#(well sung by ado but)

[wist-eri]

me and you, if we could become shimmering stars or something of the sort

also alternative color grading:

[flower-boi16]

Let's Analyze and Rank Every Song in Hazbin Hotel (From a Narrative Perspective) From Worst to Best

Hazbin Hotel has a pretty good soundtrack. The songs are definitely one of the better parts of the show, they are well-sung, well-composed, and just incredibly catchy. As songs completely divorced from the context and narrative of the main show...they are really good...

...however, Hazbin Hotel is also a musical, meaning that the songs also have to play into the narrative of the show. I want to try something different in this post; here, I'm going to rank each song in Hazbin Hotel not as songs, but rather, analyzing them from a purely narrative point of view, what they do for the show's characters, plot, as well as what happens in them, factoring in the outside context and narrative of the show as well as looking directly at the lyrics.

Because, when you judge Hazbin's songs from a purely narrative standpoint & factor in the outside context of a lot of the show's writing...many of the songs begin to completely fall apart. without further ado...let's get into this ranking.

16. Hell is Forever (2/10)

A major issue with Hazbin that I've talked about a lot on this blog is how heavily black and white the show's themes are in spite of the show preaching about being against black-and-white moralities.

Charlie is always portrayed as completely in the right and anyone who remotely opposes her is portrayed as automatically in the wrong despite the fact that, her "everyone can be redeemed" mentality is just as simplistic and black-and-white as Adam's "no one can be redeemed" mentality. But the show never calls that out and only tears down Adam's ideology while portraying Charlie's mentality as completely right despite it also being just as extreme as Adam's, but the show never chooses to call that out.

Adam is also nothing but a pure straw character who only exists to be torn down by the narrative and thus can't have much real depth or nuance as a character beyond "asshole who swears a lot" (which I talked about before).

The reason why Hell is Forever is at the very bottom of the list is because the song puts those issues on full display. It exposes how black-and-white the show's theming is and how much of a strawman Adam is.

Lines like "the rules are black and white there's no use in trying to fight it" or "are they winners? are they sinners? cuz it's cut and dry" not only sound awkward from a song perspective but also sound very forced from a narrative perspective; it's shoving down the "Heaven bad" message down your through and simply shows how one-dimensional Adam is as a character, very explicitly saying "HEY LOOK HOW BAD HEAVEN IS AND HOW MUCH OF AN ASSHOLE ADAM IS!!!"

Those lyrics show Adam being a pure straw character at his worst since they no-so subtly communicate the idea of "Heaven bad" in a way that's forced and awkward. Those aren't the only lyrics that show this, as there is the verse where Adam says "There's the question of fun (fun) and for those of us with divine ordainment...extermination is entertainment!".

It insinuates that the exterminations are purely a game to Adam and the exorcists and they do it because it's fun, which does no favors in further cementing Adam as a one-dimensional pure straw character.

Ultimately, while Hell is Forever exposes how black-and-white Heaven's way of thinking is, the song also exposes how black-and-white and simplistic the show's own themes and messages are, making it the worst the song in the entire show from a narrative point of view.

15. Out for Love (3/10)

Out for Love, like Hell is Forever, puts one of the show's major writing issues on full display and ends up even validating it in-universe. Out for Love’s entire premise as a song is that Vaggie needs to fight for her loved ones (specifically Charlie) rather than just for vengeance. This works fine enough until you start factoring in outside context within in the narrative.

First of all, Carmilla says that Vaggie is "driven by her detestation" and is fighting for pure vengeance….but she isn’t. Vaggie was never thirsting for vengeance at all, she always thought for Charlie, one of the lines in Whatever It Takes literally says that Vaggie will be Charlie’s armour, as in, she’ll try and protect her no matter what.

So Vaggie was never driven by vengeance in the first place so this song’s message doesn’t make much sense. Oh, but I haven’t even gotten to what this song means for Vaggie as a character.

The main issue with Vaggie as a character throughout the show is how she is heavily defined by Charlie, not just that "she doesn't get developed beyond being Charlie's girlfriend", no, I mean EVERY SINGLE major character moment Vaggie has is tied to Charlie in some way.

Out for Love accentuates that issue, being Vaggie's second big character moment where she has to fuel herself with the desire to protect Charlie, to fight for Charlie and ONLY Charlie. The song even confirms that Vaggie is defined by Charlie in-universe with the line "Fuel yourself with the fear of losing that somebody who's you reason to live".

Vaggie can't exist without Charlie. She can only be Charlie's partner and girlfriend. She is only defined by Charlie. She is just "Charlie's girlfriend". All of her character moments revolve being a good girlfriend to Charlie and defending her.

Out for Love while having a good message on paper ends up putting of the show's major issues on full display like Hell is Forever and the message flat out validates an issue with the show.

14. Whatever it Takes (3/10)

Whatever it Takes has a similar problem to Out for Love in terms of what it does for Vaggie as a character. It, like the former song, it keeps on pushing the idea of Vaggie being solely defined by Charlie, as Vaggie's verse in this song is purely about her singing about how much she wants to protect Charlie and the best girlfriend to her.

Again, it has a solid enough message on paper (singing about how you'll do anything to protect your loved ones) but in the context of the rest of the series this only further damages Vaggie as a character and further cements Vaggie as just "Charlie's girlfriend".

This song is intended to be a major character moment for Vaggie, but the problem is that character is tied directly to Charlie. Again, Vaggie's big character moments revolve around Charlie in some way, making her whole character tied to Charlie.

The song also has other problems with Vaggie directly tied to the lyrics. The lyric "It felt so good to be understood" is pretty weird to me, because how did Charlie make Vaggie feel understood? How did Charlie understand Vaggie in anyway? Since when was Vaggie being misunderstood apart of her character? Because it never was.

The song is also supposed to be a big emotional ballad for Carmilla, where she sings about her motivations for why she killed the angel, that being she wanted to protect her family and do whatever it took....

....which would've been impactful if Carmilla wasn't a character introduced in this same episode that the show barely does much of anything to get you to care about. We haven't gotten to know Carmilla much as a character so this whole moment feels unearned and unimpactful.

Whatever It Takes, like Out for Love has a sweet enough message on paper, but factoring the outside context of the show's writing damages the song significantly.

13. Finale (3/10)

Finale has a similar problem to You Didn't Know (which I'll cover later) in how despite being this grand, big musical number, it feels empty and hollow.

The first verse has Charlie mourning over Pentious' death which would've been fine if his death wasn't played as a joke in the same episode right before the episode then instantly treated it like a big moment. Then the verse further shows how hollow this song feels when Lucifer says that Charlie was the "first one to change this town" and how she helped everyone grow into better people and "touched their hearts"

....except she didn't. Lucifer, please tell me, how did Charlie remotely change Hell in the slightest? Sure, she proved that sinners can become better people, but this line implies that Charlie made a difference in Hell and changed it to be a better place in some way...when she didn't. She never "changed" Hell as a whole. And the part where Lucifer sings about how Charlie "helped the sinners become better people & grow" doesn't feel impactful because we never saw that growth happen.

Characters singing about how much they've grown doesn't work when we never saw that growth actually happen. The song wants to be this grand number about how Charlie helped souls improve as people but it falls flat within the context of the story because we never saw this process of Charlie helping Pentious and Angel to become better people, rather the show just completely skips over that.

Then the characters start singing about how they'll rebuild the hotel and make it even better than before to cheer Charlie up...

...why are they still trying the hotel after Heaven REJECTED it? Seriously, Charlie's plan to convince Heaven FAILED, there isn't much of a point to still continuing the hotel at this point since they KNOW that Heaven isn't going to accept it. They know they can't get sinners in Heaven because Heaven's rules are bullshit.

Oh, and this is not the only part of the song that doesn't make any sense in the context of the story, as then there's the V's singing about a power gap in Hell...that didn't happen, yet they act as if the extermination happened all across Hell when it was only toward the hotel and everything else was completely unaffected. How are overlords "hanging by a thread" exactly???

The final verse is then this grand final chorus about how they'll "be better" and redeem themselves and all I can feel is just...nothing. Because the show never earned this grand big final moment to make it feel impactful.

Finale is intended to be this grand final song about how much the characters have grown but it all feels empty and hollow because the show didn't do anything to actually earn this moment at all. I feel nothing when I listen to this song. Absolutely, nothing.

12. You Didn't Know (4/10)

I already made a full analysis of You Didn't Know so this section won't be nearly as long as the others, but like the other songs, from a story perspective You Didn't Know feels unearned and hollow. The main issue with the song is that although it clearly TRIES and gets you to feel something...it doesn't, which is entirely because of the show's outside writing.

Though again, I've already talked about this song before in a previous post where I analyzed each verse so go read that if you want my full opinion on why the song fails from a story perspective.

You Didn't Know just feels hollow, it's this grand, big musical number that's meant to be the climax of episode 6, a song that's BEGGING you to feel something...but it doesn't.

11. Happy Day In Hell (4/10)

Happy Day in Hell serves as the very first song in the show and Charlie’s I Want song.

For older fans, it doesn't really tell you anything new about Charlie as a character and is kind of redundant as a song, it just says that Charlie is optimistic and believes anyone can be redeemed, which is something Inside of Every Demon is A Rainbow already did.

However, to newer fans who haven't seen the pilot or any supplementary material, Happy Day in Hell could serve as a good introduction to Charlie as a character can tell you a lot about her...except that the rest of Hazbin doesn't seem to be made with newer fans in mind. Overture is written as a direct continuation of the pilot, and that would be fine if the episode reintroduced the characters for newer audiences...but it doesn't. It seemingly expects you to have already watched the pilot or any other supplementary material before seeing the show, meaning that it's catering to Viv's past audience.

With that in mind, Happy Day in Hell becomes a lot more confusing. If this is supposed to be an introduction to Charlie for newer fans...why wasn't the rest of the episode written like this? And if the show is expecting you to have seen the pilot, then Happy Day in Hell becomes completely redundant since again, Inside of Every Demon is a Rainbow tells you everything this song does about Charlie as a character, and that song did it with infinitely better visuals. Sure, there's Charlie singing about how she wants to change Heaven's mind and prove them wrong etc but anyone who watched the pilot would already know that, so a song isn't really necessary.

Happy Day in Hell would have been better if the rest of the episode it was in wasn't written the way it was. With the context of how the rest of Overture is written, Happy Day in Hell just comes across as Inside of Every Demon is a Rainbow except...worse.

10. Hell's Greatest Dad (4/10)

Hell's Greatest Dad doesn't make much sense. Alastor seemingly dislikes Lucifer for some reason and starts playing up a fatherly role to Charlie purely to piss her dad off...for some reason??? I've seen Cartoonshi try to make an explanation with this:

"This is an instance of Alastor just being petty because, underneath his smile and the persona he's crafted for himself, he cares a lot about his own reputation and doesn't take it well when people don't seem to respect it or have any interest in him"

However, as Cartoonshi later points out, Alastor's first reaction to Lucifer is twitching his eyes in rage, which is BEFORE Lucifer "disrespects" Alastor's reputation, so it still seems like Alastor has some unknown beef with Lucifer for...some reason? We don't know. The song also suddenly builds a father-daughter bond with Charlie and Alastor out of nowhere...? Again, this could be Alastor just purposefully trying to piss Lucifer off but like. Why???

Hell's Greatest Dad just suffers from Lucifer and Alastor's rivalry just kinda not making much sense and rushing in a found family dynamic at the last minute.

9. More Than Anything (Reprise) (4.5/10)

More than Anything Reprise has a similar problem to Finale and You Didn’t Know where the characters sing about how much they've grown and how much Charlie helped them grow when we never see that actually happen, all of that growth happened off-screen.

A big reason why this gets annoying is because it ends up feeling a form of telling rather than showing; we're TOLD that Charlie helped the characters grow and become better, we're TOLD that Charlie changed Hell as a place, we're TOLD that she "changed the lives" and "did so much" but we NEVER SAW that. We never saw Charlie slowly help Angel and Pentious become better people, again, a majority of their arcs happen off-screen and they end up feeling rushed.

Aside from that I just care very little about this relationship. Chaggie is a pretty boring relationship with little chemistry between them so I can't really feel much from this song. It's a cute enough moment I guess but again, I don't feel very invested in this relationship.

More Than Anything Reprise while a cute moment suffers from the same issue as the past songs and I can't really feel much for it since I don't care much about this romance.

8. Ready for This (6/10)

This is where we start getting to the pretty decent songs story-wise. There isn't exactly that much wrong with Ready For This aside from how some of lyrics are...weird for Charlie as a character.

A lot of the lyrics are about Charlie "coming to her own" and "ascending to her throne" when that was never something that was apart of her character...? Aside from that most of the song is fine. It's Charlie singing about how she’s accomplishing her destiny, which is consistent with Charlie since she was also singing about her destiny in Happy Day in Hell, so there isn’t too much "characters having grand musical numbers that don’t feel earned" here, aside from the previous problem I just mentioned.

So overall, ready for this is a fine song in terms of what it does for the narrative. It has problems, but its better than the previous few songs.

7. More Than Anything (6.5/10)

More Than Anything suffers from one big issue that harms the song, mainly the final verse. Basically, Charlie just says "I need 2 save mah people" and Lucifer is just like "ok". The reconciliation is kinda rushed here, and, since this song is meant to be Charlie and Lucifer reconciling, this tanks the song quite a bit. That being said, there is stuff I like about the song.

For one, it provides decent development for Lucifer and Charlie as characters, with Lucifer singing about how he didn't want Charlie to be faced with the same crushing feeling that he faced when Heaven rejected him, showing that in spite of his flaws, he does deeply care about Charlie as her daughter. For Charlie, the song gives the information that Lucifer inspired Charlie as a child, inspiring Charlie to fight for her dreams to become a reality.

Also, while it's still rushed, the song is still a cute moment between the two, with them reconciling and Charlie being able to bring back a spark within Lucifer, with him promising that he'll support Charlie's dreams, and how he's grateful for being her father, and that Charlie is grateful for being his daughter.

While More Than Anything does still feel a bit rushed, it's still a cute moment between two characters.

6. Welcome to Heaven (7/10)

Welcome to Heaven also doesn't have much wrong with it narrative wise. It basically just serves as world-building Heaven, which is fine, and the world-building it does provide does really have any major holes in it.

Don't really have much to say here.

5. It Starts With Sorry (7/10)

It Starts With Sorry is pretty good. The song is basically about Charlie deciding that Pentious deserves a second chance, singing about how she'll take his redemption one simple step at a time, beginning with him simply saying "Sorry". She believes that any soul can be redeemed though it may take some time.

She recognizes that, Pentious isn't all bad, seeing a decent person deep down. The message of the song is sweet and there aren't any real narrative issues with it. It's actually pretty good narratively and sets up Pentious arc decently well (though that arc is rushed but hey).

4. Stayed Gone (7/10)

Stayed Gone is a pretty fun rivalry song. It's a duet between Alastor and Vox, two visceral rivals, one TV and the other radio. The song does do a good job of showing Vox's pettiness in their rivalry, with his whole cool and levelheaded facade completely shattering at the mere mention of Alastor. His whole verse is spent on how Alastor's medium is "outdated", insulting him, calling Al a "coward" and among other things. Alastor meanwhile, spends his whole verse poking fun at Vox, right before he pisses of Vox so much that he starts buffering and he ends the song on a menacing note.

Again, not much to say here, Stayed Gone is just a pretty fun song that does a good job at showing the rivalry between Vox and Alastor.

3. Poison (8/10)

Poison is a song that does its job pretty well. The song is meant to show Angel Dust's struggles at the hands of Valentino, who now owns his soul. The lyrics emphasize the direness of Angel's situation; how he's trapped at the hands of Val, slowly dying from poison he's being forced to drink, being trapped in the claws of a cruel rapist sexually abusing him for his own pleasure, constantly being tortured every single night.

He believes it's his fault for his situation, that he can only blame himself for falling to Val's lies and his deal, that he should have seen what would have happened when he made the deal with Val. And now, he's just...accepted it, believing that this is just his life now and he'll be all for Val in any way he wants him to be.

And the song ends somberly as Angel falls to the ground after the night. It defiantly does capture the struggles of someone being SA'd, and does a good job of showing the horrendous mental state Angel is in.

I know a lot of people REALLY hate the Poison sequence for apparently fetishizing SA, but I'm analyzing the song, not the stuff shown in it, and to me, I think Poison does a great job of showing Angel's horrendous mental state and struggles, and does add a lot to Angel as a character.

2. Respectless (9/10)

I used to criticize Respectless for feeling more like a conversation that the characters are singing rather than a song, and it does still kinda feel that way. However, I don't think the song is unnecessary anymore because it establishes a lot about Vellvette as a character.

The song shows Velvette being overly smug, arrogant, confident and bratty, not having any respect for the authorities higher than her, doing whatever the fuck she wants and not giving a damn about the higher authorities think, having no respect for them. But the song also demonstrates Velvette being cunning and smart, being able to tell that Carmilla is hiding something based simply on the expression of her face when she first brought the angel's head.

She instantly knows that, Carmilla might know what happened to the angel. The song displays a more developed personality for Velvette as a character in just one-minute than characters like Adam or Crimson or whoever the fuck did in multiple episodes, making Velvette one of the best antagonists in all of Hellaverse (which I talked about here). Respectless also continues this theme with Carmilla demanding that Velvette check her attitude, calling her and the Vee's "Smug wannabees who don't head when they've been warned", giving off an impression of an authority being made at the disrespect being thrown at her, which Velvette just responds by smugly saying "oops".

The song also does do a good job of furthering the plot along while doing a great job of showing off Velvette's personality. Respectless overall is a great song that furthers the plot along while telling us a lot about Velvette as a character.

1. Loser Babey (10/10)

I'm assuming y'all did not expect this song to be number one, huh? Loser Baby seems to be fairly divisive amongst viewers, a lot of people love it, others despise it. Personally, I think the song is pretty great.

A common critique that Loser Babey gets is supposedly making fun of Angel for being SA'd, and, I can see why some people may see the song that way considering the first chorus. However, it's best to factor in the verse that comes before that chorus (holy shit I'm defending HH. I am just as surprised as you are).

The first verse is Husk singing to Angel about how he's at rock bottom, the lowest point anyone can be, his life being wrecked from his deal by Val, it all looks dire and hopeless as Angel is trapped in a dark situation with no way out, believing his life to be a trash fire at this point...and Husk says that he's right! His life IS a trash fire, he IS in a dark situation, he IS at absolute rock bottom, he's a "loser", if you will. Admittedly saying he's a loser might be a bit iffy but you can still see the point; Husk is saying that Angel is completely correct, that his life is a dumpster fire where he can't try and fight back, but he says that he isn't alone in this.

Husk had a similar experience with Alastor, where, like Angel, made a deal with an overlord and lost everything, regretting that decision for the rest of his afterlife as he's trapped at the hands of Alastor, with every day of his life being torture for him now, like with Angel. Granted, Husk's situation isn't 1 to 1 the same as Angel's, but there is still a parallel with how they made bad deals with overlords that they lived to regret, how they became trapped in these deals that seemed appealing at first but worn down when the overlords showed their true colors.

And so, Husk tells Angel that, it's better to set down the walls he's built for himself, letting hope back into his life and finally having someone he can bond and relate to due to having similar experiences. He's no longer alone. His situation is still bad, but at least now, he has someone who he can bond with and help push him through his situation, and that person ended up being Husk, the last person who he thought would have gotten him to open up.

I know I'm going to get a lot of people who'll disagree with me and that's fine, but personally...Loser Baby is the best song in the whole show in terms of its narrative. It provides great character growth for Angel & Husk, does a good job of furthering their relationship, and (in my opinion), has a really sweet and beautiful message of how you aren't alone in a dire situation, and that's best to let others help you rather than sulking by yourself in the dark. You aren't alone. There are people who may have had similar experiences to you, and it's best to let them in rather than shun them away.

And the thing is; Loser Baby is not only the best song narratively, but musically, making it overall the best song in the whole show. It's one of the only songs in the show that manages it be great in both categories, like a musical show should, which is what makes this song truly stand out compared to the rest of Hazbin's soundtrack.

It's the best song in the whole show, hands down.

Conclusion

Well, that was long. In all honesty, the songs lower on the list might have been better if the writing around them was better, since that's a problem a majority of them suffer from. If Vaggie wasn't defined by Charlie, Whatever it Takes and Out for Love wouldn't be so low, and if we got to know Carmilla and Emily better, Whatever it Takes and You Didn't Know would've been more impactful.

Really a lot of the songs just suffer from being in a very mediocre and flawed show, and the reason why songs like Loser Baby and Poison were high was because the writing around them was actually good, but hey, the good ones were still able to pull through in the end. So ya, that's my ranking...bye.

[exit-path]

Hey, remember this video? This is how tumblr made the Undertale “Stronger than You” parody.

Hi guys! Before we start, some of you on tumblr may have been in the Undertale fandom in 2015 when this was taking place, but I wasn't. So if you were at the devil's sacrament, then reblog with what you remember! I'd love to hear primary source perspectives of events.

(EDIT, 5/6/23: SO @galxie JUST PROPOSED TO ADAPT THIS POST INTO A YOUTUBE VIDEO. I'M NOT EVEN KIDDING)

(SO IF YOU'RE GOING TO SHARE YOUR STORIES THEN GET IT IN NOW)

But without further ado, let's begin, and watch as ordinary people made Internet history. (under the cut)

Part 1: gymleadercheren

It all started when @gymleadercheren drew a snippet of the Sans fight, with some Steven Universe lyrics underneath. This post caught the eye of @thepinkestpug, who had an idea.

Part 2: thepinkestpug

Later that same day—Oct 10, 2015—thepinkestpug sang a parody. Now, her Soundcloud link… how do I say it… doesn't sound very good? (He calls it "poor quality" herself.) But because he was in both the UT and SU fandoms, she was uniquely qualified to come up with these lyrics.

Upon seeing the "Stronger Than You" parody, gymleadercheren was ECSTATIC that she inspired someone with her post. The next day, she asked thepinkestpug for "permission to smoosh our lyrics together and make a comic?” If you've seen djsmell's video, you may recognize what she made next…

Part 3: The Comic

It took 3 weeks, but on Oct 29, 2015, gymleadercheren finally finished her comic. With 38 PANELS in total, the post was an instant success. She credits thepinkestpug for her lyrics, and links to an 8-bit "Stronger Than You" instrumental. Today, the post has over 20k notes.

Part 4: djsmell

Two days later, on Oct 31, 2015, @djsmell made a song cover of the comic. He NAILED the voice of Sans, and used the 8-bit song cover from gymleadercheren's post. He posted about it on his blog, while his YouTube video now has 11M views.

Part 5: alfa995

It wasn't until nearly 2 months later that on Dec 21, 2015, @alfa995 finally finished his animation. It used djsmell's audio, and filled in the gaps where the comic made you use your imagination. Today, the YouTube video has been viewed nearly 80 MILLION times.

These were alfa995's words about everything that had happened so far: "So basically someone… made lyrics for an Undertale version of [a song from Steven Universe] and a comic based off it, then someone else sung it, and now I animated it. I love the Internet."

Part 6: Reflections

And that’s the history of this video! This singular video has grown in popularity to such immense heights, it's a well-known piece of trivia that more people recognize the Undertale “Stronger Than You” parody than the actual Steven Universe song it’s based off of.

What I find interesting is how each person involved in this process had a tumblr blog. They saw each other’s posts and made more posts based off of them. By fandom standards this happened LIGHTNING FAST, the idea took 2 and a half months from conception to completion. It’s this connectivity that created the 4th most-viewed Undertale video.

The Undertale scene on tumblr spawned many more memorable fan creations, such as the “Underpants” series by SrPelo, which became the entry point for many into the wonder that is his animations.

It is this fandom that made Undertale a goliath of Internet culture. It is this fandom that made it so that Toby Fox will always have a loyal, rabid audience. Say what you want about it, whether you love it or hate it, the Undertale scene on tumblr may never happen again.

Thank you for reading, and I hope that you enjoyed!

This was my first time thinking about the Undertale fandom in a LONG time, and it was a nice trip down memory lane. Also, here’s a few things I found while researching that I couldn’t list above:

First, what's with all these "Stronger Than You" versions? I had no idea until I started researching that there were so many spinoffs of this singular video. Like, there's a CHARA response? There's a FRISK RESPONSE? THERE'S A TRIO VERSION?

And speaking of spinoffs, I want to shout out the video "Richer Than You"—absolutely phenomenal YTPMV that had a lot of effort put into it.

Finally, I want to shout out Super Eyepatch Wolf’s video, as it was my inspiration while writing this, and explains: “why did these videos get so popular?”

[desultory-novice]

Bonus Talk: Storycrafting for Noir and Apologies

So, I keep thinking how funny it is how this whole thing started. I had a chain of ideas at dinner one night: "What if the Master Crown really WAS trying to transform Magolor into Dark Matter? Would he be 'Dark Matter Wizard?' But then, what was Swordsman before he was Swordsman? Hmm. There is that one piece of human concept art he has... and you know...maybe it's the retro anime look or the fact that this series doesn't have hardly any humans in it but he looks just enough like Adeleine that one could think they're related-..."

Back then, "Noir" didn't really exist. I just drew up a quick sketch in Adeleine's notebook that I hope looked recognizably like the human DM concept art. He wasn't in color but given Dark Matter's palette, he probably would have had dark hair, and poring through the wiki - I found at least one Dark Matter incarnation with a purple eye. I also had Ado drop a line that her brother was "bad at making friends" because of that one JP guide and that was IT.

But then... I thought it was sad to draw this poor guy only to kill him off in the backstory without even fleshing out what he looked like (and I was afraid Adeleine's pencil sketch made him look blond XD) so I drew up a quick color pic of him, rendering Swordsman's gear as a normal scarf and coat. Before thecrashman said anything, I hadn't even considered the two of them as living on Shiver Star!

As soon as he said that though, everything started to come together...Now DMS was an overprotective brother taking care of his little sister in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Of course he was. No wonder he couldn't bond with anyone. He was straining under the weight of his responsibilities. He's older. He's supposed to be the protector, so he could never bring himself to tell his kid sister about the things he was going through. He focused on her joy to his own exclusion. A destructive pattern. A fatal flaw for this tragedy.

Twitter readers asked after the first comic how Adeleine's brother even became Dark Matter Swordsman, some suggesting perhaps it was because he died in battle against Zero? I thought a big human-led global effort against Zero and Dark Matter seemed too complicated in scope, so my solution was to go back to where this idea started: he would be the same as Magolor - looped in by a bad ancient artifact that parasitized him before he knew what was happening. Only he doesn't have a Kirby to save him...

At this point, I had to give him a name. I wanted something French-sounding, so he sounded good alongside Adeleine, and remembering the origin of Adeleine's name, I thought to choose something in FL-ese. I combed the lyrics of "Welcome to the New World" back and forth in both English and Japanese. (I was lucky as the song is sung as a one-to-one Japanese audio cypher and I speak Japanese.)

It wasn't easy though. I wanted a "strong" word but almost everything in there was about food or naps. XD I finally found a phrase in the Japanese lyrics, "邪魔できない"/"unable to be interrupted"/"unstoppable" and matched it to FL-ese.

Noruruwa. Sounds kinda like "Noir." And with Dark Matter being "Matiere Noire" in French, well, it seemed all too perfect...!

The rest all flowed pretty naturally from there. If our setting is Shiver Star and Shiver Star exists at the same time as the New World, and it resembles our Earth's globe while the New World doesn't, perhaps Shiver is an "abandoned earth"? One with an angry, betrayed populace and two kids doomed by birth to die a cold, miserable death in a place utterly neglected by the rest of humanity.

Now "Noir" had a good reason to seek out the power that would be his undoing. While I'm at it, why not tell the story of how Adeleine gets her brush? That's magical(?) too. It's no Drawcia's Paintbrush, but neither is Dark Matter Blade equal to Galaxia. So now, we've got the idea for "off-brand artifacts" - found in an abandoned exhibit, perhaps? Maybe Noir wants to get Adeleine a present? He grabs the sword on the way out without even thinking because...it's a dangerous world out and he's got a young sibling to look after.

(Although, similar to the Master Crown, it's hard to say whether it was originally entirely his choice to pick it up...or the sword's.)

But wait, why do the artifacts do the bad things they do? Now that I'd introduced the New World into this story, I had Fecto Elfilis/ID-F86 on the table. The concept that the Shiver Starians were sooo angry at the New Worlders when for all we knew, the New Worlders weren't even ALIVE anymore made me think, "Do we really expect powerful, angry psychic Elfilis was passive that entire time? While they were being tortured? What if...they sabotaged everything?"

I'd already speculated that Elfilis and Void are two of a pair, and you can trace their offshots throughout the entirety of Kirby lore. (If you buy into my Galactic Nova is based on Fecto Elfilis theory.) And seriously, at least half those artifacts have led to serious tragedy. Now, we had a reason for Noir to be doomed by the narrative.

I do HC that everyone who has ever had their soul consumed by an Ancient Artifact had some red in their ledger - and so, I conceived of some for Noir. I didn't and don't ever want to write/draw a "humans are a disease" story, which is why 99~100% of anything "bad" implied to be going on in their lives on Shiver Star is entirely background. That was purposeful for several reasons. One was simply to demonstrate the degrees to which Noir was protecting Adeleine. He would build up more stress and more pain and more trauma while she remains the same throughout. Two is I just didn't want to go into detail about what wretched scenario would force Noir to take another person's life, but it is still a part of his character history.

(I write Kirby fan comics after all! I try to stay within the bounds of what I consider acceptable content to show. Best I can ^^; )

Noir was also just pushed to the brink, despairing in his life and the world around him. He wanted more than anything to escape this life. Of course, Artifacts have this funny way of twisting your wishes in the WORST way. (Screams of joy > screams of pain.) So Noir's artifact transforms itself into a collar he can't remove, with an unspoken time limit to do anything his newfound power could do for him - at the end of which, his body and soul become forfeit to the darkness. Now he has lost all escape routes. Even death only delivers him to a fate of serving Zero, robbed of independent thought and choice and memories of the one bright thing in his life.

Adeleine...

Adeleine still needed to escape though. She has to get to Popstar. This was the most complicated part for me to logic out. In the end, I went with the simplest, quickest, and most brutal method of getting that done. Quietly imply that Noir, resigned to his fate, killed as many people as it took to secure Adeleine safe passage off the planet and then lied to her about everything with a gentle smile.

Perhaps it's because the Dark Matter Blade has affected his mind and dulled any emotional responses the normally gentle (if sharp-tongued) Noir would have to harming people (as again, artifacts tend to twist people in the worst possible ways; Noir is verbally abrasive but his nature is defensive. Now he has only violence to rely on to get his wish) but I also think the look of calmness on his face throughout "Brightest Star", in spite of the blood on his hands, is because he's just honestly happy - relieved, for once in his life - to have at least saved Adeleine. He was already consigned to hell, doomed from a simple mistake born from the desire to do good; to protect. (*) But Adeleine doesn't have to carry either his mistakes or his sins.

His was a character who took everyone onto himself. And he succeeded at that. His and Adeleine's past and their traumas will be buried underneath the unending snowfall of Shiver Star...

...Adeleine departs and Noir dies, his human body dissolved into Dark Matter, rising up into the aether right as the first flakes of snow began their long task of erasing all that has happened...

-

Rest now, Noir...

...it's The Swordsman's turn.

-

-

-

-

(*) I consider Dark Matter Swordsman be in a very small group with Joronia and Max Haltmann as the only sympathetic characters to be permanently dead In Kirby canon. Which is another reason why I crafted Noir's story explicitly to resemble theirs. We had a pair of (potential) lovers whose story ends in tragedy and a father and daughter tragedy but no siblings whose story has ended tragically. By fanon, that's arguably Swordsman and Gooey, but that just made him more fit to be this story's tragic brother figure...

In which case, Noir basically HAD to be someone who had a simple wish (to keep his only family safe) ran afoul of an ancient artifact almost by accident in the midst of trying to do good and suffers an inevitable, horrifying physical and mental transformation that would end with his only option for salvation to be put out of his misery...

Curse you, Dream Land 2! :cries:

[Apologies AU]  “Apologies”  “One Sneeze”  “Summer”  “A Walk in the Snow”  “The Swordsman” “Wonderful Gift” "Damnation" "Salvation" "Unstoppable" "Brightest Star"

[Bonus Illust] “Ugly Scarf”  [Bonus Illust] "That's...Funny..." [Bonus Illust] "Full Regalia" (DMS "Gijinka") [Bonus Illust] "Was I A Good Brother?" [You Are Here] [Bonus Illust] "You Won't Win..." [Relevant] “Vestige” (script-only)

[Bonus Text] Noir Facts!

[Dark Matter Painter AU] "It wasn't supposed to go this way...!" "You're a good knight!" "The Body Remembers"

[heirloomgem]

August One-shot voting poll

Hello everyone, its Heirloomgem here! I hope everyone is doing well.

As everyone knows, we did a voting poll for a monthly one-shot and the result was a landslide victory for YES!😁

Thank you so much for taking the time to vote! It means a lot to me.🥰

Anyways, since the final decision is a definitive YES.

The monthly one-shot voting poll will be with 3 different animes/mangas with each character. You can pick and choose whoever you want and whoever character wins, I'll release a one-shot fic of them.

You can also send me some suggestions/requests regarding the characters that are picked for the month only. However, I won't be able to do all the requests as I'm only picking some to write about.

With that said, I'll be only writing and posting a one-shot on the character who wins.😘

And so without further ado, we'll start now!

Here are the characters for August One-shot series to pick from:

Once 1 week is up and the result is out, I will be posting a one shot series on the winner right after.

[viofficial]

[id: a digital illustration of mizuki akiyama and mafuyu asahina. they are standing in place, looking at the viewer, wearing a black dress. part of the dress is see through, specifically the sleeves, that are also decorated with black flowers. mizuki is smiling whilst mafuyu has a surprised look on her face. The background behind them is white with brown splotches and sticks with fruit on them. end id].

hello everyone !! this is prolly one of my first analysis posts, at least on this acc. I’ll be using screenshots from the game to illustrate my points, and separate the post into sections, as well as providing image descriptions and plain text for low vision ppl!! I will also be using she/they for mizuki and he/she for mafuyu, so if u dont like that then shoo. they r transfem (mizuki) and transmasc (mfy) respectively. Also spoilers for most of the events so uhh u shouldnt be reading this if u didnt read all of the mfy or mizu focused events. without furtho ado, let’s start!

Hiding One’s True Self

[plain text: hiding one’s true self. end plain text].

this is kind of an obvious observation, and it’s ofc for diff reasons, but both mafuyu and mizuki hide aspects of themselves to both niigo and the world. mafuyu’s is more subconscious, while mizuki is (for the most part) aware that she hides herself, esp from niigo. they’re both in a situation where it’s difficult to get out of, mfy with her abusive mother, and how her mother pressures her to conform and mold to how everyone, including her classmates, wants her to be. he’s seen as the perfect daughter, the perfect student, with no interests, opinions, anything of his own. mizuki, on the other hand, is very clearly transfem which i am not accepting critique on, and because she goes to great lengths to express her gender identity, even going so far as to change from the male school uniform to the female school uniform, ppl ridicule them, which causes them to not have many friends, esp not ones to freely talk abt their gender with. mizu’s relationship to ena mirrors mafuyu’s relationship with kanade, and they both serve as support to mfy and mizuki respectively. they specifically focus on wanting mfy and mizu to become their true selves, with kanade going so far to try to “save” mafuyu (which i have a Lot of opinions on but thats another analysis for another day). in the song samsa, from the event immiscible discord, there are lines sung by mizuki and mfy at the same time which further highlight these similarities, and go into what’s going on in the narrative.

[id: a screenshot of lyrics, several color coded text in front of a black background. Kaito’s lines are outlined in blue, mafuyu’s in purple, ena’s in beige, mizuki’s in pink, kanade’s in red. some colors are combined, such as mafuyu and mizuki, kanade and ena, and kaito, kanade and ena. The lyrics read: It throbs, throbs, throbs (I throb in pain)

It aches, aches, aches (it aches, aches)

It throbs, throbs, throbs (I throb in pain)

It throbs, throbs, it aches

Change...

Throbbing, throbbing, throbbing painfully

Everyone barely escapes with their souls

It throbs, throbs, throbs

Eaten away by all the pain and the wranglers–taratta

But even so, I wonder why it still

Throbs, throbs, throbs (throbbing painfully)

It's as if you're biting into the apple, Sa-sa-Samsa

end id].

as u can see, mizuki and mfy are the only ones who sing the lines “i throb in pain,” “it throbs, it throbs, it throbs,” and “but even so, i wonder why it still.” kaito also joins in with singing the line, “it’s as if you’re biting the apple, sa-sa-samsa.” kaito is a manifestation of someone who’s trying to tell mafuyu the truth of his mother’s intentions, which mirrors meiko’s role in the event my footprints, your destination. while this event was a kanade and mfy focus, i have every reason to believe the song also parallels mizuki’s issues. while mfy and mizuki have sought refuge in niigo, they still are unable to fully open up. mfy feels she’s unable to become her true self and stand up to her mother, while mizuki is unable to disclose her trans identity. which brings me to my next point. 

Refuge

[plain text: refuge. Plain text]. 

after a while of working with niigo, both mfy and mizu find a safe haven with kanade and ena, enough to be able to open up to them slightly. this is indicated in the videos of two events–and now, the ribbon is tied, and secret distance, two mizuki centric stories–that i’m about to share. it also shows how in a way, she relates to mfy’s struggle and feelings re: niigo. 

[ENG] And Now, the Ribbon is Tied - chapter 1 [Project Sekai event story]

when mfy mentions she feels at ease when working with niigo, mizuki takes note of it. she later says, near the end of the chapter, that they feel like they’re the same as mfy and think abt their past self. 

[Project Sekai] Event Story - Secret Distance [ENG Sub]

in this event, mizuki realizes that while they make music together, they don’t rlly know each other. so they set up an outing for the group to bond whilst stepping outside their comfort zone. after the outing, mizuki realizes how important they are to her, and how she finally feels like she’s found friends she feels comfortable with, enough to say she wants to do this next year. 

Relationship w/ School

[plain text: relationship with school. end plain text].

it’s said now and then that because of mizuki’s trauma, they consistently skip school. while mafuyu consistently goes to school unlike the rest of niigo, it’s clear he doesn’t like it and would rather make music with his friends and forge his own career path. when he had to go to cram school, he instead skipped school to be with her friends at fenilan. 

[ENG] Guiding a Lost Child to What Lies Beyond - chapter 5: The lost heart

Running From One’s Problems

[plain text: running from one’s problems. End plain text].

[video description: the music video for kitty by niigo. Mizuki is wearing a black hat as well as an entirely black outfit, her hair down. Her fingers are curled like a cat’s claws. The layout looks like a camera on one’s phone, the options being mizuki, mafuyu, ena, len, and kanade. The video switches to mizuki’s current self and middle school self. Mizuki’s past self wears a red male school uniform, a pink ribbon, and her hands are on her cheeks, staring in horror. Mafuyu wears a ponytail with her bangs swayed, wearing a blue and red sweatshirt. Her child self has longer hair and holds a stuffed bunny. The video ends with len, who wears a sweatshirt and makes the same pose as mizuki. end video description].

before i get into that… lets take a break to see THIS part in kitty bc???? Oh my god??? 

okay anyway lets get into the most recent-ish (bc saying goodbye to my masked self has recently come out) event, our escape for survival. in this event, niigo is trying to find a way to help mfy and reach her as her laptop and synthesizer has been confiscated. throughout the story, mizuki compares her situation to mafuyu’s, and while it’s not the same, they still have similar while also having opposite issues. when they have a conversation with luka, she comes up with an idea to help mafuyu, as she does smth similar. during the hangout with mafuyu the next day, she tells him that it’s okay to run away, which ends up happening in goodbye to my masked self. while mizuki says that it doesn’t solve problems, i do feel like it mirrors mizuki’s situation, albeit in a different way. mizuki skips school and refuses to tell niigo abt their transness, just like mafuyu who initially couldn’t accept her mother being abusive, and chose to live in denial until kaito and the rest call her out. mizuki can’t accept the fact that others are able to love her for who she is, and so hides that aspect of herself. 

[id: mizuki akiyama’s “the words i can only convey” untrained card, from the event our escape for survival. They look at the viewer, smiling whilst surrounded by lights and a crowd of people. End id].

Conclusion

[plain text: conclusion]. 

so yeah!! I feel like their dynamic is severely underappreciated and underwritten, and i’m so glad our escape for survival highlighted their parallels even more. i rlly hope that the game and the fandom thought abt them more, and not just in a ship sense, bc theyre a lot similar than u think. also purple and pink go so well together LMFAO also i love their area/side story convos. Like:

[id: screenshot of “a moment of jest” second side story that reads: 

Mafuyu – “Amia. Why do you care so much about me? K promised to compose a song that will save me. But neither you nor Enanan have any reason to care about me that much. So... why?”

Mizuki – “Why, huh...? Don't be such a stranger. We're friends, aren't we?”

Mafuyu – “Friends? I thought we were only members of the same songmaking group?”

Mizuki – “Don't worry about it. I'm doing this because I want to. So you don't have to think too deeply into it.”

Mafuyu – “I see. I'll take your word for it, then.”

— "A Moment of Jest" second side story

End id].

[id: screenshot of an area conversation in the empty sekai that reads: 

Mizuki – “Huh? What are you doing here in the afternoon? Don't you have school?”

Mafuyu – “We have tests all week, so we only have half days. What about you? Are you skipping class again?”

Mizuki – “No, I actually came to school today. Class was just super boring, so I decided to come here♪”

Mafuyu – “Hehe. In other words, you're skipping. Maybe I should let Miku know so she'll send you back.”

Mizuki – “Huh?! Oh, hey! How about we write some music together?! What do you think? Sounds fun, right?”

— Area Conversation in Empty SEKAI

 end id].

Yes i got this from the mizumafu shipping wiki don’t judge me fhdjkghfhj but yeah!! Lemme know what u think in the replies, i love discussion esp discussion of these characters. And if i missed anything pls let me know, i’m willing to correct/edit some things!! anyway byebye stan mafuyu and mizuki they r . transmasc transfem solidarity <3 (heart)

[pricechecktranslations]

I can't help but notice, in the newest song, Michaela (as a spirit, at least) uses 僕. I can't say the same about the rest of the evillious songs (I don't know them well enough to say so), but I know a lot of other vocaloid producers have been using 僕 for female singers in their songs (the main ones I can think of is 初音ミクの消失 and even, I believe, 新時代 by ado). Is there a reason for this? I assumed it was supposed to represent a tomboyish vibe, but I'm curious what someone who actually Knows What They're Doing would say.

The thing you're talking about--that a lot of female-sung songs will use "boku" in the lyrics--is not unique to VOCALOID, and even among native Japanese speakers it's been hard to find a consensus on why they do it. Reasons seem to range from "they want boys to be able to identify with the lyrics" to "boku has less syllables than watashi" to "they're trying to project a tomboyish air". It's not common (though not unheard of either) to hear women use "boku" in real life but it's extremely common in music.

In Michaela's case, she has always used "boku" as a spirit, actually. This has come up in other songs and the novel as well. As a spirit, she describes herself (and Gumillia) as being genderless, and supposedly she was male in the Second Period (or at the very least passed as such, regardless of what her actual identity was at the time). So, the change in pronouns is an easy way for the narrative to reference her change in identity/presentation in becoming human. There are a couple times she uses "boku" after becoming a tree as well, but she also frequently uses "watashi", especially when manifesting in her Michaela form.

[project-sekai-facts]

would you be able to compile a list of all the cover songs that weren't originally vocaloid songs if you havent already?

Hello,world! is an anime OP and is currently the only cover which has zero link to vocaloid, with the vsinger version in the game being created specifically for the songs implementation. ray was added in the same collab, and while coming from the same band, this one actually is at least partially a vocaloid song (the song features both Miku and the band's main vocalist).

Odo was originally an Ado song, but was made by vocaloid producers and did have a vocaloid version of the song released prior to it being added to Project SEKAI. Usseewa was also added to the game as part of the Ado collab, but unlike Odo this one didn't have a vocaloid version originally. However, since the song was made my syudou, he made a vocaloid version for the game when it was added.

And if you want to count it, the producer version of Donna Ketsumatsu ga Onozomi dai? is sung by TUYU's vocalist instead of a vocaloid. There is a Miku version in the game though. Kuyamu to Kaite Mirai and Keitai Renwa both have a human vocalist in the producer's version as well (that being mafumafu himself), but the former did eventually get a vsinger version added to the game. Keitai Renwa also has a Miku version but this is an alt vocal instead of the virtual singer version for some reason.

[adventuretolkienlover]

JEREMY JORDAN SONGS PART 4?!??!??!!????????!! WHAAAAAAAAA??!??

Alrighty. This is DEFINITELY, the last Varian playlist. I literally have run out of songs for him!🤣🤣🤣

(PLEASE READ!) Before we get to the music, you may notice I've hidden a section of the songs under the cut. The songs from his new movie Spinning Gold. And while the music is FLIPPING AMAZING, it unfortunately has a cover that's a bit explicit. (e.i. the middle finger.😬) For the safety of youngsters or anyone easily triggered, I have hidden them beneath the cut. Proceed with caution!

Now, without further ado, Jeremy Jordan!

While not a perfect recording, this is great version Caught in The Storm from SMASH. Sung by Jeremy! It's really good!

Admittedly, this is probably my least favorite song on here. But someone else may like it! And it's from Supergirl so that's cool! :)

I LOVE THIS ONE!!! You guys have no idea!!! It's so good!!! Definitely worth a listen!!!

This song is adorable. Gives me 1960s Bubblegum Pop vibes. So cute!

ANOTHER AWESOME ONE!!! This one is super fun! I love it!!! So exciting and thrilling sounding! It's just soooooooo good!!!

A gospel song! I'm not kidding! It's really good too!

Well, that's all for a LONG while. At least for Varian. Get ready to some stuff for Lance! That's coming up next!

[goldfishinpainttubes]

Okay, so I watched the new movie Wish last night, and let me tell you I have more than a few things to say about it. So imma try and pin down the more tangible complaints I have.

Also, my sister watched it before me and she did a bit of her own research, so my sources mostly come from her. [I cannot bear the pain of researching it myself yet]

But first, I would like to prelude by saying that Disney had so much good material just sitting there in their hands.

We could've had freaking STARBOY! Not to mention the first Disney romance in forever. And a villain couple?!

Well, they probs would've botched the whole thing up anyway, but it would be far better than this hot mess!

Now, without further ado...

Numero Uno

The animation was choppy, and looked so unfinished. To me it looked like they coloured in the sketch and then decided they were too lazy to render it any further.

Numero Dos

The film all-round felt very unnatural and kinda emotionless (or emotions that were far too dramatic for the given circumstances)

And the extras?!

*proceeds to put on mocking voice*

"I want to live here!" "This food is delicious!" "But king Magnifico..."

Oh shut up! It sounds like a 2nd grade school play!

Also since I started on Magnifico, dude switched from cool and understanding to "I decide what they deserve!" in less than 10 seconds. Like bro chill.

Numero Tres

Don't even get me started on the songs

The timing was wacky, the lyrics didn't make sense, if they were trying to go for an improvised-on-the-spot vibe they definitely got it.

Most of them sound like they're trying very hard to be a rap, but are holding back because, no it's not rap, it's a princess song. Anyway, they end up getting neither.

And the lyrics!

Vague, ungrammatical, and doesn't resonate.

Numero Cuatro

The song 'At all costs' (or "Promise as one does")

Now, when my sister heard this for the first time she didn't know what to think.

She said it felt almost like they were singing a love song to the wishes. But... that can't be right

But it was!

It was meant to be sung from Starboy to Asha, and the original title was 'Love you as one does'!

So he's a star, and immortal, but ✨️feelings✨️ And he doesn't want Asha to get hurt and so he tries to convey the weight of his feelings, and she sings back, and the creators are so lazy!

I don't think they changed a word from the damn song besides switching 'love' out for 'promise'. It made so much sense when I heard the context of the lyrics!

Oh heck, now I'm missing Starboy again...

Anyhoo, that's my rant for the day

[jabbage]

What are the top 5 most middle class things that have ever happened to you?

Ooooooh good question... now I'm going to do the most British thing ever and preface it with a short essay providing half my life story, out of a sense of denial.

Both sides of my family are staunchly working class, as far back as I can find records. They were farm labourers and dock workers and hopped in and out of workhouses. My mum worked housekeeping and cleaning jobs, and my Dad managed to snag a white collar job in a factory out of school (because he's really clever).

But then two complications -

My Dad became a clergyman. This meant that we got to live in nice houses owned by the church he worked for, sometimes in quite affluent areas. We didn't have much money, but still.

2. I managed to get into Oxford University with a gazillion bursaries tied to my parent's low income. I then used the bursary money to fund doing a master's degree, and now I work in academia.

So, am I middle class? I'm begrudgingly realising that I might be? Except if I am I feel like middle class people shouldn't be constantly worrying that their now-retired parents can't afford to switch the heating on, or whether they'll ever live in their own home. And it's alienated me from my extended family, who have jumped to the conclusion that I think I'm better than them.

Anyway, the top 5 most middle class things that have ever happened to me.

One

Last year I got invited to an anniversary meal at my Oxford college, called a gaudy. I nearly didn't go because my time at uni was not very happy and I don't remember some of my contemporaries fondly, but then I figured that if I go, next time I read Dorthy L Sayers excellent book "Gaudy Night," I will have better brain-pictures. So, the setting, for your own brain-pictures:

Latin grace was sung before the meal, which comprised of salmon confit, followed by venison, followed by black forest gateau, followed by fruit and chocolates and port.

I was sat next to a nice middle aged man with an OBE. When he asked me "So, what do you do?" I decided not to say the job which *actually* pays my bills, but to reply with my evening job: that I make comics. I felt like this was a fun thing to say in a room full of people who Work In The City etc etc.

Except it turned out that he runs one of the UK's biggest comic arts festivals. He offered me free tickets. He offered to put me in touch with publishers. He offered to introduce me to significant people.

And I was like.... oh. Is this how it happens? Like, you're in an Oxford college and you just RUN INTO a posh bloke who Knows People and that's how you finally get a book deal???

Anyway I went to the festival. They had a panel on a yacht. And talked to people, or rather had people talk over me. So many times they'd ask me a question, and then interrupt before I'd given my answer. And I dislike schmoozing SO MUCH.

So uh, yeah, no book deal ;D YET

Two

One time I was wearing my college scarf while I was walking around Durham, and I ended up meeting a very cute elderly couple who went to the same college forty-five years earlier (well, the husband did, the wife wouldn't have been allowed.) They invited my to a dinner party at their house, which turned out to be a very cute little town-house by the river with five stories.

At the time I was doing my Master's degree, and they became kind of surrogate parents who I could call in on for a free hot meal and good conversation. But it was entirely sparked by "going to the same college at Oxford" which is very ew.

Three

Idk there was just this one time I was coming home on the train from having seen the Royal Shakespeare Company's latest production of Much Ado About Nothing and I stopped off somewhere to get sushi and I spent the whole time staring at a wall thinking "What have I become?"

Getting tickets to the ballet from a colleague slots into this catagory, I think.

Four

One time I was asked to open a village fete because the local lady of the manor couldn't make it.

Why me? Apparently "local clergyman's daughter" and "went to Oxford" and "draws silly pictures sometimes" was enough to make me a local celebrity.

I got to give a little speech and judge some cakes and everything.

Five

One time I got invited to a dinner party at CS Lewis' house, the Kilns, and I met his lovely secretary Walter Hooper. I remember being shown around and having a deep impulse to check the backs of all the wardrobes.

When I first went in it was through a door that led straight into his bedroom, and I was told that I could take my coat off and just toss it on the bed. No sooner had I done so than my guide mused, "CS Lewis died in that bed."

So I guess I own a coat that has been on the bed where CS Lewis died, is that middle class?!! Idk

[a-trick-or-two-with-lepers]

I finally watched Swedish Christ Superstar

Remember how I did a whole deep dive into the 2018 one? Yeah well, I was gonna try to do that with this version, but it is so unbelievably, completely, utterly, insanely unhinged that I just had to have my post about it match the energy. So without further ado, here are my literal first reaction notes to Jesus Christ Superstar (2014 Swedish Arena Tour).

Overture-

• Ooh the stuttering guitar is so metal

• Love the outfits, give me more apocalyptic leather headbanging nonsense

• Love how the choreo goes with the music rather than pure immediate chaos

• Admittedly the orchestra could be a bit better, but not terrible

• The shopping cart is my favorite character

• This feels almost interpretive

• Ok. Jesus is hot

• Draculacore

• Is he orgasming?

• I think that's an appropriate tone to be set

• I will say, I like productions with more color, but I see the style they're going for and I don't dislike it

Heaven on their minds-

• I like how they translated the lyrics to sound good in Swedish

• Also gives extra context and connotation to the words

• Love judas' mesh top!

• Really good singer wow

• This is how the song is supposed to be sung!!!

• I like boys with long hair hehehehe

• Symbolic that jesus is sleeping while judas is trying to get him to listen. Shows how closed off and resigned to his fate he was

• And also how no matter how hard judas tried he would never really be heard

• Painted nails!

• The subtitles said fuck? Lol

• I seriously love this guy's voice

• Oh my god they're so boyfriends

What's the buzz/Strange thing mystifying-

• Jesus is serving so much cunt

• So. Much. Touching.

• AHAHAHAHAGSVSBAZHDVWH THEYRE SO BOYFRIENDS HWWGGA

• Yes Maria feed him that orange

• "A man like him" you mean... 💅?

Everythings alright-

• I really like Mary's voice and look

• Mommy vibes fs

• He's in the shopping cart hhahahaha

• The masculine urge to sleep in a shopping cart while wearing shades

This jesus must die-

• Caiaphas sounds like a toad LMAO

• "It's seduction! It's blasphemy!" -Christians watching this 😭

• Caiaphas saying "STOP" such a jumpscare

• They kept the jesus is cool line and for that this is now one of my favorite productions

• AND THEY SAID IT TWICE AM I IN HEAVEN??

• Well I won't be after watching this 😌

• Caiaphas has a pretty cool voice ngl, my timbers are shivered

• HELIKOPTER 🚁 HELIKOPTER 🚁

Hosanna-

• A bit faster rendition that's neat

• Interesting how judas is participating in the fray

• It's so nice to see his character happy for once though

• The jesus balloons are killing me

Simon zealotes/poor jerusalem-

• Ooh it's a fight

• The ladies are sangin and dancin 💃

• THEY SAID FUCK AGAIN

• Well okay I'm just gonna give up on the notion that this play will be family appropriate in any manner, it's better that way anyway

• Pretty cool how the choreo is militaristic, as well as the costuming

• They way Simon is pronounced 😃

• I am unilingual my brain is incapable of not making a joke about that

• Jesus your nail polish is chipping baby fix that

Pilates dream-

• Love pilates robe, very pretty

• Ok but the sparkly suit is better

The temple-

• Fuck counter: 3

• They have a bit more speaking in this version which I really don't mind

• The lyrics make it really clear how the crowds used their connection to God to justify their actions, an issue which is still prevalent today

• Annas shaking that tail go off

• Jesus jumpscare

• He called it "A whorehouse" 💀

• The beggars all have little hand lights, that creates a really cool effect

• Wow the music got really fast

I don't know how to love him-

• Yayy Mary hi Mary hi 😍🥰👋

• Da smoochy???

• Judas ain't gonna be happy bout this

• Her voice is so good!!

• Interesting how jesus is awake for this

• ITS JUDAS HE'S PEEKING

• Uh oh

Damned for all time/blood money-

• OH NO

• MY BOY GOT SLAPPED

• HE JUST WANTED A SMOOCH

• Ok now it just feels like he's betraying him cause he got rejected 😭

• Annas is such a little shit oh my god

• He's giving Draco Malfoy vibes somehow

The last supper-

• Act 2 baby here we go

• Okay so he's dragging them to absolute hell, love that for you jesus

• The girls are FIGHTING!

• "Tell us what happened to the good vibes" I'm loving this translation

• Judas actor once again killing it, he has a really lovely rock voice

• The apostles throwing shade at judas and planning to blame him in the gospels 😙🤌

• This shit crazy

Gethsemane-

• Ok I'm gonna try to be serious for this once

• So far pretty good

• The lyrics are hitting the important parts of the song I feel

• HE GOT THE NOTE!

• Pretty damn good

• My bias still lies with Neeley but that wasn't gonna change really

• I like how he made the g5 actually part of the song rather than separating it. This whole performance is actually very natural and easy to watch

• The last verse goes so incredibly hard

• *rips shirt open*

• 👌

The arrest-

• Here it is the kiss

• Here we go

• Literally the only part of this play I'd seen before

• Okay that's just. So romantic. JESUS kissed JUDAS! What a twist!

• "Why did you date a whore" goddamn

Peter's denial-

• Annas is basically the main character he's in so many songs

Pilate and christ-

• "Yeah we know you're 'hot'" I mean 😏

• Fuck counter: 4

• My notes are seriously lacking I apologize

King herods song-

• Herod is me I am Herod

• Me in my robe on a Monday morning imposing judgement onto others:

• Did they just use a slide whistle?

• Goofy ahh sound effects 💀

• "Fine I'll do it myself- look, no hands 😚"

• He's my favorite

• Herod being silly and goofy:🤪

• Jesus: 😐

• Loved that

Could we start again please-

• Fuck counter: 5

• Not the song I expected it to be in tbh

• Maybe it doesn't hold the same weight in Sweden

• "How are we going to explain it so it looks good on paper?" This is a new angle that is actually really interesting, and reminds me that the Bible is pretty much ancient RPF

• Yay they included the ensemble

Judas death-

• "For one measly kiss" I'd call that kiss a lot of things but measly does not come to mind

• He is talking to jesus instead of christ

• Something tells me this production is not very religious 🤔

• Which I am very ok with

• He's goin through it

• He's got the rock screams going on 🤘love it

• RIP Judas, too gay to live 😔

Trial before pilate-

• He called Jesus a clown, bitch this isn't Godspell

• Ouchie

• That's a lot of blood

• It's easy to overact in the role of pilate and this guy isn't doing that, which is good

Superstar-

• I prefer when Judas is wearing white in this song, but the glittery red robe kinda slays ngl

• And once again judas is a pretty boy

• They kept the "jesus christ, Jesus christ, who are you what have you sacrificed" line in English

• Oop the robe is off

• Get those dance moves judas damn

• This is insane

• What is happening

• Why am I turned on

John 19:41-

• Ooh this is rather scary

• The way its literally just him on stage suffering is pretty intense

• IT IS FINISHED

Hope you enjoyed sluts

[seamayweed]

omg jesus christ how the hell you can sharpen the gif that.. sharp 🥹🥹 im such a fannnn please let me know some tips thank you

Hello, sweet Anon! I’m beyond flattered and honored that you would ask me for giffing tips and tricks 💙 “is he/she mad” sdfghjkl sounds about right - thank you!! 😂

Okay, let’s delve into it without much further ado:

(more underneath the cut)

1. HQ Videos

The most important thing is to get high-quality video files. I usually work with 1080p and got mine from dr*maday.me - you can find other kdramas there as well. It’s the go-to source for most kdrama gifmakers.

2. Brightness/Contrast

Make sure to get some good contrast with a Brightness/Contrast layer. That’s how you get the vibrancy, brightness, and deep blacks to make everything look more dynamic and quite sharp already even before the actual sharpening, though usually the colors end up too saturated and vibrant, so you’ll have to tone those down.

For the first gif in this set I used these settings:

This is what the gif looks like without any Brightness/Contrast layers (but still with all the other adjustment + coloring layers) vs. what it looks like with them:

3. Basic Sharpening

I like to leave the sharpening for last since it fits better into my workflow. For the basic sharpening (two Smart Sharpens) I use these common settings:

This is what it looks like after the two Smart Sharpens:

4. Vivid Sharpen (VS)

a. Full VS

For big gifs that are 540x500px or larger, I do a Vivid Sharpen after the basic two Smart Sharpens, and that’s what I did for the gifs in this set as well since they are 540x600px. I follow this tutorial, keeping the same settings (3.0px for the Gaussian Blur, 30% opacity for the VS group): https://sidonidoneeey.tumblr.com/post/667301663059656704/a-really-nice-anon-requested-a-gif-sharpening

And voila, there you have your beautiful crisp gifs! You could let it stay at that, but personally I also like to add an extra step…

b. Masking (Partial VS)

Hope you are familiar with masking, Anon!

If you aren’t, that’s okay too. Basically, you click on the icon of a circle in a square and a masking layer will appear on your VS group layer (as indicated by the red circle and arrows in the screenshot below). You can use a soft brush on that masking layer to hide and show what you like. Black = hiding the layer effect; white = showing the layer effect. After making the whole masking layer black (by inverting the colors with Ctrl+I), I use a white brush on the spots where I want to apply the VS:

Narrowing down the area of the sharpening is quite useful since VS tends to make gifs REALLY big, and the Tumblr size limit for gifs is currently at 10 MB, so that's something to keep in mind.

I also do it for depth of field (i.e. when the object in the foreground is sharp and the background is soft/blurry). Masking is a good way to amplify that, play with the soft/sharp contrast, and direct the viewer’s gaze.

With Park Sung-woong I found that VS works well on the dips and grooves in his skin, so I just generously used it on his whole body and face; with Woo Do-hwan I feel like VS looks a bit too harsh on his face, so I tried to use it mostly on his body + his hair, eyes, and mouth, leaving out the rest of his face (as best as I could since there's some movement), the way I did in gif 4 with the masking layer looking like this:

Here you can compare the screenshots of a partial VS vs. a full VS:

IMO the second one with the full VS looks slightly too harsh on his skin and darkens his face a bit, which I don't want; the background ends up looking grainier as well.

To get back to the first gif, here are three versions with different levels of sharpening for better comparison:

No Sharpening:

Smart Sharpen x2:

Smart Sharpen x2 + Partial VS:

And here you have the original footage (after cropping and resizing) vs. the final colored and sharpened gif:

...and that's how I did the sharpening for this gifset. Hope you found this helpful, dear Anon!

[always-a-joyful-note]

So because I want to record my progression of where I am in the story, I'm posting my impressions of the units so far. (Disclaimer: I haven't read many of the stories, and about half the knowledge I have is from osmosis and spoilers. The other half is actually reading wiki entries and the actual stories. So if these takes are inaccurate, that is probably the point XD)

Without further ado....

fine - unit of 2 rich kids who are sort of trying to be slightly less evil but kind of still are evil, one (1) theatre kid who is just there for the ride and his crush, and a butler with the face of an angel and the threatening aura of a ezekiel-accurate angel in disguise. Also another impression I had of it was one chronically ill idol stan with three of his idol crushes. But they're solid, if slightly flowery; not exactly my style but their songs are good.

Trickstar - literally my sons. Traumatised idiots who choose to continue to see the bright side with a slice of anarchy. They're all so dumb. Their leader looks straight laced but is more insane than his co-leader who is perpetually wearing the ^u^ expression (except when trauma slapped). The other two members are a camera-phobic gamer boy who is also a model and a guy who exudes reliability and sanity but is also kind of an insane workaholic with inferiority issues. I'm adopting them all and their songs are like…both generic but SO sincere you can't hate it.

Ryuseitai - Me when first meeting them: Awww! A power ranger themed unit! So cute! Me, after hearing stuff about the two senior members' lore and how they recruited their youngsters: (clutching my heart, trying not to sob/lose my mind) Aww! A power ranger themed unit! S-so cute! I would die for literally all of them…WHY. Such silly happy sincere tunes sung by such silly, devastating characters??? Found family, to me

Alkaloid - everyone here believes they are holding everyone else back with their psychological problems (Mayoi), disability problems (Tatsumi), ability problems (Aira), or culture shock problems (Hiiro). And yet they're the unit whose songs have mostly all been ones I absolutely loved. Which means the assembly machine factory idols Eichi's got going on are working and idk how I feel about that

Eden - A bunch of guys with severe family issues who probably have never read the bible (well, maybe Nagisa has). So, like, tw inaccurate depictions of the bible? Anyway, deranged quartet of a softie obsessed with cool rocks but really he has sort of a god complex, a guy with a perpetual :D who is as smart as he thinks he is but is also kind of oblivious to all of his other skills and flaws (and thus is a combo of terrifying snake and kind of someone you're sort of humouring because he's funny), a spoiled princess who might have a bit of a savior complex, and a dude who kinda just got swept along for the ride but is actually really fond of them. And it shows in their music.

Valkyrie - Just….theatre kids, who put the drama in dramatic and the intense in intensity (that's definitely not how the expression is used). They also have a very strange thing going on even though they're trying to be healthier, but I'm too afraid to ask. Unfortunately, though, they have some killer compositions and so many references to Classics and Things, not to mention their songs are genuinely good for those who want that quick theatrical vibe

2wink - Adorable twins that I was lured into thinking were the normal mischief twin duo trope but what in the actual ensemble were the writers DOING? They deserve at least half the cw/tw tags. Also, one of them is kinda like Trickstar (just wants to make things brighter) while the other one has schemes and will not hesitate to destroy you while giggling, yes. All that angst but they have such cheery tunes. Like, boys please….

Crazy:B - I mean, with a name like that….listen. You think it's the guy with the metabolism-related medical condition who has a dad implied to be accused of cannibalism and his freeloader who is a literal prince but also constantly broke that would be the most insane. But, no, we also have a fifteen year old assassin who has definitely killed and a guy who is literally both committing identity theft AND helping in witness protection. But, yes, their songs are fun, as is their dynamic. Also…Amagi brothers. Ough.

Undead - This is just…four urban fantasy love interests thrown into a unit. I'm not exactly sure what urban fantasy race Adonis and Kaoru are (though sometimes I'm inclined to think adonis is the protagonist who just kinda got swept along for the ride except he does have the vibe sometimes (aka casually kidnapping HiMERU)) but a vampire and werewolf are very obviously there. Really do love their rock and roll style, like come on (though I sometimes do think it'd be cool if they let Rei's love for jazz into their songs)

Ra*bits - Look. I love them. It really is just a single dad with one of the most messed up backstories doing his best. But like, also, leave them alone please?? The writers really just made them the damsel in distress character that makes Subaru go "oh, I have to take this revolution stuff seriously" and that's not even mentioning all the other stuff they seem to go through??? Like they do not belong in whatever genre Enstars is going for but they make it work but….let them rest. Songs not my style but they fit their vibe of "smile and spread joy" which works cause I do feel joy. Like Trickstar without the revolutionary goals.

Akatsuki - TBH, I'm still kind of wondering why these three (a warrior, a mangaka, and a tailor who used to be a delinquent) are still idols. I mean, they do have talent and traditional aesthetic is fire, and they're definitely sort of found family, but why still idols guys? That said, again, songs not my style but they definitely capture their aesthetic and vibe and that's always cool to me. Also, one of the members was raised in a Buddhist temple and helped with funerals, and I do not know enough about Buddhism enough to say if they portray a Buddhist accurately but given how they portray everyone else's quirks, it probably still has a giant dose of deranged on it.

Knights - HAHAHAHAHA. They're all insane. But they have talent and earned their place in the big three. But that does not make them less insane. That's all because I will go a bit barmy if I think about them too much. Silly, insane knights who enjoy hobbies like kidnapping (affectionate) and dancing/singing (will kill you in a duel)

Switch - Look….at heart, I can't hate these fantasy game isekai themed group. I enjoy their music because I do like the electropop remix/edm thing they have going on. And it DOES kill me that the only two 3-people units (Akatsuki and Switch) both have the dynamic of "a couple of parents and their beloved and most treasured cinnamon roll of a chaotic son." But like Valkyrie, I don't know what's going on with the senior members and am too afraid to ask, especially since they seem fine with it while their son with synesthesia cheers them on.

MaM - He is literally a cowboy. I - is there a thing with Japan and cowboys? And did someone at the writer's table see that samurai, Victorian thief, cowboys, and pirates post? Because somehow, the only member of this unit is all of them. A very stark contrast against his weirdly cheerleader/mom friend songs. I know he has mommy issues (mafia thing, I think) but.....son, are you okay?

Double Face - Yeah, okay, I love them. They might be the murder unit and I still have no clue to their formation but I love it. Put the Victorian cowboy thief samurai pirate and the child assassin together and you get secret agent type music that sounds like it could be in an old spy flick? How can you not love it?

[laurellerual]

why do you think/say gendrya has all the tropes of the romance genre???? also, do you think jonrya will or could happen?

Romance tropes in Gendry and Arya relationship

The Family: Baratheon and Stark have a tragic love story (which we later find out isn't quite like that, but that's how it's told to begin with).

The love interest meet the father first and the mother second: Gendry meet Lord Eddard and Lady Stonheart.

The first meeting: the boy intervenes to protect the protagonist from bullies.

The hidden identity: the protagonist is disguised as a boy, only the love interest realizes the deception.

Forced coexistence: these two would never have met if it hadn't been for fate (the author) that forced them to embark on a journey together and have only each other to count on. And don't tell me Hot pie etc, … because Arya doesn't confide everything she does to her other supporting cast. She only have this relationship of trust with Gendry.

The protagonist goes to save her love interest: when Gendry is captured by the Mountain.

The children: Weasel is adopted and rescued by them. In the hierarchical dynamic that is established in this improvised pack the two take on the role of mom and dad.

Flirty banters: too many to write here.

Boy sees girl in a dress for the first time: Acorn Hall.

The two are too young to write them in a context of more explicit romantic tension so: rolling on the floor for no reason, tickling and ripped dress.

Insurmountable conflict: class difference

The love interest protects the protagonist from unwanted sexual attention.

Feelings begin to change: 'you are not my brother'

Everyone notices their dynamic except them: See the Brotherhood who gave Arya Lem as a chaperon.

Song that is sung to them and is clearly inspired by their situation: 'My featherbed'.

Innocent jealousy: Edric and Bella.

Misunderstanding at the end of Act II; the obstacles that have accumulated explode: conversation in the forge 'can you be a blacksmith for my brother', 'too lowborn to be kin to mylady high', 'I don't even care about you'.

Premature separation without a good bye: Arya is kidnapped by the Hound on her way to Riverrun (not too far from where Lyanna was abducted, probably on her way to Riverrun for Brandon and Cat's wedding).

The love interest waits parked in the last place where the protagonist has left a clear sign of her presence: (the bloodstain on the floor of the Crossroad inn). He's protecting the children like Arya would have want.

I'm sure that if I thought about it more I would find others too, but for now the list seems exhaustive enough. ASOIAF is not a romance story and Arya and Gendry are too young to play too much into that. Yet the writer decided to dedicate a lot of otherwise useless scenes to this relationship. Something have to happen in Act III to give them closure.

Jonrya

Despite all this I think Jon x Arya is not an unreasonable prediction. I admit that on first reading I had interpreted their relationship as entirely platonic.

When I found out about the 1993 outline I was surprised. The fact that Martin didn't take well to that being leaked is suspicious. Rereading the books after reading the outline it seems clear that he has reused and recycled several points and concepts that make it difficult for me not to consider Jonrya as a possible future.

Then the fandom worked its magic: there's a lot of well-argued meta in the Jonrya side of tumblr. So even if I prefer Gendrya to Jonrya I don't think the latter can be totally excluded until we read ADOS, that is never.

[dbgdbw]

296.Waver(ing)

흔들림

The soles of his shoes padded lightly against the smoothly paved runway. Sung Hyunjae languidly turned his head to survey his surroundings.

It was quiet. Aside from the flight crew disembarking from the airplane, no other living presence could be sensed. The airport was likely in a similar state. Possibly, someone might have been left in the control tower. Even so–by this time, they had likely managed to evacuate the premises as well.

“It seems that the outcome will remain the same, regardless of what I might say.”

“Will you be forthcoming with an explanation, then.”

“No.”

Sung Hyunjae smiled, as though delighted by the turn of events. Without ever moving his eyes from him, Song Taewon verified that the crew members had made their escape via the runway.

“When you’ve gone to such lengths for an engagement with me, it would be remiss of me to turn away Section Chief Song Taewon-nim’s show of sincerity.”

“If you have no intentions of causing a disturbance, a verbal confirmation that you are capable of exercising control in your present state is all that will be required.”

“A single word is all that’s needed, is it.”

“Yes.”

Song Taewon answered calmly. However, he held no expectations that Sung Hyunjae would indeed comply with the utterance. When it was clear that he’d already been roused, the chances that he would say that nothing’s amiss, of his own volition, was nil. Approaching with his head bowed in such a way, was unsuited to him.

An S-rank Hunter displaying erratic behavior couldn’t be summarily dismissed without ado. However, this wasn’t someone who could be dissuaded by words, either. Ultimately, the most favorable outcome he could hope for was to attempt to de-escalate him here, however much possible.

“You opted not to travel back with Han Yoojin-ssi–why?”

Song Taewon finally opened his mouth, once the flight crew had disappeared into the airport.

“I’d no idea that young Han Yoojin was of an age that yet required a chaperone. He’d assured me that he was twenty-five, you see, and so I’d been soundly hoodwinked.”

“Is he in stable condition?”

Golden eyes, curved slightly in a smile, turned faintly chilling. As Sung Hyunjae remained silent, Song Taewon regarded him quietly in turn.

He’d heard, in broad strokes, what had happened from Moon Hyuna. There was nothing amiss with Han Yoojin. However, something had–at least, between him and Sung Hyunjae–likely transpired.

Without that being the case, there wasn’t a reason why Sung Hyunjae would have reentered the country first.

If it was simply that he’d lost interest, it would be a relief. But when he was showing an aberrant response, like now; what should he think.

It was unfamiliar. Enough that he felt reluctant to delve any deeper into the matter. There was another reason for this, as well. He was the Section Chief of the Awakened Persons Management Division, Song Taewon. More than anything, that fact took precedence.

“Hunter Sung Hyunjae, please provide an answer regarding the matter of your present state.”

“And if I choose to exercise my right to silence, what will you do.”

“The response protocol will be the same as for the procedure for post-Dungeon raid conditions.”

“Though it hardly bears comparison to that sort of thing. Very well.”

Sung Hyunjae’s magical energy shifted, lightly, easily. As natural as breathing, a faint electrical current trickled outwards.

Song Taewon’s hands tensed. Rather than a complicated conversation, this method was preferable. All the more so, as assorted revelations tended to follow on the heels of conversation.

Dress shoes ground against the floor. The runway was sturdy, built to withstand the impact of a plane taking off and landing. With the appearance of a faint crack in the reinforced pavement, Sung Hyunjae’s form vanished from its spot.

콰드득!

A thunderous clap rang out as fist met with palm. Song Taewon blocked the straight jab, thrust his way without any embellishment.

Squarely meeting the fist that had been hurled forward at full force, Song Taewon shot Sung Hyunjae a wary look.

“...what do you mean by this.”

Just a plain swing of his fist, without any Skill or finesse involved. It was nearly enough to cause him to be taken aback.

“Were you not proposing to let me to plow you, to at least vent my frustration.”(1)

끼익, with the squeal of shoes as the tip of his foot pressed into the ground, he moved into a kick. This time as well, there was a distinct lack of an electric current jumping out, or the metallic clatter of chains.

Song Taewon blocked the kick aimed straight for his forearm. Seeing the way he didn’t budge an inch, even when pressed with his entire body weight, Sung Hyunjae gave a crooked smile as he retreated with a light jump.

“What a stiff sandbag.”

“Why...!”

“To think I'd end up conscripted into aiding a public servant find his release, and in broad daylight no less.”(2)

What a tragic state of affairs, Sung Hyunjae said, affecting an exaggeratedly saddened expression.

“My dear Section Chief Song Taewon-nim, do bare your teeth properly.”

Raising his arm to glance at the time, Sung Hyunjae went on.

“The next plane should be arriving within the day, I imagine. In three or four hours’ time, likely. You should endeavor to clear the area of hazards before then, no.”

“...given the situation at present, precaution should be taken to ensure that no S-rank Hunter sustains significant harm. The chances of an incident breaking out between Korea and Japan is–.”

“How self-assured. How should I put this–that I do cherish young Han Yoojin, is true.”

Sung Hyunjae said, lightly pressing a curled finger to his chin. Outwardly, he appeared to be enclosed deep in tranquil thought.

“A rare one-of-a-kind value, and entertaining to boot. Enough that I wonder if there might ever be something I consider worth treasuring more, in the past as well as future. Though it might require a significant investment of resources, I entertained the notion of protecting it, and seeing to most things it might need. Since it’s valuable enough to warrant doing so.”

Without lowering his guard, Song Taewon regarded Sung Hyunjae.

Song Taewon was well aware of this, too. If it was something that caught his attention, something that he deemed to be of value, Sung Hyunjae became magnanimous. He didn’t shy away from the effort it took, carving out the time to pay meticulous attention to the quality of care given.

Only, when it came to Han Yoojin, it occasionally felt as though it turned particularly overzealous.

“...have you tired of him, now that it’s come to this.”

“It might’ve been more convenient, were that the case.”

차르륵, a whisper of chains sounded.

“As, even if my interest had waned, the value would remain the same–and so, simply cherishing him as I’d done before would have been sufficient.”

But now, it had become difficult to do even just that.

“I confess I feel, somewhat conflicted.”

Sung Hyunjae’s gaze fixed directly on Song Taewon.

“On how to proceed.”

Unconsciously, Song Taewon grit his teeth together. Just why.

Unbidden, Han Yoohyun’s image came to him. A vision he’d never before witnessed, nor thought he’d ever be privy to. Smiling brightly, with innocent delight; showing genuine concern for another; approaching him first, with warm, mundane affection.

“Section Chief Song Taewon.”

“...hadn’t you always behaved willfully, to begin with.”

“And if I’ve become unable to, what will you do.”

Sung Hyunjae said, as though in provocation. No–it was most certainly a provocation. Akin to fluttering a red flag, in front of a bull.

“No matter how much something might appeal to me, ‘I’ will always come foremost. Being ‘my property’, ‘something that I cherish’--at its core, it still returns back to ‘me’.”

“I am aware.”

Song Taewon shifted his stance slightly. His feet braced against the ground. He didn’t want to listen any further.

But even then, he was unable to urge himself onwards. Because when it came to his own desires–continually repressing and enduring things, was the proper stance to take regarding such impurities.

“You asked why I returned early, alone? Why, it was in avoidance.”

Isn’t it funny, Sung Hyunjae said.

“As it seemed as though I would be unable to keep myself from desisting any longer, and lay my hands on it regardless.”

“You(3) mean to say, you would.”

“That’s right. So, Song Taewon–go ahead and bite.”

Before I maul your tender lamb to shreds.

Like a command had fallen, Song Taewon lunged. As though the leash pulled taut had snapped, he fell upon his foe. There was no need for deeper contemplation. Han Yoojin was weak, and therefore an entity he was bound to protect. And Sung Hyunjae had professed an intention for violence.

He could act–assuredly, simply.

피지지직! Electric currents leapt up. As if they intended to sear through Song Taewon’s flesh, to char even his bones, they blitzed towards him.

Though he did possess an electricity-resistance Item, when viewed in light of his adversary’s rank, it fell abysmally short. However–so long as he could avoid a mortal blow with it, it would be sufficient.

Using the black shadow that allowed him to nullify his opponent’s Skill to block the concentrated electrical current aimed at his vitals, he swung the knife he’d taken out at some juncture towards Sung Hyunjae’s neck.

카랑! However, the knife was deflected by golden chains that quickly fanned out into existence, the two crashing together. When it came to pure strength, the knife, with the weight of momentum behind it, was superior; however, the difference in equipment was clear.

As the blade of the knife shattered, the flat of Sung Hyunjae’s hand shot out towards Song Taewon’s body to land a blow. Quickly twisting his body to dodge, Song Taewon jerked his knee up into Sung Hyunjae’s arm, to knock it away.

If they had collided as-is, the one who would have been injured was Sung Hyunjae. As someone who was capable of increasing density–and therefore weight–with his Skill, at the same rank, without a defensive Skill, rebuffing Song Taewon’s close-range attack was a difficult task. In addition, it was too late to retreat his hand. Instead of attempting to dodge, Sung Hyunjae turned his palm towards the ground.

콰드득, putting enough strength into his feet to cause the sturdy pavement underfoot to crack, Sung Hyunjae’s body soared upwards. Without resisting the kinetic force exerted by the surging attack, gently placing the palm of his hand on Song Taewon’s knee like a springboard, he’d used the inertia to complete a flip midair instead.

But Song Taewon wasn’t one to just watch as Sung Hyunjae nimbly sailed overhead, as though he’d escaped gravity. As he brought his folded knee back down, simultaneously, a sharp object flew from his hand. 파바박, as the sound of something digging through flesh was heard, the chains rammed down towards Song Taewon like an incensed snake.

콰각!

The floor shattered under the end of the chain. Then, 콰득, 콱!, it continued thrusting in pursuit of Song Taewon, as he attempted to move out of the way. Unable to retaliate with his own weapon, having cloaked one side with Plundering(掠奪), Song Taewon seized the golden chain in his hand and wound it around his arm.

The chain was pulled taut between the two people. Though electricity skittered up the chain, it was consumed by the black shadow and dwindled.

“A monster’s spine, is it.”

One arm still occupied with holding the chain, Sung Hyunjae lifted his other arm. Four barbs were embedded in his wrist.

Closing his mouth around the end of a spine, he drew it out, never taking his gaze away from Song Taewon. The barbs, slowly eased out from his body, 툭툭, dropped to the floor one by one. Blood soaked through his sleeve in an instant.

“Though the paralyzing agent remains still, it appears weak.”

Song Taewon took a deep breath. Shifting his weight to both feet, he jerked the chain towards himself. Unable to beat him in a contest of strength, it seemed as though Sung Hyunjae was being pulled forward, when 투두둑, the segments of the chain suddenly broke apart.

The dismantled links, shooting out towards the direction in which they’d been pulled.

쾅! 콰광!

Bore into the innocent body of the plane.

Though the force it exerted was tantamount to a bomb going off, without so much as a flinch, Song Taewon steadily deflected the links as he sprinted towards Sung Hyunjae. But obstructing his way was a dreadful electrical energy.

쿠르르릉!

Blinding light burst outwards. With a tremendous roar, the energy with incredible destructive power enshrouded Song Taewon completely. Struggling against the dreadful pressure exerted by that light, Song Taewon narrowly managed to slam his foot into the ground. The specially reinforced concrete, forced upwards, deflected the wildly dancing electrical current.

At the same time.

“Kuh!”

Having materialized behind Song Taewon, Sung Hyunjae connected a powerful kick with his back. As his body smashed into the raised wall of concrete, a concussive sound was heard.

Unable to open his eyes properly due to the strength of the light, Song Taewon flung himself away on instinct and into a roll to move out of the way. 차르르, the chain drove down at the space where Song Taewon had been, reminiscent of a lance.

“......!”

Suddenly changing directions, it speared through Song Taewon’s arm. His opponent was someone whose was someone whose attacks could only just be avoided, to begin with. There was a high possibility that even letting himself be hit with the paralyzing spines, had been an intentional allowance.

The chain, which had speared through his arm like a cast fishing line, made a half-loop and pulled. Song Taewon’s body, flung away, smashed through the plane and tumbled through the resulting debris. Lightning struck from above, in the very same spot. Swallowing back the blood seeping between his teeth, Song Taewon dodged. Accompanied by the blackened smell of burning, flames danced.

Beyond the wafting smoke, a man standing tall could be seen. Upon witnessing his state–immaculate, but for a slight redness at his sleeve–Song Taewon found himself reassured, rather. Splashing a potion over his body, he stood up.

“That Partner of mine most certainly would’ve harped on, had he witnessed this state.”

The stroke of his fingers against the end of the chain that had returned to him was elegant without measure. Even the locks that had become disheveled by their rough movements, seemed like it had been done in a calculated gambit. He was a sight completely removed from the disarrayed rubble scattered around them.

“Do not go near Han Yoojin-ssi.”

Debris from the plane crunched underfoot as Song Taewon walked forward.

Sung Hyunjae watched him with assessing eyes. He took in the fervidly heated gaze fixed upon him, at odds with the implacably stony expression he wore.

“The two of you, are more alike than you realize.”

“What you’re suggesting.”

“What you desire from me, as well as that repressed inner self.”

Song Taewon’s expression pinched slightly. 우지직, the sound of something crashing to the ground, rang out from behind.

“As I was able to find a measure of release, thanks to you, I’ll extend my gratitude for that, at least.”

“W, ait!”

“I’m standing here, as you can see.”

His fist, his legs tensed. But Song Taewon was unable to resume attacking. If he had been sated, then that was that. Seeing the way he hesitated, Sung Hyunjae lifted the end of a brow minutely before turning away.

* * *

“So, it wasn’t a notable injury?”

“Yes–the Seseung guild leader has retired to his residence, and Section Chief Song Taewon is in sound condition as well.”

I heard the news when I reached the airport lounge. Sung Hyunjae had arrived at the airport and gotten into a scrap with Song Taewon, who had been waiting for him. That was the extent of what I could pry out of them. With a complicated heart, I stroked Peace, who was sitting in my lap.

‘Though it’s a relief that the two of them are okay.’

There was no way Section Chief Song would’ve been the one to throw the first punch, so. Sung Hyunjae-ssi, just what did you think you were doing. To calm my irate feelings, I chugged down the drink set beside me.

“That we would have to still go through a reception, after everything!”

“Yerim-ah, it’s been three days.”

Though it felt like a long time had passed for me, too.

At my words, Yerimie, who was currently caught in the coordinator’s firm grip, sulkily puffed out her cheeks. Though we’d wanted to return home immediately, saying that there was a need to prepare in anticipation of a reception celebrating our win in the friendly match with Japan, we’d been detained like so. Something about an even more jovial celebration being called for, in order to improve the atmosphere following the sudden infestation of monsters.

Turning my head, I could see Yoohyunie and Hyuna-ssi, both of them deeply preoccupied with the work reports that had accumulated in the meanwhile. Though there hadn’t been any significant problems at Haeyeon, Hyuna-ssi was grimacing at the incidents Liette had stirred up.

“Makes me feel sorry towards Soyoungie.”

But perhaps because of the impending events, too, there wasn’t anything said about Breaker Guild taking responsibility as well, too. Celebration, or whatever–I just wanted to get it over with, and go home.

- - - - -

(1) ‘화풀이나 하라고 대주는 것 아니었나’

‘PG’ reading:

‘so it’s not you offering yourself up as an outlet for my temper?’

‘alternative’ reading:

‘대주(기)’ = lit. to ‘put something to (something)’, with both the connotation of ‘offering up’ and ‘leaning/pressing against’; used as innuendo for someone on the receiving end ‘offering up’ their body + ‘화풀이’ = ‘venting one’s emotions on smth’ → ‘so it’s not you offering to let me use(fuck) you to at least blow off steam?’

(2) ‘대낮부터 공직자의 자기 위로나 돕는 신세라니’

‘자위’ is the slang/shortened ver. of ‘자기(self-) 위로(consolation/comfort)’, i.e. masturbation.. the full implication being that shj is going to ‘help work’ stw to completion ‘even while it’s still broad daylight’

‘PG’ reading:

‘to think, i’d end up in the position of having to help a government employee console himself, and from so early on in the day’

(3) though shj(38) uses 하게체 with both hyj(25/30) and stw(34) (while he doesn’t with mha(27), for example), when he speaks to hyj, it’s in the way you’d speak to a younger person of a different generation, whereas the way he speaks to stw is how you’d speak to a contemporary/peer. the way stw speaks to shj is polite-formal, but in a way that’s also the way some more traditional/’respectful’ adult couples speak to each other, particularly because of the ‘you(당신)’ used: 

it’s the discrepancy in honorific level with regards to their interpersonal dynamics that renders hyj’s occasional use of ‘당신’ rude/aggressive, while stw’s consistent references to shj as ‘당신’ get read w/ the ‘acceptable/intimate’ use. since pronoun-dropping in kr means that the ‘you’ can be skipped altogether in a sentence, geunseo-nim deliberately including an instance of it in the text, is done so to inform the reader on the dynamic that exists between the characters.

other examples of intentional manners of address in speech dynamics being significant story-wise can be seen in ch557, for example, where hyj is able to pinpoint that the person calling out to him is hyh simply because of the way he addresses him:

“안녕.” 경찰청장의 말이 뚝 끊어졌다. 그와 동시에 정체를 알 수 있었다. 나를 부르는 호칭이 차단될 만한 정 보인 사람. 그리고 존댓말도 아닌. “...유현아?”

“Hey.” The police chief’s words abruptly dropped off. Simultaneously, I was able to ascertain their identity. Someone who was close enough, that they held the right to drop identifiers(호칭*) for me altogether. Nor using honorifics, either. “...Yoohyun-ah?”

this level of intimacy/familiarity is reserved for family/lovers(w/ younger couples, in contrast to hjtw’s ‘older married couple’ dynamic), the conflation being since, ostensibly, your significant other is on the track to becoming family.

*호칭 would be the title/tie/relationship to x/name mentioned below:

novel hjtw

+(Q&A)

Q) are hunters typically big eaters?

A) the higher the rank, the more efficient their digestive abilities become–but as the amount of energy they consume increases proportionately as well, they tend to be big eaters, for the most part. but notably, high-ranked Hunters are capable of ‘absorbing energy’ via their magical energy as well. accordingly, the more advanced their control over magical energy, the less they need to eat. in addition, their idiosyncrasies vary depending on their respective ‘properties’.

[...] conversely, as song taewon must keep repressing the power of the Lunar Eclipse that continually compels him to swallow things down, even with outstanding control over his magical energy, the amount he eats is sizeable. [...] sung hyunjae has outstanding control, but due to his status as a Waxing Moon, his body demands more energy–something that he ignores.

+(Q&A)

Q) when section chief song-nim was driving around a compact car, how did he drive?

A) he picked the car with the highest clearance and longest seat rails out of the selection of compact cars that were available, but even then, it was cramped after all. however, as song taewon felt a kind of reassurance(comfort) from that stifling condition, he paid no mind to the physical discomfort it caused. it’s because sung hyunjae was aware that song taewon’s compact car was one of the methods he utilized to repress himself, that it irked him all the more ^^

+(Q&A)

Q) have any of the respective heads of organizations acted as chief mourner in a funeral for a subordinate who lost their family to a Dungeon break?

A) song taewon and moon hyuna have done so in the past. han yoohyun has not, but even if the occasion had come up, he wouldn’t want to participate in the capacity of chief mourner, which is typically filled by family. pre-regression, han yoohyun’s family comprised only one person, han yoojin–and even as a temporary arrangement, he has no intention of letting another step into a position that’s reserved for family only.  in the case of sung hyunjae, the sole person he’d considered to hold a relationship with himself that would warrant doing such pre-regression, was song taewon. at present, with song taewon of course being a given, he’s also considering taking up the position of chief mourner for han yoojin’s funeral, as han yoohyun would have perished alongside him, if it turns out that bak yerim struggles to do so.

+(Q&A)

Q) 성현제가 힐링할 때 주로 뭘 하는지 궁금합니다

A) when sung hyunjae needed a pick-me-up pre-regression, he went to tease song taewon. following song taewon’s death, even when he was somewhere with splendid scenery and fresh air, all he felt was endless tedium. post-regression, with han yoojin being added alongside song taewon, the candidates in his selection pool for ‘healing(relaxing)’ increased to two.

+(Q&A)

Q) hello author-nim! pre-regression, why did sung hyunjae end up leaving for switzerland, specifically? it seemed as though he’d traversed through various countries before deciding on switzerland; i was curious why, out of countless countries, he ended up choosing switzerland! additionally, would it be alright to ask approximately how many times sung hyunjae had been re-planted…??

A) song taewon’s influence played a significant role. having been bequeathed song taewon’s miscarried Plundering(掠奪), he(shj) sought a place that would suit song taewon and be a place he(stw) could live peacefully+was far away from korea. it was also the background of the postcard he would send han yoojin, too. however, he wasn’t set on switzerland from the beginning, and so long as it was an idyllic location somewhere in the Alps, he wouldn’t have cared where it ended up being. other than that it’s in the triple digits, i’ll leave the exact number your imagination ^^