#i love the repetition of imagery and metaphors

[esseegg]

*SCREAMS INCOHERENTLY, THROWING SHIT AT THE WALL*

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE I BEG YOU, MY NEW HOBIE FOLLOWERS I know y'all are out there, I watch my notifs /pos READ THIS 🥺🥺🥺 IF YOU LIKE WHAT LITTLE WRITING I HAVE OF THIS MAN, YOU'LL LIKE THIS, I SWEAR 😭

also just in general, definitely check out Min's stuff bc her work is amazing dopamine for the brain 💗

that employee of the Eleven Seven on the street corner store. ||

ultra mega hyper super cringe (it's so fuqing corny but it gets the job done) fanfic I wrote a while back when catching the bus for 35 hours a day to get to class 🤸

modern/non-spider au 💥💥

(avoided use of names is intentional)

—

There is this convenience store on the street corner. Truthfully speaking there's nothing too special about it. The bold fluorescent green sign stuck to the storefront was just like any other Eleven Seven. The moderately overpriced products that offered upon its white shelves was just like any other. Truly it was just a typical and standard convenience store.

Ordinary.

Perhaps with an even more ordinary afternoon shift employee.

---

Of course, with a normal store came its normal customers. Faces that the employee had long committed to her memory after seeing them stop by so frequently. A nice boy who was clearly crushing on his blonde friend. A cute teenage couple. A weary professor from her university with his spirited coworker. A biker.

Ah, that biker.

Despite the months she had worked at that convenience store, despite the kinds of people she's seen; her fascination would inevitably waver towards the biker that always came in late at night. To her, he was nothing more than a vague curiosity. At least that's what she tells herself. It was hard not to think about the spiked collars and wristbands that naturally called the attention of the eyes with the way they glint in the fluorescent lights. The patched shirt and pants that were torn and ripped in a fashionable way. Or not. She didn't really know. Occasionally, she caught glimpses of his bike parked outside, albeit it was sometimes difficult as the jet black melted into the night. The only proof of it ever being there was the reflected green on the shiny paint surface.

Meeting was never unpleasant but parting was never particularly memorable either. He didn't speak much. In fact he hardly ever took off his helmet. It was probably an efficiency thing, she had assumed, the helmet being troublesome to take on and off after all. Standing at a height well above her, he loomed intimidatingly but the girl had learned over time that was just how his vibes were. Just another customer. Yet she couldn't deny the way she would inhale sharply and look away when she found dark eyes, hidden well behind the tinted visor, looking back. As soon as the register would ring and as quickly as he came, he would be gone like a silent wind lost to the dark of the late hours. Meeting was like a dream within the night, the lingering of his cologne acting in his stead as the ghost of his presence.

He was interesting, that biker.

---

He was a regular at that convenience store on the street corner. He didn't really have much of a choice, it was the closest place that offered any kind of sustenance at this time of night despite how ridiculously priced it was. Capitalism, he would mumble. Previously, entering that store would much rather be avoided. That mean old lady that would squint assumingly at him was less than pleasant on every occasion. Then she was gone. Instead of a face constantly pulled into a frown, he found himself staring at a younger one. A nicer one.

A rather prettier one.

But there was nothing more to it than that. At least that's what he tells himself. Without as much as a second glance, he would leave with his bag in hand. She was just an ordinary convenience store employee, that's all. He found himself back in the parking lot under the green light from the neon store sign the very next night. She was standing there behind the counter, earbuds in as she sipped on a milk carton. Milk? He had thought to himself. The ring of the bell when the door opened drew her attention, her eyes slid over to glance at him before offering the standard store employee greeting. Soon, he was standing at the counter again as she rang up items. And again.

And again.

Months ease by with him never missing a day of rolling into the parking lot of that convenience store on his bike. To him, she was a gravitational force he didn't quite understand. Pulled in her direction, he found his heart leading his legs instead of his head. He knew nothing of her. Her likes, dislikes, everything outside of that and the in betweens. He often wondered what it was about that convenience store employee that drew his chest tight whenever he walked up to its counter. He didn't like it, it felt superficial. Yet all the same he couldn't help but feel the visor of his helmet fog slightly as his head grew warm whenever she glanced up. She was a stranger he knew nothing of besides the name displayed on the worn badge on her apron and the carton of milk always beside her. So he would leave a purchased carton on the counter. A quiet offering. Meeting is like the autumn afternoon, quiet but enchanting every time as the sun casts a warm, orange glaze onto the world.

He leaves again into the night, heart in his throat as the engine tries to roar as loud as the pounding in his ears.

---

It was a curious thing, two people of entirely different genres meeting in a not so extraordinary store. Like two sides of a coin, supposedly never meant to meet face to face. Stars that were universes apart. The sun and the moon that never see each other in the same sky.

That's why meeting was like the dawn. Brief, as the moon is able to sneak a glance at the sun as the first light of daybreak rises above the horizon. Meeting was all things quiet, all things sweet and all things right in the world. Meeting was as heart racing as the first words shared on an average night by the curb.

"Name’s ‘Obie."

---

There is this convenience store on the street corner. Sincerely speaking there's truly nothing that special about its fluorescent sign and its goods. Yet it managed to hold the collision of two universes as the stars aligned for a brief shared glance while breathes were taken from their lungs. Beneath the vivid green, the ordinary store hid an unnamed rendezvous for an unlikely pair. That employee of the Eleven Seven on the street corner store and the late night biker.

End.

[tenno-aster]

Schism by Tool is the definitive Albrecht and Loid ship theme.

I believe Schism perfectly encapsulates the thoughts of two men of science and logic attempting to quantify and rationalize the incalculable: there love for one another.

This Sisyphean task of realizing their love by measurable means leads to the difficulty of their relationship. They understand they work together like two cogs in a machine. They don't know how, and the cold need to understand comes to overshadow their love. The schism forms. The physical and measurable breaks down. They struggle to find the "pieces that fit." There is bitter determination and frustration.

Sonically, Schism (as well as the other songs on the album Lateralus) incorporates pattern and math prominently. The instrumentals fractalize outward in booming repetition. Vocals chant in droning parallel to the growl of Voidtongue.

The imagery of a temple as a metaphor for a relationship even matches well to the Entrati aesthetic. Even looking at the music video, one can't help but be reminded of The Murmur and the Vessels haunting the Entrati labs.

It all feels almost intentional the more I listen to the song.

[petewentzisblack1312]

ok im a couple days into having covid and right this second im thinking thoughts about 2 things which i think may be related: why fob art tends towards the members and music videos while mcr art tends towards the music and themes barring killjoys stuff, and why i, personally prefer fob, and i think im coming to a conclusion but i may also just have a sinus headache.

ultimately it comes down to the fact that gerard way loves visual art so much. like i think if you told him 'paint a picture with words' he would really rather you just let him paint a picture. whereas pete wentz has literally always been a poet. like literally he used to do spoken word and loves literature.

so then my chemical romance lyrics are so much striking visual imagery, even the metaphors. that makes it so easy to make art of, so easy to find visual themes in, etc. like 'well it better be black well it better be tight well it better be just my size' as a lyric invokes a specific image of the aforementioned casket gown right? and as a lyric it communicates a mood as well but it does that through visual imagery.

meanwhile fall out boy lyrics are like exercises in language. like, for example, the classic fall out boy idiom inversion (drop a heart/break a name for example) is something that exists solely in the realm of language. even lyrics that are very much visual descriptions put those visuals in the backseat and focus more on the language to evoke a feeling, like the first verse of xo which uses repetition to invoke the feeling of a series of events happening quickly. technically we are being told said series of events but the mood is communicated not in the visual imagery but in the words used to communicate it.

TO BE CLEAR. both are fine. both are good! some people like their poetry and lyricism to focus on imagery, visual, auditory or otherwise and some people like them to be chock full of well used literary devices to communicate feelings instead. but i think this is the difference between their styles of lyricism.

[bettyshoweduptotheparty]

You're Losing Me Analysis

Ok, you got me, enough people messaged me with cute gifs and pretty pleases asking for this analysis to motivate me to finish it. So, here it is, my lyrical analysis of You're Losing Me.

I will stick to my interpretation of this song NOT being about a romantic relationship, the poll I did a while ago showed that most people interpret it to be about a romantic relationship breakdown. I will explain why I don't think that, but if you do, the main lyrical themes will still apply. (Colour coding of main themes at the end)

Before any lyrics, this songs starts with two sounds: A heartbeat and a massive sigh. Like, a really big one, you can even hear the inbreath. Something I've only ever experienced when someone is really, really exhausted and annoyed. I've sometimes made that noise when I'm standing in the pieces of something my children have broken, after I've told them a thousand times not to break it. The non-verbal expression of 'I f*cking told you this would happen'. So, before we even hear any words, I'm able to tell that this is about something that has happened before. We've been round and round this thing a million times. This breakdown has been a long time coming, a death by a thousand cuts if you will ;)

The heartbeat also sets the scene for the main lyrical theme before the first verse starts: A patient in an emergency situation, I envision a hospital room with a heart monitor. Over this heartbeat (and minimal production) we hear Taylor addressing her audience by saying

You say, "I don't understand," and I say, "I know you don't"

The You and the I are having a disagreement, but it's not so much an argument, as a miscommunication. They don't understand what she's saying but Taylor was already expecting that. Immediately, the first line confirms what the sigh was already indicating: This is not a new issue, we've been here many times before so Taylor is well aware that this communication isn't working. Then in the next line

We thought a cure would come through in time, now, I fear it won't

She introduces the medical theme in the lyrics with the word 'cure'. The metaphor is that the relationship that's being described here is the patient that's dying in hospital. This theme is incredibly present throughout the entire song, there is a constant 'brink of death' threat, with mentions of 'gashes', my face was grey' and 'too far gone to bring back to life'. And then, of course, the chorus is the culmination of this with the repetitions of 'Stop, you're losing me' and 'I can't find a pulse, my heart won't start anymore'. This gives me images of an emergency room situation where the patient is flatlining and the doctors are trying to revive them. Or maybe a battlefield, as the last line of the first verse introduces the secondary theme of war or combat with 'You might just have dealt the final blow'. Taylor has of course used the war imagery many times before when talking about conflict, such as in All Too Well ('I'm a soldier who's returning half her weight'), Call it What You Want ('I brought a knife to a gun fight'), The Great War, and the Archer ('I'm ready for combat').

So, despite the initial resignation, Taylor is fighting with the person/people she is addressing here. They are the one that's injuring the patient to the point of near death. And in the chorus she is telling them that, asking them to stop, because the relationship is dying. But we don't yet learn what she is asking them to stop doing. She does, however, show the problem in the relationship when she says:

Remember lookin' at this room, we loved it 'cause of the light Now, I just sit in the dark and wonder if it's time Do I throw out everything we built or keep it?

It's a WE versus I situation: We used to love this room, but now I (and only I) am left sitting alone in the dark. And only I get to make the decision about what to do with all the stuff we built together, because you're not even here to sit in the dark with me. Also, notice the light versus dark comparison. You are only there for the light (easy) parts, and not the dark (hard). In that context, I am inclined to interpret the room in this line as her stages and the light being the spotlight. We loved standing in the light together/You loved seeing me in the light, but now you've left me in the dark. This is why I really think this song is about the relationship with her majority fanbase and not a romantic relationship. Since 1989 she's written about her romantic partner in a way that makes it clear that this person is with her through thick and thin, on reputation we had End Game and New Years Day, the ultimate song about being there after the party when the glitter fades and it's not glamorous anymore, and in CIWYW she literally says her lover's 'starry eyes sparking up my darkest night'. So, I don't think it's her partner who is leaving her in the dark here, it's the fans. And the 'everything we built' is of course the fame/sold out stadiums etc. And that theme continues in the next verse:

Every morning I glared at you with storms in my eyes How can you say that you love someone you can't tell is dyin'?I sent you signals and bit my nails down to the quick My face was gray, but you wouldn't admit that we were sick

Now the picture is becoming clearer as to what the 'you' here is doing that Taylor is asking them to stop, or better what they're NOT doing. She's glaring at them, sending signals and biting her nails, using all forms of non-verbal communication, but they're not being received. Or she's being willfully ignored. The 'I sent you signals' is a screaming parallel to 'I gave so many signs' from Exile and 'sending signals to be double-crossed' from Evermore. And I think in all three cases, it is referring to queer flagging. And just like in High Infidelity (a similar song thematically) she says 'There's many ways that you can kill the one you love/ the slowest way is never loving them enough', here she's saying 'How can you say that you love someone you can't tell is dyin'?. Both boils down to the same thing: Your ignorance is killing me and it's a slow and painful death. She ends the verse on the medical theme which has now slightly shifted to Taylor being the dying patient ('My face was grey' - corpse) and the relationship being sick. Over the chorus we still hear the heartbeat though, so she's dying but she's not dead yet.

Let's talk about the bridge. This is juicy, as Taylor's bridges always are, but this one, of course, had the one line that sent all the swifties into an angry rampage against Joe Alwyn. But we'll get to that. The first line is in fact my favourite:

How long could we be a sad song 'Til we were too far gone to bring back to life?

She calls the relationship a 'sad song'. And that's obviously an interesting thing for a songwriter to say, and I've seen many good interpretations of this line, but mine is this: Taylor is the girl who made her name as the young country singer who writes sad breakup songs about her past relationships. And she owned that for a while, until she openly discussed how much it trivialises her writing and that songs are more than just the person she's writing about (not as simple as a paternity test etc.), but have people stopped making her songs about men? When the Joe breakup hit the news, wasn't the first thing the swifties said 'Oh, the next album is going to be soooo sad...."?? So...for some people she still is, and will always be, just the girl who writes about breakups. And she's saying to those people 'how long can this relationship last if that's all you'll ever see me for?' She also, once again uses the medical theme of 'bringing the relationship back to life' when it has in fact died multiple deaths already. But this time it might just be 'too far gone' to be revived.

I gave you all my best me's, my endless empathy And all I did was bleed as I tried to be the bravest soldier Fighting in only your army, frontlines, don't you ignore me I'm the best thing at this party (You're losing me)

She also continues the war/combat theme with being the 'bravest soldier' who is bleeding whilst on the frontline 'fighting in only your army'. This is also important. Taylor is the soldier but she's not fighting for her own cause, she's fighting in the other person's army. She's making herself bleed, for the other person's sake. Much like a closeted gay person pretending to be straight for the mass appeal. It's making me bleed for your benefit, but you don't even notice, DON'T YOU IGNORE ME!! And then we get to the ultimate bait and switch line:

And I wouldn't marry me either A pathological people pleaser Who only wanted you to see her

Where you will all shout at me 'How can it not be about a romantic relationship, it has the line about marrying!!!'. Relax, I think this is intentional. What an easy way to make the whole song sound like it's about a breakup with just one line when the rest of the song suggest something else (to me at least). I don't see this as being about a literal marriage proposal, more like a 'I wouldn't choose me either'. Very much along the lines of Anti Hero, I'm the problem, why would you choose me, but I'd still love it if you did. And she even says in the next part 'I have nothing to believe, unless you're choosing me.'

And I'm fadin', thinkin'

(POV changes, addresses self:) "Do something, babe, say something" (Say something) "Lose something, babe, risk something" (You're losing me) "Choose something, babe, I got nothing" (I got nothing) "To believe, unless you're choosin' me"

So in the imperatives, the direction of address changes and she's now thinking to/addressing herself with these commands: 'DO something, SAY something, LOSE something, CHOOSE something, RISK something.' Almost like she's trying to jumpstart herself into action. This all screams BE BRAVE to me, especially the 'say something' because in the previous verse she was communicating in all these non-verbal ways (glaring, signals, nail biting) and that wasn't working. She's telling herself to be brave and SAY something, make it unmistakably clear, but that may well mean risking something and losing it. Also, choose something babe, you can't play both sides forever. In the last line she then addresses the audience again by saying 'I have nothing to believe unless you're choosing me.' She wants to be chosen by her audience as her authentic self, not as the 'sad song' girl. Once she's said all those hard hitting truths, what follows is a massive pause, a moment of total silence. Like the moment when you've finally said all you wanted to say and now you're waiting for the reaction. And when you almost think the song has ended, we get the heartbeat again and one more chorus.

SILENCE You're losin' me Stop (Stop, stop), you're losin' me Stop (Stop, stop), you're losin' me I can't find a pulse (HEARTBEAT STOPS) My heart won't start anymore

In this last chorus the Stops are now echoed twice to increase the urgency in this plea, it sounds almost like she's saying 'stop, stop stop! It's really about to be over!'. And it is, as the heartbeats stops on the word 'pulse' and the patient has finally died. She concludes on what we have just witnessed 'My heart won't start anymore' but there is no 'for you' this time, because the relationship is dead now. No more coming back this time.

Thematically, to fit into the concept of midnights, this could be a song set in early 2019 when she was planning her coming out, or it could be more recent, as an internal counter piece to Anti Hero. I hope this lived up to what you hoped for, people who asked so nicely :)

blue - medical theme/imagery

orange - direct address to audience

green - war/combat theme

[mastermindmp3]

ttpdminutes - fortnight ft. post malone

The idea of a 50s housewife is very like, ubiquitous in American culture, and the reexamining of that stereotype is, in it's own way, a stereotype ( think the Stepford Wives. ) Fortnight, I think, is Taylor's imagining on this ( as confirmed in her IHeartRadio interviews, ) weaving personal experience with a slice of very specific Americana.

Taylor's take is somewhere between the Joneses of 1950s advertisements, and Stepford, Connecticut; a wife forever longing for her previous lover, who's since moved on. She clearly struggles with depression (stuck in an endless February,) and I think her lack of love only exacerbates the feeling of being stuck.

Fortnight feels stuck in a lot of way. The narrator lamenting her previous love, stewing in murderous drive. The feeling is helped by a repetitive beat, and coming back to that refrain. Her husband is cheating, she fantasizes of killing him. Her lover sees her at the mailbox and makes small talk, as if he's not the lohl (love of her life.)

The love she keeps coming back to, like repeating the outro, that everyone else has moved past.

Honestly, I love the very scant imagery the song. It allows the song to have its own identity outside of the main metaphor ( unlike some songs, which get smothered in the metaphor without going anywhere. ) while still tying into those touchstones - meeting at the mailbox, watering flowers in suburbia's plasticine lawns.

[crumblinggothicarchitecture]

I'd like to know your opinion on why ts songs are considered so good lyrically by her fans. That one line in cardigan is hailed as the peak writing skill by them. The one that says you drew stars around my scars. Am I missing something or are they just gaslighting me?

Hello- sorry it took me sooooo long to get back to you :) I am a busy little bee these days- but I love chatting with people too! <3

So, the line “you drew stars around my scars / but now I’m bleeding” is perhaps good writing, when we only compare Taylor Swift to her own work. It’s certainly a change from “the players gonna play, play, play,” but it is not somehow a gift to lyricism. I know that swifties tend to use lines like these to say that “look see, she is a talented writer” when the truth is that it’s just a boring metaphor that essentially goes nowhere in the song.  

Yeah- They are literally gaslighting you. It’s an alright line- but it’s not genius. The reason swifties think this line is amazing is because of the alliteration between "scars" and "stars." Apparently one alliteration is enough to make someone into literary genius? Just one repetitive sound- and they think she’s pulling off something amazing.

Compare this line to a full narrative arc in an alliterative verse epic poem from early Germanic Literature- and Swift's writing is basically loose change on the dashboard compared to gold bar- lyricism.  

So, her line "you drew stars around my scars / but now I'm bleeding" is mostly incoherent. She's honestly saying word salad in most of her songs- with vague rhymes at the end of each phrase- but I digress.  

I think you're keying into a thoughtful observation here. Putting aside my comment on its general incoherence, let me first speak to the fact that this line is an attempt at metaphor.  

She is saying "you drew stars" in effort to merge the conceptual point of "drawing stars" to someone reaching out- or creating interpersonal connection. She continues "around my scars" to showcase how this new connection sees her past, the “scars,” and is encapsulating it with a drawn star instead of, for instance, marking it out with a black mark or something. The connotative value of the word star, in this case, calls forward the idea of goodness and since it is tied to her connotative value of "scars" as a past hurt- the line ultimately means that some new interpersonal connection is viewing her past and approving of it rather than hating it.  It's meant to ring as a redemptive arc- yet nothing in the song actually needs redemption or ever mentions it again. The theme drops immediately after the line finishes.

The line finishes, "but now I'm bleeding" which is meant to mean that the scar is reopened- because the connection she made is no longer interested in her. This analysis, however, requires many leaps in logic. I cannot point to any specific linguistic markers that would denote the connection between "scar" and "bleeding." Though Swift clearly means to interconnect these two points, scars don’t bleed. So, she’s trying to say that the scar has reopened- perhaps because the person who drew the stars is leaving. However, there is nothing in the language itself that suggests this conclusion; rather she relies on audience reception to jump from point "a" to point "b." She never calls it a wound, she mentions "bloodstain" is a later line- but the connection between all the different phrasing is tenuous at best. I mean that there is no storyline within the line itself that is suggestive of the meaning Swift is attempting to lay out.  

Beyond this line- nothing in the whole song ever revisits the thematic purpose of the metaphor. She never mentions stars, or scars, and does not revisit the theme of redemptive love. She barely even lays out the idea of redemption in love in the first place- and further drops the imagery by never going back to the same theme again. She conjures up this image just to drop it immediately.

This is a pattern in her work- she writes one thing, and then drops the idea. 

I mean it sounds clever- without actually being clever.  

[kikuism]

so lady macbeth. this was a complete diminishing of her play counterpart, who is ruthless and ambitious in her machinations. this lady macbeth is frail, helpless, oh so beautiful and apparently cunning but the author never does anything with that. why is macbeth ordering her about instead of the other way around? why is she the one enacting his will? what does She want? baffled as to why you would diminish her character in this way—turning someone with razor sharp intention into a dry, aimless husk of a character. i was so so bored reading this.

the characterization in general was awful. the men were one dimensional, brutish and fiendish, the message really seemed to be 'woman good man bad'. where was the nuance? deadass couldn't tell you a single thing about macbeth except Large (he's HUGE and she's TINY i hateeeee it i hate it so much). instead of urging macbeth to kill the king and take the crown she just.....sends him on quests to stall the consummation of her marriage (which she always associates with 'blood stained thighs' and 'blood-soaked' sheets, which, in addition to the portrayal of the scots as violent barbarians, really gave me the ick). she was weak, the men were strong, and on and on it went like this for ages, an absolutely miserable atmosphere that keeps ramming down your throat how oppressed women are and how men can get away with everything. her conditions seemed manufactured to be as abysmally patriarchal and misogynistic as possible which i don't understand. misogyny is real but it was not the point of macbeth, it was not what the play focused on with her character. why does the fmc have to be abused, terrorized and helpless against the violent, brutish men in order to create an 'empowering narrative'?

the passive writing style also put me off, kept me at a distance. it was dry and lackluster (which shocked me since what i love about ava reid’s writing the most is their gorgeous prose). there was no emotional pull at all, and the themes/imagery/metaphors were executed with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer (at her first night in the castle they bring a caged dove into the main hall which they release only to shoot down..........wow) ('a man who openly shows his demons is more noble than one who hides them'.......), and the descriptions were repetitive (if i had to read 'witch-kissed' and 'blood-stained thighs' one more time.....). i felt distant and also annoyed the longer i read. oh and her love interest is only half scot and he's good and pure and beautiful and he's also a dragon btw. what was the point of any of this

[liketwoswansinbalance]

SGE Characters as Literary Things

(Not all of these are actual literary or rhetorical devices; some are just writing techniques, forms, genres, mediums, etc.)

This is a bit abstract, so I’m curious about how subjective these might be. Does anyone agree or disagree? And feel free to make additions if you think I left anything out, or request another character that isn’t here.

Hopefully this makes (intuitive?) sense. As always, I'm willing to explain my thought process behind any of the things I've listed.

Also, anyone can treat this like a “Tag Yourself” meme, if you want. Whose list do you most relate to, use, or encounter?

⸻

LANCELOT (I know—how odd that I’m starting with a minor character and not Rafal, but wait. There’s a method to my madness. Also, watch out for overlap!):

Metonymy, synecdoche (no, literally, to me, these are him.)

Zeugma

Analogy

Figures of speech

Slang, argot

Colloquialisms

Idioms

TEDROS:

Simile

Metaphor

Rhyming couplets

Rhyme schemes

Sonnets

Commercial fiction

Coming-of-age genre

Line enjambment

Overuse of commas

Cadence, prose speech

Waxing poetic, verse (not prose)

Alliteration

Kinesthetic imagery

Phallic imagery/sword sexual innuendos (sorry)

The chivalric romance genre

AGATHA:

Anaphora, repetition

Semicolon, periods

Line breaks

Terse, dry prose

Semantics (not syntax)

Elegy

Resonance

Consonance, alliteration

Pseudonym

Narrative parallels

Realism

Satire

SOPHIE:

Sophistry (yes, there is a word for it!)

Imagery

Italics, emphasis

Em dash

Aphrodisiac imagery

Unreliable narrator, bias

Rashomon effect

Syntax (not semantics)

Diction

Chiasmus (think: “Fair is foul and foul is fair.”)

Rhetorical purpose

Provocation, calls to action

Voice, writing style

Rhetorical modes: pathos, logos, ethos

Metaphor

Hyperbole, exaggeration

Sensationalism, journalism

Surrealism

Verisimilitude

Egocentrism

Callbacks (but not foreshadowing or call-forwards)

Narrative parallels

Paralepsis, occultatio, apophasis, denial

Hypothetical dialogue

Monologue

JAPETH:

Sibilance

Lacuna

Villanelle (an obsessive, repetitive form of poetry)

Soliloquy

ARIC:

Sentence fragments

RHIAN (TCY):

Unreliable narrator

Setup, payoff

Chekhov’s gun

Epistolary novel

RHIAN (prequels):

Multiple povs

Perspective

Dramatic irony

Situational irony

Chiaroscuro (in imagery)

Endpapers

Frontispiece

Deckled edges

Narrative parallels

Foreshadowing

Call-forwards

Foil

Death of the author

RAFAL:

Omniscient narrator

Perspective

Surrealism

Etymology

Word families or 'linguistic ecosystems'

Latin

Verbal irony

Gallows humor

Narrative parallels

Call-forwards

Circular endings

Parallel sentences or balanced sentence structure

Narrative parallels

Foil

Juxtaposition

Authorial intent (“return of the author”)

HESTER:

Protagonist

Allusions

Gothic imagery

ANADIL:

Defamiliarization

Deuteragonist (second most important character in relation to the protagonist)

Psychic distance

Sterile prose

Forewords, prologues

Works cited pages

DOT:

Tone

Gustatory imagery

Tritagonist (third most important character in relation to the protagonist)

KIKO:

Sidekick

Falling action

Dedications, author's notes, epigraph, acknowledgements

Epitaph (Tristan)

BEATRIX:

Pacing

Rising Action

Climax

HORT:

Unrequited love

Falling resolution

Anticlimax

Malapropism

Innuendo

Asides

Brackets, parentheses

Cliché

EVELYN SADER:

Synesthetic imagery

Villanelle

Foreshadowing

AUGUST SADER:

Stream of consciousness style

Imagery

Foreshadowing

Coming-of-age genre

Elegy

Omniscience

Rhetorical questions

Time skips, non-linear narratives

Epilogues

MARIALENA:

Diabolus ex machina

Malapropism

Malaphors, mixed metaphors

Slant rhyme

Caveat

Parentheses

Footnotes

MERLIN:

Deus ex machina

Iambic pentameter

Filler words

BETTINA:

Screenwriting

Shock value

[aspoonofsugar]

Worthy

I love the new RWBY soundtrack! So, before delving into longer metas on volume 9, I want to share a quick analysis of Bumbleby's new song.

BUMBLEBY VS CINDER

As many have highlighted, the song shares its title with episode 8X13.

This episode is interesting for 2 reasons:

It is a Cinder's centric episode

It is when Yang falls leaving Blake behind

Our Maiden of Choice is one of the strongest foils to our protagonists. In particular, she ties into all the MCs's allusions as an antagonistic force. This is particularly clear in Ruby and Weiss's stories, as she plays Ruby's Big Bad Wolf and Weiss's Evil Queen.

What about Bumbleby?

Cinder is a personification of Blake's Beast

The Beast is the Jungian Shadow, which represents everything hidden and repressed. Blake integrates her shadows and brings them to light. Cinder is instead consumed by her darkest parts, as her Shadow Hand shows.

Cinder embodies Yang's too hot

The too hot is a metaphor for asymmetry and anger, which are core traits of both Yang and Cinder. It is just Yang accepts her own asymmetry and faces the feelings of vulnerability she masks with rage. Cinder instead doesn't aknowledge her emotions and her hurt.

In other words, Cinder embodies Blake and Yang's flaws and represents an obstacle in Bumbleby's fairy tales. This is why in the finale of volume 8 she re-enacts the 2 girls' traumas.

She manipulates things, so that Yang has no choice, but to go too hot:

And Yang's fall has Blake go feral:

The whole scene is a repetition of Blake and Yang's two fights with Adam. Yang protects a loved one and loses her arm as a consequence (Jinxy steals it in the Ever After). Blake sees Yang get hurt and has her weapon damaged (only the ribbon this time).

This happens so that Blake and Yang can prove they are now stronger than before. They are worthy:

And now I know I'm worthy of you

In the end, both Cinder and Bumbleby have to show their worth. Still, this word gains different meanings for the bees and for our Cinderella. Let's see why by analyzing the Worthy song's lyrics.

BLAKE'S PART - FALLING

Why did Why did I come here? Was I always meant to take this shape? Never was given a love like this A parachute falling with no fear of hitting the ground Hitting the ground You fell And suddenly I did too While the world was dying Didn't know how to not lose you again

Blake's lines tie her and Yang's romantic dynamic to their fall in the Ever After.

You fell:

And suddenly I did too:

While the world was dying, (I) didn't know how to not lose you again:

The metaphor is rather clear. Yang falls for Blake first, while our Cat Girl struggles with her feelings for Adam and her attraction to Sun. Still, Blake finally falls too and the two bees find themselves in (Happily) Ever After, where they get together:

The falling imagery is mentioned in the confession scene, as well:

Yang: (in thought) It's like a cliff. And if I do it, I'm just going to fall. Blake: (in thought) I think we're already falling. (turns to Yang) Just, say it, Yang.

Never was given a love like this A parachute falling with no fear of hitting the ground Hitting the ground

As the song states, Blake was "never given a love like this". The comparison is clearly with Adam's passion, which was violent and abusive. Blake feels the bond between her and Yang is different. This is why she is not scared of falling, as if she is wearing a parachude. She knows Yang is there to catch her.

YANG'S PART - CATCHING

Hands down Heart wide I've only ever known the fight But I'll catch you This time I'll never let you out of my sight Unguarded I Surrender to a softer side I loved you, I'll love you Till the end of time Kiss me Hold tight I'll never let you out of my sight

Yang symbolically catches Blake in the song, so that the falling metaphor is completed. The meaning is clear.

Falling is a risk, but risks are necessary to truly live:

Yang: You were being optimistic. Look, blind optimism isn’t great, but no optimism means we already lost. We need hope. We need to take risks.

So, Yang herself takes a risk and makes a leap of faith:

Yang: I think I love you.

And she is promptly caught by Blake:

Blake: I love you, too.

By this point the two hold thight and kiss each other:

Yang taking this step is important because she is scared of vulnerability and intimacy.

She only knows the fight:

And yet, she faces Blake with her hand(s) down and her heart wide:

She surrenders to a softer side:

She trusts Blake not to leave and is determined not to let her out of sight. It is great development when compared to this:

You're lost You're found You're hard to pin down I never know if you'll come through Then you appear Together we're here And that's all that matters somehow

The scene happening on a bridge over the void strengthens the implication. If Yang and Blake's feelings were not mutual, they would have crashed down. Still, they love each other, so they embrace in a beautiful garden.

TO EACH OTHER - BMBLB

Voice 1: And now I know I'm worthy of you Voice 2: (Oh can't you see, you could be with me) Voice 1: With every smile you told me, "I love you" Voice 2: (I am your dream, I love you)

Baby can't you see? You could be with me We could live inside a garden of ecstasy You could be my queen I could be your dream Our lives like a fantasy Maybe set me free? Let me be your bumblebee

Bumbleby's kiss fits the scenery described by the Bmblb song.

Blake and Yang are in a garden and their confession "chases away the darkness and gloom" by making "the clouds run from the sky":

They are metaphorically making honey:

Like a Purdie* beat You are oh so sweet Every day is sunny, tastes like honey Feel so alive take me back to the hive

Which is why the flowers surrounding them bloom magically. Fitting for bees, right?

TOGETHER - SEEING AND STAYING

See me for everything I am You don't run away No matter the mistakes I made It's here, you'll stay

This stanza is the climax of the song and it conveys its most important message.

Why are Blake and Yang finally able to be togehter? In which way have they grown?

Yang sees Blake for everything she is:

Yang: Well, Blake, I'm Yang, Ruby's older sister! I like your bow!

Yang: You have cat ears! (…) I think your cat ears are cute.

The juxtaposition between these two lines sums up our Yellow Beauty's development.

Yang has always been attracted to Blake, but she is initially unable to see her as a whole. This is what the bow line alludes too. As a matter of fact Blake's bow is symbolic of the girl's shadow, as she initially uses this cloth to hide who she is (her beats part). So, Yang's first interaction with Blake shows she is drawn even to Blake's darkest parts. However, she is not mature enough to understand them completely.

It is only through her personal arc that Yang becomes able to see Blake for the person she truly is. Beautiful and ugly parts alike:

Weiss: You're right though. I don't know loneliness like you do. I have my own version. And, I'll bet Blake has her own version too.

This is why she can now openly praise Blake's animal trait.

Blake too has grown, of course. She gets irritated by Yang's bow compliment because, at the time, it hits a little close to home. Right now, she displays her ears openly and is flustered and happy by Yang's words. She doesn't hide herself anymore.

Blake is ready to stay:

Never thought that you would stay forever / Never asked you to commit your life

Blake: I have people who actually care about me, and I promised I'd never leave them again. So I'm not dying now.

Blake leaves Yang when our Golden Beauty is at her most vulnerable. This hurts Yang deeply, but Blake works through her flaw, grows and comes back. Once she does, she is ready to do what Yang never asked her to. She commits her life:

Blake: I… I am not going to break my promise, I swear.

Blake's vow to Yang is in fact a wedding vow, symbolically. It means Blake is determined to stand beside Yang no matter what. And Yang knows Blake means it:

Yang: I know you won't.

In conclusion, Blake and Yang's growth has them see the other's flaws and accept them. This is where their worth comes from.

TO BE WORTHY

You can't just be strong, you have to be smart! You can't just be deserving, you have to be worthy!

Blake and Yang are worthy of each other not because they are perfect. Rather, they know they aren't, but accept their own shortcomings. They forgive themselves and the other, so that they can grow better together. They become more balanced inside and this results in a new found harmony between each other.

Cinder's self worth instead comes from superficial validation by people only interested in using her. She doesn't face her inner demons, but rather chooses to push them down, so that she can keep wearing the mask of a powerful woman.

This is why Blake and Yang find real self-worth, while Cinder has set up an unreachable standard for herself.

[malleablemusic]

when i was 13 and worked as my mother's busboy in my uncle's pizzeria, i had my first crush ever, and it was on the 16 year old dishwasher. its important to note that he did not speak any english, i was a teenage girl with severe social anxiety, and we never acknowledged each other. one week before he left (for a reason I'll never know) he spoke the only words he's ever said to me: "you look like kurt cobain." i have never ever recovered. i think i have since dealt with this trauma and am now strong enough to listen to radiohead. here’s my review of nirvana’s nevermind:

smells like teen spirit: 4.6/5 stars

incredible intro, i’ve definitely heard this before

“i feel stupid and contagious” that's the quintessential teenage experience put into words. fantastic

i like how gritty his voice gets when he yells

love when the album title is referenced in the first song. yess

in bloom: 4.4/5 stars

“nature is a whore / bruises on the fruit / tender age in bloom” beautiful imagery

the angst is so visceral and real, there's genuine anguish in his voice

i love the choice to follow “likes to shoot his gun”, with “he knows not what it means” 

cobrain is so brave to call out his fans who don’t understand the meaning of his lyrics or agree with his beliefs/opinions that he's singing about- they just hear what they want to

a little too repetitive, but it sees that is just their style

come as you are: 3.8/5 stars

what is memoria?

took a break to look up the definition: not sure what his intentions were with the word, but there could be several interpretations. 

he could be formally “recalling the arguments of a discourse” and backing himself up with the claim “i don’t own a gun”, referencing his past lyrics publicly expressing his dissent for the lack of gun control in the u.s

breed: 4.7/5 stars

banging intro

this is exactly what the inside of a 16 year old girl’s mind sounds like 

i am filled with regret that i have never listened to nirvana and that i assumed their music was not relatable to me in my youth, as screaming and dancing alone in my room to this song as a teen would have probably healed me at least a little bit

“we dont have to breed / we can plant a house / we can build a tree” the grip this line would have had on me… 

lithium: 4.6/5 stars

the growling in his voice when he sings the “yeah”s… im in love with him i think

as i was typing the last bullet he sang “im so horny / thats okay / my will is good” i had to pause and gape with my jaw on the floor for a minute while i recollected my thoughts

amazing storytelling in this song

polly: 3.5/5 stars

how does he weave full stories with such few words

just a few lines in and the man and woman’s relationship is fully fleshed out

so many ways to interpret the words, she wants a cracker could be reference to a woman with anorexia or an eating disorder, she self harms, he is suicidal (bought rope) 

territorial pissings: 4.8/5 stars

based on the title this will be very interesting

absolutely iconic intro of person speaking and spitting absolute facts

cobain continues to amaze me- “never met a wise man / if so, its a woman” i AM IN LOVE why have i never met a nirvana fan who actually displays the beliefs kurt is singing about ??

drain you: 4.9/5 stars

“i dont care what you think unless it is about me” so so real kurt. 

more male singers should be as openly horny and desperate as kurt was

“chew your meat for you / pass it back and forth / in a passionate kiss / from my mouth to yours / i like you” this is PEAK ROMANCE. PEAK

simping in this song in the hottest way possible

the gross imagery combined with his obsessive romance is delightful to listen to

lounge act: 2.7/5 stars

a little bit repetitive and im not sure i love the jealous side of kurt

doesn’t call out to me for some reason, isn’t as special as the previous tracks have felt

stay away: 4.6 stars

“rather be dead than cool!” “give an inch, take a smile” loving the backwards metaphors/lyrics

this is once again the ballad of a teenage girl, being incredibly angry and pushing those around you away

if i knew about how much id relate to nirvana id play this song on the drive home from school after being overstimulated all day

GOD IS GAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! god i love this man 

on a plain: 3.7 stars

encapsulates the feel of an addict, somehow gives the feeling of a whole backstory in which there's the son of an addict mother becoming one himself 

“the finest day that i ever had / was when i learned to cry on command” brings to mind the ways addiction can turn someone into a manipulator

something in the way: 2.9/5 stars

ok r. patz batman time lets goooo

this truly encapsulated the feel of robert pattinson’s batman movie: dark, grungy, sinister

okay but honestly other than me already knowing this song from batman and having that appreciation for it, this song would fully be a skip

endless, nameless 2.8/5 stars

opens as a full 180 from the last song

i kind of like how the words sound like almost incoherent screams 

i could see why lovers of punk rock/alternative music would enjoy the second half instrumental part of this song- unfortunately i am not usually a big fan of long instrumental ends to a song, but could see how it works for the final track of the album

I actually loved this album a lot more than I expected to! i would rate it overall a 4/5.

[vimbry]

god I love tmbg's "spoiler alert" soooo much. their voices in their duets always work together beautifully, but this one just captivates me every time.

I like how it sounds not from the perspective of two separate people, but two aspects of the same person's consciousness. it feels like flansburgh, at least initially, sings thoughts that are struggling to be rational and trying to emerge from the back of the mind, while linnell is the racing thoughts that are more in focus.

L: they're gonna be so impressed, F: something is nagging at me, L: when they get a load of me, F: but never mind, it's gone.

I especially love the part just before this where flansburgh's vocals grow louder on the repetition of "which is a lucky thing," like the narrator is trying to drown out their anxieties by convincing themselves everything's okay.

the lyrics seem to hint at a person who's pushing themselves to burnout, perhaps even death, and neglecting things about themselves that need addressing in favour of their goal. the car imagery could suggest the narrative ending in a literal crash from distraction (spoiler referring to the part of a car, with the title being a double-meaning of the song's protagonist being suddenly alerted to the danger in front of them, and a spoiler in the sense that we all know how this story's going to end), or a metaphor for persisting with overwork until it's too late.

these thoughts sync together on the lyric "cover my eyes," which are the only lines in the song shared by both points of view, at which point their roles seem to swap; flansburgh's lines relent ("now I'm totally resting, I’m reclining while I'm driving, why have I not tried this until now? I'm letting go"), and linnell's push the awareness of danger to the forefront ("some kind of punctuational mark, some kind of, some kind of… some kind of trouble up ahead").

the calming instrumental outro suggests no thoughts, because the subject of the song is now incapacitated in some way, maybe - because it Is a they might be giants song - even dead. or you could read it as a more positive, temporary warning sign to slow down.

[asimplearchivist]

I just wanted to let you know that I absolutely ADORE 'Promises Kept'! Your writing is amazing! The use of high-end vocabulary alongside language techniques like repetition and metaphors is so well done! You create such vivid imagery and descriptions of both Khonshu and the Reader's thoughts and feelings, and it's so beautiful to read that I sometimes well up. The relationship between the two is so well-built as well! The way you write Khonshu being semi-aware of the Reader tearing down on his walls and his consequent fear of it is just incredible! 👏👏👏

Not to mention your depiction of Khonshu himself, I absolutely love how you write him! The way you don't add speech marks when he talks and only bolden his words is a perfect way to depict his otherworldliness (and the fact that him speaking is more like an echo in one's mind), and the mannerisms of him sitting pretty much anywhere that's not a conventional seat is so accurate to his character! And I love love love how you write him holding his staff, it's such a little detail but the way you describe his grip tightening or him playing with it by rubbing up and down the rod to convey his thoughts is incredibly well thought-out!!!

I wish I could have the time to fully analyse your writing but I'm in the middle of exam season right now. I just wanted to send this in to let you know that I'm so glad I looked into the 'Khonshu/Reader' tag on ao3 and found your amazing work 💞💞💞

I want you to know that this means so, so much to me😭the latest chapter got next to no attention so I was really doubting myself on it. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a lovely comment for me to discover in my inbox on a morning I really wasn’t feeling it.🥹

I always feel like my writing borders on the line of too purple-prosey, so I’m glad to hear that the metaphors and such aren’t too on the nose. Same goes their feelings—I try to careful of showing and not telling. That they’re palpable enough to elicit such a reaction is such a relief!

I love showing his intimidation over the feelings that reader gives him but him just facing them head-on anyway, like standing in front of a big wave. He isn't sure he's ready for the brunt of it, but he's a little too curious and already in too deep to back out by now. He's in this weird state of "damned if he does, damned if he doesn't" at the moment.

And I'm so glad you picked up on his dialogue being directed to her mind! I showed the difference a bit at the end of the chapter when he shapeshifts, using quotations to show that he's talking out loud.

It's definitely a challenge to portray his emotions without him having a face. I feel like I rely on him holding his staff a little too much, but I do so enjoy the fist clenching trope haha

Thank you again, so very much. This gave me a very badly needed confidence boost since the last chapter didn't get that much attention. Have a great day/night, lovely! *blows kisses*

[mamawasatesttube]

✅ What's something that shows up in your fics over and over again, even if you don't intend it to?

HMMMM!!! that's a good question. based on what people tell me, it's probably some combination of: a) humor as intimacy (i'm a firm believer in "making each other laugh" as a love language, both romantic and platonic!), b) domesticity as intimacy (it's about being known in full and loved in entirety...) and c) on the more mechanical level, use of parallel structure and repetitive imagery or metaphor. i love me some good parallel structure and thematic imagery.

[definegodliness]

Tag game for the poets and poetically inclined

1. A poem that tends to pop into your mind

Edgar Allan Poe

To —

The bowers whereat, in dreams, I see The wantonest singing birds, Are lips — and all thy melody Of lip-begotten words —

Thine eyes, in Heaven of heart enshrined Then desolately fall, O God! on my funereal mind Like starlight on a pall —

Thy heart — thy heart! — I wake and sigh, And sleep to dream till day Of the truth that gold can never buy — Of the baubles that it may.

I often resign my life's missed chances with that last line: "... of the baubles that it may." It's like a respective shrug to the as-to-whys of indifference.

2. One line in a song "The shadow on the wall tells me the sun is going down", Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town, by Kenny Rogers. The paraplegic imagery is brilliant.

3. One line in a movie "Learn to enjoy your loss", Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

4. A word you'll avoid for fear of over-usage Oneiric — of, relating to, or suggestive of dreams. I'd put it in all my poems if my annoyance of repetition wouldn't prevent me.

5. One word that is you, metaphorically (no explanation) Breath

Thanks, @not--waving--drowning!

[pumpkinnning]

Horror(ish) books I've read so far this year :

The Lost Village, Camilla Sten : 7.5/10 Documentary crew goes to isolated Swedish village where everyone mysteriously disappeared 50 yrs ago to investigate. Great tense atmosphere, broke my heart, I felt so much for the characters, loved the complex take on female solidarity and understanding btw mentally ill characters. Some nonsensical character decisions and plot explanations, esp at the end. Horrors of ableism, hive minds, the scapegoating of difference and cult dynamics (although that last bit felt thinner than the rest).

Black Sheep, Rachel Harrison : 6.5/10 Daughter returns to culty family she escaped from for her sister's wedding. A bit forgettable, and slow in the middle, but the ending has some great oomf and imagery. The horror is about charismatic parents you can't help but be compelled by even when you know they're abusive and awful, and what it takes to break away from that.

Vampires of El Norte, Isabel Cañas : 7.5/10 Dramatic love story between childhood sweethearts separated by class and tragedy, in 1846 Mexico, on a backdrop of war against the US and vampires. Very compelling worldbuilding, the romantic plot felt a bit cliche but I was so sold on it - one of them learning the other isn't dead after grieving for a decade and imagery of love as haunting was gorgeous. The horror aspect feels underused, this is more of a spooky romance. The horror is about class differences, authoritarian familes but most of all colonialism and white supremacy.

Gallows Hill, Darcy Coates : 7/10. MC inherits estranged parents' winery and estate when they die, the place is very very cursed. Tense as fuck through most of it, the action and vibes really worked for me, a few amazingly sinister yet heartbreaking bits. I grew up near a winery and the whole process was always spooky to me so the setting was great. Characters are underdeveloped. Effective overall and I really liked the poetic justice of the ending. The horror is about family secrets, the dehumanization of poor people and how greed perpetuates misery.

From Below, Darcy Coates : 5/10. Documentary crew goes to film the wreck of a Titanic-like cruise ship that sunk mysteriously a century ago, but sinister shit is afoot. Great set up and tension up until half of the novel, but then when the source of the horror is revealed, it just becomes a slog of repetitive action. Explanation felt incomplete, source of the horror in the plot (worker exploitation) and the horror mostly shown on page (deep sea scary brrrrr) somehow feel mismatched and it doesn't land. Underdeveloped characters, the most interesting character's story is only revealed at the end and not properly explored. Lots of potential but disappointing.

House of Hunger, Alexis Henderson : 7.5/10. In order to escape the slums, MC becomes the 'bloodmaid' of distant reclusive noblewoman. Inspired by Countess Bathory but make it Gothic/sapphic/vampiric (ish). Great setting and set up but became a little bit underwhelming at the middle point, feel like the author held back on going as fully bonkers as she should have, still pretty awesome. The horrors are about abusive relationships, power imbalances, exploitation, racism, and the way rich people dehumanize those who work for them and literally consume their life force.

Night's Edge, Liz Kerin : 7/10. MC spent most of her life completely isolated in order to take care of her mother, a vampire that she feeds with her blood. Very realistic, powerful depiction of codependent relationships and the horror of parentalized childhood ; also a metaphor for drug addiction and how it can be enabled by loved ones. The sapphic love interest was kind of annoying and felt very manic pixie dream girl vibes (although I guess that was part of the point, and they had some sweet moments). Overall incredibly draining to read, points for psychological and moral complexity, but the individuation journey of the MC felt less convincing - I didn't like that it was carried almost entirely by the romance - so I was fucking depressed at the end. But yeah personally triggering lmfao.

A House with Good Bones, T Kingfisher : 6.5/10. MC returns to her mom's home during a lull in her job as a paleoentomologist and starts to worry she's unwell ; then there are swarms of ladybugs in the house and jars of teeth buried among the roses, and her evil grandma might be haunting the place. I liked the MC but her very millenial quirky self deprecating voice got a little annoying at times, and it's a drag in places. The overall plot concept is very interesting but somehow it didn't fully land ; the monsters are very scary at first but their origins were so ridiculous it killed the vibe for me and the end felt silly. Good sendup of fatphobia. Horrors of conformism, neglectful egocentric fathers, white hegemonic femininity and...??? yeah the end lost me a bit. Also i do NOT vibe with the author's insistance that roses are evil.

Overall - good decent batch although I didn't feel really wowed by any of them, which is frustrating. I'm having a 💀 horror year 💀 so I absolutely want to be wowed - please send recs if you have any !

I'm trying to figure out what I think makes good horror - from these I feel like a lot of horror authors underestimate the importance of emotional character development and weight. AND i feel like you have to know what the core horror of your story is and radiate it through the entire story, slowly drawing the reader to it right from the start ; it's not easy knowing when to bring pathos, when to build up tension and when to do temporary relief/sweetness ; if you get the rhythm wrong you can easily kill the tension or end up with something underbaked.

[mr-sir-galahad]

Fascinating Finds - Mistress Calia's "Pavlova Conditioning"

Creator:

YouTube - MistressCalia Twitter - MistressCalia Reddit - MistressCalia Patreon - MistressCalia

File:

YouTube

Top Notes:

First off, this whole thing is a delicious pun on "Pavlovian" conditioning, and it gets points just for that.

Calia uses the process of baking the dish, like trying to hold the list of ingredients in your mind and the visual metaphor of whisking and mixing as the session focus. The file is about 12 minutes long, and the YouTube video includes a spiral over a fixed image of MistressCalia's character for the set.

Spiciness: 3/10 on the 🌶️ scale. There's nothing explicitly sexual, but MistressCalia's voice is delectable, and with the occasional pun (stiff, hard peaks), accidentally being overheard would be... a story. Approach: The file is overt and direct, opening with vaguer metaphor and imagery to ease you into very clear direction to enter trance. The specific suggestions targeted being the experience of tasting the sweetness, your mouth watering, and feeling the urge to ask her for a slice. Effects: Mistress Calia is a dedicated ASMR-tist, and it shows. The visual is simple and AI generated (I got a chuckle from the strawberry-finger), but the audio is professional-grade. If you enjoy immersive soundscapes, wear headphones at a high enough volume to capture the background noise, because the effects, her voice switching sides, and her reading of it (I didn't hear a simple skip/repeat/glitch) are sumptuous. Script: If you prefer to scan a script before listening, I recommend reviewing the YouTube transcript.

What Brought Me Down 💯

Overall, the quality of the listen was just fantastic. She's a sweet treat to listen to whatever your hypnotic or ASMR experience is. The direct suggestions to relax, drop, and the like were delivered with great timing within the sequence (5+ minutes of the metaphor was long enough to settle in), and I could feel the sensation of mouth-watering tartness specifically (not sweet, interestingly), which was fun.

What Brought Me Up 🤔

As an amateur video editor, I personally was distracted by how well the audio was put together 😅. I also resonate less with "do X for me" language, especially watching/listening to a video/audio.

The ingredients-list exercise didn't really 'bring me down' the way the classic 7 +/- 2 does, even though it's nominally similar. The slow, steady repetitive pacing meant it didn't feel overwhelming in the way that 'releases' during the final drop... but when I stopped thinking of it as "another 7 +/- 2" and accepted it as a relaxing ease-in to the experience, it worked great.

Trance-Totality

Overall, a lovely experience from a skilled voice and audio-engineering artist.

If you enjoy the seductive, the sensual, and the slightly-silly, this free sample (she puts out her more spicy material on Patreon) is fantastic.