[Video]

[espigeonage]

All right. 'Surya', look away.

[Julien has mostly avoided video until now, but here he's walking - strutting - with his phone held at around waist level. At a glance it seems like he has a cloak of white feathers on. Really he's sleeveless and has got one wing folded raptor-style against his chest while the one with the phone is held out. His feathers are clean but bedraggled, and he's pulled out enough on his upper arms to show some skin. He's out in a not hugely trafficked area, in the day, and aside from several anxious-looking lookouts there's a scattering of passersby, tending to give him a wide berth and rarely coming up past his chest.]

Beds, cars, doorways, stairs, some tile floors, refrigerators, all kinds of chairs, bathtubs, doorknobs, shoe situations, sleeves, pant legs. Those last two are easier to help. We had a tailor in our number once, right? He went off, but there's others. I went and set an appointment, so me and some friends are going. This isn't quite as reckless as it looks.

[There's a view of the skies and leafless tree branches and pigeons on them before the phone is pointed back at Julien from farther away - he's holding it in his prehensile feathers now. He has a bruise on his forehead, and even though he's smiling, there is a suggestion of defiance and desperation that was rarely seen before.]

So this is me. Julien Sakazaki. I'm back. And, by the way? I know it's not rational, but I'm going to say I'm still human. Humor me, all right?

[This can also be action! Julien's keeping out of very busy areas.]

Comments

[espigeonage]

I don't think so. There are twins, sure, even identical twins, but generally you'd expect that if one was evil both would be. And well they're born at the same time, so they're either raised together or by separate people. No one just pops out of nowhere.

[radiantchicken]

That's what I thought, but the show certainly seemed to treat it as a very common occurrence!

[espigeonage]

It's just part of the medium! Things like that, or hitting your head and thinking you're someone else, are normal in the soap opera, but not here. Just like in the shows that have laugh tracks.

[radiantchicken]

You mean those aren't filmed in front of an audience that thinks it's all very funny?

[espigeonage]

Sometimes! A lot of the time, it's just recordings. That's why even terrible ones seem to have a crowd. People are more likely to laugh at something if they hear other people laughing.

If you take the laugh track away, you just have a story where people randomly pause after saying something.

[radiantchicken]

That sounds like a most unusual convention! And false advertising of a sort!

[espigeonage]

Heh, a little bit, I'm sure! But it's so common people don't really care. They'll look down on a show that isn't funny using tracks as if it is. But a good show, they'll barely notice.

[radiantchicken]

Interesting! Very interesting! There is quite a bit to learn about humans in their entertainment!

[espigeonage]

It's definitely not a mirror to reality, but yeah, you can learn a lot from this stuff.

[radiantchicken]

I shall keep that in mind! I've certainly learned more from it than I learned while I was in the zoo!