#a good song for them at this part is the lightning strike by snow patrol

[trashsketch]

What do you like about Killua and Gon as characters and what don't you like/make you sad? What kind of development could there be for both of them? Songs that are associated with them ( Togashi has his own lmao playlist) ? Who will be taller in height ?

anon they make me insane :'D What i love about them is what makes me very sad too hdkfjdkfj i think a lot about how they are both very much willing to die for each other, i still can't believe that's canon and it happened

I don't know if I want them to show up again in the manga as its ongoing right now, I feel like they're safe doing their own thing until they have to appear again (and Killua is more likely gonna show up again first because the story might tie back to Nanika because she originated from the dark continent). As for what kind of development I hope to see for them...maybe a reunion for them where they both come to terms with what happened during the chimera ant arc. lots of things could happen! lots of them have already been written in fics (and my god, the fics are so good. this is what you get for shipping a popular ship in an old fandom: years and years of gems to read at your own time. I love it here)

One song I associate with both of them is the entire 3 part song of the Lightning Strike by Snow Patrol, I drew fanart of some verses from the first part, but a whole 3 part story is in my head when I listen to it....from a dream that Gon has of seeing Killua shrouded in lightning, to a memory Killua has of following Gon back to whale island for the first time, to an eventual reunion when they grow older :') I will....revisit this idea someday i swear

but anyway these lyrics?

And in the middle of the flood, I felt my worth When you held onto me like I was your little life raft Please know that you were mine as well

...they make me go apeshit!!!!! this is 100% how i view killugon's dynamic. this 14min song is very self indulgent. i hope you too have a song that you associate with killugon that is highly self indulgent and makes you scream

Also hands down I think killua's gonna be taller. all I do is look at silva and ging! even if we consider gon-san's height, i still think killua's gonna be a smidge taller as they age.

[everythingsinred]

Let's Talk About NatsuMikan: Natsume (pt. 27)

The closer we get to the end, the more nervous I am, and maybe you are too, because things are going to go horribly awry and only suffering is to come. Fate is adamant that a specific twelve year old must die, and we really have no choice but to watch it all unfold.

In this part, we will discuss the chapters building up to the New Year's Concert, where Reo will attempt to assassinate the ESP.

Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Six

Ruka finds Natsume in the snow. He asks where he’s been, and Natsume responds that he went to see Mikan. Natsume imagines that Ruka will be jealous, because he feels guilty. He’d been putting his own wants first this whole night, and he hadn’t even considered Ruka.

Expectation vs. Reality. Ruka, best boy.

But Ruka is not jealous, or he’s very good at hiding it. He beams at Natsume, offering only congratulations and support. He’s happy for them, that both of their wishes came true. In fact, Ruka was also wishing for it, that Mikan and Natsume could find each other.

Natsume apologizes, because Ruka’s cheerful support only makes him feel more guilty, but he doesn’t tell him for what. He will not recount the details of the night, particularly of the many kisses shared between him and Mikan.

There’s a happy moment between Natsume and Ruka until, of course, Natsume starts coughing violently. He coughs up blood again, and when Ruka asks him if he’s okay, he’s ready to downplay it, already hiding his hand so that his best friend won’t worry. But Ruka grabs his hand and looks at the blood on the glove, and there’s a somber moment between them. Natsume tries to talk, but Ruka knows he’s just going to try and downplay it again, so he interrupts.

The best friendship in all of fiction. I stand by this forever. You can't change my mind.

Ruka has watched Natsume suffer the whole time they’ve been at the academy, even before then. He might not have had all the details, but he’s known that Natsume’s life was agony. He was helpless, and even became a burden (in his own view, not Natsume’s). He pleads with Natsume not to hide from him anymore. They’re meant to be best friends, and all Ruka has ever wanted was to be Natsume’s support system, but Natsume shut him out in the guise of protecting him. He keeps all his pain locked away and deals with it on his own.

Watching someone you love suffer and not being able to do anything about it is a tremendous pain, Ruka says. Natsume must sympathize. He will say something similar later on about Mikan’s situation.

Ruka loves Natsume. Natsume might have thought that he dragged his only friend into a bottomless pit of despair but Ruka asserts he’s never once regretted following him to the academy, not even for a second.

Ruka is confessing now. Natsume must know now that his existence is important to at least two people who love him unconditionally, but he doesn’t internalize it. Maybe he can’t. He’s too stuck in the role of martyr that straying from it would go against the very fabric of his own identity. He exists and has always existed to protect others. Protecting himself or even considering himself doesn’t align with that identity. No matter how much Mikan and Ruka plead with him to keep himself safe, he can’t abide. They’re more important than he is. He fails to see how much heartbreak and sorrow he will leave in his wake of self-destruction.

Natsume can’t internalize it. He can’t take it in and change course. It’s too late for that, in his mind. But he can tell Ruka the truth, because supporting Natsume is all Ruka wants.

He confesses too. He’s afraid. He doesn’t like thinking about the future, not even a year from now, because he’s scared he’ll be dead by then.

He says his secret fear out loud, that he won’t be able to protect her, and it’s still so heart-breaking that he still only sees his own value in how much he can protect people. He will shorten his own life to get her out of the darkness she’s ended up in. He doesn’t see worth in his existence just for the sake of living, of breathing, of smiling and laughing and crying and existing. Instead, his value is conditional. He is only so good as he is able to protect others and when he can’t anymore, then he is no longer valuable. It’s a glaring sign of a ridiculously low self-esteem.

He wants to choose life! He wants to live! Oh, this makes it worse...

But something has changed. He doesn’t want to die. He wants to live and be with her forever. He can’t be with her if he’s dead. It’s a selfish thought, and as I’ve been saying, that’s a wonderful thing. If only that selfish impulse were stronger, than maybe things wouldn’t be so doomed in the coming week. But Natsume’s ingrained martyr complex is stronger than anything, and his new flicker of selfishness doesn’t stand a chance.

Ruka promises he’ll do anything to support Natsume and Mikan’s future together. And so Natsume asks Ruka to protect Mikan if he’s no longer able to.

I personally don’t think he’s handing Mikan over here. This whole conversation’s context is specifically about protecting Mikan, and how Natsume wants only to keep her safe, even at the expense of his own life (though he’s actually more cavalier with that than he lets on, so it’s not much of an “even”, is it?). If Natsume is dead, he wants somebody he trusts to watch over her and prioritize her as he has. Who better than Ruka, who loves Mikan too and will want to keep her safe as well?

Or. You could just. Not die. Just a thought.

Natsume has never treated Mikan as an object to be won. He’s in fact made several comments about not “competing” at all. If he was able to give Mikan to Ruka, those two would be together now already and Natsume wouldn’t be the one holding Mikan’s alice stone. He is not any more capable of giving her away then he’s been before, and he’s less motivated to now than he’s ever been. Mikan is his, after all. Why would he “give her away” so soon after promising to be together forever?

He’s only concerned with Mikan’s safety and freedom here. If he dies in the pursuit of that, which he will, then someone else needs to make sure she’s safe and free. What she does with that safety and freedom is not in his or Ruka’s or anyone’s hands. I imagine Natsume, who got jealous of Mikan thinking of all her important people when making her alice stone would also get jealous at the thought of Mikan falling in love with somebody after his death. It might occur in the distant future, but it probably wouldn’t be any fun to imagine.

You may disagree with me, but I just can’t see it that way. I just don’t see it.

Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Seven

It’s New Year’s. Mikan’s birthday. There’s a celebration happening in the dorms, just like last year, but Natsume isn’t dressed in traditional garb to welcome the new year and feast like all the other students.

Instead, he’s waiting for Narumi in a hallway.

He wants all the information he can get, so he can get Mikan out of her cage sooner. Narumi isn’t talking, always willing to act dumb to get out of things. But Natsume knows better. He saw Narumi in the flashbacks, and knows how much Narumi loved Yuka. He would’ve done anything for her, even if it resulted in his own death. Narumi should understand how Natsume feels, then. He knows Mikan is suffering and in danger, but he can’t do anything about it. He says something to the effect that he shouldn’t even be living at this point, again reiterating that his life only has value if he’s able to protect people, particularly Mikan. If he’s unable to do that, then he might as well die. There’s really no difference, he says.

Jeez, kid, relax.

Narumi tries to point out that Natsume is dying, as if perhaps the kid is unaware of this, but Natsume grabs him and declares that he will not end up like him. Natsume seems to understand Narumi (probably more than I can! Haha) and that his life has been empty and soulless for a long time. Narumi is full of regret and has been for years, but Natsume won’t be like that. He won’t live with regret. He’ll do anything he can to save Mikan, and he’ll die without a single regret. He also claims he won’t give up on the idea of sharing a future with Mikan, and that makes the inevitable doom of their romance all the more tragic. Natsume isn’t planning on dying. He’s not imagining that he doesn’t even have a full two days left to live. He’s thinking he’ll push himself to the end of his rope, save Mikan, and then live happily ever after. It’s naive and childish and ridiculous that he really believes he can have his cake and eat it too, but he does with his whole heart.

"I want to live," is enough for me. I stopped reading after that. LET THIS KID LIVE.

Natsume tells Narumi to stop underestimating him for his age. But Narumi agrees: he doesn’t want Natsume or any of the other kids to end up like him and his generation did. He wants things to be better, for the new generation to have a happy and hopeful future to look forward to instead of surrendering to a life of misery and regret.

Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Nine

Natsume and Ruka are something like partners-in-crime now. They both know that taking out the ESP is the only way to free Mikan. They are spying on Reo, who has come under the guise of performing for the New Year’s concert, who spills that Z wants to assassinate the ESP.

Tsubasa and Tono quickly join the conversation, although they’re somewhat unwanted.

Reo keeps talking, and now all four of them are privy to his plan. Tono scolds Natsume for trying to get involved when it’s obvious Z is already on the case. Let them do it, he says. Keep yourself safe instead of putting everything on your own shoulders. Naturally, this is Natsume we’re talking about, so no amount of logic will get into his head, but it was worth a try, Tono.

Natsume's little face here is my favorite. His little angry expressions are always the highlight of any page.

Hearing this warning, Natsume can see the sense in it. He doesn’t want to leave his fiancee alone and heart-broken by his loss (more proof that he doesn’t really believe he’ll die) tomorrow, but to his horror, Koko was reading his thoughts aloud.

Natsume is embarrassed to be put on the spot, and he didn’t want to hurt Ruka’s feelings, so he takes out his anger on Koko. Then he punishes Tsubasa for teasing him about how fast he’s going with Mikan when Tsubasa is actually just slow with Misaki. Then it’s revealed that Tsubasa did finally confess to Misaki and got the answer he wanted, which only pisses Natsume off more, inexplicably. He’d be angry either way, just because it’s Tsubasa. He probably just wants to take the focus off himself and the fact that he’s already proposed to Mikan.

Tsubasa was in fact inspired by Natsume’s commitment to protecting Mikan. He confessed because his kouhai was so determined. But he also expresses concern for Natsume’s recklessness. Protecting people is a worthwhile pursuit, but so is valuing your own life. Other people depend on him and love him, and losing would hurt. He doesn’t have to do everything on his own. Working as a team can ensure his safety and keep him living longer. They’re all on the same page, after all, so why not join forces and get it done more efficiently without Natsume being the martyr again?

Yeah, Natsume, go to therapy. Like, yesterday.

But as the group splits up, Ruka holds Natsume still. He wants to talk about what happened on Christmas, but Natsume doesn’t. He’d rather keep that to himself, not at all willing to hurt Ruka’s feelings after he’s been nothing but supportive.

But he can’t lie, and Ruka has expressed interest in hearing all the truthbombs Natsume can dish out, so he comes clean. They exchanged alice stones. It looks like it pains Natsume to admit it. He’s consumed by guilt for the role he’s played in hurting Ruka. But Ruka is still just happy for him. He again offers congratulations, and all is well until Koko announces that Natsume and Mikan kissed a lot too. Apparently, Natsume has been thinking about the kisses so often and shamelessly to the point that Koko is concerned.

Ruka gets upset, but not out of jealousy. He hits Natsume rather pathetically, adamantly demanding that he be honest and tell him everything instead of keeping secrets all the time. Ruka doesn’t care that Natsume has been “selfish” and has kissed Mikan and gotten engaged with her and met with her. He is a fan! He’s Team NatsuMikan now too! He just wants Natsume to stop lying to him, not even to spare his feelings. If Natsume can’t be honest, then Ruka can’t do his job of supporting him. Friendship is a two-way street and can’t work if the friends can’t rely on each other for help and support. Going through good and tough times together is the key to any lasting relationship, and for that to work Natsume needs to talk to him instead of holding back.

Ruka is so cute here. Absolutely adorable. I shall adopt.

Natsume apologizes and the chapter ends on a light note, with the four of them teasing each other and laughing.

But tomorrow will be a different story. Many horrible things will happen tomorrow night, and the bright future Natsume has finally allowed himself to consider will burn up and die.

Conclusion

In the Rapunzel story, the prince was blinded and forced to walk around the forest unable to look for his lost love. I imagine that's why the chapter title image for Chapter 147 has his face covered in bandages. The story of Rapunzel is a tragic one, but it ends in a happily-ever-after. The consolation we have is that the story of NatsuMikan is more like the story of Rapunzel than of Romeo and Juliet, though it certainly doesn't feel like it for the next thirty-something chapters.

I didn't reread this at all before posting because I'm really tired. Thus, I claim no ownership over any mistakes. They can't be helped.

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[skyphile]

♪ ♪

too much is never enough - florence and the machine (ffxv soundtrack)

my music library is half sappy 3 am songs, half video game soundtracks, and this song is part of the THIRD half, sappy 3 am video game songs!

i don’t know who thought of florence to write songs for this game, but they’re a fricking genius.

it hits harder after you finish the game, but it’s still a very heartfelt song for anyone who listens.

i have two favorite lines and i can’t pick so i’m cheating!!! both of them tug at the feeling of wanting desperately to cling onto something wonderful and beautiful as time is running out below you.

“a year like this passes so strangely, somewhere between sorrow and bliss.”

“oh, grant that i can stay the night, or one more day inside this life.”

i can’t think of other songs like this, but if you can, PLEASE TELL ME.

the lightning strike - snow patrol

this is, hands down, their best song, an absolute masterpiece, and extremely underrated and underappreciated. their entire discography is sooo good and this is the crown jewel.

it has three parts, and they’re all wonderful in my own way, so i’m gonna say my favorite lines per part.

for ‘what if this storm ends’, it’s “i wanna see you as you are now every single day that i am living. painted in flames, all peeling thunder, be the lightning in me that strikes relentless.”

for ‘the sunlight through the flags’, it’s “stop waving your arms, you’re safe and dry. breathe in and drink up the winter sky”.

for ‘daybreak’, it’s “and in the middle of the flood i felt my worth when you held onto me like i was your little life raft. please know that you were mine as well.”

[aethersmoke-and-ash]

Character Profile - Music Edition

Milloux Allard

For many of us music is a source of inspiration for our characters, so I want to know what songs inspire and/or relate to your muse! Chose between 10-15 songs, compile them into an album and tag some friends to share the beat!

Tagged by: @tae-ffxiv​​  (thank you Ambean! <3 )

Tagging: @halcyonic-aether​, @carmen-ffxiv​, @the-hawkeyes​, @vysaldhe​, @dietkoalawithlime​, @yidayidayidamol​, @a-corsairs-chorus​, @hingashi-fox​ (and you, yes you!)

( Also a big shoutout to @atomicdeke​ because I loved how he formatted his version of this with the lyrics! )

Music has always been a huge part of Milloux’s character and development. I’ve posted most of these songs here on this tumblr over the years - and some of these songs are definitely more past than present, but hey.  A link to a full playlist can be found at: milloux.carrd.co - just hit the spotify button!

The Silence - Manchester Orchestra [Link] That was something your father had burned in me Twenty hours out of Homestake eternity "You can go anywhere but you are where you came from"

Punchin' Bag - Cage the Elephant [Link] Heaven help ya 'm telling the truth Heaven help ya she's coming for you Heaven help ya the girl likes to fight Afraid of nothing and she carries a knife

Chicago - Canon Blue [Link] I keep you searching for the thrill of it all I put my hands up to the face in the dark You never liked it till the killing was done You better watch out

Pale Soft Light - Owel [Link] To hide in the pale soft light And stay there until this night Feels like a memory That we are swimming in

The Lightning Strikes - Snow Patrol [Link] Painted in flames All peeling thunder Be the lightning in me That strikes relentless

I heard I had - Dear Rouge [Link] Save me Save me last I'm outnumbered now

Ghosts -  Big Wreck [Link] And if my scars were tattoos I could hide them in plain view If these ghosts let me go I would set fire to them all

Got Soul - the Family Crest [Link] Now that the rain comes down they want you Now that you're moving on they need you Now that the sun goes down, now

Rainy Taxi - Spoon [Link] As the sun goes fading in the west There's an army east that's rising still And when you stand beside me, I feel something stronger than I ever could But if you leave, you better run away for good

At Most a Kiss - Blossoms [Link] I was thinking you were always mine We watched the skies fall down We'll carry on when worlds divide This parting beast that makes no sound

[mooosicaldreamz]

like four days ago, someone asked me to talk more about the stn and myiy playlists and i finally finished the post about it. so here. be warned, it is long.

i will use this opportunity to talk about what lynne and i like to call the “OG” stn and myiy songs. these are songs that we feel are the VERY MOST stn or myiy, and together would make the short forms of the playlists. the distillations as it were of these playlists that best represent the fics.

WE BEGIN

stn:

waves - miguel and kacey musgraves. amazing, spectacular, all about the very sensual sex that they get up to - but also very intimate. u know, they have a connection that goes deeper than sex that i think is clear in how good their sex turns out to be.

unforgettable - french montana. has always been to me a kara in the club song like a little bit drunk flirting with some girl and then texting lena like a classic ‘u up.’ it’s another intimate, sexy song that i think is very them. i also love the line ‘i gotta give it to her like we in a marriage’

passionfruit - drake. another club, intimate, sexy song. stn to me is about kara and lena just constantly circling around each other over and over because u know. they’re soulmates. and this song has a very circular work to it that i think works really well for the mood of this fic. also ‘i think we should rule out commitment for now cuz we’re falling apart’

i feel it comin’ - jillian jacqueline. i mean, it’s about sex, but it’s about knowing someone, too - knowing when someone is about to come is like a really sensual thing i guess and its intimate and u know. u get the deal. its them. ‘we don’t have to rush when you’re alone with me’

stay the night - jukebox the ghost. the OG song named stn on the playlist, a very fun romp of a song. probably the other half of this fic to me - kara and lena also have a lot of fun and are very flirtatious. some other songs on the playlist like walk the moon are of this family too. i think its obvs how this song interacts with the fic

more than you know - axwell /\ ingrosso. is a kara song, has always been a kara song. was an original song on the warm up playlist but moved over to the stn main because i think its lyrical content bears out. ‘come a little closer let me taste your smile until the morning light’ honestly kills me!

i watched you slip - panama. was an og song on the playlist for the eventual breakup phase that we saw at the end of stn5. i also think it reflects to the deepening of their relationship and understanding of each other, kara talking about her family and lena also talking about her family.

one foot - walk the moon. i’ve actually really thought of this as a lucy and alex song and if lynne and i were ever to get their story out there, this song would probably give its title. but it has relevance for kara in particular too.

sign - vhs collection. another og breakup song, another really the hard work of being in love with someone. reminds me of when kara talks to lena about her parents and they just hug? honestly this makes me cry just to think about.

tropics - mantaraybryn. there’s a subset of songs on this playlist about being in california and making out. this is one of them. the sort of longing quality of this song also works very well for the fic. ‘you’re breaking a smile, and i’m changing the pace’

i fall apart - post malone. has always been a post breakup song as well. it was all here on the playlist ALL ALONG.

your song - rita ora. it’s a sweet love song. i don’t know. it makes me smile. ‘we were way up kissing in the back of the cab, and you said hey love, come back to my flat’

all the stars - kendrick lamar and sza. a mood song. no other way to describe it. some of these songs on the playlist are just songs i can close my eyes and imagine them driving around national city in the range rover with the windows down.

thief - ansel elgort. this is all because of the fan video with the same song.

love lies - khalid and normani. another post breakup song that has also been a dark club somewhat drunk song for me for a while.

carly rae jepsen - favourite colour. this song was given to the playlist by lynne herself and its a BANGER and REAL!!!!!

back to you - selena gomez. another song that i think is really about how cyclical and circular they run around and around each other. they’re soulmates. its chill but its fine.

MYIY

adore - amy shark. a killer lena song, connected totally to the scenes of them pretty early in college but specifically the party scene early on in the fic.

can you tell - ra ra riot. this song i actually gave to lynne when we first started flirting and it’s so a sweet lena song like, i’m kind of really into you. one of the key things about myiy to me is that they do meet when they’re really young and have to grow into an adult relationship (they’re still working on it). but they do still have a quality of like two people who met young and are just like that still sometimes. they’re sweet.

abc - alexander fairchild. one of my very favorite true love songs on the playlist.

first time - vance joy. a big fave of mine, reminds me so much of them just being together at college and like. riding bikes. i don’t know. it’s a pure ass sunny love song and i would die for them.

let’s get married - bleachers. one of my very favorite songs. when lynne told me why she wanted it on the playlist for the first time i laid down on our kitchen floor and cried.

she’s casual - the hunna. absolute killer of a myiy song. when we listen to myiy in the car lynne demands we listen in order and so i ask where she wants to start and she always says this song. it’s a great song for both of them, and i think it really shows some measure of the desperation they feel for each other, as it were.

scared - delta rae. this song KILLLLLLLLS me. it’s a song for both of them, and it’s just - really emotional. you can really feel the fear i guess, and it’s a great breakup song. the premise of myiy really relies on how much they were really wrapped into each other by the time they broke up and i think this song really shows how invested they are. “i’m sorry, i loved you, but even those words are getting see through” is an a+ lyric.

looking too closely - fink. made it onto this playlist because it was in a fanvid that made me cry. is a great like, sitting in the dark drinking wine song, LENA.

without you - oh wonder. this song was one of the very first songs on the playlist and is the emotional crux of their breakup portion on the playlist - all of the oh wonder songs are meant to be benchmarks for different parts of their love story. it was, i believe, the song lynne suggested to give the fic its title. i rejected it and she still complains about it. i wanted the title to come from “fountain of youth” which is like four songs down.

dearly departed - shakey graves. one of MY fave songs, a great thumper of a lena song. i think it really speaks to how lena just like. know she’s the one who fucked it all up. “you and i both know that the house is haunted, well, you and i both know that the ghost is me”

let’s be happy - fire chief charlie. this is a great sad circa like ch5-6 song - totally the sort of precipice of getting back together, wanting each other so bad and willing to let go of the past to move into the future. “and if i say hello again, let it be for the last time.”

tiger teeth - walk the moon. every fucking inch of this song is so myiy i nearly died when i heard it for the first time. it is TEXTBOOK. the slow beautiful beginning, the like hymnal quality of the music and synth. it’s all there. it’s perfection. truly. and it’s just so them - they just love each other SO. MUCH. “when you swallow someone whole, you are bound to choke / well i guess we could never be friends, i ate you up the day we first spoke” honestly. i die.

the last of the real ones - fall out boy. this song is right at the beginning of the full weight of the back half of the season, essentially, when the drama of the fic becomes more external than internal (aka will they get back together). this song is really for the both of them, but it’s a fun adventurey fight song that i love. i like the sense of grandeur it gives them.

sand and lead - neiked and brolin. this song is one of my favorite songs about kara. “i’ll take the wheel if you do the pedals” is one of my fave lines. it’s just about, to me, exhaustion and the toll of being a superhero and stuff and getting the chance to be with lena and how that helps kara.

the lightning strike (what if this storm ends) - snow patrol. there are a few songs on this playlist that i’ve loved for a long time and have been looking for an excuse to put on a playlist. myiy runs enough of an emotional gamut that i have p much free reign. this song is one of those songs - a totally epic, edge of the precipice song. it’s great for storming into battle, and probably some daxamite nonsense. who knows.

heroes - peter gabriel. another endgame drama song, totally amazing, made me cry the first time i heard it, yes i cry a lot if you’ve read this far. i heard it and immediately knew it was a myiy song, knew exactly what it was for.

may i have this dance - francis and the lights. this song makes me HAPPY. it’s so sweet, a nice sunshine after the rain type song to help close out the playlist into ultra life which is the IDEAL song to end on. it’s just about dancing and happiness. “let me stay and excite you / we are bound to inherit the sins of our parents” so on so forth. they fucking love each other.

[jughead-jones]

how do you come up with your otp tags? I love them but don't always know where the references are from and would love to know :3

Hi! Wow! This is a really good question, thank you. Hookay, so I come up with my OTP and SHIP tags mostly from song lyrics, sometimes from paraphrased quotes and the like, sometimes I just come up with them: 

otp: bathed in sunlight; drenched in shadows — Bughead, and I just came up with this line. 

otp: hold tight; you’re slowly coming back to life — Bellarke, and it comes from one of my favourite songs, Keep Your Head Up by Birdy.

otp: in my boundless world i feel both deathless and dead cold — Jonsa in show ‘verse, and the line comes from a Romanian poem, Eminescu’s “Luceafarul” (translated as “The Morning Star”)

the subtle grace of gravity; the heavy weight of stone — Jonsa again, and the line comes from another one of my favourite songs, You Are The Moon by the Hush Sound.

otp: be the lightning in me that strikes relentless — Zutara, from the song The Lightning Strike by Snow Patrol.

otp: we are the architects of our own destruction — Reylo + Star Wars ships in general; strong paraphrasing on my part of a quote by Jean-Paul Sartre, one of my preferred philosophers. 

otp: we are pieces of time that keep drifting by — literature ships, a line from another favourite song of mine, Pieces of Sky by Beth Orton.

Same logic applies to my ship tags (which often include more than one paring in them, that’s why they’re ship tags and not otp tags). Some are just me coming up with dramatic sounding ships names. Others are just song lyrics, like my Harry Potter ship tag: ship: we built our love on a wasteland — which is a paraphrased line from Through the Baricades by Spandu Ballet.

[brynwrites]

Ask Compilation!

Music and Marketing. 

@my-words-are-light​ asked:

I would very much like to hear such songs. Got a list?

Of course! Not all of these quite fit the description, but they at least check some of the boxes. It also serves as a list of some of my favorite songs in existence...

Two Steps From Hell - Dangerous Feat. Linea Fever Ray - If I Had A Heart Agnes Obel - Familiar C21 FX - Blood Red Roses Miracle Of Sound - Lady Of Worlds Sarah Blasko - I Awake M83 - Oblivion Lawless - Descent ODESZA - It's Only Editors - All The Kings Coeur de pirate - Oceans Brawl Snow Patrol - The Lightning Strike  Brooke Fraser - Brutal Romance

Hidden Citizens has an album of epic trailer versions of ordinary songs which are kind of great in their own way. I’m also very fond of the more dramatic Of Men and Monsters songs. Someone made a comment on the post itself that Bastille fits the description and I support that interpretation one hundred percent. 

Anon asked:

Should you run your social media in the language your works are written on?

If your intention is to gather an audience who can actually read (and therefore enjoy and also have a reason to purchase) your writing, then yes, definitely.

Anon asked: 

Can i ask you how you choose the title of of your work? And if you have advices for chose the name of a write blog? Thanks!!

I can’t tell if you mean titles as in book titles or blog titles, so I’ll going with both just to be safe. My titles have come from everywhere...

The Warlord’s Contract: I think the trilogy was just born with this name? I honestly can’t remember what I did to come up with it.

Pearl: Was originally The Pearl’s Refrain, because Perle looks like a pearl and also sings. (Super original, I know.) I changed it to Pearl because I kept calling it that for short and it just stuck.

We Are, We Are Monsters: Literally just a line in the song that inspired it. Ironically, it fits the story to perfection, especially with the placement of that comma altering the meaning slightly.

The Marshmallow Aesthetic: The protagonist says he wants three marshmallows for the aesthetic of it, and since this is a short story I didn’t care to think much harder than that.

The title of my blog, Wheat is Wheat: Comes from my favorite quote of all time, by Van Gogh: “And this is why I say for my part, if I’m no good now, I won’t be any good later either — but if later, then now too. For wheat is wheat, even if it looks like grass at first to townsfolk — and the other way round too.”

(Obviously my actual blog username comes from the fact that I am Bryn and I write things.)

The purpose of a title is to draw people’s attention, to make them interesting in what the thing is about, and if they walk away from it to make them remember it in the future. 

My advice for choosing them, in general, is just to mess around with words and phrases that you (and/or your work) personally connects to until you find a title that: (a) Is between one and five words, (b) Sounds nice when you say it, and (c) Is moderately original.