#^ just some of my favourite lines from the song. yes its most of the song

[starflungwaddledee]

For the music thing! 11!! That’s my lucky number hehehe

11- astronauts by rachel platten (also asked by an anon!) for magicapple 🍎 happy happy endings

Let's meet up far away where astronauts and g r a v i t y Have opened up the atmosphere, we'll be so safe up here Navigating the space we'll create our own star And I'll name it after you My, suddenly the stars are flashlights The u n i v e r s e will make your eyes shine Can't you feel the way that time stops? Everything that hurts drops off

hahahahaaaaa ohhhhh this was The One i was most embarrassed about someone finding so great job!!! it's the cheesiest possible song i have for them but it is unfortunately so so perfect and it's one of my favourites. the final bridge regularly makes my eyes water

this song, with its narrative of escaping together and hiding away from things that hurt you both ("there are places up here we can hide//we'll be safe way up high") and that escape being in the sky/space in particular has an extremely strong link to awtdy au, where as things get worse and worse they wear the dream of running away to the stars together so thin it is practically transparent. additionally the 'create our own star' line is sooooo specific and yet!? honestly i did a double take when i found this track!

so yes. extremely cheesy but... if you like some poppy tooth-rotters in your ship, this is a great great song for it!

and regarding the picture itself: despite everything, they are happy in the end, i promise.

i do think whether it's more canon compliant or in an au, bandee is determined to reignite magolor's sense of wonder. he is, imo, just as smart and driven as magolor, if a little less ambitious. in awtdy au in particular bandee learns everything from astronautics to blacksmithing to microelectronics to astrogeology with great enthusiasm!

however unlike magolor, bandee knows how to turn these off in order to just relax or delight in things- like planetary rings- and he's going to make magolor remember how to do this too; even if it takes several dozen years 🍎

[blurredcolour]

so much John Brady brainrot 🤭 so that being said…..soft dom! Brady headcanons?

Oh my nonny, this ask jumped out at me like a jackrabbit and I feel like it is the perfect time to expound on the forbidden dress scenario I first touched upon around Easter.

Behold some headcannons AND a drabble

Mature/explicit themes below the cut - 18+ only

Given the fact that dear Brady rules his fort with an iron fist (see his lecture to Croz after his struggles finding, I don’t know, England?!) I definitely feel like this man prefers to be in control, but I agree that it errs on the side of a soft!Dom rather than an outright dominant

While he hasn’t engaged in penetrative sex prior to your wedding night, he’s still the one on top, in charge, executing his seduction of you like some kind of pre-flight checklist

And let me tell you it works

As your relationship grows, you definitely feel more confident initiating intimacy, usually at times and in places that leave him slightly bewildered, your desire for him something so utterly mysterious whereas it’s completely logical to him that he cannot get enough of you

But he soon takes over to ensure you get the most amount of pleasure possible, putting himself last

You never realized, however, the potential for him to be suddenly overcome by a need until you wore that seemingly innocuous dress

Securing the zipper at your side, you took a moment to check your appearance in the floor length mirror of your shared bedroom, smoothing the hem of the spring dress in your favourite colour against your knees. It had been an irresistible extravagance when you were at the department store with only socks and underwear on your list, but the neckline and style had called out to you like a siren song.

Smoothing an errant strand of hair, you grabbed your handbag and hurried down the stairs to the living room where John was waiting, scanning the paper for something of interest.

“Ready, honey. Thanks for waiting.” You smiled and he snapped the paper closed along its pre-folded lines but froze as you came into view.

“That’s…that’s new…” he intoned, expression unreadable and making you feel the need to apologize for your over-spending.

“I…yes, I indulged a little at the store, did you want me to-” the sharp shake of his head cut off your offer to take it off, to return it tomorrow.

“It’s perfect.” He exhaled, eyeing you intensely before surging to his feet. “Come on, don’t let me make us late.” He grunted and grabbed his suit jacket from the back of the couch, sliding it on before leading you out to the car.

There was a different tension in the vehicle, John’s eyes flashing in your direction frequently through the short drive to the cathedral, his hand resting heavily against your lower back as he guided you to your favourite pew. The heat of his palm was soaking through the thin fabric of your dress making you shiver at the temperature contrast with the cool stone of the building.

“You chilly?” He leaned in the murmur, the roughness in his voice taking you back to your lazy lovemaking yesterday morning and your jaw dropped open as you suddenly realized just what was going on.

A glance at him to offer a reassuring smile and shake of your head revealed his dilated pupils and slightly flushed cheeks, making you sink to teeth into your lower lip. What on earth had gotten into your husband?!

You could feel the weight of his heated gaze on you like numerous caresses throughout the service, more than confident he didn’t catch a word of the sermon, pressing your lips together sheepishly as somehow you felt at fault for this predicament and yet you couldn’t really bring yourself to mind?

How many times had you found yourself staring at this man, star-struck and breathless with desire in the most inopportune of places…what a heady turn of events this role-reversal was.

As you rose to join your fellow congregants for the weekly post-service chat over coffee and cake, John’s hand slid to your lower back, his skin scorching through your dress by now.

“Would you mind if we ducked out early, sweetheart? I’ve got a bit of a headache…”

Feigning wifely concern, you nodded quickly. “Of course, Johnny, let’s get you home.”

The drive home felt faster than usual, perhaps because he barely stopped at the stop signs, his hand resting on your thigh, fingertips plucking at the hem of your dress idly in the silence of the vehicle. Stepping into the house, you’d barely removed your shoes before his mouth was on yours, hungrily devouring, as his hands seized your hips and pulled you flush against his body.

The prominent bulge of his cock pressed against your hip and you dropped your handbag to slide your fingers into his hair.

“This dress is my devil in the desert.” He growled against your lips, making you laugh breathlessly.

“I wasn’t sure you were paying attention, honey.”

Turning to press you up against the front door, he ground his aching hardness into you. “I was enduring my own test…” he nipped your lips before trailing his mouth down your neck, hands rucking up the hem to slip between your thighs.

Mewling as you pulled at his suit jacket, you clung to him as he pinned you tightly to the door and quickly wrung an orgasm from you with practiced efficiency, leaving you a knock-kneed, panting, shaking mess.

Stepping back to shuck off his jacket and yank his tie free, you reached up to pull down your side zipper, eyes shooting wide at his verbal interjection.

“Ah! This?” His fingers strayed back to toy with the hem of your dress. “No, this stays on.” He said firmly, voice taking on a deep timber that flooded you with fresh desire.

Lurching forward, you instead focused your efforts on stripping him completely, following him down to the small carpet on the foyer floor, lifting your hips as he pulled your underwear off over your garter straps and stockings. Nestling between your thighs beneath your dress, his darkened eyes hungrily drank in the sight of you as he rocked his hardened length through your damp folds until you were begging for him.

“If my wife insists.” He smirked and rocked forward, sinking into your wet heat as your mingled groans filled the foyer.

The novelty of this coupling and desperation of his thrusts, combined with the insistent circles of his thumb on your clit, meant it did not take long for either of you to find release, left a sweaty, gasping mess on the floor of the entry way.

[vgilantee]

dear devoted delicate {xavier thorpe}

xavier thorpe x reader

requested: by my beloved julie @websterss <3

words: 2.2k

a/n: the reader is an outcast of an unknown type, but not a werewolf. i love werewolves, but because of some of the setup, it's gotta be a non-werewolf reader. also i went a little off-prompt but it's still the same in essence, and all the important bits are included, just shuffled up a little. oh and yes the title is a line from the song older, but i used it mostly because dear is a sweet petname, and butterflies have delicate wings. i think i'm clever. oh and if you're new here, i hate writing dialogue and it shows in this also if you want to see some really cool drawings of poisonous plants, send me an ask (please) because one of my favourite things ever are vintage botanical drawings (this will make sense in a minute dw)

warnings: n/a. just some sweetness. there is swearing though so idk if that counts as a warning

pronouns: she/her (maybe she/they? i can't remember if i threw in a 'they' lmao)

Once a month - sometimes twice if you were incredibly unlucky - you were kicked out of your room for two days while your roommate had a handful of her younger cousins over. 

Before Nevermore, you loved the full moon. Now you had a love-hate relationship. You still loved the moon itself, but you never enjoyed showing up at your friend’s dorm, backpack over your shoulder and sleeping bag tucked under your arm, sheepishly asking if you could once again sleep on their floor. You could, in theory, go back to your room to sleep as your roommate and cousins wouldn’t be there, instead transformed into wolves and galavanting around the woods. But in your second month at Nevermore, you did that, and woke up to a room full of the less-than-dressed human werewolves, some of whom had chosen your bed to curl up on, with you still in it. Never again. 

Full moons on the weekend were the worst. With no classes to occupy your time, you often found yourself moving from place to place around campus to find somewhere you could hide out before getting bored and moving on. 

Xavier watched as you jogged past the archery field, headphones in and running shoes muddied. It wasn’t unusual to see you go past during club practice, though you tended to avoid it after a downpour. He’d asked you about it once, after seeing you in the library one rainy Saturday afternoon.

“My room already smells like wet dog at the best of times, I’m not going to add to that.” Your voice was light with humour; you adored Sofi and she always made sure to not bring in any smells with her. But the comment stuck with Xavier and the next time you were sat next to each other in Torture through History, he sketched out a wolf before moving his hand to bring it out of the page. You giggled quietly as the ashen wolf shook itself, small flecks mimicking water coming off, then curled up next to your hand. You had smiled down at it fondly as it fell asleep before dissolving into charcoal dust, leaving a light smudge on your hand. Xavier watched you and pretended not to notice the warmth that came to his face as you looked up at him, the fond look still in your eyes. 

“Xavier, are you going to take your shot? Or you just going to keep staring at ‘em?” He shot up a middle finger over his shoulder before turning to follow its movement to see his club mates smirking over at him. 

After ducking into Ash’s room to change into more comfortable clothes, you make your way down to the library. Ash was generally the most reliable for having space on their floor for you to crash, the thin roll-out mattress a permanent feature in the beanbag corner of the dorm. 

On your way, you detour to your room to kick your muddy runners under your bed, though not before making an ‘I’m watching you’ motion toward a curled-up Sofi with a smile. 

It wasn’t uncommon for couples to be hidden away in the library, especially not on an overcast weekend. But the Grimmstone library was the only library on campus that held an original copy of an 1800s toxic botany encyclopaedia. 

After a few false turns with quick apologies to the interrupted couples, you finally found the right - and luckily empty - aisle. With your forefinger running gently along the worn spines, you made your way down the rows of books, glancing at the names of authors until you found the one you were looking for. 

After carefully sliding the hardcover book off the shelf - nearly dropping it as the loose plastic dust cover slipped - you sat down at one of the desks lining the centre of the room and began flicking through. You flicked the book to the back, finger running down the yellowed page until you reached the name you were looking for: aconitum.

----

“Big scary werewolf and you’re afraid of a little butterfly?” You laughed as you wandered into Plant Toxicology with Sofi. 

“It flew right into my face!” She waved her free hand in front of her, mimicking the butterfly’s movements. 

“And you squealed!” As you laughed, Sofi gently hip-checked you, nudging you toward your usual desk, before laughing with a shake of her head and walking toward her own. You nodded hello to Yoko as you sat beside her. 

“Alight, class. Group paper time.” The sounds of groans and heads hitting tables bounced around the room. “I know, I know. Now, rows one and three, turn around and give a little wave to your partner.”

----

You were hours early to meet your study buddy, but it was a non-issue. The time alone allowed you to make meticulous notes on the plant before worrying about formatting them into a presentable paper. 

The notes you made were messy, quick dot points from the encyclopaedia that could make into a decent assessment. The paper was only short anyway, the first report of the semester that was more of a benchmark than a large percentage of your grade. 

Headphones in, it wasn’t long until you found yourself with your feet up on the seat and book resting open on your thighs, reaching around your bent knees to occasionally take notes. 

You were in the middle of triple-checking the spelling of a latin nomenclature when a flit of grey out the corner of your eye caught your attention. But as you turned your head to see what it was, all you could see was another couple darting down an aisle, whispering to each other. You shook your head with an amused exhale before turning back to your note-taking. 

Just as you leaned forward to take a note, you saw the grey again. But this time, instead of a moment at the side of your vision, the grey moved in front of you just long enough to make out the shape of a butterfly before it landed on the tip of your nose. 

Cross-eyed to stare at the charcoal insect, you pulled out the headphones slowly, trying not to disturb it. You knew it wasn’t real, recognising the trademark sketch lines of Xavier’s art. 

Another pair of butterflies began to flutter in front of you, bouncing off of each other with tiny plumes of dust. You let out a small giggle and the bug on your nose darted away, flying right into the other two where all three of them exploded into a shower of dark powder onto the desk. Once the last of the dust landed, you turned quickly to look over your shoulders, dropping your feet to the floor, trying to find the artist.

You met Xavier’s eye as he folded his sketchbook closed in his right hand. His head was tilted with a smile as he made his way toward you, backpack slung over his shoulder. 

“Howdy, howdy partner.” You wriggled your fingers to wave as he pulled out the chair beside you, dropping down and letting his bag fall to the floor. As he did, you noticed that Xavier’s pulled-back hair was a messy damp, the kind that comes with being caught in the rain. 

“Started the fun without me.” He gestured lazily to your notebook and the two thick library books in front of you (at some point during your research you wandered back to the shelf and found a second book with information on the deadly plant).

“Wanted to make you jealous, of course.” You shot him a wink with a small giggle, turning back to your book just in time to miss the tips of Xavier’s ears go pink. “The butterflies were definitely a welcome distraction though,” you thanked, turning in your chair to face him fully, “I felt like I was going cross-eyed staring at these pages.” 

“I’m happy to distract.” Xavier sent you a dopey smile and raised one hand to flatten down flyaways, and you bit the inside of your lip while ignoring the warmth that grew on your face. In your attempt to break eye-contact and hopefully get rid of the blush, your gaze flicked down to his mouth and caught him licking his lips. 

Almost in sync, you and Xavier looked away from each other and as you looked over at the textbook, you heard him clear his throat. 

“Okay, so,” Xavier broke the silence after a moment, “what have you got so far?”

You quickly delved into giving him a rundown of the notes you had made so far, explaining ideas you had come up with for it. However, you made a point of not looking up at him. It was a little awkward at times, where you would catch yourself beginning to look at him but quickly found a drawing of the purple flower far too important to not look over at. 

Neither of you noticed that the sun had set until the howls of classmates made their way from this distance, the sound causing both of you to turn and look out the window. 

“Shit, I didn’t realise how late it had gotten.” During the week, there was an 8pm curfew, but over the weekend library hours were extended and they were a little more lenient with the time you had to be back at your dorm giving you until midnight to be back. There was just one downside to being in the library late.

“Oh my god we missed dinner.” Xavier sounded devastated at the realisation, and you looked over to see him with the back of his hand pressed dramatically to his forehead. 

“You hungry?” It wasn’t long past dinnertime, but because of the routine that came with living at Nevermore, you knew the answer would be yes. “I may or may not have some snacks hidden in my dorm.” He perked up, and though he would never tell, he was more than a little excited to be spending more time alone with you.

---

Xavier sat awkwardly on your bed as you kicked off your shoes and began to pull a box out from under your bed. Pushing some heavy clothing out of the way, you pulled out a bag of chips and a couple of packets of sweets. 

“It’s not really a dinner, but it’s food.” You showed him the food you had stashed, offering it weakly. Xavier scooched himself onto the floor, patting the space beside him and you sat yourself down cross-legged. 

As Xavier pulled open the chip bag, you sent Ash a message saying you might be over late, but would try to be as quiet as possible. They sent back a thumbs up, and you shoved away your phone just in time for the chips to be held out in front of you.

Between the sweets and bag of chips, you and Xavier managed to talk about anything that came to mind as time quickly moved by. During your time, both of you got more relaxed, losing any vague semblance of good posture and leaned against the side of your bed. And maybe closer to each other, but only maybe. 

Xavier pulled his sketchbook out of his backpack and leaned forward, listening to you talk as he drew. He hid his sketchbook from you as you tried leaning over him, giggling into his ear as you did. 

You let your body flop onto the ground beside him, staring up leaning on your hand as he readjusted how he was sitting to keep hiding what he was drawing from you. Then he tucked his pencil behind his ear and held his hand above the page. 

Lifting up with a rain of dust, a dozen small butterflies began to flit around your room. They bounced off each other, spinning in circles as they danced.

Much like the interruption of howls earlier in the evening, you are brought back into reality by the buzzing of your phone against the hardwood floor. 

“I don’t mean to stop you from whatever you’re doing,” Ash skipped the greeting as you answer the call, “but if you’re sleeping here tonight you might want to think about showing up soon.” 

“Hello to you too.” Sitting up properly, you watched Xavier as he turned on his phone screen and showed you the time, and you widened your eyes. “Oh fuck. Okay, thanks, Ash. Be there soon.” Xavier stood first, offering you a hand to pull you up which you happily took pretending not to notice the way he squeezed your hand shortly when you stood.

“I can walk you over if you want.” You were already shaking your head at the offer, knowing that you would be cutting it thin getting to Ash’s dorm and Xavier’s dorm house was in the opposite direction.

“No, it’s okay. I don’t want to be the reason you get in trouble.” He held the door open for you, leaning on the outer frame. As he pulled it shut his arm brushed your side. 

There was a beat of silence as neither of you wanted to move. Although you had spent the night hanging out, the softness in that moment was different and not something you wanted to break.

Steeling yourself for a moment, you darted forward and kissed Xavier on the cheek, turning and beginning to walk away before you could see how he reacted. 

Xavier watched as you moved quickly away, his cheeks and ears pink, He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times trying to figure out how to react. Once you disappeared around the corner, he let out a breath and sheepishly smiled to himself.

comments and reblogs are appreciated! as are asks about the fic!

rambles, feel free to ignore: this fic isn't… okay so i hold myself to very high standards which is a problem with my brain and things, and i need to stop doing that because i end up giving up on things that aren't perfect instead of appreciating that i have made something and it's mine and from my brain. again, a problem i need to sort out. but all this being said!! by my self-imposed standards this isn't amazing, and really i'm posting it as a "here! it's done! take it before i take it back and destroy it!" and that's only happening because it was a request from a mutual.

tl;dr: these rambles are more to say that i like this fic, and i'm happy enough with it, but my standards are so high that i don't think it's good enough. which is a common thing with creatives and just know that what you make is good because it's yours and you made it, and that's all that matters!

[tempkiriri]

Tiger & Bunny Week (Day 1)

Technically I'm late but uhhhhhhhhhhhhh

April 2: Favorite Character, Episode, Movie, and/or Song

Most people seem to be doing them all, but I'll be skipping movie since there's only 2 of them.

Favourite Character:

MY CRINGEFAIL SON IVAN!!!! I relate to him immensely, even his dynamic with Edward I'd say I can somewhat relate to with someone in my life. It's uncanny. He tries his best to be outgoing but anxiety and self esteem issues sure are fucking bitches, so he can only really do it behind a mask. Even in S2 whilst his whole outlook may have taken a bit of a rollback, that's honestly realistic, not everyone can just keep marching and continuously improving themselves, there are setbacks and holes you can fall into at times. I wish we knew more about his personal life beyond his backstory of getting bullied as a child + what vague stuff we have of his hero academy days, a lot of heroes suffer from this, however. His passion for his hobbies is also just like me. He's cringe but he is free, just like many of us wish to be. Runner up is Keith I love the Autistic dog man

Favourite Episode:

I gotta go with Sky's The Limit. The title is a very OH GEE WHOS FOCUS EPISODE IS THIS kind but genuinely it doesn't prepare you for the content. There's a wholeass lore drop, an intense fight scene with a robot, and of course Keith being Keith. It also puts into focus just how much pressure heroes are put under when it comes to the rankings, and second place apparently not being enough for Poseidon Line is a very corporate reality. It's go big or go home. The ending is also like OH MY GOD IM CRYING???? Like, we know Cis isn't very capable of behaving like a human, but Keith doesn't realise she's not human at all, he treats her as any other person and falls harder than an anvil for her despite their short time in contact. It makes me think that Cis had a potential to be something, someone more than she was initially made for. And these two are a bit of a guilty pleasure ship that me and like 2 other people in the west side seem to ship and yes I will be taking those "Keith is still lowkey in love with her even in S2 era" crumbs thank you-

Favourite Song:

Oh shit this is where it gets tricky. I have so many, so I'll split it into categories:

OP: Earth Diver ED: Pilot Character Song: GHHHAAAAAA DONT MAKE ME CHOOOOOSE Other supplementary Song: Orion Wo Nazoru Hero Cover

I can't really put to words for Earth Diver, but I really like how it starts and kinda soothes you into the song before it really kicks. The lyrics are also very passionately sung.

I really like the calmer tone of Pilot and even though the explicitness of the shippyness isn't as heavy as Aida, the subtlety honestly fits them more. The credits themselves are also just beautiful; the visual aspect of them hits immensely hard in ep 14 especially since you saw what could happen to their suits in the fight the episode prior, and they're both no longer in their prime. Closing it out as they stare at the sunset makes me emotional and Proud Fiesta I love you but goddamn why did you return for Episode 25 that was a fucking mood killer I stg.

I love a lot of the character songs, with the ones from Best Of Hero very enjoyable romps, especially Mikirezakura and Thanks and Thanks Again, the energy these two songs have makes you wanna coreograph something. Some other highlights are POWER OF JUSTICE and Aaa Hero Suit. (Also Hidden Heroism actually kinda sucks it tries to be Mikirezakura 2 and thus loses out on an identity of its own which is very disappointing).

I love the harmony of the heroes cover of Orion, I can really picture them all in recording booths singing next to each other...who's the cheering guy, though? I've listened to this cover so many times and the line the cheering guy seemingly sings just sounds like Hirata's Kotetsu, I don't get it. I get wanting to balance the lyrics between groups and characters evenly but that was an awkward way to do it.

[idontwanttospoiltheparty]

omg since you’re taking off todya from studying can we hear some of your beatle hottakes?

ughhhhhhh sorry, these are so hard to come up with these days

meta take: I sort of wish we could have a genuine conversation about the blurry line between wishful thinking/headcanon and more objective (or, aspiring to be objective) historical analysis – I get the headcanons, I really do! but just in the past year, there's been several instances of people in good faith asking about sources or questioning "fan favourite" anecdotes and being shouted down for "ruining people's fun". If you want to engage with this stuff in a more lighthearted way, that's fine! but accept that that's what you're doing. Being rude to people trying to get to the truth is not a good look. Your imagination can withstand it, I promise.

more people need to jump on the Day Tripper tinhatting train. shit's crazy up here

the more I listen to Double Fantasy the more I'm offended that a certain brand of John fan basically only names songs from 1970/71 as his best. ditto with Walls and Bridges…

Again And Again And Again: best Denny solo-written Wings song ( it's hard to gauge how much is him and how much is Paul for their collabs. Anyways, No Words my beloved)

Sexy Sadie is kind of perfect… The lyrics, the chords, the distorted doo-wop it all embodies that DISAPPOINTMENT so well. The guitar solo is great, the high-pitched oooooooooohs. No notes, underrated song for sure.

the Mind Games album cover is soooooo deranged but so fucking good. That and Ram might be the best post-Beatles album covers.

this isn't exactly a take but the SADDEST part of Hey Jude is when John harmonizes with Paul. I can't not hear all the unspoken pain.

I kind of hope we get versions of Free As A Bird and Real Love with cleaned up John vocals like Now And Then. I don't want to erase those originals because the audio quality tells a story of its own, but Real Love especially suffers so much from it. I listened to it earlier today and nearly got teary. "No need to be alone" kind of gives me goosebumps. There's something so raw and emotional about all three of these songs…

This is almost the opposite of a hottake, but it kind of Doesn't Matter To Me who Now And Then is about. It could be about Paul, it could pretty easily be about Yoko too, and a few people I've seen say they think it's about May, which could be too! It perhaps not being directed at Paul doesn't take away from the song for me, because the song feels bigger than just its direct inspiration.

On that note, I sort of think that sometimes people could stand to.... Die on fewer hills? Like, the notion that Now And Then could be about Yoko doesn't negate John and Paul's relationship or most things people theorize they may have gotten up to. Now And Then Release Week bonus round, cause it's been long enough to talk about it a bit:

Paul (and Ringo and George! they also have a writing credit, guys!) making editorial choices about John's unfinished song with the blessing of his widow is literally fine. "But John might not have approved–" yes, this is how death works. John also might have found the song embarrassing and not wanted it released at all. It wasn't on Double Fantasy after all! Or maybe he would have specifically wanted to remove the same bit! (which I maintain is musically strange and unfitting at worst and at best a still really rough idea that would probably require a lot of work in of itself – echoing the chord progression in the instrumental bit is the best compromise I could imagine)

I actually really get the George girls who were a bit bummed out by the rollout of the song. He DID get the short end in this situation! but… what would have been better? I saw some people say Paul isn't nearly as good a slide guitarist at George. Okay well then… So Paul should've hired a session musician? How does that makes sense? Paul should've asked Dhani to find some random guitar bit George recorded 25 years ago and frankensteined it onto this song? I'm asking this honestly: what should have been done instead? Because… I sort of got the feeling from some of the criticism that the only acceptable solution was to not release this song at all. And TBH I don't think George "getting the short end" is worse than not allowing Paul and Ringo the closure of completing this song. This wasn't perfect but again: yes, this is how death works.

[extraordinaryhistories]

#12 – 'SuperSexyWoman' (A Sun Came, 1998)

From perhaps my favourite interview that Sufjan’s ever done:

Radar Online: If you could change one thing about your fans, what would it be?

Sufjan: Their earnestness. Some of my fans take me too seriously, and take themselves too seriously.

It seems absurd. Sufjan has predicated much of his career on being the most earnest musician in modern indie music. Even his most joyful music – however sparse that category may be – seems deeply sincere, a vessel for pure, unadulterated contentment. Ever since Pavement rebuilt the discipline in its own image, indie has firmly planted its tongue in its cheek, and only a few artists dare to dislodge it – because earnestness brings with it the risk of mockery. Earnestness is brave. (This, by-the-by, is a part of why I was drawn to Sufjan in the first place.)

But let us keep something in mind. This is the man whose 2016 tour featured choreographed dance routines to a song about his mother’s death and the Pete Townshend-esque smashing of a banjo to a song about the might of God. This is the man whose 2015 tour featured Drake’s ‘Hotline Bling’ regularly as an encore. This is the man whose 2011 tour featured neon jumpsuits and an amplifier with Prince Harry’s face proudly emblazoned on its surface. And this is the man whose debut album, to put it mildly, is loaded with farce.

Sometimes, Sufjan really is just having fun. Part of writing about his music effectively is knowing which battles to pick. ‘SuperSexyWoman’ is not the battle that anybody should be picking, at all, ever. ‘SuperSexyWoman’ is a goofy joke song about a woman who is Superman’s cousin and shoots out super farts. If you think that ‘SuperSexyWoman’ is worth writing academic essays about, if you think you are uniquely equipped to discover a ‘real’ meaning behind a song like this, consider that you might be exactly the type of fan that Sufjan is reprimanding.

Another, somewhat related, point. From /u/TreePangolin in a thread on /r/Sufjan:

Years ago I briefly worked with a woman who went to high school with Suf and she seemed delighted and surprised to discover that I loved his music. She said their friends would make fun of him for wanting to be a musician so badly even though he couldn't sing and his songs were terrible... She would say stuff like, "It's so funny you know him just from his music - it's great to hear that it worked out for him in the end, we really didn't think it would back then!"

You wonder how this could possibly be, and then you relisten to ‘SuperSexyWoman’, which seems to be exactly the sort of song she describes, and your doubts are quickly dispelled. This song is probably not even A Sun Came’s worst (the faintest praise imaginable), but it is most certainly pretty shoddy. Lyrically it is just about as it appears on the surface – a song about a superwoman, part hero and part sex machine, with all the stereotypical superwoman features and some gross-out surrealism to boot (the ‘fart’ line is, by acclamation, the worst lyric that Sufjan has ever written, and it’s not even close.) Goofy, silly drivel from a man with a very peculiar sense of humour, one that we are far less privy to on his studio albums as compared to his shows.

But it is the music, not the lyrics, that I find most disappointing. There is a live recording of this song floating around the internet – yes, he performed this song live, albeit incredibly rarely – that I find to be quite a stunning transformation, in that it makes ‘SuperSexyWoman’ actually rather listenable. The bassline, anaemic in the mix of the studio version, is transformed into this roaring, monstrous electric guitar line that just sears through the arrangement; combined with James McAllister’s driving drum pattern, ‘SuperSexyWoman’ weirdly sounds almost Kiss-like. It swaggers. This, I feel, is how the song ought to have been treated. Instead we get the studio version, which bears all the hallmarks of a deeply inexperienced self-producer. Shambolic, tacky-sounding drums, totally toneless acoustic guitar, and a hall-of-fame irritating vocal performance from Sufjan. If the lyrics were not off-putting enough, the instrumental certainly is – there is little pleasure to be derived from this song.

One cannot fault ‘SuperSexyWoman’ too much. It knows what it’s doing; its creator was well aware he was not writing a masterpiece. It is the very definition of a novelty song, Sufjan goofing around with some toilet humour and seeing what sticks – not much sticks, but A Sun Came has a number of endearing, earnest, po-faced songs for us to listen to, and ‘SuperSexyWoman’ will not change that fact. This is the Sufjan who encored with ‘Hotline Bling’, smashed banjos and toured with a Prince Harry amplifier: relish him, because his appearances are fleeting.

[song-writer-melo-wrath]

Silly Game Time: Who are some of your favorite mechanical characters, be they robots, androids, cyborgs, or something else? And what do like about them?

OOOOH...

Well, first, gotta mention my man Data.

A lot of people has said that he is autism-coded in the way that he is presented, and in how other people react to him. And I kind of agree tbh. He's also just a sweetheart, and his bonds with the crew (especially Laforge), his cat Spot, and sometimes with people who are briefly onboard are so lovely.

I also feel I should mention Connor,

Because his arc has probably inspired so many OCs at this point. Bryan Dechart did such an excellent job playing him, and his growing bond with Hank is very well-written. I think it's honestly touching how it's often emotional bonds that show humanity.

Another I feel would be a crime not to mention,

Because between the iconic lines and the dynamic he has with John Connor, and the way it shapes his various decisions, how could I not? And yes I'm specifically talking Terminator 2 here. Though I will say he makes an EXCELLENT force of nature and presence of absolute horror in the first movie.

Then, of course, the sapphic community's favourite,

Because "Want You Gone" hurts me on a personal level, and I don't just mean because it's how GLaDOS says farewell. I relate to that song so much (and did a cover of it :D) and, in general, relate with much of her story. Of course, she's a sassy motherfucker who you can't help but love. But for how much Portal 2 is considered the inferior game, it really does make her story into one of self-discovery and complicated morality. I guess it just gets overshadowed by Oh hi. How are you holding up.

Next,

I MEAN. COME ON. This guy used to be, and honestly still is, one of my biggest fictional crushes. His charisma is magnetic, of course. His STORY being wrapped up by the connections he used to have being rekindled, resulting in him choosing to be a star for those who need one most, rather than a star for the most people possible???? Ugh, poetic cinema.

Speaking of stars,

[vibrating] I have so many headcanons when it comes to this one But more to the point, Star Dream is an absolute force of nature. Its boss fight is incredible, an absolute marvel of multiple types of play styles coming together. The themes? Slap.

Star Dream's draw, for me, is that its sentience is so…debatable. I'm on the side of “had sentience the whole time”, and more to the point, “based on how much Haltmann copied homework, it's possible he brought something back from the dead” but I dunno, I don't like arguing my case when it comes to the second. The point is, for many of things that it does, it's uncertain whether that's just part of its program, or if it's a sentient decision. Was Susie sent away because of something accidental, or was it Star Dream's intention? The fact that Haltmann became so focused on its creation after her disappearance, in my eyes, kind of implies the latter…

… It's also interesting that even without Haltmann giving it a voice via him-being-possessed, it only chooses to speak to Meta Knight.

Can you tell I have The Kirby Autism, is it noticeable, is it obvious—

Also I'm gonna put two of my OCs here, because self-indulgence is alive and well.

This is Palharine and Mayday! They're my favourites out of a group of robot/android characters I created about three years ago, and have finally taken the time to draw recently:

From left to right, you got Eodel Remidoros, Palharine, Mayday, and Ziah Hyperion. All very different interpretations of robotic.

Palharine and Mayday stand out to me due to their emotional states. They're kind of opposites, in that regard. Mayday is a very sensitive gal, who has been through a lot of pain, and is trying to become stronger so she can confidently say she has no doubt in who she is. Palharine, as far as they're aware, has no emotions. Which is interesting, since the other three all seem to, to some degree. Among the four, Palharine is also unique in that they're programmed to dream. Both of these things shape them a lot.

But these two have a very sweet bond, where they're both passionate about biology, especially botany. Mayday, in a training exercise, also nearly wipes the floor with Palharine. It's more touching than it sounds.

Also, Palharine's genderfluid and Maydays a trans woman, so those things just inherently spark joy for me, haha!

This has been, real robotic character hours.

[satorisoup]

yaayayyay hai again lene!!

what are a few songs that are/would be on koene's playlist :3

do u like carnivals/amusement parks? if yes,, what are ur favourite rides :0

TMNT. didn't plan any q's. Um. any headcanons that are 100% canon to u. what are some of ur fav things about/moments for donnie !!! Feel Free 2 Explain and Ramble as much as u'd like. 🙂‍↕️🫵 if u think it'll make this post long I will also accept a separate post of just tmnt. i do want rhe tmnt thoguh.👍👍

UWAHHH NIA MY PRECIOUS PETUNIA !! ⸜(*ˊᗜˋ*)⸝ omigoodness… i fear i could not stop the ramble with this one !! you are spoiling me with such lovely questions !! ^_^ YEOW !!

koene playlist ?

oki so, i don’t have like a list of songs for a playlist because i for some reason am not good with that but !! i do have atleast one specific special song that i associate with each selfship so i will give you koene’s mwuehehe !! :3 if i ever do have a list of songs though… you will be the first to know nia 🙂‍↕️

so, the number one song on there is definitely somethin’ stupid by frank sinatra !! in all of my previous themes, that was the song i incorporated because it just reminds me of koene soso much SOB !! </3

i also have a song a associate with keilene’s first dance at their wedding !! :0

also, this is just something silly for you but have you heard bokuto’s dub ( ian sinclair ) singing before ?? if you haven’t i’m about to change your life nia… PLEASE IGNORE what’s going on in the video HELP ?? but he sounds so delicious and EXACTLY like bokuto YAHOO yummy :3 i’ve been obsessed with it since i first heard it in 2021 >//< here’s the linkiedink 🍓 !!

carnivals / amusement parks ?

YES !! i love amusement parks as long as it’s not scorching hot and super duper busy </3 waiting in those lines is a treacherous task for me i fear…

my favorite rides !! i love big super fast rollar coasters, those are my favorite !! also those rides that specifically make your stomach drop & make you tingly ?? like the big ones that drop you from super high up ?? those are supa fun !!

idk if you know what knotts berry farm is but they have a ride called “ supreme scream ” which drops you from 252 feet up almost all the way down before it bounces you ?? its like a big version of those bouncy kiddy rides ^_^

and then the most famous rides they have there are ghost rider & silver bullet THEY ARE SOSOSO MUCH FUN !! T^T if you ride ghost rider at night, it goes faster which is super fun and its VERY fast and long which is always a blast 🙂‍↕️ silver bullet is also extremely fast and your feet dangle when you ride it, very very fun i love it YAHOO !!

tmnt ?

oh goodness nia… you have awoken a beast in me… that beast being the never ending tmnt rambling lene AWOOO !! 🐺 please bare with me im sure this is a lot to read… ouh… very sorry </3

headcanons first YEOW YEAGHH !! 🫨

donnie :

— this guy… this handsome nerd… this man. it is canon in the 2012 verse, but in all verses for me i like to believe he has a tooth gap <3 tooth gaps are so attractive to me :>

— he collects mugs 👍 he probably has multiple different mugs with random sayings on them that he uses to drink his coffee !!

— sleeper build YEOWWW !!!! he’s supposed to be the lanky one ( which is why i love him ) but you can see it in his arms that he’s incredibly strong… he has nice biceps that aren’t necessarily prominent to the eye but they’re definitely there… see images below… yummy :3

— he needs glasses 100% 🙂‍↕️ but the reason why he needs glasses is because he started wearing random ones he found that were definitely not his prescription, so now he actually needs them sigh T^T canon glasses wearer in the mutant mayhem & bayverse but i definitely doubt those were his prescription…

— probably has a couple of burn scars from his experiments going wrong… mayhaps even a scar on his face from it…

— speaking of scars i think he busted his lip once when training so, lip scar… yes… hold i must draw it for you methinks 🫵

yeah… yeagh toji ? no. donatello hamato hes so beautiful i want him to be my boyfriend do you think he’d say yes be honest hahah… !!

— i feel like he’s very sarcastic which is pretty canon i think ( ?? ) considering the amount of jokes he made in the 2012 ver teehee :> that one sound on tiktok that went viral… nobody else knew where it came from BUT I DID !! IT WAS DONNIE !! I KNEW !! YES !! linkiedink 🍓 for what im talking about YEOW !!

— absolutely love the ideas of the little freckles/marks ( ? ) on him too in every universe !!

— flexible, i feel like he could do the splits ?? but also flexible in a way where its considered creepy, like bending his fingers all the way back and being able to curl in on himself ^_^

— obsessed with olive green donnie, i absolutely adore it !! the olive skin tone definitely brings out the mask color :> also has amber eyes in every universe, very deep and very pretty !!

— has a very nice voice, will read for you to sleep, very soothing and very caring for his partner !! YIPEPEE !!

raph :

i can’t even explain how much i love him and how much i want to smooch him and have him be my boyfriend but trust me the feelings are there 👍👍👍 i love him <3

— FANGS !!!!! fangs fangs fangs YEOWOWW !! absolutely obsessed with the idea that he has one poking out at all times :> sharp teeth for a sharp guy mhm mhm 🙂‍↕️

hold on… must draw this for you too… yes 🫵

yeah !! the fangs AWOO they are there… they are sharp

— is it impractical for a mutant turtle to have piercings ? maybe… do i think he has an eyebrow ( ? ) piercings ? yes !! ^_^ i think this guy likes piercings, probably has a lip one too mhm :3

— his mask is torn up… canon in 2012 because it just fits him so much !! i also feel like the bottom of his mask is a bit more pointy especially by the eyes <3

— definitely has a lot of scars !! the lips and on his eye, he’s a fighter so he’s definitely gotten some battle scars to show :3

— CRACKED !! SHELL !! ALL OVER !! i know im naming a lot of canon things but i want more </3 more cracks, more scars… more more more !!

— i get the feeling he can cook… idk what he’s cooking in the sewers but he has some serious talent that i sense ??

— strongest in terms of physical strength, he has leo beat >_< raw, defined, big muscles, maybe even beefy moobs… turtle moobs… toobs ?? he has man shell pecs… yeah !!

— secretly likes plushies, has a couple on his bed but always leaves his door locked from the inside, keeps a key on him… they’re soft and make good pillows what can he say ??

— this was inevitable but very protective over his partner, does NOT allow anyone to yell or disrespect them whatsoever !!

— JERSEY ACCENT OMIGOODNESS. absolutely has that lil jersey tang to his voice ouhhhh :3 also the toothpick thats always in his mouth in bayverse… yeah…all universes…CANON FOR ME !! YES !!

the headcanons ramble ends here because i fear i am YAPPING i feel very bad… very sorry … ouh </3 i could come up with more about them personally/in relationships maybe if you ever want to hear please send an askie i will do it for you nia nya👍👍👍

fav donnie moments ?

— 2007 donnie and his job… poor guy… it’s not that kind of phone line !! >:3 linkiedink 🍓

— SMOOOOTH donatello HELP he is so silly T^T linkiedink 🍓

— him vs tigerclaw was so good, just absolutely loved season 3 and his whole vision quest outfit !! linkiedink 🍓

— angry donnie vs visioso, such a good scene !! the whole voice drop, mhm mhm yummy <3 linkiedink 🍓

— the underwater “ not that kind of sub ” scene will always be famous to me it was so funny to me at the time PLS </3 linkiedink 🍓

oki, now here are some edits for you because i can’t help myself :3 they’re not the most amazing ever but the idea is there… i had to share…ouh… ^_^

2012 raph here & here & HERE

— he is so… <3333333333 !!!! :3

2012 donnie here & here

— THE SCENE OF HIM WALKING BACKWARDS OUHHHH YEAGH !!!! WOOO YEAH !!

bayverse raph here

— bayverse raph… gosh… i want him to carry me on his shoulders he is so huge and beefy and boyfriend… yummy T^T

2007 raph (& leo ??) here & here

— i absolutely LOVED raphs 2007 design so much, his costume was soso cool PHEWWW YEOWWWZA !! ^_^ :3 >_< :p >//<

bayverse edit here

— this entire edit is just so cool… i had to share it… i love love love… yes !! <3

and that ends my seemingly endless tmnt ramble again i am so sorry i got carried away… hides behind hands while i sob… forgive me nia </3

also i am so glad you understand me because it seems as though many do not !! my best friend absolutely hates when i talk about anything to do with it and calls me a weirdo so… heh… i will take my chances here on tumblr.com 🙂‍↕️🫵

THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THESE QUESTIONS NIA !! & thank you for letting me ramble SOB </3 i absolutely cherish you and appreciate you teehee !! :3 wishing you the bestest day and giving you many hugs ma love !! MWUUUAH !! <3 🍓

[folkloristico]

May I return the favor? 🤭 4, 6, 7, 22, 24, and 77 for the writing asks!

Thank you for the ask!

Let’s see…

4. How do you choose which fics to write?

I have a document—sorted by fandoms—where I keep track of all the ideas I come up with so I don’t ever forget them. From there, it’s just a matter of where inspiration leads me; I’ve realised I’m more inclined to write on the spur of the moment than to make plans and stick to them. It’s a bit problematic because I have too many WIPs, so it can take me a long time to finish one, but hey, at least it gets finished… eventually.

6. What’s the last line you wrote?

Under a certain number, all ages kind of blurred together in her mind, and Griffin had not yet stopped to think of the princess as a child; the way Faragonda and the others talked about her did not help to mitigate this image.

7. Post a snippet from a WIP.

Their surroundings shimmered like the faint memory of a dream, and they were in the library once more. Seen like this, in such stark contrast to the crumbling ruins of its truest version, the view left Bloom transfixed; but there was little past the illusion. The borders to the far corners were blurry, and no sound could be detected. The air smelled like nothing at all. Daphne might not be dead after all—but what else was this, if not even worse a fate? “Have you really been staying here alone?” Bloom forced herself to look Daphne in the eyes. “All of this time?” Daphne gave a faint shake of her head. “Not quite. I’m barely aware of what’s happening. I’m… too weak to remain present. I feel the strongest when you’re close by.” “Because of the Dragon Flame?” “Our family’s power, yes.” Bloom faltered, averted her eyes. “Forgive me,” Daphne said swiftly. “I know it must be strange for you.” “No—” Bloom trailed off. A thought occurred to her, and she surveyed the room once more as if it had suddenly changed. “You can’t hear my mind in here—can you?” Daphne gave a laugh. It was a gentle sound, the most alive thing there was about her. “It doesn’t work like that. We share a link, is all. And—I’m a pretty good judge of character, if I may say so myself.” 

Daphne angst + library mentioned <3

And I must say, I’m really enjoying writing Bloom now! 

22. Do you title your fics before, during, or after the writing process? How do you come up with titles?

Honestly, I do anything my brain tells me to do. Sometimes I start writing a fic and the title comes to me shortly thereafter; some other time I even build an idea around a title. But other times I’ve changed the name of an already posted story on a whim, because I really can’t make up my mind. If I’m really struggling with the title, I skim through a bunch of lyrics of my favourite songs until something comes up. I think at least ten of my WIPs are named after a Hozier or Florence song.

24. How do you choose whose POV to write in?

The most important thing to me when choosing a POV is asking myself: What am I trying to achieve with this chapter, and which POV would benefit the most?

For instance, I have this canon-divergent WIP from season 2 that focuses on Diaspro and Bloom while they’re being held prisoner by Darkar. Something happens in the first chapter that only Bloom can be a witness of—the Dragon Flame being the reason why. Long story short, she’s ‘trapped’ in her own head—it’s Daphne that helps her break free—so I’m using Diaspro to show what’s happening during the time Bloom isn’t awake. After that, the story becomes more Diaspro-focused, and there would be no reason to switch to Bloom’s POV once more. In another WIP of mine, not Winx related, a character is keeping a secret from the others, and I’ve decided to switch to her only when that secret is revealed. I try to at best have a vague outline before jumping on the writing phase of a longfic, and I quite enjoy the phase where I’m figuring out the best way to mess with the POVs.

If we’re discussing first person vs third person, in fanfiction I will always favour third person over first. I might consider writing in first person if it’s the same POV the book is written in, but generally speaking, I find first-person very off-putting in fanfiction because the characters have a pre-established voice, and it’s quite hard to grasp. However, I disagree with the general sentiment that first person is bad even outside of fanfiction; most of my favourite books ever are written in first person.

77. Why do you enjoy writing fanfiction?

Because once I get an idea stuck in my mind, I can’t get rid of it unless I write it down. It’s like, I don’t know, setting the silly guys in your head free. I love writing, and fanfiction allows you to do so without the stress of striving for perfection or focusing too much on what other people will think. 

[muffimtv]

tihesocyh

all of them except any youre uncomfy with i know its 40 pls

POEASE

what are 3 things you’d say shaped you into who you are?- my friends, my relationship with gender, and my art

show us a picture of your handwriting?

this is the closest i got

3 films you could watch for the rest of your life and not get bored of?- lego batman movie, hercules, jaws

what’s an inside joke you have with your family or friends?- @fuzziecorpse it’s shakespeare’s fucking fault

what made you start your blog?- i had a lot of friends on tumblr and needed somewhere to post art

what’s the best and worst part of being online/a creator?- best part is for sure just the fun of making content! worst is all the judgement i tend to get (especially being a furry)

what scares you the most and why?- abandonment, because i have anxiety

any reacquiring dreams?- not really

tell a story about your childhood- i LOVED the paris catacombs when i was a kid. i would SOB because my parents wouldn’t let me touch the skulls and when they made me leave

would you say you’re an emotional person?- oh yeah

what do you consider to be romance?- i have a bit of a weird relationship with romance! it’s very hard to describe where i draw the line

what’s some good advice you want to share?- uhhhh dont die?

what are you doing right now?- watcjing lego batman movie

what’s something you’ve always wanted to do but maybe been to scared to do?- jump into a pool from the balcony

what do you think of when you hear the word “home”?- my bedroom late at night or my partner

if you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?- i want to be more patient

name 3 things that make you happy- fandom, cats, art

do you believe in ghosts and/or aliens?- i think that it’s statistically unlikely we’re alone in the universe. as far as ghosts go i think they’re a neat concept but i don’t really believe in them

favourite thing about the day?- warm sun

favourite things about the night?- stars

are you a spiritual person?- not really?

say 3 things about someone you love- so so kind, so so silly, and makes me feel incredibly loved

say 3 things about someone you hate- homophobic cowboy piece of shit

what’s one thing you’re proud of yourself for?- being a good sibling

fave season and why?- autumn, it’s the perfect temperature and weather almost always (side note: it’s literally my namesake)

fave colour and why?- purple, it’s beautiful

any nicknames?- muffi/muffin

do you collect anything?- books, plushies, fabric

what do you do when you’re sad?- play sad music

what’s one thing that never fails to make you happy/happier?- my friends

are you messy or organised?- both. my space usually looks like a disaster but i know exactly where evrrything is

how many tabs do you have open right now?- uhhh 28

any hobbies?- all of the above (reading, drawing, sewing, bookbinding, making playlists)

any pet peeves?- that squeaky sound balloons make

do you trust easily?- yes

are you an open book or do you have walls up?- chronic oversharer 🙏🙏

share a secret- i don’t really keep any? see above LMAO

fave song at the moment?- save a horse (ride a cowboy)

youtuber you’ve been obsessed with and why?- film cooper rn, he’s funny as fuck

any bad habits?- picking at my lips AUFH

[kyleiskoool]

ive said this before but i hate hate hate the dialouge in fantasies come true. gang its so bad. its my favourite song (to sing atleast) in the show BUT OH MY GOD!!!

having nicky sleeping is a fine concept and its pretty funnt but idk most of the dialouge just isnt that funny. i know it isnt supposed to make sense and it represents dream talk like yes i understand that. but most of the things he says are just... meh.

exception is all the actual plot forwarding shit ("i love you rod" "take off ur shirt") and "you look like david hasselhoff" those lines are absolute fire idc what anyone says.

dont get me wrong i think the lyrics are so good. fantasies come true does no wrong. the harmonies r peak and the lyrics are amazing.

buttt they did get rid of the best line in the entire song from the demo tracks. (its on my youtube somewhere) so you know that pissed me off. but also i can see why they got rid of it. because it took away from how rod actually felt in his heart or whatever. it took away from some of the seriousness from the song. so i guess i can see but like it was so funny and ughghgh.

actually i wanna make a quick analysis on why they did that. im gonna guess that in a time where gay people werent really seen, theybdidnt want to fall into the stereotype of "all gays are sexual" or something like that. and they wanted to show that queer people could genuinely fall in love with a man and it not just be about sexual favours. they didnt want rods feelings to be a joke. with having a gay man playing rod as-well, it was probs the best option. once again homophobia has taken from us...

okay and i think the ending is SOOOO LAZY. like they drop the most amazing harmonies and the most wonderful beautiful duet of the show showing how both kate and rod have found someone so important, so special to them. theyve both found someone who loves them unconditionally and theyve both so excited because nobody has loved them like this before.

then they RIP it away from rod. they pull the elemantary school narative writing conclusion of "it was all a dream so none of this really matters" i just think in a tony winning musical pulling something that an elementary school student could write is a bit of a bore and disapointing.

hell, i wouldve liked it better if it was just rod imagining it up but getting pulled out of it somehow. idk. i just think it was such a rug pull like "oh no, now hes actually heartbroken because iT wAS alL a dReAM"

i mean it does do a good job of getting rod to realise/confess hes in love with nicky but... rrrrrr... doesnt make sense.

pull the demo track though like even if rod was mishearing what he was saying or they found a way to make it non-romantic or something idk.

at what point do tou just make nicky and rod gay? like at what point do you decide that it would make more sense (jk i think nicky being straight is okay in canon but thats for another massive convoluted rant)

anyways yeah guys that was my rant about fantasies come true. make sure to like, subscribe and click that bell! i hope you enjoyed the tumblr rant. ill see you in the next one

[marieabubb08]

Playlist

Songs I associate with Haikyuu characters:

Taylor Swift Ver.

Kageyama Tobio - Gorgeous (Reputation Album)

OCEAN BLUE EYES-

ITS ALREADY INDICATED IN THERE HONEY

But for real the song screams tsundere and Kags is EXACTLY that

The chorus with the "You're so gorgeous" and "Cause look at your face" fits well too

LIKE DONT LIE TO ME, KAGEYAMA IS TOO PRETTY LIKE WHA-

Now does he listen to this song? Probably not

I don't see Kageyama liking music too much

He may like some songs but he doesn't religiously listen to them

Oikawa Tooru - All of The Girls You've Loved Before (Lover Album)

We all know Oikawa is a bit of a playboy

Therefore, no matter what you say I would always believe that he has A LONG LIST OF EX LOVERS Blank Space Style

Now why didn't I choose Blank Space?

Well I dont really see him as someone toxic

Well yeah, he is annoying in the show and all but I do believe that he is a gentleman especially to girls.

HE HAS A SISTER WHAT DID YOU EXPECT?!

(I always notice that men with sister/s especially if they are really close, are gentlemen)

And seeing how he's close with his nephew means he is close with his sister.

AND HE IS A HUGE MAMA'S BOY, IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH ME PLEASE RESPECTFULLY SHUT UP

Now would he listen to this?

YES, YES HE WOULD

Probably because he's heard someone he knows (ahem ahem Makki ahem ahem) listening to this and immediately liked it

Its not his favourite, but definitely its on his playlist

Sugawara Koushi - Cruel Summer (Lover Album)

okay okay okAY OKAY HEAR ME OUT-

It doesnt symbolise Suga that much

Well except for the bridge part, because it kind of screams him

But speAKING OF THE BRIDGE

I KID YOU NOT HE SCREAMS THAT SHIT ON THE TOP OF HIS LUNGS

Imagine you're his neighbour and at 2 in the morning he starts screaming "HE LOOKS UP GRINNING LIKE A DEVIL-"

Tell me he wont do it, because he would

But like I said earlier, I do believe the bridge fits him

"I'm drunk in the back of the car and I cried like a baby coming home from the bar. Said I'm fine but it wasnt true. I dont want to keep secrets just to keep you and I snuck in through the garden gates every night that summer just to seal my fate. I scream for whatever it's worth, "I love you" aint that the worst thing you've ever heard. He looks up grinning like a devil"

I had to type all that-

BUT THIS LINE JUST SCREAMMMMS SUGAWARA KOUSHI TO ME

Akaashi Keiji - Willow (Evermore Album)

OKAY I'M EXCITED FOR THIS

I was about to choose Enchanted but Willow feels more up his alley

I could just probably put up the whole Evermore and Folklore album for this man and it would fit

And btw those two are probably what he considers one of the best albums ever

Timeskip spoilers!

We all know he majored in literature and so he is probably into deep metaphors and similes and Willow has that.

He also seems like the type to like old and magical themes which is WILLOW wow who knew

But really, this would be on his playlist along with Cardigan, some old 80s music and Radwimps

NOW THE SONG JUST FITS HIM SOOOO MUCH

The instrumental of the song is so simple yet very dimensional

AND THE THAT'S MY MAN LINE, LIKE YESSS HE IS THAT MAN

Akaashi Keji is definitely that price we'd cheat to win, don't lie

Kuroo Tetsurou - Getaway Car (Reputation Album)

THIS SCREAAAAMSSS KUROO TETSUROU

From the music to the lyrics dAMN IT-

He is the best of times and the worst of crimes ISTG-

(But I'd defo not be the first to leave if I was with THE Kuroo Tetsurou)

BUT ANOTHER ONE WHERE HE SHOUTS THE LYRICS DEADASS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FUCKING NIGHT

Bet when he comes early for practice, you can hear him screeching "X MARKS THE SPOT WHERE WE FELL APART" inside the gym

Scared the crap out of Lev once tbh

It's definitely one of his most replayed songs in his playlist

He isnt much of a fan of Taylor, but he just vibes with the song

The type of vibe where he'll dance like a worm when the chorus hits

But Getaway Car just screams Kuroo to me idk why

Atsumu Miya - Back to December (Speak Now Album)

wait wait waIT WAIT-

I know you might be asking WHY THIS SONG?

To which my answer is....

I DONT KNOW

He just feels like a person who would listen to sad/heartbreak songs

He's sappy like that

Probably listens to this, Heartbreak Anniversary, Secret Love Song etc etc

When he listens to this, he would start pulling up with the sad face like he's in a FOOKING MUSIC VIDEO

DONT TELL ME HE DOESNT LISTEN TO THIS AS HE WALKS SLOW WITH A FROWN LIKE HE'S STARRING IN AN MV

But when he's at home he definitely sings this peacefully until the bridge part.

"Back to December all the time........I MISS YOUR TANNED SKIN! YOUR SWEET SMILE!! SO GOOD TO ME SO RIGHTT!"

Lmfao it always wakes Osamu up from his naps so hey its all good for him only

Miya Osamu - Lover (Lover Album)

It is basically cannon that the twins are absolute opposites of each other.

And so, I am sure their music preference are also different.

While Atsumu likes those heartbreaking, Whitney Houston-like lyrics with high energy backgrounds, Osamu likes those romantic, suave songs with acoustic guitars and small drums on the instrumentals.

So Lover was my number one pick.

This MAN IS A ROMANTIC IN MY HEADCANNON, DO NOT CHANGE MY MIND

Can you jussttttt imagine him cooking whilst swaying his hips oN THIS SONG AHBSHSVSHWVWHWV FANGIRLING HARD RN FAM

But yeah, I feel like the whole Lover album is up his alley.

But unlike Atsumu, his singing is pretty chill, no unnecessary screeching and screaming.

Tsukishima Kei - Mastermind (Midnights Album)

So we all agree that this song is Tsukishima's, right?

HAVE YOU SEEN THAT ICONIC MOMENT FROM SEASON 3? GODDAMN HE PLANNED THAT SHIT FROM THE BEGINNING I CANNAT-

Back to the regular programming-

What I am saying is that he felt like a mastermind in that episode😉

JUST FROM THE LINES: "What if I told you none of it was accidental?" or "I laid the groundwork and then, just like clockwork the dominoes cascaded in a line."

Sums up his whole character probably

HE LISTENS TO THIS AGREE TO DISAGREE

I feel like the whole aesthetic of Midnights fit him

HE IS LITERALLY THE ANTI-HERO OF HAIKYUU DO NOT TALK TO ME-

Mastermind is not his favourite but he doesn't hate or dislike it, its in the middle category for him.

Him listening to Vigilante Shit on those white Apple headphones

Tendo Satori - Shake It Off (1989 Album)

TENDO IS A SWIFTIE, HE IS OKAY!

Shake it off is a fun ass song and there is no way he doesnt love this bop

HE DANCES TO THIS RELGIOUSLY OKAY

The lyrics also moves his heart

We all know that his childhood was pretty rough due to bullies (And maybe even when he was in high school he still had them)

So with the lyrics' positivity, it makes his heart lighter.

HE HUMS THIS WHILE HE WRAPS HIS FINGERS WITH TAPE BEFORE PRACTICING HIS BLOCKS

Let me bet you that Ushijima asked him once what the song was because he sings it EVERYDAY, and Ushijima already memorised the harmony AHAHAHAH

He becomes EXCITED and started babbling about Taylor and how he should consider being a Swiftie while Ushijima listens

He may or may not have converted Ushijima into one

HAIL LORD TENDO, THE BEST ADVERTISER TO TAYLOR AFTER USHIJIMA TO SHIRATORIZAWA

Just noticed almost all of these were the setters- Definitely not intentional😶

Part two?

Not Edited

[mrs-monaghan]

I've been wondering something. Ok, so you know how Jk is always debunking tkkr stuff, right? But it seems like Jimin doesn't debunk yoonmin. In fact, yoonminers are thriving right now lol

Like if Tae or Jk talked about each other as much as Jimin talks about Suga, the shippers would explode. Or like how Jimin is participating with Yoongi in his promo stuff like the thing that Yoongi uploaded today where Jimin is scolding him. Or Jimin naming is mossball Suga. Just little random mentions.

If Jk or Tae did that in their stuff, Jikookers would be going insane. But literally no one is talking about yoonmin lol except yoonminers (and me, I guess).

I just don't get why Jimin talks about Yoongi all the time (like Tae does with Jk) except that Jimin is actively participating in stuff with Yoongi often, and not just name dropping like Tae does.

I hope this makes sense. It was hard to sort my thoughts out.

You need to understand one thing first. At first, most Yoonminers were Tkkrs because they needed somewhere to shove Jimin. Right? To keep him away from JK?? But Jikook continued to Jikook and so they became Jimin antis. You know how we call Jhope the Jikook president? Well, they used to call Jimin their president 😂😂

But now they loath him because they see what we see: JK's love and treatment for Jimin is way more and way different than that of any other member. Than that of V. So now I do think the majority of Yoonminers left are genuine ones. I mean they're wrong, they're always gonna be wrong...but I don't blame them for thinking Yoonmin is real.

As we have stated before many times, Suga is one sus mofo, alright? It is what it is.

Jikookers let me call u out for a second here while we are on the topic of name dropping, can we talk about the fact that Suga name drops Jimin ALL THE TIME and no one ever bats an eye? But wait until V name drops JK and all hell breaks loose

But okay, fine I get it. Tkkrs are pieces of shit who attack Jimin for the smallest things so u would rather V not do the thing. But, for all we know JK could be V's favourite member, right?

I mean, he's clearly not JK's favourite member but ain't nothing wrong with JK's being V's...no?

If Tae or JK did that in their stuff Jikookers would be going insane.

They would anon. They would and they will if some Tkk unit thingi happens. But u have to understand, the vermin are the root of all evil.

Did you know that Vminers think Vmin are married? Like genuinely. Like they literally think Jimin and V are married? Did you know that Jinkookers believe that Jin and JK are a thing? 🤢🤮 Like, legitimately? That the Osaka live it was Jin hiding in the bathroom? They have their own analysis and everything. And don't even get me started on Minimonis.

What am I saying? We have other hard-core Jimin and JK shippers out there but they are not as toxic as the vermin. I mean, don't go into their space and try to argue with them because they will eat you alive, but they believe what they believe and there ain't nothing we can do about it.

If Tae or JK talked about each other as much as Jimin talks about Suga, the shippers would implode.

True. But here's the thing. When Yoonmin are in the same room, we have bickering, Suga all over Jimin which again, no one seems to have an issue with, and we have them complimenting eo and just them being them. Which is something they've done for years. But when Jimin is just on his own talking about Suga, its about how much the dude supports him, its about work, mostly. Not all the time but mostly. But yes, Jimin does adore Suga, that much is clear. But....don’t forget, he adores other members too. Yes, Suga is his favourite rapper, yes, his favourite line out of all BTS songs is by Suga (JK was the only one who knew this btw) Yes, his Nevermind tattoo is from a verse by Suga, yes, he named his mosball Suga, and the list goes on. (Ps- Jimin appearing in Suga's skit while I'm sure both parties were down for it, it was the company's idea. So that doesn't count) But u won't catch Jimin treating Suga any different than he treats any other member. To add to this I'll post a screenshot of my friend who puts it perfectly

i.e: -Anyone with eyes can see Jimin is way closer to JK and Jhope than he is to Suga. -There's nothing for Jimin to debunk because Suga when he name drops Jimin he's not insinuating...well, things. And he tells it like it is. He doesn't exergerrate.

-Jimin treats Suga like he does other members.

-Jikookers have way more logic than the vermin and use their brains how they're supposed to; To think. And be smart.

Yoonminers are thriving right now lol.

Yes. I'm still side eying the company on these constant Yoonmin parings. Like why tf would Suga be promoting Busan with Jimin? Why not Jimin and JK?

They're the ones actually from Busan?!?!?!?!

Anyway, anon. At the end of the day, Tkkrs a.k.a the vermin are the problem. They're the issue. If they weren't so fucking mentally deficient, Jikookers wouldn't have an issue with certain things that V does. But alas!

[celestialulu]

Songs I'd give to Lucy if she was a Kpop soloist and why:

title is self explanatory and some of these might just be based on vibes and sound rather than as a whole but I tried to keep it also based on the general dance/performance and lyrically aswell. idk this is just for fun because ive thought about this a bit lol ALSO i tried to keep these as soloist songs but i think a lot of group songs fit her so most of them are just group songs lol

ALSO a lot of these are nalu based but thats unavoidable because theyre very intertwined lmao

also also this ended being a longer post than i expected and i dont think anyones gonna read everything but yeah

Herione by Sunmi

I mean first of all the title is LITERALLY called Heroine like... come on. This song for me is very nalu core like whenever i hear this song the lyrics scream nalu from a Lucy POV, for me anyway. Mostly the lyrics about a hero, lucy herself has agreed that natsu is kinda like her hero in the RAVE x FT crossover little comic if you didn't know. I would said the sound kinda fits lucy its not too brooding but not too crazy and hyper and its a good middle ground that I think would suit her :)

POP! by Nayeon

Okay so I was deciding between killin' me good and pop for this list because I think they both fit her in diff ways but I think pop is better for her because its whimsical and silly and happy with a bit of cunty and that's very lucy for me <3 but in general I think both songs would work for her but anyway yes pop is very silly and fun and cute and i think thats very fitting for lucy and she would rock the pop m/v outfits

Queen of Hearts by TWICE

Okay this one is both based lyrically and vibe vise. I think it sounds like something lucy would perform its a powerful song but not too over the top and a good middle ground that would suit lucy. anyways the lyrics from the first chorus:

its VERY fitting for lucy leaving her old life behind and starting new and becoming bigger and better yes yes yes and the lyrics about being a queen yes she is a queen and she will rule the world!!!

BONVOYAGE by Dreamcatcher

i loveee this song and honestly a lot of dreamcatcher songs I imagine nalu scenarios in my head to them because theyre songs are sooo catchy and fast paced I can imagine the craziest things,, anyway the reason I chose this song was mostly the lyrics i mean things like

i cant explain it but this is definitely them theyre soulmates and the "maybe you dont but i love you" definitely suits lucy i specifically thought of the line in 100yq of her thinking natsu doesnt like her in that way but you know she loves him anyway and they'll be together forever in his words etc etc

again i cant really explain how this is them but if i had to i would say the way theyre really close and best friends and yet have fallen in love with eachother but are hurting eachother going in circles with their relationship and not confronting their fears about losing each other either quite literally or their relationship and it's gonna build up until it explodes lol

okay last part these lyrics really remind me of the ending in dragon cry when lucy tells natsu that even with the different conflicting parts of him she knows him and she knows that even with all of that hes still just natsu and its what he needed to hear and she just knew that so :)

and also other than the lyrics I think the song can be very lucy sounding,, to me anyways :D

​​​enchanted night ~ 白夜 by Billlie

Okay after the essay on the last one I wanted to do a song that has a more simple explanation,, so Billlie have amazing songs theyre one of my favourite kpop groups and if you haven't listened to their songs they bang so hard please listen <3 anyways the lyrics are all based around of course an enchanted night with lines like "The moon is freaky, the stars are dreamy" etc etc which of course suits lucy due to the stars and such but also the moon part made me think of the galuna island arc and of course the whole eclipse gate and such so yeah! (also the song sounds soft and pretty like lucy.. (: )

Playing with Fire by Blackpink

another song based off of lyrics being very nalu i mean... playing with fire as a title is very nalu,, but also the lyrics are about going too far in love and getting hurt getting burnt etc etc which like you know that one scene in 100yq and like the whole slow burn thing they have,, its very fitting to me imo and also the sound suits lucy its again middle ground powerful but not too overwhelming to the point where its too powerful that it wouldnt suit lucy (not saying she isnt powerful she has her moments which is why i think a middle ground is good)

Queencard - G-IDLE

this might be a hit or miss for some people,, but hear me outtttt... I wanted to add a song thats very high confidence and powerful but a lot of songs in mind were too dark and serious but and I feel like this fits the most,, its feminine and fun with confidence and cunt slayage and its silly and fun and its so lucy to me its so so so lucy too me. I need to draw lucy in a queencard stage outfit like yesterday thank yew also i know a lot of people thought the lyrics were cringe and this that blah blah blah but i think adds to the fun and it kinda fits lucy sometimes shes a little silly and girlfail and thats okay we love her for it

(I will leave it there for now but theres defo more songs out there for this but I dont want to make this toooo long and obv i included these songs a lot because I like them and some other people may not like the songs or agree that they suit lucy but its how I view them and its just for fun :)

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay Visuals: My Mother Told Me

This video was released on the 24th of April, 2021, and currently sits at a very-impressive 6.7 million views! It features Jose Rosario Jr (in his first collabration with Voiceplay (on a full-length video at least)), who for a few years performed with Rockapella! (Rockapella is an acapella group who have been around for over 35 years, they were part of the OG Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego show, and they were a bit of an inspiration to Voiceplay (originally 4:2:Five) in their early days).

I wasn't actually sure whether or not this video would give me a lot of moments to point out/talk about (it's been a while since the last time I watched it), but it's obviously a big production (epic, even), and I will undoubtedly be talking about its "sister video", Valhalla Calling, when I eventually get around to it, so long story short, I'm doing this. Let's go!

Each vocalist got filmed separately for this one, each with their own backdrop (and then were all spliced together for "group shots" in the video), so each member gets their own picture when I'm talking about them in this post!

Jose is wearing some textured blanket-looking thing, plus a plain brown shirt/tunic, and he's got a pair of blueish lines on his face that almost look a little bit like scars. He's standing in front of a sort of desert plains landscape, maybe with some large red mountains/rock formations?

Oh yeah and also it's a little hard to see, but just at the neckline of Jose's shirt, underneath his beard, there's a cool viking(?) symbol on his neck that also shows up in Valhalla Calling (and on the merch for that video too)!

Eli appears to have a bit of dirt and grime on his skin (which would be intentional of course), as well as some cool-looking tattoos (even on his head!) (fake ones for the video of course), and some very heavy eye makeup. He's standing in front of some grass, rocky cliffs (possibly with water down below?), and sea mist

(Also Eli is credited with "virtual production" on this one, so I guess all these greenscreen backgrounds were his doing? Massive shoutout to Eli!)

J has the same symbol on his forehead that Jose had on his neck/chest, as well as some white powder-looking makeup stuff on his cheeks. No clue what kind of top/shirt that is, but I like the big fur coat, and cool arm cuff things as well! He's standing in front of a frozen (or partially-frozen) lake, with snow-covered mountains/rock formations behind it.

(Fun fact: Geoff re-used a few costume pieces from My Mother Told Me when filming the videos for his covers of Far Over The Misty Mountains Cold and I See Fire!

Layne has got a makeup design to Eli, with similiar tattoos on his face, and a bit of extra dirt/grime as well. He's got fur trimmings(?) on his shoulders like Eli, but it looks more like the fur that J is wearing. He's standing in front of wide open plains I guess? I'm not sure, I can't make out a ton of detail.

I think Layne's outfit might be my favourite one of this video; it seems the most complex, like it has the most going on with it, and I like the patterned cuff design thing on his right arm!

And I haven't forgotten Geoff, of course I haven't forgotten Geoff, and seriously oh my god

I'm honestly not sure if I could give a good description of Geoff's outfit even if I tried, but it works! (Also wait I literally only just realised that, once more, he's the only one in the video with exposed shoulders (well, one exposed shoulder, but still!))

This honestly might be one of Geoff's most terrifying looks of any Voiceplay video so far, if not the most terrifying. Vampire!Geoff in This Is Halloween was "scary" in the "yes please give me more of it" (i.e. hot) way. Oogie Boogie!Geoff in Oogie Boogie's Song was just theatrical and entertaining. Mr Hyde!Geoff in Kidnap The Sandy Claws was (to me at least) just a little bit strange and hard to wrap my head around. But Geoff here? This is "makes you want to move very quickly in the opposite direction" scary!

(So like well done to Rick Underwood on the makeup (but in regards to everyone else as well))

Jose, J, Eli, and Layne all got cool aesthetic landscapes as their backdrops. Geoff got darkness and STUFF ON FIRE (...yeah that checks out 😆)

Even the fingernails!!! Even the fingernails look like they've got grime on them! (Also, Geoff at his least-terrifying moment of the video)

Aaaand we're back to "time to run away very fast" mode!

(Also yes Geoff's tattoos and makeup are very cool as well)

Not that Geoff is the only one in this video that I wouldn't wanna pick a fight with!

Jose is credited with "additional acting direction" in the description, so I guess he maybe camw up with/directed some of these kind of moves?

Oh hey Geoff has that symbol on him as well! I wonder if Layne and Eli have got it somewhere on them too?

Wait hang on what is Eli holding?

A better shot of Layne's face tattoos and the cool sleeve thing!

Geoff doing a similar hand movement to the one he did in Bang! (which was my previous post actually), after he had just done a bit of an impressive bass-vocal-run (or something like that), except this time it's after holding a quite low note (a subharmonic I think?) for like 6 seconds.

Oh I think Eli was holding his cape?

Yes I can see the tattoo, thank you Jose! 😂

Also did Geoff do a bit of hair colouration for this video? Because yes he's got a bit of grey in his hair now, but not that much grey, and it's not always that noticeable (though personally I do love the grey streak he often has in his bangs, it's rather fetching if I do say so myself <3)

Run fast, and run far!

And that's the video! Man, can you believe these are the same dudes (well except Jose) that did the Aca Top 10 videos, being all silly and fooling around? Acting skills were freaking on point here! Everyone crushed it!

It's a great arrangement as well (shoutout to Layne!). The song is actually just one single verse, which here is sung like 5 or 6 times over, but you barely even notice it (if at all) because the whole production is just so mind-blowingly good!

I also wanted to do this video because I'll be skipping over You're My Best Friend and Man In The Mirror, so this'll be the last video I'm doing where J is actually a part of the group. It was of course very sad that he left Voiceplay, but he's come back as a guest artist in like 6 full-length videos now (not even counting the minis), and hopefully he might one day return to Voiceplay full-time, once he's done with his stint in the US Navy band!

[queenaeducan]

Gale + 5, 8, 12, 19!

What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them?

Would That I by Hozier. It's not the only song of his that deals with break ups/new love that I have on my Gale playlist, but I think it's my favourite for him in a romanced playthrough. The imagery of the current love as fire setting wood to the tree of his past relationship pairs nicely with "With you I forget my goddess." The fact that it's nature imagery in general works well with Ophelia. I like to think of it as a controlled burn to help the forest flourish. To my knowledge it's not the exact intended meaning of the song, but it's what I get from it.

What's a headcanon you have for this character?

I don't go for six pack Gale, but I like to think he lost weight during his year in the tower and only starts to put it back on through the game and beyond.

What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

Gale is an incredibly sweet person whose flaws lead him to some pretty dark places. He is quite eager to help and make himself useful, whether it's making dinner or almost all of his greetings being some form of "how can I help?" whether you barely know each other or you're the love of his life.

I do think there's an ugly side to that. He doesn't do things just to make himself useful, but because he wants recognition. He wants to be thought of, to be remembered. There's a small section of A Study of Hands I enjoyed writing after his resurrection in Act 1, when he's glad to have caused Ophelia grief because it gives his life (and death) some semblance of meaning:

Ophelia’s face is a stone mask, aggressive in its impassivity. A trait he typically admires, and takes as good cause to heed her wise counsel, feels suddenly cruel. Unfair? Oh, most certainly. But a crueller part within him took heart when it saw how her eyes were puffed with tears. It wanted her to weep for him. It wanted to know he will be missed.

I think, as much as fear of a godless death motivates his suicide mission, he's also motivated by the desire to go out in such a way that he'll be remembered.

So like, is there something admirable in how he wants to be useful? That he wants to become a god to help people? Yes, but there is performance in it as well, and performances are done with the desire to be recognised. There's a selfish side to it that's a little ugly but very interesting!

And I think that darkness/pettiness is sometimes forgotten and that is what I don't like. Although reading back over what I wrote I think I mostly just wanted to talk about it rather than discuss its place in fandom.

How about a relationship they have in canon that you don't like?

Like with Solas, I like most of his relationships just fine. Do I think they're all good for him? No, but that's why I like them.

For example, I find his relationship with not just Mystra but Elminster a little questionable. I don't go with the interpretation that Gale met Mystra when he was still a child, but he does canonically know one of Mystra's Chosen from a young age (I don't want to look up the letter rn, but it was six or eight when he met Elminster). It's just a deeply weird situation. Mystra's Chosen are a little fucked. I'm not sure how much of it is intended canon (specifically on larian's part) and what was inherited from DND lore, but it's just like. You look at it and go "this is weird right???" because, well, it is weird.

While Elminster disagrees with her charge for Gale to die, he also won't really budge beyond that to any more meaningful criticisms of her. And while I think he's right that "fuck Mystra" is as deeply unwise a philosophy as listening to her in regards to her plan for the Orb, the particular line he spouts speaks to his own shortcomings as Chosen.

But like I said, I think it's interesting and wouldn't say I don't like it on a narrative level. I do wish it were more consistently written I guess?