#Also: thoughts on musical transitions between sections?

[alliaskisthepossibilityoflove]

wip wednesday

thank you for tagging me yesterday / today @wikiangela, @exhuastedpigeon, @underwaterninja13, @dangerpronebuddie,

@cal-daisies-and-briars, @tizniz, @diazsdimples and @glorious-spoon🥰

consider this you tag for today if you haven't yet😘

I'm almost done with editing hearteyes!Eddie (my heart’s over-pumping and your mouth is an ambulance by fleetinghearts😍) (i hope i haven't jinxed myself rn and will have the time i hoped for to actually finish soon 🤞)

.... so have a nice long chat between two tipsy friends about octopuses 😁

you can listen to the previous tidbits here 1 2 😊

tagging @shitouttabuck, @kwills91, @gigi-gigi, @lover-of-mine, @eddiegettingshot,

@try-set-me-on-fire, @spotsandsocks, @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels, @rewritetheending,

@daffi-990, @bucksbignaturals, @aroeddiediaz, @acountrygirlsfun,

@captain-hen, @suavecitodiaz, @rainbow-nerdss, @devirnis,

@chronicowboy, @epicbuddieficrecs, @your-catfish-friend, @hoodie-buck

[canmom]

music and narrative {[0]}

so. as part of the ongoing music researches, I've for a while wanted about the relation between music and narrative. that's going to be a long project! but to begin with I wanted to run down the examples I know, and maybe solicit a few more~

now, on some level, nearly any song has some degree of narrative. your basic love song introduces us to some characters - singer, object of their affection - and furnishes them with emotions and desires. moreover, music can play a role in a narrative without literally relating events - indeed, the art of soundtrack design is definitely a subject I want to look into at some point. even songs addressed directly at the real world, such as political songs, construct some kind of narrative.

however, for these purposes, I'm interested in songs that go a bit further in the direction of telling a fictional story, especially when those link together into whole albums (sometimes called a concept album, though this is a slightly broader concept). which can work in a lot of ways!

for example, Janelle Monae's The ArchAndroid tells a sweeping scifi story of an android fleeing an oppressive society and becoming an unintentional figurehead of revolution. it sketches out a wide-reaching set of influences in constructing a scifi world, but you'd be hard-pressed to boil it down into a simple series of events - it prefers to leave a lot to interpretation. by contrast something like Splendor & Misery by clipping. deals with kinda similar subject matter - a scifi story, an escaped slave, artificial intelligence - but with a different musical approach and perhaps a slightly clearer narrative arc; sometimes directly narrating the thoughts and actions of characters, or slipping into memory, but also drawing less direct musical parallels with e.g. gospel tracks and slave spirituals. both excellent albums - both solve the problems of conveying a story musically in different ways.

of course, the largest pool of examples here comes in the context of musical theatre, and further back opera. (the exact transition from one to the other is something I'm going to need to research). particularly interesting to me are sung-through musicals such as Les Misérables, in which there's no spoken sections in between the songs. this restriction means the songs (and staging etc.) have to do all the work of conveying the events of the story.

there's a lot to be said about the various traditions of musicals (for example). there's even more to be said about the history of opera - both the Western traditions and other musical traditions that have been given the label such as Chinese opera. but that will have to wait for later day in the project because otherwise this entire post would be a huge list of musicals, and I want to try and wander all over the shop.

what I'm most curious to find is music that tells a story all on its own - no actors or staging, but more similar to oral narration. of course, in the present era, music is often released along with videos, and these can tell quite elaborate stories that will become part of the overall 'message' communicated by the song, so the lines are a bit blurry! but since the aim of this series will be to look for ways to convey narrative using music, I'm looking for examples where the music does most of the heavy lifting.

music that tells stories is something with a looong tradition in folk music, pretty much the world over. in Europe, the ballad was a common form for it, a word that survives into the present. it seems that most cultures have had some kind of tradition of wandering itinerant musician-poets - for example, at various points in history, there were biwa hōshi in Japan (pictured) and griots in West Africa, medieval Europeans had minstrels, the Celts had bards, the Occitans had troubadors...

moreover, work and marching songs such as sea shanties would also have a certain degree of narrative to them, in addition to their main function of keeping a group moving in time.

in modern times, people will sometimes attempt to reconstruct how this kind of music and lyric poetry would have been performed. you can naturally only go so far with the archaeological evidence, but I'm fond of Peter Pringle's recordings of segments of the Epic of Gilgamesh, using period instruments if not necessarily a period musical style!

in the modern age of recorded music, these traditions have become much more niche, but there are still artists who use music as a vehicle to tell a fictional narrative. (fair warning: I'm a huge nerd, so most of the examples I know are like, supreme nerd shit. also about ten years ago I was given an assortment of metal from a friend which included a bunch of what I'm about to put below.)

to begin with I've naturally got to talk about my friend Maki Yamazaki (Dr Carmilla) and the band she founded but later left, The Mechanisms. They tell a story of a sprawling gothic scifi universe, with the band playing the role of travelling space pirates who observe the (invariably tragic) tales that unfold. The Mechanisms' music starts as folk song pastiche, but gradually gets more original, although narratively they keep the approach of crossing over mythology with genre storytelling (fairy tales as space opera, arthuriana as space western).

The Mechanisms got a significant measure of international fame washing back after their frontman Johnny Sims got really big on some podcast or something.

Maki's solo music as Dr Carmilla took things in (from a narrative sense) a more abstract direction, using elaborate production and an incredibly textured sound to tell a (so far!) fragmentary story of the tragic space vampire Dr Carmilla and her doomed relationship with another vampire Lorelei (for example). And I'm gonna have lots more to say about them all, in the future, but this is just an overview so let's not get ahead of ourselves!

In a related vein (though I'm much less familiar with them) comes indie band Decemberists, who often create narratively driven songs - for example, The Mariner's Revenge Song depicts a sailor's motivation for extracting bloody revenge on someone who wronged him, with the actual violence conveyed by an energetic instrumental break. A subject that reminds me of the Clockwork Quartet, now long gone, who managed to record just three of their songs from a larger project, yet stand out as way more interesting than most of the steampunk milieu - with for example The Clockmaker's Apprentice giving a very fun antihero-revenge narrative to the ticking beat of a clock, and The Doctor's Wife a compelling tragedy of desperate medical science.

There's definitely something in common with this type of storytelling and the subgenre termed rock opera, which has a pretty long history going back to the late 60s (SF Sorrow by Pretty Things and The Story of Simon Simopath by Nirvana, thanks wikipedia), with notable examples including some incredibly popular albums like Pink Floyd's The Wall (which was adapted into a partly animated film using animations by Gerard Scarfe, c.f AN86) and My Chemical Romance's The Black Parade. In many of these, the connection between songs and narrative is fairly abstract and metaphorical - most of the examples mentioned are about the psychological arc of one character.

Calling this a genre or subgenre is kind of a stretch recently - just in those four examples we see a pretty wide range of musical styles, so it's more like an approach to album writing. Still, for want of a better word, there's definite overlap between this 'genre' and musicals. For example, the history on wikipedia cites The Rocky Horror Picture Show as an example of rock opera, which in my head it's just a musical. (Anyway, exactly the taxonomy of regular opera/libretto, rock opera and musical theatre is not that important anyway, because we want to look at the techniques of all of them!)

A more direct narrative comes in the work of The Protomen, who have the 'no way that would work' premise of creating a huge, dramatic, emotional story based on the plot of the Mega Man games. By putting the focus on the tense relationships of the fought main characters (scientists Light and Wily and robot boys Proto Man and Mega Man), and their sense of rejection and betrayal by the broader society, they somehow pull it off.

Moving gradually in the direction of (progressive) metal, we encounter Ayreon, whose entire career has been telling psychedelic and occult stories of time travel, aliens, warnings projected into the past, out of body experiences, and the history and direction of humanity. I'm not sure if all of their albums fit together into one big story exactly, but certain ideas seem to keep coming up - for example, future societies or aliens sending warnings to humanity to fix our shit before it's too late. In some of their albums (e.g. The Electric Castle) they follow the device of having each member of the band play a character in an ensemble cast, bringing it a bit closer to something like a radio play.

Also in metal land we find the rather unique project Charlemagne: By The Sword and the Cross, best known for that time Christopher Lee shed the blood of the saxon men. This is using music as a vehicle for a (more or less) historical story, featuring an old Charlemagne (Lee) reminiscing on the various awful things he did over the course of his life. Apparently they made a sequel to this album, which I never realised!

As well as history, metal also likes to lean on literature and poetry. For example, Kamelot (classed, apparently, as 'Power Metal') have a rather fun adaptation of the story of Faust into two albums, Epica and The Black Halo. Iron Maiden famously took on the Rime of the Ancient Mariner in a 13 minute song. And that's not even to get into all the songs dealing with Tolkien.

Moving on from metal before we start listing a hundred songs about vikings, it's worth looking more broadly for music about history, since it's a pretty major overlap with fictional storytelling! For example, the Boney M song Rasputin tells an incredibly catchy account of the assassination of Grigori Rasputin. Another rather more charged example comes in Nakam by Daniel Kahn and the Painted Bird, about the unsuccessful paramilitary plot to poison six million Germans as revenge for the Holocaust.

If you go looking, you can find an impressively long list of historical songs compiled by 30 users of lyrics website Genius - though many of these I feel don't really count, since they were describing contemporary events when they were written.

Of course, there is a heavy overlap between this subject and political songs - in many cases the historical subjects are invoked to comment on the present. For example, Wernher von Braun by Tom Lehrer was written at a time when von Braun was leading the US space programme. In many cases, the songs simply invoke a historical event to express a feeling, assuming you already know what happened. Others may recount events more or less directly, before seguing into a verse or two at the end about why it matters now. Most of the songs in this list focus on recent (20th-century) history, sometimes they reach further back - mostly to talk about colonialism.

Historical songs can also be quite oblique. For example, Mili's song Salt, Pepper, Birds and the Thought Police is about the life of Korean poet Yoon Dong-ju, but you wouldn't necessarily know it from the content of the lyrics unless you were already familiar with Yoon's life. More on Mili in a moment - most of their songs are more fictional.

One thing I'm curious about is whether there are examples of more historical fiction in music, which tries to imagine the thoughts and feelings of historical characters... well obviously there's Hamilton, and perhaps that illustrates why there aren't a lot more songs about non-recent history, because the vibes can be off.

Storytelling is still a powerful mechanism even in a contemporary, political song. Take Construção by Chico Buarque - the story it tells is of the pointless death of a construction worker; with the lines ingeniously remixed over the course of the song, this turns into a wider illustration of the ruthlessness of the system that killed him. Its lyrics are absolutely fucking genius, even if you don't speak Portugese.

Speaking of language, most of the examples I've covered so far are in English, since well, that's my native language. It's naturally a little harder to access a story in a language you don't speak, but in these days of subtitles, we kinda can! So for example I can encounter projects like MILGRAM, something of a combination of music project and voting-driven story, in which we are introduced (by character song) to a number of characters facing execution - and then invited to vote on who should die. Heavily illustrated, it is somewhere vaguely in the space between album and straight-up anime.

I mentioned Mili already, but many of their other songs have a strong narrative arc to them, and sketch out the contours of a fictional setting. For example, one of their best-known songs is world.execute(me), which portrays the failure of a bdsm relationship between an AI girl and her creator. Which is relatively grounded by Mili standards - other songs depict for example the relationship of a jiangshi and a mad scientist cooking food, or a witch reanimating a knight with scientific methods to kill on her behalf.

And I think that will suffice for now. But we are of course only scratching the surface - this is by no means supposed to be an exhaustive list but I'm sure there's stuff that I'll be kicking myself for not mentioning. Mostly, however, this is a request for recommendations - particularly, of music from genres I haven't addressed in this post, and especially non-English languages, or that convey their stories in especially creative or unusual ways.

This project will likely be a long time in the works - it's something of a supplement to the Music Theory Notes (for science bitches) series - but my aim will be to pick out a few of these to examine how they go about conveying narrative through songs. Because I think that's kind of one of the big things I want to do with music.

ok canmom out i gotta go play some music. see you next time!

[whatevertheweather]

Hi hello. I miss y'all. That is my own fault but it's still true, and I'm writing this on saturday night and feeling maudlin about how wonderful and talented and dear this fandom is and how I never join in anymore, so I'm making my little post okay.

I'm going with Musical Chairs again because it's so far past time for that to be done. And I've said this before, but it is approaching done. And I'm gonna get into that, but it'll all be behind the scenes rambling, so it's below the cut, and for those who don't want to delve that far, here is some freshly written Penny POV.

“Ah,” Shepard smiled, “a good deed wasn’t motive enough on its own?” “Not when it’s for a stupid reason.” “What is your un-stupid reason?” “Un-stupid?” Penny repeated. She turned resolutely to her drink. “Nevermind. I don’t want to talk to you anymore.” “Hey now,” Shepard said, ducking into her line of sight. “You struck me as someone who prefers being honest.” It was a job not to smile at that, but Penny put the work in.

Now for the mess.

It's a good mess I think. I have a new section in my miscellany document, tucked in between nine (9) sections of ramblings and cut scenes, and the new section is called "we got it this time boys," and I think it's right. I've written a full draft of the scene that's been holding us all back. It's there in its entirety, it just needs to be edited. And I'm so scared to reread it, because every time I think I got this scene right I come back and it's wrong. Which I've decided to be fine with, because so what!!! So what if I got 36k right and there's 5k that doesn't quite hit the way I want it to!!! The earth will keep spinning!!!

Anyway, "we got it this time boys" is 3 pages of what is technically kind of an outline for 5 pages of story, and every time I read the header it's in the voice of someone from some black-and-white hardboiled detective noir, which brings me the joy that might be the only reason I feel I've gotten it right in the first place. The outline is all written about as cohesively as it starts:

I think maybe, and gosh haven’t I said this a million times, I just need to stop trying to go that way. Stop trying to go any way. Like always “how do I get them to this moment” instead of “what would they do in this situation.” Unfortunately, the latter requires I connect with them on a level I’m not sure I can right now. But I guess let’s try. Actually let’s go for a walk, I can see the sun setting on the top of the house across the way and it’s lovely. Okay nice, it was lovely. Relaxing, refreshing. Saw a stump that looked like a beaver. Saw a cat. Thought of the opening to something I’m never going to write. So anyway,

It also sort of ends with:

Oh shit came up on an obstacle immediately. [Redacted]. This does not actually open the door for Baz to say something that can incite “[Redacted].” Fuck god okay whoops already going completely back on all I’ve decided and thinking maybe we could keep some of the new exchange I’d written, maybe he does reveal the ugh no stop I hate this. Just figure out a transition to bring in [...], what would Baz say to that other than what I’ve written him saying to that which doesn’t work for what I’m trying to do. I guess it could just be, like…he murmurs incorrigible. Or something. With a raised brow, a la baz. Sure let’s do that, however, I’ve laid down to do this and learned I’m actually quite sleepy, so let’s do it another time. Hopefully I don’t come up on another immediate problem and despair. Just remember not to start combining things and rereading things yet, okay. Please.

This would be alarming if I hadn't already gotten past this point and written the thing. So I'm going to go into editing it with the mindset that nothing substantial shall change and boohoo to me if I want it to, and once that's done we're pretty much home free.

Now tags.

Gonna dip a toe back into being melancholy and wistful about this fandom k, I really do miss it even though I'm the only one keeping me out. You're all my friends even if that is a surprise for you to hear because we haven't talked in months or maybe ever, but I love each and every one of you x

@fatalfangirl @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @moodandmist @cutestkilla @artsyunderstudy

@bookish-bogwitch @aristocratic-otter @mooncello @noblecorgi @alexalexinii

@rimeswithpurple @ivelovedhimthroughworse @basiltonbutliketheherb @whogaveyoupermission @facewithoutheart

@martsonmars @iamamythologicalcreature @run-for-chamo-miles @thewholelemon

@forabeatofadrum @youarenevertooold @ileadacharmedlife @monbons

[thumpypuppy]

Lindar here!

Thinking on a conversation I had with Sadie about the title theme of ISAT, and given a lot of folks have been transcribing music for the OST, I kinda want to briefly talk about something.

First I would like to say, the language we use for music theory is DEscriptive, not PREscriptive, and so it is important to keep that in mind. We try our best to describe what's happening!

One interesting conversation is around the title theme, and so I will say this: The first part written was the melody, which is strictly in D Dorian. This melody and it's various incarnations throughout the soundtrack exist with many different supporting chord structures that change on basically every iteration, but one unusual feature in its original iteration (the START AGAIN title theme) and modern original (In Stars and Time title theme) is that, despite being in D Dorian for the melody, the supporting chord structure features a rather prominent major five. To me it makes sense and adds some amount of resolution, where if it was ACTUALLY D Dorian it would feature a minor five, which didn't sound right. Does the piece shift between D Dorian and A minor? Is it a "harmonic Dorian" scale? WHO KNOWS! As much technical nonsense as I've put into the soundtrack (largely thanks to the ongoing theory lessons from the one and only Sadie Greyduck) at the end of the day we do what sounds best. It's an unusual modality, so maybe we can just call it "Thumpian Mode" and call it from there?

I've also seen some other interpretations of different pieces, and one that really stands out to me is how people perceive the rather drastic key change in, among other things, "We're With You!". While we could talk endlessly about this particular motion of chords, I'd like to bring up my actual thought process.

First off, listen to the first battle with the King ("Do You Remember?"), specifically the "victory/hope" motiff at the end that features a prominent brass section. The beginnings of that song as a whole were actually the first piece of music written for the original START AGAIN soundtrack, followed shortly thereafter by the melody for the title theme. While START AGAIN and the subsequent In Stars and Time do feature a heavy usage of leitmotifs (and yes the many identifiable motifs are specifically used to indicate an emotion or context, which are later recontextualized for dramatic effect), a number of them were written out of order and given additional meaning through clever placement. Further, transitioning from START AGAIN's 11 tracks to In Stars and Time's staggering 41 tracks, a significant amount of expansion of existing leitmotifs was done in addition to creating new ones.

Second, the actual thought process behind writing the hope/victory motif was something like "dang I need something to round this off… uhhh… screw it, arbitrary chromaticism because it sounds intense and metal" and so we go A5, C5, B5, Bb5, and the actual melodies used were vaguely navigated by ear kinda in the ballpark of A minor. Upon hearing this piece, Sadie explained to me that a common alternative to using a Dominant 5 is to use a tritone substitution of the five, which is a bII(7), which is why the progression (mostly) makes sense despite classic progressive motion saying i->III is valid but fairly weak, and III->ii is extremely weak.

Now we fast forward a year or two and I have been requested to make a chipper rendition of the victory/hope motif for a different context (which, in my opinion, adds to the weight of its later appearance), so now let's finally take a look at "We're With You!". While the time signature is quite different from its original 5/4, you'll notice that the chord progression is somewhat familiar (I -> iii -> ii -> bII), and while the leading melody is something else, the supporting voice(s) are a reiteration of the hope/victory motif!

Now we get to the unusual part, the key change! It's not particularly common to change keys to a tritone as they have essentially nothing in common, but we're using that bII as our return to tonic, so what if we reinterpret that chord as the V of a new key, since it's kinda functioning that way anyway? So instead of Bb returning to A as we've done before, we move to the new tonic of Eb! From there the piece essentially makes the same motions, and does the same key change at the end, returning us back to our original key in time for the piece to loop!

So I think at the end of the day what I'm trying to say is that music theory can definitely give you an understanding of why certain things sound certain ways, and it can teach you things that you would not have thought to do before, but the most correct way to write music is to do what sounds good and try to understand it later. Lindar from five years ago was afraid of key changes, but modern Lindar knows that keys are arbitrary and you can make unusual motion to interesting effect.

All that said, I absolutely love reading posts about how people interpret and analyze the things I've written, so keep it coming, because I learn something new every time I see a new interpretation!

[zapreportsblog]

Hello love,

So could you please make an x reader where the reader ice skates but she has to do a show with a partner and it looks so good and romantic but the kings are there and they understand that it takes a little acting but they are still jealous.

Love ya ❤️❤️❤️

❝the star of the show❞

✭ pairing : poly volturi kings x reader

✭ fandom : twilight

✭ summary : (Y/n) is a talented figure skater, and she shares a complex bond with three powerful vampires: Aro, Caius, and Marcus. As she prepares for her impending transformation into a vampire, they decide to grant her one last opportunity to showcase her skills on the ice in a final performance. However, their feelings of possessiveness and jealousy intensify as they watch her skate with another man during the show, leading to a gripping emotional conflict that tests the boundaries of their unconventional relationship.

✭ authors note : Ayo yall like that summary, I’ve gotten decent right?

✭ twilight masterlist 2

The ice rink was bathed in a soft, ethereal glow as (Y/n) glided gracefully across its surface. Her figure skating routine was a mesmerizing blend of elegance and power, a testament to years of dedication and passion. The audience watched in awe as she executed flawless jumps, spins, and twirls, her movements a dance of grace on the frozen stage.

In the dimly lit VIP section, three figures sat in silence, their eyes fixed on the enchanting performance. Aro, Caius, and Marcus, powerful vampires who had walked the earth for centuries, were bound not only by their immortality but also by their shared affection for (Y/n). They watched her every move with a mix of pride and anxiety, knowing that this was her last performance as a human.

(Y/n) had been living on borrowed time, caught in a twilight between her humanity and the vampiric world of her three companions. The decision to turn her into one of them had been made, but before the transformation, they had agreed to grant her one final moment of normalcy.

As (Y/n) gracefully glided across the ice, her eyes sparkled with determination and a hint of sadness. She had known this moment would come, the day when she'd leave behind the life she had known and embrace a new existence as a vampire. Yet, the love and connection she shared with Aro, Caius, and Marcus made the transition bittersweet.

Aro's keen eyes scanned the audience, and he couldn't help but notice a tall, striking man sitting in the front row. His strong arms were crossed, and his piercing gaze was locked onto (Y/n). Aro's brow furrowed slightly as he recognized the man as a fellow vampire, one who had expressed a keen interest in (Y/n) since her arrival in their coven.

Caius and Marcus, sensing Aro's unease, exchanged knowing glances. They too had noticed the newcomer, and their jealousy began to simmer beneath the surface. The trio had vowed to protect and cherish (Y/n), and the thought of another vampire vying for her attention stirred possessive instincts they had thought long dormant.

As the music swelled and (Y/n) performed a breathtaking combination of spins and jumps, the tension in the VIP section grew palpable. Aro, Caius, and Marcus could no longer contain their emotions, and their eyes locked onto the mysterious vampire in the front row.

The final note of the music echoed through the rink, and (Y/n) struck a graceful ending pose, her chest heaving with exertion. The audience erupted into applause, but her gaze remained fixed on the enigmatic vampire in the front row.

Little did she know that this final performance had not only captivated the human audience but had also ignited a dangerous spark of jealousy and rivalry among the three vampires who held her heart in their cold, immortal hands.

As the applause continued to echo through the ice rink, (Y/n) took her final bow, acknowledging the adoring crowd. The mysterious vampire in the front row stood and joined in the applause, his eyes never leaving her.

Back in the VIP section, Aro, Caius, and Marcus exchanged tense glances. The performance had been breathtaking, but the presence of the rival vampire left an uncomfortable knot in their immortal hearts.

(Y/n) made her way off the ice, her skates gliding effortlessly across the smooth surface. As she approached the VIP section, she was met with the intense, expectant gazes of her three vampire companions.

"A magnificent performance, my dear," Aro purred, his tone dripping with charm as he extended a hand to help her off the ice.

(Y/n) offered a weary smile, her heart heavy with the impending transformation that would sever her ties to the human world forever. "Thank you, Aro."

Caius and Marcus remained silent, their expressions tense and unreadable. Their thoughts were consumed by the stranger in the front row and the undeniable attraction he seemed to have for (Y/n).

Unaware of the brewing storm in the VIP section, (Y/n) excused herself to change out of her skating attire. The moment she disappeared behind the curtains, Aro, Caius, and Marcus huddled together in a private corner.

"We cannot allow another vampire to interfere in our affairs," Aro hissed, his usually composed demeanor fraying at the edges.

Caius, known for his quick temper, clenched his fists. "This newcomer seems intent on claiming (Y/n) for himself. We must put an end to this."

Marcus, the most contemplative of the trio, spoke up, his voice measured. "We've promised her one final night of normalcy. We cannot act rashly. Let us observe and gather more information."

Reluctantly, Aro and Caius agreed to Marcus's suggestion, though their jealousy and protective instincts continued to burn within them.

(Y/n) returned, dressed in a simple, elegant gown, her hair cascading in waves around her shoulders. She rejoined the trio, sensing the tension that hung in the air.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, her concern evident.

Aro forced a smile. "Nothing to be concerned about, my dear. We were merely discussing some matters of the coven."

(Y/n) nodded, though she couldn't shake the feeling that something had shifted. The presence of the rival vampire had cast a shadow over what was supposed to be her final night as a human.

As the evening wore on, Aro, Caius, and Marcus couldn't help but keep a watchful eye on the stranger in the front row. The rivalry that had been ignited threatened to consume them, and the complex bond they shared with (Y/n) hung in the balance.

The atmosphere in the VIP section remained charged with tension as the evening progressed. (Y/n) tried her best to enjoy the festivities surrounding her final performance, but the lingering presence of the mysterious vampire continued to cast a shadow over the night.

Aro, Caius, and Marcus, despite their attempts to stay composed, couldn't help but feel a growing unease. They watched as the rival vampire, whose name remained unknown to them, approached (Y/n) with a confident stride.

(Y/n) greeted him with a polite smile, unaware of the invisible battle of wills taking place among her vampire companions.

"Congratulations on your stunning performance," the rival vampire said, his voice smooth and charismatic. "I must say, I've never seen such grace and beauty on the ice."

(Y/n) blushed at the compliment, her heart fluttering. "Thank you. It's a bittersweet night for me, as it's my last performance before... well, before a significant change in my life."

The stranger's eyes locked onto hers, and for a moment, there was an unspoken connection between them. Aro, Caius, and Marcus watched with growing unease as the conversation continued, their possessiveness fueling their internal turmoil.

"Change can be both daunting and exhilarating," the rival vampire replied cryptically, his gaze never wavering. "But sometimes, it opens doors to unimaginable experiences."

(Y/n) was intrigued by his words, and a part of her couldn't help but be drawn to the enigmatic newcomer. He seemed to understand the complexities of her situation, something she hadn't expected from a stranger.

Meanwhile, Aro, Caius, and Marcus exchanged frantic, silent communication. Their jealousy had transformed into a deep-rooted fear that this vampire could steal (Y/n) away from them, disrupting the fragile balance they had maintained.

As the night wore on, (Y/n) continued to engage in conversation with the rival vampire. They shared stories, laughter, and moments that felt oddly intimate, leaving her both enchanted and conflicted.

The tension among the trio of vampires reached its breaking point. Aro, his eyes flashing with a mix of anger and desperation, stood up abruptly and approached (Y/n) and the rival vampire.

"My dear, it's time for us to depart," he said, his tone cold and final.

(Y/n) blinked in surprise, torn between her connection with the newcomer and her loyalty to Aro, Caius, and Marcus.

The rival vampire nodded politely and stepped back, his eyes never leaving (Y/n). "Until we meet again."

Aro, Caius, and Marcus escorted (Y/n) away from the rival vampire, their grip on her both physical and metaphorical. They couldn't allow anyone, not even a charismatic rival, to come between them and the woman they had grown to love.

As they left the event, (Y/n) glanced back at the stranger, a sense of longing and curiosity tugging at her heart.

In the days that followed the memorable night at the ice rink, (Y/n) found herself torn between her growing connection with the mysterious rival vampire and her unwavering loyalty to Aro, Caius, and Marcus. Each moment she spent with the newcomer ignited a spark of curiosity and attraction, and she couldn't deny the profound effect he had on her.

Meanwhile, the three powerful vampires were consumed by jealousy and fear, unable to shake the feeling that their complex bond with (Y/n) was slipping away. They had protected her since coming about her, and the thought of losing her to another vampire was unbearable.

The day of (Y/n)'s transformation into a vampire arrived with a mixture of anticipation and apprehension. She had chosen to undergo the change willingly, knowing that it was the only way to be with the three vampires she loved. They had made her feel special, cherished, and she couldn't imagine her life without them.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, (Y/n) stood in a secluded room within their grand estate, surrounded by Aro, Caius, and Marcus. The newcomer was conspicuously absent, as he had respected their wishes not to intrude upon this significant moment.

Aro, the leader of their coven, stepped forward, his dark eyes reflecting both pride and sorrow. "My dear (Y/n), are you certain of your choice? Once this transformation begins, there is no turning back."

(Y/n) nodded, her voice steady but her heart racing. "I've never been more certain of anything in my life. I want to be with all of you, no matter the cost."

With that, Aro, Caius, and Marcus encircled her, their cold, marble-like hands gently touching her skin. They closed their eyes in concentration, and the process of transforming her into a vampire began.

A rush of sensations flooded (Y/n)'s senses as her body underwent a profound metamorphosis. The pain was intense, but she clenched her teeth and endured it, knowing that this was the price she had to pay for eternity with the ones she loved.

Hours passed, and finally, the transformation was complete. (Y/n) opened her eyes to find herself surrounded by her vampire companions, their expressions a mixture of relief and affection.

Caius, his voice filled with emotion, spoke first. "You are now one of us, (Y/n). Welcome to immortality."

Tears glistened in (Y/n)'s eyes as she embraced each of them in turn. She had made her choice, and she had no regrets.

In the weeks that followed, (Y/n) adjusted to her new existence as a vampire, learning to control her newfound powers and cravings. The mysterious rival vampire, though never forgotten, faded into the background as she focused on her life with Aro, Caius, and Marcus.

But fate has a way of weaving unexpected threads into the fabric of our lives. One day, as (Y/n) explored the coven's sprawling estate, she stumbled upon a hidden chamber. Inside, she found a portrait of the mysterious vampire, his eyes hauntingly familiar.

Her heart raced as she realized the truth: the enigmatic newcomer was not just a rival but a figure from her past, a connection that would challenge the bonds she had forged with Aro, Caius, and Marcus.

As she stared at the portrait, a new chapter in their complicated story began, one filled with secrets, revelations, and a love that transcended time and immortality.

[thoughtsonlou]

Here are some quick thoughts on the setlist at Louis' O2 show: The color codes mean AMAZING, GREAT, and BE GONE

The Greatest: One of my favorites. Loved hearing it with a string section considering that is one of my favorites aspects of this song on the album.

Kill My Mind: The lights looked sick!!

Bigger Than Me: Another favorite. This almost made me cry, and I do not get emotional at concerts ever.

Holding on to Heartache: Thank god this was on the setlist. Such a warm atmosphere.

Face the Music: Why do I feel like the only one who goes hype for this song live? Like, do you hear those drums people

We Made It: Another favorite. I don't know if it's controversial to say I'm glad this stayed on the setlist from last tour, it's just such a well crafted song.

Drag Me Down: Whatever... at least it's better than Night Changes

Chicago: "I STILL. KNOW. YOUR. NUM-BER!!!!"

High in California: Better in the states tbh

All This Time: Don't get me started 10/10

She is Beauty: Missed the regular lights a little on this one, but the transition from ATT is so delicious, and I will always defend this song with my life. Everyone was swaying their hands during this and it was so sweet to watch from the balcony.

Copy of a Copy: He seriously needs to put this on streaming, it makes me mad.

Walls: Another favorite. Again, this almost made me cry. Sometimes it's hard for me to hear other people singing over my own, very loud singing and all of the instruments, but oh did I hear "you were my because" and the more tender "nothing wakes you up like waking up alone" ending.

Written All Over Your Face: OOOOhhhh yeah. Major highlight of the show. I love the blue/red split stage lighting, and the band sounded so cool and funky and Louis voice was incredible... I'll stop.

505: I know all of the lyrics now, yay!

Back To You: Has been a favorite of mine all tour. It's just fun!

Angels Fly: I think this is where Michael had a really good guitar solo I liked, maybe? Also, the people behind me were living for this song, shout out to them.

Out of My System: Another favorite. I don't know, OOMS really had the special sauce at the O2. This song had never sounded bigger. I was jumping so much I was worried I was going to fall over the railing (hyperbole).

Saturdays: Although the light project wasn't what I was expecting, Louis sounded great, and I love how it goes from such a striped back tender moment, to this epic chanting thing... I just love the contrast between the beginning and end and how sprawling it is. I can see why Louis loves it so much.

Where Do Broken Hearts Go: I would love to ask Louis his thought process behind putting this on the setlist was.

Silver Tongues: The perfect ending. Couldn't ask for anything more.

[daggerzine]

Pitchfork Day 2

ERIC EGGLESON

Saturday's weather looked like it might rain, but it stayed overcast for a bit, and then the sun came out Needless to say, it was typical Pitchfork weather-humid. As for the music, what seemed like countless DJs yesterday, today was filled with band after band on all three stages for the most part.

Chicago's Lifeguard kicked things off on the Green Stage (GS) in a great way as a tight-sounding, three piece combo that fluctuated between bass and guitar or two guitars with their drummer. Kai Slater, the main guitarist, was seated the entire set, but it didn't seem to limit his capabilities. The set ended with a wall of distortion that sent the (unfortunately) small crowd into a frenzy. (Kai was seen later at the Blue Stage and on crutches.)

Next up, L'Rain performed on the Red Stage (RS) with a complete jazz combo featuring keyboards, saxophone, drums, guitar, and backing vocals. It was a set filled with smooth sounds that offered another slice of musical style to Pitchfork fans.

Back to the GS, Kara Jackson continued the smooth vibe L'Rain started. Kara sang and played her acoustic guitar, along with her bassist, violinist, keyboardist/clarinet player, as well as, a backup singer. She opened with her beautiful rendition of Karen Dalton's "Right, Wrong or Ready" and then immediately went into her song "No Fun." Kara's a folky, jazzy, bluesy songwriter that brings another style to today's lineup.

The first band at the Blue Stage(BS) is Hotline TNT. Imagine if Swervedriver met The Replacements and you get a slight comparison. Will Anderson may write all the music, but his current out-of-control lead guitarist stole the show. Two guitars, one bass, and a drummer that pack a lot of punch in their songs. Lots of Who-like jumping and thrashing that really fired up the crowd. "I Thought You'd Change" was a crowd favorite.

Back to the RS, Pittsburgh's feeble little horse brought their sound to the big stage blasting indie rock with a full band. Singer and bass player, Lydia Slocum, along with guitarists Sebastian Kinsler and Ryan Walchonski , and drummer Jake Kelley did their best despite some technical issues with tracks.

At the BS, Water From Your Eyes was one band I was really looking forward to. Unfortunately, a coughing Rachel Brown confessed she wasn't her best, but that didn't stop her "from doing her job." Nate Amos and the rest of the band plugged through a rockin' set despite her announcement. "Barley" was a crowd favorite with its vocal counting, tapeloops, and post-punk blasts. "I'm being punished for sneaking into Pitchfork all three days 10 years ago." -Rachel

Back to the GS, Wednesday delivered an Alt-Country/American slice for the crowd. Karly Hartzman kicked up her vocals especially in the spine-shilling final number, "Bull Believer." Wednesday also includes Jake Lenderman (more often known as MJ, who I missed a few weeks ago) on guitar. Throw in a lap steel guitarist, a bassist, and a drummer, along with Karly shredding her guitar, and you've got a great live sound. The coolest transition of the day was from their own "Bath County"(referencing Drive-By Truckers) to a Drive-By Truckers song, "Women Without Whiskey."

Sweeping Promises at the BS, provided quirky indiepop. Guitarist, Caufield Schnug, gave it all he had with his intricate, B-52's-ish riffs. Not to take anything away from bassist Lira Mondal, she can really sing!

The GS, is getting crowded. Here's as close as I could get to Jessie Ware. She eventually jumped into the crowd for that intimate connection. Great sound, cool dancers, tight rhythm section, and she covered Cher's "Believe." What more could you ask for?

Back to the BS, Bratmobile's Allison Wolfe shared her roots of visiting Chicago before showing off her vocals and cheerleader movements. It was a fun set featuring Rose Melberg playing killer guitar! (They even played her Tiger Trap song, "Supreme Nothing"!) But it was the finale that stole the show. Covering The Runawyas' "Cherry Bomb" was the perfect ending complete with young girls (daughters?) singing the chorus.

I ended DAY 2, at the BS. Unwound delivered a post-hardcore set to compete with Carly Rae Jepsen on the RS. I was mesmerized by Jared Warren's intricate bass work! Solid sound coming from all four band members made this a great way to end my day.

DAY 3 tomorrow.

[dk-wren]

Week 2 - 30 Days of Buddy Daddies

Welcome back! This week was a lot more hectic, but I somehow managed to find time to respond to the next seven prompts. Hope you enjoy reading through my responses!

Day 8: Funniest Scene

I have these screenshots from a previous post just saved onto my computer. I really did not have a specific reason as to why I saved them after finishing that post, but glad to see they came in use again.

Overall, I think the zoo episode is the one that made me laugh out loud the most. This moment in particular just caught me so off guard the first time I watched the episode because of how serious Kazuki's tone is when he says it. Like yes, "Love is Blind" and Kazuki is example A.

It definitely took me a second to register what he was saying, and also that it was part of the script given Rei's response rather than a wonky translation, which then made me instantly die again. This man loves his family with his full heart, and this is one of the comedic ways that he showed it.

Day 9: Scene that Caused You Anguish

The Ferris wheel scene.

That's it. That's my response.

Okay, not really, but ahhh this scene! Even if Kazuki and Rei believe they didn't change, I feel the whole conversation they have while riding the Ferris wheel disproves that.

While their points and conversation is underlined by the feeling that they are not adequate or can safely take care of Miri, now with the organization on to them, everything they have done to provide for Miri's well-being and to allow her to have a happy childhood in that previous year proves they did change.

It made me so sad to see them defeated and feeling like this was their only option. Also, seeing Rei for what may possibly be the first time stick up for this family and not wanting to let it go adds to why I'm choosing this scene. Plus, seeing how this yearning to hold onto their little family explodes over the last few episodes adds to my anguish over this scene serving as the breaking point for the trio (until they all reunite in ep. 11 after some more anguish). The dialogue, the music, the solitude created by being in one of the ride vehicles as well as the lighting decided it was going for the kill in terms of what would leave me an emotional wreck.

Day 10: Favorite Part of the Opening

Just gonna leave the whole opening here and timestamp a few of my favorite parts since 1) it’s a bop and 2) I love love love the opening.

0:22 = I’ve always loved this little section of Rei and Kazuki holding a giant photo frame with Miri, Miss Anna, and her friends from daycare walking behind it. I've never really thought of why I liked it so much though. One possibility is this is the first time (in the opening) we see the three of them together, in their casual clothes. With Rei and Kazuki holding the photo frame while Miri and the people she's close to at daycare in the background, laughing and visibly happy, I feel like this might symbolize the "slice of life" aspect of this show. These frames show the viewer a snapshot into their life, which for the most part, revolves around Miri, Kazuki, and Rei's daily life, which doesn't always mean having an assignment. I've also always loved taking pictures to keep as memories, so the associations of a picture frame and wanting to capture their happy little family could be another reason why I love this part of the opening so much.

0:37 = Really I'm just a sucker for this transition between Rei riding his motorcycle (which there should have been more of) and Ogino. Thinking about it now, perhaps another reason I loved this part of the opening was due to the foreshadowing of Ogino following and watching Rei (and by association Kazuki and Miri).

1:11 = Another transition I really liked, but I feel the reason I liked this one is due to the symbolism behind it. In seeing the back of Kazuki and transition to Yuzuko in the hydrangea field, it seems to convey the idea that Yuzuko will always be with him or in his heart. Despite his fears, this part of the opening seems to suggest that Kazuki will not forget about Yuzuko, even if he changes or moves on with his life. And while she is facing away from the viewer, so we cannot see her facial expressions, I feel there is a tenderness or bittersweetness in seeing her at the hydrangea field where she and Kazuki first met, rather than on a city street, which has dominated a fair bit of the opening.

Also, gotta love when the three run across the title-card with Dorothy, Carol, and some hitmen running after them, as well as the three of them in front of the Ferris wheel at the end of the opening.

Day 11: Favorite Part of the Ending

First things first, Miri looks so adorable in all the outfits she wears in the ending. For this first, low-quality screenshot, I just loved how whoever dressed Miri (my guess is Kazuki but idk) made sure the color palette matched the flowers around her.

Beach day! Honestly, what's not to love about this part of the ending? Kazuki and Rei being dorks in the background, Miri with her big sunglasses and hat, and the family going on a fun outing together.

This is technically the only time Miri is shown wearing a kimono in the anime, so yeah, I'm obsessed. I've seen the handful of illustrations Lily has shared on Twitter, with the whole family wearing kimonos, and those are some of my favorites. I don't even know how long ago this was, but as someone pointed out before, also love how the fishes seem to represent Kazuki, Rei, and Miri. Can't say for sure, but I think I can reasonably assume this might be from a family visit to an Obon or Hanamatsuri like festival. Since I have fond memories of going to these festivals (and also sometimes winning a fish or two at the carnival games), this is probably the reason why I love this part of the ending.

Just THEM!!! Love how Miri is holding both Papa Rei and Papa Kazuki's hand and will always love the ending illustration of the family taking a midday nap altogether on the couch.

Day 12: Favorite Quote/Phrase Said in the Anime

I'm gonna share two since in a way they are connected (also I'm taking the quotes from the subtitles, so apologies if they are not exact)

"'Papa' is the person who saves you when you're in trouble" (Miri, ep. 3)

"We have to protect her. Think. What can we do to help Miri?...We can change. This time, we'll make Miri happy" (Rei, ep. 11)

The second quote to me is one of the pinnacle moments showcasing Rei's growth throughout the series. I loved how in this moment, the roles were reversed and Rei is the one who needs to convince Kazuki that they can be a family together. He is finally expressing all his emotions that perhaps he had been suppressing inside of him or perhaps didn't know how to express until this moment. By this point in the episode, Rei had essentially turned his back on this father/boss, who sadly and in a very twisted way, was the only family he had known before Kazuki and Miri came into his life. But, Rei has a new family now and I love that he's gonna stop at nothing from having it be broken apart.

The first quote by Miri all the way back in episode 3 could be the motto of this show since Kazuki and Rei stop at almost nothing from protecting Miri and looking after her well-being. I also loved how this was Miri's response to Rei asking her why she calls Kazuki "Papa" when they had only known each other for no more than a month. It doesn't matter to Miri who is related to her by blood, only that they are there to "save" and love her.

Day 13: Favorite Fanfics

Here are two of my favorite Buddy Daddies fics! There are a few others I’ve read and really liked, but I unfortunately could not recall their titles (to leave a link to here on this post) or they were shared on a post which is now buried in my “likes.”

Day 14: Favorite Artists

First things first, I want to give a huge round of applause to all the artists who have created art for this anime. I am not an artist so all your pieces and ideas blow me away. The talent here is literally insane and I've really enjoyed looking at all your pieces!

Want to give a shout-out though to polimollykart, splenderai, wrendraws, zsdopaminecave, queerblueberry, rialen-art, and theunfairmaiden as some of my favorite artists.

.

.

.

Thank you again for reading my responses for Week 2 of the 30 Days of Buddy Daddies tag!

If you are one of the artist I listed and would like to be tagged, please let me know! I'd love to, but just didn't want to randomly @ people.

See you again in a week!

-Dakota Wren

[purplemninja]

I wanna know your thoughts on some of the animatics/AMVs in the fandom honestly there’s so many great ones, I’ve only seen one amv that made me question my sanity, so I think they are overwhelmingly amazing

To be honest, I don't think I really saw that many. Spoilers ahead for some LN fan content.

The AMVs that come to mind (for me) are the JT Music songs animated by Harry101UK, RenLII and ooCatoo's 'Open up your eyes'. Ren and Cat made amazing LN stuff, but they sadly retired from LN (Cat moving onto other fandoms, and I think Ren left the internet entirely (or moved on to another fandom under a different name)).

I watched Harry101UK years ago when I was in my 'portal' phase, though I still wish he'd make the next part of 'going home', so it took me by surprise when he made his Portal - Little Nightmares crossover video. I love the crossed over enemies and obstacles in it, like the Patient P-Bodies and tiny cubes and cores, and the section of Six wearing the long-fall boots. Not to mention the amazing cover of LN2's theme, the turret vocal cover of the Six's theme part of it was epic. And I also wasn't expecting it to be big enough to reach the LN subreddit or for Harry to then make animated videos for JT's LN songs.*

As for animatics, I've seen even fewer. I only really remember watching some of Burnt Paws' videos like 'Heart heart head' and 'Happy halloween'. I also watched Mai's video 'Six's guilt' and was sad that she wouldn't continue it due to the reveal of LN2 being a prequel. Then she made her animatic 'Old Friends Anew', and since it was post-LN1, thus Six has her powers, and she encounters Mono again, I was hooked. I love it whenever the fandom brings Mono and Six back together again, but with Six also having powers this time, putting her on more equal ground with Mono.

When part 2 finally came out, I liked that when Mono mentioned that she left him, Six got to finally speak up about some of the things Mono did that made her lose trust him, as most of the time the things Six went through gets ignored and overshadowed by what Mono went through. But Six unfortunately gets interrupted and she doesn't continue, which disappointed me a bit (Though in ScruffiBerri's 'Togetherness AU', she manages to voice the things Mono did wrong to her without interruption, which is one of the breaths of fresh air from Scruffi's AU).

And then Mai made the third and final part of 'Old Friends Anew' much sooner than I expected, but... it honestly was pretty underwhelming because it was just basically like a business transaction between Thin Man and the Lady. And the odd transition makes it more so, because part 2 ends with Mono and Six reunited in the tower (albeit, Mono snatched Six into a TV), and then it suddenly is a conversation between Thin Man and the Lady. Pretty underwhelming ending in my opinion.

That's all I really have to say on AMVs and animatics.

*Also a little ramble is that Harry's Portal - Little Nightmares crossover made my mind conjure up a 3-way crossover AU between LN, Portal and Undertale. Basically Six drops Mono in the Signal Tower as usual, but Mono ends up falling through a portal and landed on the yellow flower bed at the start of Undertale and proceeds to go through the events of the game in Frisk's stead (since Frisk isn't there). While Six went through the screen portal after dropping Mono, but instead of the apartment living room, she ends up flying out of a monitor of (would-be) Chell's cell. Glados notices Six, is confused about the unexpected appearance, but goes along with it and Six goes through the events of Portal 1 and 2 in Chell's stead (since like Frisk, Chell isn't there either). At some point, Mono wonders how things are going for Six, and Six is having fun falling through a portal on the floor and another on the ceiling like every player did at one point. And when Mono is standing in the sunset with Toriel, Sans, Papyrus, Alphys, Undyne and Asgore at the end of the pacifist route, he again wonders how Six doing wherever she is, and it crosscuts to Six walking out in the sunny wheat-field after Glados finally gave her her freedom post dealing with Wheatley.

I probably won't ever make anything for this 3-way crossover but others are free to do so if they want.

[millenari]

If you’re up to more bitching about the broadway revival, what are your feelings on Jennyanydots’s number? Personally I was surprised with how much I didn’t mind the new stuff at the end (though I wouldn’t say I PREFER it) but I thought the choreo during the verses was… it irritated me. I don’t remember which boot(s) I watched but it felt like Jenny did a lot more sitting, less moving than I remember her doing in the ‘98 and in the older boots I’ve seen. In general I thought the new choreo took her out of her own number a bit, which is a real shame. Just interested to know what you think, would be happy to disagree haha.

hohohoh you're in for it now, anon. I could talk about revival!Jenny for a long, long time...

AND I WILL!

I hate it.

I don't love a lot of the revival changes, but with each song generally there's something I can be positive about? Yeah they removed the horndog parts of Tugger's song, but there's cute tuggoff and platoria dances. Yeah they made all those little changes to Macavity's song but at least they're small. Yeah they changed Misto's choreo, but at least it is admittedly exciting.

Jenny's song? Idk even the spots that aren't bad, I don't think I can point at any element of her new song and say that it isn't a downgrade.

I rewatched it just now, and I'd like to list the parts I do actually like for the sake of being fair:

Andy Huntington Jones? a very cute Munk

That bit with Misto & the little light on the floor which leads to him opening the boot

The Gumbie trio interacting with the 'mice' kittens

you're right, the end is pretty cool

That's it.

Like... let's go over what the '''original''' Jenny song does. Gumbie Cat, like a considerable number of songs in Cats, doesn't really contribute to the plot at all. Some songs do, like Misto's, but many don't. They only thing Jenny's song really 'does', arguably, is tell the audience what Munkustrap's idea of a Jellicle Choice looks like (given his lyrics at the beginning of the song).

So otherwise, all this song does is characterize Jenny.

Which the classic version does very efficiently, I think! The poem gives us an idea of her personality: she's lazy during the day and active during the night. She teaches the local varmints how to be 'upstanding' members of society. It's specifically mentioned she started a 'Beetle's Tattoo' (A tattoo is a military performance of stuff like marching bands, dancing, drill team, etc) so she has this association with a military-esque discipline. The song also talks about her and crocheting and knitting and baking, so she also has this homestead motherly vibe to her as well.

Her nature is two-fold: she's lazy but also hard-working. She's motherly but also militant. The song capitalizes on this dynamic: it starts out with a slow lullaby, and then transitions to an upbeat tune, and then goes back and forth between those two vibes until the Tattoo (aka the tap section) starts. The feeling of the music matches her personality. So does her costume change: at first she has a big floppy coat, then she switches into a flapper-like bodysuit.

The style of the Tattoo is tap, (as we all know lmao). Most songs in Cats build upon ballet, but Jenny uses tap, probably because it's a more ''''aggressive'''' (obv I use that word lightly) style of dance, unlike the flowing and effortless impression ballet tends to give. It matches the military vibe, it seems like something that might actually be in a real Tattoo, and it gives the actress the opportunity to characterize Jenny further by having her act like a little drill sergeant.

(And sometimes the tap battle is included here, which is also nice characterization. It's usually either Misto or a kitten who challenges Jenny, and I think it's hilarious that either A) Misto feels the need to clown on an old lady's tapping skills or B) Jenny rises to the occasion when a literal child tries to clown on her tapping skills. Either way, funny and defining.)

Despite ping-ponging back and forth, the song is well contained. Most of the props are made of garbage: the cockroaches are made from garbage bags, the mice masks are piping bags, the cockroaches hold spoons and forks, etc. The song also builds well: it goes as such.

Munk, alone, introduces Jenny

the Gumbie trio join in, we start ping-ponging

Jenny comes on stage

Jenny stumbles around stage a little as she wakes up

Music builds

Costume change from day Jenny to night Jenny, tone immediately changes.

Cockroaches start coming out

Cockroaches + Jenny dance together

(maybe insert tap battle here)

Music builds up, the Gumbie trio and Munk join in, big happy finale

Tugger interrupts

The revival... sort of follows this pattern. The way the Revival Gumbie was choreographed makes me think of this Blankenbuehler quote that annoyed me.

'mm yes in this play about a tribe theres a lot of tribal energy. in this play about Cats Dancing Together there's a lot of dancing in unison. lets get rid of some of that'

The Revival Gumbie takes forever to get everyone dancing together, and instead of growing momentum-- where characters keep joining the dance and it gets bigger and bigger (starting with just Munk, ending with everyone)-- it feels like a bunch of disjointed nonsense.

The beginning is mostly the same, except you're right, Jenny does do a lot of sitting there. (Also the Gumbie trio has that same thing that the Macavity song has, where they fiddled with their choreo and the changes don't do anything but also aren't that important either)

But the Revival starts to divert after that first section-- instead of the (nearly) full cast wearing cockroach costumes, three (3) characters are given 'beetle' costumes. (Which yeah, the poem mentions beetles, and yeah, the beetle costumes are made of hubcaps so it matches the garbage theme. But they look so unwieldy that the dancers can barely move, and honestly I didn't even realize they were supposed to be beetles until I saw someone on here mention it.)

But yeah, Jenny and the beetles dance together for like 3 seconds, [I just went back to check how long it is exactly? 10 fuckin seconds.] and Jenny changes costumes. It's actually a pretty smooth costume change, because I'm always so busy looking at the hubcap beetles and being annoyed by them I forget to look at Jenny, but honestly classic Cats never really sought to hide/distract from the costume change here, and tbh I feel like that showy deliberate change is relevant to her dual nature? Whatever. Not a big deal.

But anyways so Jenny and the beetles start tapping. Oh, are we going to build on this momentum? Is someone else going to join in? No. That bigass broom prop comes flying in, the beetles go off stage (and probably rip off those huge costumes), and Jenny stops dancing. Then we spend like an honest thirty seconds playing with the broom and then playing with those basketball/soccerball props while pretty much 0 dancing happens on stage at all. Jenny mostly just wanders around during this section (& you're right, she definitely does less in this version).

Then there's the 'tick tock tap' section where that big clock prop in the background makes a bunch of tick-tock noises and Jenny dances to it. While everyone just kind of watches. Which is fine I guess.

The music BUILDS UP, EVERYONE COMES ON STAGE, OH BOY ARE WE FINALLY BUILDING SOME MOMENTUM?

No. Everyone dances for five seconds and then stands there and watches Jenny dance. Some cats are ? scrubbing the floor with brushes like cinderella ?

THE MUSIC BUILDS UP AGAIN EVERYONE IS GETTING IN A LINE OOH NOW THEY'RE SPREADING OUT ARE WE FINALLY GOING TO HAVE OUR BIG FINALE?

Nope pretty much everyone just stops dancing again to watch Jenny. Also Jerrie is breakdancing for some reason.

OKAY NOW EVERYONE IS DANCING TOGETHER! HOORAY! YAHOO!

Then like 15 seconds of dancing later the clock goes off, interrupting the finale, and the song ends.

Yay.

Where classic Gumbie builds up by adding more and more dancers over time, this one just kind of slaps everyone in there and then takes everyone out, a chunk of kittens will join, then leave, a prop will come in and then out, and the Tattoo element that the song was mostly made of is pretty much gone entirely. Instead of one unified piece of choreo, it feels like getting random crap shoved in your face over and over. 'Isn't this cool? Isn't THIS cool? How about this? Or this????'

Then you have the props: only a couple cats wear bug costumes and they don't translate well and look unwieldy. The clock, balls, (tooth?)brushes, and the broom are a disjointed assembly of props. Everything in the classic song characterizes Jenny. These items have nothing to do with her-- they're not even really things you'd find in a Junkyard. What does a clock have to do with Jenny's duality between her militant and motherly nature? What about the balls? With the cleaning stuff, you can at least say she makes the mice and bugs clean, but the poem doesn't mention her making them clean, it mentions 'music, crocheting and tatting', mentions turning them into boyscouts, mentions the Beetles' Tattoo, mentions baking for them, etc.

If the stuff like the balls and the broom were cool enough that I could forgive them being just slapped in there, that'd be one thing. But I got sick of the balls like 5 seconds after they came in, and the broom didn't really do anything for me. The clock wasn't that bad, but I don't know why they took out the Tattoo and instead added these elements. The Tattoo had to do with Jenny's nature, this shit doesn't.

I get why a lot of the tapping was removed, because they added a lot of hip hop and stuff in there and you can't really cast for people who can act, sing, dance ballet, dance tap, and dance hip hop, but regardless of how much tap they decided to use (which is a creative choice, I get it) it just doesn't feel good. It builds to nothing, most of the props say and do nothing interesting, there's big chunks of the song where no dancing happens at all, and there's even bigger chunks where Jenny is the only one dancing and everyone just watches her.

Right after that quote I mentioned earlier, Andy adds, "It’s like that circus in the second grade. It’s completely labor-intensive. You’re choreographing 20 numbers instead of one number."

And like. Yeah, Andy. You're right. This does kind of feel like a circus.

[ladyjaneasherr]

Jane Asher photographed for his new book cover, 1987.

Part 2, continued from previous post.

With over a million children every year attending casualty departments after preventable accidents, her book carries a serious political message. Apart from encouraging architects and designers to put child safety to the forefront, she calls on the Government to:

* Pass legislation to make curly cables on kettles compulsory to avoid scalding accidents.

* Make it compulsory for all cars to be fitted with rear seat belts. legislation is now before Parliament— and provide-free car child setas for those in need.

* Ban horizontal bannisters which small children find easy to climb.

* Outlaw central pivoting windows which can swing open when leaned on by a child.

“This country’s very bad about caring for its children,” she says. "Carrying a child in a car without a safety harness is like placing it in the jaws of a shark. "Even new homes that are beautifully designed in every respect can have large gaps in their wrought iron balconies through which a toddler could easily squeeze. The daughter of a music teacher and a Harley Street psychiatrist, Jane grew up in London's Wimpole Street, where the Asher children's red hair earned them the nickname The Carrots of Wimpole Street. Her older brother, Peter, 43, was part of the Peter and Gordon pop duo, who topped the hit parade in 1964 with A World Without Love. Jane began her acting career in the movie Mandy, about a child who was born deaf. Now, at 41, she long ago made the transition from long haired child of the 60s to successful television and stage actress. Yet those with long memories still think of her first and foremost as Beatle Paul McCartney's one-time girlfriend, even though it's 20 years since their five year romance ended. It's a subject she still won't talk about on the grounds that it wouldn't be fair to Gerald. And she's also very protective about her children, refusing to allow them to be photographed, even for the cover of her book, where she's seen cuddling a beautiful baby who looks like an Asher child but isn't. Although she works so hard, she says firmly: “My family always comes first, followed by acting, with books almost a hobby. But because this new one means so much to me, there's a bit of me that feels guilty about doing something as silly as acting. I always thought that if I hadn't taken it up, I might have followed my father and gone into medicine. So deep down inside I think at last I'm doing something a bit more worthwhile.” Jane researched and wrote the book, in between everything else over a period of 18 months and she's proudest of the last section an A to Z of emergency treatment for which she did a first aid course. “ It's awful to realise that a child could choke to death in front of you and you wouldn't know what to do,” she says.

Friends told her horror stories about children fracturing their skulls after being accidentally dropped, being terribly burned when curtains near a cot caught fire and suffering eye injuries from dangerous toys. “These are the things that can happen in even the most loving, and caring of families,” she says. I would hate to put anyone off having children just because they need such tender care. How could anyone regret having children? Of course, there have been times when I've had to grit my teeth and turn down some really nice part because I knew it would conflict with their needs. But it would be hard to imagine life without them.

” I always wanted to have a family, but I was by no means soppy about babies. Motherhood is all so different to what you expect. But the most unexpected thing is the overwhelming love you feel. You become totaily besotted with your own child. When your baby smiles or takes those first steps it's just sensational.

“I thought I would never love another baby as much as I did the first, but the extraordinary thing is that it just expands limitlessly. Love really is extraordinary.

” I'm lucky as an actress because I can fit my work in around the children. It must be difficult for mothers who have to be in an office all day because they miss so much— and I think I'd mind terribly if my child didn't run to me when I walked in the door. As a trustee of the Child Accident Prevention Trust, Jane is currently helping to make a series of videos about safety measures. She's also finishing off a book on children's parties and has begun work on an anthology of children's poetry, with part of the proceeds earmarked for Friends of the Earth.

Then there's her work as trustee of the World Wildlife Fund, an Alan Ayckbourn play coming up in the West End in the autumn and another series of television's Wish Me Luck to be seen next year.

Up in his study, Gerald is heavily involved in research for a book of his political drawings over the last 21 years. Katie is in the middle of rehearsals for her part in the school play (Jane hopes she'll be sensible enough not to want to take up acting), and Alex and Rory need to be picked up and driven to a friend's house for tea. This evening after she's put the children to bed and cooked dinner for Gerald and Katie, Jane might even have time to watch a little television. And if there's any time left over, she'll just muddle through as usual.

Keep Your Baby Safe by Jane Asher is published by Penguin Books on August 4, price €3-99.

[certifiedplayerhater]

3/54: EPIC the Musical

disclaimer: i know nothing of Greek mythology or music, but i have strong opinions.

i caught up to EPIC and have some thoughts:

overall, the musical was a lot of fun! i throughly enjoyed the experience listening to it and thought the music direction and production was its strongest point. i think that’s what makes this a strong musical as opposed to a stage production—it is very bold in its direction and executes the vision quite well! while listening you can tell that this was what the creator was envisioning for each track which is quite exciting.

this is at the expense of the subtlety of the story. the lyrics were basic but at times the callbacks were clumsily done and a little hamfisted. this is also in addition to the show-off effect that happens in a lot of amateur musical productions — where the actors are all so talented and they really want to convince the audience of that. it broke me out of the musical when you’d have the tension be broken by an impromptu vocal showcase that didn’t really feel deserved. (Survive’s “push forward” line, Athena’s final verse in My Goodbye, and the “you’re alone” line are the best examples of this)

the Troy saga is shockingly underwhelming in the context of the rest of the musical? like it’s a good set up to everything and Odysseus as a character but it seems so tame compared to the direction of the later sagas. i think the opening line is probably the most important line in a musical, and i understand what it does for Odysseus but the story itself still leaves something to be desired. i think if just a man had stronger elements in the initial story then it would have felt more deserved, because it was just kinda like Odysseus and the boys are here.

however! Odysseus’ character development moments are pretty strong. it’s a little frustrating because the callbacks later on are a little clumsily done (especially the Just A Man callback, it was set up so well but kind of fell flat), but overall the delivery of these moments are pretty solid.

the Cyclops saga is where the story picks up quite a bit and it’s consistently very high? like there’s not nearly as many tender moments as there are in Troy, but it makes sense because this is the start of his journey! I think the dynamic between Athena and Odysseus was very strong (much stronger than his and Polite’s). the tension between Odysseus’ humanity and Athena’s teachings were very palpable throughout the entire remaining sagas, even when she abandoned him.

this saga was when you really start to hear them using production for their advantage. yes the cyclops sounded like a vocal effect, but it was such an interesting take on a monster. i haven’t heard this more electronic approach to monsters before and tbh i think it would’ve been interesting to incorporate some kind of trap or edm elements to break from the established motifs in the story, especially because you have this triumphant moment for Odysseus on top of an electric guitar. it’s not a necessity, but if the creators want to explore more of these unconventional music styles i think they’d do it pretty well!

by the Storm saga you can kind of tell the pattern of each four part story. Storm was a brilliant beginning to the saga, which is why i found the Horse and the Infant to be underwhelming in comparison. i also really enjoyed the use of setting in this song? like setting was always very strong, but the chanting of the crew mates really added to this almost sea-shanty effect. it was also a great transition from the string-heavy section from the Cyclops to the electronic rock feel of the Ocean saga.

overall, for how long it is, it’s pretty good! obviously i would like for it to be longer, especially drawing out some of the key confrontations a bit more (like Poseidon only having one song felt criminal, especially since it is so strong) but i understand producing something this big is taxing in itself so what can you do. that being said, Poseidon stole the show completely. i found the casting for the gods to be the most compelling, like they have the biggest moments and characters so it makes sense that their songs are the most intense and stick with you the most. i only wished that this intensity carried with the human characters, who tended to rely on the melodies to carry them through the songs as opposed to the other way around.

it’s stronger in its parts than as a whole because it can feel so formulaic at moments. the transitions between the sagas were choppy, like while recording the last song they were like “oh yeah we have another saga to do”. i understand it’s hard to make something complete as a body and it’s parts, but listening to them all back to back reveals how disjointed the sagas feel most of the time. like thematically yes Odysseus has grown, but musically it’s just not quite there (for example, finishing Cyclops with the drum-heavy choral singing of Athena and her delicate leitmotif when Odysseus JUST had an electronic rock moment in Remember Them that ties much cleaner into Storm — maybe if there was some build up to Odysseus’ defiance and new character development in the end it would have been stronger? especially since the last time we heard from him he was just yelling you’re alone)

im excited for the next saga! its Circe so i don’t think we’ll deviate from the strings, but maybe it’ll have a bit more edge to it? i was imagining some interesting uses of the harp but idk.

depending on my opinions i might edit this to include Circe or just make a new post.

[pikminpediaart]

Mid Concert

Chomby looked up from his table. He saw someone approaching. They had their hands up.... He recognized this action and immediately pulled up his free hand to point at them. "Hey! No touching!" The person stopped. Their expression showed confusion. Chomby snarled. "Section one, article four, paragraph two of my contract states, "No attempts, successful or otherwise, of transforming me or my equipment during my set are allowed. Any attempts, successful or otherwise, will charge a fifty percent fee on the base cost for the set." The person scratched their head and looked around them. "Mister Chomby, I was... just telling you you had ten minutes left." Chomby stared at them for a moment. "Oh..." He looked away, visibly flustered. "Sorry, force of habit." Chomby placed his hand on two dials and slowly turned them in opposite directions of each other. The music transitioned between songs. Once this was done and he was satisfied, he looked back at the person on stage. He didn't know why they were still there. "Everything alright?" He asked, his tone now showing one of concern. "Do... people transform you a lot?" they asked. "Until I put the clause in my contract, yeah. At least once per concert," Chomby huffed. "I think I've been a discoball about... eight times the past month? They say 'if you're as fat as a discoball, may as well BE a discoball.'" Chomby rolled his eyes and laughed, but sneered the entire time he was doing it. "That's... kinda mean of them." The person frowned. "I've been a huge fan of your work. I thought you intentionally did that." "No," Chomby looked up at the ceiling. "You'd be surprised how many people have magical, fattening, ghost hands just lying around that also own a club." Chomby looked at the man. "It does cost extra for transformation of course. I really don't mind being a discoball... but just not during MID set." Chomby turned to his setup and pressed a hand on the turntable. He pushed it counterclockwise a bit to repeat a segment of the song, making sure it was on beat to his liking. The person nodded. "Well, I'll leave you to finish your set. Good job so far, Chomby." Chomby blushed and attempted a smile... but he knew from word of mouth was actually a 'look of silent disdain'. "Thank you." He looked back at the turntable, hoping the person wouldn't think less of him for this. "And... sorry." The person nodded. Turning around, they left quickly. Chomby wasn't sure if this was just to avoid messing with the set, they were told to do something else on their earpiece, or if he had actually upset them. He feared it was the latter. ~~~~~ A drawing I did midstream. I was having a major "off day" for drawing but am proud of how this turned out regardless! ~~~~~ Chomby/Art/Story (C) Me

[dustedmagazine]

Listed: Glassine

Glassine is the musical moniker of Baltimore-based producer Danny Greenwald. Greenwald’s most widely known release to date is probably 2015’s No Stairway, an album crafted out of field recordings taken inside the retail chain Guitar Center. His most recent release is Radial,a collaboration with Horse Lords drummer Sam Haberman, reviewed in last month’s Dust. Tim Clarke wrote that Radial “veers between malfunctioning electronica (“Up, Together, Reach”), throbbing ambient drone (“St. Pete”), clattering percussive workouts (“Brushes in Woodstock”), and what could almost pass as vaporwave (“Behind a Seatbelt”).” For Greenwald’s contribution to Listed, he chose 10 things that have inspired him other than Nirvana.

Pink Floyd — “Bike”

I used to hang out with this guy in high school who ate a lot of acid. Now he is a Hasidic Jew. We were close. He made high-quality iron-on decals with a fancy printer he had sent to a church across the street because he bought it with a stolen credit card. He made a t-shirt that said on the front, “I’ve got a mouse and it hasn’t got a house, I don’t know why I call him Gerald.” And on the back, it said, “he’s getting rather old but he’s a good mouse.” When I first heard the song “Bike” I thought it was the stupidest thing I had ever heard. It’s obviously brilliant and I was a dumb kid and Syd Barrett is my favorite guitarist. Watch him shred.

Jason Urick — Husbands

Husbands by Jason Urick

The first show I ever enjoyed that only used a laptop was Jason Urick performing in some warehouse in Baltimore. I would go see him play in various other venues with unclean floors, but I’d usually lie on my back toward the front. Everyone would stand kind of far back from Jason and his laptop in the way you’re probably picturing, but I would lie down. His seamless textural transitions are a guiding light. I listened to Husbands on headphones 1,000,000 times lying on my back. In bed, usually.

The Microphones — Mount Eerie

When I first heard this album, it blew my mind. I knew all of Phil Elverum’s previous albums, but this was on some whole other trip. It’s my favorite Microphones record. Me and my friend Brian would listen to it in its entirety in his driveway in his small Toyota Yaris in Pikesville, Maryland, at like 3am. I LOVE the line that goes, “you’re soccer balls on knees.”

“I know you’re out there, You’re lanterns on lakes / I know you’re out there, You’re soccer balls on knees... through your skirt I see... your legs gracefully / I know you’re out there, you’re swaying and pleased / I know you’re out there, you’re vultures in trees / I know you’re out there In mountainous peaks.”

Cass McCombs — “AIDS in Africa”

This song taught me an incredible lesson about the usage of metaphor and allusion in songs. Listen to the entire song — then do some research — then think about the line, “Survivor cells are chanting ‘Ali, Bomaye.’” I used to write a lot of words; however the lesson has very much crossed over into how I go about textural arrangements, field recordings, samples, and what have you.

My mom, Donna Greenwald

Outlook, “Anthem Annie”

My mom sang the National Anthem at every Major League Baseball stadium. I’m not a big fan of the song, however I was able to travel across the country on a train because she was able to wrangle corporate sponsorships in the ’90s for her “National Anthem Tour.” Only an amazing lady could pull off something like that. Self-PR in the days of phone books and small-town newspapers. Learn more about Donna Greenwald by listening to this podcast episode I made about her.

Horace Andy — Dance Hall Style

Once when I was 15 or so I walked into The Sound Garden, a record store in Baltimore, and asked what I should listen to. The person walked (almost urgently) to the reggae section in the back of the store and handed me Dance Hall Style on CD. Horace Andy looks so cool on the cover. Also, I intrinsically had a lot of trust in the person who helped me because he also looked very cool. Lyrically, the album is very heady. And his voice is so expressive. The production sounds like outer space in the mind of an extremely sensitive man.

MF DOOM and all of his monikers/collaborations

Daniel Dumile was the cleverest person to walk the earth. He was an insanely talented and underappreciated producer. He was an immense talent and the world is less enjoyable without him. He felt like the most distant stranger that I kind of knew from someplace. He helped me get through some really difficult times.

Own his own throne, the boss like King Koopa On the microphone he flossed the ring (“Super!”) Average emcees is like a TV blooper MF DOOM, he’s like D.B. Cooper

Grateful Dead — Dark Star, Rotterdam Civic Hall, Rotterdam, Netherlands 5-11-72

I grew up on the Dead. Here is a 48-minute version of one of my favorite songs. I don’t have anything more to say about it.

“Shall we go, you and I, while we can through the transitive nightfall of diamonds?”

Panda Bear — Person PItch

Also a great non-album track recorded at The Ottobar in 2007

Person Pitch was a game changer for me. I was already into atmospheric and druggy music that sounded like waterbeds, but this record utilized discernible samples, like skateboards and infants crying. Panda Bear turned all his samples into clay and treated them like weather patterns. I saw him perform at The Ottobar when the album came out. He used two SP303s (which were actually used to record the entire album) and a small mixer on stage with a very organized row of SmartMedia cards. Here is the tour poster hanging in my studio. I colored parts of it because I was working at a summer camp and had unfettered access to an array of markers. Also, I love his voice and Person Pitch is a play on Pet Sounds. That’s cool. Also, WZT Hearts opened and Jason Urick was in that band.

CELESTIAL WHITE NOISE | Sleep Better, Reduce Stress, Calm Your Mind, Improve Focus | 10 Hour Ambient

I fall asleep to this every night.

Björk — Unravel

This is one of my favorite songs. Everything about it. Heartbreaking. The End.

While you are away My heart comes undone Slowly unravels In a ball of yarn

The devil collects it With a grin Our love In a ball of yarn

He’ll never return it So, when you come back We’ll have to make new love

[threads-of-influence]

Evaluations

Zilan’s Evaluation

Her blog posts provide insightful and well-researched discussions on both the evolution of horror films and the concept of mise-en-scène in visual storytelling. She effectively analyze key elements, using strong examples like Midsommar, The Conjuring 2, Star Wars, and The Wizard of Oz to illustrate her points. The comparisons are engaging, and her discussion of how horror reflects societal fears and how mise-en-scène enhances storytelling is compelling.

However, both posts could benefit from improved structure and clarity. The transitions between ideas, particularly in the horror analysis, could be smoother, and the “Artwork” section needs a clearer connection to the overall theme. Additionally, minor grammatical errors and awkward phrasing (e.g., “mine-en-scene” instead of “mise-en-scène”) should be corrected for better readability. Expanding research with academic sources instead of relying on a Reddit comment would enhance credibility.

Overall, both posts are thought-provoking and informative, but refining sentence structure, improving transitions, and incorporating more authoritative sources would elevate their quality. Strengthening the thesis in the horror post and refining the conclusion in the mise-en-scène post would further enhance clarity and impact. With these improvements, her analyses would be even more polished and effective.

_________________________________________________

Dylan’s Evaluation

The two blog posts offer insightful analyses of narrative techniques and thematic messages in Transformers One (2024). The first post effectively breaks down the different types of narrative structures—linear, non-linear, quest, and viewpoint—by using film and TV examples to illustrate their application. The post also thoughtfully discusses how various film elements, like mise-en-scène and sound design, contribute to conveying the narrative. The analysis of the Transformers One scene, with its use of music and sound design, demonstrates an understanding of how technical aspects heighten the emotional impact of a film. However, the post could benefit from a more in-depth exploration of specific narrative techniques in Transformers One to strengthen its connection to the movie.

The second post delves into the social and political themes within Transformers One, focusing on class segregation and bodily autonomy. The author clearly explains how the division between Cogged and Cog-less bots reflects real-world societal issues, drawing a compelling parallel to modern class struggles. The exploration of bodily autonomy, as seen through the betrayal of Sentinel Prime and the dehumanization of the protagonists, is well-articulated and poignant. 

However, the post could further elaborate on the implications of these themes in the broader Transformers franchise to enhance its contextual relevance. Overall, both posts offer thoughtful commentary, but they could benefit from more detailed examples and a deeper connection to the film itself.

_____________________________________________

Maverick’s Evaluation

Both blog posts effectively incorporate Freud’s thoery well to explain the emotional and psychological connections between films and their audiences.  By exploring the concept of ID, ego, Super-ego, the posts provide a compelling argument for how films resonate on an unconscious level which shapes the viewers preferences and emotional response. 

The first post makes a persuasive case that deepens the emotional engagement. Thius drives the film popularity and emphasizing that audiences are drawn to narratives that evoke catharsis, empathy and reflection. This perspective challenges the common assumption that feel-good films dominate the indusrty.

The second post presents an interesiting discussion on how unconscious desires influence genre preferences and character relatability, particularly through the len of the ID. By examining characters like James Bond and Lucifer, the post suggests that audiences may unconsiously relate to their traits, reflecting hidden aspects of their own psyche.

Both posts present fascinating insights into the psychological impact of films, particularly through the lens of Freud’s theories. However, they could be improved by integrating alternative psychological perspectives, refining the clarity and structure of arguments.

______________________________________________________________

Threads of Influence Blog Self-Evaluation

Writing blog posts requires a balance between informative content, engaging storytelling, and critical analysis. Throughout my blog series, I explored various themes within film, analyzing their impact on society and culture. In this evaluation, I will briefly summarize four of my blog posts which are “Diversity and Inclusion in Film: A Lesson from Heartstopper, Redefining Body Image and Cultural Beauty, Child Stars and Exploitation: The Nickelodeon Example, and Fight Club and Its Portrayal of Mental Health”. I will also discuss the strengths of my writing, the challenges I encountered, and areas where I could improve.

Diversity and Inclusion in Film: A Lesson from Heartstopper

This blog post examined the importance of representation in media, using Heartstopper as a case study. The Netflix series, adapted from Alice Oseman’s graphic novel, highlights LGBTQ+ relationships and diverse identities in a heartfelt and authentic manner. I focused on how the show’s inclusive storytelling provides validation for underrepresented audiences and how its careful casting choices contribute to a genuine portrayal of youth experiences.

One strength of this post was my ability to analyze the deeper significance of representation. I successfully connected Heartstopper to the broader movement for inclusivity in the film industry, making my discussion relevant to wider societal conversations. However, a weakness was that I could have provided a more critical analysis of where media still falls short in diversity efforts, rather than focusing solely on a positive example.

Redefining Body Image and Cultural Beauty

In this post, I explored how Black Panther challenged traditional Hollywood beauty standards by celebrating African culture, diverse body types, and empowered female characters. I discussed how the film embraced natural beauty and rejected Eurocentric ideals, particularly through its portrayal of the Dora Milaje, T’Challa, and M’Baku.

A key strength of this post was its focus on the cultural significance of Black Panther. I effectively demonstrated how film can shape societal perceptions of beauty and self-worth. However, I could have included more discussion on Hollywood’s historical reluctance to showcase such representation, which would have provided a stronger contrast and reinforced my argument.

Child Stars and Exploitation: The Nickelodeon Example

This blog post tackled the darker side of the entertainment industry, particularly how child actors have been subjected to exploitation. I used former Nickelodeon stars like Jennette McCurdy and Drake Bell as examples, highlighting the pressures and abuse they endured. My analysis addressed financial exploitation, emotional distress, and the long-term impact on these actors’ lives.

One of the strengths of this piece was its strong use of real-life examples. By incorporating direct quotes from McCurdy and Bell, I made the issue feel more personal and urgent. Additionally, my discussion of industry policies, such as the Coogan Law, added depth. However, I could have strengthened this post by comparing Nickelodeon’s treatment of child stars with other networks, offering a broader industry critique.

Fight Club and Its Portrayal of Mental Health

This post analyzed the psychological themes in Fight Club, particularly its portrayal of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) and the effects of consumerism on mental well-being. I discussed how the film’s depiction of masculinity, repression, and violence serves as a critique of modern society while acknowledging its controversial and sometimes misleading representation of mental illness.

A strength of this post was my ability to dissect Fight Club’s themes beyond its surface level narrative. I effectively linked the film’s psychological commentary to societal issues, making the post engaging and thought-provoking. However, one area for improvement was my analysis of DID. However, I could have expanded on how Hollywood often misrepresents the disorder and compared Fight Club to other films that tackle similar themes.

Overall Strengths and Weaknesses

Across all my blog posts, one of my greatest strengths was my ability to connect film analysis to broader societal issues. Whether discussing representation, body image, industry exploitation, or mental health, I consistently tied my observations back to real world implications. My writing was well-organized and engaging, using examples and quotes to support my points effectively.

However, I recognize areas for improvement. At times, I focused too much on praising films without critically assessing their flaws or discussing potential counterarguments. For instance, in my Heartstopper post, I could have addressed ongoing issues in LGBTQ+ representation rather than presenting the show as a perfect example. Similarly, in my Black Panther analysis, a deeper historical comparison would have strengthened my argument.

Another area I could refine is expanding the scope of my critiques. While my Nickelodeon and Fight Club posts tackled important issues, they could have benefited from comparing their topics to similar cases in the industry, providing a more well-rounded discussion.

Conclusion

Writing these blog posts has been a valuable learning experience, allowing me to refine my analytical skills and explore meaningful topics in film. While I have demonstrated strengths in connecting media to social issues and providing engaging examples, I recognize the need for a more balanced critique in my analyses. Moving forward, I will aim to include a broader perspective, incorporating counterarguments and historical context to strengthen my evaluations. By addressing these weaknesses, I can enhance my writing and produce more insightful, well-rounded discussions on film and its cultural impact.

[yamuna111]

Blog Title: Designing the Perfect Reception Space: A Comprehensive Guide

Planning a wedding reception involves a multitude of decisions, but one of the most crucial aspects is the floor plan. A well-organized layout can transform a space into a warm, inviting area where guests feel comfortable and the event flows seamlessly. In this guide, we'll dive into the essentials of creating a floor plan that combines functionality and aesthetics, ensuring your special day is unforgettable.

If you're looking for professional assistance, wedding decorators in Coimbatore can bring your vision to life with precision and creativity.

Why the Floor Plan Matters

The floor plan is more than just a layout—it’s the blueprint for your event's success. A thoughtful arrangement can:

Ensure smooth traffic flow.

Provide ample space for dining, dancing, and socializing.

Highlight key elements like the stage, buffet, and photo booth.

Reflect your style and theme.

Key Elements to Consider

1. Guest Count and Seating Arrangements

Knowing your guest list is the starting point for any floor plan. Here’s how to approach it:

Allocate about 10-12 square feet per guest for comfortable seating.

Mix table sizes—round tables foster conversation, while rectangular ones maximize space.

Reserve special areas for the couple's family and close friends.

2. Stage and Dance Floor Placement

Position the stage as a focal point. Whether it's for speeches, music, or the cake-cutting ceremony, guests should have an unobstructed view.

For the dance floor:

Place it centrally for easy access.

Ensure it’s spacious enough; a good rule is 2-4 square feet per guest expected to dance.

3. Buffet and Bar Locations

Strategically place these away from entrances to avoid congestion. Wedding decorators in Coimbatore often suggest creating multiple access points for the buffet and bar to prevent long lines.

4. Photo Booth and Decor Displays

Photo booths are a favorite among guests. Position it in a visually appealing area, perhaps near a statement decor piece. This not only engages guests but also enhances your reception’s aesthetic.

Pro Tips for a Flawless Reception Layout

Use Floor Plan Tools: Online software like AllSeated or Social Tables can help you visualize your layout.

Think Accessibility: Make sure pathways are wide enough for guests, especially those with mobility needs.

Add Personal Touches: Use decor elements like hanging lights or floral arches to define areas.

Real-World Inspiration

At a recent event in Coimbatore, a couple worked with expert planners to create a flow that blended traditional elements with modern functionality. The wedding decorators in Coimbatore used draped fabric to section off areas for dining and dancing, ensuring an intimate yet lively atmosphere. This innovative approach left guests raving about the event’s elegance and comfort.

Statistics to Guide Your Planning

85% of couples say seating arrangements significantly impact guest satisfaction.

Events with a central dance floor report 30% higher guest engagement.

Expert Quote

"A thoughtfully designed reception floor plan isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s about creating a memorable experience for everyone. The right layout enhances interaction and ensures seamless transitions between activities." — Shreya Narayan, Event Designer

Conclusion: Your Dream Reception Awaits

Designing the perfect reception floor plan may seem daunting, but with careful planning and the right expertise, it can be a rewarding experience. Whether you envision an intimate gathering or a grand celebration, every detail matters.

If you’re ready to create a stunning space for your big day, consult the best wedding decorators in Coimbatore to turn your dream into reality. With their knowledge and dedication, your wedding will leave a lasting impression on you and your guests.

Contact us today to start planning your dream wedding!