#truth be told this was really fun

[odetoscavengers]

the humble spoonbill

#femurs art #sfw furry #furry art #spoonbill #roseate spoonbill #i think im really funny making the spoonbill shrimp back #i would apologize that all ive been making are these quick furry doodles but truth be told im not sorry theyre fun to make

[chirpsythismorning]

Why I Don’t Experience Byler Doubt

It’s simple. One of the most essential techniques in storytelling: Show, don’t tell.

Show, don't tell is a technique that allows the audience to experience the story through actions, words, subtext, thoughts, senses, and feelings rather than exclusively through the creators' exposition, summarization, and description.

Even more importantly (assuming we want to enjoy ourselves bc this is supposed to be high quality entertainment), it adds drama. Rather than telling viewers what's happening, a filmmaker will use this technique to show drama unfold. 'Telling' is factual and avoids detail; while 'showing,' is detailed and places the human subject at the centre of the drama.

This technique is literally playing out in the narrative when it comes to Mike’s inability to tell El he loves her (or even simply write love Mike in his letters), which he never would have had to tell her (spell out) in the first place, if he had just shown her that he loved her.

It’s no fun having to spoon feed your audience. Instead, it's much more enjoyable for the storyteller to present the truth in the details, even sometimes contradicting very basic assumptions that are being outright told. Hence why, for example, when the Duffers were asked about the Vecna reveal, Ross used the opportunity to go on a mini tangent: 'the best twists are ones that you go, “Oh, I should have seen that coming.” As opposed to the twists that go, “Oh, well that just came out of nowhere.” So, “Oh, I missed these clues along the way.” But you get nervous when you’re writing it because you go, “Well, to me it seems obvious--'.

In fact, Show, don't tell is what largely allows surprise revelations to hide in plain sight. Because obviously, if a writer just tells their audience everything that's happening while it's happening, we would always see what's coming next.

And so the problem I have with downplaying or even completely refusing to acknowledge the importance of Show, don't tell, in the case of Stranger Things especially, is that, in order to comfortably subscribe to what is being told, I have to ignore what is being shown.

We see this play out all the time on Reddit in particular, which if I'm being honest is the only platform at this point that treats mere speculation about Will and Mike's relationship as if it is the end of the world. On the rare occasion the mods don't remove a byler related post, the post is either already negative towards byler or the comments are filled with fury over the poster simply thinking critically by speculating about byler. Even if you manage to get a fan over there in the comments to consider certain evidence pointing towards byler as incriminating, they'll still manage to end it by downplaying the Duffers and their abilities, because 'They're not that smart!'...

They'll ask for evidence, be presented with it, only to insist that it's all reaching because details mean nothing and everything about the show is actually just surface level, ie. it's not that deep.

Without even realizing it, they're low-key admitting that going the byler route would be smart, and yet here they are tirelessly defending a show that, according to them, has shit writers and no deeper purpose. All this does is prove that they are hoping this is the case. Because even despite being presented with strong evidence that the show might very well be epic, they would rather reject it altogether.

They would rather have one of their favorite shows suck and defend it religiously, then consider the possibility that it's good and gay...

Don't get me wrong, there are definitely fans on reddit that don't hate byler. I imagine out of the million in that sub, there's a silent majority that would be open to it. Keep in mind, most fans still active at this point in hiatus are hardcore fans, and so they're obviously opinionated, that goes for everyone on most platforms rn. And yet, I know there are very likely casual fans who are popping in there every now and then, the same people in the majority when after s4 dropped, saw that monologue and said What the actual fuck was that?

There’s a reason no other couple on the show has needed to hear the words I love you to believe it. Well, besides Steve and Nancy…

Because SHOW, DON'T TELL. That's why!

So, what do I mean when I say that Show, don't tell is why I no longer have byler doubt?

It's actually pretty ironic, but basically the moment Mike told El he loved her, that's the moment they showed us that he didn't.

I mean, for starters, how does one go about filming a romantic love confession? Because if we're being entirely serious right now, they made just about every artistic and creative choice possible to go against what a romantic love confession should look like to feel satisfying.

I mean, you'd probably want the atmosphere to be intimate, right? Make the audience feel like these two are the only two people in the room (world) for this moment?

Well, that's not the case for Mike and El, nor is it the case for literally any of their scenes in s4 (arguably a lot of their scenes in the series; Will the wise drawing in El's room, I'm looking at you). Almost all of the scenes with them together in s4 had Will in the background, often times in the literal frame between them. That is NOT how you film scenes for a romantic pairing that you want the audience to root for, from beginning to end.

You guys gotta understand, rewatch value is one of the most important aspects to this story for the Duffers. When talking about the prospects of s5, they mentioned that they rewatched all the Lord of the Rings, saying how important it was, despite what some fans might say about the ending being too long, or this or that, bc to them, it was necessary to watch it all, and to rewatch it and rewatch it, in order to appreciate the entire story as a whole, aka the way it was intended.

If you're a serious about Mike and El as a romantic pairing, but because of the way the show has set up their relationship over the seasons, you can't sit down and enjoy more than a quarter of each season bc they're either separated, broken up, or on the rare occasion they are together and happy, they're accompanied by a kicked puppy in every shot, maybe all of that's for a reason.

And that applies to the scene in Surfer Boy more than any other scene in the show, a scene that is supposed to be Mike's monologue to El... You mean a scene that directly parallels Mike's monologue to Will in s2?

When planning the end of s4, do we think the Duffers just decided they wanted this intimate moment between Mike and El to have Will in the frame behind Mike (visually piggybacking off of him, in an episode titled The Piggyback...) in almost every shot, including when he said I love you for the first time, for no reason at all? Or is it possible there was a reason for it? Just like there's been a greater reason for everything?

Like bro, I'm sorry, but even if what's being told in that scene is relevant, all of it still reads as either a lie, a partial lie, a lie of omission or a platonic truth hiding behind romantic phrasing: I don't know how to live without you = platonic (trauma bond), whereas I can't live without you/I don't want to live without you = romantic. The later is out of desire/want, the former is out of fear of the unknown.

The entire scene the lighting is blinking rapidly. And so the vibe they're going for here is uncertainty, which is quite odd for a love confession that's supposed to feel certain? Then we have El seeing all red the entire time. She's literally choking, hearing Mike struggle to muster up anything that could help her pull through, only to overhear Will calling Mike the heart, followed by Mike finally saying I love you????

And I guess according to the Duffers, nothing says true love like a love confession ending abruptly by a two day time jump...

Oh and how about, instead of them taking the time at the end of the season for El and Mike to have a private moment, where they could finally address their love for one another, let’s have them barely on speaking terms, and the one time they do talk, let’s have it be offscreen and mentioned in a private moment between Will and Mike, who in contrast to Mike and El, we're going to prioritize having a scene with them alone together at the end of this season...

In the last minutes, let’s have El look at Mike and Will, only to avoid them with visible annoyance. And THEN let’s show Mike visibly defeated by El's annoyance, instead prioritizing reassuring Will, aka his friend with whom he shares an I didn’t say it/ You didn’t have to bond...

I mean? Are we just not going to talk about it? The fact that I didn't say it/You didn't have to could pass off as a literal synonym for Show, don't tell...

It just kills me that even with all of that, the Duffers were like, You know what? Fuck it. Let's show them all the endgame couples lined up next to each other, with Will and Mike in the middle and El standing on her own in front of them. If by now they still refuse to consider it, after everything, this ending probably wont convince them anyways, but it makes for great rewatch value...

Seriously, if you're subscribing fully to the belief that what is being told is the whole truth and nothing but the truth (so help you god), then you're having to ignore all of that. And I can't ignore all of that, I just can't. Which makes it impossible for me to experience doubt anymore.

#byler #stranger things #byler doubt #not really #quite the opposite #but i'll tag in case #show don't tell allows you to acknowledge what is being shown AND told bc the truth of what's being told is hiding in the details #that's not the case for people only wanting to believe what's being told bc they're having to completely ignore the details to believe it #like i know for milkvans... byler scenes do NOT work in their favor #whereas for bylers... pretty much all milkvan scenes do work in our favor #and so genuinely i just can't experience doubt anymore #arguing with antis is fun to me #looking at reddit posts is peak entertainment #ppl praying to the gods that ST sucks bc they would rather have that be the case than it be an intricate story with deeper meaning #bc then that would mean all the queer-coding that's been hiding in the details all along was intentional... #there's nothing I can do for ya'll except sit here and watch you unpack that #reddit is going to be quite the spectacle over the next couple years #once byler happens there's probably going to be instant denial #then mourning #then acceptance #or whatever the 4(?) stages of grief are #then they'll eventually get to a point where they will allow themselves to look at the evidence instead of avoiding it out of fear #and that's when it's finally going to hit them #oh my god #it's me #i'm part of the reason they had to water it down #bc even upon being presented with evidence #they rejected it #and now they gotta give credit to tumblr bylers who discovered most of the evidence they've been shitting on for the last few years #honestly i'm looking forward to it

[morganali-art]

OC Kiss Week - Day 5 Darkness

No brain, head empty, Vibes™️ only tonight ✌️😴

#oc kiss week #ockiss24 #ockissweek #ffxiv #hazel rah #blackavar #wolship #i really just like hazel's body shape #and just blocking in stuff with a big brush is always fun #truth be told I spent most of my time fucking about with the background rectangle #I'm still not jazzed about it tbh #ah well

[shaguro]

so… i really need to vent.

#while I’ve had a lot of fun writing on here #being a black writer that specifically writes for black women is so hard because i feel like we’re judged so harshly #literally from the readers and even other writers #i saw like three tiktoks talking specifically about black aot writers and it really made me feel a way #and truth be told they weren’t even talking about me #and the more i think about it the more i just want to leave this account and hang this shit up

[hydrostorm]

i love media that lies to you which is probably why i firmly believe that arikado being similar to soma (a reincarnation) and not actually the same alucard as before could be canon compliant if you are looking at the games themselves

#castlevania is media that lies to you (TO ME) #its already up to the viewer to figure out that the belmont legacy is harmful so its not that far of a stretch #open your mind to the possibility in all media (especially when coming up with headcanons or AUs) that what you see isnt neccesarily #the real truth.. a lot of media lies to its viewers and thinking about the discintion between #''what im being told'' and ''what is really going on'' is super fun #this post is not actually about arikado or anything just about how fun it is when media is lying : )

[sketching-shark]

have you watched Lighting Up the Stars 人生大事? its a jttw-adjacent movie but not really a jttw movie in the sense that jttw is a huge motif with the mc being a swk parallel, his friends being swj and zbj parallels, and their adopted kid being a nezha parallel but otherwise not really a movie "about" jttw yknow. its free on youtube with english subs (title: [中]人生大事) so i thought id bring that to your attention :3

Well anon given my lethal weakness to dad Wukong, Li Nezha who's given a decent parental figure, and stories about genuinely sucky people who genuinely try and succeed in doing better by themselves and others yeah I'm going to have to thank you for introducing me to this film. Have to note that of course it's not perfect & that some parts seem kind of overblown, but honestly I found this work to be a really touching piece on death, grief, selfish desires and their consequences, and how we might live with joy with each other even after our loved ones are gone.

Here's a link to anyone who might want to watch it!

#anon answered #lighting up the stars #jttw adjacent #sun wukong #li nezha #but not really lol #that said shout out to lighting up the stars for having a swk-ish character (San) who's genuinely a scumbag at the beginning #and where the plot pulls no punches in making that clear #but who actually is shown putting in the hard work to make his loved ones' lives at least a little better #and becomes a kinder and happier person for it #it was also nice to to see the li nezha-ish character (Xiaowen) highlight the 'destructive kid' aspect of the child god #specifically as a way to show how kids acting out and even being violent is actually a very understandable reaction #to being put in a chaotic environment/being confronted with tragic events and not being told what's going on #or being told hard truths in a really cruel and callous way #overall I'd say this is one of my more favorite contemporary jttw-adjacent stories #and it's definitely my favorite use of the 'sun wukong as a cringefail loser' trope haha #final note the zhu bajie and sha wujing-adjacent characters were pretty fun #ride or die with San but wouldn't hesitate to roast him too #also spoilers they're a couple and get married at the end #so good for them

[note-boom]

@ticklinglady : Are you sure you want Tachihara to stay in the mafia? Like, yeah, I'm asking this not because I personally care about the fact that these guys are organised criminals or anything like that ahdjgjgk. I'm asking this because of the fact that Mori made Tachihara's brother go through literal torture during the war to the point of the poor guy becoming so broken that he preferred suicide over the chance to eventually return to his beloved family. That guy was the only person out of Tachihara's shitty background to genuinely care and love him, so I personally don't think it's going to be fair for Tachihara to end up working for the man, who murdered him

(Hi there!) Sorry this took me a while to answer but, once again, life.

As for wanting Tachi to stay in the mafia...I don't thiiiiink I specified actively wanting him to stay in that organisation, but I might have really just forgotten my tag rambles or not.

But to answer your question, I don't really mind either.

I see it this way, for starters.

BSD seems to have an ongoing theme of....stagnation. There is character development and progression, of course there is, but at the same time, it sometimes seems like the characters aren't moving forward. I think Kyouka and Lucy (and Dazai and Odasaku and Yosano, to an extent) are the only ones who have "moved on," so to speak. That is to say, pulled themselves out of their emotional turmoil, resolved it, and physically acted upon their restitution. But for a lot of the characters, they still seem emotionally and/or physically "stuck" in the same place they were in the past (Atsushi still believing his only worth is in to save people, most of the mafia people (though you could claim Chuuya had more of a corruption arc than restoration arc), Dazai still suicidal and a bit untethered, Kunikida and his ideals, so forth). But again, they do develop (Atsushi finding his family, the mafia characters being revealed as more human, Dazai leaving the PM was pretty significant, Kunikida HAS softened, I believe).

Tachihara had a somewhat significant arc in learning to see past his, well, past and accepting his place in the mafia that led him to believe in the ADA. He took a step forward, and learning how involved Mori was in his brother's suffering could either reel him way back in to his indecision (because he HAD made a family with the Black Lizards) or push him into more character development as he contemplates his own morality against his "orders are absolute" mentality.

It could be that he, in the end, decides that the human aspect is worth giving up his conflicted feelings over Mori given how long ago it happened (he sort of did that with Yosano). Or it could be that he simply just leaves the mafia because he can't bear the thought of it. Like, yeah, I'd feel terrible if Tachi decides to stay right where he was introduced into, but it sure would make my mind rotate him like a rotisserie chicken so much more. And if he decided to leave, taking revenge or not, I am very very curious to see what road Asagiri will take for our boy

#thank you for SUCH an interesting question ticklinglady!! #i'm afraid i couldnt give as satisfactory an answer as I could because time/not really having thought too deeply about tachi #truth be told i think that one of bsd's most interesting things is the moral/philosophical quandaries it plays with #unpopular opinion but i think it would be fun if the manga plays with the idea of tachi forgiving mori's messed up thinking... #...in order to stay with the black lizards and be someone free from the shadow of his brother #like the level of messed upness as we contrast the positivity of forgiveness against the negativity of the mafia and mori right? #and the contrast between almost the detached idealism associated with forgiveness and the humanisation of the mafia? #sadly though i find that a lot of media today doesnt really...get? what forgiveness is? #forgive the critical remark (and remember that its just my opinion) #i could go on a whole other ramble bout that but i think ive kinda strayed from op's ask enough XD #again THANK YOU for the ask this was so interesting to answer! #and excuse me if i was inaccurate about some of my analysis about the manga #bsd #bsd musings #bsd tachihara #bsd spoilers #character analysis

[leothil]

Sad that we apparently have reached a point where people need to be told outright to manage their expectations for an episode of a tv show lest they throw tantrums afterwards.

#listen. i am and have always been on the 'manage your expectations and spec responsibly' train #i personally tend to stay away from spec. i have nothing against it. i may roll my eyes at it if i don't agree but i don't hate it. #but the way some people on here talk about theories - sometimes theories that stem from absolutely *nothing* - really steams my nuggets #because it's like they go out of their way to say 'we *know* this thing will happen' and make their followers believe they have some godly #insight into the show (which is ultimately on the people reading it and accepting it without any critical thinking don't get me wrong) and #when it doesn't happen people rage about how the show was 'baiting' when really all that happened was that someone had an idea and five #other people decided to run with it for whatever reason and suddenly people are acting like it's something we were told by the showrunners #so i really wish people would make it clear when they're just spitballing whatever from someone's idea based on a single frame or something #it's not your responsibility and i get that and no one should feel guilty for having fun on this hellsite but it clearly is a problem among #some group of people that they take everything as literal truth when it comes from a blog they like #man i miss critical thinking and media literacy lmao #anyway. keep having fun but manage your expectations please.

[stardestroyer81]

Y'all want a Paper Mario-styled drawing of Micah Koopa? 💖✨⭐

#Star's Art #Micah Koopa #Super Mario #Paper Mario #Koopsona #Coolness #Remember how a mere two posts ago that I said I'd draw my koopsona in the actual Paper Mario style? #Well... SURPRISE!!!! 💖 #I wanted to save this post for this Thursday at the earliest seeing that I've been posting a lot about this koopa lately #But after some thought I decided to just post it today because I REALLY want my sister Stephanie to see this #I am so proud of this piece that I just couldn't WAIT to show it to everyone!! #I actually had a draft of this drawing going around the time I first showed my koopsona off here #But I ended up finishing it in almost one sitting and a half because... truth be told... #It is RIDICULOUSLY fun to draw in Paper Mario's artstyle and I've yet again mastered a style on my first attempt XD #I was so certain that the shading style of the Paper Mario series (And the Mario franchise in general) would be a nightmare #But after realizing the trick used to pull it off I was able to finish this quite quickly! #I also heavily referenced TTYD's Koopa Troopa sprite sheet over on Spriter's Resource to draw this #Seeing as that game's sprites are assembled from pieces so there were plenty of assets to go off of #I wanted this to initially look more like that game's key art without the white outline and paper texture... #... but honestly I think it looks a whole lot more perfect leaning in toward how modern Paper Mario's style looks! #You can consider this the definitive reference for my koopsona because I doubt I can top this #... well... that is until I inevitably draw her again #To think a few days ago I couldn't draw Koopas and now I've completely MASTERED it with this piece!!!

[totentnz]

anyway i decided to make v a quick cummer (terrible word) why? because she can have some good things in her life (lies! its to annoy johnny)

#sammy says shit #i played too much disco elysium everything i read feel like its from the game #which is fun and very on brand for me #anyway #both of these are true #(2010s au) v cumming much much earlier than him is just funny to me #sort of flip the script but not really #good for her truth be told #i was going somewhere with this but i forgot #also i cant write (i love skipping words)

[wvrlock]

ooc

#i keep thinking of my heckna campaign (it's always on my mind and has been for over two years yeah) #but ummmm yeah my players can never find a day to play #i love that campaign i love playing it with them but it's a bit exhausting being the only person trying #there's one of my players who joined recently and was a spectator until very recently who's responsible #but aside from that im the one chasing after them always #and im... well #im attached to them as players and do have fun witb them but truth be told I don't really consider them friends anymore #they did some questionable things to a mutual friend #and i told them i wanted to talk about it because it upset me but that wouldnt change our relationship #because they had done nothing to me personally #but we never got to talk. in fact we havent seen each other in person for almost a year #when they know im unemployed and frankly free on most days #they never text me first either and we only talk about rp-related stuff #which doesn't really hurt anymore? they aren't my friends but they're my players and im okay with thar #but now... yeah they're kinda elusive as players as well #i know if i go and tell them i want to drop our campaigns i will lose them for good. there is nothing between us anymore #that does sadden me a little because they aren't bad people and i have loved them so so much #but... yeah they didn't make any efforts as friends and now they don't do it as players either #i think i could be able to put together a new table to be honest #because i do want to run heckna. it is a campaign that means so so so much to me #and... well i can live without dragon heist i suppose? i was really invested in my player's dynamics #and relationships with npcs #and i was SO excited to see it develop... but i don't think that's gonna happen in... idk years? #im just... thinking. #i could be my 'game day' to. you know. actually play something #ooc #negativity cw

[szczylpierdolony]

i love not taking my meds and then complaining im experiencing symptoms. girl it’s your own fault

#omg why can’t i get out of bed and do things :((( #<————— hasn’t taken antidepressants regularly since like the first half of july #and mind you i started them in july as well #but they weren’t really working i don’t think???? #i started showering more regularly but that’s abt it #but bc of that they don’t feel like it’s worth the hassle #and yes i consider having to remember to take one pill a hassle #and i should call my doctor bc there aren’t many left but i don’t feel like doing that #what’s gonna happen i’ll go and say they didn’t do shit and that’ll be it #ig theres a chance she’ll have me take a higher dose #when i first started going to her and she asked me abt my prev meds and when i told her my dosage #she just went: and it wasn’t suggested you go higher? #which likely didn’t happen bc when asked if just say i was doing ok bc i was ig by my standards #but i think my doctor thought i was functioning which wasn’t the case not really #that’s the issue i think i have no idea what to say to doctors so i just go yeah i’m ok idrk why i’m here #so it never goes anywhere #but they rarely question me either so idk shouldn’t they be trying to see if the suicidal person is being truthful lmao #anyway bc i haven’t been taking the meds regularly i’m now experiencing the fun fucked up heartbeat thing again

[mikk1n]

OKAY NOW I NEED TO HEAR MORE ABOUT YOUR IDEA OF YURI KILLING SOAP. 👁👁

OOOH okay this is gonna be pretty loose but this is what I've got:

To start, I feel like Yuri as a villain would be more dangerous than Makarov, in a sense, because he has something Makarov lacks: warmth. Makarov is very charismatic, and knows how to lure people in and trap them emotionally, but Yuri is especially good at inserting himself in a role I'd loosely describe as "caretaker." I feel like that's relevant here because Double Agent!Yuri would use every trick in the book to manipulate Soap, Price, and Nikolai (and anyone else) to achieve his goals.

Soap and Price's relationship in my personal canon is not healthy—there's no outright, intentional abuse, but unhealthy dynamics, codependency, and a power imbalance in Price's favor are present and in desperate need of unpacking. Very quickly, Yuri would pick up on that and exploit that dynamic to the highest degree possible; I don't know if he goes as far as being able to completely break the trust between Soap and Price, but he definitely does sow seeds of doubt between then and worsens Soap's mental state.

I haven't actually decided when or where Soap dies, or by what method; Yuri being a double agent would change the story pretty drastically, so chances are high they'd never reach Prague (or at least, it would unfold a lot differently than in canon). Either way, Price isn't there to save him, so Soap dies betrayed, confused, and alone.

#inbox #varlaamsdarkventures #not art #truth be told I started toying with this concept in earnest because I plan to incorporate it in the high chaos version of COH #but I think this AU would be really fun to pursue on its own so I'm tempted to do that too #ask to tag?

[shorthair-cuffedjeans]

Happy Valentine’s Day to aroaces bc even if this holiday wasn’t meant for us we can still enjoy the shit out of it

#aroace #asexual #aromantic #ace #aro #aspec #truth be told I don’t actually know what I mean by this #I just really like celebrating things :) #and so what if I don’t experience romantic love? #I’m still gonna have fun either way

[clingyduoapologist]

Have you seen Danny Phantom? It has enough similar character beats to Ben 10 that you might enjoy it

Anon I have not actually :(

#Truth be told I don’t really vibe much with Ben 10 nowadays #I just fun to write/think about #But thanks for the req dog #Asks

[deliriumzer0]

ayumi hamasaki but make it generation loss

#photomanipulation #ayumi hamasaki #genloss #photoshopping my two hyperfixations together wheeeee #i mean what is tumblr for if not bs like this #truth be told i haven't just messed around in photoshop in years #this was ridiculously fun #are they good #nah not to me not really #but i did a creative thing just to have fun with it and tbh i'm really proud of that #i've been using photoshop since 1987 #so i feel like i should be better at it than this #but for once that's making me go out and learn stuff and practice it #rather than freezing me in place out of shame #so yeah wow #genloss brought me back to life i guess