensored version of TGCF on JJWXC, the author does not own the ways by which I choose to engage with these fictional entities. Once a work is made public, its ontology becomes independent of the author’s intent, and in all its readers’ heads exist distinct versions of the characters, in effect making them belong to all of us.

(There. As a bonus I have also resolved the issue of not being “chinese” enough. Ah, is this a bad place to make a communism joke?)

Addressing the legal side of things

In 2022 I wrote to the legal team at AO3, and here is their response:

Regarding the “moral rights”, that’s actually a thing. Upon receiving lots of spam from 12-yr-old readers that “you are breaking the law”, I did a quick Baidu search (China’s Google) concerning the legality of splitting/reversing ships. Surprisingly, the search results yield “yes, it’s illegal”, and hence the 12-yr-olds' confidence. But that is akin to getting a cancer diagnosis from searching symptoms on Google. So I dug deeper. 

After reading tens of published papers and court cases, here are the key takeaways of what I found:

Given that intellectual property rights are a bit behind in China, they have largely based their laws on US copyright law. As organizations like OTW continue to fight for the rights of transformative works in the US, China probably will just follow suit.

The semantics of “distort, mutilate, or otherwise harm the integrity of their works in a way that harms the author’s reputation” is very vague and debatable. There are at least three ways to interpret it (I think one of the papers I read offered four). The first is that they only have to prove that you distorted the integrity of the work. The second is that you satisfy the condition of harming the author’s reputation. The third is that you satisfy both conditions (integrity of work and author’s reputation). It depends on the court. 

None of the court cases pertained to unserious, just-for-fun fan works. Usually what happens is someone makes a film out canon, for example, and sell it for profit, or someone publishes their own novel which contains characters from another published work. 

And that is for China only^ if you live outside of China, you are under another country's jurisdiction.

-

Closing remarks

I am addressing this issue because it has impacted me and my friends in many ways. "kill yourself if you split/reverse the official ship" is probably the least of our concerns, mainly because it is such a popular phrase that we've become desensitized to it. @/Eleven receives private messages on Lofter on a weekly basis of people wishing her entire family to get murdered. A hualian main friend of mine has been posted to Weibo for following me; and I had to pull a Shi Qingxuan with "hey let's not be friends anymore if being associated with me is gonna get you cancelled".

mxtx has been through a lot and i understand where she's coming from. and maybe, the people who identify as "kill yourself if you split/reverse the official ship" don't truly mean it -- maybe they're just expressing their love for the official ship.

Recently i've been seeing the sentiments I used to only witness in Chinese fandom surface on Twitter and sometimes I worry that western mxtx fandom is going to turn into Chinese mxtx fandom, with the in-group/out-group mentality -- you're either with us or against us. At the end of the day, I do like mxtx, I admire her tenacity and I think she's a brilliant author, I love her works and the characters in them. I simply do not want to be backed into the corner of "anti" due to not following every order she gives.

祝墨香和她的粉丝们平安。

#mxtx #tgcf #heaven official's blessing #mdzs #grandmaster of demonic cultivation #svsss #scum villian self saving system #scum villain #discourse

[jolynesmom]

aging yourself up or down in your dr (+ dating)

I actually refrained from talking on this topic on my tiktok since I knew I was going to get chased off the app and didn’t see a point in talking about it on tumblr since everybody here seems to be more open minded and mind their own business, until I saw multiple posts a few days ago here, where the op were shaming people for changing their age or changing the ages of people in their dr

those people definitely came from tiktok and I honestly hope this post reaches them as I didn’t want to directly interact with them

I think one of the posts was about how adults age ‘minors’ in their dr to date them is problematic, which made me laugh, because how is it problematic if they’re both the same age in their dr?

and the sad thing about that post is that the op said that they’re aware how shifting works and all that, but still finds it problematic and hopes people that do that never shift which is just… girly I hope YOU never shift because you don’t deserve it for shaming people trying to live their lives

I’m not going to go into details about the og posts, but they still have the outdated idea that if you shift for a character that is much younger than you here it’s ‘problematic’. once again: how is it problematic if you’re the same age in your dr?

and then they hit you with another outdated take ‘it’s problematic because you find them attractive here’ which is ridiculous because of so many reasons

1.many characters (especially anime characters) don’t act or look their age. if your perceived a character as an adult initially then found out they’re a minor, I simply don’t care. ages in fiction never matter, if your mind perceived x as a certain age then they’re that age idc; 99.99% people are attracted to a character for who they are, not their age

2.many people had crushes on characters when they were younger or the same age with that character and still like them. let’s boo them that their crush on the character didn’t die and their fav character didn’t age, acting like you’re not going to be in their place in a few years

‘not true I’ll stop liking my favorite character when I’m of age 😡’

okay sweetie keep telling yourself that, because I keep seeing people on tiktok that had this mentality: they liked an underage character when they were minors and wanted to shift for them, now they’re adults, haven’t shifted yet but STILL like that character and regret having said they’re gonna stop liking that character when they’re adults because it didn’t happen lol

3.people don’t always script that an underage person here will be their s/o, it just might happen. I’m actually going to use myself as an example for this: so here I’m an adult and I’m also aroace which I dislike because I always dreamed of a fantasy novel like romantic relationship, so I’m straight or bi in most of my drs so I can date. in my jujutsu kaisen dr, all the people in jujutsu tech are adults because I don’t like teens or kids and don’t wanna hangout with them. in my 30+ drs I only have 3 scripted s/os which are all adults here. I didn’t script an s/o for my jjk dr, because I want to focus more on friendships and training there (but secretly hoped choso would pick me, a girl can dream ok); a few weeks ago I channeled multiple people from my dr (yuuji, megumi, nobara, gojo, nanami and geto) and I received normal messages from all of them. I expected all of their answers, except yuuji’s answers which had romantic aspects to them. that made me realize that he might have a crush on me and maybe we’ll even date in my dr or something? who knows, I didn’t think too much about it so idk

so now if a character that’s underage here likes me in my dr, am I supposed to refuse them or shift out? lmao you’re delusional if you think I’m doing that

4.people that have never experienced adolescence love here. a lot of people dreamed of having that sweet experience of teenage romance that disney and an insane amount of shows and movies love to push, but instead their teen years were filled with abuse and hate. why shouldn’t they shift to experience what was taken from them here?

ALSO let’s switch this around: why is okay for minors to date adults in their dr, but not the other way around?

‘it’s not as bad 🤓☝🏻’

imma be the devil’s advocate and say it’s just as bad

do you genuinely think it’s okay to be a minor here and date an adult in your dr? like do you really think your s/o would feel comfortable being sexualized by a minor and dating a person that’s a minor in another reality? you lowkey forced your partner to become a pedo if you think about it 🙁 /jk

and also if you shift to a reality where you’re a minor and become of age there, you’re officially an adult and shouldn’t date minors anymore, even in your ‘original reality’ where you’re still a minor. please keep the same standards for yourself

#reality shifting #shifting #desired reality #dr #shifting rant #shifting discourse #anime shifting #shiftblr

[nyctophiliq]

FREE PALESTINE, FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA !

i have refrained from making this post, both for the reason of not wanting to be ridiculed as a "know it all" and because i thought people in this day and age, where we have the internet to do almost the impossible would conclude to themselves that helping is now not an impossible thing.

but here we are.

i feel like a lot of you out there, who might not have a following, or has a big following but doesn’t post has completely ignore the important aspects of the internet that they claim to be using.

i sense that none of you above want to acknowledge that there is a world outside of your tumblr, because why would you? the sole purpose of you coming here was to get away from the real life around you, to have something to ground yourself with instead of having to face the dark, gruesome troubles that you are having but all i see is hiding, not dealing. now that that real life is with you on your dashboard, talking about people dying of bombs, slaughter, hunger, and dehydration is taking away the sense of escape that you came here to seek. and by no means i am defending you, silent creatures, i am dragging you by the collar of your shirt through the mud for your inhumane actions.

it shows how some of you cherish life, wanting it to be as perfect as possible- going to therapists to deal with your trauma, going to the store to not starve, enjoying the police and military of a secure country that has fallen into your hand by the right of your birth. you say you are depressed and not well, voice your concerns about how some people neglect to even think about your mental health because the person dismissing your problems could be only a horrible person in turn.

how does it not hurt to see other people in pain, being hurt on purpose and not thing that “i should maybe do something, i wouldn’t wanna be in the place they are, wouldn’t wanna be going through what they are”. to see you holler about your right to a better life, a good mental health is outragious. you believe in your right to have that why can’t you believe that other people deserve it too?

how can you go a day without talking about, or at least acknowledging in your own words that what you have gone through- all that trauma, that abuse, being cut up, and spit at- can’t be as bad or twice as bad for other people? of course we can talk about our problems, we can say that we are struggling but we have to at least have the decency to say that we are not the only ones.

telling yourself that someone else is in bigger trouble than you won’t help you, ignoring your pain for somebody else’s doesn’t make yours go away but it can make you realize that somehow there has to be a way through it- going to a therapist to work on your issues for example. a lot of you don’t understand that the life you have, the life you love and cherish despite how horrible it might have been before others want to have it too? the relief of being able to say “shit happened, but i got through it”, to see the light at the end of the tunnel, to have a family, friends, siblings, and people around them, to have their own religion, background, city of birth that brings them closer as a community, to have somewhere to belong.

our world has been so easy, we don’t have to go to war to help, we don’t have to spend money to help- we only need our voice, that simple click, and the reblog to let others out there know that this is not okay and that people are fighting for them, to have them hope for another day, to have them endure for a brighter future.

in this day and age we have become so pleasantly blissed by the “bystander affect”, letting everything slip by because “hells, it’s easier to be like this than actually do something”. it shows how many of you are fighting, how many of you accepted defeat, how many of you still have hope.

and i mean all offense.

FREE PALESTINE, FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA !

#🍃 — moss rambles !

[hazbin-a-helluvamagines]

Hello ! I have a request for you so I hope you can do it ! 🩷 (no rush obviously, take your time ☺️💓)

I wanted to request for Verosika mayday and (she's my favorite gal) with a cute idol reader (they're in a relationship)

example for idol reader: (basically They're cute as hell)

Can be any gender you want

Verosika Mayday With A Cute Idol S/O

Now, I'll start this off with the obvious: before you start dating, she sees you as competition. I mean, how dare you come onto her turf and steal her fans?!

However, it doesn't take long for her to meet you with intent of threatening you away, only for her to begin swooning over you soon after.

You're just?? So sweet??? Like??

She's enamored with you, but she thinks it's suspicious. Soon after, though, she learns that it's not an act, that you really ARE that sweet and that cute.

It isn't long until you two start dating, and she makes it VERY clear to her posse that you're off-limits because you're HER sweet little S/O.

She'll also actually refrain from fucking people, either on earth or in hell, as long as she has you. She adores you beyond belief, viewing you as just too sweet to do that to.

Now, she's got that pop star money. So anytime she sees anything that even SLIGHTLY reminds her of you, congratulations, you've got twelve.

You two would bond over music, definitely. No matter what kind of music you sing (I assume pop based on the term 'idol'), and she'll even suggest karaoke dates for the both of you.

Plus, she'll integrate herself into your professional life, too, with collabs! Interchanging, switching vocals, with one of you singing your part of the main chorus and the other doing the backing vocals, and vice versa.

Another thing: she'll have you help with writing songs and everything! It's nice dating another musician, because you both know how to support each other endlessly.

If you're a succubus and you're interested in seducing humans together, perfect, she'll do that with you! But if not, that's okay, she only needs you.

Because you're so sweet and cute, though, it'd be a long time before she opened up about her psst relationship with Blitzø and how he broke her heart.

That said, she'll write a diss track about him with lines along the lines of "fuck you, got my new boo". She's petty, even if you aren't, and unless you say you're uncomfortable, she isn't gonna stop putting you in her pettiness anytime soon.

She'll help you with outfit coordination and ask for the same in turn, figuring that if you're both coordinated, it's a sly way to show everyone that you're hers.

PDA is a must, but it'll be lower than if you weren't an idol, because she doesn't want to risk you being made upset if it's in the tabloids. Anything that can be construed as 'friendly', she'll do in public. The kissing and stuff is saved for later. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

That said, if anyone ever flirts with you in public, she has no shame in making out with you or grabbing your ass right there in public, just to show that person that you're hers and only hers.

And likewise, if anyone ever flirts with her, she'll grab your hand and offer a cruel smirk while she turns them down.

"Yeeeeeah, no. I already have a fucking amazing S/O, who's most definitely better in bed than a lame fuckstain like you ever would be."

She'll try harder to get through rehab entirely for you. She wants to see that sweet, adorable smile on your face when she tells you that she's done with the Beelzejuice...

Basically, contrary to what you'd think, your sweetness an innocence inspires her to be better.

Although...

There's always a small part of her that wants to corrupt you more than anything else.

"Aww, S/O, you look almost good enough to eat~."

"Are you saying I'm sweet? :D"

"...Yeah."

She would never do that of course, but the thought is kind of just... there. But she loves you too much to ever try to do that to you.

All in all, Verosika is a good girlfriend to you, and both your professional and personal lives are filled with love and laughter together.

And she'll be damned if she lets anyone keep you apart...

Ever.

#verosika mayday #verosika x reader #helluva boss verosika #verosika helluva boss #helluva verosika #helluva boss #helluvaboss #blitzo #helluva boss x reader #notsfw implications

[yuurei20]

Azul Info Compilation part 9: Jade

Jade enjoys mocking Azul extremely.

He goes off-script during Halloween to force Azul to dance in front of visitors (“it’s called ‘ad-libbing’, my dear Azul”), and when a possessed Azul is discovered during Spectral Soiree he says “Oh, but it’s so entertaining. Couldn’t we just leave him like this for a while?”

When Azul regains consciousness Jade confirms whether or not he is still possessed by quizzing him on Mostro Lounge earnings from the previous night.

(When asked what he remembers about being kidnapped he says he does “faintly recall hearing Azul’s voice”, while Azul says he “had a dream where I was floating in the ocean. I was unusually buoyant.”)

Jade jokes about Azul being thrown “into the depths of despair” when the lounge has few customers, teases Azul about being an “ink-spewing crybaby” despite having signed an NDA covering Azul's childhood and happily leaves him with a difficult task during Vargas Camp 2 during a tense moment, taking up a far easier task for himself.

We also see him tease Azul during Book 4 by complimenting Kalim on his compassion and saying, “would that Azul could take a page from your book” and when he observes that Azul says he would like to “offer (his) services” during Wish Upon a Star, what he actually means is “take advantage of people’s wishes for your own gain”, he follows up with “That sounds rather fun, actually.”

When Jade makes a comment during Vargas Camp 2 about going to fish for an octopus Azul responds that, in that case, he looks forward to grilling eel.

Azul encourages Riddle and the others to go to Jade’s Mountain Lovers Club exhibition in Book 5 as “I assume he’d be all alone and bored out of his skull otherwise”.

Jade’s dorm uniform vignette consists of Jade feigning interest in transferring to Pomefiore in accordance with a plan that Azul has devised in order to trick Vil into promoting a drink offered at Mostro Lounge.

There is an interesting interaction where Vil presses Jade for information about how he met Azul and Jade refuses to answer, saying that he hasn’t “the foggiest idea” what brought them together.

Vil is suspicious about him having forgotten “such an important event in his life”—perhaps related to aforementioned NDA?

The vignette ends with Jade returning to Octavinelle (“Azul convinced me—tears in his eyes—that Octavinelle is at a complete loss without me”) and Azul welcomes him back as “the best in the school at worming your way into other’s hearts”.

Jade assures him that “satisfying Vil was like child’s play in comparison to a certain someone. My stay at Pomefiore was like a well-deserved breaks”. Azul responds, “Oh, you jokester, you.”

For all his mocking of Azul, however, Jade does seem to concede to his requests in a way similar to Floyd: Jade does not wear a t-shirt that Azul has forbidden and refrains from filling the Mostro Lounge menu with mushroom-based dishes when Azul asks him to stop.

In a vignette we see Azul being quite strict with Jade when he made a poor decision related to Mostro Lounge, but Jade is undeterred: in the same vignette we see Riddle complimenting Azul’s role in capturing Grim, which transitions to Jade going above and beyond at a task Azul had assigned him by drafting a list of home countries, hobbies, least favorite foods, worst subjects, public magicam accounts and “secret” magicam accounts for Azul’s use.

Riddle explains, “At first glance, it may seem as though Jade only follows Azul and Floyd’s lead, but that is a grave misunderstanding.”

We also get a small example of Jade keeping Azul informed about goings-on in the school when, in a separate vignette, Jade is nearby when Floyd commits himself to performing in a live show with Kalim, and Jade says he will be notifying Azul.

Jade and Azul also seem to share a healthy rivalry, teasing one another both before and after Beanfest.

#twstazul #azulfacts #twstfacts #azul ashengrotto #twisted wonderland

[bitwynn]

Not a fan

A SAGAU Impostor AU Songfic

Song used: Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen

...so I caved. Yep. Starting a new series even though i already have one. To be fair, i felt like i needed a break from that series since that beast needs a whole lotta world building and im planning for it to get into some heavy fucken subjects. This one tho is more chill and light-hearted, since theyre all just a bunch of kind of disconnected one shots that are all kind of connected. So like-- when this series gets a lil longer, you can literally start from any fic since its all connectedly disconnected. A better example was my original idea of me just writing the end goal where they finally defeat the impostor like-- directly after the Castaway fic to rlly show how connectedly disconnected it is but i refrained myself since i wanted to write more wanderer. Been playing as him a lot but i havent rlly done the archon quest yet lol but hes just a blast. Hes an annoying lil shit (affectionate)

Blue for Barbara, Yellow/Gold for Zhongli, Green for Wanderer, red for Diluc, Italics is Reader/General, Combined is Everyone. Colors only used for singing parts.

---

Is this the real life?

You were running again, the spears and arrows of the Millelith chasing you all across Liyue.

Is this just fantasy?

Zhongli was by your side, steadfast as a rock as he shielded you from their weapons-- both with his Jade Shields and his body.

Caught in a landslide,

A loose rock almost sent you tumbling down into the depths of the Chasm, Barbara grabbing you just in time.

No escape from reality.

Diluc recognizes the path you were taking towards Tiangong Gorge, immediately rushing off to the Chasm's Maw and letting loose Dawn-- his phoenix rising up into the sky like a blazing beacon, just buy the rest of you more time. He'll rejoin you once again, he knows the path you'd take. He's your main afterall.

Open your eyes,

The three of you make it, the relief from seeing the glow of the blue Waypoint almost bringing you to your knees.

Look up to the skies and see,

You stumble in, Barbara hauling your arm over her shoulder as Zhongli collapses the tunnel behind you. You may be Overseer of Teyvat but he is the Overseer of Liyue, and its stones still answers to his call. There is nothing left but the browns and greens that creep towards the borders of Liyue.

I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy,

Your little group exit the cavern, the fresh air of the rainforest cooling the sweat on your backs and you see Haypasia's "little neighbor" peeking up from behind a leaf.

Because I'm easy come, easy go,

The tiny Aranara, though a little hesitant that more people could see him now, takes your hand and guides you through Avidya Forest. Thank goodness you had caved from your siblings nagging and finally done at least a part of the Sumeru quest.

Little high, little low,

You were still unfamiliar with the lands of Sumeru, trusting your little lettuce friend to lead you to a place of safety, of rest.

Any way the wind blows doesn't really matter to me,

Lettuce, as you had affectionately named him, lead you all deep into the rainforests of Sumeru all while deftly avoiding the little village of forest rangers and the rangers themselves. You hadn't said a word to him but you knew, deep in somewhere, that he would be leading you somewhere safe. Somewhere protected.

Though this... wasn't what you expected.

To me.

He turns to your group, the smell of tea faintly wafting from the pot he was tending. "I don't think I need to introduce myself, do I?"

-

After the short but silent panic that washed over the three of you (it took the you and Barbara 5 minutes to even get a centimeter pulling Vortex Vanquisher out the cave wall while Zhongli aggressively apologized to him), the four of you were sat on the floor watching the Wanderer tend to the bubbling pots of food he was making.

There was a strange... very not tense(?), and very awkward energy in the air as he set aside cups and bowls for all of you, his own cup still full with steaming almost black water. Zhongli was very noticeably trying not to stare at his oversteeped tea.

Little Lettuce had already left, presumably to keep an eye on the area or watch out for Diluc. You didn't want to use him as a shield or a way to break the ice or something but god-- the energy in the air was just so uncomfortable.

You all watched Wanderer in this terse silence prepare your food, his soft chopping of the grilled unagi sounding like death knells in your cave. He took each of the bowls he set out, placing a considerable amount of rice in each and a small handful of dried seaweed and sesame seeds. Bringing out a jar of umeboshi from his inventory, he placed each slab of unagi with a single umeboshi atop the bed of rice and seaweed.

He pours out the tea onto the rice, 1, 2, 3... and stops. He cocks his head. Frowns.

"Wasn't there supposed to be four of you?"

And the silence was broken.

"W-well, little lettuce already left--"

"Not the aranara-- wait, you named him lettuce? Tsk, whatever. Where's the other one? The red one?"

"Oh, uhm, Diluc?"

He nods, the small scowl on his face almost carved into him. You feel your face heat as you turn your face away from him.

"He ran off. To the Maw. Let out his burst as a diversion to buy us time --but he'll find us. He'll come back. He knows the way, he knows how I think, he knows what I'll do. He'll come back."

Wanderer sighs, disappearing the extra bowl. You're not sure whether you said all that to stop his retort or to diminish your own worry.

You're shaken from your thoughts by Barbara holding your hand. She gives it a squeeze, and you squeeze back, thankful for the comfort.

"Are you just gonna keep staring at your food or do you want to die of both exhaustion and starvation?"

"Okay, eating now!"

You're handed a warm bowl of Shimi Chazuke, Wanderer's specialty. It didn't look like its in game icon, only having the plump umeboshi on top of a bed of rice and seaweed with the pale tea glistening in the light. But you had come to learn that many things in game didn't translate directly, there sure as hell no quest or mention of a "Divine Overseer, and yet-- and yet.

You bring the bowl up to your face, the warmth soaking into your aching, tired hands and its steam gently caressing your face. You mix a portion of the rice together with the tea, scoop it up, and put it into your mouth.

And practically turn into jelly at the taste.

"Umai...!" you moan, savoring the taste of it all.

The fresh rice soaked in the bitter tea tasted amazing, each bite slowly turning into a different flavor as the oils and sauce from the grilled unagi gradually mixed in with the rice. Cutting up a bit of the eel with your spoon, you mix it with the rice and your mouth burst with deliciousness.

The eel was grilled to perfection, plump and juicy and flaky. And with the addition of the tea, it introduced flavors you hadn't even imagined from a simple grilled fish.

As you were about to burst that plump little plum, the Wanderer stopped you, a strange look on his face. He handed you a handkerchief.

"Wipe your face, the flavor's gonna be off if you mix it with your tears."

Stunned, you took the handkerchief. "Oh."

It... had been a long time since you've eaten good food and found a place to rest. Too long.

You hold it close to your chest, eyes squeezed shut as you tried to calm down. After a moment, you wipe away the sweat, and tears, and snot, and grime that had accumulated on your journey. It had been such a long time since you first found kindness in this world, even if that kindness came from an emotionally stunned automaton designed to be a god.

You chuckled to yourself, a wet little thing, as you realize that you kept weeping harder and harder with each swipe of the cloth. You bury your face in it, the handkerchief practically soaked with your tears as you take a few calming breaths to finally stop your tears.

"I'm... I'm sorry, I-- its been a while since I've... yeah. Uhm..."

You take a breath, still wet with your snot. "I, uh... I'm gonna keep this, I uh-- ruined it. I'll, I'll clean it though! If you want it back."

Wanderer, handily ignoring your breakdown just earlier, cringes in disgust. "No thanks. Keep it, you need it more than me if you decide to bawl your eyes out again."

Despite the harshness of it, you soften, tucking the offending handkerchief away. "Thanks." "Don't ever mention it."

He reclines back into his little designated space in your cave, and hesitantly stokes the fire with his anemo vision. You pick your unfinished bowl of chazuke, umeboshi still waiting to be eaten. It was good to know that at least there was a few things that didn't change now that you're here.

"Are you finished yet? Stop gawking at your food and finish it so I can do the dishes."

Yep, some things just never change.

You finally finish your meal with the silence in the cave now something much more comfortable, the crackling of the fire and the quiet rushing and clanking of dishes almost lulling you into a sense of "you don't have a bounty placed on your head and are definitely not running from anyone and everyone for fear of them betraying you and handing you over to your megalomaniacal doppelganger".

Wanderer, having lost the argument of who does the dishes against Barbara, was definitely not sulking in his little corner and absolutely not fiddling with his new(?) anemo vision. "So, why'd you come here to Sumeru anyways? I know you definitely were not looking for me, considering the fact you tried to impale my head on sight. Which to be fair," he chuckles at Zhongli's sheepish face, stood near the cavern entrance. "I would do the same."

You absentmindedly plucked the strings of your Windblume Lyre, the instrument becoming a sort of stimming/coping device, helping you deal with everything that had happened to you. He hummed to himself, the cogs turning in his head. "I can't think of any other reason why you'd come here-- finding and trusting in me is a huge gamble that you won," he clarified, turning away from Barbara's blank stare. "the ancient Khaenri'ahn technology scattered around Sumeru won't be of any use if you were considering taking the fight to your impostor, the Irminsul Tree could be a good reason but I can't see any way you'd use it to help you, though knowledge is always good to have anyways."

He scoffed, reclining into the dirt of your cave. "Archons, imagine how ridiculous it would be if you just ran here because you had no choice but to! Like a bunch of scared animals, ahaha!"

You slowly sink behind your lyre as he continues.

"In my time here, you're infamous for always evading their grasp-- heck, there's even an entire division of scholars here dedicated to just trying to figure out how in the world you do it. Some say you're a master at faking trails, some say you have some sort of... psychic power that lets you read the mind of your enemies so you can anticipate their moves."

He shrugs.

"Honestly, I'm more inclined to believe that last one-- in my brief time as your Vessel before your descent, you somehow managed to find information about me, despite my entire existence being wiped from the Irminsul Tree. Add to that the experiences that your other Vessels had, and it's a pretty compelling case." A sigh. "Shame that probing is one-sided though, a peek into the mind of the 'Divine Deceiver' or 'Overseer' or whatever fancy title you call yourself would be quite intriguing. Who knows what schemes are you cooking up in there. Now tell me,"

He straightens, eyes boring into yours from where you were, at this point, hiding in shame behind your lyre. "why are you here in Sumeru?"

"Aha... ha... haaa..." If you had a pyro vision, your face would be on fire by now. You had to turn away, the warmth of embarrassment creeping down your neck. "Well, uhm..." You clear your throat, gulping as you try to even find the words to explain how much of a legitimately normal person you are, who was practically forced to grow brain cells specifically for scheming because if you didn't you would die.

"So, uh...ah he he he... heh..." you take a breath, a shaky grin on your lips. "So, you know how reality is sometimes stranger than fiction?"

He raises an eyebrow.

"Well..."

You vaguely gesture, hoping that your flailing would get your message across.

He stares at you. He stares some more. He blinks.

"No."

"Yeah."

"No..."

"Yeah...

"NO."

"YEAH--"

His mouth drops in shock as he tries to process what you're implying. The rumors painted a... much prettier and mightier picture of you than the both of you thought.

"I-- you-- wha-- how-- what?!"

He takes a breath, chest rising despite his lack of a need for air. He pinches the bridge of his nose, and you get the feeling that he's restraining himself from grabbing you by the shoulders and shaking you stupid.

"So, you're telling me. That the 'Divine Deceiver' and their little posse made of a literal god, the once-captain of Mondstat's Knights of Favonius, and Mondstat's most renowned healer idol, have, quite literally, been running around like rats all over Teyvat and somehow, somehow staying alive by a thread?!"

"I KNOW MAN, I HAVE NO IDEA HOW WE'RE STILL ALIVE--"

"Oh my--"

He begins to growl, a black orb of anemo energy collecting in his palm. You squeak as you try to scramble to your feet, his face full of rage.

And the whirling winds in your cavern suddenly stops, Wanderer dismissing the dark energy in his hand. "Oh, relax."

He blows a raspberry at you, as you groan and sit back down. You bring your lyre back out from where you unconsciously disappeared it and clutch it like a lifeline.

"God, I never knew your idle could be that scary."

"...Idle?"

Barbara waves off his question, a sheepish expression on her face as she fixes her curls back into place. "Its... complicated. You'll learn more about it as you travel with us." She hands him the used and cleaned bowls and utensils. "You... will travel with us, right?"

He scoffs, taking the bowls and disappearing them with a flash of light. "Of course I will. Its literally in my name. Besides, I have nothing that ties me down anymore so I might as well wander with you guys."

She smiles at him, ever sweet and ever kind. She settles back down near the fire, drying her soaking hands. Though Zhongli is still taking watch by the cavern entrance, you could see the slightest look of pleased approval in his face. "Though if you are going to be travelling and running from the law with me, we need to make a plan instead of scurrying around like rats."

And at that, the entire cavern groans in exhaustion. "Not now, please." "We'd like to have some rest first, Wanderer!" "Please, fuck, no-- I've had enough scheming for 3 thousand years--"

"Wait, so you did have a plan going into Sumeru?!"

You wave him off, hands going to rest back upon the strings of your trusty lyre. "Well, it was more of like... a guideline? A safety net? We had a couple ideas on what to do if we ever ended up in Sumeru and we, yknow, ended up in Sumeru so we'll probably do that."

You pluck a couple strings as you remember what you "planned". "I hadn't finished the Sumeru main quest yet and I hadn't unlocked all of the Statues of the Seven yet either. We were thinking of unlocking all the Statues first since, without them, my 'all-encompassing' game map is jack shit here in Sumeru, and then we were thinking of finishing the main quest to both progress the story and better the... political? climate here along with a few other benefits. After that..."

You make a face, much more aggressively playing at your lyre. "We really didn't want to split up the party but, I kinda wanna finish the main story quest in the Chasm but also we need to collect all the Dendroculous and Electroculous for more stamina and stuff. But also, I kinda wanna visit Dragonspine since..." You let yourself trail off, the makings and ideas of plans evident in your voice.

Wanderer merely stares at you for a moment, the game terms flying over his head as Barbara mouths at him, "I'll tell you about it later". You sigh, dreading the planning of tomorrow as your fingers calm on the strings. "But, we can plan tomorrow. Please. We almost died multiple times again." He sighs, relenting. "At least you have the skeleton of a plan."

"Yes!"

Humming, you sink into the soft ground, thanking the soils of Teyvat for giving you some comforts in this trying time. What little grass in the cave caresses you in gratitude, as you pluck at your instrument.

The Wanderer sighs, as he prepares a small pot of tea. "You've been messing with that thing all night and its about to grate at my ears. Do you even know how to play?"

You chuckle a bit, sheepish as you hand the lyre over to Barbara who plays a quick, jaunty tune with a flourish. "Well, I can sing...?"

He sighs again, bowing his head and resigned to the confirmation that you were much more... ridiculous than the gossip and rumors painted you as. "Then why are you the one with the lyre?"

You shrug as Barbara starts up another little song. "Gives me something to do with my hands. Helps me calm down. Diluc and Barbara have been teaching me though when we have the time."

Your soft smile at Barbara's song turns cheeky as you turn to him. "Wanna hear what they've taught me?"

"Sure, better than forcing this inane conversation."

You giggle maniacally as you smile at Barbara, the singer immediately catching your drift. "Follow me?" "To the ends of the earth."

You laugh, as she tunes the instrument to the right notes. "Not like that you sap!" "I know, I know! But yes, of course. His song right?"

You nod. "Yep."

"'My' song...?" Wanderer tilts his head in confusion, before realization dawns on his face.

"Hey, just because it has my-- ...that name, does not immediately mean its 'my song'."

The two of you handily ignore his slip up, you drinking some water in preparation for singing and Barbara testing the lyre if its in tune. "Oh, please," you say, sitting up. "you haven't even heard the full thing yet! It's definitely your song."

He sighs, leaning back against the cavern wall. "Very well then. Indulge me."

-

You start, reciting the beginning "poem" from memory. Barbara watches and waits, fingers hovering above the strings. Wanderer cocks his head, clearly interested. She begins playing as you get halfway, the lyre an excellent substitute for the piano. You continue, the Wanderer scoffing a little at the poem's mention of a poor boy needing no sympathy, but you pay it no mind. He hasn't heard the rest of the song yet.

"Mama,"

Barbara picks up on her playing, wringing the lyre out for all its worth for those deep chords and piano-like sounds.

"Just killed a man,"

You summoned the small drum you bought from a merchant in Inazuma in preparation.

"Put a gun against his head, pulled my trigger now he's dead,"

You close your eyes, swaying to the tune of the song.

"Mama, life had just begun,"

You didn't need to open your eyes to know that he's really listening now.

"But now I've gone and thrown it all away!"

You quickly tap on the drum, trying in vain to mimic the band's performance.

"Mama!, oooh,"

Zhongli was sat at the entrance with his legs crossed and humming along.

"Didn't mean to make you cry,"

Wanderer was still. You could almost hear the turning of the cogs in his mind.

"If I'm not back again this time tomorrow,"

The steady beat of the drum was a stark contrast to the deep, heavy feeling inside his chest.

"Carry on, carry on as if nothing really matters."

His Vision pulsed, as his hand unconsciously came to caress it. Was this what it was like to have a heart?

Barbara's fingers were gentle on the strings as a set of footsteps approached the entrance of the cave. You could hear Little Lettuce's pitter-pattering and the dulcet tones of Zhongli and Diluc's voices as they catch up in the short time they've been separated.

"Too late, my time has come,"

He had closed his eyes, listening intently to the music as the waves of sound rocked him gently and deeply into his sea of memories.

"Sends shivers down my spine,"

He can see it now, those old fleeting moments of happiness before they were all ultimately destroyed.

"Body's aching all the time."

He could feel it, suddenly hyper aware of his joints and limbs. The feeling of phantom strings and hands pulling and pushing him like he was some puppet. (But it wasn't like he was ever anything else.)

"Goodbye, everybody. I've got to go,"

He could hear it, everyone's cries and wails of despair filling his ears as he sailed towards Inazuma City to beg the Shogunate (his mother) for mercy that they would not grant.

"Gotta leave you all behind to face the truth."

He could also hear the Doctor's cackling laughter as he began to weave his web of lies, webs that would replace the strings that she had put on him. That he had cut away.

"Mama!, oooh,"

He could see it, the light shining through the patches in the walls and the roof of that old hut. The kind and innocent smile on that sickly, young face.

"I don't wanna die,"

He could see it, red, red, red lapping up and eating away at the walls and roof of the house. Red, red, red all around them. As if he was asleep in a meadow of flowers. (or sinking into a pool of blood)

"I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all.!"

You all gave him his moment, deep in his sea of memories. Diluc was wordlessly playing the zither, an imperfect substitute for an electric guitar. He'd noiselessly joined into your impromptu concert after he was caught up on the situation by Zhongli who had promptly disguised the mouth of the cavern as some kind of rock formation.

As he played, you thought back to the Wanderer's words. To the moment you first heard him say that-- his character teaser. Your heart had clenched back then, tears pricking the corners of your eyes but you couldn't help chuckling at his words-- that ever iconic song playing in your head. But you know that there was nothing to chuckle about here, Wanderer holding the brim of his hat in an almost vice-like grip. His jaw is clenched.

You all silently agreed to let the solo drag on at least a little bit longer. He takes a sharp breath. (You all know its his way of saying his thanks.)

Barbara begins plucking the lyre in a jaunty little tune, and you couldn't help but crack a grin. The atmosphere's heavy, but it's beginning to lift anyway.

"I see a little silhouetto of a man,"

The Wanderer scoffs, already knowing the next few lines by heart thanks to you. You all readily ignore the wetness in his sound.

"Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the fandango?!"

You were surprised at everyone joining in. Wanderer especially, being caught so off-guard that he jumped in his seat. "For the nth time, no I won't!" Barbara giggles as you push onwards, a manic grin on your face.

"Thunderbolt and lightning!"

Diluc only smiles at the mildly disgruntled Wanderer, his Divine Overseer and Mondstadt's Deaconess having stood up to sing their hearts out. "I'm pretty sure that's not gonna be the last time you say that to them."

"Very, very frightening, me!"

The singing duo once again became lost in the music of the song, belting their hearts and lungs out for their one audience member. Said audience member could only crack a smile and reply, "I had a feeling."

"Galileo, Galileo,"

You had all but screeched out said scientist's name as you pointed to Zhongli. When faced with the Wanderer's incredulous look, he could only gain a fond look in his eyes, shrug and say, "You get used to it over time."

"Galileo, Galileo,"

"Wait, you're all used to this?!" Barbara's sheepish as she answers. "They sing as a coping mechanism. We kind of picked it up over time as well." Diluc shrugs again. "It's better than alcoholism."

"Galileo, Figaro! - Magnifico, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,"

Wanderer cringes-- despite this, a smile is growing on his face. "You don't have to vocalize the echoes, you imbecile!" You merely put a hand to your forehead, aiming to up the drama with your next lyrics.

"I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me,"

He feels the tug of old memories, of old traumas still clinging to his skin. But he pays them no mind, knowing he must march onwards to the future. A future paved by a ragtag group of wanted divine beings and important people that are beginning to worm his way into his chest.

"He's just a poor boy from a poor family,"

Oh no. He's feeling it again.

"Spare him his life from this monstrosity!"

He cannot help but watch you all sing.

Barbara's fingers fly on the strings.

"Easy come,"

He felt what he felt back then, before she had forsaken him.

"Easy go,"

He felt what he felt back then, before he was fooled into thinking he had left him-- left them.

"Will you let me go?"

He felt what he felt back then, before he was torn away from him with no bigger enemy to blame but his own mortality.

"Bismillah! No!"

It was affection. It was care.

"We will not let you go!

(Let him go!)"

Oh archons, he's starting to care.

"Bismillah! We will not let you go!

(Let him go!)"

For hundreds of years, he's hardened his heart and closed himself off from everyone and everything. Sworn to scrub himself clean of human emotions.

"Bismillah! We will not let you go!

(Let me go!)"

And yet, for those same hundreds of years, he had never fully closed himself off-- never fully scrubbed away the feeling of... feeling.

"Will not let you go! (Let me go!)"

He couldn't help but glance at those two, fingers flying across the strings of their instruments. Humans, can they really be trusted?

"Will not let you go! (Let me go!)

His eyes slowly drifted to the other two, one ancient and the other practically a newborn. Can the gods really make him feel anything other than loathing?

"Never let you go!

(Never, never, never let me go!)"

He takes in their entire performance, all of them being their pure, complete, and unadulterated selves. With no masks to keep on, or roles to maintain. Merely singing, and dancing, and playing these instruments just for the heck of it.

"Oh, oh, oh!

No, no, no, no, no, no, no!"

For centuries, he has roamed this world-- seeing and meeting many new people, and yet never regarding any of them as his companions.

"Oh, mama mia, mama mia!"

Would he be able to regard these people as such?

"Mama mia, let me go!"

Would he be able to trust them, like the did with the others? To stay and not break their promises with him?

"Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me,"

Would he be able to hold on to them, and they not let go as they had been claiming over and over?

"For me!"

Well, he has no choice in the matter. He's stuck with them now, as wanted fugitives.

"For me!"

Only time will tell if they forsake him like those before him. At least he's safe in the comfort that the world had forsaken them as well. Just like him. He hopes that strange sort of kinship makes you understand. He hopes it makes you stay.

You whooped with joy as Barbara absolutely nailed that note, Diluc quickly shredding on the zither afterwards. You would've given it to Zhongli but-- the man hasn't played a guitar before. And you need a certain "je ne sais quoi" to really pull off what Queen was doing. ...Also, you needed the sound of a guitar for the song.

You glance back to the Wanderer, mostly silently listening this whole time. He was lightly bopping his hand to the beat. You smile, taking whatever victories you can get. "Beelzebub? Really?" You blow a raspberry at him, preparing for the next part of the song. "I'll tell you about it later!" You clear your throat.

"So, you think you can stone me and spit in my eye!"

Diluc hits that sick riff.

"So, you think you can love me and leave me to die?!"

Barbara, even if she's practically undetectable underneath Diluc's strumming and your-- excuse me, Zhongli's drum beating, is still managing to bring up and compliment every single one of you performing.

"Oh, baby!"

You swear, if you all weren't wanted fugitives forced to live on the LAM because of a crime you didn't commit, you'd be a killer band.

"Can't do this to me baby!"

You do gotta thank Zhongli for subtly swiping away the drums from you-- you frankly weren't quite sure how you'd be able to focus on giving this song the power ballad it deservers while also playing an instrument.

"Just gotta get out,"

Despite all your peeking on Wanderer for his opinions on the song and to check on his emotional state, you weren't exactly omniscient. You were, afterall, still performing and still getting lost in the music.

"Just gotta get right outta here!"

So you didn't notice the twinge of an... almost fond emotion lacing his face as he watches you rock out to this classic. What can you say, Diluc kills it on the zither.

The sound builds and builds, Barbara layering on top of it and you not being able to resist the urge to air guitar to it as it slowly reaches its crescendo... And crashes back down, Zhongli and Diluc humming along to the sound.

"Ooh, yeah, ooh, yeah,"

You gasp for breath, the end of the song finally coming up. Diluc's energetic playing slows down, signaling the finale.

"Nothing really matters,"

You feel sweat dripping down your skin, having danced and moved around-- possessed by the power of the song.

"Anyone can see,"

You lean your back against the cave wall, relishing in its coolness as you bring the song to a close.

"Nothing really matters... Nothing really matters, to me..."

You sigh as you sink, pleased and satisfied at everyone's performance.

"Any way the wind blows..."

Zhongli finishes it off with the rapping of the drum, mimicking a cymbal crash to his best ability. Barbara beams at the Wanderer, who looks like he's regretting singing along to that last part.

"So," you ask, out of breath. "what'cha think about the song?"

Wanderer waves off Barbara's tired but happy smile, poofing the fourth bowl back into existence and busying his hands. He prepares Diluc's Shimi Chazuke as he hums.

"Well, despite it being a complete emotional roller coaster and the utter gibberish that it contains, I suppose that its worthy being called 'my song', as you will."

"I'll fucking take it! Fives all around guys, good job!" You quickly double high five everyone in the group-- Zhongli letting you slam your hands down on his, Barbara being a quick pair of one-two taps, and Diluc just lightly bumping his full hands into yours. You turn to Wanderer, waiting for him to high five you. "You too, hat boy-- you joined in the song, you get some fives."

At least Diluc had the decency to look away when he huffed in amusement. "Hat boy?! Let me tell you, I've gone through many names and titles during my journey. And each one is more eminent than any ordinary mortal could ever imagine!"

As he said these words, his heart slowly sank to his feet as he saw the stupid, cheeky smile growing on your face. "Yes, yes... But! and I quote, 'they're all just water under the bridge to me now.

Call me whatever you like. Go ahead, let me see what you can come up with.'" The Wanderer's eye twitched.

"And that's the best you can come up with?! If you know me so well, oh, great Overseer, then you would very much know that I'm also telling you to not disappoint me! Tell me, All-Knowing Guide, am I not disappointed?!" You snorted, too tired from the day's events to feel any sort of proper fear and trepidation at this situation. "Then, I'll just keep thinking of names until something sticks, mushroom head." You pat his head. "Now, how in the world did you even get here Lulu?"

He sips from his bowl full of rice and tea. "Doro44 Sumeru Chasm sneakpeek. Would've gotten here faster if the place wasn't absolutely surrounded by treasure hoarders and Fatui. Had a bit of trouble finding it as well, since it was behind some rock walls." He grabs a small twig from the ground and starts drawing. "Its a sort of cave that's absolutely overgrown by giant roots." "You dare to ignore me?!"

You flash that same cheeky grin at him again. "We didn't ignore you, we just changed the subject!"

Nope, he takes it all back. He hates all of you.

---

AND THATS A FUCKING WRAP AUGHHHHHHHHH-- broooooo, you would not BELIEVE how hard this was to write. both because Bohemian Rhapsody is SUCH a long song but also because of SOOOO many outside circumstances. like BRUH i was supposed to release this like a day after my castaways fic but NOOOOOOOO-- life got so in the way man. my parents started breathing down my neck for chores, we had to visit my relatives in the province (still in the province btw lol), i got FUCKING SICK BECAUSE OF STRESS AND DUST ALLERGIES and i literally spent like-- my first few days sick making my sickness FUCKING WORSE since our house was literally covered in dust and i was the only one who could clean it fucking apparently. bro, i even spent this goddamn christmas fucking sick. ugh this has been such a hell week. literally the only comfort i found this week was all genshin related AHAHA-- i was playing genshin, visiting the SAGAU tag a lot, waiting for fanfics to update, just generally genshin brainrotting.

ugh thank god i finally released this one. i do have a lot of ideas for this down the road and hell dawg! i even got a request! thats the one thatll be coming up next. i wrote like-- a massive part of this sick and it got sOOOOO out of hand ever since i didnt get to finish it that day so i hope it sticks together well and is mostly coherent. enjoy!! :))

#genshin #genshin impact #genshin impact au #genshin impact self aware #self aware genshin impact #self aware genshin #genshin self aware #genshin sagau #sagau genshin #genshin impact sagau #sagau genshin impact #sagau #sagau impostor au #genshin impostor au #impostor au genshin impact #impostor au sagau #sagau impostor #sagau songfic #sagau identity theft playlist #Playlist for when you're accused of Identity Theft #identity theft playlist

[literary-illuminati]

2024 Book Review #26 – The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor

This was my monthly dose of high literature, chosen because I subscribed to the author’s substack for a while and generally liked it. After somehow accidentally grabbing historic fantasy and dystopian sci fi, this time it did was actual proper adult contemporary litfic, even! So y’know, horizons successfully expanded.

The book is honestly a caricature of what an outsider would guess contemporary litfic to be. Meandering and plot light, eight different POVs whose chapters’ are largely character studies of their own interiorities and relationships, deeply preoccupied with the process and structures that produce Fine Art, about a bunch of miserable queer grad students in Iowa City. It did at least refrain from having a character actually be an author attending the Iowa Writers Workshop so like, not totally free of restraint here, but it’s still nearly overpowering.

Saying ‘plot light’ is still almost overstating it, really. Each chapter is a vignette from the perspective of a different character, with varying levels of personal connection to the other protagonists. Some individual characters have little arcs, but none exactly undergo a profound transformation – the book is largely just a study of them, their relationships, their damage and their neuroses as they drift through a year of their lives.

The characters themselves are all resolutely unexceptional. No prodigies, no savants, no stars in the making – they are all talented and dedicated, but in ordinary and unremarkable ways for their milieu. It’s precisely that ordinariness that Taylor seems most interested in – how people conceive of their relationship to art when they’ve devoted everything to a craft that only barely seems to love them back.

The relationships between the characters is the other real driver of the book. They’re all..kind of dicks? In the thoughtless, inarticulate, emotionally-illiterate-lashing-out way of incredibly stressed people in their mid-20s (though exaggerated a bit for effect. Or at least, I hope so). Everyone is broken and jagged, and rubs up against everyone else only with violence and force – resentful friendships, unhappy romances, comfortable enmities. No one ever makes a clean break with anyone – no one shows much sign of being able to even if they wanted – and what character growth there is is a matter of compromise and accommodation, making peace with the people you love around you whatever their shortcomings.

The characters are all very well-drawn, their neuroses and struggles believable and mostly compelling. There’s probably one or two too many of them – at a certain point I did start having trouble with whose tragic childhood (they of course all have tragic childhoods) or insufferable emotionally unavailable boyfriend was whose – but in the final analysis they all mostly worked for me. That said, the two female POVs seem almost..tangential? Less connected to everyone else, less richly examined, less grounded and dirty and vicious. Which is a bit unfortunate, both in terms of the novel’s overall strength and because almost literally the only other women with lines in it are a bunch of deeply unkind caricatures of poetry/literature-as-activism types in one of the character's seminars.

Speaking of relationships – if you don’t know what the stereotypical litfic sex scene looks like, this book overflows with examples to learn from. Partially just trying to be true to life about a cast of horny gay guys in their mid-20s – if you draw a chart of who fucked who I’m pretty sure it connects every man in the main cast – but the book also just tries to get a lot of characterization and symbolism across through sex scenes, and ends up devoting more word count and flowery prose to them than anything I’ve ever seen besides outright erotica. All the sex scenes do have a fascinatingly vast variety of valences and tones, though – some are passionate and romantic, some flagrantly exploitative or transactional, some are just something to do on a boring break in the middle of nowhere. The sex can get a bit monotonous, but at least it’s never one-note.

Taylor’s very interested in the culture of like, capitalized prestigious Fine Art, its production, and the relation of the university to both. The book, broadly, seems to take the point of view that the whole edifice is one great machine for chewing up and spitting out hopes and dreams. It’s a recurring theme that even among these people who have dedicated their entire lives to poetry or dance of the piano are unable to spend it making the kind of art they want. And that’s not even getting into how all the people you’re supposed to be making art with are the most insufferable pieces of shit to ever see the sun.

And on the note of insufferable pieces of shit – there’s also just a very strong recurring theme of class. Getting a MFA is largely the province of people who don’t really have to care about a near-future paycheck, and the cast is divided between those who fit the description and feel varying amounts of repressed guilt and awkwardness about it, and those that have to work some job to pay the bills and display a remarkable amount of restraint in not decking at least one classmate a day. The irony of art imagined as activism or world-changing being near-exclusively the result of elite educations and trust funds is bitter and plentiful, especially among the poets.

It’s, I think, a very sort of subtle humour that across the first half or so of the book the really poetic prose and most evocative imagery is used near-exclusively to describe the vulgar, low-class survival work that the less fortunate half of the protagonists do to support themselves – meal prep in a hospice kitchen, preparing cuts of beef in a slaughterhouse, recording porn of oneself to post online – while the actually art they create isn’t much described at all. This doesn’t last, but it’s a very funny joke while it does.

The book is, on a sentence-to-sentence and page-to-page level, really quite beautiful. Unfortunately, it ends up feeling like less than the sum of its parts. There’s a bit of a running narrative connecting half or so of the protagonists, who really are major parts of each others lives and enrich each others narratives with an outside view – and then the rest only appear outside their own chapters as cameos, if that. Exactly one characters gets two chapters from his POV – the first, and about halfway through the book – and he’s one of the people who barely touches the rest of the cast, so it’s not like he’s actually the protagonist or propelling the narrative. You end up with a novella and a bunch of short stories that, put together, are both constantly hitting the same beats but also lacking any real through-line tying them all together and pushing things forward. Which really isn’t helped by the fact that the ending reads like someone gave Taylor a maximum wordcount 5 pages before he hit it and he just did the best he could.

#book review #literature #the late americans #brandon taylor

[psycho-net2000]

@Psycho-net.com

Status: Online

Greetings, fellow humans. My name is Chloe Barge. You may know me from a few articles in true psychic tales magazine, or from my work on the latest Psycho-location satellite. I am here to tell those of you seeing this, that for a limited time we are having this special email put out in the open for all of you to see. I am happy to announce that you can send me and my lab partner you may have heard of, Razputin Aquato,questions using this special email!

Questions of any kind and anyone are welcome, but please keep in mind that this is a business email, so remember to keep things professional. Also, emails may or may not be monitored.

(Pfp by @borderlineseaweed :D)

Alright everyone, you heard the lady! I've got this sideblog up for all of yall to ask some questions as if you were in the AU itself! I thought it'd be kind of fun!

Here, you'll be able to ask future Chloe and Raz questions, see some art and comics, and wips/behind the scenes to some of said art and comics!

Alright now for some rules and stuff for this blog:

If you want, you can ask questions as your own OC(s) and for fun, you can make up a fun little email for them using the "@psycho-net.com!" Keep in mind it's a made up email, and you just put your OC's email name in front of it and then put in your ask underneath it.

You can ask questions as if you're referring to comics or recent events! Example: "Hey, is it true you fought and befriended a mutant lung fish? Or was that just and exaggeration to fill up the magazine?" Remeber to get creative! :)

Won't do prompts or role-play scenarios/requests. These are supposed to be as if the characters are answering emails and not actually interacting with irl people.

I won't answer any asks that have "magic" or bring things into reality like food, gifts, etc. It's not that kind of blog, and as stated before, it's supposed to be just answering emails.

As Chloe said earlier, keep things professional! Any asks that make me uncomfortable to answer, or arent relevant to the blog will be ignored. If you have questions non relevant about the blog, please refer to me, Mod Doodle (@doodle17).

Some asks will get answered with text, images, or both! If I see a question I want to answer with images more than words, then I'll answer with drawings. If I see one that I think would be easier for me to write then that's what I'll do. But it'll mostly depend on whether or not I'm able to access my computer for illustrations (or if I'm too excited about the question to draw anything and want to answer right away)

If you have a specific question for Chloe, Raz, or both, please state it in the ask! If not, then I'll choose who answers it. So if you want a certain person to answer, please refer to them!

In case you're still wondering, you can ask them anything! About their coworkers, family, jobs, friends, stories, etc.

Thats all I've got for now! I'm gonna refrain from answering any asks until December-ish, while I get some things together... I just really wanted to get this out because I've been working on it for like- a week and was itching to show it off

Until then, feel free to send your questions now! And yes, you can ask more than one question

#They're having a good time :) #She dug that hunk of plastic and wires out of a bunch of junk boxes about to get hauled to the dump #It's noisy and you can probably cook an egg on it because the damn thing gets so hot #But you'll have to pry it from her cold dead hands #At least it works! #She loves her clunky 'puter #They're both so excited! #And so am i!!! #Crossing my fingers that this gets good traction #Really don't want this to flop #I really like answering question for this au #This blog will also be a good place for me to put all my au content so it doesn't flood my main more than it already has #Hmmmm... #psychonauts #psychonauts au #psychonauts 2 #razputin aquato #chloe barge #psychonauts future #Ask r-'n-c @psycho-net.com #<- Oh yeaaah new main tag babyyyy

[itookyoudown]

coming in with givenson for the ask game with the numbers 8, 10, 19, 14, and 48!

What happens if one of them gets sick?

Illness is a huge example of both Raylan and Tim's mutually stubborn nature rearing its ugly head. Both of them would rather chew off his own arm than pick up the phone to make a damn doctor's appointment. Both of them will push through it and only call out when they're sent home from work or they've gotten to the point where they're a danger to themselves or others in the field.

Raylan likes being cooed and pampered and cared for + cuddled when he's sick, but he hates asking for it even if he wants it more than anything. No lie, having Tim check in on him, preparing his medicine and serving him soup and getting him a wet washcloth reminds him of how his mama look care of him when he was sick. It makes him feel loved.

Lucky for Raylan, Tim's really good at doting caretaking like that since acts of service is his love language. Though he can spoil it a lil by being mouthy while Raylan is suffering lol.

Even when they're both sick as a dog, I can't see them not giving each other shit even while they're being nice.

Tim's less inclined to accept caretaking and it takes him being REALLY sick to accept Raylan making him food or doing the tidying around the house. Tim is the type of person that keeps a "sick box" for himself that has everything he needs pre-prepared for suddenly falling sick. Tim's too used to taking care of himself and doesn't expect anyone else to do it for him, so he struggles letting Raylan take over.

Tim's the type to live out on the couch while he's sick. He just wants to watch cartoons until his body stops trying to kill him.

Describe their first date.

Their first proper date, not just a drunken hookup, would absolutely be the shooting range followed by lunch. They'd go to an indoor shooting range and only shoot their pistols because Tim would joke he doesn't want Raylan thinking he's "some type of slut" by going to the rifle range on the first date. Probably burgers and fries or sandwiches and chips. Raylan, of course, orders them ice cream too as they leave and they'll eat it in Tim's vehicle because it's roomier. Tim will, of course, blow Raylan in the backseat.

"And here I was behavin' like the gentleman under an assumption you weren't the slutty kind," Raylan will grin like the cat getting the cream.

"I ain't that type of slut," Tim will drawl, "but I am this type of slut."

How do they feel about PDA?

Raylan loves it so long as he's not in a place or among people that are going to give him shit for it. He'll refrain from it if he feels it isn't safe or if he's somewhere that he's going to get in trouble if he flashes his firearm at someone looking to commit a hatecrime. Handholding, slipping his arm around Tim's shoulder, pulling his waist, quick kisses, etc. Raylan loves all that shit. He relishes touching Tim in public and showing everyone this is his boy.

Tim? Not so much. He can't let his guard down or stop himself from thinking the worst. He doesn't even stand too close to Raylan in the grocery store least someone notices they're a couple. Tim's only truly fine with PDA after he's had a few drinks and they're in someplace like a gay bar.

Who's the better driver?

See, they both would argue it's Raylan but that's just because Raylan drives faster. Tim's actually the better driver and does most of their driving for them. He has a the better mindset for it. Though when he's going through a rough patch with his PTSD it's the first practical daily skill that goes out the window. Tim gets too nervous and hyper-vigilant behind the wheel and won't trust himself to drive anymore. So while Tim might be better, he's not reliable to always be good to drive.

Also as awful as it is of them but let's be real about who they are even if it's illegal and stupid ... Raylan is absolutely the best drunk driver between them.

(obligatory OTP asks meme)

#💌 #tooks.txt #givenson

[cerastes]

Wait if Mizuki is a Seaborn then what’s stopping our local resident Hunters from choosing and tearing him into pieces. I mean yeah he’s a baby boy but I doubt Skadi would really care that much to be honest. A Seaborn is still a Seaborn right?

Would she not care? I think you picked the Abyssal Hunter that would in fact care the most, as she's had the most hands on experience on the surface compared to Gladiia, who's mostly stuck to working by herself and on the shadows, and Laurentina, who spent a considerable amount of time being insane and half-brainwashed as Specter and not cognizant enough about her surroundings to truly consider as someone who knows the surface. Keep in mind, and important part of Under Tides is showing that Skadi, rough and stoic as she is, ultimately has changed immensely from how she used to be as an Abyssal Hunter, questioning her role, her worth, and the worth of those around her. Her interactions with Old Man Jose paint a clear picture of how Skadi used to be pretty much a cold fighting machine who just did her job and little else, and how she gradually came to see surface Terrans not just as inferior lifeforms with paltry technology, but as fascinating, lovable people that had struggles just as meaningful and terrifying as her own Aegir people did.

Compared to Gladiia and Laurentina, who have rather negative views of the surface and who have no qualms in voicing these views, Skadi is stoic but ultimately gentle and intentionally holds back when fighting because she knows inherently superior compared to the vast majority of Terrans as far as physical ability and martial prowess are concerned, with her only really fighting seriously twice so far: Against the Great Inquisitor (and even then, she refrained from using a weapon), and against Seaborns, where she (and her fellow Hunters) held nothing back and showed us what they actually can do when they take a fight seriously (read: Specter going full Metal Gear Revengeance ME JACKY on the mutated Bishop and hitting it with an air combo that had her jumping from wall to crumbling boulder mid air for like a full 3 minutes of maneuvering and mauling this giant laser-shooting monster). Hell, on Specter's 2nd Operator Record, it's Skadi that more or less demands Gladiia and Specter both hold back a bit on account of them going to go fight regular ass non-supersoldier non-Seaborns for a bit.

Now, back to the Mizuki case, I have no doubts that the moment she detected Mizuki's presence, Gladiia's senses told her to send him to the principal's office and have him expelled from existence, BUT Consider The Following:

Rhodes Island is not a melting pot of cultures and factions, it's THE melting pot of cultures and factions. You have Silence and Saria in the same side, with Silence hating Saria's guts. You have the entirety of Pinus Sylvestris, Gravel, Blemishine, Whislash, Nearl, Shining and Nightingale in the same room as Platinum who, by all means, all want to eviscerate to different degrees. Their situations is a bit different, but you have SilverAsh and Pramanix who are by all means political enemies, under the same roof, hell, you have Greythroat who is absolutely terrified of the Infected, working as a Rhodes Island employee, you have Actual Enemies Texas and Lappland working the trading post together, you have Rosmontis, Blaze, and other Elite Operators in the same room as W, who they explicitly want to kill. And, I think the most important example out of all of these: You have Doctor in Rhodes Island, who Kal'tsit, Flamebringer, and W (and possibly Ascalon alongside other Sarkazians) explicitly want to murder, but won't because of Doc's own particular, exceptional situation, as well as them being an undeniably powerful asset.

What I'm trying to say is that Rhodes Island is exactly the kind of environment in which Abyssal Hunters wouldn't obliterate a Seaborn if they have a properly signed contract for the same reason a lot of these other factions are not at each other's throats. It's also well known that the Abyssal Hunters do personally like the Doctor (with Skadi being very sweet on them, Laurentina being more than anything thankful they watched over her when she was Specter and wanting to know them better, and Gladiia appreciating Doctor both as someone who watched over her subordinate Laurentina in her time of need as well as a fellow tactical mastermind), and in the case of Laurentina and Gladiia specifically, they like and respect Kal'tsit (Skadi doesn't like Kal all that much but clearly still respects her), with Laurentina specifically even joking around with Kal'tsit as if they were pals instead of seeing her as an inferior land-dweller. It makes a lot of sense, then, that if Doctor and Kal'tsit both approve Mizuki for whatever reason to be an Operator for Rhodes Island, that the professional Gladiia would accept this decision, with caution, but accept it nonetheless, and that would carry on to Skadi and Laurentina both, with Skadi likely not wanting to cause a ruckus anyways, and Laurentina feeling much the same the way.

#arknights #mizuki #gladiia #skadi #specter

[itashiro-hitsuchiha]

My thoughts on the shutdown of RT by Warner and on RWBY

Read on if you wish.

Ok so there's a good bit of things for me to say on this matter. Normally I don't do personal posts a whole lot like this but I want to express my thoughts on the matter. I will disclaim that this is a matter of opinion based on my understanding of the situation and I will explain more on certain subjects when I get to it. This is more of my inclination towards RWBY as a series than anything else.

So let's start with the short and simple part of my thoughts on it. It does suck that the company is shutting down mostly for the workers involved. As I understand from secondhand knowledge and statements by other onlookers that the company leadership has made very poor decisions with their franchises, both in writing direction and with treatment of the staff and also consumers. I can't say much more on that front as I will admit I haven't looked into it much and I haven't delved into that matter too much either so that's about all I have to say with that.

Onto the thoughts/feelings on RWBY. Now I enjoy RWBY as a franchise and series to a degree. I know lots of people have issues with how the show's writing became after some points in the series, myself included, but I remain hopeful. Warner still tried to do stuff with RWBY by aligning it with DC comics for crossovers. I haven't watched the two crossover films but I do intend to check them out despite what others say. I am more driven by curiosity with the show than much else. I won't sing it's praises nor will I bash the hell out of it. I get my initial impressions then I gauge what others think and adjust based on what I may or may not agree with after giving much thought on it.

My opinions on things can change drastically. One example which I will use as a somewhat loose comparison, is with Star Wars. I love the world of Star Wars and I always have since I was a kid. I was excited for the sequel trilogy and gave it a go. Force Awakens was an ok start, nothing spectacular, but its problems were showing but they still had time to pivot and correct these errors with the next two movies. The Last Jedi came out. I watched it and was at least entertained on the first watch. Then I saw the discourse erupt in the fandom. So I was curious to what made people so mad. I looked at a lot of writing critiques of the movie by fans of the series. Then I saw the behind the scenes things going on and it changed my view. At first I liked TLJ but that opinion quickly fell into greatly disliking it. I didn't even want to see Rise of Skywalker based on rumors of the plot of the movie. Mostly the ending. But I still watched it just to finish what I started. Even though I disliked it heavily and never touched that trilogy again.

What's this have to do with RWBY? Well it's the same thing for me. I started watching with a friend who was into it. I got into it. And for the most part I enjoyed it. After the fiasco with Star Wars I refrained from giving full opinions until after viewing the show or movie and thinking about it after. I also look into viewpoints of others to see what people liked and didn't like and see if I agreed or not. I seek to understand what turned people away and what made others stay. While I don't agree with everything others list I at least understand why they think about it the way they do. But in the end even if I agree with them I still want to see where it ends. I want to finish what I started. I can understand other people leaving the show after a certain point and not coming back out of outrage or disinterest. But I enjoyed the show at first and even if the ending is dog shit, much like with the Sequel trilogy, I will stay on this ride until it ends.

Now onto extra thoughts. So I did read the article explaining the closing of RT and based on my understanding, Warner may still be looking to complete the series they have, even if its just to milk what they can out of it, at the very least the final season of Red vs Blue is confirmed to happen. I haven't seen anything regarding the state of RWBY but I remain optimistic and hope they will keep most of the hardworking team (the ones that make the show happen and not the dumbasses who mistreat them) and treat them fairly so they can end the series on at least a decent note. There's no undoing what they've done at this point and it's naive to expect one or possibly two final season(s) to fix it. But they can at least try to give it a respectful ending. It is optimistic and it may be a long shot or very unlikely but even so I want to see what they do.

Hopefully this is clear enough in my thoughts and opinions on this matter. I haven't stated anything specific to the series in terms of writing but I don't feel it necessary to do so at the moment. Especially since I still need to catch up on it. You may not agree with my viewpoints or reasons for things but that's ok. I just wanted to get my voice out there.

#mun post #long post #mun thoughts #opinions

[choco-pudding]

 Space Channel 5 Part 2: Sugoku Sugoi  Guide Book p. 090-095 (Translation by @lavoszero and myself. Edits and typesetting by myself)

Third part of Report 4.

Imgur link to all of the  Sugoku Sugoi Guide Book translations we’ve done thus far.

Plain text below

p.090 Channel 5 HQ · Recording Studio A

Dancing

Ulala’s Stars: 10 So, the Channel 5 director, Space Michael, was captured in the Recording Studio. This dance battle against Shadow looks tougher than normal, since his turns get progressively longer and longer. But still, Ulala… it was pretty cool that you got to dance with Space Michael… You'll have to handle the secret input together…

“Space Michael!“

10.

035 🠩 036 🠩 x 037 🠩 x x 038 🠩 x x x 039 🠩 x x x 🠮 🠬 ⬇ 040 🠩 x x x 🠮 🠬 ⬇ ⬇ ⬇ ⬇ 041 🠩 x x x 🠮 🠬 ⬇ ⬇ ⬇ ⬇ x x x

11.

042 🠮 x 043 🠬 x x

-

Sweet! 86

Right

p.091

12.

044 x~ x 045 ⬇~ x 046 x x x 047 x o x 048 o o o 049 o o o 050 🠩 051 🠮 052 🠬 053 ⬇ 054 🠩 🠮 🠬 ⬇ 🠩 🠮 🠬 ⬇ “Tonight it’s Beat It!” ⬇

“Yeah, 110% groovy, baby!” [33]

-

Sweet! 87

Toyota

p.092 Channel 5 HQ · Recording Studio B

Finale!

Ulala’s Hearts: 1 Everyone follow me!

Left! Down! Up!

-

Sweet! 88

Honda

p.093

★ Ulala and Peace as Told by Space Michael ★

Space Michael's involvement in the incident is as follows. First, he orders the Special Report Team to be dispatched upon hearing the news of the incident. Later, when the Special Report Team was away, he was captured and forced to dance by the Rhythm Rogues' dance beams. He lastly assisted Ulala in stopping the broadcast of the "Purge TV Show." This is confirmed by the Space Channel 5 recordings and by the officer who accompanied them at the Mystery Zone and the Space Arena. There can be no doubt about it. Moreover, no new facts were presented when Space Michael was interrogated. For these reasons, we're refraining from publishing Space Michael's comments on the incident. But we would like to share some excerpts from his comments on Ulala's dance moves and President Peace's singing voice.

"Ulala's dancing has improved tremendously recently. She really has soul. It's a wonderful thing to be able to energize people though dancing. I hope she keeps dancing."

"President Peace's voice makes people feel calm. It also has a unique feeling of inclusion that comes from the heart that I really admire. I think his voice is one of Earth's greatest treasures."

In a related subject, there was a interview with Space Michael in the magazine "G.Q.C.Q Spring Quarterly Special Issue", page 49, "Space Michael's Point of View", edited by Nezumi Gray, non-fiction writer, where he speaks more about Ulala and Peace. This is presented below. On the page, Michael's comment "you dance pretty good" is analyzed with a series of photographs and his commentary.

"I've seen many stars over the years. Artists, writers, singers, dancers, performers, conductors and… it's an endless list. And many of these stars don't end their careers without a single moment of success, they live out their careers to the fullest. Except for punk rockers who burn through their brief limelight and dramatically disappear from the stage. There are only a few who can be called stars nowadays. Or rather, few outside of the entertainment industry. A good example would be President Peace, who manages to charm people despite his status; and Ulala, the Space Reporter. Ulala saved me after all (laughs). The singing and dancing energy from the both of them could burn the place to the ground and outshine the moon."

-

Sweet! 89

Toyota

p.094

The Best Dances of Ulala Selected by Space Michael This is the dance Ulala performed in Report 1, during her face- off with Kin, Kon, and Kan. With all the rescued passengers backing her up, and the hype of encountering her first "boss battle," it’s clear she’s pumped up and dancing her heart out. When most force themselves to make precise movements, they usually end up looking stiff and poorly exaggerated. But not this funky gal. Her dance moves are always on point and on fire. It just comes naturally to her.

Tap Tap Tap Clap-Clap Tap Tap Tap Tap!

-

Sweet! 89

Honda

p.095

This dance is from Report 2, right after she rescues Mr. Nervous and President Nervous. Each step feels warm and welcoming, like a gentle hug. She is performing for the Space Primary Schoolers after all. She’s way too cool to be a babysitter, but I think if she were to host a kids' show, the rating would easily exceed 100%. She's just that heartwarming and charming. Her clothes are also on point. The Floral Suit is perfect for this dance, no notes.

Ba Baa Ba Baa Baa-ba Da-na Na-na-na Ya ho!

-

Perfect! 91

Up Down Up Down Up Down Up Down Up Down Toyota Toyota Toyota

#space channel 5 #Space Channel 5 part 2 #Sugoku Sugoi Guide Book #ulala #president peace

[centrally-unplanned]

something it occurred to me to wonder recently and thought if anyone would know, it would be you ;p

when Eva began back in 1995, how much was it anticipated? both narrowly in otaku circles, and more widely among 'people who watch TV in Japan'? as far as i understand the history, Gainax was pretty niche back then and mostly known for dating sim games, but the visual style of Eva is so immediately striking...

like, I know nobody quite realised just how huge it would become, but was there some sort of excitement for a new robot anime from the people who made Wings of Honneamise, Gunbuster and Nadia? or was it a complete surprise?

Hm, good question! I am not super confident in my answer, so my bet is "highly anticipated but not crazily so". Gainax was known but niche, having 'Otaku' success with as you mention Wings and Gunbuster...until Nadia: Secret of Blue Water came out in 1990. This would not have put Gainax per se on the map, as Toho and Group Tac were branded as the primary producers, Gainax as secondary, but it definitely put Hideaki Anno on the map as director. The show was wildly successful, aired in prime-time slots - which, fun fact, meant that its first season airing was interrupted due to breaking news about the onset of the First Gulf War - and Nadia herself became Best Girl in most of the Newtype/Animage style polls of the time until being dethroned by Sailor Mercury in 1992. Nadia was definitely still 'an anime', and it was a kids show in too many ways to be a real breakout. But it was the top of anime of its time, no debate.

Its success is what gave Anno the ability to finance Evangelion, and it meant he was also able to pull a lot of 'big talent' for branding purposes - which ofc was intentional, Anno is no fool. Hiring Usagi from Sailor Moon's voice actress Kotono Mitsuishi to be Misato for example, when Sailor Moon was the #1 anime of 1994, is certainly because of her talent but also because of her buzz, and he has a bunch of hires along those lines to make Eva the "oh man the best of the best are all here" kind of show.

(Again fun fact time - you prob know this one - he also tried to bring Kunihiko Ikuhara, Sailor Moon director, onto the animation staff, and as part of his tactics to woo him named Rei Ayanami after Sailor Mars, Ikuhara's favourite SM character that he famously cosplayed. Ikuhara was alas too busy with wrapping up his time on Sailor Moon and forming Be-papas to make Utena to spare the time)

All this meant that by the time Evangelion was getting ready for its Fall 1995 debut, the cover of the April 1995 issue of Newtype looked like this:

And hey, if you want some evidence of the buildup discussed, the first page of the cover feature starts off in 1990, with a discussion of the impact of Nadia:

Even here, once it transitions to discussing Evangelion, Anno is promising "something anime fans have never seen before". It was a common refrain in all the marketing material throughout 1995, that this show was going to be special. The manga adaption actually began print in February of 1995, as a hype builder. The Evangelion team was putting it all on the line.

Also I love that early concept art - the more gundam-esque pilot suits over the plugsuits would have absolutely been my jam, alas.

(This marketing material is more evidence against the mythical "mid-production pivot" theory that fans in the past surmised about Eva's intended story, but a topic for another time)

Still, this is just marketing - who wouldn't say your show will Change Everything, that is your job as a business! For all the inner-otaku hype and rep, Evangelion was definitely targeted at those otaku, and it wasn't marketed to an all-ages demo with wider appeal like Sailor Moon. Anno even remarks in the interview above it would be more of a 'cult hit' compared to Nadia. It had a Wednesday airing slot (at 18:30, not actually super late - another myth, it just had late night re-runs after its evening air slot), not a great time and definitely not a Saturday evening slot like Sailor Moon.

It was a show that instead grew over its airing and broke out of its slot and genre - its finale got audience ratings almost twice that of its premiere (though these numbers are hard to aggregate over different stations). Its about midway through its run that you start getting those "phenomenon of Evangelion" style articles, and when the ending hits the culture critics start jumping in as well and it becomes a true cultural event, and discussion of the show in mainstream magazines starts happening. That wasn't happening in 1995.

I wish I could say it all culminates with End of Evangelion being released and being the #1 film of the year and all that - but while it did well it got its clock absolutely cleaned by Princess Mononoke, which came out the same week. An honourable defeat at least!

Hopefully this is a good answer! Definitely more to be said on the topic, man this would be a great deep dive project...

#evangelion #anime history #also you had a great reply to my miyazaki walk cycle post and i never got to reply I am sorry -_-

[luxxsolaris]

Victoria's Secret Rebrand and the Selkie example

This is something thats been in the works for over a year now- a lot of commentary surrounding the VS rebrand has focused on largely fatphobic and body exclusive critique which is not the perspective I believe should be taken towards criticism of the rebrand. This discussion will focus on the idea of the 'angel', why people are upset with the rebrand and why people SHOULD be able to critique it

The popularity of Victorias Secret has been declining to the point of near irrelevancy in the early 2020s after years and years of criticism for culturally offensive runways, fatphobia, problems with sizing, and pushing their models into severely disordered eating habits in fear of being dropped as ambassadors over half an inch of fat. Things got so bad for the brand that in 2021 they announced plans to change their concept entirely to a more subdued, low-key, neutral collection showcasing their new ambassadors and shifting focus onto the success of these women as opposed to their body type.

The brand of Victorias Secret has been predominantly centred around the fantasy of the angel- women so ethereally beautiful that brings a developed sense of elegance, seduction and glamour to their shows. Part of this desire to rebrand was to escape this idea of the male gaze and this male centred fantasy created by their runway shows in that these women were designed to be the 'perfect' woman oftentimes forgoing the actual opinions of what women wanted to see from the brand. This is where the critique of the new-wave VS collection begins.

Thousands of people have taken to tiktok to spread the entirely fatphobic rhetoric that the reason there has been such little support for VS even into their rebranding because they have abandoned the original idea of the angel.

This mindset that models for VS must adhere to a specific image of femininity is not only disrespectful to the women currently involved as brand ambassadors but to the very Angels they claim to defend as hoards of familiar VS Angels including Adriana Lima, Erin Heatherton and Bridget Malcolm have all come out and discussed the ways in which their modelling careers have affected their eating habits and body image, with Lima commenting (same article) that she would refrain from eating solid foods for nine days prior to a VS runway show.

To wish for Victorias Secret to be this unattainable display of the peak of feminine beauty and sexuality is to push the women involved to unhealthy extremes, damaging their bodies to the extent of chronic exhaustion and missing periods due to extreme weight loss . The push for body inclusivity was a desire to see beautiful women represented by all body types but also a movement to protect the women already involved in the agency and allow them to be and feel healthy and glamorous.

so what happened to the glamour? The recent 'my wings my way' campaign has received a lot of flack for its sense of casualness, embracing a new kind of natural beauty reminiscent of the pages from a 90s magazine as opposed to the high feminine glamour of the 2010s era. Similarly, the new VS collective underwear release has focused on more neutral, subtle styles with a large range of nude colours to appeal to all skin tones almost identical to the Dove body inclusivity campaigns from 2017.

These concepts are both beautiful in design, but the 180 degree turn from the original concept has left fans wondering if the iconic Look of the brand has been entirely abandoned upon its movement to become more inclusive to age and body type. It's a decision that has subsequently prompted more criticism, this time focusing on the ideas of 'why cant my body be glamorous?".

Why did body and age inclusivity mean that the ideas of femininity, glamour and angelic beauty had to be forgotten? Is VS sending the message that plus sized bodies are not sexy? Is this an attempt to cater to 'what women want' without actually acknowledging what women want (again)?

Natural beauty is a wondrous thing, it's something that everyone possesses and that needs to be celebrated- but thats not the point of Victoria's Secret. Brands are allowed to adhere to a certain aesthetic. Brands are allowed to have a target audience based on selling a specific type or style of clothing. Women appreciated VS garments for feeling glamorous and hyper feminine- what needed to change was the ranges of sizes they carried and the way in which the shows were run (and their intrusive in store measuring lets be real) to ensure that all women of all sizes and ages had the opportunity to experience that high feminine fantasy.

That's where Selkie comes into play. For the past two years selfie has presented absolutely phenomenal spring/summer collections at NYFW with models of differing shapes and sizes- and their 2024 collection featuring their first disabled model (whose name I have not been able see featured in any articles on the runway).

Selkie embodies what people wanted to see of a VS rebrand. Maintaining the essence of who the brand is- for VS as a hyperfeminine, classy and sexy underwear brand- and feeling that fantasy within inclusivity. The strive towards appreciating that all bodies are beautiful should not have to sacrifice the aesthetic of the garments and in such sacrificing the core audience who appreciated and anticipated their designs.

Selkie's work proves that all bodies are mystical and goddess-like and ethereal and embody the fantasy that their audience are attracted to. The angel can be fat or disabled or old and still be angelic. The fantasy of the angel is not held in body type or skin colour or age or ability but in the women who feel it. What was needed of VS was to allow women to feel their angelic fantasy instead of marketing it towards a male gaze through an unrealistic standard of the ideal woman. What was needed was allowing their models to feel beautiful instead of pushing themselves on strict food exclusionary diets to obsessively maintain their weight. Victorias secret needed a rebrand in conduct that didn't sacrifice the identity of the brand. Because let's face it, there was nothing wrong with a glitzy thong.

#fashion blog #fashion commentary #selkie #victorias secet model #Victorias secret #fashion essay #fashion analysis

[middle-earth-mythopoeia]

I find myself in a really tough situation regarding RoP content. I have a lot of respect for you and what you’ve been doing for the fandom recently, and I’d like some of your advice.

There are two youtubers in particular who I follow. One of them is someone who has done a lot of analysis of various costumes in the show and has redesigned them to be much more believable and less gaudy, over-the-top gold leaf on everything. The other is a person who has also done a bit covering the costumes, but who has mainly produced content defending Tolkien against RoP and discussing what the show would’ve been like if it had been done in a way that actually paid respect to Tolkien’s works.

Both of them are people who very much do not support the show, and I agree with them and I think the content that they’re producing is very interesting, especially given how I’m a costume and cosplay person myself and I love content about that. However, with everything you have said about not interacting with the show- not watching fan content about it, not sharing stuff, etc, I’m almost at a loss about what to do here. On one hand, both channels are on the side of Tolkien and against the show and are definitely discussing just how problematic it is on both the level of the show itself (costumes) and the ideas behind it as a whole (and how it betrays Tolkien), but at the same time, they’re just doing more to talk about it and spread it around and garner interest for it.

It’s very late so I’m probably not phrasing all this in the most coherent way possible but I hope what I’m trying to get at is still coming across. Thank you so much for anything you might have to say on this issue!!

Hi anon, sorry it took me a while to answer this. Thanks for the ask! And you didn't phrase this badly at all. I get where you're coming from. I think there are differing views on this issue, and there are many nuances involved, but it's my personal view that talking about the show is not harmful in and of itself.

I hope that people will refrain from watching the show on Amazon Prime (because even if you're hatewatching, it gives the show views, and also gives Amazon streaming revenue), and that they will refrain from giving Amazon positive promotion (that means anything from retweeting the trailers, to praising the show, to buying the merchandise). But in my opinion simply discussing it, and what's bad about it, is not inadvertently helping Amazon.

Some people argue that "any press is good press", i.e. that even when you criticize Amazon, you're giving them publicity. I disagree with that take. Amazon is terrified of bad press, as evidenced by the fact that they've gone to great lengths to counter it, including creating fake Twitter accounts to make it look like Amazon employees are happy with their jobs, and getting multiple TV stations to air Amazon talking points as news in an effort to muffle criticism of the company's abysmal workplace safety practices during the beginning months of pandemic. These are just a few examples.

Now that The Rings of Power is about to come out, there are a bunch of reviews of the show that someone at Amazon clearly paid for so they would make Amazon look good.

Amazon hates bad press. I say we give it to them!

#asks #rings of power #amazon #fuck amazon