#also reminded me of dans quote

[nothoughtsonlytrance]

Love is a lighthouse.

Shines across the sea.

Love is a lighthouse…

Calling out to me!

Thought this song gave off phan vibes bc Phil had been a lighthouse to Dan during his darkest days.😭💕

Song: Lighthouse-Laura Brehm (this song makes me cry every time I hear it bc is sends such a wonderful message to look towards the “lighthouse” when you feel like you can’t move forward and have the courage to keep on pushing through!)

[hedgehog-moss]

Hey!

I thought maybe you could help me in my quest. I've made two bookmarks for a friend with watercolors. One of them is a small fox looking at fallen leaves flying above his head, as if he were mesmerized by them. And I've been trying to find a good quote to accompany it on the back of the bookmark, but I haven't been successful so far.

I'm looking either for a poetry excerpt (my bookmark is 1/8 of an A4 sheet of paper, so nothing that would be very long [like a full sonnet haha] but I still have some space) or a quote of any kind, in French or in English, both are fine.

Would you have any that would make a good fit? Maybe an autumn-y one?

[I don't want to influence you, but for example, for the second one which is a sky at almost-dusk-time with a washed-out blue sky and soft pink clouds, I have a quote from one of the Anne of Green Gables books by Lucy Maud Montgomery:

"In daylight I belong to the world, in the night to sleep and eternity. But in the dusk I'm free from both and belong only to myself."]

Much thanks, and scritches to your various animals :)

Handmade watercolour bookmarks are such a nice idea for a gift, I love it <3

I vexed myself thinking about your request because I learn poetry by heart so often, or small book excerpts, but when someone asks me to dig up a topical quote my mental library is suddenly empty. I wish I had a tag system for my brain.

I vaguely remember an Alfred Desrochers poem the first stanza of which was "Le vent est froid, le ciel est gris, la terre est rousse / L'automne est revenu par septembre apporté / Et les arbres, devant la mort du bel été / Pleurent des larmes d'or [?quelque chose?] sur la mousse." And something by Francis Jammes about "ces jours qu'empourpraient les agonies solaires de l'automne" but no recollection beyond that...

I also remember some meager excerpts from "Matin d'octobre" by François Coppée, "A travers la brume automnale / Tombent les feuilles du jardin / [???] / Une blonde lumière arrose / La nature, et dans l'air tout rose / On croirait qu'il neige de l'or."

And one of my favourite poems by Marie-Claire Bancquart, "Je marche dans la solitude des livres", "Beyond the garden, beyond the moment at hand, are the fallen shells of chestnuts, the fire of leaves in the mist..."

And a verse by Ernest Dowson that went "And are we not better and at home / in dreamful autumn...? "

Maybe a couple of lines from this e.e. cummings poem? What my brain retained of it was "the glory is fallen out of the sky, this is the passing of all shining things"...

(if a fox could write autumn poetry I think it would sound like this poem. "no lingering no backward-wondering straight glad feet fear ruining lead us into the serious darkness...")

I also like this sentence by Elizabeth Coatsworth, from her book Personal Geography: "The magic of autumn has seized the countryside; now that the sun isn’t ripening anything it shines for the sake of the golden age; for the sake of Eden; to please the moon for all I know."

Anyway, love the idea of handmade illustrated bookmarks :) It reminds me of a calendar I made for a friend years ago, I wrote a little poem for each month and illustrated it. One of the poems was about having a snail friend:

[krossan]

So here is the THING...

People often wonder why Dan is my favorite character and the “built-in-character” I often create for him. Most of these questions came after one of my favorite mini-story-panel of Phantom grieving his sister’s grave. I’m refering to this one:

Comments like “why Phantom SHOULD be grieving his sister if he was the one who killed them in the first place?” Well, for this essay, I hope I can change your perception and mind of what truly happen but SPOILER: HE WASN’T THE ONE WHO KILLED THEM. What a shocker. Why I came up with that conclusion, you ask? Let’s dive in with some information given to us in the show and how MADDENING stories that involve time-traveling are.

For starters, I HATE TIME-TRAVEL. I feel like tiime travel is like a simple excuse to misdirect the reader into thinking “Oh, that happened so I shouldn’t think much from that.” TUE is backed up from that which is infuriating to me and how the episode developed itself doesn’t make too much sense. I’m going to leave a quote mention on the DP wikia of exaclty what im talking about:

THIS right here is one of the MOST MEGA FLAW of the show itself. Yes. We know the events that led to Dark Danny was Danny cheating on the C.A.T. and then the NB explosion happen. But DAN DIDN’T CAUSE THE EXPLOSION! Dan didn’t trap his family just to blew up. Dan was out of the equation!

Erase from your minds the fact that Dan was involved on Danny’s timeline for a second and rewind things a bit. It is impossible for Dan to caused that because DAN DID NOT EXIST YET. The events were just about to unfold. For us to follow Dan’s timeline, Danny had NEVER talked to VLAD abt it. He NEVER had any sort of GUIDANCE to prove that he cheating on the C.A.T. was the thing that caused all of it. As the quoted statement of the DP wikia says: maybe what transpire in the Nasty Burger was a COMPLETELY different event that let to one of the boilers to blow. What if- this particular event- maybe the observants send someone else to put a stop to Danny (this also bringing the fact why Clockwork-in a way-is mad at them and you can feel this hatred towards them. And of course as stated by himself, the observants can only see one outcome while Clockwork can see variables.) Now, imagine the loss Danny may have felt after that unprecedented explosion. He had nowhere to go... and so the rest of Dan’s story begins. The only reason why Dan traveled back in time was because he knew this “Danny” from this alternate timeline had guidance from Clockwork. He new that if he cheated, a catastrophy would occur and he would do ANYTHING to prevent it... that was the GUIDANCE Dan NEVER HAD. HE HAD TO WITNESS HIS LOVED ONES DIE.

DAN NEVER HAD THAT “SECOND CHANCE” CLOCKWORK GAVE TO DANNY. OF COURSE DAN WILL BE BLOODY MAD ABT IT. -“I LOST MY FAMILY SO YOU MUST SUFFER THE SAME WAY”

But the overall ending of the episode feels stupid. Like after Danny speaking to Vlad and Clockwork and HE HIMSELF witnessing what was the cause for his family to die... Even if Dan succeded (which may I remind you Dan DID win but Clockwork had to interviene/cheat)

WHY WOULD DANNY GO BACK TO VLAD, GET RID OF HIS HUMANITY... AND BOOM! Have yourself another Dan.

The reasonable explanation to this is, again the OUTCOME.

What if on this case, if everyhing happened the way it was Danny now wanted his ghost to be removed because of the potential risks Phantom had.

He may have became Dark Danny but maybe a different one. One different from the one we all know.

This is my ranting of putting myself on Dan’s shoes for a moment. I hate time traveling episodes just so that they can just “go with it and make a mess out of the story but hey... it’s a cartoon, kids are not going to question anything”. You probably say that I’m overthinking this whole situation but I was once a writer and it is too frustating to me this type of subjects are just not fully solved.

Now with all this, Can you look at the panels and its meaning the same way now? Can you look at Dan the same way?

[dansevilpianotea]

who do you think is more Crowley coded and who is more Azira coded out of dnp?

i set myself hourly notifications ever since you send the ask and it still took me this long to answer, im so sorry 😭

to answer your question:

It might seem like obvious that dan is crowley coded and phil is azira coded because of their aesthetics and personality but stating that as that is too simple for me. lets break it down:

dan is like crowley in the obvious sense of having that edgy aesthetic and always needing to question things while phil is the one with the light aesthetic who enjoys what is happening despite the problems it has. just watch them play the game of life.

this reminds me of this quote from a book ive read for uni which really stuck with me:

so yea, dan is the social scientist who points out what most people miss and phil is the one who tells us that we shouldn't wallow in defeat of it but make our own meaning out of it. and we need both! they are like ying and yang, like crowley and aziraphale in that way.

crowley who questions heaven and thusly falls, but then doesnt stop questioning hell because he doesnt see the world in black and white, good actions and bad actions.

i think dan for a long time was not like that. i say this with the utmost respect but if you look back, his branding was usually self deprecating jokes and at least to me personally it felt like his perspective was pessimistic. he always made sure to leave a positive message but to me it felt like a wish for a better future, not a feeling of certainty that it will be better.

Phil on the other hand is very much like that:

Phil is like aziraphale and me in the sense that he gets irrationally worried about things,

but it is dan who literally did a tour about his worries of the world ending, with branding and all:

and yet:

phil and crowley both have that rational optimism, the sense that things will be okay. but aziraphale does not give up in-spite of the odds being against them. in s1 he refuses to run away to alpha centauri because he believes that they should stay and fight. that there is still hope. he does not accept that the world will end. but its crowley who sparks the idea of aziraphale raising the antichrist with him. its aziraphale who tells angel crowley of armageddon , and its why crowley gets upset and questions the almighty.

so my point is that phil has aziraphale's light aesthetic vibes and his fear of near doom but crowley's certainty that everything will be okay in the end despite it.

dan on the other hand has crowley's edgy dark aesthetic, his cynicism and sense of questioning belief systems, but also aziraphale's determinism to fight what he is sure is a losing battle/the end of the world because he wants to believe that it is possible that everything will be okay (that being the message of wad/ywgttn/big/etc...)

i want to talk a bit about 'dark/light polarity'. what we mean by that is two sides of the same coin. yin and yang:

☯️

they depend on each other, they interconnect and intertwine. be it real people or fictional characters, it is never a clear black and white binary, because what the characters have something that the other lacks and when they come together they become a whole. plato said humans once had 4 legs and feet, and then got split in half by zeus to punish us to live our lives yearning to be connected with the other half of our soul/coin, our soulmate. they carry sth of each other within them because there are shards that got broken in the middle when the being was split and were forced to choose sides.

so even tho it might seem like dan is more like crowley coded and phil is more aziraphale coded because of their light/dark aesthetic, there's many things of both in each of them and thats what makes it interesting and real to us.

[headcanonsandmore]

Thasmin Fanfic Recommendations, a master post

Hi all! A fandom is at its healthiest when we share things, so I thought it'd be a good idea to share a list of all my favourite Thasmin (Thirteenth Doctor/Yasmin Khan) fanfics that I've read over the past few years. I'd highly recommend all of these. And, if you have any to add, please reblog with the links!

I Think You Might Like Me by Holie47. The Doctor asks Yaz to try and help her figure out what's going on and ends up coming to a realisation. Rated G for General Audiences. Cute Thasmin first kiss.

In This World Of Strangers I Belong To Someone by timetravelbypen. Autumn, 1904, London. Yasmin Khan is newly arrived in the city, eager to start the law degree she's spent so much time working towards. Determined to prove her worth to sceptical classmates and professors, she throws herself into her work. But a chance encounter with eccentric clockmaker Johanna Smith - and a mystery surrounding a progressive pamphlet written by someone called the Doctor - might just remind her she's worth more than her doubters could ever imagine. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Edwardian!AU with human!Thirteenth Doctor. One of the best Thasmin fics I’ve ever read (if not THE best!). There’s also a series of short sequels which you can find here.

to know how it ends and still begin to sing it again (as if it might turn out this time) by  Eriadu (@eriadu-in-the-wildwood) and timetravelbypen (@timetravelbypen). They’ve been here before. The Doctor always sidestepping, always avoiding; Yaz always following, always hoping. But in a museum simulation of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, confronted by an all-too familiar tragedy, the cracks begin to show. If they’re going to get out alive, something has to change. They’ve been here before… this time, can they make it through? Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Thasmin fic, set inbetween ‘Legend Of The Sea Devils’ and ‘The Power Of The Doctor’; some really interesting and in-depth characterisation for both Yaz and the Thirteenth Doctor, with some awesome sci-fi elements too.

Flying Lessons by timetravelbypen. A series of vignettes set between Ryan and Graham's departure in Revolution of the Daleks and the end of The Power of the Doctor. In which Yaz learns to fly the TARDIS, and learns just how capable - and how loved - she is in the process. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Just a word of warning, to quote the author; “there is a reference to an attempted suicide/self-harm in line with its depiction in Can You Hear Me as Yaz and the Doctor encounter someone else in a similar situation and Yaz deals with some flashbacks. If you would prefer not to read that, you can skip Lesson Five: Controlled Fall.”.

falling down the stairs (of your love) by timetravelbypen. The gravitational pull Yaz has over the Doctor is unavoidable, inescapable. The Doctor is falling for Yaz... and the Doctor is also falling. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Thasmin sweetness set after ‘Legend Of The Sea Devils’. Fluffy with a bit of angst; very sweet.

Two Idiots In A Box by timetravelbypen. Dan realizes quickly that, if left to their own devices, Yaz and the Doctor are never going to just talk to each other like functional adults. So he and the TARDIS hatch a plan. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. So funny and so sweet!

In fact, just read anything by timetravelbypen; they’re an amazing writer and understand these characters and Doctor Who so well! Their Tumblr blog is here; @timetravelbypen; send them some love!

Miniature #13 - The World Will Wait For Us by vaelerius. Yaz and the Doctor go on a totally-not-an-actual-D.A.T.E in Sheffield to Yaz's favourite restaurant. What could possibly go wrong? Rated G for General Audiences. Easily one of the funniest Thasmin fics out there; this is a good one to read when you want cheering-up.

You Have A Wife??? By LonelySpaceAce. Yaz asks the Doctor about something that she's been wondering about since they fought the Sea Devils. Rated G for General Audiences. This is written by one of my awesome Tumblr friends, so please check it out.

You Have Kids??? by LonelySpaceAce. Yaz learns that not all the Doctor's companions have been in love with them A sort of sequel to "you have a wife???”. Rated G for General Audiences. It also scratches my particular itch for having Thasmin with a side helping of Tegan/Nyssa.

(Un)familiar by EvvieJo. Yaz is trying to settle into her post-Doctor, UNIT life. Rated G for General Audiences. Less of a Thasmin fic per-say as opposed to a bit of closure for Yaz after leaving the Doctor, although it does have a lot of Thasmin elements to it.

The year of the cat by zurau. post-lotsd. thirteen disappears, again. a cat appears. it's some consolation. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Funny fic about a mysterious cat that appears whilst the Thirteen Doctor has disappeared; you can probably guess where this is going…

Candy Floss And A Carousel by 13beautifulghostmonument. Team TARDIS make a festive stop over in Cardiff. Yaz and the Doctor finally admit to their feelings. Rated G for General Audiences. Very cute and sweet.

Courage & Stupidity by seaunicorn. Yaz was his best friend and, much like the Doctor, Dan would do anything for her. Four years marooned in the past can forge quite the friendship, and he would go to great lengths to protect her from anything, or anyone, that hurt her. Including the Doctor herself. After Dan learns what happened on the beach, he confronts the Doctor. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Set after ‘Legend Of The Sea Devils’ and with some excellent character work.

giving up and giving in by seaunicorn. It takes Yaz almost dying for the Doctor to actually confront her feelings. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Really sweet fluff and first kiss stuff.

All The Time In The World by Metal_Gear_Steve. Yasmin has developed feelings for the Doctor, but she isn't sure how to bring this up with anyone. Ryan and Graham have settled after their first few crazy adventures, so it's not like she can rely on the "adrenaline and whimsy" excuse to explain her standoffish behavior forever - sooner or later, she has to bite the bullet and confess her feelings to the Doctor. But there's so much that she doesn't know about the Doctor, and any number of factors could get in the way of a potential relationship. Will Yasmin's confession be successful? Is there room in The Doctor's heart for a new love after a multitude of relationships, most ending in disaster? Will Graham get to try that alien ice cream again, with what's-its-name seeds in it? I guess we'll find out - we've got All the Time in the World. Rated G for General Audiences. Some really wonderful fluff; super sweet.

Our Moment on the Beach by docwhovians. When Yaz and the Doctor find themselves held prisoner a hostile pirate ship, there's not a whole lot they can do except talk. Feelings that have been brewing come to a head. When the moment is interrupted by an order to walk the plank, things get interesting. Rated G for General Audiences. Really cute fluff with some pirate stuff.

A Home For The Holidays by mag_lex. In which Yaz and the Doctor visit Yaz’s family for Christmas after the events of the Flux, and Najia decides to intervene when she realises something is going on between them… Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Sweet domestic fluff and a little bit of angst thrown in (since it is related to series 13 of the modern series).

i will always hold you close but i will learn to let you go by jodieoswald. Yaz listens to Dan's advice, and takes the leap, hoping that the Doctor will listen. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Angst with some fluff and a happy ending. Very sweet and tender.

The One With The Hen Do by isabrella. Yaz takes the Doctor to a friend's hen party to cheer her up. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Angst with a happy ending; very tender. 

Confessions by SimpleSapphic. Set directly after Eve of the Daleks (and directly after thasmin becoming canon may I add akshakdhsksh), Dan does what Dan does best: he plays wingman to get those two to *finally* confess their feelings and actually do something about it. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. A fair bit of angst but with some really sweet fluff at the end. Gotta love wingman Dan!

The Lodger by bells_n_roses. The Doctor moves in with Yaz to investigate the mysterious upstairs lodger. As they spend more time together, however, feelings start to build. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Very cute and sweet, but with some mild angst mixed in.

I Still Burn For You by timelostdoctor. Yazmin Khan and the Doctor's relationship has been over for ten months. Ten months in which they haven't seen or spoken to each other. With Sonya and Ryan getting married, they are both part of the wedding party. How can they find happiness for their friends when they both wish it was their wedding instead. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Oooh, mate; this is one of the tenderest Thasmin fics I’ve ever read (complete with a human!Thirteenth Doctor); sweet with just the right mix of angst, and a good bit of humour as well! Always worth a read when you want something to get lost it (and, yes, I hope that Mandip Gill has read this one since she asked for fanfic recs).

Love is a lottery, and I’m betting on you by riptheh. The Doctor knows how it is with the female companions. Lived it dozens of times before. And this time, she's determined to make sure it doesn't happen. Or, five times the Doctor was so busy making sure Yasmin Khan didn't fall in love with her, she failed to realize that the opposite was happening. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Tons of fluff, mistaken-for-a-couple, bed sharing, this fic has it all!

February by softestbutch. The Doctor stepped a little closer, still partially obscured from view, still animated in the quiet orange glow. ‘Oh, it’s a little silly,’ she said. Yaz raised an eyebrow for her to continue. ‘I can go,’ she said, and Yaz breathed an endeared laugh.‘What is it, Doctor?’ she asked. A pause. ‘It’s snowing,’ the Doctor said. In short: the doctor is incredibly excited about the snow, and yaz is incredibly in love with her. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. A cute fluffy fic about Yaz and the Thirteenth Doctor having fun on a snowy day.

Live inside my mind forever by timelxrd. Yaz fell asleep precisely ten minutes and thirty-two seconds ago. The Doctor knows, because it’s been ten minutes and thirty seconds since she’d had to consciously regulate her breathing and the rise and fall of her chest against Yaz’s soft cheek so not to jostle her. Rated G for General Audiences. Cute fluff about cuddling and hair-plaiting.

A trusted place to rest by multifanwho. After she manages a prison break, the Doctor finds herself exhausted with her feet carrying her to the one place on Earth she feels most safe. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Fluff with a side ordering of angst.

Cuppa? by softly-penned-valkyrie (softly_speaking_valkyrie). The Doctor's slipping and she knows it. Everything's getting too much for the first time in thousands of years and she's finally having trouble coping with it mentally. How often does that happen? Following a double adventure involving the Judoon, incredible revelations and alien birds, it all becomes too much to handle, and when the TARDIS itself nudges at Yaz to go help the Doctor alone, it becomes a little too much for the copper too. But when the Doctor lands in Yaz's kitchen desperate for help, how can she refuse the woman she loves.... Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Fluff, hurt/comfort and some mild angst.

not-so-fake-feelings (and their very real consequences) by ActuallyMe. Yaz needs someone to pretend to be her partner whilst some really annoying family friends are in town. Turns out, the Thirteenth Doctor is happy to play along… Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Fake dating scenario, with some hilarious fluff.

astronomy in reverse (it was me who was discovered) by transboytwelve. Fake dating, bed-sharing, camping fic; Thirteen has to pretend to be Yaz’s partner for a family get-together. Hijinks and definitely-not-just-platonic confusion ensues. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences.

Around The Rink by sheregenerated. The Doctor and Yaz get a bit competitive, Graham has some cocoa, and Ryan rides a reindeer (sort of). Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Cute fluffy goodness.

The Changing of the Seasons by rubyofkukundu. The Doctor gets her first period. Thankfully, Yaz is on hand to help. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Fluff with a bit of hurt/comfort and humour.

Hooked on all these feelings by Moonlightkitten (orphan_account). In which Thirteen wants a set of earrings to match Yasmin's and won't take no for an answer. The only problem? She doesn't have pierced ears. Yet. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Very sweet and very funny. The person who wrote this has since orphaned their account.

Erlebnisse by Val_Creative. The Doctor surprises a very ill Yasmin with a visit. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Very cute and sweet.

I Met Her On The Beach by C1ashi1dr. While Graham and Ryan are taking a break from traveling, the Doctor and Yaz head for a relaxing day on the beach. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Some really lovely fluffy goodness.

Trick or Treat by HalfBakedPoet. What do the court of King Louis XIV, a futuristic pumpkin-based religion, a secret pumpkin carving society, and a two-person horse costume have in common? The Doctor and Yaz celebrate Halloween in a variety of ways. Apple bobbing ensues. Leads up to (presumably, hopefully) the beginning of Flux. Rated T for Teen and Up Audiences. Some fun Halloween fluff.

Hope you all enjoy these fics; I know I certainly did! Remember, if you enjoy a fic, please leave a comment; authors love it when we recieve comments and it inspires us to create more!

[more-than-tender-curiosity]

I know Jay has a history withDan Cody but I cannot for the life of me remember much about that man other than the fact that he died at see. If that is true, would Jay, after acquiring wealth, make a tombstone for him? Place flowers and such? Or would he bury that part of him. The past of him and Dan Cody?

Putting this under readmore because it's gonna be a doozy. Spoilers for Gatsby as well

Okay so. One thing I will remind you of is that Jay never really intended for anyone to know about Dan. His only remnant of the man is that one photograph and he hung it up on the wall in his bedroom, where I'm sure he never expected anyone to see it, at least not to a point where he'd have to explain. I don't think Jay was exactly bringing home anybody to his bedroom (until he got back with Daisy, of course)

Remember when Jay had Nick and Daisy over, and they noticed the photo of Dan (and the one of Jay from the same time), he brushed over it pretty fast. Told Nick that Dan used to be 'his best friend' and that he was dead now, and the moment Daisy latched on to that, he instantly distracted her with his weird ass scrapbooks. It wasn't until after everything blew up in his face that Jay told Nick, and only Nick, about everything.

Obviously for Gatsby I explore their relationship much further. I personally believe (through my years of research into Jay's characterization through the various drafts of this book and the original version of Absolution where it becomes clear that men of a certain persuasion think very much of Jay's good looks, even when he was too young to be viewed as attractive to any healthy person.

Dan was of course an unhealthy man. We know for a fact that he was an alcoholic, and that he was violent but Jay had put it past him/possibly forgiven him if not simply tucked the trauma away so he didn't have to inspect it (chapter nine, "...only the picture of Dan Cody, a token of forgotten violence, staring down from the wall.") That particular quote could simply refer to the violence of the Old West that Dan brought with him, but given again Absolution and Jay's constant involvement with powerful, violent older men, and his desperate pursuit of a woman like Daisy who he presumed to be soft and sweet and totally unable to hurt him, (thus making the irony of the situation that much worse when she contributes however unintentionally to his death) I believe it also refers to the violence Dan inflicted upon Jay during those five years aboard the Tuolomee.

Obviously I have my own opinions about things like Jay's sexuality and why he was so twisted up and obsessive and desperate. Much of what I believe is taken directly from fact and stretched out through interpolation of those facts, looked through a modern lens to an image of masculinity in the years Fitzgerald wrote the books. I think Jay was gay, slipped himself into a sexuality of convenience to further his ideal of a Perfect American Man, and had his wires crossed by his father's behavior so that he searched out a father that loved him—only to be met with another monster who only saw value in him when he gave up his own humanity.

Dan was, of course, that monster. In Gatsby, once we get to 1922, Jay will be wholeheartedly unable to confront the true nature of his relationship with that man. He spent so long believing it was purely romantic and that he had 'cured' Dan of his alcoholism by being good and loving someone who needed to be loved just like he did (with that notion of reciprocating saviorship following him through every other failed relationship not just through Daisy—trying to save her from having to be married off to someone she doesn't love but really just trying to undo the fact that that had, in a way, been done to him—but even to Nick, who is so unable to face himself until, possibly, when it's too late and Jay is dead) that by then, after so many years of his notion of love being clouded by want of Daisy, he's constantly on the cusp of admitting to himself that Dan abused him and he'd 'submitted to it' but he cannot fully accept that fact because if Dan didn't love him, and Daisy doesn't love him, and Nick never will—why the fuck is he even bothering?

Dan has a monument. A beautiful one, actually. A big marble tomb on the grounds of the home he used to share with Ella Kaye, bounded on each side by young willows and seasonal flowers and a plaque written by the woman who would have been his wife. The woman who killed him. Jay got to visit it just once, and spoke with Ella about what happened and why she took Dan from him, and he doesn't want to understand her reasoning because then he has to admit that he had it infinitely worse than her and never had the guts to admit it to himself. Never did anything about it. That tomb—it's a monument to his cowardice, to every opportunity he passed up in his desperation to find someone who loved him.

The photo is enough. Dan still shares a room with him just like he's still there in every 'old sport' and he's always there with his hands on Jay's shoulders any time he goes out on the hydroplane. Some things never change. Jay never stops being 17 and desperate. Nothing went wrong.

The photo is enough.

...

Also, Dan didn't die at sea. He died in Boston, likely either onboard the Tuolomee in the Harbor or, as I assumed, in the city, and Jay wasn't informed because no one knew Dan had left anyone but Ella behind.

[fryday]

has the dnp implications of "mastermind" been discussed? also on the lowest of keys "dancing with our hands tied" is giving 2012

i talked about mastermind here! suuuuper good phan song.

damn, dancing with our hands tied is SO 2012 it almost hurts. but also the way it seems to narrate a lot about dnp's beginnings :')

^ 2009

^ reminds me of what dan said in BIG, something along the lines of how what he and phil had was "private and ours" and stuff like the new radio show and the growing fame were starting to really encroach on that (haven't watched big in a while so this is not a direct quote, just roughly what i remember)

:(((( they really were so young.... and in love and scared. really can't imagine how hard it was to deal with all that

[toast-with-jam38]

WATCHMEN PLAYLIST !!!!!

I love my Watchmen playlist that I wrote down every song and why it is on it😭

Why each song on my WATCHMEN playlist is on it:

Unforgettable- Nat King Cole: The ad that plays for Veidt as Dan and Laurie kiss in Chapter 7

Im Your Boogie Man- KC & The Sunshine Band: The song from the riot scene in the movie.

The Comedians- Elvis Costello & The Attractions: The title of chapter 2, Absent Friends.

The Times They Are a Changin’- Bob Dylan: Credit Scene in the movie.

Desolation Row- Bob Dylan: Title of chapter 1, At Midnight All the Agents.

All Along the Watchtower- Bob Dylan: Title of chapter 10, Two Riders Approaching.

All Along the Watchtower- Jimi Hendrix: Title of chapter 10, Two Riders Approaching. 

Sanctus (Sanities)- Music For a New Society- John Cale: Title of chapter 11, A Stronger Loving World.

Please Mr. Kennedy- Elvis Costello, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver: Fits the era. About not wanting to go into outers space/ the space race.

Swamp- Live- Talking Heads: About War, multiple aspects fit.

Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood- Elvis Costello: Elvis Costello, could be about multiple of the characters. “I'm just a soul whose intentions are good/ Oh Lord please don't let me be misunderstood” Could have multiple meanings. Rorschach’s vigilantism, and trying to clean up the city while also obviously breaking the law. Could also be about guilt over other things.

You’re My Thrill- Billie Holiday: From Chapter 7.

I’ll Be Seeing You- Billie Holiday: Just another song by Billie Holiday since Daniel loves her. I’ll be seeing you is also a song about missing a loved one, so I chose it because Dan would obviously miss Rorschach and might be reminded of that by listening to the song.

Snow Owl- The Mountain Goats: Dan is Nite Owl, and wears a snow owl costume in chapters 10 and 11. Thats it lol.

99 Luftballons- Nena: Played in the scene where Dan and Laurie get dinner in the Watchmen Movie.

Dance Music- The Mountain Goats: Reminds me of Laurie and her snow globe in chapter 9. The entire song reminds me of Daniel and Laurie.

Die Walkure, Act III: Ride of the Valkyries- Richard Wagner: From the section of under the hood after chapter 1.

Southwood Plantation Road- The Mountain Goats:

Nuts (feat. rainy bear)- Lil Peep, rainy bear: There is a really good watchmen edit to this of Dan and Laurie lol

 Yeh Yeh- They Might Be Giants: I dont really know why I just think it fits the vibe.

I Bet On Losing Dogs- Mitski: Daniel and Rorschach sadness. Rorschach is said losing dog that Daniel bets on.

Once More to See You- Mitski:Daniel and Rorschach sadness part two. Gay.

Heart To Heart- Mac DeMarco: There is a really good watchmen edit to this of Dan and Rorschach.

The Hand That Rocks The Cradle- The Smiths: Reminds me of Daniel and Rorschach. About wanting to protect someone from evilness and harm.

Kryptonite- 3 Doors Down: Besides being about DC comics, the chorus about going insane and still being there to support the person reminds me of Daniel and Rorschach after the Blaire Roche Case.

Ain’t No Sunshine- Bill Withers: The entire section of “Wonder this time where she's gone/ Wonder if she's gone to stay/ Ain't no sunshine when she's gone/ And this house just ain't no home/ Anytime she goes away” Reminds me of Daniel wondering where Rorschach is and if he is okay and if he is going to survive.

Watching The Detective- Elvis Costello: Another Elvis Costello song, also it is about detectives which reminds me of watchmen lol.

I Should Be Allowed To Think- They Might Be Giants: The priest quotes the first section of the chorus to Walter in the Before Watchmen for Nite Owl. Obviously hes quoting the poem and not the song, but the song quotes the poem so yk.

Army Dreamers- Kate Bush: Reminds me of Rorschach. It is talking about the potential everyone had before going to war just to die. Walter/ Rorschach had potential to be something greater. He was very intelligent and hard working, but due to his experiences and traumas from childhood and then soon vigilantism, he never could really be the person he should have turned out to be.

Real Men- Mitski: Reminds me of Rorschach and his judgment of everyone and most likely himself.

Little Dark Age- MGMT: There is a really good Watchmen edit to this song.

Back to the Old House- The Smiths: Could be about literally any single one of the people in watchmen besides The Comedian or Veidt, but even then you could probably twist it to fit in their favor.

This Night Has Opened My Eyes- The Smiths: Also could be about any of the Watchmen characters. The section “You kicked and cried like a bullied child/ A grown man of 25/ Oh, he said he'd cure your ills/ But he didn't and he never will” is like Rorschach (and there is a good edit to this song about him.)  The lyric “This night has opened my eyes And I will never sleep again” fits for all the characters. 

The Comedian: Him learning about Karnak and going to visit Moloch, having basically a mental breakdown.

Rorschach’s mental break over the Blaire Roche case.

Daniel and Laurie after witnessing Karnak.

Doctor Manhattan's death and rebirth in the test chamber. 

With Veidt I think this part relates to Doctor Manhattan talking to him after Karnak and making him question his choices. The talk has opened his eyes and he doesn’t know if he can live with himself after.

I Know It’s Over- The Smiths: Also just about Rorschach

Cold Island- My Singing Monsters: There is a wonderful Doctor Manhattan edit to this song.

She- Elvis Costello: Another Elvis Costello song. DanRor?? LMAO

Wake Up (It’s 1984)- Oingo Boingo: Rorschach. Him trying to preach his beliefs.

Old College Try- The Mountain Goats: This entire song is so DanRor it is so awfully wonderful.

Sun To Me- Zach Bryan: “​​The only bad you've ever done was to see the good in me” ….. danror.

I Don’t Smoke- Mitski: Also Danror, sorry there is ALOT of songs that remind me of danror haha.

[adlerboi]

Mary Peterson's diary. Part I

Summer 1963

My brother comes home to spend some time with my family. I am happy to see him again. He tells us many anecdotes. He had become friends with a certain Russell Adler, they are 3 years apart but considered each other brothers.

He wanted to introduce him to us, I remember being shy when I saw him the first time. But I also had a crush on him. He always wore a pair of glasses, his blonde hair stood out thanks to the sun. He was handsome. I don't know why but Daniel dared to tell him that I had a crush on him... It was embarrassing, especially since he was married... I didn't dare talk to him anymore, or when he came home with Dan, I wasn't there.

My parents and Russell got along well, they were both CIA agents in Langley. I spent most of the time alone, except during the summer holidays when they took their holidays at the same time to enjoy with their family.

October 25th

It's my birthday, everyone was there to celebrate. Even Russell, I was surprised to be honest. He gave me his first Dogtag. As a sign of support, he told me, and I quote, "This dogtag will remind you that in case of need I am here." I kept it preciously around my neck. I had Dad's, Dan's, and Russell's. The cake was excellent, mom loved to bake me a cake. I love her cuisine. Dad told me he was going to teach me how to drive, Dan and Russell have also volunteered when he can't. I find it stressful! But they tell me that it will be useful to me, I believe them. It's funny to think that I'm only 10 years apart from Russell.

My Russian family, the Volkovs, sent me a gift, the old family photo album. There was grandfather Sergei, Grandma Irina, Mom, Uncle Oleg, Andrei but also another uncle, Anton. I didn't know him. I would like to meet them once. But at the moment it's too dangerous.

[notoriousbeb]

Lighthouse Keeper Tweets

Part Three: February 2024 - July 2, 2024

Back to Part One Back to Part Two

Feb. 5, 2024 (barely) 12 a.m.

"'I have been used to consider poetry as the food of love.'"

Now THIS is interesting. First, this is a Jane Austen quote (from Mr. Darcy of Pride and Prejudice [see 11/28 tweet, as well]). In the book, Darcy goes on to say, "Of a fine, stout, healthy love it may. Everything nourishes what is strong already. But if it be only a slight, thin sort of inclination I am convinced that one good sonnet will starve it entirely away." What Darcy is saying here is that he formerly thought pretty words and declarations were enough to sustain a relationship, but he now knows that's not enough. The underlying bond has to be strong first, or it's all for naught. Interesting. Because, my second point about this post is: this is the date of the Grammy's, and the date Taylor announced The Tortured Poets Department.

Feb. 16, 2024 1:30 a.m. BST

"You don't mess with love, you mess with the truth."

These are lyrics from Ellie Goulding's "On My Mind." Someone can't stop thinking about someone!

Feb. 18, 2024 10:45 p.m. BST

"The dirt on my jeans from the mud on the Heath feels like karma to me"

Perhaps someone is starting to realize he fucked up.

Feb. 23, 2024 4:50 p.m. BST "A tangle on the television and the magazine."

These are lyrics from The Arctic Monkey's Teddy Picker. Perhaps, and this is just a guess by me, obviously, but maybe a shot at TK, who was riding around in a rented sportscar, speeding and blowing red lights in Australia while following Taylor on tour?

Feb. 26, 2024 12 a.m. BST

"I've let love be free, and I've let it go. I've let it fade and I've watched it blow."

Sad.

March 20, 2024 5:35 p.m.

"You go back, Jack, do it again, wheel turnin' ' round and 'round"

These are lyrics from Steely Dan's "Do It Again."

March 22, 2024 1:41 a.m.

"One to remember A spill to reflect on High in your bedroom Will you still remember?"

He mentions in his replies that he's "feeling creatively inspired by the people [he's] surrounded with." Perhaps in the studio? A little poem for someone. Reminds me of the "you smoked then ate seven bars of chocolate," line from TTPD song. So, maybe, yeah, she did remember. Gah, these two exhaust me.

March 28, 2024 1:10 a.m. "If you're gonna try and walk on water make sure you wear you comfortable shoes."

These are lyrics from The Arctic Monkey's " Piledriver Waltz. Could be nothing, but it could also be a few things.... Anxiety about the impending TTPD release (thinking about the line "you're gonna shoot me out of a cannon" here). Pics of TK and TS at Nobu that had just popped up where TS looked annoyed as hell. Also there were all those pics of them from their beach vacation. Also, a few minutes before, he'd posted something about the stars, and then deleted it and proceeded to gaslight everyone on his timeline who asked about it. smh.

April 5, 2024 12 a.m. BST

"Would you hear of an old-time sea-fight? Would you learn who won by the light of the moon and stars? List to the yarn, as my grandmother's father the sailor told it to me?"

This is a bit of the Walt Whitman poem "Song of Myself." Has the tell-tale moon and stars, of course. What is he fighting for, I wonder. And who will win?

April 8, 2024 10:35 p.m. BST

"I looked around then for a reason When there wasn't something more to blame it on But, if time makes a difference while we're gone Tell me now, and I won't be hanging on"

These are lyrics from The Eagles' "Train Leaves Here This Morning." Maybe feeling defeated? He's about to leave to go to Japan with TR. When someone mentions in replies that this isn't a happy song (it's not. it's about one of the band members going through a divorce), LK replies: "Or, you could see it as a gateway to happiness. Sometimes the path to joy needs some pruning, and leaving things behind." Then someone else replies, "This is how it has to be though, right?" And LK responds, "I mean... no? Nothing really has to be anything; new things wash up on the shore, seasons pass, gardens flourish and die. Life is ever fluctuating. But also, it's just a great Eagles song." That's some true blue Aquarius shit right there. LOL. Another tidbit from the replies, he likes "Idaho" and "Words" by Gregory Alan Isakov.

April 12, 2024 8:30 p.m. BST / 4:30 a.m. JST

"Take a second, take a minute, take a mile Run the routes, light it up, enjoy the highs"

Probably in Japan?

April 19, 2024 12:31 p.m. BST

"Certified member of The Tortured Poets Department now."

And so it begins, again. Comments in the replies that he's feeling "tortured and poetic." Says he can't pick a favorite track yet.

April 25, 2024 7 p.m. BST

"I won't sit here and wax poetic to try and untangle the way we've crossed each other's firing range"

Sure, Jan. In his replies, he says he's currently inspired by "my life, my fears, my loves, my losses, in no particular order." Also says his current favorite TTPD track, "Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus" "has [his] heart."

April 26, 2024 12:35 a.m. BST

"Love is no more Than the wide blossom which the wind assails, Than the great tide that treads the shifting shore, strewing fresh wreckage gathered in the gales"

Already wrote about this here. My dude here is IN IT. He sarcastically says he's feeling "dazzling," and when asked who he's dancing with he replies, "Myself, my closet skeletons, and my wandering mind!" Cool night, LK. Sounds like a blast!

April 29, 2024 10:55 p.m. BST

"I used your old toothbrush to clean out my keep cup I suppose that's the way things are right now"

A keep up. So, who's toothbrush we talking about here?

April 30, 2024 1:01 a.m. "What are our vices for today?"

I've already posted about how very, very well he's doing.

May 3, 2024 12:30 a.m. "When the garden leaves blow and you jump out your skin once the shock starts to go that's when solitude sets in"

Already posted about this one, too. Tayrry no more?

May 9, 2024 10:40 p.m. BST

"I should think most of my problems are solvable by feeling the sun's warmth and the sparkle of the stars."

He did pop up in a couple spots in London (a cab, dinner and the ballet) the next day with a nice tan! I'd hoped he'd been to Paris, but it was overcast and not very warm there. Maybe he was just laying out in the Heath taking it easy (and maybe texting someone??). In his replies, he seems in quite a good mood and talks about getting high to write. He also replies to a commenter who asked, "Are you watching TTPD livestream from Paris?" LK said, "I had hoped she would come to Eroda. Granted, it would be a lot more intimate than she's used to..." Cheeky, bugger.

May 17, 2024 3:25 p.m. BST

"Would you be angry? At the cruelty of history Fading away the stories we penned For slamming the dot at the end.

Here's how I interpret this: LK is asking the muse, would you be angry at history if it decided this was it for us? If this was where it decided our story ended? In his replies, LK also mentions he’s been doing some “embroidery.” This reminds me of the line in “loml,” “we embroidered the time of when I was away, stitching ‘we were just kids, babe.’” Perhaps LK is musing about memories today. He also says in response to the question “May I ask you what you would change about your past, what do you like about your present and what would you like get in your future?” “I guess there's not much point in thinking about changing the past, and I love the love I have right now, and in the future l'd like to keep that love.” In Haylor news, rumors are that Tayrry has split. Taylor is about to play night one in Stockholm after spending time with TK in Italy and Harry is unseen (rumor is he's out of London doing a photoshoot--perhaps for HS4, I hope!).

May 19, 2024

May 23, 2024

June 5, 2024

June 8, 2024

June 15, 2024

June 16, 2024

June 16, 2024 (2)

June 20, 2024

June 25, 2024

July 2, 2024

[nautilusopus]

as for my actual many many beefs with lily orchard, i've gone off on rants about her in the past but i'll do the short version here. a lot of it boils down to like

you know that one video dan olson did on world of warcraft, where he explains that people have difficulty articulating why people like the games they do so they just assume their stated values apply to things they like?

i like good video games

many video games generally considered good are considered good in part because of their high difficulty (eg bloodborne it's fantastic go play bloodborne everyone)

i like world of warcraft

therefore, world of warcraft must also be a difficult game, because i like it, and i like good games, and good games are hard games, so world of warcraft is good and therefore hard because i like it.

it's the same complete inability to extract one's own personal tastes from their own stated values except the stated values have now also been applied to a larger cultural movement of Righting Great Wrongs being the implicit first and only goal of producing only story, and that therefore good stories are vehicles for Righting Great Wrongs, so therefore bad stories aren't, et cetera et cetera

like, if you actually look at her """"writing tips"""" list i cannot put enough quotes around that, 95% of them are her just bitching about catradora specifically because she doesn't like catradora and is still mad at catra and wants her punished as a bad guy. and y'know what fine that's her prerogative but that has fuck-all to do with what objectively makes stories good and bad and it also isn't a failing of the story that it was about a different thing than she wanted it to be.

we're working with first grader level of media literacy here. if a character does a bad thing they need to be punished. who decides what a bad thing is? you're in luck we have literal exact numbers in a rigid strikes system (why is 10000 the cutoff? who the fuck knows). all texts are literal. authors are lying when they say their stories are planned and meant to convey anything, because they are all secretly using the low-stakes wattpad fanfiction model where they are writing to create a moral guide for their fans. all stories are here for ME and what I bring to it. there is a specific CORRECT way to write things in this, arguably the most case by case medium to ever exist. your duty as an author is to be righting those wrongs first and telling any kind of personal story second so your followers can have Content but see it's morally good content so it's not bratty of me to not only expect but demand certain things of writers.

what she also reminds me of is the kind of person that like to talk about how they are Extremely Logical when actually they've just convinced themselves their intensely emotional responses are logical ones, which you see a lot of in extremely conservative right wing circles, and yes i am making that comparison because she is effectively that, she's just put a gay hat on the conservativism and swapped up who is inherently wicked and what some of the sins (which are all equal to one another) are.

also WORDS MEAN THINGS YOU FUCK four hours on why steven universe, the show that got itself cancelled in the name of getting a lesbian wedding on air in a kid's show, is actually clear and obvious fascist propaganda because the kid's show argued that even bad people could change and didn't agree the first priority of the revolution is to pick who to line up against the wall (which is, y'know, a super non-fascist thing to want)

i'm trying to avoid ad hominem here, but the things she's said do not paint a very flattering picture of her or how she views the world at all. these are the writing tips of someone who (in MY OPINION) is incredibly juvenile, unwilling to take away anything from a story that she did not come here to receive in the first place or meet it on its own terms because if she is here to be comforted and thinks if a story isn't here to do that it's a flaw with the story, sees all disappointments as something someone is At Fault for overall, is completely incapable of handling any sort of nuance on any subject because she wants to always be correct speaking to some deeply rooted insecurities, and is utterly incurious about what the world is like for other people and in fact finds it a personal affront for anyone even trying to share those experiences directly or indirectly despite claiming to champion diversity as not just something we should encourage but MANDATORY for all writers (so long as it is the Correct Portrayal).

anyone clowns in the notes and i block you lol we're not getting into steven universe discourse OR whatever fucking allegations are going on. i don't know, i wasn't there, it's none of my goddamn business. i haven't even fucking seen she-ra i do not care about it.

[yoon-ssi]

the traveler in hsr

gn!traveler x honkai star rail

warnings: none, (just nostalgia), comfort (by Jing Yuan)

word count: ~bit more than 2k

a/n: noticing shit in HSR and connecting it in GI made me do this, also Jing Yuan has me in a chokehold help (characters mentioned subtly/fully or included (spoiler alert): Herta, Asta, Mona, Pom-pom, Himeko, March 7th, Dan Heng, Sampo, Arataki Itto, Paimon, Yae Miko, Gorou, Tingyun, Welt, Yanqing, Xiao, Jing Yuan, Kazuha)

description: what if the traveler continued their journey with the astral express after Teyvat… here the traveler is in place of the trailblazer.

You were walking in Herta's space station getting familiar with your surroundings before it was time to leave with the Astral Express crew. You were sure you were not staying here with Herta so she could lead experiments on you, you didn't need to get experimented on. Moreover, just the thought of it reminded you of a certain Fatui Harbinger you met in Sumeru. The modern aspect of the whole station was something new you haven't seen in a while. It was interesting to see such different technology. Once you heard they had a museum at the station you wished to see it before leaving. You made your way into the big room, it was filled with various objects some of the past, some of other worlds, and some you didn’t recognize. Trying to understand your settings and your upcoming travels, you stopped in front of each of the relics. Once you finished reading a quote under one of them and went to move on to the next one, you caught a glimpse of something all too familiar. It immediately pulled you close Unable to control it yourself, you rushed to it, your eyes staring through the glass. The black feathers of the wind glider shined. The glider looked like it had worn before and had flown in the sky. You felt overwhelmed, not expecting to see it here, reminding you of everything and everyone you left behind… Your eyes dropped to read the description. As the words described the nature and surroundings of Monstadt you felt your heart tighten, a surge of pain and nostalgia pulling you under. You gently put your hand on the glass. Slowly you sat down leaning your head on the cool metal, allowing yourself to feel those emotions. You had your wings back now, and while they felt amazing; being reminded of how you used to glide down the Liyue mountain peaks, the Sumeru desert… so many places with the wind guiding you. It… hurt. You asked Herta if you could perhaps borrow it or just take it with you when you leave the station but were rejected. Not that you expected her to allow you something like that, but you had to… just had to ask at least. While fighting certain enemies the lead researcher Asta fought alongside you. Through spending more time with her,  you couldn't help but giggle at her behavior. Her constant mentions of the stars since she is an astronomer and her spending habits reminded you of a certain astrologist who was once your close friend. So standing in front of the pink-haired girl with her shorter subordinate as she complained about her funds being unavailable you couldn't help but smile to yourself. She noticed you were looking at her endearingly and asked about it.

„Hey, trailblazer is everything okay?“ she smiled, „you're looking at me kinda strange“. You smiled in response your eyes turning into little crescent moons and answered „Ah.. it's nothing. I was just thinking of someone. You reminded me of them.“ You nodded as you ended your sentence. Asta nodded as well, smiling, and then continued the previous conversation.

The express crew seemed nice. Pom-pom was quiet but caring, Welt's way of speech reminded you of a certain older Archon, March 7th was sweet, Himeko seemed to be a very knowledgeable person and Dan Heng said he'd be happy to help with anything you needed from the archive. You assume the journey with them while... trailblazing would be enjoyable.

As the three of you set foot on Jario VI the snow felt comforting, reminding you of your adventures on Dragonspine. You were expecting to experience the effects of the sheer cold and leave in a short amount of time or find a heat source, but March and Dan Heng assured you it's normal and you wouldn't grow to be that cold. A goofy man is the first person you meet and his way of speech warms your heart reminding you of a certain Oni from Inazuma.

At one point you were walking around the Overworld and walked to a rail. You were gazing at the trash can since it was looking at you strangely but you did nothing about it, being a polite and respectful person. The guard looked at you weirdly and once you tried moving on past the rail he informed you it's not allowed at this moment.

In that moment you remembered how Paimon would always say „How about we explore the area ahead of us later?“ whenever you two would wander off too far… You looked down on the rail, then at the guard, and turned away. You were looking at the ground on your way back to the hotel. You kept seeing faces that seemed so familiar that it brought you comfort and a smile to your face, the way you'd see your friends in other people. And you continued to see similar people to them in the way they would talk, walk, behave, or simply their personality.

All the fights were normal something you already got used to before, and the life of trailblazers made sense. You were glad that it was also obvious that your goal was to help the nation or in this case the planet with their stellaron problem.

Xianzhou Loufu came as a breath of fresh air as well. Seeing Tingyun reminded you of the comment Yae Miko made to Gorou that if he took better care of his tail it could even be fluffier. You wondered if his tail would look like Tingyun's. The happy thoughts and memories helped you get through each day. The next day you were chatting with the general, Welt and March while standing in front of the hotel. As you were used to (so far) you were listening, paying attention to their words, this time there was no one above your shoulder to state shared thoughts and opinions. It felt quiet, an empty space that used to be filled. Occasionally, they would look at you to comment, and you'd say a few words but mainly keep quiet. So used to having a companion who spoke for the two of you. Especially since this language wasn't your native tongue, Paimon was helpful in these situations. It was an enjoyable conversation learning some information about the structure of the Luofu and the further plan for catching the Stellaron hunters. What you didn't expect was a smaller boy with blonde hair, the hairstyle just like an Adeptus general to run up to your conversation. He had a big smile on his face and a sword around his waist. His bright personality shined as he spoke and introduced himself. It all made you immediately think... he looked… he looked like… If you and Xiao had a child that's how you think the kid would look… and in that moment it broke your heart. Seeing someone like Xiao wouldn't break it because that isn't him just someone similar to him. But seeing a kid that looks like a son of you… You couldn't help the tears filling up your eyes. In that moment you knew you'd protect that boy with your life although looking at him breaks your heart.

Luckily the conversation seemed to be coming to an end as you were trying to fight the tears. Just before the first tear decided to drop the conversation ended and you managed to turn your face and walk away as the first tear fell.

You didn't notice the general looking at you the whole time since you set your eyes on Yanqing. He noticed your expression change, your smile turn fake, and your eyes fill with pain and tears. As he said his goodbyes to the others he quietly followed the direction you left in.

You sat on a bench a bit further away from the hotel. Your face in your hands, quiet sobs escaping your lips as your emotions and memories flood you. You softly mumbled his name once. „Xiao.“ Knowing you're not in Teyvat and he wouldn't come when you called… That fact alone made you sob harder, hot tears streaming down your cheeks as the pain cut you deep. You pulled your legs closer and leaned your head on your legs. In a couple of minutes, soft footsteps could be heard making you look up showing your face just enough to see who it is and if you're in danger.

You looked up and your honey-colored eyes met golden ones. The general had a worried look on his face. „Hey… mind if I sit?“ You nodded, wiping your cheeks and sitting properly again. As he sat down he looked at you „Are you okay? Your expression changed when you saw Yanqing.“ You took a moment to breathe and calm down your voice. „I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to worry you.“ He looked at you with the softest eyes and offered a smile „I assure you it is no trouble.“ He spoke with a deep voice that soothed your ears. You sighed. Your intuition said he is a safe person to talk to. And so far you were never wrong so you decided to chat openly. „He, Yanqing looks like if me and a… ah..“ Your voice trailed off trying to find the right words. „If me and a person who means a lot to me had a child together.“ You knew how strange that sounded so you quickly added „His small face, hairstyle, wavy hair, and eye color are exactly like his, but the golden hair color is like mine…“ The general nodded and gently put a hand on your shoulder. „I understand you're not having an easy time adapting… some of my assistants said you are new to the Astral crew and spent years somewhere else before this.“ You nodded to his words. He took note you didn't speak much unless necessary, he was much more observant than you expected. You two sat in silence until you calmed down a bit.

He had many thoughts processing in his head, running through the things about you that seemed interesting and different in a way. Like the sword, you kept your hand on at all times. The blade seemed dull, without shine, old, used and it didn't make sense to him. You fought like a very skilled swordfighter, and your technique impeccable. He thought about offering a new sword or maybe offering a polishing up for the one you had but seeing how capable in fights you were he decided not to comment on it, an extraordinary fighter as yourself would have a good reason to use such a sword and he decided to not doubt you.

„After so many years of living and ah..“ You spoke softly, your voice soft and pained. „I connected to the last place I was. The people..“Your voice trailed off again and you sat in a comfortable silence which you desperately needed. Just someone to be there as you process your feelings.

Once he heard you say 'many years of living'  he came to realization the you were closer to age that he was rather than the one your appearance claimed and your current crew thought you were. In the way you carried yourself, the few words you spoke it all confirmed that you were much older than you looked. After all, a person with a long life span can easily recognize another one like them.

The artificial sun started to set and you leaned your head on Jing Yuan's shoulder. He gave your head a few gentle pats as you two enjoyed the silence. Even for him, there weren't people of similar age. Both of you were just calm and sitting on some sort of leaf of peace in this storm that is life. You looked to the side and you felt a soft breeze rustle your hair and you swear for a second you hear a soft voice recite a haiku about the sea. You missed him too… as you took a deep breath in you leaned further onto the general. Maybe you would find some comfort in each other. You remained like this even when the sky got covered in bright stars.

It doesn't feel like what you had so far. The trailblazing was fun and you're enjoying it, the worlds, and the planets are nice to explore. You're making some friends and memories along the way (though, the friends didn't feel like the ones you've made so far) You tried to find hope in it. As fun as it was you didn't expect nostalgia to hit you this much. Furthermore, you didn't expect you'd ever be close to somebody like you were to people in Teyvat again. Yet here you were getting comforted by Jing Yuan. A new friend who seemed like the one that would stick around. Still as amazing as this all was, the Luofu, the Underworld, the Station, the Express… it will never feel like that, like Teyvat, this will never be that.

It will never feel… like home

(maybe you will hold on a bit tighter to Jing Yuan. So your breathing will get easier)

[jmdbjk]

[...aggressively posts the thoughts of boss man of JIMIN FANCLUB...]

There he is! Yes, it is Chief Executive/Chief Hypeman (not to be confused with Hybe... puh-lease)/Chief ball-juggler/the one and only Jeon Jungkook... [applause APPLAUSE applause] thank you, thank you very much.

[also aggressively crops out the weverse logo]

Some of us were reticent to speak out loud about whether JK would do a live (because Jimin left the country) for fear of being called delulu... but when we all came online... lo and behold... everyone else had the same thoughts... As everyone is saying... two is a coincidence but three times? It's a thing y'all.

It's also not a coincidence that he was playing a Muni Long song in his underwear folding live last month. We should all learn by now, when it comes to Jimin and Jungkook, there are no coincidences.

I love the way he mangled the rap parts! He's one of us!

Is it just me or does that ray of light traveling up the side of his head give Like Crazy MV vibes?

He sang and hummed Angel Pt. 1 intermittently between other songs and chatting throughout this live.

I noticed a few changes in Kook's surroundings and I wonder, since the stalker food delivery scare, I wonder if they've come up with some new guidelines for broadcasting lives from their homes? Use an opaque drink container; point the camera away from areas that show personal affects; keep the volume low enough that you don't disturb your neighbors (this makes me laugh because he has been notorious for potentially disturbing the peace for YEARS!). He received a "semi" complaint. Semi...

Imagine having the retched luck of buying/renting an expensive and very nice apartment in a very nice part of the city... and your punk neighbor is constantly playing loud music/singing in the wee hours of the morning? (have no fear neighbor, he won't be living there forever).

Not a coincidence when Jimin was cautious about being too loud in his own apartment during his #1 BB100 live at 3:30 a.m. Why? He knew that JK received this semi-complaint. If they aren't together, they are surely up in each other's DMs all day. I digress.

I wonder if Kookie is finally listening and following a few of these guidelines? We won't call them rules because I think to Kookie they are just "strongly recommended suggestions" quote/unquote. But perhaps its time he heeds some of these suggestions. I know Hobi would be proud.

Except he was belting out Taeyang's song so he forgot he was supposed to be keeping the volume low hahahahaha.

Kookie cooking a lot lately, gaining weight, no big deal, he can just lose the weight (after all he's a 25 year old male with a mesomorph body type). He says he is back to working out and having to "kind of" have to go back to maintaining his body. His right shoulder is giving him a little issue with tightness but it needs to get better quickly because.... he didn't say.

He reminds us he's not on that old dusty boring Instagram app anymore but he looks at weird and wild TikTok these days (lord help us). But is probably where he saw the Jimin Summoning challenge.

He saw a comment "We're so sorry"... does this mean Weverse Armys finally got the memo about being total dumbasses in the comments in the past and are cleaning up their act now?

Songs he listened to/sang today: Charlie Puth x Dan+Shay: That's Not How This Works; Imase: Night Dancer (JK made a comment that they needed to make songs like this); Taeyang: Seed (In Your Heart); Seventeen: Son Wukong; Taeyang: Shoong!; TWICE: Cupid; Seventeen: Let's Fight.

This made me laugh (turn up the volume):

He mentions Hobi finishing his basic training...

He let out a decidedly resigned sigh and said:

And then he did an military marching chant... and it just occurred to me... JK would make a good drill leader. If that's even a thing?

Right, Kookie... we'll never notice... we'll just be bawling our eyes out every time we see it get shorter and shorter knowing what's coming.

Overall, he looked upbeat and in a very good mood, no low points or withdrawn moments. A lot has happened between the last time we saw him live and now. It seems like he's in a very good and positive frame of mind. He said he would be back soon.

I will leave you with Kookie butt-wiggling in his chair:

[draconscious]

NAME : dan!!

PRONOUNS : he/him

PREFERENCE OF COMMUNICATION : tumblr im. discord. passenger pigeon. I'm very slow sometimes but you should plot with me!!

NAME OF MUSE(s) : clair, cynthia, barry, jupiter/eris + so many mooore (how did it come to this? LMAO)

BEST EXPERIENCE(S) : dedicating this section to both ash (@analuein) and aya (@distortsverity)! ash and I have been writing together for infinity years right here on tumblr. no matter the muse, it's always a blast spinning up plots and watching the magic unfold from there with her. from thorton to violet, to noland and clair. from wildencounters to indie. it's been a fantastic ride. day one. 😎

I transitioned from group rp to indie a few years ago and--at the time--I was all alone. I had no connections, just a lonely barry blog to my name. I wrote drabbles by myself in the dark for two weeks until aya came across my blog with her hikari, and everything just clicked. aya made me feel included, reached out with ideas, plots and feedback, and showed love to barry and all of my muse(s)--and to this day, I still feel TREMENDOUSLY grateful for the helping hand when I felt so isolated. I definitely would not still be writing here without her.

since then, I've had an amazing time here. writing with so many different people, muses, and groups--it's all so good. my best experiences happen when I'm writing (or even plotting) with someone, and everything just works, flows, and fits together and I can just feel that shared excitement. that feeling that we're building a great story together. that's magical. that's why I'm still around, trying new muses, diving headlong into amazing plots/dynamics, letting my imagination run wild, and--as always--writing a lot. much love to EVERYONE who has helped keep that fire burning over the years, but especially ash and aya for giving that flame a chance in the first place. tysm. ❤️

RP PET PEEVES / DEALBREAKERS : it's been said, but--on a personal level--I wish private communication would happen more, specifically when it comes to interest levels. my time is becoming more and more limited here (sad as that is) and I have always written at a slower, longer pace. so, given how fast this place moves, I would appreciate knowing if a thread has grown stale, or if something's off.

I'm flexible. I'd like to think that I'm pretty laid-back. I want you to have fun, and you need to drop or backburner our thread because life, interest, etc. that's okay. I promise. I also don't mind reminders about cold threads or overdue replies on my end. if that's the case, please let me know right away, and I'll pick it back up or let you know my thoughts. we can try new things, or not. just let me know what you'd like to do, and we can adjust from there. that being said, lack of time or muse =/= lack of interest. I get that. you never need to rush a reply with me, and I will always (for better or worse) assume interest is still there unless told otherwise by you. I'm no herlock sholmes. (I wish I was...)

so, as a courtesy, I'd ask to please talk to me if something's wrong. if you feel the need to drop our thread or aren't interested in an interaction and/or want to start fresh. I won't be upset (quote me on that.) I just want to make sure that the writing vibes are still good, and I want to spend my time here writing things that you (and others) are still into. and in the end, it's not really a big deal--this place is great and I adore my past/present/future thread partners--but it's something that I would appreciate!

(also since I haven't made it clear before: no AI with me, please. let's meet at the same level.)

MUSE PREFERENCES: strong women and brash, sunshiney dudes. (I'll really try anyone, but I certainly have types 😊)

PLOTS OR MEMES : whatever's easier for you to get in the door with--c'mon in!! I don't find myself with the time to reblog many memes lately, but my inbox/IMs are always open for spot interactions, and I'll do a lil' starter call here and there!!

LONG OR SHORT REPLIES : I don't mind receiving either, but I always tend to lose myself in the sauce and write a lot oops. you never have to match my length. as long as we're writing together, that's chill enough for me!

BEST TIME TO WRITE : my healthcare job is killing me. I'll try to sneak on for some stuff here and there, but I'm most active during evening/nighttime CST US. confirmed night time scrawler. 🦉

ARE YOU LIKE YOUR MUSE(S) : some common threads linking all of my muses to me is the fact that we always want to be active, we have (too) high expectations of ourselves, we grew up and are still growing up, and we spend too much time working (and loathe it LMAO)

[stiaral]

Starbomb and music theory 🦌🎵

CW : Strong Language

After 3 albums of greatness, it seemed like the magic of Starbomb would be a long gone memory, but miraculously in a tweet on the 27th of February 2023 our prayers had been answered ; the kings shall return.

And returned they have, with their new album Starbomb Boom: Rise of Lyrics. At the time I'm writing this post, their music video for Kiss the Elden Ring has recently been released and hopefully we'll still see new content for that 4th album.

If my username on most platforms is Starceptor it's because of Starbomb and Egoraptor (Arin Hanson), who's a member of the band alongside Danny Sexbang (Dan Avidan) and Ninja Brian (Brian Wecht) - listening to their songs on loop for years has significantly helped me become more casual with English (swears included), they introduced me to a whole new side of online and gaming nerd culture while also making me more interested in music-making in general by ensuring a place in my heart as one of my favorite bands of all time. By talking about them, I am somewhat also going back to the roots of my own motivations for making music, so I find it fitting that I refer to them in the context of my personal journey with composing.

I'm usually not a big fan of the kind of humor that Starbomb embraces but, they use it in such an over the top and self-parodic manner in their songs that it loops back to being funny again. As a celebration of their new album I wanted to go back to this awesome band in order to analyze what constitutes their musical identity.

Unfortunately, they already beat me to it :

This is usually the part where I sing the chorus out. But we haven't established what this song is all about. Then I chime in real quick for a just a second as the character delivers a line that reminds us of the joke. And I'll respond with harmonies, isn't that dope ?

This is when the song concept should heighten for effect. If you think we use that formula a lot, you are correct.

Danny said everything there, Starbomb does rely a lot on very similar patterns from one song to another. They are a self-described (in the about section of their website) synthpop/hip-hop band, and these pop influences can definitely be found all throughout this "formula" they "use a lot". Since the late 1970s, synthpop focused mainly on minor key songs, and if we take a look at the first Starbomb album :

I choose you to die / C-Minor

It's dangerous to go alone / A-Minor

Mega-Marital problems / D-Minor

Rap Battle : Ryu vs Ken / F#-Minor

Book of Nook / A#-Minor

Regretroid (my personal favorite) / Bb-Minor

Kirby's adventure in Reamland / G-Minor

The Simple Plot of Final Fantasy VII / A-Minor

8 songs in minor key, but the repetitions do not end here. Without going into much detail, most of the progressions within the first album are very common, almost cliché in pop music and well, there are some other redundant patterns...

To poetically quote this review of the first album ;

"[...] the phrase “What up b*tch?” is used so many times on this album, you begin to wonder whether Jessie Pinkman had a hand in its creation."

Point is, the instrumental at first never was the focus of Starbomb songs, the lyrics and their punchline were. But once you fall for the charm of these dumb jokes that get overextended to the full lenght of a song, you begin to love these same synthetizers you hear almost every time or even appreciate in what ways the instrumental might differ from the usual (shoutout to the chilled out groove of It's dangerous to go alone). The band is very aware of this, in fact, while all of their songs in the 3rd album sound quite unique, the one that ressembles the most the formula of their earlier songs is precisely the parody of their own repetitions : This song sucks. And from the first to their fourth album you see their progression wihen it comes to making the back-up music for their songs thematically coherent (starting at first with songs like Luigi's Ballad that alternate to a different tempo whether Luigi or Mario are singing, to reallly taking full effect with the second album onwards. For example how can't I mention one of their most recent songs Nintendo's Greatest Announcement done entirely in whispered rapping as said "Announcement" supposedly is a secret leak).

Arin is hitting that yoinky spoinkly like a champ.

If it weren't for Starbomb, well first of all I wouldn't have named myself Starceptor and therefore later on Stiaral, but I probably wouldn't have been introduced either to an awesome passion project on the internet that would have influenced me to work on my own stuff using also back-up synths and some chiptune soundfonts I'd end up playing around with on MuseScore.... Oh and fun thing the base for my fursona's hairstyle actually is Starbomb Link's cut.

Best Link design ever /hj - love what they did especially with the eye lashes.

[zalrb]

Oh My Brilliant Friend crafted such a perfect prototype of The Man. I hate Nino Sarratore with a passion, in a story full of abusive and violent men, he is truly the worst™

He is just so real to me, reminds me of so many guys I've met, I've been Lenu in relation to him and to quote Micheal Scott "if I was in room with him, Hitler and Bin Laden [...] I would shoot Nino Sarratore twice"

L M A O. i CACKLED. When I saw Nino with his glasses and his hair, I was like, oh Lenu, don't do it. Like, I get it in that you're a teenager and we go through our Dan Humphrey phase, but girl, NO. And now he's having an affair with Lila. I also spoiled myself so I know that Nino and Lenu will also have an affair and I just sat there like

but seriously, he is definitely That Guy.