#and get back to playing piano and also finish and play more games but anyways. yes.

[meringuejellyfish]

the music for the colgera battle is quite delightful (wow i just need to say i like it. goodness) its a shame i couldnt really properly hear it while actually playing on account of having to sit right next to a loud ac but listening to it fully the other day was nice. took me a few weeks but i can appreciate it now - and listen ... im a simple guy, the rito village theme being incorporated into a section of it is just wow :-( ....... big leitmotif fan. walking into zoras domain is going to kill me

[astrxealis]

really want to read more and more literature (esp classics!) aghhhh yesterday iirc i was on a walk with my mom and twin and an old guy (not a weirdo dw) who was jogging or walking too actually asked what book i was carrying and it's a little funny bcs uhm he just went "oh a classic!" you see. i was carrying dante's inferno. which i still haven't properly started to read but anyways he might... if my mom is right... be the local parish guy so oopsies !! LMAO anyways yeah really interested in lovecraft for a while now! horror scares me and gives me paranoia but i also enjoy the writing of it? and i remember once that something/someone said my writing is kinda similar to his. hm.

[aurumacadicus]

Anyway I saw a commercial where Don Cheadle runs a speakeasy.

--

"Tony, my bar is opening tonight and my piano player has food poisoning," Jim stated when he found him in the living room of his penthouse, watching a basketball game.

Tony blinked at him, shoving a handful of chips into his mouth. "I can flush him with Pedialyte?"

"This isn't college. Also I already left him a case and a credit card in case his girlfriend has to take him to get an IV," Jim answered with a blasé shrug. He reached over the back of the couch to grab his hair and give him a gentle shake. "I understand you're still reeling from your breakup but I need a favor. You must have dated at least one person who can play jazz on the piano."

"Stop wobbling me I'm full of chips," Tony grumbled, lifting his hand to slap Jim's arm. "And no, I didn't. I'm the piano player in my relationships."

Jim paused, then began shaking him with more fervor. "HOW COME YOU NEVER PLAYED FOR ME."

"There wasn't a piano in our dorm I will throw up on you," Tony snapped, smacking his arm again. "Also??? I was adorable in school I would have hogged all the girls."

"It's so annoying that you're right," Jim huffed, allowing himself to be brushed off. He looked around the penthouse, then pointed at the piano next to the window, which he'd always thought was just there either to impress Tony's dates or because rich people just owned pianos. "Show me what you can do."

"I don't want to go to your speakeasy opening," Tony complained, even as he stood and brushed his hands off on his sweatpants. "I want to wallow in finding my ex-boyfriend fucking my ex-girlfriend in my bed. I was supposed to propose tonight. You're getting George Gershwin."

"Oh no," Jim deadpanned. "A way to get your mind off of that guy I hated anyway while getting me to owe you a favor."

Tony paused, slanting him a look out of the corner of his eye. His fingers hovered over the piano keys. "...You'll owe me a favor?" he repeated.

"A big one," Jim confirmed, and couldn't help a relieved smile as Tony's fingers danced along the keys in response, Rhapsody in Blue vibrating out from the piano's body. "Wear that pinstripe number. You'll never have to buy yourself a drink."

--

Most of the patrons were by invite. Jim had wanted to show the place off to his friends first, now that it was finished. A themed bar wasn't the safest bet in any economy, and he wanted them to be able to enjoy it before he had to start stressing about finances. And military people never needed an excuse to drink.

Tony's favor had involved inviting a few of his rich friends, though, and with the selfies Janet Van Dyne and Johnny Storm were posting online, Jim figured he'd be set for a few years, especially when Jan grabbed his hands and sparkled at him about how she'd be coming at least once a week to show off new flapper dresses. (He was still unsure as to how she "sparkled" at him, but it was an adjective he'd gotten from Tony and it was the only really apt one.) They kept dropping fifties in the tip jar, too, which only made his bartenders more cheerful and willing to act in their roles.

Luckily, the higher class clientele were balanced out with Jim's pals from the military. Carol and Maria had already said their goodbyes (Monica had an event early the next morning) but as the air force left, the army rolled in, and he welcomed the Howling Commandoes in with only a little teasing.

"Jim," Natasha said, appearing beside him between one breath and another, despite the beads on her dress tinkling musically with each step. "Why is Bucky lying to people that his food poisoning miraculously ended. And why did he give me five hundred dollars to shut up about him not having food poisoning."

Jim sighed. He should have known that Bucky would have gotten dragged here regardless of his "illness" with friends like the Commandoes. "I needed to get Tony out of the house but I knew he'd only do it if I needed help. Today was the first time he showered in a week."

"I see. Well, I've just gotten May and Happy together," Natasha said ominously. "And Pepper is well on her way to realizing Phil is asking her out. I could use a new project. Steve is also single."

"I really don't want Tony dating right after he found his cheating ex-boyfriend in his bed with someone else," Jim began.

"Don't worry, Steve is stupidly loyal even to people he's not dating and will punch Tiberius Stone in the teeth if he ever sees him," Natasha assured him, and floated halfway across the room as Jim gave her an astonished blink.

Well. Jim couldn't say he didn't want to see that. He drifted over to the piano, where Tony was still diligently playing Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong and Jelly Roll Morton. "You need a break, bud? You've been playing for two hours straight."

"Rhodey," Tony slurred happily, and it made Jim suddenly aware of the rows of martini glasses on the side of the piano. "This is so much fun. Is it okay if my tips go to charity. I can't feel my hands."

Bucky appeared a moment later, cheerfully shouldering him aside. "I'll take over, fella," he said, giving Jim a wink, and hip-checked Tony off of the piano bench and directly into Jim's arms.

"Was that hot or am I sad and drunk?" Tony asked. He squinted at Bucky blearily. "Am I sad and looking for anything to be hot. Or was that actually hot."

Reluctantly, Jim answered, "No, it was hot, but Bucky's taken." He pulled Tony's arm over his shoulders. "Let's get some water in you, okay?"

"Okay but I promised Jan I'd play her out because of drama and panache," Tony wobbled, allowing Jim to tow him over to the dark, moody sitting area. "Is this a secret door? Oh my God yay," he added as Jim pulled a bookcase open to reveal a back room where he could rest without excitement.

Jim had intended for it to be a room for private parties, but letting his friends sober up in it tonight would be fine, probably. Especially if Tony was going to be drunk and cute about it. "What is Jan going to have you play?"

"'Let's Misbehave,'" Tony slurred, and Jim sighed fondly, because of course she was.

[franollie]

i finished batgirl (2000) and i loved it so muchhhh i cant even put it into words aaaaaahhhh

anyways do you have any more recs for Cass, Steph or Babs bc i need more (also any fic recs too?)

OKOK so I recommend this reading list for both steph and cass by @/jlquarterly. they also have a more condensed reading list for steph and cass individually as well as more extensive ones for them too. overall just a great account to follow if you need reading lists.

Some overall reads that I recommend:

Cass:

Batman (1940) #567

Detective Comics (1937) #734

(No Man's Land in general is a good read for cass but these are considered her first appearances)

DC First: Batgirl/Joker

Superboy (1994) #85 (i love this issue it is very dear to me)

Steph:

Detective Comics (1937) #647-649

Secret Origins 80 Page Giant

honestly all of Robin 1993 starting with issue #3

Robin (1993) #88 (Steph and Cass first meeting)

Batman: Huntress/Spoiler- Blunt Trauma (HELENA AND STEPH YIPPEEE)

Batgirl (2009)

Babs:

The Batman Chronicles #5 (Oracle: Year One)

All of Birds of Prey

General "batgirls" recs:

Convergence: Batgirl

Steph works in the medical field, the writers acknowledge her pregnancy, its about her relationship with the batgirl mantle, steph and cass live together and have a pet hamster together, it's literally perfect

Batgirls

This is where we play the "pick and choose from canon" game

Fics:

Let's Not Talk About It by Procrastinationfairy

T - 4k

Summary: cass explores how words fail to describe feelings, especially in terms of attraction.

MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH

God this fic....here to start. I'm obsessed with the way it tackles cass’s feelings for steph and the lack of language she would have for her emotions…insane...Her anger at tim for not “properly mourning” steph

If taken, I'm yours by evanescent

T - 8k

Summary: Sheer determination is not everything, though, and after exactly eight seconds Stephanie finds herself laying flat on her back after getting knocked down with a very real-feeling baseball bat. For a moment, she thinks the strange sound is her ears ringing, but then she sits up and finds Batgirl standing next to Batman, her shoulder shaking slightly. She’s laughing, Stephanie realizes. Batgirl must catch her staring because she makes a quick, swiping motion with her hand.

“I think,” Batman says, and Stephanie wonders if she has a concussion after all, because he kind of sounds amused, “she’s telling you to be faster.”

In a world when you have your soulmate's first words to you imprinted in their handwriting somewhere on your body, the fact Stephanie can't decipher hers seems like the least of her problems, most of the time.

A really sweet rewrite of Steph as batgirl

ALSO EMILY DICKINSONS POETRY PLAYS A REALLY BIG ROLE IN THIS <3333

heroes and thieves at my door (i can't seem to tell them apart anymore) by hinn_raven

T - 4k

Summary: Bruce really can’t help but think that Stephanie Brown, pre-medicine, piano player, and honors student, with Leslie vouching for her, would be a far better girlfriend for his daughter than Spoiler, the new vigilante in town.

This one has me kicking and giggling every time i read it

It's delightful and funny and just an overall good time

Now Stick It Thick by thebodydies

E - 1k

Summary: Cass’s body always did exactly what Cass wanted. And now Steph’s body did as well.

nobody look at me

Highly recommend checking out all of Hinn_Raven's works especially if you're a steph fan!

[jelly-of-many-ships]

Intersting experience in math class:

I was doing some work while listening to the good omens soundtrack because it helps me focus and I love remembering which scene each track is from. Anyway, David Arnold (the composer) also composed most of the music for BBC Sherlock, which I don’t think too many people know (He’s amazing and I love literally everything he makes). And so when I finished the good omens album it started playing other music by the artist, which in this case, happened to be the BBC Sherlock intro.

I have not heard that song in almost a year in a half. BBC Sherlock was like a canon event for me, it was the first real fandom I joined and it introduced me to tumblr, fanfiction, and literally every concept associated with fandoms. Most pieces media Ive consumed, and definitely every fandom i’ve joined since then has been in some way because of tumblr, or other fandom spaces. Even good omens, which I am currently hyperfixating on to a frankly concerning extent, I was only introduced to via the domino effect of BBC Sherlock.

Why is this important? idk...backstory I guess? whatever, anyways, after awhile a fell more and more out of interest with Sherlock, and while I’d definitely still consider myself in the fandom, I’m just not really that into it anymore, especially since the rest of the fandom isn’t very active either. The year when my interest was the strongest was a very interesting time. I was really insecure and not very happy, but I had some amazing people in my life who I really miss. These two things, I think, are possibly the worst combination to have in terms of nostalgia, and I find that experiencing things that remind me of this period feels very strange. For example I physically cannot listen to some of the songs I added to my playlist around this time without getting really emotional, but I refuse to delete them because they really do feel like a part of me. From time to time I do remember the bad things and maybe feel a bit upset, and yet if I could go back, I know I would, just to remember what it was like to experience it all.

I don’t think I could ever fully explain it but BBC Sherlock genuinely felt like opening a very weird portal, and so when in the middle of math class, immediately after listening to the good omens track “the end?” and vividly imagining the end credit scene of season two, the Sherlock intro started playing, I felt such a strange mix of awe and nostalgia that I almost started crying. It sounds pretty stupid typing this up, but it was such a unique experience, and I don’t think I can really explain it. Good Omens is the only thing I’ve been even somewhat interested in to the extend of Sherlock, and after listening to possibly the most depressing song of the entire show, to have such a sharp reminder of who I used to be blast full volume into my head felt like diving headfirst into cold water. It really does sound stupid, but in that exact moment I remembered everything; the evening I heard that song for the first time, staying up for hours scrolling through pinterest and discovering the fandom, the first day I told my friends about it, the day i read my first fanfic, the day I was so convinced they were gay I accidentally discovered shipping (lol), the night I finished season 4, alone, at 2am, the day I joined tumblr, the week I learned how to play “the game is on” on piano, and the lunch period I wrote my first fic after daydreaming about it for weeks.

These things probably seem pretty mundane, but this was like a new world to me. They represent more than just discovering I new interest though. They’re some of the only memories I have of that time. I cut my hair, I realized I was queer, and for the first time in my entire life I had an actual friendgroup, one that I still care about so much. Life was, at the same time horrible, yet the best it had ever been, and I didn’t even know it. When I really think about It, I realize in actuality how little time has really passed, but everything feels so different. I think to myself that there’s no way that person was me, that the kid who had so much energy and enthusiasm for life, poetry and writing and had yet never felt so insecure couldn’t have possibly turned into the burnt out, powerless person I feel I am today.

At least I’m not so insecure anymore? I’m not so sure what to say. All I know, is I think that moment in math class made me realize how much I’ve grown, how much I appreciate those experience I got to have, and how much that song will always mean to me.

[tiredassmage]

god i just finished what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck. spoodle talk + pics under the cut for some end of update stuff no peeksies if you don't want that.

oh and obligatory new agent va thoughts as one of ur resident agent posters.

hold on I need about. twenty minutes to process everything I witnessed today holy FUCK. MY GOD.

SHAE WHAT THE FUCK!!!!! SHAE!!!! SHAE PICK THE PHONE BACK UP!!!!!

YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. okay look the amount of times tyr was able to basically tell the dark council to go suck a nut was fantastic but FOR FUCK'S SAKE SHAE AT LEAST ONE OF THOSE TIMES WAS FOR YOU. FOR BEING INVOLVED IN SOMETHING HE HAS THOUGHT FOR MONTHS WAS GETTING OUT OF HAND. SHAE!!!!! ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME!!!!!!

fucking. tyr "everything is under control" deckard lying boldfaced to vowrawn himself. "is there anything else?" to krovos. holy fuck. dude. god. tyr i love you. obligatory blorbo posting.

he really just fuckin said "nah. die mad about it." oh my god. oh my fucking god.

he doesn't know what the glowy fucking box does any more than you do and he's going to keep it that way because [piano keyboard slam] he doesn't trust you at allllll <3

anyway. spent the whole update with the new va for male agent now. I have decided I Like Him. felt a lot better after I found the post saying it was a new va. Probably would've been insanely less jarring on the front end of playing to have known that before I launched the game today because I think most of my initial awkward piano keyboard smash about it was Not Knowing.

No reasons are posted and it is absolutely none of my business, as it should remain so, but I admit I'm not... entirely surprised by the recast. Didn't expect it to show up here, evidently, and I haven't followed anything outside of the game, but the last update or two was a little... rougher around the edges I'd noticed and having another character at max suggested it wasn't exclusively a studio recording-related occurrence, so I wish our original legend the absolute best, but Scolding appears to have had a lot of fun picking up the role here and I applaud that, it's a lot of fun to hear.

And now that I am. a little bit more coherent having discussed something Else about the update, I'll also pitch a chip into the idea that I don't... entirely mind that they used KOTOR style cinematics in sections of this update because it gave us a lot more variance in exactly what to say in those moments and it felt fitting for what they were trying to achieve with Sa'har.

Which. sniffles. Ouuuu Sa'har, idk if I'm ready to get started on that. THIS UPDATE. AND LEAVING ME ON THINGS. THAT ARE CAUSING ME EMOTIONS!!!! DAMN!!!!!

SLAY, GIRL, SLAY!

okay general photodump from the whole update time you know how I am about seeing my favorite barbie kicking ass and being in peril <3

damn this was good. nice outing, swtor. nice outing.

[authoralexharvey]

INTERVIEW WITH A WRITEBLR — @daisywords

Who You Are:

Daisy || She/her

I'm a fantasy enjoyer about to graduate from university with a degree in editing. In addition to writing, I like to draw/paint and play the piano. Also interested in linguistics and bookbinding

What You Write:

What genres do you write in? What age ranges do you write for?

Fantasy and Sci-Fi. Young and New Adult, Adult.

What genre would you write in for the rest of your life, if you could? What about that genre appeals to you?

I love specfic in general, fantasy in particular (but the line between fantasy and scifi is blurrier than one might think). I particularly like the potential of alternate worlds to set up situations and character dynamics that simply couldn't exist in a historical or contemporary novel

What genre/s will you not write unless you HAVE to? What about that genre turns you off?

I don't read or write smut/erotica but other than that everything else is potentially on the table. I couldn't see myself doing straight historical fiction, either, honestly, just because I probably wouldn't be able to resist adding some specfic elements and/or unanchoring it from time (Fantasy is freedom to me, whereas historical accuracy is something extra to adhere to.)

Who is your target audience? Do you think anyone outside of that would get anything out of your works?

You mean other than myself?? Ok but actually it's pretty broadly just people who like fantasy. I have one wip that's technically YA just based on the age of the characters, but it could definitely be enjoyed by adults. My other wip is adult/NA but could also definitely be enjoyed by teenagers.

What kind of themes do you tend to focus on? What kinds of tropes? What about them appeals to you?

hmmm….something about the juxtaposition of violence and tenderness? Guilt/responsibility and free will/predestination a la the Chosen One trope. Memory loss trope (so juicy)

What themes or tropes can you not stand? What about them turn you off?

I personally am not a fan of immortal love interests. sorry everyone.

What are you currently working on? How long have you been working on it?

My current main wip is called Deep and Dark, Beautiful and Bright. I started it in November 2020. I also have a back burner project called Fear Me, which has been ship-of-Theseus-ing since I was like 10 lol. And I'm working on two short stories that are being more trouble than they're worth

How long have you been writing? What do you think first drew you to it?

I've been making up stories since I knew what stories were. Mostly started out playing elaborate pretend games with my sister. In second grade my best friend suggested we "write a book" together since our teacher would give out blank spiral-bound paper packets. (I think she was mostly interested in my illustration abilities tbh) Anyway we created a series centered around a character named Natalie (who was basically a ripoff of Ramona/Junie B. Jones.) But anyway I think around then is when I actually became interested in writing books as an outlet for making up stories. I didn't actually do a ton of writing as a kid, but I always collected story ideas and had a ton of ocs that I would draw in my secret sketchbook.

Where do you get your inspiration from? Is that how you got your inspiration for your current project? If not, where did the inspiration come from?

Honestly I get inspiration from everywhere. My brain is a very productive idea factory (but not a productive draft finisher, sadly). Other media (for example taking one specific concept or plot point form a move and running in the opposite direction with it), dreams, songs, historical events, offhand comments from friends, etc. Sometimes justt out of nowhere I swear.

Have you published anything? Do you want to?

Not yet and yes eventually

What part of the publishing process most appeals to you? What part least appeals to you?

I want my projects to have a final form and I want other people to read them. I don't want anyone I know irl (or anyone else for that matter) to psychoanalyze me about them. I'm not looking forward to anything to do with marketing, writing to market, tight deadlines, adhering to standardized formats/lengths, etc. but so it goes…

What part of the writing process most appeals to you? What part is least appealing?

I love coming up with ideas and characters and scenes. I love rambling in my notes doc. I love drafting in the rare moments when I actually do it. I really struggle with getting all the pieces of my plot to fit together. I like editing (I'm literally an editor). I cannot do project management to save my life.

Do you have a writing process? Do you have an ideal setup? Do you write in pure chaos? Talk about your process a bit.

Right now what's working fro me is to have three distinct documents. One goes strictly in order. Another is to put all of the scenes I want to write that don't fit into that order yet. The third one is for me to yell about it all (notes). When I'm lucky, scenes form the chaos doc (scene bank) eventually find their way into the order doc.

Your Thoughts on Writeblr:

How long have you been a writeblr? What inspired you to join the community?

I joined tumblr predominantly for the writeblr community in 2018 (don't remember the specifics but I remember seeing writing posts on pinterest and was like hm well might as well go directly to the source)

Shout out some of your favorite writeblrs. How did you find them and what made you want to follow them?

in no particular order and not an exclusive list: @aohendo @mecharose @scarvenartist @woodhousejay @baroquesse @tracle0 @klywrites @garthcelyn @incandescent-creativity @zmwrites @ashen-crest @ambiguouspuzuma @ettawritesnstudies @megarywrites @magic-is-something-we-create @pinespittinink @isherwoodj just a few of the many excellent people here

What is your favorite part about writeblr?

I just love the community aspect of interacting with other writers, or even just seeing what everyone's working on and how it's going. Even if someone's wip isn't my exact cup of tea I still like seeing posts about their work and people encouraging each other.

What do you think writeblr could improve on? How do you think we can go about doing so?

A lot of people say that interaction is dead etc. but I don't really think that's true. I think focusing less on reblogs and more on comments/asks as a form of interaction would strengthen the feeling of community. Not everyone is obligated to reblog everything and comments and asks can be more personal anyway. I like knowing other people are seeing what I put out there, and I especially love getting comments on my work, but that doesn't mean I need everyone to share it. I'd rather have 5 followers that interact with me than 1000 who don't. Quality over quantity, you know?

How do you contribute to the writeblr community? Do you think you could be doing more?

Of course everyone could always be doing more. I like to read other's snippets when I'm in the headspace for it, but sometimes I'm just here to mindlessly scroll and that's okay too. If I read something and I think it's cool or interesting or well-written or anything I try to either leave a reply or reblog with something in the tags. If I can't think of anything to say just quoting a line that I liked will suffice (I like when people do that to me). I do want to try sending more asks to people—I try to always send one when I see someone's reblogged an ask game, but I think everyone would appreciate some out-of-the-blue asks as well :)

What kinds of posts do you most like to interact with?

All kinds but I am most likely to interact with shorter posts about peoples' process or something about their characters. @klywrites will post about tiny interactions between her characters and I literally love them just from seeing tiny scenes on my dash every so often. I really like to read longer snippets and short stories too (there's some amazing writers here y'all) but I'm more likely to scroll past those if I can't spare the focus. Also I love seeing art! even from people who don't consider themselves artists like aww you drew your little guy and I love them now

What kind of posts do you most like to make?

idk I end up just vagueposting about my process most of the time. I love to infodump about my characters/worldbuilding but I don't do it too often. I also like to post about writing things in general, but I don't consider myself an expert or anything so I'm not putting out a ton of advice—just what works for me

[starlady-baby]

So, I totally meant to post this earlier, and then I forgot so- happy late Juke Jeudi! I’ve been wanting to try and post my writing more, so for you today I have part of a Juke fic that I started working on. It’s not finished yet (tbh we’ll see if I do get around to finishing it-), but I figured it might be fun to post the first bit of it. Also, it’s just pure fluff. Evidently I can’t write anything but fluff if it involves these two. Anyway, enjoy, and tell me if you’d like it to be finished eventually! 💙💜

Mornings like this had slowly become one of Luke’s favorite things. Mornings when the sun was starting to shine into the studio, all of its plants, the piano, and everything else in front of the window suddenly had a warm glow to it. Mornings when he saw the sun starting to rise and for some reason didn’t feel tired, like he normally would have.

Luke was never much of a morning person. He was the kind to stay in bed until the last moment and barely make it out the door in time to catch the bus or even make it to school if he rode his bike. Actually, most mornings he’d have to sneak into class a few minutes after the bell rang and hope that he didn’t get another tardy slip. At least that was a benefit of being a ghost, no grades or no school in general to worry about anymore.

But maybe the reason he enjoyed these mornings so much now was because it reminded him of the day his life changed. Well, his ghost life. The day when she walked into his life. The girl who made his dreams possible. He could never forget that morning, the morning when Julie Molina played the piano for the first time in a year, and how he was there to witness it. There was something so magical about the passion she exuded and how carefully yet how meaningful she played the notes and sang. Oh, he could never get enough of her voice. A voice that had been described as an angel’s by one of his closest friends, and although he wouldn’t admit it to anyone, Luke couldn’t agree more.

He smiled to himself as he saw the glow grow bigger around him, the yellow hue of it almost matching his expression. The Molina family had a game night the previous night, and after several shouting matches between the boys about who was cheating in Uno, everyone decided to call it a night. The boys went back to the studio shortly after and tried to see if they could sleep again but ended up going their separate ways during the late hours of the night into the early morning. Alex and Reggie had come back a while ago, but now both of them were inside the house talking with Ray as he got ready for work and Carlos as he got ready for school.

He hadn’t heard anything from Julie yet, but knew she was probably already awake and getting ready as well. As much as he wanted to beg her to stay home from school so they could spend time together, he knew that wouldn’t go over well with her or Ray. He sighed to himself thinking he should also probably head inside the house and say hello, but gets stopped in his tracks when he sees the studio doors open and Julie walk in.

“Well good morning.” Luke smirked at her as she made her way over to the piano.

She jumped a little and caught her breath shortly before turning towards him, also being stopped in her tracks. “Jeez, you scared me! But good morning to you too.” She smiled back.

His smirk softened into a smile as she remembered what she was doing, and grabbed some sheet music that was spread out on top of said piano. “Forgot something?” He asked.

“Oh, yeah. Mrs. Harrison is doing a check-in on what we’ve been working on, so I’ve got to perform this for her.” Julie laughed, holding up the sheet music.

“You mean what we’ve been working on?”

[sibyl-of-space]

[this will be rambly because i am writing a post to figure out what i want to say instead of going to bed]

I keep thinking about the nature of the specific project I have undertaken with Amadeus. It's incredibly personal, it's incredibly ambitious in scope, and it's incredibly focused on music in its themes. Which means that even writing wholly unrelated music to it somehow comes back around to being "about" it.

Because when the main character is Self-Projection Blorbo Extraordinnaire, and he is a composer and a musician, it becomes impossible to separate any music I write from this story. Because he is the part of me that writes music. Hell, even after Amadeus is finished I am probably still going to associate the part of me that writes music with him for, like... ever.

This isn't a bad thing. I think it's actually cool. It's neither good nor bad, it's just an observation. But I wrote my procrastination fugue because I was like "I WANT TO WRITE A FUGUE" and just kind of did literally nothing else for 3 straight days, and it had absolutely nothing to do with Amadeus, and yet at the end of it I realize it had everything to do with Amadeus. I already consider the other fugues I've written to be songs he might have written. I have already considered the worldbuilding ramifications re: the kinds of harmony contained in these fugues and what I know about specific niches in Western music history.

And when I was working on this one, I realized that I'd written a fugue that you literally can't play as one person on the piano. This was because I am not a pianist and I don't "think" like a pianist when I write, but if I consider this a fugue that was written by him, what does that mean? He IS a pianist. He ought to have written a fugue that he could actually play.

I think two people could play it on a single piano. So did he play it with someone else? Did he write it for someone in particular? Did they ever play it together?

I... I actually have some tentative answers to these questions. But these questions only came up because I wrote something for myself, for fun, and then a connection to this project emerged completely organically, and that led me in interesting directions.

This doesn't really have a point. There is no rule anywhere that says Amadeus has to have written this fugue. But it feels like he ought to have written it, and what's more, considering that he did has made me think more about the story in a way that is continuing to bring it more life.

There are many downsides to undertaking One Big Huge Project like Amadeus. Scope creep is inevitable; major milestones are incredibly difficult to get to; maintaining focus and motivation for literal years on end is an uphill battle; the chances of finishing are significantly smaller than for reasonably-scoped projects.

But there are just as many upsides I think. I keep trying to notice them because they're important for motivation.

I can do things like the anime-ass OP that would not be worth it for smaller projects. When it's done - and I will finish it - it will absolutely fucking slap to heaven. And now, I've also realized, the fact it's so huge and personal means that just kind of living my life I am adding to it. Writing a fugue has added to it. That fugue will probably end up in the game at some point. It wasn't written for that purpose, but because it was written for me and the game is (more than anything else) about me, it'll end up being part of the game anyway.

It's made it easier for me to accept those weeks/months when I just cannot focus on the game itself and feel bad about it. Because since I've decided to make the Big Huge Personal Project, it turns out that just living is still working on the project in a way. It's the kind of project I can draw from literally everything I do because it's a story that was lab-engineered to be About the things that I care about.

you're still not allowed to psychoanalyze me when you play it though btw.

[aowoba-johsai]

meet the owner of the little seijoh pâtisserie !!

a golden bell chimes above the door as you enter, the aroma of fresh baked goods filling the air paired with the scent of sea salt. there’s no one behind the counter, basking in the warm glow of the lights and for a moment you wonder if you stumbled in at the wrong time. just as you turn on your heel to leave, a grey tabby cat meows from its perch on the counter, four individual notes laying at its paws;

[🇦🇷] if you’re reading this, i presume mochi lead you to these little notes circe had us write out for her. atsumu let her name the cat mochi, by the way - i guess it’s cute. i’m currently away in argentina but circe was adamant i was included in… introducing her? so this is the pâtisserie’s owner, circe; also known as océan, she’s 23 years old and her birthday is in march— she probably didn’t want that much info.. use she/they when referring to her, got it? oh and i want to be the one to tell you this, circe plays volleyball as a setter! makes sense why she fell for me now, right? …and i guess atsumu too… — signed, oikawa tōru.

[🏐] circe planned for me t’be the second note ‘nd i have no idea what that moron included in his. i’ll just… go over circe’s hobbies, i guess? circe’s a massive fan of music - ‘nd i’m talking like, everythin’ you get me? ‘nd she loves gaming. probably more than she should, she kicks tōru’s ass. oh ‘nd clearly m’darling is a great baker or the pâtisserie would ‘ave never opened! i gotta get back t’practice ‘cause omi-kun keeps starin’, see ya! — signed, miya atsumu.

[🐺] i think i understand what anne wants from me? welcome to circe’s pâtisserie, she’s so proud of it and its location. since i have no idea about the other notes… i’ll list what she likes, that’s easy enough and i can’t go wrong anyways, i’ve known her long enough. circe loves playing piano, she’s really good at playing it, y’know? oh and she has a sweet tooth - really explains the choice in job, doesn’t it? and if you catch it right, she has a really cute habit of watching the rain… so i try to take her to the surface during fontaine’s rainy season. — the handwriting is suddenly disrupted and never finished, you assume he was needed in the fortress. it’s clear this was supposed to be signed by wriothesley.

[🖤] shoko just reminded me about five minutes ago to do this note for circe, so… here i am, writing shit down before a job. i’ll make this quick since i’m in a hurry and don’t want to deal with satoru’s whining. i’ll do her dislikes, it won’t kill me - unless she gets embarrassed reading this over in the future. circe’s pretty simple; she hates thunderstorms (despite loving the rain), loud noises and crowded places (she’ll cling to me, actually), sand (i can’t blame her) and in her own terms ‘meanies.’ i’m starting to think i should take the hint since she calls me that a lot. if this isn’t good enough circe, i’ll rewrite one when i wake up baby. — he didn’t sign it in big print but he clearly didn’t need to rewrite one either. upon inspecting it closer, you come to find a small geto suguru in the corner - talk about not wanting to be named, huh?

the cat - mochi, as you now know her - meows again, her tail curled neatly around her paws as she watches you. wherever circe may have gone, she clearly trusts leaving a cat in charge of the pâtisserie. you decide to come back later but you don’t leave without scratching mochi behind the ear as a thank you for her hard work.

[earlgreytea68]

The Good Things Festival - Sydney

Dear EGT, do you mind if I share with you my disappointing FOB experience? None of my friends or family are in the fandom as I am, and I just want to tell someone who will be able to understand my grief.

I am in Australia, living near Brisbane, and when I heard that they were coming here I was ecstatic and eager to go to the Good Things Festival. I didn’t manage to get a Brisbane ticket before they were all sold out, but decided to make a weekend of it and bought a ticket to the Sydney festival, and train tickets down and back, with a couple of days accommodation in between. The train trips were 12 and 14 hours, respectively, which I personally was looking forward to, as I have two young children and the idea of two entire days in which no one could even get in touch with me via phone was BLISS.

I reached the concert venue (which was a fenced-off section of a huge and beautiful park with lots of trees) about an hour and a half before their set, enough time to decide me that none of the other bands there are anywhere near their league in performance or composition.

They came on after playing ‘We didn’t start the fire’ and ‘The Pink Seashell’ on the screen, and they were great. I was impressed with my fellow concert-goers that lots of them seemed to know the words to at least the first couple of verses of ‘We didn’t start the fire’, and most shouted out the chorus. They played ‘Love from the other side’, ‘Phoenix’, ‘Sugar’, and were most of the way through ‘Um Thurman’, when Pete stopped the music and announced that a storm was on its way, and they were being taken off stage. He hoped that they would be able to come back on.

One of the officials then told us more - the storm coming within the hour would feature thunder, lightning, heavy rain and possibly hail, and we would all have to vacate the park. Which made sense, for both the people and the equipment, but put paid to any hope of resuming the set – by the time we had all left and the storm had finished, it would be past time for the end of the festival, not to mention the logistics of getting everyone back in again. So we all left. Getting out of the park and back to my hotel was a saga in itself (all I can say is that I am glad as always that I had something to read, and that I was soaking wet when I did arrive back), but this submission is already much too long.

We got some pyrotechnics (which was brave of them given how the sky was looking) and some of the guitar chicken game between Patrick and Joe and of course their wonderful live performance, but it was so short. I can’t even get into the larger disappointment of missing all the set with the banter and the piano solo, not to mention the cover of ‘Beds are Burning’, which I would have been so excited to see, because it is still too painful. But the smaller disappointment for me, EGT, which is what I could handle focussing on, was that they didn’t get a chance to talk to us, which is partly what for me would have set the live performance apart from a group watching a recorded concert together. We didn’t get a greeting reflecting the crowd that was gathered there in that place for that time only, or any commentary on what it was like to be there, and I am so dejected about that. I know this is definitely a first-world disappointment and I had a worthwhile weekend anyway (three nights in a bed with no one waking me, HOORAY), but I am sad when I look at your website at present, and see pictures and clips from sets in Melbourne.

***

I am SO SORRY and I appreciate very much getting this submission and please know that I completely understand how disappointed you are. I had one of the canceled HMT shows, which you may or may not remember, and I totally understand that your disappointment is probably much greater given how relatively rarer it is for them to go to Australia vs. being fairly near me in the U.S. but I also totally understand some level of your disappointment. :-( The worst is feeling like they don’t care, but I think they did and they were upset it went down the way it did. They obviously can’t ever make it totally right -- you had a whole weekend that you were looking forward to that didn’t really happen the way you wanted and it’s so unfair that it happened to you and not the rest of us and I’m so sorry.

I’m glad you got some silver linings out of the weekend, and don’t be too hard on yourself, the disappointment is real when you’ve been looking so forward to something and it gets taken away and you don’t have a real replacement for it, and it’s worse if you make yourself feel guilty for feeling upset because obviously other people have much bigger disappointments, but that’s not how emotions work, alas. Be kind to yourself. ::hugs::

[styrmwb]

Favorite Final Fantasy Music (FFXI - Add-ons and Bonus)

FFXI week finally comes to a close, and this is the part where I pick songs that just didn't really quite fit in any single expansion, or cases like the extra add-on content which were really their own thing and even are listed separately on the title screen. Absolutely could not have done this game justice doing just one list, and this was a great time for me to relive some nice memories from me playing this game I definitely did not want to reup the sub nope.

There's also technically probably another section I could make on this, but I actually haven't played the new Voracious Resurgence content, so I don't wanna do that part dirty and just pick shit without literally any context. Anyways, let's finish this up so that I can actually increase the number after FF.

5. Dolphin Any XI fan will tell you: the hardest part of the game isn't losing levels. It isn't the gameplay, it isn't the bosses that take hours and hours and actual cheating to beat, it's fucking installing the game. This is because FFXI has its own special launcher that Square Enix was gonna use but then proceeded to only do with XI called PlayOnline. It is absolutely a product of its time. But you know what it does? It gives you BANGER TUNES TO LISTEN TO. FOR NO REASON! You're sitting there installing the game? Here's a bop. You're just trying to log in and you're frustrated that your password doesn't allow capitals? Here you go. This song will make you feel better. Dolphin is the song that always plays whenever I open my PlayOnline launcher to play FFXI. And you might say: "Styrm, this isn't a game song, why is this in the list?" and to that I say: It's in the official soundtrack. And PlayOnline is such an integral part of the FFXI experience that I would argue that it IS part of the game. That's why it's here. Love this shit. Please do yourself a favor and listen to all of the PlayOnline songs, cause I'm not gonna fill this list up with 'em.

4. Iroha First funny thing; I cannot find an official upload of this song, so I'm using the version they put in the FFXIV soundtrack cause it's also there identically. This is the theme of Iroha, the main heroine of Rhapsodies of Vana'diel, the essential finale/wrap-up storyline of the entire game. The reason I like this song, is I think less for the song and more what it reminds me of. I do love the soft piano and the empty backing, the very tense and sad sounding BIM bum that keeps playing; but most of all, this makes me think of that character, and how much the storyline really just was a letter to fans from the devs saying thank you. It's somber, yet beautiful. There might be songs that fit this feeling better, like the ending theme, but this is the song that does it for me.

3. Distant Worlds Something that stinks, is that I can't find a good honest upload of this song. Everything official is either the Distant Worlds orchestra version, or the Black Mages version, which, to be fair! are both good. So let's hope this unofficial version doesn't get taken down lmao. Another technicality with this, is that this is technically the ending theme of Chains of Promathia; but, it was introduced later, and it really feels separate? It's kinda its own entity, also only being in bonus soundtracks. It's really beautiful though. Taking that main Memoro de la Ŝtono motif, but turning it into an ending theme that almost befits the entire game. Not only do I love the main melody, I am a big fan of the warbly sort of sound that plays a lot, cause that really gives this song that XI feel rather than just being a nice vocal track. You ever wanna assassinate me just start playing this and I'll be paralyzed

2. Provenance Watcher Another very strange case of "I didn't know where to put this song". This is the final boss theme of the Voidwatch story, which was more like in modern senses a patch story to Wings of the Goddess? But it again very much feels like its own entity. Add on the fact that the song itself is in the Seekers of Adoulin soundtrack and I was just like "Ok you're going with the rest of the weird off cases". Either way, love this song. The beginning strings rhythm is such a cool sound, and then add on the really low horn for that sense of foreboding, befitting the Giant Fucking Dragon Creature you are fighting. The build up for this song is amazing, and uses all of the classic FFXI instruments you know and love by this point. My absolute favorite part of the song is midway through after a lot of the instruments have kinda stepped away for a slight flute bit, and then it blows up with this amazing sounding bit with the entire orchestra. I can't quite do it justice with my words, but hopefully you'll know when you hear it. Also can I just say shoutouts to the Naoshi Mizuta tambourine????? It has no right to go as hard as it does in this entire soundtrack.

1. Shinryu And here we are. The final XI song in my lists. This is the final boss theme of the Abyssea storyline, which is split up into 3 separate parts. Shinryu in this game is essentially the bad timeline version of Promathia (Abyssea as a whole is a sort of bad timeline in a way). The song starts with this incredibly menacing brass orchestra, one part giving you this heavy almost percussion like vibe, and the other part giving you the main sort of melody in the start, absolutely perfect for this literal end of the world dragon. Then it gets fun. The actual percussion comes in with a really fun beat, the orchestra starts the meat of the song, feeling like a really fun and triumphant final battle. And my favorite part? The out of nowhere hopeful sounding bells and strings that sound almost heavenly, they sound heroic, like you're going to save this doomed world. The song goes back into more menacing, like Shinryu is beating back, giving me more of that Dragon Quest IX sound I love. After a really cool loud hit rhythm, the drums do this amazing offbeat section that gives the song a really fun vibe, then going with a sort of royal sounding section featuring a flute/horn duet, and finally, into the grand finale where everything comes together to play off the song, having the heroic vibe from earlier; you are winning. You are going to save the day.

Honorable mentions this time are: Filter branch (this is also PlayOnline music lmao), Wail of the Void, Rhapsodies of Vana'diel, Luck of the Mog, Feast of the Ladies, and even though I've pretty much already mentioned it in this series, gotta give it up for my boy Main Theme - FINAL FANTASY XI Version.

[umazane-muesli]

Jukebox January: Day 14

I know, I'm late (again) but I could simply not miss the day that contained my Most Beloved <3

(I finished this in the middle of the night so I'm queuing it for the morning, you do not want to know at what ungodly hour I'm still awake)

Today: songs starting with N

Novi Val - Joker Out

Obviously I had to open with this one. My favourites may change and fluctuate, but I will always have a special place in my heart for Novi Val <3 it was my most listened song of 2023 because I am a basic bitch who loves a rock ballad (does it count as a rock ballad? idk) with silly little hopeful and earnest lyrics. I also love that when they play it live they all come to the front and chill and hold each other (except at the concert I went to, Jure didn't come to the front :( ) I can only apologise to whoever was in front of me at the concert for the person I became when they played it, I know a worrying amount of the lyrics and I got a bit carried away 🙃

La Noche Sin Tí - Los Huayra

I got absolutely obsessed with this song when I was in Argentina, I don't know what else to say, I love the vibe, the vocal harmonies, and the memories it brings back :)

November Rain - Guns N' Roses

Oh, an overdramatic 80s power ballad? In my Jukebox January? You don't say 🙄 anyway, yes I know, I'm predictable, yes I know, this song is 9 minutes long, but also it's great, so 🤷🏻‍♀️

No Big Deal (I Love You) - dodie

This slow, emotional song is one of my favourite by dodie, and the 3-rythm (idk what it's called in english) in the bridge(?) makes me lose my entire mind i love it so much.

Need A Little Love - The Fratellis

Sorry for putting you to sleep with all my beloved ballads, I promise that's not all I listen to. As proof, here's a dancey bop from The Fratellis :)

Ni Panike and Ne Hvala - Masayah

Masayah is one of my favourites among the many Slovenian artists I've discovered last year! I didn't know which song to choose (I could've honestly filled this post just with songs starting with the word "no" in one language or another), so you get two for the price of one. If you're a rap or hip-hop person, go listen to Ne Hvala, and if you prefer a more groovy, jazzy song, Ni Panike might be for you :)

New Born - Muse

I'm not the resident Muse person in this tag game but I need to shout out this song anyway, it's a great song with banging instrumentals and a very cool build up.

Noche - Sofiane Pamart

I have listened to a lot of Sofiane Pamart in 2023, and I could recommend so much of his music, but let's start with his last solo single. He makes beautiful piano music, kind of romanticism-inspired, but more contemporary, and also collaborates with a lot of french rappers.

NGVOT (Live from Arena Stožice) - Joker Out

Yes, of course this one was going to make an appearance, and yes, of course it has to be the live version. I loved this song on the studio album already, but after months of losing my entire mind over every tiny clip of Kris singing it at various concerts, I'm glad we have a beautiful clean version to listen to whenever we like <3

(Wow I can't believe I have "song lyric that I sacrificed for a stupid pun (username version)" and "song lyric that I sacrificed for a stupid pun (blog title version)" in the same post lol)

And a few bonus ones:

- Needle - Born Ruffians

- No Wahala - 1da Banton

- No se va - Morat

- No existen los milagros - Amaral

- Na soncu - Siddharta

- Never Be Me - Miley Cyrus

- Nevermore - Queen

- Nina Cried Power - Hozier

[sealer-of-wenkamui]

I need to make a proper report on this, cause I recently finished watching through the first lostbelt and now I am officially Invested…! I was initially just going through it and the LB prologue because I wanted context for LB6 cause I already love Oberon and I want to see him, but was told it would be best to have some additional context, but it was even better than expected, also I now have a second FGO to be obsessed with, Salieri!

I now know what a lostbelt is, and we started in Russia but ruled by Ivan the Terrible for 450 years and also everyone is a furry now because he combined everyone with demonic beasts to survive the cold wave that occurred in this lostbelt. The characters were some of the best part, I liked the cast a lot~ it sounds pretty wild to explain though cause of the nature of Fate having a bunch of famous historical figures. Also Kotomine is there lol. But it turned out not to be him but still just seeing his appearance was like huh?!

I didn’t even think much of Salieri at first, at first he thought he was Mozart and was just the guy keeping the tsar asleep, but then he gets picked up by our party and realizes his identity and joins the team under the condition he gets to kill Mozart

Turns out he’s not great at that either despite being a version of him warped by the false rumors of him being Mozart’s killer, and turned into an “innocent monster” (which is such a cool concept!) and even summoned as an Avenger class servant. But when he’s brought to the palace and remembers what happened when he confronted Mozart when he first was summoned….

YEAH. And after Mozart is literally asking him to kill him. So all his supposed hatred for him just ends up making him somehow come across as even more gay for him, he just says stuff like this

YOU’RE IN LOVE, DEAR

He has his Moments, but he seems surprisingly sane in this LB even with his jumbled memory…? Summoned Salieri seems a lot more taken over by the rumors (and Mozart just makes fun of him for it LMAO?)

The end of the lostbelt is where it really shined, we have our team of servants at the capital as the tsar awakens, Patxi came along too despite a fear so great he had earlier sold out the rebels, the tsar is awakening, Avicebron just made a golem out of the Minotaur’s labyrinth to stand a chance against him, sacrificing himself in the process (…which this also sounds wild typing it out, anyway I rather liked him, just a chill guy passionate about what he does)

I don’t think I was expecting giant demon elephant for the tsar?! Anyway THIS SCENE. THIS SCENE. THIS IS THE ONE THAT GOT ME AND MADE ME GO OH THIS STORY IS REALLY GOOD. Salieri is at the piano, he must play so they stand a chance. He speaks with Mozart in his mind, and channels all his anger into a passionate performance, Dies Irae! And what really gets me is that it isn’t even Salieri’s own (his entire Requiem is a great piece btw, highly recommend, also his attacks in game use part of his Dies Irae). No, it’s Mozart’s Dies Irae. And I believe it’s part of the requiem he died composing iirc? So Salieri is playing with all his rage in a gorgeous, passionate arrangement of it, and ITS SO GOOD!!!! And it’s the key to victory, they were able to harm the tsar now! It’s really cute when he’s all happy about Mash calling his music beautiful lol (Her return to battle here was also really cool!! Her shield protecting him from the lighting!)

And things seem to be quieting down now but it’s not quite over… Kadoc tries to make a last stand, but Anastasia ends up dying to protect him (and he seemed to genuinely care about her) and he’s knocked out, not killed, my friend is hinting that there’s gonna be more on him later…? 👀

And not just that, the cruel reality of what happens to a lostbelt in order to save proper human history came to light with Atalante and her rebels fighting back… and I can’t even blame them, it’s one of those situations where neither side is wrong, it’s the circumstances themselves…. Patxi went and got himself killed to save Chaldea’s master 😭　despite being from the LB, he wanted to help in the end? But I still can’t entirely blame those who were against it…

And finally, the ending where I cried like a little baby! The tree of emptiness was gone, the eternal storm gave way to clear skies, and the world would soon disappear. With their duties done, the remaining servants disappeared as well, except for Salieri, who still had one more thing to do…. And so he sits down at the piano, and plays Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Mozart’s dying wish to him should the world know peace. Oh Salieri, he’ll act all like:

(His scowl is so cute)

But then two seconds later:

And just. A people that had never known peace, that had never seen a clear sky and always had to worry about survival, never knowing even music, listening to his piano, and getting to see a starry sky for the first time in their lives as the world itself came to an end got me 😭

In conclusion, LB1 was really damn good and oh no I’m Invested now!! Didn’t expect this sort of quality of writing from a mobile game, it’s a proper VN…! I think I still will go to LB6 next cause I Need to see Oberon cause I love him, but now I want to see the rest of thr story too. (…and now thee friend that told me about him in the first place convinced me to play, for better or worse LOL)

[cak31ssuperi04]

Do you have any general hcs of the 1bit/1beat cast? Anythings fine

Kind of rough but

-I've played around with the idea with Eruno being from an orphanage/foster home(the "because you've got a proper family" bit) but I go back and forth on this one.

-Nio and Sakuma are friends! He does shifts at Bitwave they hang out there. The poor boy needs someone to fend off the fangirls.

-Eruno and Akitaka accompany Haruya on deliveries sometimes. Pals.

-When Aira's mimetic muscles get installed she doesn't really quite get how to use them immediately. Her expressions start out real stiff(which she expresses dissatisfaction with, and gets help from the others) to real exaggerated and overplayed(think unbridled rage or pained anguish at things that just kind of annoy her).

-Also she has Kiri make her taller so she can grow alongside her friends!

-Also Also by 1beat she has at LEAST one sibling who's just, a really muscled out doll in frilly clothes.

-Meru listens to death metal. She'd hoped it'd help her stay up better but now she just kind of likes it.

-Outside of tending to the shrine, Hakuhi has embroidery as a hobby.

-Izuchi took piano lessons when he was younger(parents made him do it to try and play up the prodigy genius image). He quit.

-That potion thing he made in 1beat was ripped from Kirai's anime but in part he'd made it after Eruno came to him Demanding a way to make her dog live longer.

-He went to Blue sun college(less because he thought he needed to and more for the benefits a degree there would give him) and got into an apprenticeship with Kiri. He keeps the lab when Kiri moves to Coco Alley(easier to skirt by the law). Familiar with the Blue Sun Trio to some extent.

-He has a sweet tooth but doesn't really admit it because he deems it unhealthy.

-While he did have a hand in the creation of the master program, he doesn't stay on the team after it's finished. Does continue to get occasional updates about it from Hiyu and Nanase though.

-His room is all clean and organized on the surface(maybe a few seashell displays, a poster covering a hole in the wall) but he keeps all the goofy weird shit stored away in drawers and under his bed.*

-I've played around with the idea of there being a 3rd Nasuga sibling who's just too young to be relevant in the game(<-no canon basis i just thought it'd be fun) but I'm not sure if I'd keep that.

-Enri has a pet hamster! He's like the band's son.

-The gang Kirara used to be a part of was like a sparkly gyaru girl gang. She never really enjoyed fighting but took a lot of lessons growing up so she was really good at it. The gang is still going strong though and at least a few of her Gyaru Friends are members(and there's at least one member who's just a plain normal ass girl that hangs around them but that's getting into oc territory).

-Rocca ends up growing up to be like Really Fucking Tall. Momori models clothes on her and remarks that she could be a model if she didn't trip over herself so much(not that she'd want to be one anyways).

-Mary has 3 siblings, they've done a way better job at staying out of the public eye(and have grown somewhat distant from her as a result).

-On account of being friends with a lot of the townspeople and having a lot of relatives, Hitohito is just one of those guys with a lot of connections. In a "guy who knows a guy" way.

-Chino is Coco Alley's mom jkasdsa.

--She brings Sora(was familiar with his family and doesn't want him to get too lonely) cookies and flowers sometimes and while he's dismissive about it he does secretly appreciate it.

-Tobari is the heiress to a big tea emporium who dipped because she got bored and/or got into a disagreement with someone over there, but continues playing up her Elegant Fancy Lady image despite living paycheck to paycheck(which I mean, good for her I guess.)

-Although Sagara knows Asuto through Hitohito, they actually interact fairly regularly in anime forums.

-Hitohito, Izuchi, and Sagara were on friendly terms when they were kids but grew distant for reasons. Hitohito and Sagara had gotten back in touch and still hang out. Heat reached out to Izuchi but was promptly brushed off, still looks out for him. Izuchi and Sagara have a weird frenemy/rival thing going on.

-Sagara has no siblings she just kind of lives alone with her mom who may or may not hate her.(although it's less "hate" so much as disappointment)

-Sagara's chicken avatar is modeled after one of her childhood pets.

-Sagara definitely Naruto runs.

-She holds DnD(\Dnd adjacent. Just some ttrpg I'm not an expert) sessions at every couple of weeks. I'm not saying Izuchi willingly participates(those commoners are hopeless without his guidance), just that she didn't exactly have very many other people to invite(Hitohito and sometimes Meu and eventually Nanashi).

-She has a knack for trying to help townspeople as part of some sort of Magical Girl Code but isn't as good at it as she thinks she is.

-She has a compartment in her arm warmers that's full of bird feed, she's made an alliance with the pigeons.

-While she does cool it with the Organization stuff, she never drops the chuuni behavior. Eventually opens a small cake shop with some edgy chuuni-esque title(debated on whether it should be in the same place Little Berry was, like after little berry closes its doors).

-Nomiya and Hiyu butt heads a lot but they both get along fine with Azusa. Somebody needs to be nice to her god damn it.

-The Kujohs have a pet dog but it's actually Azusa's. Following with the rest of the family, it's a big intimidating dog that's actually just really chill. Enri has tried to look past it but he's always very leery about visiting them.

-Nomiya's riding an adrenaline high throughout most of the game but his more calm demeanor in his events is just him going in the opposite extreme as a result of coming down from it. He's usually fairly loud and confrontational, just not THAT loud and confrontational.

-He keeps in closest touch with Tobari after the hackers are disbanded. Somewhat on account of her being able to hold her own in Break Passage the best out of the other three. She views him as a weird little brother.

-The hackers hold gatherings in memory(or what little of that memory they even retained. It's mostly secondhand from Nanashi) of Mikado where they commit minor crimes. The gathering was Kotora's idea the crime was Nomiya's.

-Sagara has a journal that she calls the Abyss Tome that's just full of fanfiction and anime drawings of herself and her friends(/enemies). Has a bunch of spell names listed down in it.

-Saaya and Meu are friends! Saaya comes to her for divinations about her love life a lot and just ends up venting. Meu's happy to listen though and tries to comfort her the best she can.

-Speaking of therapy though, Saaya does get therapy sometime post-canon and distances herself from Nanase(while a lot of Nanashi's friendships that start off on the wrong foot have room for growth, the memory thing makes things kind of... weird with her). She's in a much better state by 1beat.

-Saaya writes a lot of poetry.

-Yoh and Sagara are related. Somehow(I did consider nephew at one point but that didn't really pan out).

-So are Hiyu and Arumu. They've got that green hair and funky eyebrows.

-Akuta and Kaori date briefly(well, she's a fan of his work, and he is rich, and while he can't speak multiple languages he is well-spoken, what could go wrong?) which just ends in them breaking up over a disagreement over a book's ending. That was more the final straw though, actually getting to know him put into perspective just how far from her expectations he actually is and she's not super pleased about it. They do stay friends but something something important lesson about your idols being people.

-I feel like I've said somewhere that Kotora leaves the cafe to Rocca when he retires but I need to clarify that Kotora keeps being the cafe guy well into old age and that Rocca would be a whole adult by then.

-Kaori was the youngest of her siblings and only one to stay with her mother, she sees her dad as a good for nothing deadbeat(it wasn't an amicable divorce) and the ordeal heavily influenced how she views romantic relationships as a whole. Grew up somewhat distant from Kotora and their sister but reconnected in adulthood.

-Her "ideal guy" is just the best traits of her favorite book leads cobbled together like some kind of frankenguy. (And she might be internalizing something... who knows)

-The world did enter a more 'cyberpunk dystopia'-esque futuristic state a long time ago and the return to more traditional old timey ways is sort of in response to that, but Yasune is the only one who'd actually lived through it. Although then again the 2nd oldest character in the game is only 36 so...

The post is starting to not process so I'm going to cut it off here.

[thegeminisage]

ok, i'm shifting into zelda mode. i have until friday to finally beat this sucker which i think has actually wound up being a good thing - i was playing less and less of it and less and less often, partly because of time, partly because of brain chemistry, but mostly because i was getting tired of the like. grind. koroks shrines lightroots etc. i don't really want to burn out on totk, so i think if i stop and play pikmin, it will be a nice little break and motivate me to come back to zelda and actually enjoy it instead of just. going through the motions. which is great because i do enjoy this game and i want to remember that i enjoy this game, and also it means i have more of it to enjoy later - at WORST, i will come back for 100% when the inevitable dlc comes out. map fatigue of doing botw twice (nearly 100%ing it the first time, doing it all the way the second time) has been my biggest problem with totk, and it's possible that i will never play either game again (or if i do it will be a very, very, very, VERY long time from now, like at least a decade), so ultimately i'm not mad about stretching it out to make it last longer than just one summer. it's going to be a REALLY long time before we get another zelda. as in, i could very well be in my 40s by then. might as well shorten the wait if i can

anyway the first order of business is to go back and finish the mineru quest. i wanna enjoy actually having her in my party for awhile before i take her to the final boss fight - i should have done it ages ago lol

oh yeah i quit bc of a hinox lol but he was super easy

deeply unfortunate: found several enormous piles of minable rock. which i felt compelled to break all of even though it wasn't fun. the good new is one of them was made of zonaite somaybe soon i can upgrade my battery again

another giant pile of zonaite. im thrilled to have the mats but like...please let me do something else now lol. even mineru's arms have durability. i need my weapons. i've used like 40 bombs. i can't do this with yunobo over and over

also love and light to mineru but she is straight up in my way, and at this point in the game i can't dismiss her. like she wants to be close so she can kneel so i can piggyback and the mech is awesome when im in the mood for it but i am trying to do something. and she makes so many noises also. i think the sages, controlswise, are my least favorite gameplay element of this. they are SO. ANNOYING. i wish there was a limitation where only one could walk around with you at once and the rest were mapped to buttons lol

ok, got it mined. now to the actual spirit temple

aww i like the music here. i like the little lightroot piano cue. i wish i had an actual lightroot lol my hearts have been decimated

little bit worried about this boss.

oh shit i was exploring the arena and fell into the water while riding the mech and now i cant find her?! is she ok......................

oh whew there she is. rip i wanted to go get that big poe...i guess not. i'm sure after the fight i'll be teleported out and even if not it is so much swimming in the dark

oh SHIT evil construct?? DARK MINERU??? why can we have dark mineru but not dark link???

aaaah the old electrified fence arena

i wish i hadnt had to use a rocket to get in here. this fight feels slow and clunky without the benefit of a fan on mineru's back

FOUR ARMS?? OH SHIT WE GOT GENERAL GREIVOUS OVER HERE

GOT HIS ASS

oh my god it's MINERU like it was mineru but now she looks like a person and not a robot

oh god is she gonna give me a CUTSCENE?

like we just got one but am i gonna get another memory

THE

MURAAAAALLLLLLLL

this is breaking so much lore.

NOT THE HYRULE CASTLE THEME

oh a man of great evil here we go show me the boy it's been too long

SCREEEEAM THERE HE LITERALLY IS!!!!!!

oh my god the theme from that very first announcement trailer

THE SHOT FROM THE TRAILERS!!!!!!!

HOLY SHIT ZELDA USING RECALL BABYGIRL YOU ARE SO COOL

YOOOOOOOOO

rauru sealing ganondorf with the fma scar movement. he threw his whole body weight behind that fist 😏

this is gay

IM LOSING MY WHOLE ASS MIND. REMEMBER THIS NAME: LINK. AND THE MAIN THEME STARST PLAYING

AND AT THE BEGINNING. IN THE VERY FIRST CUTSCENE. I REMEMBER SCREAMING OUT LOUD BECAUSE HE RECOGNIZED US. HE REMEMBERED. THE NAME

holy shit. holy shit!!! they literally are just frozen like that just like in my movie pitch <3

ANOTHER cutscene?? i am literally eating

WAHHHH fi's theme

oh im wailing she and mineru love each other so much...neither of them wants to lose the other bc theyve already lost sonia and rauru :(

GOD ZELDA BEING WILLING TO DIE FOR LINK...girl they said you WONT be able to change back ik bc of spoilers that she does but AAAAAA

idk why all the zonai are so long and wiggly. like kaminoans. i don't like it

"even if my body should perish i will be with you in spirit" zelda about to lose mom #4 :(

oh NICE i have unlocked some cool zonaite shopping options...which i refuse to use until i max out my battery, lol

wow. i even got to get those poes

popped out of the spirit temple and was able to grab a lightroot. perfect stopping point bc now i have stuff i have to do lol