#its their job- they're able to act in a show

[your-stranger-halfblood-things]

Mike grabbing the collar of Will's shirt and kissing him softly, the painting dropping out of his hand and onto the floor. "You, Will, you are who I care about."

#i just need this after a fight scene about the painting #probably gonna write another fic like this on ao3 #also for the people who say finn and noah cant kiss- yes they can. its their job #they're actors and also finn and millie kissed so why cant noah and finn kiss #its their job- they're able to act in a show #and its not gross or weird #stranger things #byler #mike wheeler #will byers #the painting #st season 5 #byler first kiss #byler is endgame #byler endgame

[luna-rainbow]

CATWS and its building of stakes

Part of the reason why CATWS was so memorable in its appeal was the way it built the stakes throughout the story. Each of the major characters had something(s) at stake by the final act, and that was pivotal for the plot to sustain its tension and for the satisfaction in its final payoff.

The overarching conflict was the global, existential threat of Hydra getting their mass murder machine up in the air, and the ideological question of what the middle ground between freedom and security should be. But what made the final act so moving was the intimately personal stakes for many of our characters.

There was, obviously, the very personal stake Steve had to surmount in having to physically get through Bucky in order to protect the freedom he was advocating for. But apart from Steve, every other major character was challenged with a personal sacrifice in the final showdown. Nat was faced with having all her covers blown and her past - that she had tried so hard to hide - revealed to the world. Sam was confronted with going back into the field after losing his partner so traumatically that he changed careers. Fury was grappling with dismantling the organisation that he had devoted his life to build. And on the other side, Pierce and Rumlow had invested decades of their lives in an ideology which if successful would install them at the top of the food chain.

There was a great meta from years back talking about how well the movie established the competencies of the characters before introducing threats -- and how we were then able to quickly understand the threat because of how competent we have seen our protagonists be. Every action sequence served a purpose and built upon the previous one.

The Lumerian Star sequence was fantastic in how effectively it established the competence of not just Steve and Nat, but the entire Strike team. Rumlow and Rollins were good at their job; they're not super soldiers or super spies, sure, but they were skilled enough to keep pace with Steve and Nat.

This was an important foreword for the elevator fight, which itself was a pre-requisite for the Causeway fight. We have seen both Steve and the Strike team capable of taking down multiple pirates swiftly, so when the elevator fight started, there was a genuine sense of threat to Steve, even if he would make a quick job of disabling them. Then, after seeing Steve's skills against a very capable Strike team, it became all the more terrifying when the Winter Soldier almost nailed him to a van about 2 minutes into their fight.

On the other side, the Winter Soldier's introduction was an assemblage of horror story tropes -- of unexpected manifestations and impossible disappearances, and urban myths stretching back through half a century. The two characters used to introduce him were extremely competent from what we had seen of them. There's Fury, normally prescient and wily, scraping by a very determined assassination attempt, only to be stopped by the Winter Soldier materialising in the middle of the road...which he escaped, only to be later shot through the wall. There's Nat, normally cunning and cautious, telling Steve of how the Winter Soldier successfully ambushed her, of how his kills spanned 50 years, a logical improbability.

Not only was Steve about to meet the Winter Soldier with the weight of these legends behind him, from the vantage point of Hydra, they were sending out the Asset to meet Captain America with his historical legends behind him (oh look, another narrative parallel). All of this build-up culminated in the Causeway fight. The technical impressiveness of the stunts aside, part of why that fight worked so well was because we have had all these story beats that showed us how capable Steve and the Winter Soldier were, then we see them both genuinely struggle to overcome the other.

We can't talk about the final fight without talking about the emotional stakes, and we can't talk about the emotional stakes without discussing what Bucky means to Steve. We already had the "not without you" and the "I'm following the little guy from Brooklyn"; we've also had the "I don't want to kill anyone" turn into "I'm not going to stop until all of Hydra is dead" and the "I'm just a kid from Brooklyn" callback. This movie added the "even when I had nothing I had Bucky" and the "I knew him" and the "he will (know me)" and of course the "end of the line" exchanges.

But there were also more subtle cues -- that came from Steve's frequent rebuff of Nat's suggestions for companionship, the string of betrayals Steve had to grapple with, and Steve's lamentations of guilt and regret and uncertainty. Steve could not deny that he was lonely, but he had 101 excuses for why he could not make new connections. Steve did not know what he's looking for or why he's fighting or how long he wanted to continue, until he found out what was behind SHIELD and, specifically, what Hydra had done with Bucky.

Even removing the shipping angle, the final showdown between Steve and Bucky was unique in superhero movies, even for a friend-turned-enemy battle. It was not like the fight between Tony Stark and Obadiah Stane, or Peter Parker and Harry Osborne, or even Thor and Loki or Charles and Erik -- because there was no ideological divide between Steve and Bucky. Bucky did not and could not believe in the cause he's fighting for - he simply did not have that capacity for choice. The ideological battle was carried by the other characters - between Fury and Nat vs Pierce, between Sam vs Rumlow, and between the rest of SHIELD vs Hydra.

For Steve, his fight was much purer, dearer, and more heart-rending. The final battle held such emotional significance, not just because he's fighting his best friend, but also because his best friend was an unwilling participant in the circumstances. Bucky was Steve's physical equal, but he's also Steve's shared life experience, his tragically failed mission, his unfulfilled childhood promise, his betrayed faith in SHIELD, and the price that was paid for Hydra to grow under SHIELD's nose. This fight offered closure for all of these narrative and emotional threads.

He was also, once again, Hydra's asking price in exchange for the freedom Steve wanted for the world...and Steve so desperately wanted, this time, for that world to include Bucky.

#bucky barnes #steve rogers #stucky #stucky meta #catws meta #should i have a tag for good script writing? #this is an example of a script that worked #long post

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

#23: “The Miraculous Ladybug Movie May Give You What You Want, but My Show Gives You What You Actually Need! You Don’t Work in Television, so You Wouldn’t Understand.”

I've been running this blog for almost three years at this point, and I've seen Astruc talk trash about various things while claiming his show is better, like Winx Club, Paw Patrol, Pokemon, and Pixar as a whole. I never thought I'd see Astruc act like his show was better than a movie based on his show though.

For those who don't know (and you'd be forgiven, seeing how Astruc has barely talked about it on his Twitter), there was recently a movie that hit theaters based on Miraculous Ladybug called Ladybug & Cat Noir: The Movie. Supposedly, it's meant to be a retelling of how Marinette and Adrien met as civilians and as heroes. While I haven't seen it, it seems to be getting good reception, with some saying it's better than the show it's based on.

Of course, Astruc had something to say about this.

Okay, I sort of get what he's trying to say here. It's hard to compare the experience of watching an hour and a half long movie and a TV show with five seasons under its belt, but at the same time, the way Astruc phrased it still made it seem like he was trying to say the show was the better option because it “gives you what you need”. Nobody was expecting the Love Square to be resolved in a few episodes. Most people at least wanted more stories about the two to be told that don't involve constant padding. Astruc also acts like the Love Square is the only draw for the series instead of, oh, I don't know, the superhero action? You're really telling me they couldn't have tried focusing more on that after resolving the Love Square? I'm just saying, if The Office can continue after Jim and Pam got together, you can at least try to actually write other stories after the Love Square becomes canon.

One user in particular had some things to say in response to Astruc's claims, and you can guess how well Astruc took that.

Again, nobody is saying that working in television is all sunshine and rainbows, Astruc, but just because someone isn't familiar with dealing with network constraints and test audiences, it doesn't mean that they're unable to provide any meaningful criticism.

Also, Astruc is once again using a psychology term, in this case, the Dunning-Kruger Effect, to act like he's smarter than the critics. This man took psychology as an elective in college, didn't he?

But then again, this is coming from someone who doesn't think constructive criticism is a real thing.

Funny how he once again acts like anything that isn't positive feedback of his show is delusional, isn't it?

Eventually, this devolved into Astruc posting a little tangent about how fandoms have only gotten more toxic, which would have been a decent point... it if didn't come after all the things he said about fans not being able to criticize his show.

Again, there's nothing wrong with what he's trying to say here, but it feels less like a critique of how fans have become more toxic with the advent of the internet, and more like he's complaining about how mean people have been to him lately.

And, of course, this led to the usual fare of people calling out Astruc for his close mindedness, and Astruc once again saying how people aren't allowed to criticize his show in any way that isn't blind praise.

And here's the thing. We're still not done yet. This little tangent only warranted more comments about how Astruc handles criticism, only this time, it's also about calling out the people who think they can do a better job handling the show.

First, do you mind giving us an example of what kind of constraints you have to deal with, Astruc? We all know that TV executives suck, but I think we'd have more of a reason to understand your struggles if you actually explained some things that needed to be changed because of executive meddling.

Second, nobody wants a beach episode, Astruc, especially after that one issue of the comic you're choosing to ignore. We just want a more consistent story that doesn't rely on endlessly padding out the Love Square.

And finally, did you just say you have to be French if you want to rewrite Miraculous Ladybug? What does being French have to do with any of this? I remember seeing a little tweet a few years ago suggesting you would be a good choice to write a Superman story, but last time I checked, you aren't American.

Let's review in case you got lost. Someone tweeted that they thought the Miraculous Ladybug movie did a better job at the story it set out to tell than the Miraculous Ladybug TV show, Astruc tried to explain how his show is still good in its own way while justifying how long it's been going on for, he ranted and raved at fans for daring to criticize his team's writing before going on a tangent about how the internet has made people more hostile over the years, and when people still weren't happy with him, he claimed that you could only criticize or rewrite the show if you're an experienced French TV writer like him.

So just keep that in mind, fanfic writers. Unless you're French and have experience writing for television, you don't have a chance in hell to successfully write your own version of Miraculous Ladybug.

#immaturity of thomas astruc #iota #thomas astruc #thomas astruc salt #miraculous ladybug #miraculous ladybug salt

[semisolidmind]

I had a train of thought about your Twice as Bad AU. Started with thinking “what if Peaches had a pet cat back at the village and it could see past the monkeys’ disguise?” Then I thought “wait, would it make more sense for her to have a farm animal as a pet? Like a little pig or goat?” And ended with “well I might not have had a pet if I were her but I’d definitely have a garden. And I would be VERY upset about getting stolen away from it. Even if it’s tiny, those are my plant babies!!!!” I guess all of this to say…what if Peaches had a pet? (As always, I love your stories and your art, Semi! Hope you are having a fantastic day! 🌼🌻🌷🌸☀️)

(pfft. 😆 they'd help her transfer her garden to the mountain if she missed it that much)

so, i think that in the beginning, if reader had a pet during the time that the monkey demons were visiting her as little normal monkeys, things probably wouldn't have turned out much differently. my first thought goes to the "sensing demons" thing. for easiness-sake, we'll say reader has a cat or a dog, since both of these pets have been known to be able to sense the paranormal.

when reader brings an injured, disguised macaque back to her home to patch him up, she has to shut the pet outside because of how crazy they're acting. they won't stop barking/meowing, their fur standing on end, and it's scaring reader's little guest. reader just figures the pet doesn't like a new animal in the house.

macaque knows that the pet can tell he's a demon, but he also knows he can just...make it disappear if it gets in his way, so he's not too concerned about it. when reader opens the door to let macaque go after bandaging him, he quickly gets into the trees. the pet hisses/growls at him from the ground, and he hisses right back. the six-eared demon still wants to see reader, but he'll need to distract the little pest if he wants some one-on-one attention from its mistress.

macaque, knowing that reader must love the stupid thing if she actively keeps it near, won't immediately kill it. so, he uses clones to keep the cat/dog busy in the forest during his visits. wukong, once he starts showing up, plans to just kill the stupid thing. ...what, reader has them now! what does she need this thing for? it's not like it's doing its job all that well anyways; he and mac keep coming back, don't they? overall, wukong doesn't care for the nuisance the pet is being; he's got beef with a cat/dog.

that brought up the idea of reader thinking that something might be wrong with her pet and asking around the village for something to calm them. a friendly old farmer listens to her troubles and warns, "If it only acts that way around those monkeys you're feeding, then perhaps it's trying to warn you, girl."

reader didn't know how right he would be.

#twice as bad au #bad end wukong #i dont wanna say they kill the pet #but reader probably doesnt get to keep it

[thefrontofmymind]

Hi, I really like your Joseph Quinn stories! I would like to request a story where Joseph and the reader are both famous but they are trying to keep their relationship lowkey and private. So the reader is asked on the late late show with James Corden and everything goes really smoothly until they start playing spill your guts and James asks something like "there's been some photos with you and a certain someone" (then a picture of you and Joe getting ice cream and him hugging you from behind goes up) "is it true that you are dating?" and then she admits it because she can't eat whatever disgusting food James picked for her :D Really like this idea, hope you can write it! Thank you!

Salmon Smoothie; Request (Joseph Quinn x costar!Reader)

REQUEST: i have this idea for Joseph x costar reader fic. They've been dating ever since season 4 started shooting but they're really private so only family and friends and costars know about them. They're doing an interview and maybe Noah like accidentally almost spills that they're together so the internet goes wild and starts speculating. something funny and cute

a/n: hope its alright i combined these two requests and changed them around a bit!!! loved them both and i thought they'd work well together! thank you for reading <33

SYNOPSIS: Reader plays Spill Your Guts Or Fill Your Guts on the Late Late Show and has to hide their relationship with Joe

WARNINGS: just gross food, and like a little bit of kissing and that's it

Your romance with Joe most certainly took you by surprise. At a time when you felt most alone–isolated like the rest of the world, he came into your life and swept you off your feet. 

You’d met filming the fourth season of Stranger Things, of which you were a recurring cast member while Joe was a newbie. There was an immediate…fascination, you’d say, from the moment you’d locked eyes at the first table read back at the beginning of 2020. It was new, exciting, and then you didn’t see each other for months while the world went into an all-encompassing health emergency. Though you never forgot about that Englishman with the big brown eyes and the winning smile.

When you were finally allowed to come in to actually film the season, your infactuation remained–thank fuck for that, you thought. You felt grateful that a good portion of your scenes were with Joseph so you were able to spend as much time as you could with him–chatting in between takes and grabbing dinner together after a long, hard day of work.

You’d decided quite early on not to act on your crush on him, it was frankly quite unprofessional and you’d hate to make him uncomfortable–as you’d grown to become quite good friends in the short time you’d been filming, it would kill you to lose that over a passing fancy.

So Joe was the one to make the first move–unknown to you, he was in the exact same position. He thought of you like the sun that lit up a part of his life that had been quite difficult, between the stress of the world, the lack of acting jobs popping up because of said worldwide situation, and simply his loneliness during it all, he was in a pit that you’d dove into to pull him out of. It was pure admiration for you on his end, and that quickly turned into desire, and it was beginning to eat away at him.

He decided to make the move in your trailer, so that way if you reacted negatively he’d be able to leave you and never speak to you again, if that was what you wished. He wished he could’ve had a shot of something before he sat you down with the preface that he ‘had something very important to tell you’.

“So we’ve become very close-uh-recently,” he started, both of you sitting on the sofa in your trailer at the end of the day, back in your regular clothes, but still with the heavy-duty makeup for the cameras on your face. “And I just wanted to tell you…”

He paused, and it felt like a thousand years between the two breathes he took to ease himself into it. You were worried you’d done something wrong, that you’d upset or offended him somehow or he was going to tell you something horrible–you could feel your heart rate begin to elevate.

“I admire you so much, not just as an actor, like the way you’ve been bringing the scripts to life this season has been an honour to watch and work with you….” he rambled before stopping again. He really should’ve written a few dot points to keep him on track. “I’m just…infatuated with you. As more than a friend. And I can’t go through life without telling you because it’s killing me and-”

“Joe?” you interrupted him, cutting him off. You didn’t quite know what to say, so you leant forward, pressing your lips to his. He put his arms around your waist and slightly pulled you onto his lap, before pulling away, smirking into the kiss, still.

“So you feel the same way?” he asked.

“If you have to ask, I don’t know what to tell you,” you joked, earning a small chuckle from him, still with his arms around you so you were right against him. “I like you, Joseph Quinn.”

“I love when you call me ‘Joseph’.” You couldn’t help but giggle a little as he pulled you in for another kiss–the air between you settled and you couldn’t deny how right it felt.

You were lucky there was already a couple in the cast of Stranger Things in Natalia and Charlie, there was a precedent, so you felt almost immediately prepared to let your relationship known to the rest of the cast–after a few weeks of keeping it to yourselves, of course, just to test the waters.

After filming ended, yourself and Joseph went back home, you met each others’ families and friends soon enough, and you felt like any other couple for a time, as hidden from public life as any other regular couple.

That was until the lead-up of the new season, which meant press, and public appearances, and interviews, and the cast being as active as ever on social media. It put you and Joe on edge, you loved being able to love each other without having to deal with any kind of pressure from the media and general public–you were glad you could go out grocery shopping together and no one would really be any wiser to the fact that the two of you met and started dating on the set of one of the biggest television shows this decade.

You’d both been media trained to help with hiding spoilers and whatnot, as well as the rest of the cast, but you still had the feeling that the thread was being primed to pull, and everything was getting closer and closer to unravelling.

It truly didn’t surprise you when it was Noah who let it slip–accidentally alluding to two relationships in the cast, one known and one unknown. With a little bit of sleuthing, fans had begun suspecting that you and Joe were together–the two of you were always very close and were out and about together frequently and somehow they’d manage to find a couple of blurry pictures from inside the season 4 Premiere of you and Joe standing very close, hands intertwined and faces a mere few inches away from each other.

Joe convinced you it would be okay. “They don’t know for sure! We can just deny, deny, deny… And it’ll all be okay, I promise,” he said, as he held you–shaking with anxiety after a particularly bad downward spiral over it.

And it was fine for a few weeks, neither of you mentioned it, Noah also hadn’t said anything, and the rumours began to die down. That was until you were set to appear on the Late Late Show with James Corden to promote Volume 2, including what would be a fun game of Spill Your Guts.

The lights were very bright, which made you begin to sweat–not to be confused with the sweat from your nervous state of mind over the possibility of having to eat cod sperm or something else horrible.

The game began as normal, with James explaining the rules before moving onto the selection of ‘food' on the table in between the two of you; bull penis, salmon smoothie, cow tongue, water beetle, bird saliva, and fish eye. 

You did alright to begin with, avoiding eating the cow tongue by telling James about the time you accidentally poured a drink on Taika Watiti at the Oscars and skipping the bird saliva by half-heartedly ranking your Stranger Things cast members’ music, while making James eat the bull penis and the water beetle.

“Okay this is the last question, ladies and gentlemen,” Jame began, looking to the table. “And I think I’ll let you finish with a….salmon smoothie.”

The stench hit you before you could fully comprehend James’ choice, you couldn't help but gag a little bit. James picked up the final question card, silently reading it to himself, before letting out a menacing chuckle, causing the audience to laugh.

“You may be aware of a rumour your fellow castmate Noah Schnapp started a few weeks ago…” Oh here we go. “That there are two different couples in the Stranger Things cast. Now, we know of Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton, who have been together since 2016-”

“Very cute couple..” you cut in, trying not to let the anxiety you were feeling show on your face, that was as good as letting the whole can of worms out.

“Yes, but the other couple is unknown. There’s been photos-lots of photos-of you and Joseph Quinn, who plays Eddie this season, out and about and seeming very close. It’s a simple question, are you and Joseph together?”

You felt like everything slowed as you thought over your response. You could no longer hear the audience, nor the band beginning to play tense music. You felt bad lying and denying, you couldn’t confirm either…

“Well…Joseph is just such a talented actor and we grew quite close over filming the season…so…” You quickly grabbed the glass and took a hearty sip of the smoothie, immediately regretting it, eliciting a cheer from the crowd as you swallowed and opened your mouth as proof. You gagged slightly.

James couldn’t stop cackling as he ended the segment, telling the cameras that they’d ‘be right back’ with a wink.

A troupe of AD’s dressed in all black approached the table and began disassembling it during the break, while you were corralled to the sofa to get ready for the interview portion of the show. You knew your phone was placed behind the sofa, so you quickly fetched it when you had a spare second to send Joe a text message, wracked with a feeling of guilt for fueling the fire.

‘Hi love, filmings going well but i maaayyy have neither confirmed nor denied the RUMOUR and im shitting it a bit….sorry baby i wasnt thinking xoxo’

You received a reply almost immediately–thankfully since you knew you would have a hard time getting through the interview without speaking to Joe first, to ease your worries if nothing else.

‘Oh darling, dont worry about it! i LOVE you and people can say whatever tf they want it doesnt change that i bagged the hottest piece on the face of the planet xxx’

You laughed at his response, he always knew how to cheer you up and make you feel relaxed. The cameras and microphone operators began getting prepared as James made his way to the small stage to sit behind his desk.

“Who’s got you all giggly and flustered, eh?” he asked, looking over his palm cards and getting comfortable in his seat.

“Oh, just this guy I’ve been seeing…” you teased.

#joseph quinn #joseph quinn x reader #joseph quinn imagine #joseph quinn blurb #joseph quinn drabble #joe quinn

[featherwingfae]

Gonna try to make this a "Quick post".

(warning some light swearing)

Maybe, just maybe one of the reasons we're seeing so many new Therians nowadays is because humans have fucked up the earth so bad that the universe just went fuck it and threw in a bunch of nature brains to balance things out. People who wouldn't just be able to look at the devastation of wildlife and their homes and just move on like nothing happened. Because they can see themselves in those creatures, and it hurts them to know that they are suffering. And maybe if there's enough nature brains, seeing themselves in the withering world around them, then more and more people might stand up and say this isn't right. We need to fix this. And maybe in a human world where one of the most lovely traits of humanity is being able to work together a bunch of nature brains with human faces can make a difference. They say animals can't speak human. Well they can, and are. Maybe Therians are the voices of nature coming out from the wilds, to places and bodies where they're not comfortable, where the air is heavy with pollution and trash litters the ground. And they have to learn weird shit like math, and work exhausting jobs that are often just to pay the bills that allow them to keep surviving. All so that they can see the damage from the other side and better understand the problem and together find solutions to stop it.

I'm not saying humans (and others) can't and/or dont do anything. I'm saying it's harder to do nothing when you look at creatures suffering and see yourself. Empathy is a beautiful thing. It helps connect us. But in a world where almost no one can afford the barest minimum just to survive. Where finding happiness feels like a struggle because you're constantly grinding and pushing yourself beyond your mental, emotional and/or physical boundaries, how easy is it to just shut yourself off. To put on the blinders because you're stuck yourself and you don't feel like there's anything you can do, so why upset yourself further by caring. It's sad. Terribly sad. Soul crushingly, heart wrenchingly sad.

Most people nowadays suffer from anxiety, depression or some other mental illness. And yes those illnesses are more known and understood now, and are more easily diagnosed. But I think the reason we see them everywhere now, is as simple as everyone is suffering. The human world in its current state, is not a healthy place. Fun times are often merely distraction from the crushing reality around us. It hurts to accept how much hurt there is right now.

I'm not saying it's all on the shoulders of Therians. I'm not saying you have to quit your job or your school and run off into the wild picking up every piece of litter and chaining yourself to trees. That's not what this post is about.

This post is about the increase of Therians and my personal hypothesis as to why there's so many now. And it's as simple as this. One Therian does not shoulder all the burden of the earth. Just as one human does not. But if there are Therians in schools, going "hey look at this little/big guy isn't he cute/cool" showing their friends and classmates"it's so sad he's going extinct because his home is being destroyed" , Therians on trails, streets, beaches seeing litter and using just a little bit of their time to remove at least some of it. Therians in stores refusing to buy certain products because of animal cruelty/testing, Therians manifesting/praying to help even if it's just a little bit, Therians on the Internet/TV spreading awareness, Therians in government actually trying to do what's best for the environment and the people, instead of just what's best for their bank account etc etc.

In reference to that horrible math stuff, a million ones together doesn't equal nothing. No matter how small an act it still adds up to something. Therians everywhere means more people who can't forget, who can't move on, who can't just shutdown and hope for the best. People who feel like they have to do something. So they don't eventually see themselves disappear (go extinct).

The universe and the earth can sometimes have a funny way of balancing things out. Maybe Therians are one way to at least try regaining that balance.

I'm overjoyed to see more Therians. Because I feel like more Therians means more voices for nature, and more chances to save this beautiful planet ☺️✨🌍🌎🌏💚

Anyway that's my two cents. Sorry this post ended up being longer than I intended 😅

And now my fascinating and fantastic creatures, great and small, furry, feathered, scaled or whatever-ed, and all others of open mind who took time to read my ramblings, I wish upon you a most glorious day/night. May we all follow our hearts/souls to do what we feel we can for this magnificent planet. ✨

👁️🪽✨🌟🌱❄️🪻🍀🌎🍄🌹💚🌍🌵🌈⛈️🌠🦊🐁💙

Till next time

#nonhuman #nature #otherkin #therian #therianthropy #stop therian hate #alterhuman #alterhuman community #kintypes #Therians For Nature #otherkin thoughts #alterhuman things #faerie kin #fae kin #Fae kin thoughts #Therian love

[crescencestudio]

๋࣭⭑ Devlog #39 | 3.27.24 ๋࣭⭑

Happy March!!

This devlog is going to be a bit shorter, but...... it's for Exciting Reasons that I will share later in the post. heh.....heh.....HEH.....

Let's jump in ^^

This month, writing was mostly dedicated to Etza's route! We have officially entered the Developmental Editing part of Etza's route, which is super exciting!!!

There were parts of Etza's route I wasn't completely satisfied with, so I spent a lot of this month tinkering, adding, fleshing out, editing, etc. for their route. I'm happier with it now compared to where it was when we entered this month, and especially with Wudgey's help, I'm excited for Etza to get the love they deserve!

I had a small, optional goal for myself to start Kuna'a's route, but honestly, I felt like between work with the Enhanced Demo, Etza's edits, and just generally feeling a bit tired after being Super Productive in January and February, I decided to give myself a break. That being said, I'm relatively confident I'll be getting started with Kuna'a's route next month, and I'm excited to dive into their route (and the Fae routes in general, teehee!).

Vui is on the very last of the BGs I need from him..... So I am in mourning.......

Kidding but not kidding. Vui has done an amazing job of putting the backgrounds for Alaris together! They're absolutely stunning, and by the time we get to the next devlog, he will have finished ALL of the BGs for Alaris! It's been about a year and a half in the making, which is kinda crazy to think we have been together for this long (and working on the full game for this long), but it's definitely A Moment.

In celebration of him reaching this milestone, I wanted to highlight some of the BGs he's made for the game! The theme is early morning; some of these BGs are in the demo, and some are in the full game hehe. You'll have to guess the context of the mysterious full game BGs :')

Sneak Peek: BG Showcase, morning strolls around the world of Alaris

I also thought it's been a while since I showcased a CG here. While I don't play on showcasing many of the full game CGs on public devlogs (I do show them on my Patreon!), I wanted to show a little snippet of this specific CG.

Why, you ask? Well, for the OGs, you might remember I showed a sketch of the CG during the Alaris Kickstarter---whenever the hell THAT THING happened.

I finished rendering it now that I got the BG for it, so I wanted to show a peek of that sketch that I showed oh-so-many-years ago.

Sneak Peek: Kayn Full Route CG I want to lick him

Generally for art progress, I've been working on CGs as well as some promotional materials, which I'll be getting to in the next section \o/

Now for the Exciting News!!!!

I have two bits of exciting news. The first is...

Sneak Peek: Selection Screen for Alpha/Beta Access (OUUUUGGGGGHHHHH)

I STARTED CODING KAYN'S ROUTE!!!! The first act is already "done" and ready for beta access. And I'm hoping to finish the other two acts within the next couple of weeks. It is crazy to finally be able to code some of the full game routes. Even if they're not at the "final version" or early access stage, it is Extremely Rewarding to finally experience the scripts I've been writing in the game!!! With the CGs.... Extended Screens..... Just seeing the script with visual assets and not just a Google Doc is SOOOOO FSEIKLFJSEILE

Sneak Peek: Chapter Character Cards (AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA)

The second piece of Exciting News is that I have a release date for the Enhanced Demo. YEEEEAAAAAA. It's finally happening!!! Please stay tuned over the next couple of days...... An Exciting Announcement is on its way...................................

I didn't do much market research this month. If I'm being honest, I actually struggled a little bit this month with like...... burnout and workaholism guilt. I wanted to take a break after getting the demo ready for public release, but I just couldn't bring myself to fully rest. It felt like there was so much to do (not just with Alaris, but also with real world/work obligations) and all these looming deadlines was starting to get to me.

I'm hoping next month because I'll actually be Releasing the demo (oops, sneak peek of general release date teehee!), I'll be able to feel like I can take a break. But it also sucks a bit that I feel like I have to Earn It. I think with Alaris being a Kickstarter project, I want to get the game in your hands as soon as possible, but of course it's not to anyone's benefit if I burn myself out in the process and end up with either a worser project or taking even longer to finish it.

I did...... start Stardew Valley again since it is the ultimate dissociation/break game for me. So far it's been working! But we'll see how it continues <3

LOOK AT MY FARM!!!

Should I marry Sebastian or Elliot.

Anyways, hope you all have a great rest of your month, and I'll talk to you Very Soon with an Exciting Announcement! <3

#alaris #devlog

[oldguardleatherdog]

OLD MACDONALD BOUGHT THE FARM: "Barking and meowing" by students is being banned in a hysterical panic by another ignorant Florida school board. How long are we gonna put up with this insidious nonsense?

I've had it. These nutcases are about to regulate onomatopoeia in elementary school. Don't laugh - it's hiding something ominous, and it's deliberate.

First: If you're in the furry fandom - as I've been for 26 years (longer than the average fur has been alive these days) - TAKE THIS SHIT SERIOUSLY.

If they're actually banning K-12 school age kids from wearing anything animal-themed (yeah, it's that broad) and restricting the sounds they can utter for Christ's sake, you can be sure that the wild-eyed crazeballs chick who runs LibsOfTikTok and singlehandedly caused the wave of library closings over the mere existence of LGBTQ+ characters in books - to the extent that the State of Missouri legislature has defunded the entire statewide public library system! - already has her sights trained on Midwest FurFest, and the lunatics who closed down Boston Children's Hospital with bomb threats are already booking flights to bring the Nazis-with-guns to every furry convention in America by the end of this year, AND IF YOU DON'T GET WITH THE PROGRAM THEY'RE GOING TO BLOW YOUR oWo uWu ASSES OFF!

Enough dicking around, my fellow furballs. You know what to do.

Here's what I posted to Reddit last night - piss-poor metrics for my posts about the Wile E. Coyote anvils over our heads, but my groaners in the r/3amjokes and r/dadjokes subs get 35,000 views. Go figure.

In the meantime, read, heed, and reblog like your life depends on it, because it does:

---

You may laugh at first glance, or shake your head at "Florida again" - but it's a stalking horse for their next milestone: banning student behavior and appearance that to the MAGAs and right-wing nut jobs carries even a *hint* of LGBTQ+, and then - say it with me -

Identifying students who are mature enough to have come out as LGBTQ+ fully or in part (friends, family); those who are known to be "questioning" and on their way to coming out; those who are beginning to identify as other than heterosexual or show "tendencies" or "predelictions", and students too young to be self-aware in those ways but are seen as suspect by teachers and administrators - and then, gradually at first, then quickly and deliberately separating, isolating, and ultimately barring them from access to public education.

Kentucky has said it out loud just this week, clearly, plainly, with no room for ambiguity: "It's time to eliminate 'transes' from our schools."

If you're still on the fence about getting involved with activism and protests to put this movement down for good before it becomes too big to stop - and we still have time to stop it and crush it - do you think they'll stop after just banning kids?

You don't need to have psychic powers or a crystal ball to see what's heading our way. Soon.

You can choose to do nothing - or you can choose to act. One or the other. Simple, plain, clear.

Joni Mitchell once sang, "it all comes down to you," and she was right, of course, but if you listened closely, her meaning was clear then, and applies now - one choice will save you, the other will not.

Only one of these choices has the potential to turn the tide, the clearly visible, quickening, rising tide that's got crazy Jesus in its eyes and a list with your name on it.

I cannot choose for you, of course. No one can.

Last time I looked, this was still a free country.

But if you do not make the right choice - *you*, Constant Stranger, she sang - no one will be able to save you, or us. And the choice is upon us, sooner than we thought, and now.

Time to choose.

#i'll be watching #get with the program #grandpa mutt has seen this before #but i'm just a 61-year-old pup player with AIDS #so go ahead have your fun with me kiddies #you really have no idea what's coming and it's pissing me off now #hey @commonpigeon this is how I'm spending my declining years #hey @baradragon brigade this and stick it up your top 100 #and all you kids think i forgot... hey @thyrell #hey @thyrell - doing well? i can tell by the smell! (i'm not just a grandpa - i'm a poet! ) #hey @thenightmancometh still wish i died in 9/11? i got a wish of my own and Aladdin owes me a favor after i railed him like a Disney princ #now that i've got your attention try getting your shit together and doing some good in the world #queer activism #queer is not a slur #it's a fucking battle cry #animal j. smith #information gladly given #lgbtq+ #normalize furry at 60 #furry community

[antianakin]

@theneutralmime

I think there's probably NUMEROUS reasons fans have for disliking the Jedi.

I think some people might dislike them because before the Prequels came out there was this alternate perception of what the Jedi were/had been that was primarily dictated by Legends which seemingly based them far more on European Knights than anything else, something which clearly appealed to a lot of people and was familiar and fun as an archetype. People became, ironically, attached to this version of the Jedi that they'd grown up with and so when the Prequels came out and they were NOT in fact European Knights with laser swords and magic powers but Buddhist Monks with laser swords and magic powers, it was jarring. So I hear, at least. I had no concept of Legends and I saw the Prequels first anyway, but I'm told this was apparently jarring for people. So it's just a lot of "Well these aren't MY Jedi from my childhood" going on.

And adding to that, I think some people just disliked the Prequels as a whole and so one way to sort-of reinterpret the Prequels in such a way that they felt they could enjoy them more was to decide that their dislike of the Jedi was the intended reading of the film. It's not that they were misinterpreting it or that Lucas had somehow done it wrong, but that the Jedi being unlikable was the whole point. And this is the ONLY way they can see the Prequel films as enjoyable or worthwhile, so they're not going to accept any other explanation. Either the Jedi are supposed to be the bad guys and the films did exactly what they were meant to do, or the Jedi are supposed to be the good guys and the films failed because they didn't get that across TO THESE FANS.

And when you dislike something that much, it's VERY VERY DIFFICULT to turn that opinion around, even after you see other people make arguments on its behalf. As someone who has pretty strong negative opinions about things, I can speak to that from experience. I know people liked the Ahsoka show and even thought it was genuinely well-written and well-acted, I've seen some of their arguments for why they believe that. But none of those arguments are ever going to mean anything to me because my experience of it was so negative that I don't particularly WANT to like it or have my opinion changed. To me, it's just bad. I can't just force myself to understand it differently than I do at this point, even though I recognize other people don't share my opinion.

So some of those people who just had really negative experiences of the Prequel films and the way they depicted the Jedi might just be in a similar position. No amount of knowing other people interpreted it differently, no amount of arguments in defense of the Prequels and the Jedi, no amount of quotes by George Lucas, is every going to take away from the fact that these fans had a really negative experience with these films that will likely always color their opinions of them.

Some other arguments I've seen about why they dislike the Jedi in particular seem to stem primarily from their feelings about Anakin and the way his relationship with the Jedi was depicted in the films. Some of it might come from people having the hots for Anakin and so they just... don't care about anybody BUT him, but some seems to come more from how young Anakin is in TPM and the way it really changed their perspective on this character who had only ever been a villain prior to that film.

I think people saw the Council scene with this fairly small child in the middle of a room full of adults whose job it is to decide his future and really related to his fear and nervousness and defensiveness far more than they related to the Council being put into a difficult position and trying their best to be objective but not unkind. And while you are SUPPOSED to relate to Anakin here to some extent, you're also supposed to be able to recognize that just because Anakin's fears are valid doesn't mean the Council are wrong to see that he's not prepared for this life and that being a Jedi is likely not going to be the right path for him. That second part seems to elude a lot of people because all they see is a scared little boy and so they insist in the same breath that the Jedi stole Anakin away from his loving mother AND that they should've just let him join the Order no matter what. And so when Anakin starts making bad decisions and killing people and being arrogant, they don't blame Anakin for it, they don't trace it back to Anakin's mistrust and dishonesty, they just decide it was the Council's fault for not giving him everything he wanted immediately and causing him irreparable trauma as a result.

People also I think ended up relating a lot more to ADULT Anakin than they do to the Jedi because Anakin is INTENDED to be relatable, he's got all of the character flaws that are causing the entire story to happen, while the Jedi are primarily side characters who have completed their own character journeys and are now there just to guide others. They're the moral compass of the films, delivering many of their themes and messages, but they're not the HEART of the story the way Anakin is. I think this led to a lot of protagonist bias in some ways where they like Anakin and so they just proceeded to come up with every excuse under the sun for why he was right instead of understanding that even though Anakin was the main character and the heart of the story doesn't mean he's not also a cautionary tale of what NOT to do. That's truly it. It's a very long, very complicated fable for children about the consequences of selfishness and greed.

But people these days OFTEN feel like if they enjoy a character then they cannot also be problematic or do problematic things, so if they enjoy Anakin, despite all of the objectively horrific things that he does, then Anakin just cannot be the one at fault for it. It MUST be someone else's fault. And of course the opposite also ends up true where if someone dislikes a character, then they must come up with a reason for why they're problematic to explain it. And thus we also get the Jedi then becoming the scapegoat for Anakin's choices. They didn't like the Jedi, but they liked Anakin, so of course then Anakin was right and the Jedi wrong all along.

And more and more people who see the Prequels this way are the ones creating new Star Wars content, so we keep seeing more stories that emphasize this idea that the Jedi were wrong and Anakin was right. It's obviously in the Ahsoka show, it's in Rebels, it's in Tales of the Jedi, it's in the Cal Kestis video games, it's in the High Republic novels, it's definitely come up in several of the other Star Wars novels, it was (to some degree) in the Sequel Trilogy, and we know it's going to be in The Acolyte. And of course it's just VERY popular in the Star Wars fandom in general. Most fans aren't going to be looking up George Lucas quotes or watching his audio commentaries and researching what he meant by attachment, so they're just going to consume the content that's available and that content at this point is pretty consistently sending the message that the Jedi were wrong and Anakin was right. It's almost entirely inescapable these days. So I don't necessarily even blame most fans for being Jedi critical, I just personally can't stand it anymore.

#star wars #jedi #pro jedi #anakin critical #anti anakin critical

[samcscreams]

Scream VII idea

Open with Sidney Prescott’s babysitter getting killed. However, Sidney is well prepared for this moment. Before Ghostface can get the jump on her and her family. She shows up and flat out kills Ghostface. Sidney gives us the slash to title card sequence. 

Cut to a happy Core Four they're doing well for as well as they can. The phone rings its Sidney looping them in on her nights events. 

Phone call gets cut off. Ghostface takes over. The core four are attacked but Sam is able to get everyone out as an act of self sacrifice she locks herself in with this Ghostface. Its gonna be either her or him and either way this nightmare will end. But here’s the catch, Ghostface doesn’t attack her. No, he escapes out the window leaving Sam shocked and confused as she now has to explain he didn’t attack her. 

This causes suspicion to be cast on Sam causing tension between everyone. Until Tara gets a call. 

Ghostface recall’s her original call and how Tara’a the key. She has to die for all to be right.  For the cycle to end Tara must die. Again core four plus Kirby are attacked. But this time they're two Ghostface’s one of them knocks Sam out but leaves her untouched and someone dies trying to protect Tara. I feeling like Chad would be the best option here as he would be the person to step in-between Ghostface and Tara. After this attack they all realize that Tara seems to be Ghostface’s main objective. 

Tara now want to give herself up as Sam wanted to do in VI. However, this idea is causing Sam to fray at the seams. She doesn’t trust herself in a world without Tara. She can’t live without Tara. Sam shuts Tara down in a dark and demanding voice. Tara recognizes the fear within her sister and backs down. They need a plan so they all hold up together. 

The next call is again to Tara but Sam takes the phone and starts questioning Ghostface. They start to reveal more about how Tara’s the key for Sam to take up her birth right. But before they can reveal any more, three Ghostface’s attack. Sam’s been more on edge with everything going on so she’s much more prepared, more unhinged, and kills one of them and gravely injure another. Sam’s also been taking Tara to self defense classes so she holds her own with Kirby. However, Kirby is injured and had to go to the hospital. 

They can’t help but to think this has to be over. Out of the four masked murders two have been killed and one injured to the point they might as well be dead. But of course it can never be over. 

Tara drawn out and kidnapped. Thus forcing Sam to venture out of her own. Regardless of what she knows is right (to call back up or get help) She takes off on a war path to get Tara back. She’s out for blood.   

Act three starts with Sam entering a building and being jumped by Ghostface. She’s deep into her rage at this point and easily kills this one. Only to take the mask off and realize she has no clue who this person is. Then we jump to the reveal that it’s not a person who’s after them. It’s the cult of Ghostface. They tell Sam that she’s the only true Ghostface and they have been pushing her to except that. They want her to snap and they will die trying as its an honor for them to die by her hands. So it truly doesn’t matter who’s under the mask as they won’t be taking it off. They are Ghostface and everything it represents. They are Billy, Stu, Mickey, Nancy, Roman, Jill, Charlie, Amber, Richie, Wayne, Ethan, and Quinn. The final Ghostface is just Ghostface. 

They reveal that Tara must die for Sam to snap. That Richie and Amber failed because their opening kill survived and if they had just finished the job Sam would be leading them. They’ve been waiting for Sam to snap for her to take the mantle of Ghostface, to be the one to kill Sidney Prescott, to end the cycle. To finish the movie.

Skip to them revealing they also have Sidney kidnaped as well as Kirby, Mindy and Gale. 

All survivors together under one roof surround by a plethora of Ghostfaces. 

They give Sam a choice to either finish her fathers work and kill Sidney or to watch her sister die. 

Sam would burn the world to keep Tara alive. They know this so she puts on the mask. She cracks. Gives a beautiful villain monologue (respectively taking the place of a regular killer reveal) 

But of corse it’s all an act. Sam unties Sidney. Working together. One Prescott one Loomis. To heal the cycle. Not finish it. They all work together in an epic blood bath. Effectively killing the ghost faces. Some will die and be injured not sure who. But it will be all vs all since there are no rules in a finally. 

In the end Sam fully embraces who she is. Even with being pushed to take on the mantle with her sisters life on the line she stayed true. She isn’t her father but sometimes she can be to keep them all safe  and she’s okay with that. 

They all finally get to walk off into he sunset. For now until some executive somewhere goes lets reboot Scream again. 

The End. or not Idk.

#I feel like this could be a cool way to include everyone with still having Sam be the center of the movie. It ends character arcs. #I also got the idea from the original Scream 3 idea. Super meta in a way! #sam carpenter #tara carpenter #chad meeks martin #mindy meeks martin #kirby reed #gale weathers #sidney prescott

[anamericangirl]

The most frustrating part of the discussion about drug shows, LGBTQ, pedophiles, and kids is how quickly leftists will change the subject to religion.

1: This drag queen who does a reading hour was found with CP on his computer.

2: There are pedophiles in churches too!

1: I'm aware of that. If there was a pedophile priest I would bring it to your attention too. I'm not talking about something that happened years, or months ago or any hypothetical pedos who still haven't been caught. I'm talking about what was reviled this morning.

2: You Christians are always demonizing poor LGBTQ people, making them look like they're after your kids. Deal with pedophiles in Churches first!

1: First of all, it's not only Christians who have problems with kids being taught LGBTQ and Drag Queens. Those things are obviously sexual. Talking about who you prefer in bed. Talking about changing your privet parts. ''Feeling'' like another gender. It confuses kids! That's why there is so many LGBT youth who later regret transitioning. Second of all, we are dealing with all kinds of pedophiles everywhere at the same time. There is no ''deal with it first''. There always be another one of these people. If we're only allowed to talk about pedophiles in LGBT spaces after we deal with pedos in Churches we will never get to talk about it. And even if by any chance we did succeed there would be no telling because of all the hypothetical pedos that can still be there. Also, why do you only bring the Christian religion? What about other religions that don't support LGBTQ? And what about religions that practice marriage between children and adults, actually, plain to see pedophilia?

2: So you're not only homophobic but also racist!?!

1: Religion is not a race!

2: Here, I found an article about a pedophile priest just a day ago. I will vandalize local Churches which have nothing to do with this guy.

1: What? Why? How will it help? If you're worried about children being abused why don't you just observe people around them and look for something suspicious?

2: The unfortunate truth is there always be pedophiles where kids are. Predator follows its prey. I don't think they go out of their way to work at a senior home instead of a school. Speaking of which there is much more pedophile teachers. Will be just as passionate about getting rid of them from schools as you are about getting them out of Churches?

1: I don't want to get rid of them from the Churches. I want Churches and Christianity gone.

2: By that logic, should we get rid of public schools?

1: I don't care about logic. I care about feelings, MY FEELINGS regarding hating anything Christian and loving anything ''progressive''. I use children to guilt trip you into agreeing with me.

A pedophile is a pedophile! Stop protecting them because they belong to your group! It makes that group look terrible.

That's a pretty solid break down of the problem here. Instead of just acknowledging the pedophiles in their own group when they are discovered they just deny, deny, deny and immediately just turn it onto christianity for some reason and find a news article about someone child molester from a church as if that makes a point against the pedos in their own camp.

And the thing is we're not even denying that some people in the churches are pedophiles. There are pedos everywhere and what we need to do is remove them, not act like they aren't there or just shrug and go "well I found one in your group too!!" Uh good job?? Let's get rid of them both.

Instead of trying to find who has more pedos we should just be able to unite on expelling them. Not denying the problem and trying to shift the focus elsewhere.

#anon #answered

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

You know, I find it funny how MLB thinks just having those fairytale parallels is enough to warrant praise, without actually using them to explore the characters.

Using one of the examples you listed in the finale review, Ever After High took the concept of fairytales and used it to explore the characters in interesting ways. Raven outright rejected the fate people decided she should have, instead choosing to write her own story and use her magic for good. Briar HATED her story, as she knew that while she would sleep for a hundred years, her friends would all be dead when she woke up. Duchess was envious of the others, as her story was doomed to end in tragedy as the next Swan Princess…

I could go on for days. The writers of EAH used the basic concept of fairytales to create genuinely compelling characters and discuss topics like autonomy, existentialism, being your own person vs what everyone wants you to be etc. But MLB just- throws these metaphors in on a surface level and then claim that they’re reinventing the wheel. It’s so infuriating.

Again, fairy tale references and deconstructions can work if they're done right (Go! Princess Precure does a great job with this for example), but the problem with this show is that all it does with that idea is compare the story to a fairy tale without really having anything to say about the tropes commonly associated with the genre.

The idea of comparing Marinette to a knight isn't a bad one, as you could argue that superheroes are the modern day equivalent to King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, but the whole knight idea is just to make Marinette look like a knight, not have her follow the code of chivalry knights are known to follow. Making Adrien the "damsel" is the bigger problem here. When he was compared to the princess, it was just to portray him as helpless and in need of saving... while the fairy tale visual in "Gabriel Agreste" shows him wearing a dress while Marinette wears a suit of armor.

In other words, this show that's trying to be empowering to girls, is essentially associating feminine traits with being weak, while the character supposed to be the female role model girls look up to is only able to get the job by acting like a man. This is why this show needs more than one female writer on the crew.

Maybe I'm overthinking things because I'm not a girl, and therefore, don't see things the same way, but to me, it comes across like the writers only cared about how cool things looked rather than actually diving into what something like this symbolizes. You know, the thing Ever After High has gained a lot of praise for with its discussion of fairy tale tropes?

#immaturity of thomas astruc #iota #miraculous ladybug #miraculous ladybug salt #marinette dupain cheng #ladybug #adrien agreste #cat noir #chat noir #not miraculous ladybug

[tobiasdrake]

Okay, let's see what this village has to offer. NO I AM NOT SHIRKING MY RESPONSIBILITIES SHUT UP

Some of which are moving. Are these things alive?

Awww, they're adorable. I want to take one with me. On a scale from 1 to 10, how big of a blasphemy would it be for me to take one? Are we talking "occasional passive-aggressive remarks from the local priest" or "struck down by a bolt of divine justice from the heavens" here?

Is that "change" as in the transformative process of one thing becoming another? I don't know why but for some reason I was thinking like "spare change". Like this was the god of pocket currency.

I realize now. How stupid. That probably is. But that is what I thought.

Wow, there is a lot going on with this guy. Showed up out of nowhere one day and spread a global curse in order to motivate people to come beat the shit out of him. This reeks of barely knowing the important details of a complicated situation.

So this is really her quest, and we're just along for the ride. Got it. Kinda makes me wonder why she isn't the main character but I digress.

Wow okay so I really am just along for the ride. I'm here for shits and giggles. An optional companion picked up along the road with no actual stake in anything going on. Alright. Good to know.

So that's the place, huh? I like how everything that's frozen in time turns pitch black. It's a neat visual effect given the stylistically limited color-scale.

Not sure how this is gonna work. If the place is frozen in time then are we going to become frozen in time when we step inside of it?

No, I don't think that's how the metaphysics work out. There's a frozen woman in town whose wife made a pretty necklace to put around her neck, and she was able to touch her frozen wife without being frozen herself. So it's not, like, contagious or anything.

We should be fine.

To be fair, it's the House of Change. The from-what-I-can-tell central religious authority on a belief system modeled entirely around change.

Not all change is good. If the purpose of our faith is a reverence for change itself as a principle then we must understand that both kinds of change, both for the better and for the worse, are nonetheless forms of change. In a sense, by becoming twisted into the structure we see before us, the House is itself continuing to fulfill its central purpose.

Of course, the time freeze is itself anathema to the House's main function. By definition, something that is frozen in time can never change, and therefore the House can no longer demonstrate its purpose.

Then again... would it not be demonstrative of the House's purpose if the House's purpose itself were to change? Thus, by ceasing to be the House of Change and instead becoming the palace from which all time will freeze, the House of Change could be argued to be embodying its own principles to the most extreme degree.

Of course, by the same token that lets us argue that the King is acting as arbiter of Change, it remains true that we will be acting as arbiters of Change when we kick his teeth in tomorrow and undo the time freeze. Change as a concept carries no moral component.

...

I'm sorry, I should probably be having this conversation with Mira. Have a good day, ma'am.

Oh, this must be the shop. Alright, I have a job to do in here.

There she is. Ahem.

WHAT'S UP MADAM CROCOLICIOUS, HOW'S LIFE!?

......

Odile. A very respectful "How do you do this afternoon, Madame Odile?" to you or whatever.

More than that, I am here on a very important mission:

Explain to me how you came by the title of Madame and what I need to do to have a cool title like that. I'm super jealous.

Yeah, I've been thinking on that. A bit rude. If the King's goal is to freeze all of time then it seems hypocritical for the Sadnesses not to be frozen in time.

Then again, I may just be misremembering some details of how Sadnesses work. I'm still groggy.

Right! Right. That's my job in the group. I'm the trap guy. It's my job to step in the trap because my reflexes are the sharpest. Plus I have no stake in this so I'm super-expendable. Got it.

Okay, so I'm the Trap Pincushion and you're on Bestiary duty. That makes sense. My Pocket Notes said you're a researcher, so this is all clicking.

Is your field of research vagueness itself? Are you studying the psychological effects of an unexplained curiosity among a test body of people? Posing your field of research as a riddle for the sake of examining the behaviors that the riddle manifests in the rest of us?

...

Or is this just really funny to you? Because I can see either being plausible.

That'll be fine. I found a killer patch of grass for snoozing. I can probably just sleep there and let the rest of you bicker about the beds.

I mean. Worse comes to worse, we can always play Rock Paper Scissors over it.

Alright. One down. Back to pokin' stuff.

( 'O' )

IT'S PERFECT

YOU ARE GOING TO GROW UP TO BE AN INCREDIBLE ARTIST

I will store this with my Pocket Notes so I never forget what my team looks like. That sounds like sarcasm but it is in fact a valid concern. Thank you so much, you brilliant and talented child!

#in stars and time #drake plays in stars and time

[theabigailthorn]

I was curious, because I know nothing about acting in professional productions. When you say you can't say anything about what you're working on, not even a title, or who you're working with -- why is that, from a business perspective? Like, if you were in the new James Bond, I could get why you might not be able to say you ARE Jamie Bond, but why can't you say "oh I'm going to be in a new spy thriller/in a movie" etc? Or with your play, you were like "I'm working on something but I can't tell you" -- why couldn't you say "I'm working on a play?" I can't imagine something that vague is "spoilers", so do the studios think it will ruin demand? Or is it in case you or the production doesn't end up working out?

It's partly the last thing. But mainly it's because studios spend a lot of money on marketing, which is to say they spend a lot of money on controlling how people perceive their product. And fair enough! The last thing they need is the details being leaked in an uncontrolled manner.

It's also a professional courtesy thing. Part of being a professional is letting other people do their jobs and not causing problems for them, right? So I'm the acting department - I turn up, I act my bit, I go. The marketing is the marketing team's job. They don't come down to set and start telling me how to act, so I don't market the show unless it's on their timeline and in the way they've decided it's best to do.

Now I think there is an interesting conversation to be had about social media and publicity: I think a lot of studios aren't using their actors' social media presence to its full potential because they're still a bit old fashioned in the way they view marketing. A good marketing department will make sure the actors (especially the ones with big social media followings!) have all the assets and branding guidelines they need to market the show effectively when it's time to do it! I remember the BBC were especially good about that with Ladhood: they told me well in advance what the embargo date was, what links to use, what I could and couldn't say etc.

[asmallmoon333]

What do you think Light would be if not a detective?

I like to think Light would become an idol after getting scouted, then go into acting with the goal of using his newfound fame for activism. Very, ah, unlikely, I know. But its a fun thought 🙈

What's your non-detective career for Light?

Okay!! This is a fun question and I've been turning it around in my head for a couple days lol. Apologies in advance, my brain took this not as "what do I think/like" but as "how would I write this" and boom, I ended up overthinking it and making a couple of AUs....again. Hope it's at least amusing!

Actor AU. I actually really like this AU, entertainment-industry!Light sounds really fun, and I don't think your idea is unlikely! Now I don't see him as the sing-and-dance type of idol, but a model and then actor? Yup, I can see this, and I think it would be really fun to explore Light's propensity to live in an act, and make that not only his daily life, but also his career. So the way this AU would start is fairly simple: he'd be walking, and some famous person, probably Misa, would be doing a public shoot. The male lead doesn't show, so she'd point Light out in the crowd and make the crew add him to the shoot as her boyfriend. The photographer wouldn't protest cause Light is handsome, and MisaMisa is a beloved idol, so why not play along? Light would be annoyed but would also play along cause he's a 'nice guy' (and also cause they'd pay him, so easy money.) Plus they would promise not to reveal his face, which is key here. In Light's mind, it's an ego boost, so why not? But, of course, the pictures do get out, showing his face and 'devoted boyfriend act,' they're well received by the public. So now Misa won't shut up about him in interviews, starts to insist they're dating, and Light gets some small fame. He's the 'prince type,' and when Misa moves into acting movies, she wants him to have a role, and they give him something small. Light kinda doesn't want to, kinda does, but is mostly annoyed by the 'small role' thing and wants to show them he can do any 'stupid acting job.' And so he does do it, and plays the role very very well, and from there he gets popular. Light starts an acting career, he does it part-time alongside Uni (which is too easy for him, so he'd bored and has free time lol). The acting jobs also pay very well which is his main concern, since they'd help him get his own place. He also finds he doesn't hate it; it's more interesting than tutoring jobs at least. By this point, he's been typecast as the romantic male lead character or the second male lead, a prince type. Acting is easy for him, he knows what emotions to put on, and so the jobs are pretty easy for him while also building his fame. Eventually, he does this more full time as the roles get bigger, and as you said he also always speaks up for Just Causes in interviews. (to both build his reputation, but also to justify it to himself that he's going this for a 'good reason'). Light developed got a very clean public image, while in the background he's experienced enough shady things in the industry that he learns how to handle it and gets good at buring his opponents. He sees it as an interesting bonus to acting, lol. Now, here's where the AU gets fun; Light grows bored of generic romance movies, and eventually picks up more complicated scrips. Historical dramas, thrillers, etc. These are more challenging, more interesting, and he soon realizes he can slowly start letting his 'real' self out for the first time in his life, shocking the viewers with his 'realistic acting' in much darker media and roles. Then he'd revert to his good-and-humble prince self in public. He'll be known as a genius actor with a great personality. While internally, he'll also get catharsis by playing darker roles and exploring the emotions he was never able to in his daily life. The act becomes the truth, and the truth the act. It's a cool reversal! (Bonus points if L one day sees a darker movie of his and is watching very intently and goes "......he's not acting." And gets interested in Light. Boom, I shoved lawlight in there too!)

Politician AU Okay, now for a darker career path for Light, another AU that I really like to think about: Politician Light Yagami. But this one is actually not a 'If Light wasn't a detective' AU, it's one that takes place years in the future, after the detective bits. In this AU, Light did go to the NPA, climbed the ranks, and eventually he achieved his canon goal of being Director of the NPA. Probably in his 30s, a stupid young age, and everyone is in awe. And Light likes it for a while, he enjoys the power, but then he stats to slowly come to terms with the fact that crime is not the real enemy, its politics. That he can't fix the real problems just by getting rid of the symptoms (criminals) but that it's the sickness itself he has to eradicate. Light gets jaded over the years here, his 17-year-old naivety is gone, and he finds even the Director of the NPA has to bow down to other people (which he hates). But he tells himself it's cause he still doesn't have the power to enact real change. But, most characteristic of all? Light is bored, probably gets there within 3-5 years as the Director. It's boring now, he's reached the top, found it to be unsatisfying, so...now what? Another 20 years of this? Nope! Now, I don't know anything about the Japanese political system, but I know that Light Yagami, using his position as a political basis, would then run for some type of public office. He'd hand the NPA to a puppet he cultivated, and move on to more powerful positions, climbing higher and higher. His hands would get so dirty, and he'd do some truly horrific things, but in true Light fashion, he'd justify it as being 'for the greater good.' After all, the system is corrupt, and Light is "the only one who can fix it," and only by temporarily playing by their rules can he take charge. Or so he tells himself. But really, Light just lives for the thrill; the political enemies to outsmart, the people to set up, the 'bodies' to climb over, he lives on it, even while always telling himself it's for the greater good. And to his credit, he does make positive social changes (he needs social support in politics, after all) and he develops a great reputation in both his offices, and as his stint as head of the NPA (since crime went down in his hands.) People trust him, voters like him, and he looks great on a newspaper or magazine cover. He's also very clean politically, because no one can pin him down for anything. Only his fallen opponents know the truth, but even they doubt it sometimes. In this AU Light Yagami would climb to the greatest social position he could get in Japan....only to eventually realize that the victory of that bores him, too. So he'd have to come up with new goals, new methods, and maybe he'd even turn his eyes on neighbouring countries that are "chaotic" and "ruining his perfect vision of the world." (Let's squeeze L into the AU here, cause someone has to stop Light from starting World War 3.) Not sure how this would all end, but history would remember him as either a revolutionary, or a terrible dictator. The type of politician no one ever wants to see again.

And, well, there you go!! Two career paths that I can see Light pursuing, and best of all two stories that I think would be interesting to see unfold! Thank you for the fun question!

#lawlight #(kinda lol) #light yagami #death note

[eryiss]

[Fraxus] Multifaceted- Part 3

Or: The 5 Times Laxus Learned of a New Skill Freed Possessed, & The 1 Time He Fell Victim To Them

Summary: For the rest of the world, it had been seven years. For the members of Fairy Tail it had all been in the blink of an eye. But, for Laxus, that was more than enough time for his closest friend to seem like an entirely new person. This self assured, competent Freed was something new to Laxus, and he found himself enjoying it. Perhaps a little too much… Note: Chapter Three, perhaps the most self indulgent of them all. If you want to see Freed's performance, it’s inspired by This Video. Hope you enjoy.

Links: Ao3, Part 1, Part 2, Part 4

3: Dancing

"I can dance, if that helps."

Freed had said it so impassively that the team had almost dismissed it. They knew Freed could dance - he'd been the only one able to lead Erza in a waltz after all - but there was a difference between holding your own in a ballroom and contending with the cast of the Royal Fiore Ballet Society.

Laxus almost had ignored him, but the words lingered. Freed was a cocky son of a bitch at times, but he did know his skills and wasn't the type to brag needlessly when a mission was involved. If he had mentioned it during planning, then he had a reason.

The guild had been contacted by the Ballet Society. Their chairman had been sent a slew of threats by a supposed auditionee who had been rejected and wanted revenge. Initially the society had dismissed them, but the threats started to become more and more specific, and had been narrowed down to one specific night. Apparently on the final night of its first week, the show would 'suffer something it would never come back from'. Fairy Tail had taken the job, and the Raijinshuu had been tasked with keeping the piece on the night.

Bickslow was patrolling the theatre, acting as one of their security. Laxus and Evergreen were playing the rich, young couple on a night out. Freed was on stage. Dancing.

"You look nervous," Ever commented, leaning in as if sharing a quiet flirtation. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Laxus dismissed.

"Tell me," Evergreen pushed, looking over the small bar they'd been directed to before the show began.

"Forget it," Laxus tried again, and Ever's glare cowed him. "It's just, this sounds so stupid, but I'm nervous for him. I want him to do well. Don't want him to mess up."

"I get that. But he'll be fine; they made him audition, had him rehearse for five weeks, and gave him the most complex role in the show. They're confident he's good," Ever slipped a finger into the buttons of Laxus' tux, tugging him closer and pecking a kiss on his lips. It wasn't the first time they'd kissed during a mission - often they played the couple when needed - but it always felt weird. She then moved to press a kiss to his jaw, which was followed by a whisper. "But he better not be too good; lord knows you don't need anything else to moon over."

"What's that mean?" Laxus demanded, pulling back.

"'Oh, he's such a good chef. He cooks for me every night. He could work in any restaurant in the city.' Blah," she forced a wince, but the mischief in her eyes shone. "And then of course there's the lightning bolt you won't let out of your sight. Except on missions. Where d'you put it again? In a safe deposit box?"

"The bedside table," Laxus grunted.

"Ah yes, the bedside table you share with Freed, which I suspect is next to the bed you share with Freed."

"We don't share it that way. We alternate."

"For now," Evergreen teased.

Laxus didn't have a response to that, for two reasons. One - the main one really - was that the small bell rang and they were called to take their seats. The second reason was that, if he kept up this conversation, he might let it slip where his crochet actually was. Because, rather than tucking it away in the bedside table, he'd taken it on the job and bashfully handed it to Freed, pathetically explaining that maybe it would bring him some luck.

Dammit, Freed had smiled at him and taken it. Why the hell was he smiling so much since they got back? He had to know what it did to the people who saw it. The squirmy, messy feeling that it evoked. He was doing it on purpose, just to mess with people. Sadistic bastard!

Once seated, the show took a little while to start up, and Freed did not show up for the first act. This was expected. His role, though technically demanding, was only in one scene. It worked well for the mission, allowing Freed to have a near uninhibited run of the backstage without having to flitter between being on stage and not. His role was also seen as one of the most important parts in the show, and likely when an attack might take place, so he would be in the middle of things should they go wrong. It had worked out rather well.

Laxus had almost relaxed into his mission mindset, looking anywhere and everywhere for signs of attack, by the time Freed showed up. When he did, Laxus' jaw almost dropped.

Freed looked magnificent. Insane, yet magnificent.

The show was Alice in Wonderland, and Freed played the Mad Hatter. In a pastel shaded suit and tailcoat, and a ramshackled tophat, he sprung from behind a curtain, twirling the hat around. His hair had been dyed: green turned to white, which turned to a shower of faded pink. His expressions were that of a constrained, manic madness. His movements were fluid yet sharp, well practised and perfected.

With every fast step, the soles of his shoes rang through the theatre in sharp taps. The dance was a blending of ballet and tap, something even the best of dancers struggled with, and Freed made it look easy.

Oh, god. The way he moved his hips, without warning nor need. Could he always move like this? Was the mad hatter meant to be a seductive character? Surely not.

The dance moved on faster than Laxus could take it in. There were three other dancers on stage alongside Freed, and yet Laxus couldn't take his eyes off him, no matter who the focus was meant to be on. He was just so majestic. So relentless. So good.

He spun another dancer around, holding her far too close then letting her slide below his legs. Then he spun her away and was on his own again. Another dancer took hold of him, and in a moment his leg was extended so high that his foot was above his head, Laxus shifted in his seat. Freed was flexible enough to make that look simple, and Laxus felt the slightest stirring at that revelation.

Dammit, did they have to make the pants so snug? Laxus could see where his thick thighs ended and the curve of his ass began anytime the tails of the coat flew up.

Far too soon, it was only him on stage. With the spotlight on him and the music nearing its conclusion, he spun on his foot, managing at least ten twirls in three seconds. His tailcoat and his hair swirled around him, beautiful and magical. He was a seductive lure as the song reached crescendo. He struck a pose, then left the stage with exaggerated movements entirely in character for the person he'd been playing.

"Wow," Evergreen whispered.

"Damn," Laxus agreed, because no other words came to mind.

——

Laxus met Freed at the stage door, after the rest of the cast had gone.

The mission had been a success, even if Laxus had entirely forgotten about it the moment Freed had stepped on stage. Thankfully, Bickslow had managed to remain professional, hunted down the wannabe attacker, hypnotised him before he could do anything, and marched him off to the local police station and forced him to confess. All this had been explained in a Lacrima message, which ended with an instruction to enjoy the rest of the show. Laxus and Ever had done so, and once it had been done, Ever promised to sort everything out so Laxus could meet up with Freed.

Well, she'd actually said she'd done it so Laxus could 'pathetically moon over Freed like a love stick moron' in person, but Laxus had resolutely ignored that and took the excuse to offer congratulations to his friend.

Freed had been magnificent. There were no other words. After Freed's dance, Laxus had taken more care in watching the rest of the show, and it was filled with flawless performers. Freed hadn't once felt out of place. He had earned his place in the show even if he hadn't obtained it in typical means.

"Oh," Freed halted slightly as he left the building and saw Laxus waiting for him. "I expected you'd be gone by now."

"You kidding me?" Laxus scoffed, then looked Freed up and down. He was in more normal clothes, and if it weren't for his still dyed hair, he'd look no different than normal. But Laxus saw an almost entirely different man. A man who had always been there, but laxus hadn't seen. Or hadn't been looking for. "Freed, that was…"

"I was out of time once or twice, and my leg work was sloppy for the first thirty or so seconds," Freed filled the gap Laxus' wordlessness had caused. "I could blame it on being vigilant of the crowd, but I just lost the beat."

"Freed you were fuckin' incredible," Laxus snapped. "You had five weeks to train and you held your own against people who've worked their whole lives for this. Be arrogant about this. You deserve it."

Freed smiled a little. "They did make a comment that they might contact me should their regular Hatter actually fall ill. Jesting, I'm sure."

Laxus was no judge of dance skill, but he had a feeling that wasn't a joke as much as it was them trying to suss out Freed's reaction to the chance of dancing more often. "If they call you, say yes," He demanded, and Freed laughed. "Promise me."

"Laxus-"

"Promise me, asshole. You clearly enjoyed doing it, and they'd be lucky to have you, so promise me."

"Fine, if the most prestigious dance company in the country wants my help, I'll do it."

"Good, I'm gonna hold you to that," Laxus huffed slightly, then jerked his head towards the Main Street. Freed dutifully walked the few steps down so he was side by side with Laxus. They walked for about three minutes before Laxus halted and glared at Freed. "I mean, when the hell are you gonna tell me how you know how to do any of that? Because it's been nearly two months and I'm starting to get pissy that I don't know."

"That only makes me more inclined not to tell you," Freed hummed. Laxus didn't let his glare up, and Freed averted his gaze. "You left your headphones when you were removed from the guild. They were at my house, I don't remember why. I had a lot of time alone - I didn't take jobs in the early days; I felt like I was taking them from more serving people, you see - so I started to listen to the songs you had saved. I had a lot of energy as I wasn't working, and one way to get it out was to listen to some music and start dancing. There was no skill to it, of course. I'm not going to pretend bobbing around the house led to that," he gestured to the theatre. "But, I enjoyed moving in that way, and found a few books on dancing, and started to practise."

"You're telling me that you can go toe to toe with the most talented people in their field because you read a couple of books on dancing?" Laxus laughed, because with anyone else that would be as ridiculous as it sounded.

"I've always been fastidious with reading," Freed shrugged. "Although, the five weeks of intensive training might have helped, just a smidge."

"You think?"

"As I say, just a smidge," Freed smiled, and Laxus pushed him to the side. Freed staggered slightly, but it was all too easy to pair the laughing man beside him with the dance aficionado from earlier.

"You're one of a kind Freed," Laxus said as he wrapped an arm around Freed's shoulders. Freed let him. "One of a fucking kind."

#Fraxus #Freed Justine #Laxus Dreyar #fairy tail #fanfic #writing #multichapter #canon compliant #Word Count: 2k