#especially since it's not like individual character playlists

[burning-academia-if]

Two Truths and a Lie: Playlist

tagged by @darkfictionjude thanks for the tag I'm not nearly annoying enough about the BA playlist as I should be lmaO

Rules: post a poll with three (or more) songs from one of your characters playlists, except there is a catch, one of the songs is not truly on their playlist. Have your followers guess, and when the poll is finished, reveal which song was the fake.

Tbh this was pretty hard because I hardly listen to popular enough songs to do this LMAO I decided to go with Rook since some of the songs on his are a little more well known

Anyway uhhh idk who has character playlists but I tag @if-mirrormine and anyone else who sees this lmaO

gonna throw a sample of the lyrics below for those who don't know the songs!

HAPPY by NF:

I'll be the first to admit that I'm a lonely soul/ And the last to admit I need a hand to hold/ Losing hope, headed down a dangerous road/ Strange, I know, but I feel most at home when I'm/ Living in my agony

Over my Head (Cable Car) by The Fray:

Let's rearrange/ I wish you were a stranger I could disengage/ Just say that we agree and then never change/ Soften a bit until we all just get along/ But that's disregard/ Find another friend and you discard/

icarus by EDEN:

So how you gonna scream my name/ When I gave all I got?/ I've nothing left to give you/ And I'm so burnt out and lost/ 'Cause it all just feels the same/

What if by Safetysuit:

What if it makes you lose faith in me/ And what if makes you question every moment you cannot see/ And what if it makes you crash, and you can't find the key/ And what if it makes you ask how you could let it all go/

[sanjisboyfie]

one piece masterlist ౨ৎ

[ keep safe series ] // ongoing, romantic undertones, slow burn, future angst, comedic

-> "it's beautiful, how this deep normality settles down over me. i'm not bored or unhappy. i'm still so strange and wild. you're in the wind, i'm in the water. nobody's son, nobody's daughter." or, joining the strawhat pirates as luffy's childhood friend allows you to make memorie with people who started as strangers, but then became your loved ones.

playlist

๑ prologue

๑ the cursed orphan enters 彡 alabasta arc begins

๑ [name] joins the strawhats

๑ just a friendly competition...right?

๑ heartfelt conversations with a chef

๑ coffee beans

๑ i'm gonna freeze my balls off

๑ i'm gonna freeze my balls off, pt. 2

๑ crimson red icicles

๑ luffy's innate instincts (a hum of the heart)

๑ new crewmate, tony tony chopper

๑ his hand on his ankle

๑ don't you know? "lover" outweights "boyfriend"

๑ i'll kill you, i'll really kill you

๑ "together in chaos."

๑ zoro being annoyed at his captain and [name]

๑ mr. prince and mr. executioner

๑ the dogs are hounding on [name]

๑ wings that made [name] fly

๑ see you later, vivi!

❔[NAME] WIKI - ALABASTA ARC ENDS

๑ more in common than you'd think 彡 skypiea arc begins

๑ robin and [name] make a good team!

๑ we made it!

๑ [name] wants to adopt suu!

๑ that god guy thing

๑ strawhat adventure team, go!

๑ chopper's crown

๑ put a face to the name

๑ mummified [name]

๑ four hundred years is not too late

ꔛ 666 heart special for quotev -> individual one shots with each straw hat, each assigned a representative song that describes the relationship they share with [name]

๑ navarone - g8

๑ davy back fight 彡 long ring long land arc begins

-> frequently used tags:

#≡;- ꒰ ° keep safe series ꒱

#ks

#one piece fanfic

#one piece fanfiction

DOMESTICITY series // based off of keep safe characters/relationships, but can be read as standalone one shots

ꔛ sanji's special dessert -> he prepares a dessert only for you since he knows your likes and dislikes

ꔛ a shared interest among swordsmen -> rare moments of peace and quiet with zoro

ꔛ nami is working, don't interrupt -> she doesn't mind the company, especially if you're peeling her tangerines

ꔛ usopp and [name]'s conversation -> heart to heart

one piece [ smau ] // social media au

ପ strawhats misc. edition

ପ dating luffy edition

ପ dating nami edition

ପ dating sanji edition

ପ strawhat vacation edition

ପ dating zoro edition

ପ dating usopp edition

ପ dating vivi edition

ପ married to law edition

ପ married to franky edition

ପ married to robin edition

ପ dating eustass kid edition

ପ married to doflamingo edition

ପ dating ace edition

ପ married to marco edition

ପ dating sabo edition

-> frequently used tags:

#≡;- ꒰ ° smau series ꒱

#one piece smau

#one piece modern au

[ yandere ]

જ yandere zoro headcanons

જ yandere sanji headcanons

જ soft yandere luffy

જ yandere luffy

-> frequently used tags:

#≡;- ꒰ ° yandere series ꒱

#≡;- ꒰ ° yandere headcanons ꒱

[ drabbles // one shots // headcanons ]

ꔛ playlist : tender by blur [ luffy x male reader ] // based off of keep safe characters, but can read as a standalone one shot. small hints of yandere luffy. // snippet of pt.2

-> tender is the night, lying by your side. tender is the touch of someone that you love too much. tender is my heart. i'm screwing up my life. lord i need someone to who can heal my mind, or luffy and reader reminisce about their childhood memories while cuddling in merry's crow's nest.

-

SUGAR DADDY series

ꔛ in a world of boys, he's a gentleman, nami x SD male reader

ꔛ pass the test, nami x SD male reader, the one where he meets nami's friends

-

ꔛ shanks being your doting boyfriend

ꔛ random sanji headcanons

ꔛ sanji has a crush on you ♡︎

ꔛ halloween with the strawhats [platonic]

ꔛ a day in the life as a strawhat [platonic]

ꔛ rockstar ! tragalar law headcanons

ꔛ me psychoanalyzing sanji x male reader

ꔛ random individual headcanons ; includes, law, luffy and zoro

ꔛ the type of man . . .

[milehighmegs]

Good Omens Playlists

So I've seen some pretty wonderful Good Omens playlists on Pinterest, most of which are based on music in the show (especially Queen, natch), songs that say how Zira & Crowley feel about one another or describe them as characters.

In the wake (double meaning totally intended) of S2, I wondered: how do they feel about each other NOW? We've all been there. The sad love songs, the sleeping all day, entire pints of ice cream while watching romcoms... but mostly the recounting of how it all could've gone so wrong, what we wished we'd said & done, and what we wish we could say now.

Since Zira & Crowley definitely have communication issues (Nina & Maggie were SPOT ON in their convo with Crowley), I imagine they would have an easier time telling each other their feelings through other means. I'll admit, there's a bias here: this is what I would do, so of course I project onto these characters. But isn't that the beauty of fan art? We put ourselves into the work/live vicariously through them because we have such a damned hard time saying want we want & need and how we feel in plain language? Mostly because such complex feelings are REALLY REALLY hard to explain to ourselves, let alone to another person. But art- writing, music, imagery- can say what we struggle to put into more direct words. Music is an enormous part of who I am, so I often find that the songs of others say perfectly what I feel I never could.

On that note (pun only slightly intended), I've created 3 playlists: one for Crowley, one for Zira, and one for the both of them. The individual playlists are meant to reflect the 5 stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and finally acceptance. There are elements of other stages within the songs meant to correspond to a particular stage, even coming full circle (it seems like acceptance, but there's a hint of denial in there, etc.). The joint playlist is of songs I imagine would make the memories of each other start to creep in (or totally gobsmack them in the feels) when they hear them, or things they wished they'd said/want to say to each other.

So without further ado, here are the playlists:

Crowley's Heartbroken Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6LyYnip9XuZqcRIEsiDSwz

Zira's Heartbroken Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3YUi13sTfPSR99R1dB2XVY

AziraCrow's Heartbroken Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/48NpfV42Y8LTVSFsui8zl2

For those of you who don't have Spotify, here's what's on the playlists:

Crowley 'Never Tear Us Apart' - INXS 'Bad Romance' - Lady Gaga 'Love Don't Live Here Anymore' - Madonna 'Cosmic Love' - Florence + the Machine 'As It Was' - Hozier 'I Found' - Amber Run 'Wicked Game' - Chris Isaac 'Dancing On My Own' - Calum Scott 'Halo' - Depeche Mode 'Falling' - The Civil Wars

Zira 'i love you' - Billie Eilish 'And I Am Telling You' - Jennifer Hudson 'You'll See' - Madonna 'Somebody That I Used To Know' - Gotye 'Someone Like You' - Adele 'Boys Don't Cry' - The Cure 'Un-break My Heart' - Toni Braxton 'For No One' - The Beatles 'Comfort' - Julia Jacklin 'I Will Always Love You' - Whitney Houston

AziraCrow 'I Have Nothing' - Whitney Houston 'Nothing Compares 2 U' - Sinead O'Connor 'Torn' - Natalie Imbruglia 'Hopelessly Devoted to You' - Olivia Newton John 'In A Lonely Place' - Bush, the Tricky Remix 'With Or Without You' - U2 'Don't Let Go (Love)' - En Vogue

'Don't Speak' - No Doubt 'Here With Me' - Dido

A note on the playlists: I know that Zira wouldn't listen to most of this if any, and Crowley would outwardly cringe just thinking about some of these. The point wasn't to choose songs that they'd go out of their way to hear, it was to capture the feelings they'd be going through. Crowley's songs are a bit darker: more minor keys, moodier atmosphere, etc., while Zira's are more sad but lighter & gentler (except maybe 'And I Am Telling You'; that's a straight-up "aww HELL NO YOU AIN'T GONNA FUCK THIS UP THIS IS HAPPENING YOU KNOW WE BELONG TOGETHER"... well, the song says it pretty well).

I 'd love to hear any thoughts about this, agree or disagree, love or loathe, hate that you love it... What would you put into a ZiraCrow playlist?

Hope you enjoy it!

[shelbeetaylor]

Character Introductions (Part 2)

-> story masterpost

moodboard by @singingslayingsoprano

Genevieve Santira

Most of her life, people have only called her Genevieve, but Evie’s calling her Gena has begun to stick.

Genevieve uses she/her pronouns.

Genevieve is 20 years old at the beginning of the story, and her birthday is on May 16 which would make her a Taurus.

Genevieve is known as the Crown Princess’s maidservant to those outside the palace, but those inside know her as one of Cassandra’s best friends.

Likes: working with her hands like sewing and embroidery, helping her father in the smithy, and taking care of her friends

Dislikes: playing mother to the chaotic individuals she happens to be friends with, her inability to read or write, and Cassandra only when the princess doesn’t listen to her

Genevieve often frequents the taverns of Vale Serine not to drink but to listen to the songs played by the traveling bards. Since she cannot read or write, the lyrics of the nomadic musicians provide her with stories she wouldn’t be able to know of otherwise.

If Genevieve lived in our world, her playlists would probably be filled with songs by artists like Rihanna, Selena Gomez, and SZA.

Genevieve, though quite confident in her ability to perform her job adequately, she struggles a lot with her life at home. Her parents were forced into marriage and out of their village after having her brother--who she hates talking about-- out of wedlock. Genevieve was very young when her brother disappeared, and her home life took a turn for the worse. Now she relies on her time away at work and the adventures Cassandra drags her on to grant her reprieve.

Face Claim: Angel Coulby as Guinevere in BBC Merlin

moodboard by @singingslayingsoprano

Wesley Moonbourne

A lot of people often refer to him as Wesley, but Evie has deemed it more appropriate to call him Wes.

Wesley uses he/him pronouns.

Wesley is 20 years old at the beginning of the story, and his birthday is on October 14 which would make him a Libra.

Currently, Wesley holds no official title, but by training in Vale Serine under the instruction of Theo he hopes to earn himself a spot as one of the knights of Nevernia.

Likes: dogs, hunting, and playing chess

Dislikes: feeling like he doesn’t belong, Evie feeling bad, and being without his dog Ranger

Wesley grew up in the outskirts of Bellbury, a city surrounded by farmland, so one of his odd interests is agriculture. Most of his days in Bellbury were spent voluntarily helping around the nearby farms, much to his family’s chagrin. If Wesley wasn’t able to become a knight, his dream would be to move out into the countryside and live on a farm with his animals, his dog Ranger, and the love of his life.

If Wesley lived in our world, he would listen to a variety older music like songs by Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, and The Beatles.

Wesley, having just moved to Vale Serine, is really struggling with trying to fit in. He wants to be accepted by the knights and especially by his idol, his cousin Theo, and he’s trying his best to become friends with them whether it’s by acting cool or sneaking along on their adventures. Hopefully his newfound friendship with Princess Evie will lead him in the right direction.

Face Claim: Noah Beck

moodboard by @singingslayingsoprano

Terran Willows

People usually just call him Terran, but the knights are also partial to Terr-man or giving him briefly-used, more colorful monikers… Sir Enoch’s favorite at the moment is Bog Man.

Terran uses he/him pronouns.

Terran is 20 years old at the beginning of the story, and his birthday is on June 20 which would make him a Gemini.

Terran is currently studying as an apprentice to Galen, the Court Physician, and he has been working under Galen for about five years.

Likes: his mother’s yearly visits, reading, and practicing magic in his room

Dislikes: Galen’s intense exams, getting scared, and Galen’s overprotective rules about magic and going out

In the spirit of helping people, Terran dedicates as much of his time and energy into improving the lives of others. While he is working towards becoming a physician full-time, Terran volunteers around Vale Serine helping those who need it. Sometimes the knights will even tag along to help and protect him, especially if he’s making a trip into places like Serine’s Hope to hand out food, provide free medical care, or distribute clothes.

If Terran lived in our world, he would definitely be a big fan of Maude Latour, but he would listen to mostly folk music like Hozier, Lord Huron, and Noah Kahan.

While Terran is quite proud of who he is as a person, there is still a lot of turmoil inside his head about it. He grew up in the outlying villages of Nevernia where it isn’t uncommon to see friends string up friends for being queer or possessing magic. Terran managed to escape that environment with his secrets intact, but the inner demons spawned in that hell have followed him to the big city, though he’s lucky to have Galen there reminding Terran every so often that he is not a monster for the way he was born.

Face Claim: Colin Morgan as Merlin in BBC Merlin

[sunderingstars]

since you've mentioned it, i always found the more mature/experienced aspects of sampo to be more interesting as well. I would love to hear you elaborate more on how you think sampo views sex and intimacy.

p.s. i used your playlists to help me finish an essay lol

ʚ 💌 ɞ absolutely, sex & intimacy are super interesting to me when it comes to sampo! (also as a college grad i’m glad to hear that! essays can be super difficult to write so i’m happy i was able to help 🙏)

honestly, this man is so much of a puzzle that several different interpretations could be plausibly canon, especially since he really only shows us what he wants us to see. for my own personal taste, the closest i’ve gotten to something that feels like a natural extension of his character is him viewing sex the same as money.

in a base interpretation, this could come across as sex being casual and emotionally distant to him; something to be used for his own benefit before being discarded just as quickly. his experience with being a con-man could lead to him seeing sex as a business transaction, while his experience with elation could further simplify it to something that’s fun to play around with.

however, certain theory interpretations could put a spin on this. for example, under the theory that sampo’s function is similar to that of the aha stuffed toy, his relationship with money would likely be more complex than what a base reading of his character implies, meaning he may use money as a vehicle for self-autonomy or to prove he’s worth something to himself. this would likely go for sex as well, making his views less focused on business and more in tune with a drive for autonomy and closure.

similarly, emanator!sampo could also have a bigger power gap between himself and others, potentially leading to more issues with emotional distance or even the opposite — a yearning for emotional closeness or connection during sex that he can never quite seem to grasp. sex as a transaction, sex as a distraction, sex as a chase or a goal beyond reach or a high of elation that gives more than it takes — all of these could work with his character in my opinion!

however, intimacy may be an entirely different beast for him. while he may be casual and comfortable with, for example, a one-night stand, anything personal or emotional could be difficult for him to work with. either because of his con-man trade, his backstory, or the nature of his own existence, intimacy may either be something he is inexplicably uncomfortable with and tries to keep out of his sex life as much as possible, or something that he craves intensely but can never seem to attain.

in fact, i see him as having fairly intense emotions when it comes to affection and intimacy, which could push him further away from genuinely expressing them for fear of hurting the person he cares about or scaring them away. (it’s important to note that, generally, he may not like expressing vulnerability due to being a masked fool — if vulnerability is weakness, then weakness means danger when constantly surrounded by, to put it mildly, extremely chaotic individuals. keeping things casual would often be in not only his best interest, but the best interest of the other person as well.)

in a realistic sense, i feel like this would lead to extremely good “friends with benefits” or casual sex situations, but pretty rocky territory beyond that. i do think he’s entirely capable of forming a long-term partnered relationship with genuine expressions of emotion, but it would likely take a bit of work to get there!

(i know i talked a lot here about what i feel a “canonical” or accurate interpretation might be for his character — mainly because i tend to favor analysis-heavy headcanons LOL — but it’s also fun to speculate outside of that! i think it’s cool to think about self-assured sampos or overly-devoted-bordering-on-yandere sampos or emotionally-stable old man sampos or even eldritch “sex is the highest form of elation let’s all have an orgy right now” sampos — the great thing about writing is that you can interpret things in any way you like. they’re all good in my book!)

thanks for the ask !! 🪐

[bellaaldamas]

Hope you have a well deversed rest! Your edits are awesome as always! 💕💕💕

Also fun question: I remember reading one of your conversations with stupidrant that someone made a scenario where it's possible for Freya & Baldur to reconciled(?) Would like to know how this could work since he's one of the the few Aesir I sympathized the most. Baldur in Norse Mythology comes back from Hel after Ragnarök. Would be fun to see how he turns out since it possible for SMS to push this direction. :)

Thank you again for the kind words. And I'm grateful that you, through the playlist you had shared with me earlier, familiarized me with the song I used for the edit. It is not only remarkably fitting for Angrboda and Atreboda in terms of lyrics but is well constructed and competently performed in it's own right.

Regarding Baldur, it's fair to say that he is that exceptionally rare example in popular media of a tragic villain done right. Unlike certain whitewashed villains and antagonists apologized either by the narrative or by their respective fan-bases (or, typically, both; this usually applies to male villains but female ones and toxic female characters in general also tend to get away with their abusive and violent behaviors, especially when they come from privileged background) Baldur was treated exactly the way he deserved to. He was shown for someone who was, from beginning to end, a product of his upbringing, circumstances and personal choices influenced by said circumstances.

It would've been exceptionally easy to portray Baldur as a wayward and lost son of a virtuous woman - Freya - who chose the wrong path because due to Odin's genes he was "inherently evil" as well as "ungrateful" towards his mother for her misguided but genuine attempts to protect him.

That's not how Gow18 and GowR (where, notably, Baldur wasn't present at all in the current timeline) portrayed him. The narrative allowed him to vocalize and express every single valid concern he had with the way Freya went about keeping him safe. It was made clear that it were the ways in which he himself chose to express it that were wrong rather than his feelings or experiences.

What stands out the most is that Gow18 events are set in motion precisely because Baldur tracks down Kratos and confronts him on Odin's orders (even that small bit of information already reveals Baldur's characterization as that of a broken individual desperate for parental approval). As the gamer starts learning new fighting mechanics through their battle - the second boss fight in the game and the first one between Kratos and a fellow god - the audience is introduced to Baldur's emotional turmoil, albeit without context. Not through third parties or through Freya (whom Kratos, Atreus and the gamer meet and bond with later and become biased in her favor) but through Baldur's own heartfelt screams about how he doesn't feel a thing and Kratos struggling against him is "pointless" (as he baits Kratos/the gamer to give him their best punch).

That's how the narrative establishes that, on one hand, Baldur's aggressive behavior is inexcusable and unprovoked and, on the other hand, there are underlying psychological reasons for that which need to be examined. From the writing standpoint it's a perfect set up for providing an explanation rather than a justification for villain's actions.

Another noteworthy point is that we get more background on Baldur and learn of his being Freya's son after - as mentioned above - getting to know Freya personally. As Kratos, Atreus and the gamer come to sympathize with and respect her. Unlike Baldur, an obvious antagonist, Freya is, from the get go, introduced as an ally character and as a caring, kind and nurturing person (her determination to save Hildsvini, then in his boar form, after he's shot by Atreus, her love for animals and plants, her saving Atreus's life, her giving Kratos the comfort and support even after he lashed out at her for keeping the very same secret about her deity background that he did in regards to his own son). Which further ensures that Kratos and Atreus as well as the gamer end up taking Freya's side once the faithful information about Baldur being her son is revealed and he attempts to kill her to get even for taking away his feelings. Such framing could've been an opportunity for the writers to only show the situation through Freya's lens and completely rob Baldur of any agency or voice.

But that doesn't happen either. Instead, Baldur is framed as an antithesis for young Atreus. Both had parental issues and estrangement from said parents (despite the emotional closeness to Faye, Atreus eventually finds out she, much like Kratos, also lied to him about vital things and not just her own but Atreus's background as well, for the sake of protecting him - wrong thing done for the right reason, not unlike Freya regarding Baldur). Both Atreus and Baldur aspired to prove their worth to their respective, emotionally distant fathers (as we learn in GowR from Freya herself; who goes out of her way to compare Baldur and Atreus and offers Kratos to become a mentor and motherly figure for Atreus in order to make up for her failures with Baldur).

In Gow18 Atreus has his low point when he finds himself on the verge of losing his morals and compass upon finding out about Kratos's and his own deity heritage. But eventually comes back on track, both due to Kratos breaking the emotional distance between them in order to become the authority figure and positive influence in Atreus's life that he failed to be from the start; as well as due to Atreus's own realization being a ruthless killer is not who he is or wants to be. The latter is the most important part of that arc, showing that Atreus choosing to stay on the right path was, first and foremost, for his own sake. Rather than a part of him wanting to please Kratos and earn his approval, the way Baldur aspired to earn that of Odin. The theme of personal choice over imposed circumstances or mistakes of one's parents is, thus, further highlighted through parallels and contrasts between Atreus and Baldur.

Upon the "family reunion" in the end of Gow18, Baldur gets to spell out his frustrations with Freya and she fully accepts the blame and responsibility. Down to her willingness to allow Baldur to kill her as a penance for robbing him of his ability to feel. However, this is also when the narrative, through Kratos and Atreus, shows that while Freya undeniably is one of the fundamental reasons Baldur turned out the way he did and got consumed by aggression and anger (other reason being Odin and it is in GowR that the audience gets more in depth information about that - along with said audience being prompted to check themselves on placing the full responsibility for bad parenting and it's consequences on a woman), Baldur, ultimately, is his own person. And is just as responsible for his own choices as Kratos, Atreus and Freya are.

The above point continues to be emphasized more boldly in GowR and is the reason Freya escapes being reduced to a misogynistic stereotype of a broken woman consumed by bitterness. Said stereotype is often framed as "feminist" in mainstream media and juxtaposed against soft and vulnerable female character types who maintain their cheerfulness and inspiration in spite of the adversities, like Angrboda. GowR subverted that false juxtaposition as well when it paralleled not only Freya and Angrboda but their interactions with Kratos and Atreus respectively.

As I noted many times, the most subversive point of Freya's arc in GowR is that her vindictive quest against Kratos ends prematurely and permanently less than halfway into the story. Rather than perpetuating the cycle of toxic motherhood by making Baldur's tragic but logical demise (because of his own actions and the route he chose to pursue) about herself and her pain Freya chooses to redirect her anger onto the real aggressor which is Odin ("you're [Kratos] not the one who needs to die"). Essentially diverting said anger away from herself and Kratos; whom Freya initially aspired to kill even if it required irreversibly destroying herself in the process and giving up on everything and everyone she used to hold dear (another part of the toxic parenting cycle).

Her further bonding with Kratos is also remarkable: while Freya recognizes Baldur as "not perfect but hers" she, as noted above, delves more into his background, his dangerous determination to impress Odin at any cost and his similarities with Atreus; whom Freya aspires to shield from the same fate as Baldur's. Atreus, in the meantime, continues to prove himself a parallel/antithesis to the aforementioned by actively seeking interactions with Odin and trying to trick the latter by winning his trust - something Baldur failed to attain either in life or in death.

Through those conversations (particularly in Vanaheim and during Freya's Missing Peace quest) Freya and Kratos realize how numerous factors affected Baldur's worldview, ultimately resulting in the man he became and his eventual death at the hands of Kratos, in defense of Freya. In the scene with the Norns Freya actively jumps to Kratos's defense when they mention his love for god killing being the cause of Baldur's demise ("it was not out of hate!"). Even though she said nothing in defense of herself or Baldur when the Norns mentioned their own choices determining their fates.

As far as Baldur's potential return, I have conflicting feelings about that though consider the idea interesting as well as having potential for SMS to come up with new "mythology with a twist" plot points and give the characters more development. On one hand, Baldur's come back could provide Freya with a closure that, in GowR, she had not yet found with herself (even when Freya was no longer blaming Kratos for Baldur's death she continued beating herself over it, including in the optional scenes and side quests, causing Kratos to emphasize that she did what she though she must do to protect Baldur).

Additionally, regardless of whether the writers take a romantic route with Freya and Kratos' relationship (my preferred scenario) or a platonic one (your preferred scenario) getting to face Baldur again, for both of them, could strengthen their bond and result in them working through that issue completely. The narrative made it a point to never gloss over it and that's what made Kratos and Freya's partnership and alliance so productive, strong and positive.

An anti-parallel to that would be Thrud's unhealthy reaction to Atreus killing her brother, whose death she outright dismissed by saying they were "better off without him" (because at that stage Thrud was mindlessly parroting her father and grandfather's propaganda and didn't have a mind or analytical thinking of her own; her "treacherous ex wife" comment about Freya is a product of that same mindset). Followed by her inviting Atreus, said brother's killer, to enjoy his stay in Modi's room and explore Asgard with her. That is, in between showing distrust or even contempt towards Atreus not for legitimate reasons (as Freya did towards Kratos for killing Baldur and as Thrud should have done towards Atreus for killing Modi) but because of Atreus's independence and unwillingness to tow Odin's line. In Helheim Thrud either prides herself on being supposedly stronger than Atreus - though constantly needs his help and aid with "almost budging" doors - or outright tells him she should have never trusted him. And that her mother was right about him all along when Atreus makes an honest mistake out of good intentions.

There where Angrboda and Atreus's interactions serve as a parallel to that of Kratos and Freya (see above) Atreus and Thrud's dynamic is an anti-parallel to both. That said, as I mentioned before, the most fitting scenario for Thrud's development would be to have Freya as her mentor (something that was hinted at by Lunda) and, in the process of bonding with her, reconsider her misguided perceptions imposed by Odin.

Concerning favourite Aesir characters, in my case it would be Sif whose determination to better herself, overcome her addiction for the sake of her daughter and a brighter future for her family and her willingness to embark on diplomatic missions to restore peace deserves far more credit than she tends to get.

[slugtranslation-hypmic]

Hey there Slug! I hope you ain't too buys and might have a lil fun with this one! Of each individual character, what are your respective favorite songs of theirs and why?

This is an easy ask to answer, so I'mma clear it from the pile and get to some older ones eventually.

I assume you mean solo songs only, right?

Under a cut for length because there are a bajillion boys in this series

Ichirou: I like his VA's rapping work in just about everything; he's really solid. Stage Ichirou also has a youthful quality I appreciate a lot, but of the main series songs... probably Break the Wall. It's high energy in a fun way. It also ties into a creative project I've been chewing on for years that's near and dear to my heart, although I'm not sure if I'll ever put it to paper and share it anywhere.

Jirou: I think Jirou's VA has a very pretty singing voice, so I like his softer songs. In general, I admire the "softer" aspects of Jirou's character and think that's where he shines best. So probably School of IKB, although I adore his choruses in Re:start.

Saburou: Requiem. I'm very, very, very into things that commit to being over the top and goofy, and I also enjoy combining classical and baroque elements with other genres. What's not to like here?

Samatoki: Gangsta's Paradise. The high speed rap is technically compelling. I generally appreciate v. fast rap since I enjoy learning and singing them. If the stage plays count, I really enjoy the emotion Samatoki's stage actor brings to Come Back to Me.

Juuto: ...There is some interesting text in the Personality section of Juuto's wiki page. (I have it pulled up to quick reference the song lists.) If anyone with wiki edit powers is reading this, you may want to clean that up... Anyway, I feel like they give Juuto great background music in just about every song, but Uncrushable takes the cake for me. I really like the BG music in that.

Riou: Move Your Body Till You Die, hands down. Goofy as fuck. Also, great workout music.

Ramuda: I find his main voice pretty grating, and his usual styles of music aren't my favorite in general. So Ramuda songs don't do a lot for me. I appreciate Pink Colored Love for plot reasons, though.

Gentarou: The slower Hypmic songs rarely do a lot for me, but I found myself enjoying Yume no Kanata a lot. Not sure I know why, necessarily...

Dice: 3$EVEN was one of the first songs I really enjoyed in Hypmic, and I still like its high energy today. In general, I'm impressed by Dice's VA's rapping ability and appreciate his parts in group songs a lot.

Jakurai: Like I said earlier, I'm not usually a fan of slow songs, so none of Jakurai's solos or duets have ever stood out to me. With that being said, I think Jakurai's speech style and slower rhythms makes him more fun and easier to translate w/ full rhyme and rhythm than many other characters. Like I think Labyrinth Wall would be fun to do a full cover of with syllable matching rhymes and line length while simultaneously trying to stick as close to the core meaning and tone as possible.

Hifumi: Both Champagne Gold and Don't Stop the Party are high-energy bops and great for working out. Slight preference for the former. I also really like his singing voice in group songs.

Doppo: Doppo's angrier verses in group songs are fun, but I'm especially fond of BLACK OR WHITE. In particular, I enjoy the DOTAMA cover. I'm a big DOTAMA fan for both his lyrical strength and considerable rapping chops. He's got a lot of songs that are really punchy and angry in this exact vein, and I love throwing on a playlist of his stuff while grinding out tedious work projects. Hahaha. Just rapping along "I don't want to work. I don't want to work. I don't want to work. BUT HERE I AM, WORKING!!!!" furiously under my breath.

Sasara: Comedian Rhapsody is really fun. This is another song I would love, love, love, love to try and do a full translation w/ preservation of rhyme/line length/jokes. Not for sharing--at that point it's just kinda showing off--but it's fun to chew on bits of it when I have moments of free time.

Roshou: Like most of the slow song characters, Roshou's solos aren't my favorite. I guess I prefer Under Sail to Own Stage for its background music.

Rei: All of Rei's songs are wild to the point of me liking them for the goofiness. If you commit to the bit, I'll enjoy it 9 times out of 10. Doesn't matter what the bit is. Shiro to Kuro is probably my favorite. LOVE the "heh heh we are up to no good" NPC villain energy of that song. But also, shout-out to his singing in Enishi, even if it's nigh-on intelligible to me. I love the hell out of Enishi in general.

Kuko: The king of goof himself. Sou Gyaran BAM is probably my favorite, but I am--to some degree--into virtually every song he's in.

Juushi: Wow, I'm listed as a source on this wiki page, lol. Anyway. Juushi's aesthetic as a whole isn't my cup of tea, but I have a soft spot for Moonlight Shadow, because the first two times I heard it were on Spotify shuffle while I just so happened to be scrubbing a toilet. So for a couple months after, I would put Bad Ass Temple on every time I cleaned the bathroom. Hahaha.

Hitoya: One and Two, and Law is so fucking goofy. I adore it. The live version with the airhorn? Chef's kiss.

Otome: Fuck it, let's do the ladies too. Out of all of her musical appearances, I like Just Do It the most. It adds such an interesting strength to her character, and the English portions are done super well.

Ichijiku: Love, love, love her part in Verbal Justice for its strength. This is yet another song I think would be fun to do a hell TL of, and then I remind myself that trying to rhyme "Kadenokouji" in English is a fool's errand.

Nemu: Her singing voice in WINK is nice, but I love her part in Femme Fatale for its energy. "I'm Nemu, and this is my masterpiece" Fuck yeah it is

[odayakajanai]

Vocaloid Songs You Might Have Missed - December 2023

Welcome back to my blog. Just like that, it's the last post for the year... never mind that it's already 2024. But for this longtime fan, 2023 was the best year in ages for Vocaloid music.

Something I mentioned in an earlier entry is that so much Vocaloid music over the past few years has felt like bait for singers to cover. (And to paste their avatars over in the videos... I'm far from the first person to notice this!) I don't mention this entirely to be a hater, but to contrast with the type and quality of release I've seen this year. Many of the 'vtuber bait' songs I poke fun at are truly great and destined to live on forever in Vocaloid history, but I've always felt a difference between songs that use vocal synths in the absence of a human singer and those that lean into the synthetic nature of the voices and the characters that represent them.

Over the past few years, a renewed interest in idiosyncratic voicebanks like Adachi Rei, Utane Uta (entirely synthetic), and the MAIDLOIDs (derived from a h-game moan synthesis engine) has coincided with technological advancement: the entry of SynthV, Neutrino, and CeVIO voicebanks have been fuel for an explosion in new music -- a genuine Vocaloid renaissance.

SynthV Teto has been particularly instrumental in all this since her release in April. In mere months, SV Teto has catapulted at least one producer into online superstardom, and an associated reevaluation of UTAU Teto has seen her behind some of the biggest songs this year. Nostalgia was part of the reason 2023 was the Year of Teto, but the SynthV voicebank, which totally maintained Teto's character while shaking off the computer-y crunchiness, is an achievement well worth the fanfare it received. With December's release of SynthV GUMI, are we in for a similar treat in 2024?

Anyways, last month's post is here, and this month's is under the break.

P.S. Speaking of nostalgia... did you know that Dixie Flatline is back?

Full playlist here, individual tracks below.

心酔 / あすわど feat. 重音テト Standard voca-pop rock, but something about the stuttering drums and a finely tuned Teto is *chef's kiss* more than enough for me.

死んだっぽいぜ / クソ犬 feat. 知声 I'd never heard a Vocaloid producer take on this kind of rock, somewhat reminiscent of pre-Warner Devo and a dead ringer for ZAZEN BOYS at their best. I also never expected to hear a Maki cover of "Lithium," so this producer is my current king of breaking new ground.

アサルト / いおぎりょう feat. 知声 Ryo Iogi's Teto hyperpop from September is one of my favorite tracks of the year, and I've been anxious to hear something new from him. Like the last song on this list, Chis-A's voice lends itself well to a good grungy guitar riff.

かくほ / よかど feat. 足立レイ Like Chis-A, Rei's voice pairs naturally with a certain kind of music... usually the skittery electronic dance-pop kind, so it's refreshing to hear a Coaltar of the Deepers-esque song featuring her.

sh*ellll;gar~ey / あずきねこp feat. カゼヒキβ, 初音ミク Finally, Kazehiki Beta hyperpop!

エビチャーハン! (You’re Telling Me A SHRIMP Fried This Rice?!) / Jamie Paige feat. 初音ミク Jamie Paige is behind just about every English Vocaloid song that I like (sorry Crusher-P, but I'm not an edgy teenager anymore), so I wasn't surprised to love her celebration of the Snow Miku 2024 "Shrimpku" design. And it's always funny to hear Miku say fuck.

ルナシー / 報瀬 feat. 初音ミク, 重音テト There's something so satisfying about hearing a "traditional" vocasynth sing alongside one of the next-gen, realistic-sounding ones. I love getting hit back-to-back with a crunchy melismatic Miku call and Teto soaring smoothly in response, especially paired with an uptempo saxophone riff that makes me want to shout ᴶaᵃaˢₒⁿ ᴰₑʳᵤᵘᵤˡₒᵒₒᵒ.

ドキドキ / tiputica feat. AiSuu I can't find anything about this artist. They have a Twitter account with one post about this song, zero followers or follows, and that's it. If anyone out there has more information on this artist, hit me up.

マジカルメモリー / in the blue shirt feat. 初音ミク in the blue shirt isn't new to Vocaloid, but he's much more known among netlabel followers for his sunny, sample-driven plunderphonic pop. His Miku music follows that feeling.

今日のずんだはみなごろし / ちから feat. ずんだもん,東北ずん子, イタコ, きりたん, 四国めたん, ナクモ I barely know where to start with this one. Like, uh, most people who don't listen to Pentatonix, I'm not particularly fond of a certain brand of a capella music, but when it's done this well, with such a satisfying complexity of harmony and counterpoint, and for Zundamon's birthday of all occasions, how can you not fall in love?

サンタの眠る夜 / ぐーすかぽー feat. 初音ミク The holidays have just wrapped up, and while there's never any shortage of Vocaloid Christmas songs, ones that are actually enjoyable to listen to are few and far between... though I think there's a new market opening for New Years music!

Trajectory / ごーぶす feat. KAITO Hey, it's KAITO's first appearance on here! A chill ballad with a beautiful rnb chord progression.

え？ちょっ��待って寒すぎない？ / asanuko feat. 鏡音レン Speaking of rnb, I think I've mentioned on here how much I love Rin for rnb/garage. asanuko's song is funny as hell, and I'm sure I'll be singing it under my breath as the winter chill continues to settle in, but mostly I'm impressed at how good Rin sounds for this kind of music.

夜空の再構成 / ヨハク feat. 初音ミク This style of song/video has been getting popular recently... electric piano, rapid-fire bass, intricate drum programming, synth leads that twist and turn around the melody, and all of the chord/time information you could ever hope for. A little showboating for music nerds, but it's stimulating enough and I do like it.

ボクにあいそうなはこ / MIDy feat. カゼヒキβ Finally, Kazehiki Beta hy-- wait a second.

ずんだ体育大学コール / さたぱんP feat. ずんだもん, 春日部つむぎ, WhiteCUL, 四国めたん, 白上虎太郎, 青山龍星 The Zundamon gods demand a sacrifice of joke songs, so here it is. See if you can count the references in the zunda dances.

＊･ﾟ+｡園にて.ﾟ / ukaihi feat. 初音ミク ukaihi is 3 for 3 on making it onto this list. I'm sure #4 will make it on here, too... if they don't become popular enough for most people to come across their music first!

絵空事未来 / 真島ゆろ feat. 初音ミク Where the ukaihi song seemed to float, this one skips. 真島ゆろ is one of those producers who can change styles from song to song, and this take on a sasakure.uk-gone-lighthearted style is a winner.

ナイトランナー / d0tc0mmie feat. 重音テト Osaka mentioned... d0c0mmie did a great job capturing a feeling with this one. The laid back - but quick - drums bring back memories of running around Namba with friends way too late into the night.

ハイパー. / ikomai feat.Ciちゃんβ My favorite submission from #PVSF2023R -- so obviously the video is great, but the original track from ikomai blew me away. I think my taste in music is easily read from my blog posts, and this kind of song is nothing out of the ordinary for me, but the Jacob Collier style turnaround at 0:58 knocked me out.

エグい速度での俯瞰 / もっちりしたパン feat.可不, ナースロボ＿タイプT Nurse Robo Type T and Kafu doing what they do best -- talking and mirroring a superspeed jazz fusion piano riff.

NSFW Bonus - メスガキヨーデル / enunichime feat. 重音テト First of all, I have never heard a vocasynth yodel before, and I was not expecting it to sounds this good. Second of all, you can't be making songs about this white baby.

[romanarose]

For the Longest Time: Scenes (From an Italian Restaurant)

Santiago Garcia x Lacina Dumas Francisco Morales x Jana Fernandez William Miller x Lorelei Giang Benjamin Miller x Alice McCarthy Special Guest: Cameron MacDonald

Masterlist : Triple Frontier Masterlist :Playlist

Join my taglist!

Summary: Individual scenes from the perspectives of all the characters with a sneak peak to someone yet to be introduced.

Warnings: Mentions of domestic violence, pregnancy, potential for miscarriage but it doesn't happen. Mentions of sexual abuse, hinting of bulimia. Usual themes.

A/N BONUS CHAPPY. I tried by very best with vietnamese but I don't have any vietnamese friends so ask, but i took a good amount of googling and tried to make it sound natural.

Once again, Romana's fics do not pass the Bechel test. I need help. I am a horrible feminist.

Santi

When Santi reached the ER, he took off his jacket and wrapped it around Laci's waist. She was wearing a short pink skirt, and he knew she wouldn't want her underwear out for everyone to see. Laci hadn't said anything the whole ride, nor the whole doctors visit, and that was expected. She was so checked out, in shock... it had been a long time since Santi saw her like this. The 1000 mile, dead-eye stare and the blood on her pretty face reminded him so much of the day he found her that he found himself having flashbacks.

Santi could not believe he let this happen. All the times he promised her he'd never let anyone hurt her again, and yet he had. It was who he had least expected, a member of his own family laid a hand on his wife, and Santi was going to make him pay. Will and Lorelei couldn't protect him forever.

The hospital was especially hard. Santi was reminded, as he stood by the bedside holding her hand of when they first took her to the embassy, how she had to endured interview after interview and exam after exam, retraumatizing her over and over.

To his extreme relief, it seemed she and the baby were okay.

"You here that, Lacina?" Santi spoke gently, squeezing her hand. "He's alright, our son is okay... everything is alright...." He caressed her soft hair. Laci didn't speak, but her eyes began to fill with tears, and soon Santi's did too "I'm sorry for everything, princess. I'm sorry for how it's been, but babygirl" He kiss her forehead, right on the scar she always tried to hide. "Nothing matters more than you, nothing matters more than our family. Last name, baptism, everything, it's yours."

They had to answer a few questions with a police officer, given the nature of what happened. Once it was clear Santi hadn't hurt Laci, Laci giving her statement via notes app, the officer asked if she wanted to press charges against Ben. Santi assured her she could, that he'd support her the whole way. He loved Ben, hell he still did. That was his brother. But he hurt Laci. Laci, of all goddamn people while she was in the stage of pregnancy most venerable to miscarriages from falls, and he knew, he fucking knew she miscarried before. After Santi, Ben knew the most of what she endured, outside of her therapist.

But Santi knew before she ever answered that she wouldn't press charges.

When they got home, Santi carried her to bed, and went to get her some water and food. He knew she didn't really want to eat, anxiety always surprising her appetite, but he knew she'd try for their baby, sweet thing that she was. She's already such a good mom.

He brought her pizza rolls, and climbed into bed with her, keeping the lights on. She didn't like the darkness when she was triggered.

Laci's small hand grabbed, and he turned to see her pale blue eyes pleading.

"What is it, baby?"

It was then she explained. Laci signed, and where she couldn't she typed. Ben didn't hurt her. Alice did. This, of course, made a lot more sense than Ben slapping Laci, but the other part of what she saw was far more shocking. Alice was abusing Ben. Santi had to admit, he was in a little disbelief at first. Ben was 6'2, strong as hell and well... a man. Alice was short and...

But slowly it started to make sense, all the pieces. Of course, she wouldn't start out hitting him, she'd have broken him down like they saw her do over and over again until he was at the point where he wouldn't fight back. It all became more and more clear... and more and more painful.

Their family was in shambles, and Santi felt embarrassed for threatening Ben when he was already going through so much... but fuck, how could he just let Alice do that to Laci? And how could he tell Laci he doesn't want to be at their wedding, the wedding of two people who were his best friends. This wasn't the Ben he knew, the Benny that would die for Laci...

Santi held her close and fed her pizza rolls until he finally saw her smile again.

When she fell asleep, he went to call Will.

Will

Ben was pouting on his couch, and Will was now wishing he'd let Lore join, but he didn't want to give her the added stress this far in to her pregnancy. She was sitting in the car right now, on the phone with her sister who she was trying her damndest to rebuild a relationship with. Rene would be the only aunt Chloe had biologically, and she wanted them to have a relationship, even if she was a pain. Lorelei had offered to come with Will, she wanted too, but Will said he needed to do this by himself. So, they compromised with Lorelei in the car.

Will and Ben are no strangers to physical altercations with each other. He wasn't sure why he was yelling at his brother who he just found out was being abused by his girlfriend and frankly, he didn't get it. At all. It wasn't because Ben was a man, it was because he didn't understand how Ben could stay with her. Hadn't he been through enough? Hadn't he seen how much their mom suffered with Paul, why would he put himself through that?

Couldn't he see how loved he was by their family? He lost Laci, and for what? Getting his ass beat?

Ben argued he didn't know what he was talking about, that Lac was unreliable and 'always was overdramatic', which made Will yell more. Laci was emotional, yes. She was also very sensitive, but Will refused to treat those as bad things. The implication of her being 'dramatic' about the things that happened didn't sit right when talking about a girl who until recently, her entire life had been defined by nonstop tragedy.

Will heard Lorelei yelling outside the front door.

Quickly, he went to open it to find Lorelei, face to face with Alice. He had never moved so fast in his entire life, placing himself in front of his pregnant girlfriends. They were a few feet above the ground on the wide front step, and after learning what Alice did to Laci, he wasn't letting Lorelei take a fall again.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Will seethed at the much smaller woman glaring up at him. He wanted to hit her, he wanted to hurt her so goddamn damn for what she's done to his brother and to the woman who is no different than a sister to him. For the anger and fighting that her actions have caused with everyone in their family. But Will didn't hit women. He didn't care if it wasn't equal treatment, it wasn't who he was. It wasn't who Ben was either, which she probably knew. Someone who wouldn't fight back.

Alice scoffed. "I live here, Jackass."

Will knew Ben wanted her to move in, he told Will, Pope and Fish 2 months back. They all said he was insane, moving his girlfriend in after 3 months but Ben said he didn't want to here it from Will and Santi. Will said his living situation with Lorelei and Santi with Laci was completely different than Ben and Alice, but Ben wasn't listening. What didn't know was she already lived there.

"Well, not anymore, get the fuck out." Behind his back, Will tried to nudge Lorelei to move down the stairs, but instead she moved towards the house. No doubt ready to protect Ben like she had before. It made him worry, but he also knew Lorelei did not have Laci's softness. She would throw hands right back, 8 month belly and all. He'd make sure it never got to that point, but goddamn did the idea of it make him love her even more, and he didn't think that was possible.

Benny

He couldn't sleep. The night was long anyway, Alice and him arguing back and forth. He wasn't his best, he yelled at her, she said he scared her... that broke his heart. He was becoming his dad. He watched Laci fall to the floor 5 months pregnant and did nothing about it. He let Alice tell Jana, the best mom he's known since his grandma, the woman who saved Franks life that was a bad mom and girlfriend.

His face hurt, but more importantly he felt disgusted in his skin. Nothing felt like his. His face felt numb from the ice pack Alice put on his lip. She was good like that. Everything ached. He didn't want to get undressed, he didn't like the way his body looked, but when he wanted to just go to bed, Alice accused him of not being attracted to her. She said withholding affection was an abuse tactic, so Ben made love to her, hoping to god he could prove to her he wasn't gay. He wasn't. He wasn't. None of that in the past was real.

So now, she was lying next to him, both were naked and all he wanted was to get redressed... but first, he needs a release. Pulling on his sweats again, Ben headed to the fridge.

Frankie

"And then, and THEN!" Frankie shouts, raising his hands in frustration as he washed the dishes. "Kyle said 'per my last email' can you fucking believe that! He said that, OUT LOUD, not in an email, not in a meeting, but at the fucking water cooler!"

When Jana, who was laying on the couch after eating too much and watching Blipi with Rosie, didn't respond, Frankie turned to look at her, scrubby in one hand, and plate in the other and his tan shirt sleeves rolled up. Rosie was on the carpet, half-watching and half playing with GI-Joe dolls, but if you tried to touch the TV she'd scream. Normally, Jana loved listening to his work gossip. She had no skin in the game, and since it didn't really cause Frankie any genuine stress she liked listening. Frankie could quit anytime.

The money from Lorea paid for the house, their cars, a good savings and a college fund for Rosie as well as 10 year CD's. Those were Jana's idea when it was clear how much Frankie was spending on coke. Frankie didn't have as much left as Will or Santi, but they were stable. Jana moving back in back in March and her recent promotion left them in a good spot. They'd be able to start a college fund for this new baby and provide a life that Frankie never had for their children. If work became too stressful, Frankie could leave, and he probably would when the baby was born, but right now it provided him stability and a sense of normalcy he had craved. He also found out that off coke and booze, he was pleasant as hell and was highly liked at work. He liked it.

When he turned, he knew immediately something was wrong. Jana was laying on the couch in her bonnet, having just gotten her hair done for Laci's wedding. Bohemian box braids, mostly her real hair since it was so long but had some fake blue locks. Jana's bridesmaid dress was blue, so she wanted to match.

"Hey mama." He said down the dishes, drying his hands as he walks over, "What's wrong? Nausea?" Alfredo usually made her stomach hurt, but she was craving it so Frankie was happy to cook for her. Between that and early pregnancy, it could be a lot of things.

She shook her head.

"Is it your braids?" He knew how much fresh braids could hurt.

She shook her head again.

Frankie frown, kneeling beside her. "Well, what's wrong then?" Whatever it was, he'd fix it. Can't have his precious girlfriend crying, especially not while pregnant with his baby.

Her lower lips quivered when she met his eyes and soon enough Jana was crying. Jana was not a cryer. Laci? Laci cries for everything, soft thing she was. Jana? The last time he saw Jana crying was when she was chewing him out for abandoning her and Rosie for a week.

"Oh, bebita, come here!" Frankie sat on the couch and pulled her into his arms, careful not to touch her tender head. "What's wrong?"

Jana sobbed into his shirt, making Rosie pause her play. Rosie stood up, rushing over to Jana and climbing up on her moms lap to give her a strong hug. "Mama don't be sad!" She put a little hand on Jana's face and kissed her cheek. "I love you! You're so pwetty!"

This made Jana chuckle, pulling her daughter tightly into her arms as she snuggled against her boyfriend. "I love you, and you're so pretty too." She kissed the crown of Rosie's puffy hair. "I love you so much, baby girl. Daddy and I ain't ever gonna let nothing happen to you, okay mami? Estás a salvo con nosotros. No dejes que nadie te haga daño, nena. Solo mereces amor suave."

Frankie understood what was hurting Jana so badly now. She was worried about Ben. Of course she was, Jana had known Benny since before he could legally drink, she loved him, often proclaiming he was her favorite. Since dating Alice, Ben pulled away from them all, not just Laci. It was subtle at first, but the damn if his presence wasn't missed. What Frankie failed to realize was how it affected Jana. Yes, Ben pulled away from Laci and everyone knew how badly it hurt her, but Jana missed Ben too. She just didn't have space to grieve.

Frankie had said that he'd fix whatever it was that was making her cry... but he didn't know how to fix this.

Lorelei

She rolled her eyes.

"Không, mẹ, chúng ta sẽ không kết hôn. Mẹ, con đã biết anh ấy một năm. Oh my god. MOM. Jesus- mom do you- moooooom. đéo. Oh, for fu- no, me, I wasn't swearing!."

Lorelei was on the couch, trying to explain to her mom that she was dating Will but they weren't getting married. Not right now anyway. Will was massaging her poor swollen feet, but smirking. He knew that Lorelei would get riled up and they'd end up fucking out that frustration here in a minute.

Lorelei sighed. "We don't know right now, but it's looking like we're going to work the harvest, then try to sell it after." She was talking about the farm. "Well no, I'm not gonna be a farmwife- well I could! Just because I like make-up- Okay, no, I don't want to deal with cows- oh my god."

Lorelei her phone on the swollen boobs and put it on speaker, looking to Will with an annoyed but over it expression, eyebrow raised. She was so exhausted from her mom, and wanted to make sure Will understood what it was like with her. Will was always empathetic, but now was a great chance for him to see the bullshit himself.

"I'm just saying, maybe if you put a little more effort into yourself you'd attract the right kind of man, instead of a farmer. Now, I know I know you said he isn't a farmer, military right? Does some motivational speaking? Well, I'm sorry, Yen but that's not a real job. Have you ever heard of keto? My friend Betty, remember her? Alex's friends mom? Well, she lost 40 pounds on it. I know your pregnant blah blah blah but I think if you start on the baby weight now, you can get a jump start. I saw your most recent picture on facebook honey. You know I never gained more than 15 pounds with you 3. You were my heaviest pregnancy. If you aren't careful, em bé is going to be-"

Will snatched the phone out off of Lorelei, taking it off speaker and away from Lorelei who was just sitting there listening to her mom rail on her very normal amount of weight gain.

"Hi, Mrs. Tran? This is William Miller, how are you? Yes, I'm so glad we could finally talk." He began to walk away, motioning for Lore to rest. He laughs. "Oh yes, that's so true!... We'd love for you to come visit-" Lorelei's eyes widened in panic, but Will understood her without even seeing her reaction. "But I think I'd love to visit where Lore grew up, so maybe we can plan a trip to Philly. Yeah? Wonderful, let's do that some time. Oh no, she didn't tell me about that, but I'd love to hear about how the book club meeting, I'm all ears... What, really?... Well that was rude... Yes, Pride and Prejudice is a classic... Debbie wouldn't know a good book if it hit her in the face..."

Lorelei heard her mom laugh over the phone, and Will winked at her. She rested.

Jana

"Listen, no to be gross." Lorelei started, watching Laci and Santi say bye. It was sickly sweet, but Lorelei was clearly over it wanting to get a move on. They had finished saying goodbye to Will and Frankie and Rose5 minutes ago, and they had to get checked in. Jana had long suspected Ben may not be in the wedding and he certainly wasn't doing any man of honor stuff with Laci so Jana stepped up, booking her, Laci and Ben a night away at a spa. Laci's wedding was going to be incredibly small, nonchalant. A cute little backyard wedding, something to not overwhelm her, but Jana thought she deserved nice things. When it was clear Ben wasn't coming, they had invited Lorelei. Luckily, Jana was able to switch the package to a prenatal one since all three were pregnant. It was well deserved on their parts, Jana thought, they all had been through a lot.

"Nothing is more gross than this." Jana replied but with no real edge. She was happy for not only Laci, but Santi too. As long as she'd known him, Santi had never been this happy, and after his mom and sister died within a few years... well, it was nice to see him at peace. Laci was good for him.

Lorelei leaned in, watching the mushy couple hug each other. "You ever wonder what their sex life is like?"

Jana laughed at that. "I know way more than I ever needed to." To be fair, Laci also knew Jana's sex life which involved whips and bondage. "You know she calls him daddy. It's his name on her phone."

Audibly gagging, Lorelei laughs. "That it does not surprise me that she's into that one bit, but I just don't see Santi as a daddy dom type."

"Oh it's not really a dom/sub situation. The actual sex is quite vanilla as you might imagine with her history. She just likes being taken care of, and Santi likes taking care of her.." She turned to Lorelei. "You don't call Will daddy?"

Lorelei laughed brightly at that. Goddamn she was pretty, a fucking sight to see. Lorelei was the kind of girl Jana would have perused when broken up with Frank if she hadn't remained so helplessly in love with the precious man. "I mostly call him annoying! Do you call Frankie daddy?"

"No," Jana giggled. "I mostly say sir in those scenario's. It's like I say." Jana pats her stomach, not yet showing. "I'm submissive and breedable."

"Are you?"

"Breedable? Obviously, neither thing 1 or thing 2 were planned, but those bad boy keep breaking through. And by bad boys I mean Frankie's jizz."

Grimacing, Lore continued to laugh while Santi and Laci talked to each other like talking to a baby. "Yeah, I got that! I meant the submissive part. You seem like a very... in control woman."

"Oh! Oh yeah, no, I am. Except in bed." Jana liked knowing her family was safe and in her hands. The burden of the day to day planning was in her hands, and it wasn't something she minded. It wasn't like she did everything physically; Frankie was a supportive partner and loving father, she was going to marry the fuck out of him some day. When they were separated, Jana could hand Rosie off to Frankie for a week or more and trust that her baby was safe, healthy, and on her normal routine (unless Santi was over). In fact, this night away all she had to tell Frankie was that Rosie's favorite stuffie was in the wash. Everything else, he was well prepared.

No, Francisco was capable, and if Jana was ever sick or needed him to take over more, he would, always. He cooked wonderful means for her to come home to and packed her lunch. In the end, it came down to want. She wanted to do this for her family, she wanted to take the stress of Frankie's pretty little head. She didn't want him to worry about Rosie's and his appointments, because and would tell him where to go and when. It was something Jana loved doing for her lover. And in return, Frankie would take over in bed, fucking her senseless with orgasm after orgasm and make her loose every single thought in her head that wasn't his mouth or cock or massive fucking hands.

Yeah, Jana liked control, and right now with Ben she felt out of fucking control and she hated it. She needed this weekend away.

"Alright, that's enough." Jana went over to the sappy pair. Normally, if neither were pregnant, Jana could just pick Laci up, but instead she settled for pulling her away. Laci pouted and playfully reached her arms out to Santi.

Joking, Santi glared at Jana as she dragged his fiancé out. "Awwww Jan Jan is so mean!"

With a "Shut the fuck up, Santito" they were out the door, all their luggage having been packed into the car by Will already.

As soon as they were out, Laci beamed and chatted excitedly about their 'getaway' on the other side of their town and hopped into her spot as passenger princess. Out of ear shot, Jana leaned into Lorelei before opening her car door. "Those two are just emo because this is the first time they've slept away from each other since Santi murdered her ex boyfriend."

She got in, leaving Lorelei standing outside the car when she closed her door. From through the windows, Jana laughs as she hears Lorelei shout "Aw, now, what the fuck!"

Laci

Laci sat nervously on the park bench waiting for Ben. Santi stood nearby, out of earshot but closely watching. Laci had reminded him that Ben didn't actually hurt her, so he didn't need to be worried and Santi said that Ben has made her cry repeatedly over the last new months, and he was going to be there to swoop in and rescue his princess. His words, words which she loved. Things were much better between them, and Laci was relieved. After the fighting but before she got hit, Laci was certain Santi would postpone the wedding and she thought maybe that would be a good idea too. She adored him, and she'd never let go as long as he loved her too, but maybe they needed to wait.

The morning after it all happened, Laci was worried Santi would treat her like he did when she first moved in. She loved that time in her life, she was allowed all the space and love and closeness and whatever she needed to get better, but that was the thing. She was better. The slap was extremely triggering and thinking she was miscarrying again was horrific but after being in therapy for over a year, she was equipped to handle it, with the reassurance and care Santi would always provide, she just didn't want to be treated like one of his porcelain dolls. She was stronger now.

But Santi knew her. He brought her breakfast, asked her how she felt, and they watched Friends reruns during the morning, cuddled up in their bed. It wasn't until after lunch Santi talked to her.

She explained everything, how Alice bullied her in that mean-girl way of subtle digs and jabs. She finally told him why she had been crying at the ball, something she previously refused to talk about knowing it would anger Santi. Laci had wanted to bad to fix things with Alice. She told him how she said that Santi was bored with her because they didn't have adventurous sex, how she bet he used to have threesomes with the guys and Laci couldn't give him any of that. Santi insisted he didn't want to have wild sex, as he had told her before. No part of him wanted to hurt her, especially during sex. Santi was explicitly clear he had never had a threesome with any of the guys, especially not with Jana like Alice implied, and although he had a threesome with two girls in the past, he had no desire for that with her. She fulfilled all his desires.

They talked about the baptism. Laci expressed that she had been wanting to start attending mass sometimes, and Santi agreed that he would join her, which made Laci smile.

"What about Leto?" She asked, voice small.

"Hm?"

"For his name"

Santi thought on it for a moment, but as he sounded it out, he started smiling.

"Leto Antonio... baby, I love it..."

Laci snuggled up to him. "Leto Antonio Garcia."

"Leto Antonio Garcia-Dumas"

In the evening, Ben texted her 'can we meet up?'

He sat on the bench, far on the other side away from her. Ben was looking over his shoulder in unrest, like he was on the look out. He spotted Santi from afar, and Santi gave him a little wave from where he stood. Ben waved back.

"I won't ask why you stay." Laci spoke, her high pitched voice already breaking. "I don't know why I always did either, really."

Ben sighed. "I love her, Lace."

Her lip quivered. "She doesn't deserve you. I know you don't think that now, you probably think you deserve what she does and what she says because I know you, I know how little you see yourself... but I love you so much, Benny! I love you and I think you are so amazing and you deserve someone who loves you as you are."

Ben turned away, looking back to the geese flying overhead. "You're, okay? Baby's okay?"

Laci sighed. She knew she wouldn't be able to simple love him out of abuse. It didn't work like that. "Yeah, everything was okay."

He nodded. "I'm really sorry, Lace. That I didn't try to stop her, that I didn't stand up for you-"

"Please don't be sorry, I know what it's like-"

"But that's just it!" He raised his voice, then out of the corner of his eye saw Santi stand from leaning against the tree. "Sorry. Sorry. It's just... You of all fucking people. I'd be ashamed if she did that to Lorelei or Jana, hell I owe her an apology for how Alice spoke to her... but you? I can't get the sight of you on the floor with on your mouth out of my head."

They talked about it a little longer, but there wasn't much to say. There wasn't much to do.

"Benny..." Laci fidgeted with her blue dress. "Listen Jana took over the maid of honor stuff already...."

"I figured. I assume Lorelei is replacing me?"

"No!" Laci practically jumped out of the bench. "I mean, no, no I love her so much and she's family but, that's not what I'm saying... I mean, Benny I don't want to get you in trouble or hurt or anything but... I need you to know I still want you to be my bridesman... but again, don't put yourself at risk for me, I just want you to know I, we, we both want you there. We both love you so much and if-" Her voice cracked, tears pooling in her eyes. "I know Will can be a lot sometimes so if you need somewhere safe to be, no prying questions or fighting or judgement, I swear to you our home is open for you as it always has been. I want you as much a part of our and Leto's lives as possible."

Ben's eyes were tearing up too, not letting them spill. "I'll make it work, okay? I'm gonna stand with you guys."

Laci's smile appeared suddenly. "REALY?! Are you sure? We could always switch you and Will if it's better for you to be on Santi's side."

Ben almost said no, but then he realized no matter what, Alice was going to lose her shit that he was back in. Maybe it would help. "Yeah, okay..."

She squealed, turning when Santi approached them. "Is that okay, baby? If Will stands with me and Ben with you."

Ben stood and extended a hand to his brother, wanting to shake on peace but Santi pulled him in for a hug. "We're gonna be here for, Ben. Whatever you need. You've always been there for us so we're gonna take care of you now."

Alice

He was hiding something.

He was always fucking hiding something. How was she supposed to trust what he said, what he wasn't gay when he's constantly lying. Alice knows he slept with that little ditz, even though everyone denied it. God, they were all blind, or maybe she slept with them all too. Just look at how she dresses, all those short skirts and lowcut dresses and crop tops, and constantly hanging off one of them, pretending like she can't go anywhere herself. She was so desperate for attention; that's probably how she got sex trafficked, supossedly.

She acts like it was this horrible thing, she sure loved to milk it but if it was that bad, why was she dating Santi? He looked like the men who abused her, spoke their language. She should hate him and Frankie, honestly. If she was really abused, she wouldn't have jumped into bed with Santi so fast.

"Where were you?" Alice asked when Ben walked in, the sun setting. He looked tired, avoiding her eyes and for a moment Alice felt bad. But then he took too long to answer.

"Just. Out. Walking."

He was lying. Alice stood up and the way Ben moved so quickly made her feel strong, like she had a hold on him. Ben was so much taller, stronger than her, and she still had control over him. "Tell me the truth."

He sighed, and right away Alice knew he was with that cunt, probably shoving his hands up her itty bitty skirt while sucking Santi's dick.

"You're with Laci, aren't you."

She watched Ben tense, avoiding her eyes. "Can we do this later? I gotta shower before dinner."

They were supossed to go to his grandpa's house for dinner. Gideon was nice enough, but Ben ruined her mood, and she wanted to punish him for seeing Laci.

"I don't think we're gonna go. I'm not feeling well."

Ben turned at that, looking at her in confusion. "What? No, babe it's an hour from now, we can't cancel again. I havn't seen him in months!"

Alice stepped back. "Don't raise your voice at me! I said I don't feel good, why would you want me to go somewhere when I feel sick? Are you trying to punish me? You're being manipulative."

He blinked at that, obviously confused by the turn around. "I- I'm sorry? Well, can I go at least?"

Alice forced the tears to come to her eyes. "You'd leave me alone I'm sick?"

There was a pause as Ben stammered over his words before sighing. "No, babe. I'll call him and cancel."

Alice went to lie down, asking Ben for some tea.

Cameron

"Goddamn it."

Springsteen songs didn't usually remind Cam of him, but this goddamn song about Bruce Springsteen songs did. Cam didn't listen to country if he could avoid it, but his phone died and the only station the tractor was country.

"When I think about you I think about 17 I think about my old Jeep I think about the stars in the sky Funny how a melody sounds like a memory Like a soundtrack to a July Saturday night Springsteen"

Yeah, actually, Cam did think about Ben, being 17, his jeep, staring at the stars in the sky as they lay on the roof of the barn... god fucking damn it.

Cam came home that night, he was exhausted from his 14 hour day but it was worth it. August to December he worked long hours and hard days on the field, then January to June had complete freedom to travel in and live out of his van, a hippie sort of lifestyle.

No drug tests.

It was technically his off season still but one of his connections had an old farmer who needed a bit of help spraying season. Cam was trying to put money away incase his van broke down. It was an old thing from the 60's, Cam was under no pretense that it was lasting forever.

Cam was bordered up in an old hunting lodge, and after cracking open a cold one he sat at the deck and lit a blunt, scratching his beard after taking a long drag. God that was nice.

The phone call irritating him, and he was going to ignore it just wanting his peace time but the area code stood out to him. Florida, middle Florida to be exact. Did Ben get a new number? He swiped right.

"Hello?"

"Hey, this Cameron MacDonald?"

"Um... yeah? Listen, if you're calling about my car's extended warranty, I drive a van from '69, it's way past-"

"No, Cam this is Will Miller."

Goddammit Bruce Springsteen, let this man go. "Hey Will... What's going on?”

If Will is calling, something gotta be wrong. Will... was not fond of him. Over the years, Ben and Cam went in and out of each other's lives for one reason or another, but never very long and understandably so Will was not happy about picking up the pieces. Cameron got it, he did. But Cameron also had to pick up every broken piece himself. Life and a rambling man left him with many friends but no one to call for a breakup.

"I uh, I got your phone number off Ben's phone, he don't know I'm calling you."

"Well, I'd think not, considering he'd pretty girlfriend." Cam chuckled good naturedly. He still had Ben on Facebook and saw his pictures on occasion when they popped up on his feed... or when he stalked Ben's page after a few bud lights too many. "Where you at right now? I hear music."

"You remember Pope? Or, I guess Santiago, who Ben and I served with? He's getting married."

"Oh shit, no way that's great!" He was genuine. Cam never met Santi, only Frankie and his lady a few times over the years Santi was always off somewhere. But Ben loved him dearly, and from Facebook stalking it looked like he was really close with the man's girlfriend- well, wife now. A win for Ben's family was a win for Ben, and that was a win for Cam. "Whadderya doing talking to me when you should be celebrating your friends and dancing with your girlfriend. Congratulations of her and the baby, by the way."

"Thanks. I called you now because I've had a few drinks and I had an idea, and it might be a bad one. Figured I'd better do it now because I chicken out."

A bad start. Was Will going to finally cuss Cam out for ditching Ben all those years ago?

"Oh. Uuuuuuh, okay?"

He heard Will sigh loudly over the phone, Stevie Nicks and Don Henly in the background. It was never good when he sighed like that.

"Ben's in trouble, and I need your help."

It didn't matter. His plans for the next harvest season, how far away he was. Cameron didn't even know what Will's plan was at all if there even was one. All Cam knew was that Ben needed help.

"What do you need, Miller."

*********************************

BENNY BOO WE'RE COMING TO SAVE YOU

Next chapter is the finale for FTLT!!!!! Laci and Santi get hitched <3 Happy day.

And we have a name for our little LaL baby!!!

Then, after the finale and after i finish up a few series, it onto my Ben series, No Surrender (after the bruce springsteen song bc duuuhhh)

@pimosworld @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction @whatthefishh @missdictatorme @milkymoon2483 @poeedameronn @itspdameronthings @miraclesabound @babymills16 @rayslittlekitten @kirsteng42

[chrishoughton]

i have been a big city greens fan from the very beginning and i recently just started rewatching it with my best friend who’s never seen it before. she lives over a thousand miles away in another state and it’s so hard being apart, but every night we get on the phone and watch BCG together through disney+. it has been one of highlights of my weeks lately.

I relate so much to Gloria, more than i wish i did sometimes, as a barista currently trying to make it as an artist and dreaming of going to paris hahaha. I love her.

all of this to say that i am so thankful for big city greens and the characters, it is so real and so funny and such a comfort to me. when BCG came out i had just started art school and it was a huge inspiration and continues to be today as i have grown and learned. my dream was and still is to make something as heartfelt and genuine as BCG one day. I’ve come close to giving up so many times and this year especially has been really difficult in a lot of ways, but rewatching your show has reminded me of what i set out to do in the first place. it has helped me find that motivation again.

thank you and Shane for creating such a gem, you have no idea how much it means to me. I hope you and your family had a wonderful thanksgiving!

(and since this wasn’t a question and you got on me for that last time i sent you a message, I’ll end with this:

what are cricket and tilly’s favorite songs of all time, respectively, and why? I would love to know so i can add them to my big city playlist :’)

thank you again!!)

Oh man, this made my day! Thanks for sharing. It makes me really happy to hear that BCG (and Gloria) is so special to you. I love that you watch it with your friend over the phone. That's adorable??? And it's surreal to hear that BCG is such an inspiration to you because I remember being in art school and wondering the same questions. "Will I ever be able to make something as cool/inspiring/original as ______??"

As cool as it is to be inspired by stuff you like, it can easily become discouraging (at least this is my experience.) Think of all of the artwork/songs/films we've missed out on because artists have talked themselves out of completing their project. Tragic!

It's important to remember that you'll never make anything like BCG (or anything you're inspired by) and that's a good thing! Whatever you create, will go through your individual "filter." It really will be unique because there's no one like you. No one has your exact experiences, perspectives, and outlook on life. Just keep making stuff that feels personal and honest to you and you're bound to make something interesting and unique.

And to answer your question (thank you for finally following the RULES)... Cricket's favorite song would probably be ever-changing depending on his current mood. But I like to think that Gene Autry's "Don't Fence Me In" is quietly playing on loop in the back of Cricket's brain. I could see Tilly loving Mama Cass's "Make Your Own Kind of Music."

Best of luck with the rest of art school!

[fallenneziah]

Hii! So I’m new in the Call of Duty fandom but I don’t play the games like on the ps5, etc… I only play Call of Duty on my phone and I got addicted and began digging deeper so here I am! Since I don’t/can’t play the different games of cod do you recommend any channels on youtube that does an amazing walkthrough of the games? I really really want to watch some walkthroughs but I don’t know whats the order of watching each game?? Does each game connect to each other? I’m still kind of confused since I’m still new😅😅. I’m sorry to disturb you though but I hope you can help me😭

Hey anon! That's absolutely alright, I do know of some YouTube channels that you can watch that I would recommend! (I'll link videos and channels as well so it's easier for you)

If you are interested in the gameplay as well as the actors, Dan Allen Gaming is always a good place to turn. He does interviews with the call of duty actors, sometimes plays some games with them, and it's all around fun.

It's great for me to get a different aspect of it, especially the characters and personalities of each individual aside from gameplay which I enjoy. And you might too.

Hallow is another YouTuber who does pretty good playthroughs. Such as the likes of Spider-Man games, but he has a full playthrough of the Modern Warfare Two game without any commentary. He also goes through the first Modern warfare in the reboot trilogy.

Another series I saw was from Typical Gamer which has a couple-part series of the game, this time a walkthrough.

CecliusPlays HD also has some commentary and his walkthrough goes mission to mission so it's not as much a sit through.

These alone are all of JUST the 2022 reboot of modern warfare 2.

TheRadBrad also does playthroughs for both modern warfare 2 and 3.

Shirrako has a gameplay video for Call of Duty Vanguard as well.

GTA 4 PC also has a playthrough of the 2009 game. (I'm having trouble finding ones for the first game if anyone has that, great)

Gamer Max Channel has a walkthrough of the modern warfare 3 game from the og trilogy.

KAHVERENGi AYI does a full gameplay playthrough for the Call of Duty Ghost's campaign.

SycoSquirrelSSU has a playlist of their Call of Duty Black Ops walkthrough.

These are currently the only YouTubers on YouTube alone that I have watched for commentary. I usually watch them so I can go back and see little scenes for fics and stuff. And on Twitch you can find some of the Call of Duty actors who also play in Warzone if you're ever interested.

I hope this was helpful and you can find what you're looking for. Welcome to call of duty 😊

[yerbamansa]

Writing Patterns - First & Last Sentences

Tagged by @thetragicallynerdy - thanks for the tag! This was fun! You got me to make a tumblr post for the first time in a thousand years!

Editing to add @petrichorca for tagging me in the first part of the game - consider yourself tagged back for corresponding last lines?

I’m just combining two things because that seems handy.

Rules: list the first line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there's a pattern! Then list the last line of the same 10 fics you shared opening lines for and see if there's a pattern!

1. the secret middle-aged sad-sack mostly bad vibes I can sing along to playlist

First: Some things don’t change.

Last (most recent): Why the fuck, then, do they start sobbing?

2. the way things are going

First: Since things started falling apart, Oluwande learned the hard way to be careful about who to trust.

Last (most recent): Once he got it open, he read aloud: “‘Dear community and/or individuals, my name is Stede Bonnet…’”

3. Welcome to Jeff’s Inn by the Sea | Innkeeper Roleplay ASMR | Personal Attention | Realistic | Soft Spoken Male Voice

First: When Stede Bonnet’s boyfriend casually mentioned wanting to try making ASMR videos, he was all in.

Last: “I’ll have to think about that one, dearest,” he decided.

4. Rock On To The Oceanside

First: Ed Teach wasn’t built for sitting idle.

Last (most recent): And Ed felt ready.

5. Plus Ones

First: “So how did you two meet?”

Last: “Probably even better luck if we do it again.”

6. you can move in light divine

First: Oluwande had always loved Jim, probably from the moment they met.

Last: So many more conversations to come.

7. due to a controllable irregularity

First: It had been a good week, but Stede was looking forward to going home.

Last: He’d tell him. Soon.

8. an atypical emotional response to common sounds

First: Stede Bonnet had a complicated relationship with sounds.

Last: Stede couldn’t wait for Saturday.

9. Stede has started shopping for your order

First:  “Your GetMeGroceries shopper Stede has arrived at Jenkins Market!” the app informed Ed.

Last: For the moment, however, he had far more compelling priorities.

10. I Think I See The Light

First: Jackie’s traded her usual vivid reds for somber black, but she still looks every bit the part of the intimidating pirate queen.

Last: And they start humming a now-familiar tune as they scan the docks for a recognizable face: If you want to sing out, sing out…

NB: skipped one that’s a mostly abandoned group collab smau because that doesn’t seem indicative of my style, and there’s one here that needed the preceding sentence because otherwise it’s just one word.

Hmmm, so, self-analysis: I start with some kind of place-setting thesis statement. Sometimes it’s maybe a little in medias res, but not usually, I guess. The POV character is named more often than not. And I end on the edge of some kind of decision or change. That’s by design—I don’t like writing pat endings and happily ever afters (even if they are pretty happy). This is especially true for mid-fic chapters, I suppose, but it’s definitely how I approach endings in general! (There’s one fic I can think of that has a final sentence I fucking hate for reasons related to this but I don’t wanna go rewrite it because I am not sure what to change it to, and I’m really quite pleased with the rest of the fic!)

One thing that strikes me is that I can’t really tell from any of these firsts and lasts whether the fic is more funny or serious. It’s just a lot of interior monologue, really.I’m not sure if there’s anything here I specifically want to work on. Maybe experimenting more with diving right into the action?

ANYHOO. If you see this because you're still actually looking at your tumblr dash regularly (sorry sorry) and you wanna play, please do!! I won't stumble out of the woodwork and tag but I love you all ok byeee

[danganronpa96]

Hi Lenn! According to you, who would each DR69 and DR96 character listen to (musically speaking)? Who would be their favourite artist/favourite song? (just a silly question to distract me from chapter 4) (you guys need to pay my therapy/j)

Btw, thanks a lot, both to you and Rexx, for everything you do for the fic! I love your writing and also the amazing art!🫠❤️ We’ll patiently wait for chapter 5, but I’m sure it will be FANTASTIC, as always🥹 love ya🫶🏻

It’s funny how I received two similar music asks in a row, but because this one is actually a different question on the topic, I can answer this one separately!

However, since even the last music post had me in agony (/j), I don’t think I’m going to go through every single character’s individual favourite song and artist, and moreso just their music taste (especially since some characters would canonically listen to music from cultures or genres I don’t listen to or know much about myself).

DR96

Hayasaka - most people would say classical, but my big brain (/lh) has bestowed the headcanon ever: vocaloid. I think it would be funny if this man had a secret love for the music, walking to work listening to the most depressing or cutesy song known to Earth. His favourite producer would probably be wowaka (rip) or 40mp.

Kurumada - that kind of grunge, heavy beat, but sort of depressing music? Not trap per say, but like r&b and rap. Or whatever is playing at the gym at the time, sometimes a song will get added to his workout playlist if it sounds good enough.

Mai - she’s that kind of pop girl, but also likes some more sombre songs here and there. Definitely indulges in songs with playful and or sensual lyrics.

Walter - (this is where my disclosure starts to show) Like classic, 50-80s songs. Jazz and blues, or something he can sing along to on the radio.

Jesse - hip-hop, trap, some heavy metal, rock, techno and house music. Anything with a stanky-ass beat (/lh) and Jesse will probably listen to it.

Saiki - I’ve given him the headcanon that he listens to hyperpop, speedcore and breakcore. I got the idea from another tumblr post that said he’d use loud, scratchy music to try and block out the thoughts of other people. It’s implied that’s what he was listening to during chapter 3 as well!

Kaidou - what we all listened to when we were 13 and wanted to be edgy. Also fandom songs (I know this isn’t nationally accurate unless there are hardcore jp fandom song fans lol), and video game OSTs that make him feel powerful.

Retsuko - heavy metal, obviously. But, I think she also likes pop and idol music, considering her history with that, hehe

Natsuki - vocaloid hardcore to the max (some favourite producers be like deco*27 and syudou). Also J-pop/idol music (and some video game OSTs).

Yuri - now I think she would like some classical music, considering her whole elegant aesthetic. I think she’d personally like piano and violin arrangements though, since they are relaxing to listen to while reading. I think she would be convinced to listen to some J-pop after Natsuki begs encourages her.

Hiroshi - he would be a classical guy too, but he would also enjoy some video game OSTs (since he’s kind of a certified gamer if you consider the novels and that chibi anime thingy).

Brian - anything past 1996 would be periodically inaccurate, but I feel like he’s the type of guy who’d try to listen to anything if someone recommended it to him. I think he’d enjoy new-age, or something relaxing on par with the vibes of his game’s OST (synth… rock? I’m not a genres expert).

Bojack - it’s either something really depressing or really sexual and there is just that scale and nothing else

Latte - canonically, folk and symphony since I think that’s the sort of music Parfaedia has. Although, she’d also listen to jazz and dance (she that type of teacher to play music in class all the students try to grin and bare because no one listens to it anymore /lh)

L - whatever music is scientifically proven to enhance focus. Classical? Some jazz? I feel like L likes to work in silence, but with music on the bare occasion.

Ena - something that we would not be able to comprehend if we heard it. Lyrics that sound like 14 different languages all mashed up together. Instruments that shouldn’t exist. Voices that shouldn’t exist. The same song that runs for 4 minutes on the first play, 15 seconds on the second, and 2 hours on the third. Or just webcore/weirdcore instrumental music lmao

DR69

Luigi - calm jazz and swing, I also think he be into acoustic arrangements.

Mario - I think he’d listen to energetic music to get himself pumped up. But also enjoys the folk music of the mushroom kingdom.

Peter - I would say 50-90s songs, ranging from classic hits to goofy ass songs (like the Rock Lobster bit)

Brian - I think he’s into ska, jazz, and blues. Also very pretentious with his music taste lol

Miku - Pop, dance, techno and electronica are her mains, but she can dabble into any genre. Likes to support and listen to her other fellow voice synth’s music.

Teto - rock, but also some dance/pop. Secretly enjoys listening to Miku’s songs (as long as she’s not around)

Nagito - nicher artists of alt and synth. I don’t think he’d be into mainstream music. Also depressing lyrics are his go-to lol

Sans - ironically, the stankiest beat you’ve ever heard and penis music (rubber band). Unironically, some smooth tunes akin to Nastablook’s music taste.

Parappa - rap, hip-hop, r&b and dance. Could unironically make a great rap over the instrumentals of ‘A Pimp Named Slickback’.

Fluttershy - Equestria folk music, acapella and that musical-type genre they have in the show’s music.

Ayano - whatever her Senpai is listening to. So, I would assume the latest trending J-pop mostly.

Ashley - rock and alt. Emo type beat. Mainly female vocals. One or two heavy metal songs. Any other warioware cast member will die upon listening to any of it lol

2D - his favourite band is canonically The Human League, so other new wave and synth-pop stuff too.

Mr. Krabs - sea shanties, unironically. He probably sang a lot of them while on the navy.

Dedede - (I have no Kirby lore but I must scream) I feel like he’d play classical music in his castle to give off those regal king vibes. But he’d also enjoy energetic music like his boss battle themes.

The Conductor - western and western movie soundtracks. Also some smooth jazz and soul. I like to think he likes the sounds of the piano the most, from the ‘heart to heart’ OST

Also, TYSM for the lovely words!! I’m so happy to hear how much you’ve enjoyed the fic so far! 😭❤️

[finleyforevermore]

Curious because i was unaware of the existance of a CCCC fandom, any entry level info and suggestions :::?

Hi Cass! I could give you some entry level info sure! :)

CCCC is an acronym for Chonny's Charming Chaos Compendium, which is an album by Chonny Jash (yes you're reading that right).

The album is made up of rewritten and recontextualized versions of songs by a currently "on hiatus" band called Tally Hall, along with the band members' own side projects/personal projects, such as Joe Hawley's group Miracle Musical.

I'll try not to give away too much, but the story is about a person referred to as The Whole, who metaphorically splits into 3 different individuals, the purple and blind Heart, the blue and logical Mind, and the red and powerful Soul. Soul, Heart, and Mind (ESPECIALLY Heart and Mind) have got to figure out how to make things work between each other so that Whole can remain...well, Whole!

I do suggest giving the album a listen (if you wanna watch the music videos that go with songs, use this playlist!), and if you want/need to, use excellent artist @/cinnamonsly's annotations of the album! It's an excellent and easy to understand analysis of the album!! :)

There's also W3tBl@nk3t's awesome in-depth song-by-song analysis of the album! You can't really go wrong since they're both really great analyses!!

Oh, and speaking of artists like @/cinnamonsly, if you take a look at the "#cccc" tag on Tumblr, you'll find some awesome art of the characters! The characters technically don't have set in stone appearances so you can imagine em however you want!

There's a discord server for fans of Chonny's music and it's full of lovely people! Would highly recommend joining it! (if you descend far enough down the rabbit hole-)

I think that's all the entry-level stuff you need to know! Hope you have fun dipping your toes into the world of Chonny's Charming Chaos Compendium! 💜💙❤️

[rockybloo]

I know you have playlists for individual characters, but do you have playlists for Beanstalked or Glitter and Guilt as a whole, or any of your stories for that matter? Do any songs in particular make you think of your stories overall whenever you listen to them?

I DO have playlists for my main stories, it's just that they aren't COMPLETELY accurate to how I hear my stories as I also include songs I relate to various characters in the story. So the music is kind of all over the place bc errbody is sharing.

For Beanstalked specifically, I lean more towards oldies or older sons from around the 70s to early 2000s range. I've realized a lot of the music I relate to that story are nostalgic songs I personally grew up fond of so it's a bit hard to really put into words what genre works for it sometimes.

It's kinda funny how people will expect fantasy-ish music for it but I keep having cook out hits cycling through my head

For Glitter and Guilt, it has more variety in its music. It's.gor, as I keep stating, 90s and 2000s RnB as well as more modern songs (that still lean in that direct in terms of sound). However, there's some songs like kpop and jpop included, especially Crystal Kay's stuff since Glitter and Guilt is more anime inspired.

If we are talkin' specific songs that make me think of each story, Whitney Houston's "Love Will Save the Day" gives me big af Beanstalked intro vibes like if it were an early Saturday morning (or in my very specific case--late night Jetix show).

And Crystal Kay's Kaede is def a Glitter and Guilt outro song. I like the concept of it playing while panning through landmarks in Decking City while it's night time.

[accirax]

Oh yeah, I should tell you someone put up a playlist of double greetings that get purchased and posted to youtube. Be sure to check it regularly for updates!

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-zCAWYLWAhgP-oVAOQY-CeJ8MdAbxhiO&si=mnWMd_ixvWkLVdit

Here's my fav from it - https://youtu.be/bRpx5sUooAw?si=r6IWBBMEfnRPghG2 <- THESE are the kinds of greetings I wanna see! Where All-Stars contestants, or contestants from separate seasons who have *never* met or talked much finally get the chance to.

Oh yeah, here's some more individual ones:

https://youtu.be/GLIf8WwvlIg?si=worrOiB4soqjl0ZO (according to one comment this is a Rui Kamishiro costume? Correct me on this-)

https://youtu.be/oRAq93UIEQk?si=5UY5hHKOBg3XuP83 (still waiting for someone to quit beating around the bush & ask either of them what their situation is)

https://youtu.be/poFh1LiG5wA?si=JCG1oX9V8MIcK8ax (Damn, poor Jake was getting ghosted by everybody! 😂 (also what's a stem major-) Perfect opportunity here to fulfill Dan's wish and buy a double greeting~! (*cough* with Alec or Drew or even Gabby) )

https://youtu.be/RYsrkVeoT88?si=Ao9dkCk3d-UHUe4f (Glad someone brought this back~! It was deleted for a while)

https://youtu.be/nLkks-hMht4?si=ohA1dTZUpdGTWaQZ (This was pretty much already explained in the recent episode of Nick Reacts but I'm happy it was confirmed here too (BTW you should totally start watching Nick Reacts if you haven't already, it does sprinkle some additional lore here and there on top of being entertaining)

oh, nice!

aww, that was really sweet! honestly, it makes me wish that one of the spinoff series was dedicated to showing life at the Loser's Motel instead of either the staff or tomjake. (although, both of those served their purposes decently as well.) it makes sense that some of these characters who spent a good portion of their DCAS time in the Motel together would be friends-- especially two as kind as Tess and Ashley-- but since we didn't see it, it's still kind of a "wait, what?"

also, does Tess know Will? or is Ashley just saying she should introduce them? and how good is Ashley at gaming...?

that is a Rui-inspired costume! it's from the mixed event Never Give Up Cooking, and his card A Sudden Trial-- a card which I have B) (i actually pulled on that gacha wanting to get Toya or Kaito, but i won't complain...) of course they had to dress Alec in a Rui costume before asking about his hypothetical feelings about other men. as i always say, "you can't spell fruity without Rui." (/j)

definitely a shipper bait greeting on the whole, but i appreciate getting the timeline on his and Cheryll's relationship as well. if only we knew for sure how old Daniel was. then we could figure out how old Alec was when he and Cheryll tied the knot...

so, i guess it was math that Alec was teaching Fiore in the DCAS finale! i sort of assumed it was English-- y'know... because of Alec's whole deal...-- but i guess we already know that Fiore is capable of reading some pretty intense literature for her age, so she probably doesn't need much help in that department.

and, the comic collection comeback! i wonder if Alec being a fan of comic books was always in the cards, or if all of this has just snowballed from Alec saying "quirk" in the superhero episode. either way, the more we learn about Alec liking superhero media, the funnier it is that he had no powers in the superhero episode. buddy, you missed out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

felt on the "bad at texting" part-- i always want to send messages to my friends, but i can never come up with anything to say. RIP Jake, though. at least he had Miriam?

apparently, in a spanish greeting, Dan said he was studying physics engineering. i bring this up because i was trying to figure out if "just living with my parents and watching DC" was literal, or if he's also being a student at the same time. he would be 21 as of DCAS, so if we assume that he started college at the average time (~18 years old), he'd only be 3 years into his degree. probably still a student, then. no shade if he wasn't, i was just trying to figure out if he was a victim of the current job market.

a STEM major is someone whose (college) major falls within the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics. in the US, at least, these majors are generally considered more favorably than others by authority figures, due to being "of actual importance," "guaranteed to get you a job," and other mantras along those lines. if Dan is studying physics engineering, then he's also a STEM major in his parents' footsteps.

for some reason, when he said "love triangle," i assumed it was going to be between Jake, Tom, and Aiden or something. too many love triangles to keep track of in this show. anyways, confirmation that Nick isn't into gamer girls.

Believer is a pretty vocally demanding song (dude is basically just screaming), but i think Nick did a pretty good job with it! i'm sure Deric was struggling trying to pull it off while keeping up his British accent, lol.

ah, thanks for the reminder to go back and watch NickReacts! i watched the first (and maybe second?) episodes when they came out, but i forgot to go back and check for more. i'll probably put that on next time i need something to listen to while drawing :)

... that being said, i, uh. don't think you're going to make more than an investment broker through your youtube channel, buddy. maybe if you placed better in DC1 😅