#cowboy like me is a story telling masterpiece

[zae-heeyyy]

Pastiche

Summary: You and Arthur escape through writing. Pairing: Arthur Morgan x gn!Reader Word Count: 2,345 Trigger Warning: Tuberculosis, death Tags: angst, sadness, high honor Arthur

a/n: Thanks for you kind words on Chiaroscuro. I've enjoyed writing again so much! I'm in my tragedy era. My hs english teacher's voice haunts me when I'm writing, so I spent a lot of time scrutinizing this. Didn't mean for it to be so long, but I hope you enjoy! Thanks for reading!

pastiche: a work of art or literature that imitates the style or character of another, often as an homage or tribute.

You knew there was something special about Arthur Morgan the day you met him. Despite his best efforts to believe otherwise, he was easy on the eyes, and his dry humor combined with his strong sense of honor sealed your crush on the cowboy. Everybody else could see that he was sweet on you, too, noticing when he pulled you to sit at the fire with him or how he watched you around camp. As more time passed, you'd become mostly inseparable, taking every moment you had to sneak away together. One of your favorite places to escape to was the fields of Little Creek River in Big Valley. You'd be reading a book and glance over to find Arthur staring intently at an animal until it was out of sight. Then he'd open up his journal and sketch it.  He wasn't doing that today, though. He was staring across the field, but you could tell he was elsewhere in his mind.

"Got somethin' to say," his eyes met yours earnestly. When he told you he loved you, a laugh erupted deep from your belly. Dumbfounded, he asked, "The hell is so funny?" his own laugh betraying his attempt to be solemn. It was hilarious to you that he didn't think you already knew that and that he didn't know you absolutely felt the same.

Another day, you were lying in Arthur's lap in the grass. Just the day before, he had returned to camp with bruised knuckles and some poor fool's blood on his face—one of Strauss's clients. You longed for a life where bruised knuckles and loan sharking were distant memories.

"Where would you be if you weren't here," you'd asked, holding his hand in yours. He stroked your thumb with his and gazed over the valley like always.

"Hard to imagine." He mumbled, sounding far away.

You nodded in agreement and replied, "You're always writing or drawing in your notebook. Maybe you could've been an artist or a writer." The thought brought a soft smile to your face, and you imagined, just for a second, a life where Arthur's biggest worry was perfecting his latest masterpiece.

He huffed in dry amusement, "Probably wouldn't have known how to read if it weren't for Dutch and Hosea."

You assented again and sighed, the smile on your face growing wider.

 "Arthur Morgan: author and illustrator." You held your hands up in dramatic fashion as if envisioning the words in front of you. Then you untangled yourself from him and sat up, "You could, you know? It's not too late. Maybe a biography?"

"A story about my life, huh?" He looked at you with a dumb smile, "I think a book about dirt would be more interestin'." He bobbed his head up and down as if nodding made his thought more true. You shoved him playfully, and he raised his eyebrow at you and held out his hands questionly. "What? There's all different kinds of dirt," he started counting on his fingers." Brown dirt, red dirt, hard dirt—"

You cut him off, "I'm serious, Arthur! This life…it ain't one normal folks live." A shit-eating grin crept up his face as he fought not to make another joke at his own expense. He shoved it down and kept listening. "Sure, it's just your life to you, but other people might find it interesting, exciting, even."

He thought for a second, then put his hands in the air, mimicking you, "The Confessions of Arthur Morgan: The Detailed Life of a Gunslinger by Arthur Morgan. Sounds like a Pinkerton's wet dream."

 "I see what you mean," you trail off, fingers playing in the grass. "Could change the name. People publish under a different name all the time. There's a word for that, I think."

"Pseudonym," he responded, his accent thick. "Think it's got one of those silent letters in front." He said it so matter of factly, and it confirmed what you already knew about him: he was far more intelligent than anybody ever gave him credit for. Still, you left the idea alone and thought Arthur had, too.

Then, on another afternoon in the fields near Little Creek River, he spoke out of nowhere. "Arthur Callahan or Tacitus Kilgore?" 

"Hmm?" you asked, barely glancing up from your book.

"For the pen name," he confirmed, scratching his chin thoughtfully. 

From that day on, your trips to Little Creek River became writing sessions. He bought a notebook that you two would trade off, coming up with ideas for the dramatized life of the gunslinger. You'd taken some creative liberties, and the story wasn't exactly a biography anymore. It had shaped into a Western love story. Arthur Callahan, after living a bad life, met someone who made him want to be better, an angel sent to rescue the devil himself. Arthur Callahan would get the perfect ending; a normal life. It was all Arthur's idea. 

"It's not my story; it's ours," he'd told you. 

You had been daydreaming about the possibilities for your novel for some time, but the chaos of life with the gang left little room to focus on it. The sudden move from Horseshoe Overlook to Clemens Point made things worse. Somewhere in the move, the manuscript was lost or destroyed—either way, it was gone. You couldn't hold back your tears during your next trip to Big Valley. Arthur's big hands swallowed your face as his thumbs wiped your tears away.  

"Shhh, we'll rewrite it, sweetheart," he promised.

Despite Arthur's gentle nudges, you couldn't find it in you to rewrite the story. Another day, he'd invited you to ride with him, heading off to your usual spot. He'd asked once more if you were feeling up to writing again. When you rejected the idea, he shook his head, seemingly surrendering. 

"Fine! You're so damn stubborn." There was no malice in his voice, though, and his eyes twinkled a little. "Looks like I gotta take matters into my own hands." Instead of stopping the horse in the fields as usual, Arthur stopped short, cutting into nearby woods. Eventually, he halted outside of the small cabin that was Vetter's Echo and hitched the horse outside. 

"Come on," he said, helping you down. "I've got a surprise for you." You walked up the cabin's steps, and he swung the door open to a small living quarters. "It don't got a back door, and I'm pretty sure the feller living here got mauled by a bear, but it's got one of these things." He gestured to the desk in the corner of the small cabin, a typewriter sitting atop it, "I don't have the first clue about using it." So he left it for you to figure out. He'd sit on a stool beside you, reading from a notebook, and you'd type slowly at first, but as time went on, the keys felt as familiar to you as a gun trigger did to him. 

Then things started falling apart. You'd moved from Horseshoe Overlook to Clemens Point, then to Shady Bell in a matter of weeks. The men went on a job to rob the bank in St. Denis, and most didn't return. You'd forgotten about the manuscript while trying to survive and spent weeks worried about Arthur and everybody else.

Then he came home to you, waterlogged but alive. You'd never felt more relieved. He was skinny and had a persistent cough, blaming it all on his rough journey. But it didn't stop him from finishing the book as promised. He'd write whenever he had a chance, and you'd go back to the little cabin in the woods, you typing and him reading.

Then he couldn't get through a page without coughing. You listened, concern etched on your face as he told you about his coughing spell and subsequent visit to the doctor in the city. Tuberculosis: practically a death sentence. After that, he'd step back when you tried to be close to him and wouldn't let you kiss him or be intimate with him. You spent a lot of time crying while he dipped his head in profound shame. 

Weeks later, he woke you up at night, gently shaking you and whispering to not alert anyone else. "C'mon, get dressed and ride with me." He was serious, his jaw set, his voice low but demanding. You didn't know what was wrong, but dread ran through your veins. You rode far away from camp, mostly in silence, your anxiety not letting you say anything. 

"You're gonna live a good life. "he finally said, breaking the silence. Your eyes stung, and you felt a lump in your throat.

"I don't want to hear this right now, Arthur."

He shook his head, frustrated, and spoke through clenched teeth. "Listen to me." His tone made you flinch. He'd never taken on that tone with you, ever. "This whole thing with Dutch, it's over. You gotta run. Gotta get out and make a good life for yourself." 

You wanted to protest; you weren't going to leave him, not now. But then you saw the waiting stagecoach up ahead. Your heart dropped and shattered into a million pieces. You reached around him to pull the horse's reins, coming to a skidding stop. You hopped down and started shaking your head, frantic in your movements and words. 

"No, Arthur. No."

You wiped away the quickly falling tears as you turned, fast walking, almost running back to that godforsaken camp that was Beaver Hollow. Even in his sickness, it only took Arthur a few big steps to reach you, grabbing you by the waist and turning you to face him. And then you cursed at him, pounded your fists against his chest, and wailed into the night. He just pulled you close to him, squeezing you until you didn't fight anymore. He gave you a stack of cash, made you promise to run, and said he'd come find you after it was all over. But both of you knew, deep down, that you were setting eyes on each other for the last time. He kissed your head. You sobbed into his chest, only letting go when the impatient stagecoach driver beckoned you.

"Never could've imagined I'd know somebody as perfect for me as you." All you could choke out was, "I love you," over and over and over again. He slipped a folded letter into your hand and helped you into the coach filled with your things. He stood silently with his hat in his hands while you rode off into the night. You sobbed for as long as your body let you while the coach took you down to Copperhead Landing.

First, Tilly showed up with Jack, and then Sadie came with Abagail. But then John arrived bearing Arthur's hat and satchel with a look in his eyes so terrible that it brought you to a screaming sob. That night, when everybody had finally settled down to sleep, you slipped away, leaving a note of thanks and well wishes. You were alone then, the way you wanted it to be without Arthur.  

Eight years; it had been eight years since everything went to shit. In eight years, you worked your ass off with any odd jobs you could find. Keeping busy was how you cured your broken heart. You'd tried as hard as you could to forget about the life you'd once lived until you read a headline in the newspaper: MICAH BELL KILLED. The memories flooded back to you, and you returned to a place you hadn't visited in a while. You only kept 2 things from that time: a letter from Arthur and the manuscript you'd written with him. Forged in Fire, you called it. After all this time, you couldn't remember who came up with the name, but you remembered why. You two were like tempered metal; the more you walked through hellfire, the stronger you became.  

Then there was Arthur's letter. You'd read it only once before today.

"Things I wanted to say but did not have the courage to say aloud." was scrawled across the top of the page, followed by a list.

"Keep visiting Big Valley.

Keep writing.

Publish the book.

Watch every sunset.

Trust your gut.

Please, be happy."

You heard his voice through every word. He'd underlined the third point: publish the book. In that moment, you decided to take a leap. You wrote to a publisher and sent a copy of the manuscript. And that's all it took. Things went into a tailspin after that, and before you knew it, you were holding a hard copy of the manuscript you and Arthur had worked on together all that time ago.

You'd made an effort, then, to find Abigail and John and Jack. They were held up at a ranch, Beecher's Hope, and were married now. You caught up with the Marstons and apologized for hastily disappearing all those years ago. They were happy for you, and you for them. 

On your departure, John took your hand, "I don't talk about him much these days, but I don't think he loved anybody like he loved you." He paused for a moment and forced his eyes to meet yours. "He's buried out in Ambarino, near Donner Falls. Top of the mountain. I can take you." You declined John's offer but set out east toward Donner Falls the next day. 

You found him around noon and watched wistfully as an eagle flew from its spot on a rock behind the flowery grave. You fell to your knees, no longer able to control the tears flowing down your face. "I did it, my love," you choked through tears. It'd been a long, long time since you let yourself feel this pain—a longing to reach something impossible. You dabbed the tears away from your eyes and sat in the grass, hugging Forged in Fire to your chest. "Thought I'd read it to you," you spoke into the air. You opened the book, cracked the spine, and read "Chapter One: Heaven's Fall, Hell's Rise."

[copias-sewer-rat]

COPIA'S SEWER RAT RECOMMENDATIONS PT.1

This has been a long time comming! I wanted to take the time to create a long post not only with fic recommendations but also other stuff. The Ghost community is so talented that I needed time to gather all of the amazing projects and ideas that flutter around.

(This even took longer than anticipated because just when it was almost ready some of the authors in this list posted some freaking MASTERPIECES and I needed to add them as well, obviously.)

I plan to do a post like this from time to time with new discoveries, so please if you don't follow/know these creators, please check them out. Furthermore, if there is someone you think I have missed or that you would like for me to check out, please, let me know. I am always eager to know more amazing creators.

(please be aware that some of the fics and artists I will be talking about write some very nasty, yet amazing, stories/art so please always check their tags and tws before diving in).

next part | my masterpost

📝WRITING

Let's start with one of the backbones of this amazing community: @da-rulah and her gorgeous and deliciously nasty fics. Please go read Rituale Septem and Confessional if you haven't already. Her hcs and drabbles are also so so good, you should read everything she has written, you won't be dissapointed.

Now, the wonderful, amazing writer that is @her-satanic-wiles. I have become her personal and most ardent supporter this October (if you could not tell by how much I have reblogged and liked her stuff smh). Her Kinktober challenge this year has been an absolute delight so I leave you with her mastrerlist so you can check her out on your own.

Now, my beloved, the amazing writer that is @writingjourney with my favourite fic to date I Knew Nothing but Shadows. I honestly get such joy when she posts, it is pure perfection. She puts such detail in her writing that it always makes me so incredibly happy to read her stuff. I also leave you with her masterlist, please check her out! UPDATE: SHE JUST POSTED THE MOST PERFECT VAMPIRE SECONDO FIC, you must read it: Friday Nights at the Vinothek.

The great @bupia is next!!!! I honestly adore everything they write. My personal favs are Barista Preferita, Love Letter, Bloodlust, their kinktober series and their new work is Serendipity. I am always in awe with how they write honestly. I want to be y/n so much with their fics (lol, cringe). Please read everything of theirs!

How can I not mention the absolute, amazingly talented, cowboy lover that is @ramblingoak ??? Her whole universe of cowboys (I love cowboys like yeehaw all day you know?) is honestly one of my favs, AND THE WAY SHE WRITES, let me tell you, the DETAILS, the EMOTIONAL backstories, THE ROMANCE, THE DRAMA?! Please go read The Cardinal's Bride and the other stories of the same au if you haven't done so already. You are missing out on one of the best AUs this fandom has to offer. UPDATE: A NEW FIC?! SKATING COPIA?! TIGHT SUITS?! Need I say anything else? Go read her new series: Copia on ICE!

Then, @molly-ghuleh !! I just started reading her stuff and now I cannot stop?! Camellia is SO GOOD you must read it!! It deserves much more attention!!! THE DETAILS?? The love at first sight trope leaving me in shambles???!!! I am seriously invested and I cannot recommend her more! GO! NOW!

Next, my lovely ghestie @discountdemonwarehouse/@eyeslikelilith who is so funny and so so nasty😈💜! Please go follow her here and on Ao3 for her amazing fics (I love her WWDITSxGhost fic What We Do In The Ministry the most hehehehe iykyk)

@leezlelatch and her amazing drabbles bring me so much joy, please go check her out and read everthing she posts, it is wonderful and insanely entertaining. (I cannot choose only one recommendation help, read everything!!!)

What can I say about @earthry other that she is amazing and I that I am obsessed with her drabbles and asks? I have read Watermelon Kisses so many times that you could lock me up.

Go check @zombie-rott out in general! Her stories are very comforting and nice!!! AND THE WAY SHE WRITES??? I love love love it. I highly recomend reading Pawprints, it is adorable, you should ckeck it out.

Please go read @bethbruttenholm's Seduce Me... I fell in love with this fic, so so good, and her writing is *chef's kiss*.

@anamelessfool in general is a master, like, her Omega3 fics are so nice *wink*, extra kudos for Reciprocity muhahahaha (it is delicious)

AAAAAA @gravehags and her curator!reader x copia series??? I AM ABSOLUTELY OBSESSED? THE HALLOWEEN CHAPTER? I WAS GRINNING LIKE A MADWOMAN ALL THE TIME. She also writes a lot about the Ghouls and Ghoulettes and it is SO SO NICE!

@the-curator1 In The Darkness of your Dreams ??? AN ABSOLUTE MASTERPIECE oh my Satan, I LOVE LOVE IT!!!

🎨ART

This list is going to be long and I don't want to sound like a broken record or make this post eternal (because I could talk about all of them for ages if you let me) so I will make only a big recommendation for the following artists:

@vogelfreyh

@piaart

@vanmec

@comfysanda

@nocterish/@nocturnal-birb

@sirlsplayland

@risunsky

@blanchebees

@mardyart

@meowsaidmissy

@forgelokid

@novaiisk

@nekronyancer

@delulluart

@yollur

@quaildoodle

@oranpo

@doodleshrimps

@kabukiaku

@thew0man

@blackbird5154

Please, check all of them. They deserve all the recognition they can get. I adore how much love and effort they put in their art, WIPS or whaterver they decide to make. Every single one of them inspires me so much, I cannot explain with words how proud I feel to be able to look at their creations and share a community or even an interest with such talented creators.

👻OTHERS

This is the one that needs more creators. I need to find projects, creators that do other things such as theorising, gifs, big projects, whatever. Please, give me your suggestions and I will check them out and add them in following entries.

For now, I leave you with a couple of amazing people that deserve all the praise:

@stressghoul I honestly follow her EVERYWHERE. I love her tiktoks so much, she is so funny. The Brittany Brosky of the Ghost community you could say.

@slavghoul If you need any questions solved about our dear Satanic papas, go follow Slav. I have never seen a more dedicated person with such an amazing brain, it is honestly so inpiring to see what they have to say every single time. By the way, also check their videos on all the little isolated parts from Ghost songs, does not fail on lifting my feet from the ground as if possessed, every-single-time. You can check all the videos here.

@kabukiaku again??? YES! WHY?! BECAUSE I ADORE HER PAPA PLUSHIES I THINK THEY ARE THE CUTTEST!!!!

Lastly, I wanted to mention a YouTube creator that is making orchestral versions of Ghost songs. I found an orchrestral version of DATHOML on Tiktok and I had to find the whole song. Please check them out because they are doing more and it is amazing. Jamie Turton.

[mermaidgirl30]

Wip Wednesday!

Thanks for the tag @evolnoomym 🩵 This week I’ve been finishing up the first chapter of Saddle Me Up, Cowboy and started on the second chapter of Saving What Was Lost.

1. Cowboy! Joel

“My, my. You got your hands full. Don’t you, Cowboy?” you blush, fluttering your eyelashes flirtatiously up at him. You like him even more now.

“Reckon I do,” he chuckles, his thumb tracing light circles against the back of your hand, eliciting goosebumps down your arms.

“Too full to handle one more thing?” you question, giving him your best puppy dog eyes that you can manage.

He shakes his head and smiles warmly. “If that one thing is you then ‘course not. Got all the room for you, darlin’.”

2. Ch 2 of Saving What Was Lost

When he returns and sets the bottle of creamer and a shaker of sugar down in front of you, you crack. A tear slips down your cheek, and you look up at him through glassy eyes. “I can’t remember what I loved to do before they—before they took me. My hobbies, my passions, my likes. I just don’t remember…” Your voice is barely audible as it shakes beneath your broken stature.

God, you’re so broken.

His jaw flexes and his knuckles tighten into closed fists. He seems angry, but those sad brown eyes tell a different story. He’s not mad at you; he’s furious about the ones that took your life away. The murders that tainted and destroyed your life, your mind, your heart. They took everything from you, and Joel knows this. He hates it as much as you do.

He takes a deep breath and relaxes his fingers against the cold material of the kitchen island, his brown eyes focused directly on you. His bottom lip twitches, and then he sighs as he speaks. “It’s gonna take a while, sweetheart. Gonna take time and work to remember what it was you loved before, what you lost. But I have no doubts that you’ll get ‘em back. You’re gonna discover new loves, new passions, new hobbies. And trust me when I say that you will thrive. One day, you’re gonna be soarin’, and all this pain and sufferin’ will be gone. Maybe not completely, but you’re gonna fly, sweetheart. Wings and all.”

Another tear escapes your lash line, and you nod up at him slowly. “Thank you…” is all you can muster out of your highly emotional state. Thoughts are hard after he just painted a masterpiece with his words.

You’re gonna fly, sweetheart. The words stay sealed in a safe space deep inside your mind. No one can take what he just said away from you. Words that were spoken straight from your savior. Words meant just for you. Wings and all.

No pressure tags 🩵 @joelstummy @tonysopranosrobe @pedrospatch @alltheirdamn @katiexpunk

@burntheedges @mountainsandmayhem @magpiepills @almostfoxglove @almostempty

@aurorawritestoescape @milla-frenchy @thundermartini @yxtkiwiyxt @604to647 @syd-djarin

[juletheghoul]

a/n: I started writing fanfic when I was in my teens, typing away into the night as a way to feel connected to my faves. Eventually I stopped, maybe convinced myself that I'd grown out of it, but that definitely wasn't the case. Truth is the stories have always been there, and I've always wanted to tell them. I'm happy to have found my way back to fanfic, back to the sense of community and all those other amazing fucking stories that I've read here. I've been lucky enough to have my things put on rec lists and now I want to make one of my own. I've been compiling a list of submissions, along with some of my faves and I offer them up to you, humbly. This list in no way encompasses all of the masterpieces I've read, just doing my best with the shitshow that is my memory lol. I am beyond lucky to have reached such a wild milestone, thanks for following along-please enjoy and show these creators some love!

Story recs;

Each story will have it's own warnings**

Jack Whiskey Daniels;

Under Marula Trees (Jack x F!Reader) by @deadhumourist

Cognitive Dissonance (Jack x F!reader) by @prolix-yuy

The Cowboy Next Door (Jack x virgin!freader) by @ikissdin

Javier Peña;

Learning to Live (Javier Peña/f!reader) by @wheresarizona

Fear and Loathing (Javier Peña x F!Reader) by @joels6strings

Lie to Me (Javier Peña x DEA Agent fem reader) by @iamskyereads

Mailroom Crush (Javier Peña x f!reader) by @littlemisspascal

Girl Next Door (Javier Peña x f!reader) by @babybugwrites

Teach Me Tonight (Javier Peña x F!DEA!Reader) by @storiesofthefandomlovers 

Dieter Bravo;

Funny Girl (Dieter x F!Reader) by @radiowallet

Stay on the Screenplay (Dieter x F!Reader) by @jazzelsaur

Love Triangles (Dieter Bravo x Female Reader) by @littlemisspascal

Morning (Porn star Dieter x Porn star reader) by @write-and-buried

Dave York;

Appreciation (Dave x F!Reader) by @pedropascalsx

My Girl (Dave York x f!reader x Francisco “Catfish” Morales) by @foli-vora

Family Fun Series (Dave York x F!Nanny!Reader x Carol York) by @absurdthirst

Rare (Dave York x fem reader) by @ezrasbirdie

Din Djarin;

Take Me to Church (Din Djarin/Reader Western AU) by @frannyzooey

Vibes (Din x F!Reader) by @mandoblowmybackout

Boxer Din Series (Boxer Din Djarin x Masseuse Fem!Reader) by @djarinsbeskar

Like a Moth to the Flame (monster!Din x F!reader) by @the-scandalorian

A Brush of Life (Hades!Din x f!reader) by @charnelhouse

Pero Tovar;

Ego & Black Powder (Pero x F!Reader) by @psychedlic-ink

The Wolf Series (Werewolf!Pero Tovar x F!Reader) by @absurdthirst

Frankie Morales;

Weeknights (Frankie Morales x F!reader) by @frannyzooey

Please To Meet You (Frankie x F!Reader) by @intheorangebedroom

Still of the Night (Frankie xF!reader) by @foli-vora

Joel Miller;

West (Joel Miller x Third Person Female) by @radiowallet

September (Joel x f!reader) by @wheresarizona

Pedro Across The Street (Calls)

Good Things Take Time (PATS x f!reader) by @oonajaeadira

Masterlists;

@novemberrain-writes - masterlist

@thisishellfire - Pedro masterlist

@foli-vora - masterlist

@wheresarizona - masterlist

@frannyzooey - masterlist

@oonajaeadira - masterlist

@psychedelic-ink - masterlist

@nexusnyx - masterlist

@wardenparker - masterlist

@loversandantiheroes - masterlist

@whiskeynwriting - masterlist

@pedros-mustache - masterlist

@writer-darling - masterlist

@mothandpidgeon - masterlist

@littlepadika - masterlist

@pedropascalsx - masterlist

@absurdthirst - masterlist

@just-here-for-the-moment - masterlist

[lewmagoo]

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆ ringing in the new year ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

here’s to 2022

what a year it’s been. among everything that has taken place, one of the best decisions i made was creating this blog. in my 13+ years in fandom and different writing communities, none of them have ever been as warm or welcoming as this one. the response my writing has gotten has been overwhelming in the best way. many of you are so quick to leave comments and words of encouragement and it means more than you could ever know.

as a thank you for all the love and support, i wanted to highlight some of my favorite fics of the year. this is by no means an extensive list, and i'm sure i will miss some, because there's no way i could highlight every single great story i've read. there are too many fantastic writers in this community for me to do so.

without further adieu:

leah's 2022 library

robert floyd fics

my love, forever collection by @robertcallsignbobfloyd - this series is heart wrenching and beautiful. i find myself thinking about it again from time to time and wishing i could read it from the beginning all over again and experience all the emotions it made me feel for the first time. truly a masterpiece.

navy boy, country girl by @clints-lucky-arrow - this fic turned my world upside down, let me tell you. i love the idea of bob as a cowboy. and the line "But I hear that you’ve become quite the cowgirl. So, do what you do best, darlin’. Ride." quite literally sent me into another plane of existence. such a sexy story. delicious, really.

weather the storm by @wildbornsiren - this is such a sweet story. heartbreaking in the best way. this line: He nods, and you can feel the wet spot on your shirt from his tears. “You’re a safe place.��� truly touched me deep within my soul. just a wonderful piece of writing, truly.

morning after by @mothdruid - this one is just too good. little bit of humor sprinkled throughout. also, great proponent of the #bobfucks agenda. i had such a good time reading this, and often find myself rereading it.

no shame by @beachbabey - i really have no words. just, bob with a mommy kink. what more could you ask for? gosh it's just such a fun read, and the way he's just so subby and sweet the whole time? i could die

the phone call by @sebsxphia - the anguish in this story is just so heart wrenching. it's short and to the point but manages to make you feel so many emotions at once while reading it. such a good, angsty read

rhett abbott fics

the trouble with books by @hederasgarden - god this is just so HOT. got me all flustered and warm under the collar. it never gets old, even after i've read it multiple times. i can't even describe how much i loved every minute of it (as well as part 2), you just have to read it for yourself and see.

stand by your man by @a-reader-and-a-writer - so, so good. such a great depiction of hurt/comfort. also does a great job of showcasing rhett's stubbornness. i reread this from time to time and always enjoy myself.

horsemanship by @bradshawsbitch - one of my all time favorite rhett fics! i love, love, love the idea of rhett owning a stubborn mare who only likes him and no one else. god it just makes my heart sing. i will forever adore the idea that he is soft with animals. anyway, this entire story was just such a wonderful read.

please by @h0neyfire - this is just delicious. i enjoyed every minute. just the thought of breaking rhett down and getting him all needy and desperate and pliant for you? fuck, i need to lie down.

bradley bradshaw fics

running series by @lcahwriter - this series will forever be one of my favorites. the way trauma is portrayed in this story is so gripping. sometimes, stories like this can sometimes be over dramatic or sensationalized, but this story is none of those things. very tastefully done. the moment i read the first part i was hooked.

skyrockets in flight, afternoon delight by @gretagerwigsmuse - if i were to truly say how this fic made me feel, it would just be a bunch of unintelligible keyboard smashing, because holy shit. it's so damn sexy. one of those stories you can't stop thinking about long after you've read it.

the better man by @bradshawsbaby - i really loved the way the tables were turned in this story. usually it's bradley defending the reader from some asshole's unwanted attention, but this showcased what might take place if it were the other way around and bradley's girl was defending him. such an enjoyable piece, i had such a good time reading it.

idle time by @hangmanbrainrot - the angst in this story just touches something deep within my soul. such a great depiction of bradley's struggles while he has time off. it was something so relatable and personal to me.

jake seresin fics

i and love and you by @halfway-happyyy - this one hurt so good. the way hurt and betrayal is portrayed in this is so emotionally stirring. this story fully made me cry as i was reading it. so worth the read.

who did this to you? by @justfandomwritings - this is probably one of my favorite stories born out of the who did this to you? trope. the situation is portrayed so well. it's not over the top either. very well done.

fair game by @sunlightmurdock - when i tell you this one knocked me the fuck out!!! my jaw dropped. SO good. if you love drama you will LOVE this. jake is such a bitch and it's wonderful.

if devotion is a river (then i'm floating away) by @seasonsbloom - i'm at a bit of a loss for words with this one. it is truly breathtaking. every time i read it, it's like i'm reading it for the first time all over again. it's like reading poetry. absolutely wonderful.

there are so many more i could mention, but this post would never end if i did so, so i'll keep it brief. thank you all for your contributions. such talented, talented people.

extra shoutout to my lovely mutuals 🥰

@withahappyrefrain @wildbornsiren @rhettabbotts @roosterforme @roostache @robertcallsignbobfloyd @rooster-bradshaw @thesluttyarchivist @theharddeck @topguncortez @top-gun-rooster @imjess-themess @sebsxphia @sunlightmurdock @shouldershimmycity @floyd-luvr @gretagerwigsmuse @glodessa @halfway-happyyy @hangmanapologist @hausofobsession @hangmanbrainrot @lcahwriter @victoriapedrcttis @bobfloydsbabe @bussyslayer333 @bebetriste @notyoursbutlewis @notroosterbradshaw @mothdruid @mayhem24-7forever @milesmillergf ✨

[pinkie-satan]

Heyhey!

What’re some of your favorite anime or just story genres out there, and what’re some you’d recommend?

Hi! thanks for the ask :3

my favourite animanga (apart from When They Cry cuz you know already it's my absolute fav piece of fiction ever!) are:

Claymore -amazing story with swords lesbians fighting evil monsters while discovering the importance of friendship, anime may not be the very best but i still enjoyed it, manga however, absolute masterpiece! it's art! anime covers like a half of the manga and ends differently so i'd recommend skipping last few episodes and checking out the manga

Cowboy Bebop- you probably know this one, it's an old classic, i really like the nostalgic vibes it gives, every episode is named after a song, you can discover some cool music! see u space cowboy!

Nana-the story of my teenage years, it still makes me very emotional! two girls who just turned 20 start their adult lives in the big city and things just don't go well, like typically when you're a young adult right? the soundtrack and songs from the anime are still ones of my most beloved music ever. anime covers 3/4 of the manga and manga was never finished 💔 i still hope ai yazawa will finish it one day!

Revolutionary Girl Utena- a story that changed me forever, everytime i rewatch it i discover something new about it, the masterpiece of allegories and subtext, the icon, the legend

my other favs are: Evangelion, Hellsing Ultimate, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Madoka Magica, Princess Tutu and Shingeki no Kyojin

if you know some of it or will watch some tell me your thoughts, dear moot! 💙

[edwardcaprifolium]

Very true, my good fellow.

Watanabe is my favorite anime director, his work never fails to move me. I made it a ritual of mine to re-watch his animes every year, so here is a list so you may give it a go if you're interested.

Samurai Champloo

This story is about three characters journeying together through Edo period Japan. As you may have noticed in Cowboy Bebop, music plays an important part in Watanabe's art. Samurai Champloo is set during the Edo period but adds an interesting twist: hip-hop. Check out the opening to get a sense of the aesthetic!

By the way, the soundtrack isn't limited to hip-hop. It also has some gut-wrenching folk tunes - possibly inspired by Ainu and Ryukyuan traditional music.

Some political commentary.

It's a comedy, and it's absolutely hilarious. Though to be fair, some of the jokes haven't aged well...

Beware, however, though comedic in nature, this show will surprise you with abrupt shifts in tone and the complexity of its characters.

Finally, to French speakers: Regardez le doublage français, la traduction est très naturelle! De plus, c'est à mon sens la meilleure interpréation du personnage de Jin.

Kids on the Slope

This one is set in the 60's and revolves around two teenagers bonding over jazz.

Great soundtrack, as one would expect from Yoko Kano. See video for reference.

Unlike the other animes on this list, this is not an original work but an adaptation of the eponymous manga.

If you're into slice of life go ahead.

Terror in Resonance (ZNT)

Here is an excerpt from the Wikipedia summary: "In an alternative iteration of the present, two teenage boys who go by the names Nine and Twelve steal a prototype atomic bomb in an apparent terrorist attack. Calling themselves "Sphinx" (スピンクス, Supinkusu), they upload a video onto the Internet and threaten to destroy Tokyo unless a cryptic riddle can be solved."

I know the premise sounds completely wild but I promise you it is so much more than that.

Action, feels, political commentary (even more so than in Samurai Champloo).

It is hard for me to properly recommend this one. I feel like no matter what I type, it'll never do justice to this masterpiece. This is my absolute favorite anime - with Cowboy Bebop coming a close second. I keep on watching it, year after year, in hopes of understanding what makes it so special. I still haven't figured it out.

Here is how I should convince you to give it a go. Listen to the soundtrack. It is by Yoko Kano (again) and it is very versatile in terms of genre. You may find it here on SoundCloud.

If you watch it, I hope you'll be able to put words on it better than me.

Cowboy Bebop

The one and only (let us all forget about this cursed live-action adaptation).

Doesn't need much of an introduction. It is indeed what gets most people into Watanabe's work.

I recommend the English dub. I mean, it is - with Black Lagoon - one of the best English anime dubs.

Let it speak to your existential angst.

Carole & Tuesday

Two girls pursuing a musical career on Mars.

I admit the ending disappointed me. The series was building up some high stakes, but the main plot line resolved itself too easily. Yet, there is something oddly comforting and touching about it.

Space Dandy

Space Dandy is about a crew of broke alien hunters hunting well... aliens. Check the intro it'll tell you everything you need to know. That aside, it explores the concept of alternate universes.

The overall tone is comparable to Samurai Champloo's: it'll make you laugh, and sometimes, it'll just keep glued to your screen, completely silent.

It's pretty experimental and fun.

The first season consists of episodic adventures. They only develop the plot in the second season, but at least it wraps up better than Carole & Tuesday.

Conclusion

Here it is. His work deserves a bit more recognition - especially ZNT. If you liked Bebop, take a pick, I'll be worth your while.

cowboy bebop is a gateway drug to everything shinichirō watanabe has ever directed

[blinky-skyd]

just got to try the testfire demo!! some liveblogging & notes below, they dont include everything cus i made this just for fun :]  spoilers!! 

-u can push jellies around :D they make bloopier sounds

-we have new voice lines and returning voice lines! (the new veemo is so CUTEEEE)

-feels great to just. climb up the stairs and have more platforming areas (not rlly platforming but like. jump on top of things)

-THERE IS SO MUCH LITTERINGGGGGGG

-the animation of the inklings/octolings dancing while recording w their phones is so cute

-multiplayer maps and modes have been updated! has a new ring now

-AHH GRIZZCO MY BELOVED (its closed)

-theres....a creepy octoling outside of grizzco w the weirdest animation LOL like slouching and rubbing their hands together NINTENDO WHAT IS THIS

-murch in-game is so... i kinda love him

-I SAW THE IDOLS!!!! they have a director jelly there surprisingly! their animations are incredible expressive.... like u can tell theyre telling each other stories, laughing, moving, gesturing & reacting in different ways, i love it so much, i could watch it for hours. fryes ears wiggle when she shakes her head im crying

-THERES SO MANY CLOSED OFF AREAS LET ME INNNN

-SHELDIEEEEE I MISSED UUUU UR SHOP LOOKS INCREDIBLE

-omg harmonys voice....AAA SHE SOUNDS LIKE A VOCALOID

-the entrance to hotlantis sounds so nice too, kept going back and forth for the sound

-the music inside gnarly eddies shop....actual masterpiece

-i wasnt sold on this dude as much before but i rlly dig eddie. and his snail

- A......THATS MR COCOS VOICE !?!?!??!

-oh hes sweet.....he tallks to u so sweetly like a gentle giant. ilu mr coco

-UGH LET ME TALK TO MR GRIZZZZZZZZZZ IDC ABOUT PLAYING HE CAN TELL ME IM LOW LEVELED TOO FOR ALL I CARE

-holy smokes the changing gear menu loads so much faster now

-OHH we get free weapons, headgear and shoes! for shirts tho we only get the splatfest tee and the torn up shirt

-it doesnt make a noise when u zoom in/out on gear in this :(

-we have new gear and old gear! THERES A COWBOY HAT CALLED HOWDY HAT?!?!?!?!?!?

-the inkbrush and octobrush jiggle so much when u switch to them 😳

-SLOSHER IS GLITTERY........AAA

-the single emote u get is different for every weapon type omg.. i need a video of all of them compiled. but this means that future emotes all will be different as well based on the weapon? maybe

-THE BRELLA POSE IS SO COOL

-some of these animations are ridiculous cus they like pause mid air to shoot. i love it

-ive concluded that octos need more hairstyles stat

-ive done all that the game allows me so far, now im gonna go stare at everything and every detail closer and analyze it for myself. good nighte

[postwarlevi]

I LOVE YOUR WRITING!

Your morning aura series never fails to put a smile on my face. And your stories about Levi and Jean are always so sweet. You are fabulous.

Have a cookie and know I love you lots!

Soooooooo!!!! What would yours and Jeans/Levi's wedding day be like? 👀

I'm imagining beautiful like a golden age Hollywood movie. ❤️💕

Hello my wonderful sweet lovely friend <3 Hows it going??

Thank you for the kind words! I'm so glad you like the post its. If they were only real *le sigh* hehe omgggg the 100th note is coming I need to do something special!!

Okay I REALLY need to get this 4 part self ship wedding post started one day haha.

But, I imagine Jean and I having a country wedding with cowboy hats and boots for the bridesmaids and dogs and horses involved. It's a sweet outdoor event in front of a huge barn and the reception inside with all the doors open to get outside light.

During the first dance there's a sudden planned flash mob (is that what its called at weddings?) that include songs like the Electric Slide lol Sasha and Connie are right there with us!

Then the girls break out into Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy and it gets just a teeny weensy bit naughty but not really lol OH and the cake ahhh its a yummy iced vanilla blueberry masterpiece!

With Levi is would be more old fashion and traditional. I do the something old and new and borrowed and blue. Kuchel let me borrow a ring she got from her mother and Kenny gives me an old cravat of Levis (crying?? NO). I have a little blue in with most of my purple theme flowers, and Sasha bought me my something new with a simple silver headband that goes with my vail!

Our vows are the usual with the omitted 'obey', my wedding ring is an antique silver and we get rice tossed at us when we go by (Levi is...accepting lol). The cake is not as traditional, it's beautiful with 3 tiers, but it's a naked (no outside frosting, only a bit between layers) spiced apple. I tell Levi I want one every year!

[animebw]

Short Reflection: Space Dandy Season 1

There is no anime creator I struggle more with than Shinichiro Watanbe. Intellectually, I understand why his work is so acclaimed, and I respect the immense talent and craft that goes into everything he produces. But time and time again, his shows just fail to connect with me. Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo, for all their impressive qualities, always seemed to keep me at a distance, admiring them like art pieces behind a thick glass window instead of welcoming me into their beating, bleeding heart. They’re whirlwind showcases of some of the most technically gifted artists working in this medium, yet very little of that talent struck a chord in me beyond “Well, that was interesting.” And when his work does capture something that speaks to me, like the fatalistic beauty of Zankyou no Terror or the heartfelt whimsy of Carole and Tuesday, it’s marred by a messy script that fails to do justice to such immaculate vibes. Watanabe is a man of many talents, but he’s never been able to truly win my heart. Maybe one of these days, he’ll finally make something I can wholly love the way I want to. But it’s not gonna happen today, and unless the second season is significantly better, it’s not gonna be with Space Dandy.

Okay, calling Space Dandy a Watanabe show may be a tad misleading. The actual director is Shingo Natsume, who would later become famous for the fantastic first season of One Punch Man and the immensely captivating art-house masterpiece Sonny Boy. Watanabe’s role on this show is more as a creative overseer, bringing together as many talented people as he possibly can and letting them loose to do whatever the hell they want. Which, yeah, that collaborative freedom has always been a big part of his creative process, but Space Dandy takes that concept farther than anything else he’s worked on. The only consistency is the premise and core cast: it’s the far reaches of outer space, humans and aliens live side by side, and our protagonists, similar to the Bebop crew are a bunch of down-on-their-luck bounty hunters, though in their case, they’re only hunting rare and undiscovered alien species. Dandy is a lecherous slacker who goes with the flow and wants to spend all his money and cash at a restaurant chain that’s essentially just Hooters in space. Meow is a cat-like alien loser who’s basically freeloading off Dandy’s ship. QT, the ship’s sentient robot vacuum and engineer, acts as the straight man to the other’s antics. There’s also some purposefully poorly defined big galactic war going on somewhere in the background, and a team of recurring villains from one of those armies are pursuing Dandy for reasons neither we nor he are aware of. I imagine this will become more relevant in season 2, but for now, it’s just an excuse to have a Team Rocket-style bumbling villain squad pop in every now and then to spice things up. They’re my favorite characters in the show, and I always enjoyed seeing them pop up.

Aside from that, though? The name of the game is freedom, baby. Each episode is helmed by a different creative team, and those teams are given free reign to take that cast, setting, and premise in whatever direction they damn well please. The first episode even ends with the main characters dying in a planetary explosion, only for them to show up next episode like it never happened. If nothing else, it’s a very effective way of setting expectations: this is not a show you come to for tight continuity or lasting consequences. This is a show you watch to see how each different team of talented anime artists chooses to interpret the broad strokes of Space Dandy as a concept. What kind of story will they tell? What animation style will they use? What kind of tone will they try to set? The universe is a big place, after all, and there’s no telling what kind of wild and imaginative situations this crew might find themselves in. The only limits are what the people behind each episode can dream up.

And to its credit, Space Dandy really does showcase that diverse creativity. No two episodes feel exactly the same, and each creator puts their own unique touch in ways both subtle and obvious. Some episodes lean into the goofier, cartoony side of Dandy’s world, all ridiculous alien designs and exaggerated character animation. Others lean harder into extraterrestrial awe and existentialism, with evocative camerawork and heavily stylized animation. Some are relatively normal affairs, while others are completely off the walls. At one point, Dandy literally surfs the dust of an exploding planet. At another, he and his entire crew, robot QT included, turn into zombies and grapple with the question of how to keep living once you’re dead. Then there’s episode 9, directed by future Science Saru producer Eun-Yeong Choi, which dives full-tilt into Masaaki-Yuasa-style abstraction in animation for one of my favorite episodes of the bunch. And just to drive that sense of diversity home, my other favorite episode, episode 10, is one of the series’ most grounded episodes, using the classic “stuck in a time loop“ trope as a metaphor to explore the apathy and wanderlust of growing up in some backwater town where every day is the same anyway. That willingness to experiment with mood and style is Watanabe’s strongest skill, and honestly, Space Dandy’s freeform world is probably the best fit for it yet. Unlike with Champloo and Bebop, no episodes feel tonally dissonant, because every episode is equally free from expectations of any sort. The creators can all just go in whatever direction they want, and the universe is easily big enough to handle all those different visions at once.

Unfortunately, this is also where the problems come on. Because with any anthology series, especially one with as loose continuity as Space Dandy, your enjoyment is gonna come down to how much you enjoy each episodic story on its own terms. And to be blunt, there’s a lot of episodes in Space Dandy that are just kinda “meh” at best. Episode 3 is a mostly uninteresting take on the “sexy alien lady is secretly a bloodthirsty monster” trope. Episode 5 is an even more paint-by-numbers “Dandy travels with a feisty kid and becomes her surrogate dad for a time” story. Episode 7 is about Dandy getting jealous over a narcissistic pretty boy getting all the girls and entering in a spaceship race to try and beat him. These storylines were already getting trite back in Bebop’s time, and they’ve only become less interesting since then. And that’s probably my biggest issue with Watanabe’s work as a whole: for all his visual and cinematic imagination, he rarely applies that same level of imagination to his actual storytelling. I’ve seen so many versions of the stories he chooses to tell, and he never tells them in an interesting enough way to make them fresh again. Maybe it reads less chiche to Japanese audiences who aren’t as familiar with the Western storytelling tropes Watanabe likes to draw on, but they mostly just leave me cold.

Of course, Champloo and Bebop at least had effortlessly cool main characters to try and pick up the slack where the storytelling fell short. Which brings me to Space Dandy’s other critical flaw: Dandy himself. Remember when I described him as lecherous a few paragraphs ago? Yeah, sadly, that comes with all the baggage you might imagine. He’s never an outright sexual harassment lawsuit waiting to happen, but my god, I didn’t even last two episodes before I wanted to slap the shit out of him. It is exhausting spending time in his meathead mind, listening to him wax poetic about boobs and butts while dreaming about going back to that titty restaurant again. it’s the equivalent of being stuck at some obnoxious college party with a drunk frat bro spewing chauvinistic slop at you like he thinks it’s “funny” and assumes you’ll find it funny too. Which maybe wouldn’t be as frustrating if there were some interesting female characters to offset Dandy’s piggishness, but nope. Basically every female character in this show is either a brainless bimbo, a walking pinup, a damseled maiden, or that one evil temptress who seduces men to kill and eat them I mentioned earlier. So the show basically treats women the same way Dandy thinks of women, and that’s just not a pleasant thought stream to be a part of. At least Faye Valentine and Fuu got to kick some ass every once in a while.

I don’t hate Space Dandy’s first season. Frankly, I don’t even dislike it. But it’s the weakest of Watanave’s work I’ve seen thus far, and it’s representative of why his stuff just keeps bouncing off me. Hopefully the second season, as with Bebop and Champloo, will bring it to a strong enough finish that I still find it an overall worthwhile experience. But until then, I give season 1 a score of:

5.5/10

Onward to season 2 I go. See you next time!

[caesaryoulater]

The end of the year is approaching, so I thought I’d post some of the fics that I really loved this year. I came back to Tumblr and fanfiction after being away for about 4 years. It wasn’t something that I anticipated, but I’m so glad to be back. It’s my goal to be much better with reading and writing next year. If you’ve had any favorites, please feel free to send those my way as well!

Bread, Salt, Wine, and Tender Loving Care and Of Comfort Foods and Lightning Bugs and Midnight Dances by @dusted-souls /  KyberHearts_And_StardustSouls on ao3 - These are two fics that are tied together, so they both have to be mentioned. The first is a beautiful glimpse into friendship and sickness and what that means for said friendship. Bucky Barnes is shown to be a supportive, kind friend. It is so clear how much of herself Vonny puts into this and god it’s amazing. Be ready for some tears. The follow up is incredibly sweet and has something for all my fellow Sam Wilson lovers out there. Also browse through some of her other Bucky fics, because they’re all incredible.

As It Should Be by @wordsnwhiskey - What can I even say about this? Its a damn masterpiece. Not only are the characters incredibly well written, but you are really in the middle of all the action that takes place. I’m often on the edge of my seat. And jesus fucking christ, the poly representation? YES! You truly feel the love between Frankie, Jack, and the reader together. It’s so genuine for all three and there’s such understanding. I feel like it’s not something I see often and I’m constantly in awe of how great of a relationship it is. You can go and catch up on B’s other Jack fics. They honestly make me love that stupid cowboy.

Black Velvet by @im-poe-dameron / @moonlight-prose - Look, this fucking 80′s bartending Din Djarin lives in my head rent-fucking-free. It’s sexy, it’s angsty, its goddamn beautiful. This is the type of story that just sticks with you. It’s a part of you after reading it. Like your own damn lived memories, but you know, unfortunately they’re not. But it’s just so real. I’m also using this opportunity to tell you to read Jameson’s Bucky fics (really any of her fics...). It’s exactly how I aspire to write Bucky, exactly how imagine him.

Space Age Love Song by @mishasminion360 -  Just a really sweet story of a fish out of water crash landing into our main character’s life. Watching Din be completely out of his element but trying is incredibly sweet. I really love the OC, Sara. She’s sweet and compassionate, but she’s also sure of herself and what she wants. I appreciate a good, strong female character that is still vulnerable and caring.

Distraction by @the-queen-of-fools - Really, any of her sub!Dave fics. I love the care she takes with the subject matter. The warnings and explanations at the beginning are a great touch. They’re such great representation for non-toxic/abusive BDSM relationships. Like I said, the care is there but without losing any sexiness. 

Frankie Morales ficlet by  @silverwolf319 - Just a short and sweet little fic about a morning after with Frankie. Its so lovely and who wouldn’t love a morning like this with Mr. Morales?

Santiago Garcia ficlet by @wyn-n-tonic - Ok, ok. I’m gonna start out by saying I’m painfully behind on her fics. I really need to get caught up on the Frizzy-verse and I hope to be less of a disaster and get to that soon. BUT I re-found this in my fic recs tag and it’s cute and just feels like such a great, established relationship.

Of Cupcakes and Cupid by @asta-lily - I’m a sucker for a good meet cute. And this one with Frankie Morales is just downright adorable.

Princes Never Say Please by @starlightmornings - All three parts. This one took me by surprise a little bit. I’m not normally one to read about loss of virginity. And I don’t read a ton of Oberyn, oddly enough. But this one is really well written and I just couldn’t say no.

Sunday Morning by @toomanystoriessolittletime - Do I really love the idea of just lazing in bed with Frankie Morales? Yes. Yes I do. This is another really sweet one about just that.

Glitter by @sarahwroteathing - Another meet cute. This time with Steve Rogers. Elementary teacher Steve Rogers, to be exact. I hear Steve’s voice so well in this. It’s adorable and had me looking like Marshall Erikson staring at Enrique Iglesias the entire time.

Can’t Remember, Huh? by @221bshrlocked​ - Another thing I’m a sucker for: awkward as hell Bucky. And this definitely fits that bill. I love the teasing, the little twist at the end with the reader. A really fun read.

[oh-my-damn]

It will. You're already in too deep, without even knowing it.

Folklore, Evermore and Midnights changed my fucking life. Then I went back with newfound purpose and listened to Lover, Reputation and Red.

Listen and read the lyrics. All Too Well (10 min version) from Red haunts my dreams in the best way imaginable.

Happiness from Evermore is one of the greatest songs I've ever heard in my entire life.

Some songs that are less popular but I absolutely adore are Closure and Gold Rush (Evermore)

From Folklore, you can stumble into a love story if you listen thoroughly. There are online guides on how you should listen to the tracks according to the love triangle she created too, tho. (Betty, James, Augustine)

I have never, ever, encountered a piece of music that affected me in the same way. No other piece of music has tied together in the same way. The sound she found with Folklore, she evolved with Evermore, but she did it without the fictional love triangle.

Coney Island, Cowboy Like Me, Long Story Short, It's Time To Go, Tis The Damn Season, Right Where You Left Me....

Evermore is such an underrated masterpiece of hers. None of the songs I just listed are considered the biggest hits, none of them are on the Eras Tour, but they are absolutely breathtakingly beautiful.

Always read the lyrics while listening for the first time, her power is in the story telling.

I firmly believe that there is a Taylor song for everyone out there, it's just a matter of figuring out which album it's on.

No one asked for this but I am going to say it anyways because this blog is nothing more than my personal diary and nothing really matters

So, the truth is (this is not surprising to people who know me irl) that I was never really a huge Taylor fan. In fact, I used to side with Kanye in the entire Taylor/Kanye situation. I mainly sided with Kanye because I used to dance hiphop (fun fact, I was the national champion) and so his genre of music was what I had grown up with and was used to since its more hiphop dance-friendly.

What's even more embarrassing is that I didn't even become a true swiftie until after Taylor went on the Eras Tour in the US. I had no idea she was going on tour. In fact, the reason I turned into a proper swiftie was because I saw a clip on tiktok of one specific moment on her tour, performing one specific part of a song.

The clip was short, perhaps 10 to 15 seconds long, but it made me burst into tears.

My first throught was: what the fuck is this??? Is this Taylor Swift??? What the fuck is going on????

Because bursting into tears is not my usual reaction to music (well, it didn't use to be, at least).

I was never again able to find the exact clip I saw. It still haunts me to this day. I remember it so clearly, the emotion in it and how it made me sob in a way I haven't since I was a child. All it took was fifteen seconds.

I never found it again. But it looked a little something like this:

This is why My Tears Ricochet is my all-time favorite Taylor song. It mainly has to do with the fact that this song forced me to dig deeper.

That clip ended after 15 seconds and I sat there with tear streaked cheeks and asked the empty room surrounding me, "What the hell just happened?" And then I asked the hollowness around me, "Why? Why did it happen?"

None of the answers to the questions I once asked matter anymore. Because those questions forced me to listen.

It forced me to let go of my pre-conceived notion of who Taylor Swift was, and truly listen.

It resulted in me finding the album this song belongs to (Folklore) and listen to every single track, one by one, while reading the lyrics.

I desperately wanted to know that what had happened during those 15 seconds of watching a tiktok was an anomaly. That they would never happen again.

But then I listened to the entire album. And it kept happening.

Again. And again. And again. And again.

It happened with not only My Tears Ricochet, but also with Peace, with The 1, The Last Great American Dynasty and The Lakes. It happened with Seven, and Mad Woman, Exile, and This Is Me Trying.

So I had stumbled into a major problem. I had stumbled upon something that was due to rattle my entire belief system and the was I saw the world.

Because how could I love Taylor Swift?

She sings Love Story and You Belong With Me; both and more, songs that are just inherently not me.

It is impossible that she could possibly affect me and make me feel like this.

It just doesn't happen. It isn't possible.

But in my delusion, I moved on to Evermore. And that is when the old part of me died, for good. I was already dying, but I wasn't aware, not completely, until Evermore.

That is when I realized the only reasonable thing I could do, was to let go of my entire belief system.

Because yes, there is no way "You Belong With Me" Taylor Swift could have written this piece that made me cry and ache in a way that no musical piece ever has before.

I was right about that.

Because "You Belong With Me" Taylor Swift didn't write it.

It was written by the version of Taylor Swift who had evolved during the 10+ years I had refused to listen to her.

And she was and continues to be absolutely breathtakingly, earth-shatteringly beautiful. In a way that I wish she wouldn't be, because it makes me question everything about myself. Over, and over, and over again, with every single track I listen to.

I am now at a point where you could not play a single track she has ever made, that I would not recognize within the first ten seconds of listening to it. It's been about a year since I first truly discovered her, and this is where I'm at.

And I don't know whether that's normal, or right, or wrong, but I feel it. I feel her words.

And who are we really, to question ourselves in something like that?

Perhaps human.

[ginnyweasleymybeloved]

evermore x hp / masterlist

hp x readers based on the absolute masterpiece that is evermore by the love of my life taylor swift. i’ll be posting these fics once or twice a week and i will update the links once i’ve posted each one <3 really hope you guys enjoy <3

// these aren’t going to be exact line by line songfics, but based around a particular line or verse //

all fic masterlist

[🌸 = fluff, 🍁= angst]

taglist: @padsfirewhisky

[🌸] willow - fred weasley x reader

“life was a willow and it bent right to your wind

they count me out time and time again

life was a willow and it bent right to your wind

but I come back stronger than a 90's trend”

summary: hogwarts’ most popular playboy has made it very clear that you, his best friend, are not his type. seeing as you were crushing on him hard, you decide to take matters into your own hands

«»

[🍁] champagne problems - ron weasley x reader

“you had a speech, you’re speechless

love slipped beyond your reaches

and i couldn’t give a reason

champagne problems”

summary: on a cold night in november, your boyfriend, ron, gets sentimental thinking about a future that you’re not sure you deserved

«»

[🌸] gold rush - ginny weasley x reader

“and the coastal town

we wandered ‘round had never

seen a love as pure as it”

summary: revelling in the fact that you have the most amazing girlfriend in the world, while unbeknownst to you, she’s thinking exactly the same thing

«»

[🌸🍁] ‘tis the damn season - cedric diggory x reader

“so we could call it even

you could call me babe for the weekend

‘tis the damn season

write this down

i’m stayin’ at my parent’s house

and the road not taken looks real good now

and it always leads to you in my hometown”

summary: you bump into an old flame and old feelings catch up to you as you find yourself rekindling said flame

«»

[🍁] tolerate it - harry potter x reader

“i made you my temple, my mural, my sky

now i’m begging for footnotes in the story of your

life

drawing hearts in the bylines

always taking up too much space or time

you assume i’m fine, but what would you do if i

break free and leave us in ruins?

took this dagger in me and removed it?

gain the weight of you then lose it

believe me, i could do it”

summary: in the chaos of war, harry pushes the one person he didn’t ever want to lose, to the brink of walking away from him

«»

[🍁] no body, no crime - marauders x reader / peter pettigrew x reader / sirius black x reader

“i think he did it but i just can’t prove it

no, no body no crime

but i ain’t letting up ‘till the day i die”

summary: your best friends, lily and james potter, were betrayed by their secret keeper however you’re sure it couldn’t have been sirius.

«»

[🌸] happiness - remus lupin x reader

“there is happiness

past the blood and bruise

past the curses and cries

beyond the terror of the nightfall

haunted by the look in my eyes

that would’ve loved you for a lifetime

leave it all behind

and there is happiness”

summary: after the death of his friends and the betrayal of sirius, remus fears that he has lost the capacity for happiness. until you came along

«»

[🌸] dorothea - hermoine granger x reader

“hey dorothea

do you ever stop and think about me?

when we were younger

down in the park

honey, making a lark of the misery

you got shiny friends since you left town

a tiny screen’s the only place i see you now

and i got nothing but well wishes for ya”

summary: you see your childhood best friend for the first time in nearly a decade, you hold the same love and respect for her now as you did then

«»

[🍁] coney island - george weasley x reader

“the question pounds my head

‘what’s a lifetime of achievement?’

if i pushed you to the edge

but you were too polite to leave me

and do you miss the rogue

who coaxed you into paradise and left you there?

will you forgive my soul

when you’re too wise to trust me and too old to

care?”

summary: business is booming and the joke shop is expanding at a rapid rate, by the time it reaches its peak, geoege wants to bask in his success with the woman he loves, only to realise he’d completely neglected you in favour of pursuing his dreams and he doesn’t know if you’ll forgive him for it

«»

[🍁🌸] ivy - harry potter x reader

“how’s one to know?

i’d live and die for moments that we stole

on begged and borrowed time

so tell me to run

or dare to sit and watch what we’ll become”

summary: he thinks he’ll only ruin you, you think he’s worth the risk

«»

[🍁] cowboy like me - sirius black x reader

“you’re a bandit like me

eyes full of stars

hustling for the good life

never thought i’d meet you here

it could be love

we could be the way forward

and i know i’ll pay for it”

summary: sirius runs into you at a pure-blood party he’d been dragged to, the pair of you find solace in each other and gravitate towards one another from then on, however, noting the similarities between you and him, you deduct that you’ll end up paying dearly when you begin to crave more than secret rendezvous at pure-blood occasions.

«»

[🌸] long story short - george weasley x reader

“and he’s passing by

rare as the glimmer as a comment in the sky

and he feels like home

if the shoe fits, walk in it everywhere you go”

summary: george weasley is undoubtedly the love of your life, you realise

«»

[🍁] marjorie - remus lupin x lupin!reader

“the autumn chill that wakes me up

you loved the amber skies so much

long limbs and frozen swims

you’d always go past where our feet could

touch

and i complained the whole way there

the car ride back and up the stairs

i should’ve asked you questions

i should’ve asked you how to be

asked you to write it down for me

should’ve kept every grocery store receipt

‘cause every scrap of you would be taken

from me”

summary: your father dies in the battle of hogwarts and you’re left to go through his things

«»

[🍁] closure - fred weasley x reader

“yes, i got your letter

yes, i’m doing better

it cuts deep to know ya, right to the bone

yes, i got your letter

yes, i’m doing better

i know that it’s over, i don’t need your

closure”

summary: you and fred have a messy breakup and after a few months he owls you to see how you’re doing, and it just so happens that you’re doing fine without him

«»

[🌸] evermore - harry potter x reader

“and i was catching my breath

floors of a cabin creaking under my steps

and i couldn’t be sure

i had a feeling so peculiar

this pain wouldn’t be for

evermore”

summary: a soft moment between you and harry as you heal from the war together

«»

[🍁🌸] right where you left me - sirius black x reader

“did you ever hear about the girl who got frozen?

time went on for everybody else, she won’t

know it

she’s still 23 inside her fantasy

how it was supposed to be

did you hear about the girl who lives in delusion?

break-ups happen everyday, you don’t have to

lose it

she’s still 23 inside her fantasy

and you’re sitting in front of me”

summary: when sirius is condemned to azkaban you wait, and wait, and wait, right where he left you

«»

[🍁] it’s time to go - george weasley x reader

“that old familiar body ache

the snaps from the same little breaks in your soul

you know when it’s time to go”

summary: transitioning from best friends to lovers isn’t always the best idea, sometimes it’s better to walk away before there’s nothing left to leave

«»

[tilbageidanmark]

Movies I watched this Week #91

The Quiet Girl, a subdued Irish film, spoken mostly in Gaelic. It tells a heart-felt, modest story about a withdrawn 9-year-old girl from a large and neglectful rural family. When her mother becomes pregnant once again, she is sent to spend the summer with some distant middle-aged relatives, where she experiences a loving home for the first time in her life.

I am a sucker for warm stories of little girls like this, and I loved this gentle, extremely well-crafted film. The performance of the young, expressive actress Catherine Clinch as little Cáit was sensational. (Photo Above). 100% “Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes, and 10/10 with me.

🍿 

“I’m not a tailor, I’m a cutter"...

If The Outfit opening reminded me of ‘The Phantom Thread’, it quickly evolved into a completely different story: a “nail-biting crime thriller of an aging master tailor who must outwit a dangerous group of mobsters in order to survive a fateful night”. The most fascinating surprise of the week.

My only beef is the poor casting of ‘Francis’ and ‘Richie’, the two younger thugs. Otherwise, there were only 4 other players, stage-acting in one location, a small tailor shop, and these four were all riveting. 8/10.

🍿 

My first film from Bhutan, Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom. A young self-centered teacher is sent against his will to Lunana, population 56, the most remote village in the country, but with time he learns to appreciate the simple traditions of its dirt-poor inhabitants. No surprises in storytelling or execution, but beautiful to see a mature, self-contained work by a first-time director from a really-different part of the world. 7/10. It was nominated for last year’s Oscars. (So by now I've seen all five best international films for 2021: ‘Drive my car’, ‘Flee’, ‘The hand of God’, ‘The worst person in the world’, and this.)

🍿

Another “exotic" first, The Bra from Azerbaijan, a slight soft-core Cinderella story, where the prince is a retiring train driver whose caboose snags a bra from a cloth line as it passes through a village. And so begins his quest to search among all the young women in town whose breasts fit the lost bra. The decision (by the German director) to exclude all dialog and rely on pantomime and music only is irritating. 3/10 for uniqueness.

🍿

American Icon and genius animator Don Hertzfeldt had uploaded to YouTube for free World Of Tomorrow, his 2015 Oscar nominated masterpiece. This "One of the greatest short films in the history of movies" is about an innocent 4 year old girl who meets an absurd grown-up third-generation clone of herself. I saw it at the beginning of the year, and I had to see it again. It’s my favorite science fiction film of all times. 10/10. 

🍿 

2 with actor Tsutomu Yamazaki:

🍿 High and low (= "Heaven and Hell"), Kurosawa's only adaptation of a modern novel with a contemporary setting. Toshiro Mifune is a wealthy director of The National Shoe Company, and his son get kidnapped, just as he tries to take over the business. A moral parable of crime and punishment, selfishness and altruism, good and evil.

It had a special surprising visual effect: a plume of pink smoke from a trash incinerator, in the middle of this crisp black & white masterpiece. This is the moment when the film descent from the hill-top villa of privilege to the depth of depravity below.

🍿 “...Keep eating! It's the last meal your mother cooked! Eat while it's hot! Eat!..”

In the “Ramen Western” Tampopo, he played Gorō, the cowboy-hat-wearing truck driver who comes into town looking for ... the perfect bowl of noodles. The main plot line is interspersed with various food-related vignettes, for example, the gangster who teaches his lover new erotic ways to enjoy egg yolks, and the final close up scene of a baby blissfully sucking on his mom’s breast.

🍿

A randomly-picked, typical 3-hour, Bollywood soap opera, the funnily-named Chori Chori Chupke Chupke from 2001. On its face, it’s a standard story of a wealthy couple who fall in love, and hire a young prostitute as a surrogate mother, when the wife cannot conceive. But apparently it became nationally associated with the whole topic of surrogate childbirth in India. Also it played on a subtext of romantic threesome between the husband, the wife and the hooker who was invited into their life. It includes half a dozen - and not enough - joyous and colorful song-and dance numbers like this No. 1 Punjabi. 7/10.

🍿

2 More with Juliette Binoche:

🍿 As she grows beyond middle age, the voluptuous Juliette Binoche had been embracing her sexuality in many of the characters she seeks (’Non Fiction’, ‘Let the sunshine in’, ‘Clouds of Sils Maria’, ‘Elles’, ‘Certified copy’, ‘Dan in real life’, many others). So in Who you think I am she plays a divorced 50-year-old who creates a fake farcebork profile of a young woman in order to lure a much younger lover. Vulnerable, deceptive, human. I am smitten no matter who she plays.

🍿 The Wait, however, is a 2015 Italian drama about a grieving Sicilian mother who cannot acknowledge the sudden death of her son, and who cannot bring herself to tell his visiting girlfriend about his death. But it’s too drawn out, too thin, and even the beautiful Binoche can’t fill its empty core. M’eh.

🍿

The Lady Eve, only my 3rd screwball by Preston Sturges, with scheming con-artist Barbara Stanwyck and naive, romantic sap Henry Fonda. Roger Ebert called the scene where she seduces him by playing with his hair “The single sexiest and funniest of all romantic comedies”.

🍿

2 by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, both with his collaborator Dominique Pinon: 

🍿 His first fantastic short Foutaises ("Things I Like, Things I Hate”) from 1989. Starring rubber-face Pinon as a shopping list of things he likes and dislikes. 7 minutes of cinematic joy, worth watching again and again. [Copy is in French with no English subtitles].

🍿 The same list-making trick was used extensively at the first half of his happy Amélie, a whimsy tale of romantic Paris, drenched in red and green color filters, and accompanied by sentimental accordion music throughout. Re-watch.

I am getting ready to revisit the rest of his French films (’’The City of Lost Children’, Delicatessen’, ‘A very long engagement’, Etc.).

🍿 

Alice, my first subversive acid trip by surrealist Czech crazy man Jan Švankmajer (Still alive today at 88!). A nightmarish, disturbing and often icky retelling of Lewis Carroll's ‘Alice's Adventures in Wonderland’. Kafkaesque stop-motion, disgusting taxidermy, squishy raw meat, symbolic transformations, and foreboding assortments of old-fashioned tools and bizarre objects. No cute Disney makeover for kids here.

🍿

“Parasite or symbiote?...” Sputnik, a creepy Russian ‘Alien’-sci-fi-clone from 2020. It tells of a cosmonaut who returns from space in 1983, unaware that he’s hosting an extraterrestrial, parasitic drooling “creature” which escapes at night to feed on live humans. Also, there’s a female psychiatrist who is brought in to “treat” him. 3/10.

(Russian filmmakers must have a huge selection of large Soviet era structures, real or imagined, to choose from when staging period stories!)

🍿

First watch: Pixar’s Brave, rated 21 out of their 26 features. A noisy, too fast, too busy, Disney-style myth-building fantasy for ‘emancipated’ little girls with big, red hair. An obvious commercial money grab with no heart. Even Kelly Macdonald’s exaggerated Scottish accent doesn’t save it. 2/10

🍿

“I see you shiver with antici ...”

I guess you had to experience The Rocky Horror Picture Show as a pre-teen in order to best appreciate its campy appeal. Because seeing it for the first time 50 years after it exploded on the scene, I find this Glam transsexual musical comedy baffling at best. 4/10.

🍿

“...Maybe you'll learn a little something about yourself...”

Another first watch: John Hughes’ acclaimed hi-school drama The breakfast Club, the quintessential 1980s film. It must have captures adolescence accurately when it came out, and it’s as if it didn’t age. 8/10.

🍿 

Anthony Hopkins X 2:

🍿 Hannibal Hopkins & Sir Anthony, a standard, a series of interviews plus a fawning biography that doesn’t gets deep or insightful. It centers around his portrayal of Hannibal Lecter, and reminds us that he only had 20 minutes screen time in it.

🍿 I’m not usually fond of biographical fiction about real, dead figures, and the recent Hitchcock is no better than most. Hopkins with prosthetic masks / Make-up and a fat suit and Helen Mirren as his loyal wife Alma. His best tool as always is his voice, here mimicking Hitchcock’s famous terror-inciting accent. The story focus on the year 1959 when they were pushing the envelope and taking personal risks making Psycho. Best scene was at the end, watching the audience reaction at the premiere - this was worth the admission price.  🍿

So this is the 3rd time in a year that I’m watching J. C. Chandor’s directorial debut Margin Call. And just as I wrote 4 months ago, it’s a perfect financial ‘halogencore’ drama for me. I really can’t find a single false note in it. 10/10.

“...So you think we might have put a few people out of business today. That its all for naught. You've been doing that everyday for almost forty years Sam. And if this is all for naught then so is everything out there. Its just money; its made up. Pieces of paper with pictures on it so we don't have to kill each other just to get something to eat. It's not wrong. And it's certainly no different today than its ever been. 1637, 1797, 1819, 37, 57, 84, 1901, 07, 29, 1937, 1974, 1987 - Jesus, didn't that fuck up me up good - 92, 97, 2000 and whatever we want to call this. It's all just the same thing over and over; we can't help ourselves. And you and I can't control it, or stop it, or even slow it. Or even ever-so-slightly alter it. We just react. And we make a lot money if we get it right. And we get left by the side of the side of the road if we get it wrong. And there have always been and there always will be the same percentage of winners and losers. Happy foxes and sad sacks. Fat cats and starving dogs in this world. Yeah, there may be more of us today than there's ever been. But the percentages - they stay exactly the same...”

🍿

From my “So-bad-I-couldn’t-finish-it-films”: Bullet Train - Had to quit it after 17 min. Unfunny, whitewashed Tarantino-lite mess.

🍿 

Throw-back to the art project:

Amélie Adora. 

The Rocky Horror Picture Show Adora.

🍿

(My complete movie list is here)

[x0401x]

Febri Talk Interview with Jin (Complete)

Commissioned by the lovely @sodasexual​ again!

Part 1: overwhelmed by the power of friendship in “The☆Doraemons: Kaitou Dorapan no Chousenjou!”

Musician and creator Jin has been bringing countless topical works to the world, including “Kagerou Project”. In the first part of this serial interview, we had him talk about a work from the series “The☆Doraemons”, which he experienced in his childhood and continued to be influenced by for a long time.

A work that unexpectedly became one of the origins of “Kagerou Project”.

——Jin-san, we would like to ask you about anime shows that have had an influence on you, following in order from your infancy onwards, so would the first one be “The☆Doraemons: Kaitou Dorapan no Chousenjou!” (hereon, “The☆Doraemons”), which came out in the year 1997?

Jin: That’s right. I watched this one in the theaters when I was either 7 or 8 years old. It’s an animation short that was screened together with “Doraemon: Nobita no Neji-maki Toshi Bounen-ki”, and it had one hell of an impact on me. At the time, I was living in an isolated island in Hokkaido called Rishiri Island, so just getting to watch a movie was quite a spectacle in itself (laughs). Actually, not many animes were broadcasted in Rishiri Island to begin with. There were few channels, and other than that, they aired those black-and-white period dramas in cable TV, I guess.

——No, I think that last one is a stretch (laughs). Did you watch “Doraemon” because you liked it from the start?

Jin: I liked it a lot. But the so-called “The☆Doraemons” is a spin-off about six friends of different colors. If I were to talk about the contents of “Kaitou Dorapan” in a summarized way, it’s the story of the Doraemons receiving a letter of challenge from an mysterious enemy called Dorapan, then completely getting caught into his trap and falling into a pinch... And, surprisingly, Doraemon isn’t active at all in this movie (laughs).

——Aah, it’s a work where the Doraemon friends are the main characters, right?

Jin: That’s right. A duo that didn’t have much popularity among the friends, Dora-med III and Dora-rinho, were set as the main characters in this one (laughs). Of course, I didn’t go watch it thinking that Doraemon would participate actively, but he almost doesn’t do anything. Instead, we were shown these two, who are something like sub-characters, in a big scuffle. But when it ended, I began to really like Dora-med III and Dora-rinho.

——Ahaha. So you totally got into it.

Jin: They had something called a “Friendship Telephone Card”, which was introduced as a key item, and this “friendship” thing made the back of my nose sting – that was the kind of feeling I got from it. Dorapan, the one who plays the role of villain in this movie, attempts to take control of robots from all over the world using the power of the Doraemons’ Friendship Telephone Card. However, there’s actually a mastermind behind the scenes, and one heroine is taken hostage, so Dorapan is doing bad deeds because he has no choice. We find this out in the middle of the movie, and at that moment, Dora-rinho goes, “I see; so that’s what was going on” and voluntarily tries to sacrifice himself. By believing in self-sacrificing friendship, everyone was able to reach a happy ending. That kind of storyline was truly wonderful... To tell you the truth, the initial motif of Kagerou Project (hereon “KagePro”) was this movie.

Making KagePro out of wanting to create his own “Doraemons”.

——Eeh, is that so!?

Jin: I created KagePro because I wanted to write about friendship, or rather, I wanted to make my own “Doraemons”. I started KagePro when I was about 20 years old, as I was vaguely beginning to realize that friendship apparently doesn’t exist at that point in life (laughs). Also, same goes to music, of course, but among the books I was reading back then, quite a lot of them had cynical views. Although these stories were my own taste, I also had the impression that there was a generational trend in them, like “people shouldn’t look at this if they’re dumb” and “those who understand this thing are admirable”. Therefore, I did my best to pretend to be like that at first, but I gradually grew tired of it...

——Ahaha. You were getting out of breath.

Jin: That’s right. So, when I looked back, I thought, “I do like ‘Kaitou Dorapan’ after all”. Therefore, if I was going to make something by myself, I decided to use it as the theme. In that sense, amongst the things I watched in my childhood, this work was a turning point. After watching it in the theater for the first time, I watched it over and over again as rental video, and because of this, I even now remember the moments when the sound effects come in.

——Generation-wise, you’re precisely from the generation of “The☆Doraemons”.

Jin: Yeah, spot-on. Also, the Doraemons from “The☆Doraemons” are comical and cute, but on the other hand, they show us that they are extremely strong-willed characters. Moreover, the Doraemons are rich in individuality – as in, everyone is irregular and there are some characters that make you go, “Isn’t that a problem?” amongst them. For example, the wolf Dora-nichov can’t speak human language (laughs).

——I see! Thinking that way, I feel like I can see the points in common with KagePro.

Jin: Also, all of them are purely good guys. The fact that they’re all good people and only have one enemy is pretty awesome. I believe that this kind of thing has an influence on the KagePro series as a whole.

Part 2: paralyzed by the hardboiled worldview of “Cowboy Bebop”.

In the second part of this interview series, where we ask Jin about anime works that influenced him, we have “Cowboy Bebop”, a masterpiece still loved by many fans even now. Here, Jin, who works as both a musician and creator, discusses thoroughly about the appeal of it.

Learning the attitude and stance for creating things.

——You talked about how not many animes were aired in your homeland, but did you keep watching anime after that?

Jin: If you mean watching on TV, anime was what I enjoyed most. However, the shows on broadcast were limited, so when it comes to series that left an impression on me, it would be things like “Card Captor Sakura”, which I used to watch with my little sister. “Kinnikuman” was also re-aired and I liked it a lot. As expected, I was weak to “friendship” (laughs). When they were fighting for the throne or whatever, man, I cried, for real. This happened around the time I was in grade school, but when I got into middle school, I stopped watching anime entirely.

——And when you came back to it, it was right on time for...

Jin: For the series that I pointed out as second in line, “Cowboy Bebop”. Because my father had made up his mind to get his hands on a satellite television called SKY Perfect TV! I think he probably wanted to watch Discovery Channel, but back then, he also included Animax in the contract. And, by sheer coincidence, a re-run of “Cowboy Bebop” began right at that timing, around 2004 or 2005, I guess. I was a middle schooler then, and there were lots of CMs that went like, “Broadcast begins on X day of X month!” together with that opening theme by Kanno Youko-san.

——So that’s what caught your interest.

Jin: There was also the fact I’d been disconnected from anime for a while, so I watched the first episode not knowing anything. And the contents weren’t aimed at children at all (laughs). Dude sprayed an eye-drop drug into his eyes, went, “UWAH—!” and died, like.

——Ahaha. It was a shock.

Jin: “Cowboy Bebop” was my first time coming in contact with a hardboiled worldview. I was like, “What’s this? It’s so cool”. Until then, I had this impression that “anime was made for kids”, but for the first time, I felt like I was watching a drama. Plus, the story was interesting, so I was super hooked as I watched it, and while doing so, the episode “Jamming with Edward” (episode 9) had an impact on me.

——Satou Dai-san was the one who wrote the script for it, right? You later came to work together with Satou-san in “LISTENERS”.

Jin: That’s right. It was such an impact that it had me thinking, “You wouldn’t be able to do that in a TV drama”. And so, this ninth episode had me completely addicted to it, and in the end, I watched it up to the finale. Later on, when I began my own creations, I noticed that what I was doing overlapped with “Cowboy Bebop”, and when this happened, I realized I was doing something quite risky (laughs). To top it off, just when I thought, “There must be lots of animes like that out there”, there was surprisingly none.

The coolness of affirming that KagePro has both pop and hardcore songs and that this is what it is about!

——Ahaha. Did “Cowboy Bebop” have any influence on you? For example, on the music side...

Jin: Hmm... if you put it that way, maybe not (laughs). Only in the variety aspect of the narrative, as people call it. Each one of the 26 episodes has wholly different colors, so to say. They felt like a gashapon from which you couldn’t tell what was coming out next.

——Like, although there were episodes where they threw in comedy to their hearts contentment, there were also episodes that showed vigorous action.

Jin: When I think about it, there are also episodes that go through a simple approach by way of genres that even I would know. I think the creators must’ve had a lot of fun when making them. So when it comes to what influenced me, it I think it was the variation of songs. I think there probably aren’t that many composers like me, who make songs one by one and have no idea what song to write next.

——As in, you do it while intentionally deciding to change the tone and genre?

Jin: Rather than that, I guess it happens naturally. I was always the type who doesn’t listen to the same genre all the time – it’s like, “Today is rock day; tomorrow is punk day”. I believe it’s possible that “Cowboy Bebop” made me think this kind of feeling was valid. The themes also don’t have to be consistent, and even if you turn upside-down the things that you had been asserting in a previous episode, their value and meaning will still hold. Moreover, I didn’t think that the people who made “Cowboy Bebop” had to plan this stuff up in their heads and study about it so that they could put it to action. It just so happened that when they drew out the things they like and lined them up, it turned out the way it did.

——So they didn’t do it while aiming for that, but rather, it turned out to have a sense of variety to it when it was finished.

Jin: And I think it’s amazing because it validates itself with that. So I guess being able to say all we have to say is what actually matters (laughs). If I were to affirm, “This is what KagePro is about!”, then that’d be pretty much it. Even though there are both pop and hardcore songs in KagePro, nobody can say, “That doesn’t feel like KagePro”. That’s why I think that the coolness of proudly declaring, “That’s what it is!” is something I learned from Bebop. Like, “This is what’s cool”. It feels like, on my own accord, I accepted something that was like a stance to be taken when you create these kinds of things.

Part 3: obsessing over “Tokyo Godfathers”, which had developments where one couldn’t predict what lay ahead.

This is the third part of the interview series where the creator Jin talks about works that influenced him. Here, he discusses about a hidden masterpiece from the director Kon Satoshi, which also had a great influence on “Kagerou Project” and which he encountered during his vocational school years, while living a wasteful life.

——The third work is “Tokyo Godfathers” by Director Kon Satoshi, but when was it that you watched it?

Jin: It was during my vocational school years. After graduating from high school, I attended a vocational music school located in Sapporo, but my upperclassmen from that school taught me many bad ways of having fun (laughs). I used to buy lots of sick equipment. Then, obviously, I’d run out of money, so I worked to death in part-time jobs, and well, lived a wasteful life (laughs), but during that time, a friend from my class lent me a DVD of “Hidamari Sketch”. At first, I told him, “Nah, I’m not too into this kinda stuff”, but when I took it home and watched it, I wailed aloud.

——Ahaha.

Jin: That’s why I asked Asumi Kana-san (who voices Yuno) to play KagePro’s main heroine... Anyhow, “Hidamari Sketch” became the cue for me to start watching anime again. And Director Kon Satoshi was from Sapporo, so it was probably being featured in a video shop. “Tokyo Godfathers” is a 2003 movie, but I saw it in the video in 2008 or 2009.

——What piqued your interest about it?

Jin: It was tremendously well-done and fun, and on top of that, it was sharp – a work like no other up until then, I thought. A dramatic production with parallel storylines focusing on different characters is incorporated within the span of about an hour and half as if it weren’t enough. During that same time, there were also works by Mitani Kouki-san and Isaka Koutarou-san’s “Golden Slumber” was being made into live action, so I believe that the so-called multi-protagonist story kind of approach was being used in all sorts of places. But even among them, “Tokyo Godfathers” was outstandingly interesting. “Where the heck is this story heading to?” You can’t tell at all until the end. Three homeless people pick up a baby on Christmas night and try to take her to her mother, but as the story goes on, it gets to a climax like, “Does she even have a mother in the first place?”. Plus, we find out that the person who they thought to be the mother and handed the baby over to is actually someone who kidnapped her from a hospital. The story just keeps changing over and over.

As the story progresses, the characters’ pasts become visible. It was interesting that the past and present were firmly bound together.

——We can’t predict what comes next at all, huh?

Jin: So, the topic will go back to KagePro now: when I thought of writing a novel, first of all, I decided that I “wanted to do a multi-protagonist story”. To make a story like the one from “The☆Doraemons” into a multi-protagonist story. Back then, I really liked the type of novels that went on in first person – such as works by Isaka-san or Morimi Tomihiko-san, and also Yonezawa Honobu-san.

——I see, I see.

Jin: On the other hand, “Tokyo Godfathers” is structured so that the characters’ pasts can be seen more and more as the story progresses. As if the story progresses with the past mini-arcs as the main focus. Like, “Person A and Person B were actually parent and child!” – it was interesting that the past and the present were bound together so firmly. Moreover, the developments go on at an incredible speed, and there’s a proper catharsis at the end. Also, all the characters that show up in it have rich facial expressions.

——To begin with, the fact that the three main characters are homeless is a twist.

Jin: In the first place, it starts with the main heroine spitting onto people in the streets from a rooftop (laughs). I really like those sharp-edged points of it too. “Tokyo Godfathers” has a content that can be written even if the protagonists were parent and child from an ordinary household. But through making the protagonists homeless, it became extremely vivid.

——It’s as if it turns them into down-to-earth characters and gives you a sensation that they connect with the audience’s “present”.

Jin: If I were to speak of other words by Director Kon Satoshi, I also think that “Paprika” and “Sennen Joyuu” are amazing. But on the other hand, I end up thinking, “They’re so wonderful”. As in, “Awesome, aren’t they? I don’t get them very well, though” (laughs). But “Tokyo Godfathers” is a candid form of entertainment that even an idiot like me can instantly get hooked on. The fact that I indeed want to keep doing entertainment resides strongly inside me.

——Listening to you talk like this, Jin-san, it makes me think that the books you read and movies you watched because you liked them reflect straightforwardly in your own manner of expressing yourself.

Jin: I myself think that I’m usually straightforward (laughs). Rather than “I want it to be seen like this” or “I want people to think of it like that”, I prioritize “I want to do this” and “this is fun”, so to say. By multiplying “The☆Doraemons” to “Tokyo Godfathers”, it turned into “Kagerou Project” (laughs). I feel like that’s my foundation.