#i remember i used to change my theme depending on the season!!! a new season meant browsing for a new theme and it was always cool to see

[reinabeestudio]

I see a lot of users on here don't have the custom theme option enabled (if you check their blog, it's only '@[usernamehere]') and it makes me a bit sad everytime i see it :[

[topazadine]

Writing Notes: Seasons

I noticed a few leaves falling from my tree, which means only one thing: it's time.

Time for fall. My favorite, blessed, most beloved season. Pumpkin spice lattes! Candy apples! Cherry pie! Haunted houses! Chilly weather that makes me snuggle up into my hoodie! Candy!

And, of course, it means that I have to share some writing notes with you about seasons.

So today, we're going to share a few different perspectives on seasons. We'll talk about the "traditionally accepted" associations for seasons, but also share other options and how you can infuse them into your work.

Why Use Seasons at All?

You don't have to if you don't want to. Maybe you want to focus entirely on the plot. But, you might add some hints of it for these reasons.

Gives a sense of place. This allows you to show how this place is impacted by particular seasons. Winter in Kampala, Uganda, is going to be wildly different than in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Offers worldbuilding options. In a fantasy setting, seasons are an element of worldbuilding. (Just look at Game of Thrones.) There may be different dangers according to seasons, or unique holidays that can allow you to demonstrate how people interact with this world. Provides templates for description. You can get a lot of mileage out of showing a nice grassy field in spring or the leaves fluttering down during autumn. Don't go on for ages, but you can certainly add a few little flickers here and there. (just remember to put them in the right places for maximum momentum.) Deepens characterization. How characters feel about and interact with the seasons can tell us a lot about who they are. Someone who loves winter could love it because then they can ski, or because they want to cuddle up and be left alone. Someone who loves summer might like lounging around on the porch eating ice cream, or they might like it because it's time to go surfing! Suggests new challenges. If your character lives in Montana, winter is going to be horribly cruel. "The Hunter's Wife" by Anthony Doerr is all about how the seasons challenge the characters and help them grow. But in your story, it might be summer that's the worst. Or fall, or spring, or all of them but in different ways. Creates subtle symbolism. The season of your story can use certain symbolism depending on what kind of plot you have and what your overall theme is, as we'll discuss now.

So, now that we understand why seasons are important, let's look at each one and consider why it might be the best time for your story.

I will note that I am coming from the perspective as a person in the Midwestern United States. What I associate with the seasons, particularly the descriptions, may be utterly irrelevant to you depending on where you are from. If I made a wholly comprehensive list considering the entire world, we'd be here all day.

Keep that in mind and workshop some options for your setting and personal associations.

I'm not omniscient, so take what seems useful to you and leave the rest.

Spring

Ah, the flowers are blooming, the world is warming up, and we're finally crawling out of doors now that we're not buried in slush. Spring is generally associated with positive emotions, but there could be some dangers here, too.

To get some good symbolism, focus on spring's unique place between two fixed, more stable seasons, where we know what to expect: winter and summer.

There is a fragility and shifting balance in spring that can veer good or bad depending on what you're trying to show. Spring also has a sense of expectation, which can pay off (good summer) or fail (icky bad summer).

Associations

Positive

Warmth

Renewal

Hope

Rebirth

Childhood

Innocence

Potential

Change

New beginnings

Reunions

Optimism

Negative

Fluctuating emotions (spring can be quite unpredictable!)

New challenges on the horizon

Feeling exposed

"Nakedness"

Vulnerability

Growing pains

Feeling underappreciated, like a stepping stone to summer

Ferocity (like intense spring storms)

The fragility of life (not every baby animal will survive)

Descriptions

Positive

Wildflowers pushing through the soil

Baby animals

Trees blooming

New blades of grass

Budding leaves

Sunny skies

Life-affirming rain

Warming breezes

Slightly chilly nights

Weak sunrises

Days growing longer

Richly scented flowers

Negative

Sudden cold snaps

Dreary weather

Grey skies

Hard rain that traps one inside

Snow (a reminder of the past)

Flooding

Melting snow revealing last year's trash

Cold mornings

Shivering

Being too hot or too cold

Hard ground

Mud

Summer

Summer fun! Those lucky enough to live by a beach want to splash in the water or go kayaking above the cool waves. We can drink an ice cold soda as we head to outdoor festivals. Kissing as the summer frogs sing a chorus, or partying late into the night: how beautiful!

But summer can be awful, too. Too much beer at a festival and you throw up everywhere, or too much humidity and you die of heatstroke. There's a reason that gun violence goes up when it's hotter: people are pissy and itching for a fight.

There can be a great push-pull here as characters attempt to moderate themselves while also indulging their sense of adventure.

Associations

Positive

Adventure

Childhood

Freedom

Exploration

Warmth

Togetherness

Community spirit

Serendipitous meetings

Happiness

A sense of endlessness (longer daylight hours)

Puppy love

Negative

Long agonizing waits (again, longer daylight hours)

Exhaustion

Overwhelm

Oppression (sociological or environmental)

Excess

Sloth (if characters like to lounge)

Lack of control

Rage

Frustration

Disappointment

Descriptions

Positive

Droning insects

Fireflies (depending on area)

Warmth

Blue skies

Bright green leaves

Active wildlife

Butterflies

Cool drinks

Unexpected cool breezes

Fresh fruit

Whirring fan

Outdoor music

Sunshine

Beautiful sunsets

Negative

Loud, cramped festivals

High humidity

Extreme heat

Dehydration

Glaring sunlight with no shelter

Tornadoes/summer storms

Mosquitos

Broken fan

Sweating

Baking trash (ugh sorry)

Sore joints from the humidity

Spoiled/soggy food

Flat fizzy drinks

Autumn

Okay, I'll try not to be too biased here, so I'll point out that autumn can be both beautiful and terrible. On one hand, we've got the cooler weather, the gorgeous foliage, and the contentment of harvest time: a job well done, and a time to rest.

Many people feel like this is when they are closest to their past loved ones and can commune with those long gone, which can be a good thing or a bad thing. It's a good time for when someone is putting their demons to rest and moving on.

We can also feel cold, dread, and fear during autumn. The nights are getting longer, and there could be all sorts of scary things in the shadows. They, too, are gearing up for the freezing winter months - and they're hungry.

Associations

Positive

Maturity

Adulthood

Rest

Slowing down

Introspection

Thinning of the veil (Halloween)

Spirituality

Retrospection

Harvest and bounty

Change

Reflection

Negative

Fear

Dread

Decay

Lost opportunities

Dwindling time

Anxiety

Limitations

Closer to the end

Feeling one's age

The unknown

Breaking down

Past coming back to haunt one

Descriptions

Positive

Falling leaves

Brisk wind

Crackling campfires

Warm drinks

Busy animals

Frost sparkling on grass

Seeing your breath in the air

Freshly baked pie

Crisp apples

Decorative pumpkins

Cozy hoodies/cloaks

Mulled wine and spices

Harvested grain

Baked bread

Sudden warm days

Negative

Fog shrouded, isolated roads

Creeping cold

Howling animals

Dark nights

Rotting fruit

Bitter wind through cracks in the house

Cold rain

Spoiled grain

Meager harvest

Insufficient clothing

Dead creatures

Skeletons

Icy mist

Barren trees

Creaking houses

Winter

Winter gets the short end of the stick when it comes to symbolism. People focus on the horrible things (cold, loss, sadness) without considering the positives: family, togetherness, comfy mittens, warm hot chocolate and presents.

After all, humans have developed our very own symbolism just to cheer the time up; winter celebrations happen all around the world. You've got so many options here, both in terms of themes, activities, and descriptions. What you focus on will determine how your story feels.

Associations

Positive

Togetherness

Community

Family

Resilience

Perserverence

Joy and whimsy

Caring for others

Possibilities

Planning

Companionship (or solitude)

Optimism

Pushing one's limits

Quietude

Introspection

Better days ahead

Negative

Cold

Nature's fury

Helplessness

Poverty (in any form)

Feeling trapped

Unpleasant relatives

Death

Old age

Broken relationships

Barrenness

Struggle

Endings

Sorrow

Lack of empathy

Hatred

Descriptions

Positive

Roaring fires

Soft heavy blankets

Thick socks

Cozy mittens

Jams and jellies

Hot drinks

Presents

Winter decorations

Christmas cookies

Candles

Softly drifting snow

Clear night skies

Conversations in another room

Clinking glasses

Mulled cider

The contrast between chilly room and warm blanket

Dead quiet nights

Negative

Freezing cold

Driving snow

Stuck in big snow drifts

Tense muscles

Dry skin

Running nose

Barren cupboards

Tense conversations with distant relatives

Frozen hands

Harsh wind

Stuffy rooms

Cold floors

Animals scratching at the door

Lack of ventilation

Can't get warm

Shivering

So there are my thoughts on the seasons! Hopefully this sparked something for you.

Now, perhaps, you will consider reading my book (now cheaper than ever!)

9 Years Yearning is a whirlwind look at two men growing up and finding themselves - and each other, wink wink. It features Uileac, an orphan determined to protect his little sister and become the best soldier he can be. However, this is complicated by Orrinir, a blustery young man whose bravado hides a surprisingly sensitive heart. In just under 34k words, they experience the whole range of human emotions - and beat a few people up. Ooh la la.

If you do decide to read 9 Years Yearning, don't forget to leave a review!

It can even be a bad review if you want. Amazon uses ratings of all shapes and sizes to determine whether a book is worth getting shown to other potential readers.

Lack of reviews = Jeff Bezos breaks my door down with a baseball bat and drags me to the Hell Sphere.

So please, I have dogs that want their snackies. For $2 and a few nice words, YOU can help buy this small child her favorite treat (bully sticks).

[the-silver-peahen-residence]

||Horror book Season two Book 1: Confronting your inner darkness||

*Waving* Guess who? I'm back and guess what, I'm going to start Horror book season 2! Yep, it's the start of the second season book where more freaky dark horrors start. So lets give it a shot shall we?

Their might be more chapters than in season one book but that depends. It might end with ten books like season one or more. But again, I Hope you like. If you wish to read the books from Season one, it's down below.

Season one Horror book (Click here)

((Your reading Season two Book one))

||Drabble Summary||

Another day has begun with new horrors awaiting our friends. In this first one for season two, it seems we return once more to the evil world where the fractions were caught and held prisoner in the dark DBT's base. However, it's not known why their darker selves caught them. We will find out after a one on one chat with Jaron Jackal along with his dark self, The blood Jackal persuader. What could he want to talk about? Read to find out.

||Warning||

~Will have dark moments in this drabble

~Blood and wounds will be seen

~Scary themes will be also seen as well

~Dark themed is will be spoken of in this drabble

~~Guests in the drabble~~

Van Ink along with some of the fraction leaders belong to my friend @demon-blood-youths The same for the pure menace au belonging to her.

Some of my OC's that's spoken of in this belong to me Same with some of the other fraction leaders belong to me as well.

((Note: Their will be grammar mistakes and errors in this drabble. It was written for fun so please understand. Thanks for that and hope you like. This will be heavily dark themed with blood, gore(Maybe seen), and other disturbing things. So please don't read if it's uncomfortable for you. If your still reading, you understand the warning and I hope you enjoy.))

The sun was rising this morning from the dark thoughts of Dark NYC even if that's the case, it was hidden behind grey dark clouds. It might rain today but given the weather it was going to.

We set our sights on one area in specularity: Wyckoff.

An abandoned district that used to be the home of so-called notorious gangs. But they were asked to leave...'peacefully'

And by that, it means the new reformed team; The DBT (Demon blood tears) took over and gotten rid of the scum that soils their new home. If one would ask where the bodies were, they were heavily killed by dark!ink and her team. Their blood still stains the grounds of this place but it was a area no one dares trend on.

Once someone steps foot on that island; you were forever gone or in short, dead. The only ones allowed were dark!ink and her fellow demon fractions. Once enemies to one another but now a combined threat that took over and destroyed NYC.

The ruins still remain standing but it seems most of the people that lived here were either in hiding, ran away, or was brutally murdered. Explaining the streets looking like a wreck to some of the areas stained in blood and bodies. New and old were seen on the streets only to be taken care of by the monsters that also roam these streets.

NYC isn't the same happy place many thought of. Not during the terrible events that happened to make it like this. A point of no return. But that all changed, when a portal opened one day to show other places outside of this world.

Which results to right now.....

Within a room of the DBT, dark!Jaron Jackal was sitting on a bed while looking ahead. He had a guest here but the other was knocked out tied up tight. He looked beat up but not dead. As his leader ordered.

He remembers what dark!ink told everyone and the other fractions around.

~~~~~Flashback/Earlier that morning~~~~~~

"Wait, you want us to do what?" Dark!Hellmare asked just to be sure as dark!Ink was holding a meeting while looking at them. Her grey eyes looking at each one even if she was sitting down.

"You heard me. Since we have 'guests' visiting our world, I figure why not have some fun? The others are with their counterpart right now so..I'm sure they will have fun. Besides, I am curious of my good self. I wonder how strong she is. I bet she could even cut me in half if she was pushed enough....I heard she even has the same six claws just like me! How cool is that!?" she snickered showing some sinister thoughts that the others remain silent.

"Ink? What are you getting at here? Theirs got to be a reason why you told us not to torture them yet. I really wanna see what my good self is like. From the outside and inside....I wonder how badly she would bleed if I kept trying to leave small little cuts over and over....." dark!Ophelia giggled holding a blood scalpel knife in her hand. She really wanted to cut her good self up. See what makes her tick. Even dark!hex was excited and was waiting for her to do just that.

"I'm curious to what my good self is like. I bet he hasn't even pushed himself when it comes to..punishing the weaklings in the city. Even if crime has gotten worse..the prey only grows more and more...." dark!Shdwkyz smirked but he was itching to torture his good self even when he was wondering how strong he was too. Seems like dark!Ink's team was excited but she knew the other fractions were the same.

"I know you guys are excited. I can tell but....lets not go over board yet. I..am curious to our good selves. So, for now...lets just explore and see what their like. I'm sure they haven't given into their inner darkness due to so much. So.." With a sick smile her eyes were looking ahead but she showed a more twisted smirk.

'Lets see just how much we can get out of them...' she giggled even if the others said nothing but was curious of this. Knowing their leader, she really was crazy but in their good way of things.

This should be fun....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"......." He didn't know why but knowing this Jaron was him but from a normal living world told him so much and left him with questions. Was his world a lot more peaceful? Was it not like this nightmare? No, it was just another fake view of things. When thinking of that, a weak groan was heard. He looks over to see his guest waking up.

'Seems like it's time to have a little fun..' he thought to wait for them to wake up more. As for the other, it did show it was the good Jaron Jackal. He was beaten up after getting ambushed by his darker self but he winces feeling his body healing but he was trying to shake his head.

'Owww....dang it my head....wait....' he slowly opens his eyes but saw he was sitting on the ground in some room. 'Wait..I'm not dead? But where am I..and..'

When trying to move, that's when he noticed he couldn't. He stops seeing he was tied up tight with some ropes but winces feeling his wrists were the same.

'I can't move..I'm tied up. But how did I-'

"Finally awake are you? Good...I was getting bored of watching you like that."

He looks up seeing someone else was in the room with him but Jaron said nothing else. "Who are you? Where am I?" he asked and yet the other chuckled to smile showing that his own dark yellow eyes glowed within that darkness of the room.

"You really don't know where you are do you? A shame..I figure you would be smart to know that..given it's on our very own Wyckoff...jackal."

"!!!" That voice. Jaron's own yellow eyes glowed but was quiet. He felt a sickening gut feeling from that voice but slowly was figuring out who it was as the other was sitting on the bed with one leg over the other.

"....Seems like your getting it..aren't ya?" he said with a dark smirk on his lips seeing some sharpen canine fangs.

Familiar classic clothes but they were black. Wears a dark red vest where underneath its plain black sleeves. Wears black pants and suede shoes. He wears a black hat over his head just to keep casual. He did wear black fingerless gloves that was hidden in his pockets. He has afro hair but she saw his eyes were the same but more colder and deadlier.

Jaron knew who this was indeed; it was his darker self. His evil self. Then that means he was with his dark self right now! "Y..You..."

"Bingo. Finally took you a while to figure it out. Welcome home, Jaron.." he laughed but was holding his karamit knife. He was looking to his good self but only remains looking quiet.

"........"

"What? Your not at all happy being here back home? Well, I guess that's on you. Given the situation but hey..it's not bad." dark!Jaron snickered while Jaron tries to struggle in his ropes but heard the creaking of them. They were pretty tight.

"..........Why am I here? What do you want?" he asked in a quiet tone but dark!Jaron sighed to look at him.

"Nothing much..just to talk. And don't worry, I won't try anything....or kill you. Seems like my leader gave everyone orders to..just talk for now to understand you guys more. But don't worry; your not alone here. Your teammates are with us having fun as well. So you don't have to worry-"

"Wait, my friends!? The hell did you to do them-"

"Hey, don't interrupt me!" Dark!Jaron hated that but he glares only to see Jaron be quiet when letting out a light hum.

"Geez, even if your the good side of me, I almost forgot how..annoying that was. But yes, they are here with us. Well, our teams to say the least. The others that are your friends are with their own counter parts in our Dark NYC and won't end up dead....maybe." he smirked but was twirling his knife with one fingerless gloved finger looking to Jaron.

"Wait..the others?"

"Yes; they are with their own double or evil self right now......heh, even your precious lung dragon..." he said that Jaron tenses to think.

'Melinda......'

"But like I said, they won't be hurt. We all just wish to learn or talk to you guys...think of it as a lucky pass that you won't die this day.......but if we keep meeting like this, that might change." he laughed to stand up and look at his guest. Jaron didn't know what to think right now given the situation but his evil self wanted to talk?

".......I swear if she hurts Melinda-"

"I said she won't....my bloody lung dragon won't harm her......she is a good girl. Unless your little dragon pisses her off..I can't say what might happen given she along with her friends are in Central park right now. So I suggest you chill......unless you want to see her blood on her hands.." he warns that got Jaron more worried. Melinda could take care of herself but he didn't want anything happening to her. Or his friends.

"......Then what is it? What do you even want?" he asked and yet, Dark!Jaron said nothing to sigh with eyes closed for a moment before reopening them.

"It's nothing too bad..just...being curious everyone else is having this conversation the same way or in their own way. I know your world is..peaceful and well. Though, even since then you seem to still be the weaker self..." he mutters and yet, Jaron said nothing else.

"....What are you talking about?" he asked but dark!jaron said nothing to look at him. His glowing eyes were half way open to look at him.

".........Why haven't you given in?"

"What?"

"....Why you tend to hold back? I can tell you haven't gotten that much stronger but...it seems your heart still is up there. So why? You can really let it all out..if you wanted to." Jaron didn't know what he was talking about but he only frowns looking at him. Seeing this, Dark!Jaron frowned slightly.

"What are you talking about-"

"Don't give me that shit. You KNOW what I mean. Why haven't you given into doing things a little different? I mean, you have demon blood running through your veins. You have the gift to make anyone do what you want...even learning new skills to bring people that's weak to their knees. So tell me why?...You don't have the guts to do that?" he asked.

"It's wrong. I wouldn't do that. I don't have the heart to do such cruel violence. Especially the type of violence you seem to do here. Killing and hurting others..." he said in a upset tone.

"......Is that so?"

"I don't...I wouldn't harm or kill anyone..I wouldn't do that." he said.

"....And yet I get the feeling you had that feeling from before?" he said this in a silent voice but Jaron didn't respond.

"I know you have. Theirs been moments where you have acted towards some violence back in your world. You have thrown some punches here and there. Spilled blood and even your own emotions letting go where you physically have caused harm. Or am I wrong?" he asked.

"..That was on self defense....." Jaron said. "I just couldn't-"

"Oh no..I get it but theirs something deeper isn't there?" he asked confusing Jaron that the darker self walks over to him as Jaron tries moving back but he saw the other squat down to look at him but still twirling his knife with his finger.

"You have a dark heart...just like me. That anger..that emotion is in you...just like me.....we are just the same but in different ways..." he said and yet, he looks to Jaron with a slight tilt of his head to still spin his knife. "You as any other demon has that feeling.....and yet you don't have the heart for it." he said.

"......"

"Even if you don't have the heart for violence or the mind for it..you make a exception..don't you?" he asked and yet Jaron didn't answer. However, this leaves him to sigh.

".......I......"

"Even when you say you don't have a mind for violence, it's showed up from time to time. Being that it's protecting your friends, the one you care for as our family...." He then frowns slightly to glare at Jaron that he stops spinning his blade to hold it in the palm of his hand. That's when Jaron sees the tip of his karamit knife was near his throat.

"Even for the one you love...."

"......."

"Even to the hell our world put us through given how even some darkness to a violent soul can shatter someone.."

".....What...the hell are you talking about ? Why are you telling me this?" Jaron wanted to know what he's getting at only for dark!Jaron's eyes to glow showing a more angry glare.

"In this world Jackal, things are not like where you are. Everything fell...everything was turned against us. Fractions suffering for a more greater yet painful reason to get back at the ones that did it...it's only fun to make this place pay for it.....like me for example." he said but Jaron said nothing nervous.

"You know what I mean don't you? When we were wrongly accused for something when we were somewhere at the wrong time. I could have spent many years in prison if it wasn't for our devil, Illyius. I got out..........to find the bastard that got me in there in the first place and guess what?" he asked only to smirk in a sick disturbing way.

"I found him..and killed him for it."

"!?!" Wait, he killed him! But....this left Jaron quiet but he felt his face pale a little wondering what the heck is going on.

"You...You killed him. But why? You could have just got him arrested. Had justice. You didn't have to-"

"Oh no..but I had to. Because even when I found him....I found out he already took something from me...that broke my life and ruined everything.....he took the only family I had at the time...the one person that always loved me as her own son.." he said but Jaron presses back even seeing the blade dangerously close to his throat but he keeps looking at his evil self glaring.

".........."

"You know who I'm speaking about..don't you?"

"......." In a moment, Jaron said nothing but his eyes widen to think of one person. "...N..No...n..not her. You mean in this world..."

"Yes; that asshole took her away. He took away my grandmother....killed in her sleep while the house and shop was burned down." he said in a hiss but only gets more angry.

"He killed her just to get back at me after I did try killing him....so he went after her. I would have helped her but..by the time I got there..she was already gone. Burned up in the flames to ashes. I did find him again..and made sure he pays with his life for taking her away from me." he growls even if dark!jaron sighed to look at him with a cold expression.

".....I could have saved her..but I was too late. I felt so angry that night, I couldn't stop the tears from falling knowing I lost and failed her so..." that's when the smile shows. "Why not get back at this damned world for taking her away?..By making sure everyone else suffered. In a way, that's when I made sure it helped. Even now, I made it work.........and he paid for it. However, after that, it just went all down hill and remains after."

"So..that's when life changed when Ink found me and she with the others went through some hell too. She welcomed me with open arms so we can get back at the ones that ruined us. However, we saw a lot of criminals and other things happened after. But you saw how things went......" he said.

"N..No....."

"Hmm?"

"You....You let this happen..you let him take her life...you let him kill her." Jaron said now angry with the other dark self who was quiet.

"You didn't save her! You should have made sure she was safe! How the hell could you have-"

That's when something stabs into his shoulder spilling blood as Jaron hisses in pain from the stab. Dark!Jaron glares angry hearing this.

"I DID TRY TO SAVE HER! I RAN INTO THAT DAMN BUILDING TRYING TO HELP HER! SHE WAS DEAD WHEN I FOUND HER!!! DON'T YOU FUCKING SAY ANYTHING ME NOT SAVING HER!!!" he shouted as he presses the blade deeper spilling more blood that Jaron winces in pain while he was twitching trying to get him away but the blade kept stabbing into Jaron that he twisted the blade that Jaron screams out in pain.

"AHH!!"

"..I did everything to save her...to get her to safety but again she was dead....after I got in to her room...." he glares but he looks mad at Jaron while he was only remaining silent while opening his eyes slowly to glare up at his darker self.

"...Well, it wasn't enough...if you did, you wouldn't have saved h..her. Even when you corrupted your m..melinda to what you d..do...how is that protecting h..her. Unless you were planning on having her killed her. What sort of idea is that?" he said that made dark!jaron silent.

"....."

"I b..bet..you don't even care do you-" suddenly grabs his shirt then punch him hard in the face.

"I do care. I love her just like you loving your own. I did what I did to insure nothing would take her from me too...." he hissed. "True, at first I was not expecting to meet someone that night after my team was burning down Megan's place after robbing it. But..when I found her she was chained up by Megan...used as a beat up toy....deep down..she was like me. But just heavily mistreated.." he looks to Jaron again.

Blood was spilled from that but it leaves him wincing in pain. He sees the blood from Jaron's chin but he only looks down as dark!jaron looks at him seeing blood on his fist.

"Even when you think that, you think I really corrupted her? I did it to keep her safe like I said. What's stopping someone from hurting her where you came from huh? What's stopping them from harming your lung dragon huh?! She might end up suffering the same! I bet she was hurt back there by some sick fucks too wasn't she??" he said gripping the front of the shirt while looking at him but Jaron glares more. However, he saw Jaron look down even with blood running from his nose.

"...........Even if she was hurt from time and time again by our enemies, she still was able to fight. I never want anything to hurt Melinda..she means too much to me..I don't want her to be taken from me but not to how you done it with your own...." Jaron glares back at his darker self that dark!jaron looks at him still being silent.

"...........Tch, See? Even if she got hurt it still happened just like mine. My lung dragon is safe and is a lot more stronger than she was when I found her. Lets hope you can keep yours safe or you'll end up losing her or even your own grandmother too. That's why you need to learn to let go. Why don't give into that dark feeling? are you a damn coward?" he growls.

"....N..Never.....I'm not a coward...." he hissed even if his arm was bleeding from the pain and the punch stings. He would heal as dark!Jaron only looks at him again.

"You are...if you're willing to show some more violence...then you might not have to worry about anything happening to them. You think being kind and a passive works all the damn time? Do you fucking thing even with that, you can keep that violent side of yours bottled up?"

"........"

"I know it's true because you and I are the same. Unlike you, let my violence nature out. You, on the other hand, tend to keep it bottled up and let it out when needed...." he keeps holding him but shoves Jaron back hard as he hissed in pain.

"I wouldn't let my girl suffer that faith after what that bitch did to her. If I did what you do, then Megan would have killed Melinda way back and you know that. She would've been dead if I didn't find her. I bet yours found you or ran off I bet from her Megan. if not she would be dead too. I bet she was badly hurt by her before before and after you met her, wasn't she?"

"......" Jaron didn't want to remember. The moments he could have lost her. From a close ally that turned out to be a traitor almost killing her by poisoning her. To Megan torturing her during the Nagu vampires attack. Even Sukuna beating her to death with the others almost killing her. And so many more horrible memories he didn't want her to go through again. He hated those memories even when they are so painful.

"So she has. My Melinda's been through hell just like yours, Jackal. But me? I helped her see the real errors of this world. What she's been through....and help her change for the better." he looks quiet but the upper part of his face was hidden by his hat.

"Melinda suffered just as bad..she was hurt to the point where someone could have broken her till she wanted to be killed.....I saved her. I brought her away from that and now she's learned to be strong thanks to me. She buried that pain in her self to never walk down that road again......and I'm making sure she stays like that. For her own good and she is fine with that." he sighed but looks to Jaron again.

"Though...I know you love her deeply wanting to keep her safe...but what good are you if you can't keep her safe without fighting? Have you even let your own anger grow where you would do anything to keep your friends safe? to keep her safe? To keep your remaining family safe?"

Jaron looks mad at his dark self but he only remains silent before dark!jaron sighed. "Or maybe I'm wrong.." he turns facing away from Jaron but he looks to his knife seeing the jackal's blood on it.

"Maybe I should help my lung dragon corrupt your precious dragon too...maybe she needs a reason to wake up."

When hearing that Jaron's eyes widen but they glowed in anger. "NO! Stay away from her! I won't let you do anything to her! She's been through enough back in our world! I won't let you do that to her here!" he barked mad and yet dark!Jaron said nothing.

".........You think so? She's been through hell already hasn't she? If that's true..what's stopping my lung dragon from showing her the dark path huh?" he looks away but he turns his head with one eye looking back at his good self.

"All things are not always good and going to turn out as you want..you have to learn to give into the anger..or you'll end up losing everything. But..since you want to not believe me..I guess just having a slight..who knows? I might end up taking her from you..." he warns but Jaron said nothing more angry.

"...But I won't since I have my own bloody lung dragon to love and protect. My leader said not to kill you...yet. But..I guess torture will come in due time. But for now..why not enjoy your stay.." he said but shows a sinister look making Jaron look at him. His shadow covering him.

"I will be sure you feel right at home.."

He chuckled, standing up and turning to leave him.

"Hey..Hey wait! Don't leave me like this! STOP!!" he shouted only for the dark!jaron to leave but close the door keeping his prisoner inside. He begins walking off to hear other shouting and arguing in the other rooms of the DBT base. Seems the others were having their talks too. This really should be something.

In other areas of dark NYC, the other evil fractions were indeed keeping their good selves there as prisoners. Though, it would be a matter of time before they escaped. Even after hearing things they didn't want. For now....it's unknown to what might happen after.

[bannerpolesaustralia]

Integrating Banner Poles into Your Overall Marketing Strategy

Integrating Banner Poles into Your Overall Marketing Strategy

Banner poles, also known as flagpoles, are versatile tools that can significantly enhance your marketing strategy. They’re particularly effective for Australian businesses and event organisers, given the country's love for outdoor events and vibrant culture.

Understanding Banner Poles

Banner poles are tall structures designed to display flags or banners. They come in various sizes, materials, and styles, catering to different needs and budgets. While traditionally used for national flags, they've evolved to become powerful marketing tools.

Why Use Banner Poles?

Brand Visibility: A well-placed banner pole with your brand logo can increase visibility, especially in crowded areas or outdoor events.

Event Promotion: Banner poles can effectively promote events, conferences, and festivals.

Corporate Identity: They reinforce your brand identity and create a lasting impression.

Outdoor Advertising: Ideal for outdoor advertising campaigns, particularly in areas with high foot traffic.

Wayfinding: Guide visitors to your business or event with directional banners.

Integrating Banner Poles into Your Marketing Strategy

Define Your Goals:

Brand Awareness: Use large, eye-catching banners to increase brand visibility.

Event Promotion: Highlight key event details and attract attendees.

Product Launch: Announce new products or services with impactful banners.

Seasonal Promotions: Create seasonal campaigns to engage your audience.

Choose the Right Location:

High-Traffic Areas: Place banner poles near busy streets, shopping centers, or popular tourist spots.

Event Venues: Use them to mark entrances, stages, or sponsor areas.

Business Premises: Position them strategically to attract customers.

Select the Ideal Banner Pole:

Size: Consider the banner size and the desired impact.

Material: Choose durable materials like aluminum or fiberglass for longevity.

Style: Select a style that complements your brand and the event theme.

Design Compelling Banners:

Clear Messaging: Use concise and impactful messaging.

Eye-Catching Graphics: Incorporate high-quality visuals.

Brand Consistency: Maintain brand consistency in colors, fonts, and logo placement.

Consider Permits and Regulations:

Local Council: Check local council regulations regarding banner pole installation and banner size.

Safety Standards: Ensure compliance with safety standards, especially for tall poles.

Maintenance and Upkeep:

Regular Inspection: Check for damage or wear and tear.

Cleaning: Keep banners clean and vibrant.

Secure Installation: Ensure the banner pole is securely fixed to the ground.

FAQs

How long do banner poles last? With proper maintenance, banner poles can last for many years. Factors like material quality, weather conditions, and installation methods influence their lifespan.

What are the best materials for banner poles? Aluminum and fiberglass are popular choices due to their durability and weather resistance.

Can I install a banner pole myself? While it's possible for DIY enthusiasts, professional installation is recommended for larger or more complex setups.

How often should I change my banner? The frequency of banner changes depends on your marketing goals. For seasonal promotions, you might change banners every few months. For long-term branding, less frequent changes may suffice.

What is the best size for a banner pole? The optimal size depends on the location, visibility requirements, and banner design. Consult with a professional to determine the best size for your specific needs.

Conclusion

By strategically integrating banner poles into your marketing strategy, you can elevate your brand visibility, drive event attendance, and ultimately boost your business. Remember to choose the right location, select the perfect banner poles Australia, and design compelling banners to maximize your marketing impact.

flagpoles australia goal posts australia

[stayathomesurveys]

175.

Have you stayed up past 3 in the morning this week? No.

What was on the last sandwich you had? Mayo, dijon mustard, honey ham, swiss cheese, american cheese, and pickles.

What does the soap you use smell like? Floral.

Do you prefer to wrap gifts or use gift bags? I like both, but it depends on the gift and how much time I have.

The last person you spoke to, do you know their eye color? Yeah, green/hazel.

Does anyone you know have their hair bleached? Me.

When you’re on the phone, do you doodle? Not really.

Is there anyone you know by the name of Frank? Not personally, no.

Do you own a trenchcoat? Not anymore :/

Have you ever written with a pen that had pink ink? Yup.

Do you remember the last thing you took a picture of? Yeah, my cats.

From where you’re sitting, can you turn the lights off? Yeah.

When was the last time you accidentally slept in? Idk.

The last argument you had, who started it? I dunno.

Do you wear a ring on your left hand middle finger? Sometimes.

Can you remember the title of the song you last sang aloud? It was the theme song for The Nanny.

If a stranger smiles at you, do you smile back? Yup.

Tell me the current time? 10:46 PM.

Are you currently listening to music through earphones? No. I'm watching the new season of Love is Blind on Netflix.

What color shirt are you wearing? Is it your favorite color? Teal.

Do you own a pair of rubber boots? Yeah.

Have you ever owned a tire swing? I think.

Does anyone you know own a bird that can talk? No.

What make-up are you wearing currently, if any? None.

Name one thing you are glad you accomplished today? Working out.

Name one thing you wished you accomplished today but didn’t? I wish that I would have worked out more. I did hit my step goal, calories burned goal, and exercise goal for the day though.

Have you ever been afraid to call someone, even if you knew them well? Yes.

Do you ever not speak to someone because you’re afraid you’ll annoy them? Yes.

Is there any drama going on in your circle of friends? I have absolutely no friends. So, no.

Have you ever known a guy who caused a lot of drama? Yeah.

Is there anyone you know who wears their hair in pigtails regularly? Yeah.

Personally, do you think you have a nice smile? No, I’m extremely self-conscious about my smile actually.

Do you have a nervous twitch? No.

Does the idea of snowpeaked mountains and a large lake sound appealing? Yes!

Pick any number that has personal significance to you? None.

Have you ever lost your luggage at an airport? Yeah but we found it.

Have you ever been on a rollercoaster that actually scared you? Yes.

Do you know anyone who can fluently speak more than two languages? Yeah.

How many windows are open on your computer right now? One window, two tabs.

Do you have a fairly fast or slow internet connection? Fast.

Have you ever gone in a sauna? Yes.

Out of these colors, which appeals most to you: orange, blue, or green? Blue.

Have you celebrated your birthday yet this year? Nope.

Is there anything you’re saving up for? Yeah.

Are you taller than most of your friends? No friends.

Know anyone with a really annoying laugh? No.

Have you ever punched someone and broke their nose? No, but I've accidentally broken noses in other ways.

What is the longest time you have gone without sleep? Idk, days.

Have you ever been someplace tropical? No.

If given the opportunity, would you act in a commercial? Sure.

You see an ant on the ground, do you squish it? No.

Have you ever baked a pie? No.

What is your favorite social networking site? Twitter.

Who was the last person to call you? Nik.

Does anyone in your family tell funny stories? Sure.

Is there a war memorial where you live? Yeah.

Has anyone in your family fought in any of the wars? Yes.

Would you make any changes to your current bedroom? Yes.

Has a stray dog ever tried to bite you? No.

When riding a bus, do you prefer to sit up front, down back or the middle? Front.

Have you ever been on a cross-country train ride? No.

Are you normally a person to tell people off? No.

Name an object that most would consider odd that’s special to you? Idk.

Do you currently have any bugbites? Yes :/ Mosquito bites.

Is where you live on a boulevard, road, street, or avenue? Circle.

Is there currently any caffeine in your system? Yeah.

Look around, are things organized? Sure.

Know what you’re planning to do after this? Idk.

[cozycottagetarot]

Pick A Pile: Your Next 6 Months

July - December 2021

Disclaimer: All readings and tarot/blog games are for fun and entertainment purposes only. It is in no way meant to act as or replace professional advice of any kind. You know yourself and what’s going on in your life best so I asks that you trust yourself above all else. Finally please take only what resonates from the reading which may be some of it, all of it, or none at all.

Reading Specific Disclaimer: Keep in mind this is just for fun and ultimately your actions and things you can’t control are the factors that will truly determine how the next 6 months pan out for you.

PILE 1

Theme // The Lovers Rx — Hello Pile 1! The theme for your next 6 months are all about finding your passion and building a relationship with yourself. Are you going through a rough patch right now Pile 1? Because I’m seeing you getting out of it or having a major shift by the end of the year.

July // Knight of Cups — With the knight of cups, I see you need to get your mood and mindset in check during the month of July. The energy you are in right now could be sooo much better my love. I feel like you’re holding back, there’s this brooding energy I’m picking up on. Focus on expressing yourself in some format (creatively, journaling, when talking to others) because if you do so I see you can allow yourself to begin this journey of transformation.

August // Seven of Pentacles — I’m picking up this energy you may potentially have of “when will things start to get better?” The answer— when you start putting in the work. That’s what August is about. Take some time during this month to really check your strategy at whatever it is you’re brooding about and come up with a game plan.

September // Ten of Swords Rx — So far if you’ve taken the tarot’s advice, then in September you’ll find yourself finding your momentum and strength again as the Ten of Swords Rx can signal getting off of rock bottom in a sense.

October // Ace of Pentacles — To me aces represent new beginnings. During the month of October something you’ve been manifesting (remember August?) is going to start coming thru. I’m also picking up on your financial situation improving or new financial opportunity coming through.

November // Ace of Swords — Your are going to be able to think and see things much clearer during November Pile 1. I don’t see a major ‘aha’ moment, but I do sense a subtle "oh my gosh look how well I’ve been doing" type of energy. 6 may also be a number of importance for you here too.

December // Death — Finally we’ve made it to December and I feel so much good vibes. The previous months may have been… challenging and have pushed you to grow, but when I look at the cards I see something beautiful, and I see progression. You started out, Pile 1, with the knight of cups riding forward with his/their white horse, cup in hand (an intention of sorts) and end with Death on their white horse but now a skeleton holding a flag of what we’ll call victory. I know, it sounds morbid, but the point I’m trying to make is that Death represents transitions and endings, and that is what December had in stored for you.

Oracle Card — Chant//Invoke

Yogi Tea Messages — “In every moment of life, you should be what you ought to be.” | “If we are happy, everybody looks up and shares our happiness.”

PILE 2

Theme // The Fool — Pile 2, I’m not sure the cards wanted you to know what’s in store for you over the course of the next three months. Therefore your reading is kind of short so if you have specific questions just send it in an asks. The general energy is very guarded. The fool here represents, beginnings and potential.

July // Ace of Cups — Ace of Cups is mainly about love and peace. I felt inclined to draw another card and out popped the Ten of Swords. Maybe you’ve had a not-so great experience happen recently, and July is about healing from it and trying to find a place of love and peace within yourself.

August // The Hermit — On this idea or energy, I see The Hermit as hinting that during the month of August you may find yourself doing a lot of self reflection Pile 2. I wanted to know what you were potentially doing self reflection on and out came the Six of Wands which, summarised, is about success and recognition. Self reflection on your progress maybe?

September // Death Rx — During the month of September beware of being resistant. Alternately, things maybe moving slowly and in wanting things to move faster, you maybe creating resistance to your blessings coming thru. Ultimately going with the flow.

October // Eight of Wands — I moved the eight of wands and under it was The Star which I hadn’t realised and was pleasantly surprised. With these two cards, I’m hearing if you heed death’s advice of being aware of your resistance to whatever is going on, you’ll see a sudden improvement in your situation. In October things are picking up and the things you’ve been wishing for will come to you.

November // The Chariot — One of the first things to come to me with this card was ‘faith, trust and pixie dust’. I have no idea why but maybe you do Pile 2. I see you having lots of motivation with The Chariot, finding balance, and success with a problem or situation you maybe having.

December // Four of pentacles Stability will be yours by the end of the year pile 2. However there’s an energy I’m not feeling. I pulled a card to clarify and got the Knight of Swords. Things are coming through for you in December but there is also a message to be aware that the chariot energy you’re carrying from November to December doesn’t morph into an energy stemming from greed and superiority.

Oracle Cards  — Mystery//Dream & Align//Ignite

Yogi Tea Messages — “Think seriously and think honestly.” | “We are born wise, we are born complete.”

PILE 3

Theme // 10 of Swords — Have no fear pile 3,   I’m reading this card as the next 6 months marking completion to a rough  phase in your life.

July // 6 of Wands — Success and   victory you’ve been growing and working on yourself or a creative endeavor. During July you may find yourself acknowledging your progress,  or other’s may comment on how well you’re doing.

August // 8 of Swords Rx — If you have been feeling powerless or trapped Pile 3, that is going to change. You may be opening your eyes to a situation or a truth maybe revealed.

September // King of Swords — I’m seeing you stepping up and being in-charge... being more levelheaded. With the butterflied on the throne, I’m thinking maybe you were more erratic in thought or and emotion? Or maybe during September butterflied will be of importance. Honesty and good communication is also key.

October // 6 of Cups — During October you maybe taking a trip down memory lane, or indulging in old/childhood enjoyments. Someone from your past may also be showing back up in your life.

November // 10 of Pentacles — I see you coming into abundance. It could be material abundance but it doesn’t have to be. There’s also a message of keep doing what you’re doing.

December // 9 of Cups — To end the year off you maybe feeling more content and satisfied with the things you’ve been doing. Keep up the mindset you’ve seemingly come into and enjoy the good things life has to offer.

Oracle Card —  Love//Empathy

Yogi Tea Messages — “People who love are giving.” | “Let your energy be used to build not destroy.”

PILE 4

Theme // 6 of Swords Rx — Pile 4, my chaotic little bunch. With the 6 of Swords reversed I feel you maybe regressing if you’re not careful.

July // 5 of Wands Rx — Here this card represents the end of conflict and moving on. I don’t know if it’s working out for you... I feel like you might just be like ‘screw it’ and move on. Throughout the reading I kept feeling like it was related to familial disagreements so for some of you that could be it.

August // The Fool —  The fool is about fresh starts, potential and being carefree. While I do see that, in this reading the dog by the fool’s foot jumps out at me as a warning of sorts. While new beginnings may be in the works, be careful of making rash decisions and not thinking things through.

September // Justice — I see things as balanced for you during September Pile 4, maintain that energy of balance going forward.

October // Queen of Wands — For me this is one of my favourite cards because I see it as being in your ideal energy, being your own muse. It’s time to come into that healthy, attractive, confident, creative energy.

November // Queen of Cups Rx — Why would you be wallowing Pile 4? You were doing so well and now the cards show me you finding yourself in an upset and moody energy. This is where familial disagreements really came to me since depending where you live the holiday season really kicks off in November and potentially so does family tension. Regardless of what it is, during November you may need to show yourself some extra love and prioritize self care.

December // 5 of Swords — You’re fiery Pile 4, and I don’t see you as they type to take crap from anyone. You know your situation best and the people around you best so there are two main messages with this card. The first message being one of ‘the world doesn’t revolve around you’. While you need to put yourself first, you also need to understand your actions and decisions affects those around you. Alternately — you need to claim control your rights, your power... whatever you want to see it as. If someone is taking advantage of you, you need to break free and be able to choose yourself.

Oracle Card —  Spiral//Cycle

Yogi Tea Messages — “Life is a flow of love; your participation is requested.” | “An attitude of gratitude brings opportunities.”

[inkandpen22]

Permanent Chaos (4/?)

Pairing:��MGK x Female!Reader

Word Count: 4k

Warnings: mild swearing, mentions of underage drinking 

Part Summary: Sam hosts a party and Y/N makes a not-so-great acquaintance of a certain rock star.

Masterlist

Sam’s house is filled with people. I know the majority of the partiers, the rest I can recognize from whatever field of entertainment they’re in. The music is blasting over the speakers and the voices fill the remaining space.

I search around for him. I manage to find him in the family room on the couch. He’s chatting with a group of people, including Penelope. I make my way over, shuffling between bodies. When I appear out from within the crowd, Sam gleams.

“You made it!”

“I did!” I giggle.

We hug and he introduces me to the girl beside him. “Y/N, this is Cara.”

As if I don't know who Cara Delevigne is, I may be busy but I don't live on Mars. I smile at her kindly. “Nice to meet you!”

“You too! I’m a huge fan of your work on TSL!” She gushes, giving my hand a gentle squeeze.

The Seasons of Life is often shortened to TSL, just a side note.

Cara’s accent is so pretty! She’s already a model then she has to have a British accent as if she wasn’t perfect enough!

“Aw, thank you so much!”

Sam slips by me. “I’m going to go get us a drink!”

"Oh wait, Sam!"

“I know what to do!” He shouts back without stopping. I should know better. With how much time we spend together, he would know my order.

“That kid,” I sigh to Penelope and Cara.

The two giggle and we go on to talk about this and that. Fun enough, Cara leaves for Paris tomorrow for a fashion show. Must be exciting to travel so often and to wear the most amazing clothes. She’s quite funny. Her personality is so vibrant and warm. I can see us being good friends.

A loud voice echoes through the house and the three of us look toward the archway to see who it’s coming from. Bodies block the view so I turn my attention back to the girls. Penelope and I discuss the photoshoot in two days and Cara talks about her experiences with Vanity Fair.

“Hey, Cara!” A voice greets behind me.

I don't turn around, but I can feel their energy hovering over me. They shuffle to stand right beside me. I glance up, but can't recognize them.

Cara stands up to hug them. “Good to see you! How are you?” She keeps him in an embrace.

“Great, great!” The guy, who’s back is to me for some reason seems familiar. I can’t quite put my finger on it.

“You know Sam?” She questions as they part.

“Not really, I came with a few friends.”

I look over at Penelope for a hint as to who it could be. She shrugs and watches the two interact.

“Speaking of, have you seen him? I should say hi.” The man asks.

“He went to the kitchen to get a drink for him and Y/N.”

The man turns around and he peers down at me on the couch. I should’ve guessed it… MGK. The hair and a million tattoos should've been a dead giveaway. That bright blonde mess of a hairstyle.

“Colson, this is Y/N Voss,” Cara introduces us.

He glances down at me with a smile. “We’ve met actually,” he claims.

My head tilts, I can’t recall when we've met properly.

“Today after I performed on James’s show,” he describes, towering over me.

“Oh! Awesome!” Cara sits back down next to me.

All I can do is stare at Colson in confusion. “If you count glancing at one another from across the room once as meeting,” I reply a bit snarky.

He gives me a toothy grin and eases down onto the cushion ottoman right across from me. “It was more than one glance,” he argues.

“You would know, you’re the one that never looked away," I fire back.

Cara and Penelope exchange a glance, snicker, then leave the scene together. They offer their goodbye before giggling away. They're smart.

Colson seems to have not noticed or at least doesn’t care. He moves to take Cara's spot on the cushion next to me. “You would’ve had to been looking to have noticed that I never looked away.”

My head rolls back, with a mocking laugh. “Well aren’t you a genius!”

He rests his arm on the back of the couch behind me. “I like to think so.”

“One vodka tonic.” Sam interrupts, holding out my drink.

I take it bitterly. "Thanks."

“Sam huh?” Colson stands up and the two shake hands. “I’m Colson, nice to officially meet you, man!”

Sam treats him like an old friend which annoys the heck out of me. Colson so far has only shown his arrogance to me. “You too! Great seeing you today at the show. Your performance was amazing.”

“Thanks, your interview was hilarious!” Colson fakes charming better than some actors.

“You watched?” Sam asks.

“Yeah, I stuck around just off-camera. You two are great!”

Watching these two talk each other up is a bromance waiting to happen.

Sam gestures to me with his glass. “Y/N here is the real comedian. There’s never a dull moment with her."

“I'm sure.” Colson peers down at me with a bright smile. "We’ve only just met and she’s already sparked a debate with me.”

I narrow my eyes at Colson, what’s he trying to start?

Sam settles down on the ottoman where Colson was. “What about?” He is all for the conversation and is jumping headfirst into the tiff between us.

Colson smiles but I see the mischief in his eyes.

“It wasn’t a debate” I rise to my feet in front of the boys. “If you would excuse.” I step away from the couch a little irked.

“Oh come on now Baby, I’m only joking,” Colson calls not bothered.

“Oh no,” Sam laughs behind me. “Best not call her that or any pet names for that matter. She hates them!”

I don’t even acknowledge them on my walk out of the room. Cocky, annoying, ugh! It’s been maybe five minutes and he’s already managed to irritate me. Maybe all the things they write in the tabloids about him are true. A spoiled, arrogant, womanizing jerk. A piece of the worst parts of the industry. I'm going to go find the girls and stay far away from Colson Baker.

________________________________________

On the set of the Vanity Fair shoot, the atmosphere is lively and carefree. The theme is an 80’s vintage style and since it’s coming back the magazine is mixing old with the new. Sam and I are in an old-fashioned record store and it’s wicked! The walls are teal and remind me of an old Taco Bell. There are rows and rows of just vinyl records. My hair is teased in an 80’s rock band kind of hairstyle. 80s music has been playing on set all morning to set the mood. I'm living for it!

A lady approaches me with a huge light wash denim jacket.

“No way! I get to wear this!” I gush.

She helps me put it on and I’m dying from how awesome this shoot is.

I immediately go to Sam's trailer. “Sam! I’m rocking the denim on denim look!” I show off my high-waisted light wash denim shorts with a black bulky leather belt around my waist.

He laughs. “I appreciate the denim on denim but I have to say my favorite part is the old Bon Jovi T.”

The photographer, Adam, comes up with this brilliant idea for me to stand on the crates of records. Where the two rows in the middle of the store meet, there’s enough room for me to stand. Once I’m up there and I can find the balance in these red heels, they have Sam join me.

“Sam, grab her leg and look up at her as though you’re keeping an eye on her,” Adam instructs.

The camera flashes and between snaps, I change my facial features.

“Good! Good! Let’s get some shots from the counter!”

Sam helps me down from the crates and I hop down. We get a shot of me laying across the counter with a red sucker in my hand and Sam hovering over me. This shoot is incredibly fun and I can’t wait to see the finished product.

Sam and I change outfits and Adam asks if he can get a video for the website and YouTube channel. Of course, we said yes. It’ll be a montage of an interview of us individually and then of us just messing around throughout the store with 80’s music playing in the background. Adam has me sit on an 80’s style floral couch they set up in front of a backdrop in the back room. The whole setup is very comfortable and intimate. Only us, a few lights and a camera with the radio playing. Sam is in makeup and dress for the part of the video of us being candid.

“You can sit however you like!” Adam instructs, meaning I’m sitting too formal with my posture straight and legs crossed. “Act like we’re just hanging out or something.”

I adjust myself and crisscross my legs, slouching a bit.

“Much better!” he compliments, staring down at the camera. He hits up on a stool and positions his camera on the stand. “What’s it like to be on the cover of Vanity Fair?”

“The whole experience is unreal! I remember having a subscription to Teen Vogue growing up. My friends and I loved them!”

“Would you describe your style as modern or classic?”

“Classic for sure!” I gush.

Adam snickers. “What’s your favorite decade for fashion?”

I laugh and gesture down at my outfit. “The 80’s.”

“Does anyone from the 80’s inspire your style in particular?”

I tap the tips of my fingers together and hum. “That’s a toughy! I guess I would have to say Demi Moore for the hair. Specifically, her haircut from About Last Night… that’s where I got the style for my hair actually. Another big one would be Cindy Crawford, such a fashion icon!” I could talk about fashion all day and the icons idolize.

“Heels or sneakers?”

“Depends on the occasion. Sneakers for everyday things, I could never live without my trusty Converse. Yet, I would wear heels if I’m dressing it up a bit.”

"Are you more of a girly-girl or tomboy?”

“People who know me well would say I’m a girly-girl but I also don’t mind downplaying it from time to time. I’ve gotten better lately at relaxing and no being so “on” all the time.”

“Hair up or down?”

“Half up, half down,” I wiggle my eyebrows playfully looking into the camera.

Adam chuckles behind the camera. He changes topics. “You’re from South Carolina originally...”

My heart sinks a little at the mention of home, but I hide behind a smile. “That I am.”

“You haven’t been back in almost a year, do you miss it?”

I play with the ends of my hair, examining my lap. Avoiding the camera lens. I look at anywhere but there. “If I were to miss anything about South Carolina, it would be the gorgeous landscape and southern food."

“You have three siblings, correct?” Adam asks next.

“I do, an older brother and sister, then a younger brother.” I list.

“What do they think about the show and your career?”

I nod. “They support me but the distance is hard. As you said, we haven’t all been together in almost a year.”

“Do you have any plans to go visit home soon?”

I sigh, “sadly no, my work keeps me quite busy.”

The interview goes on and we discuss how my style has evolved since I was a teen starting out in the business. I’ll admit, the topics about home and family sucked. Work and personal life are two separate jobs, my worlds can’t collide. I never bring South Carolina into it.

______________________________________________

After the shoot, I received a call from Cara when we were finishing up the photoshoot. Last night, Cara, Penelope, and I had a blast! I completely forgot about the whole tiff with Colson once I reached them in the kitchen. Since then, we’ve been three peas in a pod. While we were talking on the phone, she invited Sam and me to dinner at The Ivy.

“A small gathering of friends,” she told me and asked for us to be there by seven.

Jump ahead to now and Sam is parallel parking the car. I hop out and wait on the sidewalk for Sam to walk around. Our hands' interlock and the paparazzi take notice of us when people on the sidewalk pull out their phones.

“Y/N! SAM! SAM! OVER HERE!”

“HOW’S FILMING GOING?”

“It’s good to be back on set!” I cover my eyes with my clutch.

“YOUR INTERVIEW WITH JAMES CORDEN WAS GREAT!”

“SOCIAL BLEW UP AFTER THE INTERVIEW!”

Sam asks for the guys to make a path so we can get through without issues. He releases my hand and presses his palm to my lower back protectively.

“WE’VE ALREADY SEEN Cara AND PENELOPE GO IN!”

“A FEW PEOPLE ACTUALLY!”

“ARE YOU ALL MEETING UP?”

“Maybe, maybe not!” I look into one of the video cameras and wink.

The guy behind it gets a hoot out of my expression.

Sam and I reach the restaurant and the men let us go in unbothered.

“WE’LL LEAVE YOU ALONE TO YOUR DINNER!”

“Thanks guys, see you later!” I wave to them and their cameras shoot rapidly.

The noise dies down when we go back further into the restaurant. Sam spots Cara in the back and guides me back there. Tables are lined up in a long row and the majority of the seats are filled.

Cara, cool as a cucumber pulls me into a hug. “Hey Y/N! So glad you two could come!” She sits Sam and me across from each other near the middle. She insisted that I sit by her so we could chat. We get to talking about the Vanity Fair shoot today then she’s pulled away when another guest arrives.

The waitress comes up behind me and requests my drink order.

“I’ll have a sweet tea please.”

“We only serve unsweetened.”

I hate it when they say that. “That’s fine, thank you!” Sam eyes me and I pout about having no sweet tea.

“You realize there’s sugar right here.” He slides me the packets of sugar.

“Yes but it’s not the same. There’s sweet tea at every restaurant where I’m from and I come here boom! Sweet tea is nonexistent!”

"What’s the drink that’s carbonated?” He’s asking to be annoying because the west coast and the midwest disagree on the name.

“Pop!” I glare at him.

“That’s right! Pop! Sounds like you’re saying pot every time.” He laughs at his own joke, finding himself humorous.

“It’s soda by the way," he corrects.

“Uh uh,” I refuse to change my ways, “it’s pop.”

The empty chair next to me slides back and when I glance up to see who’s doing it, an instant headache hits my brain.

Sam greets Colson warmly with a handshake. I shoot Sam another glare. He’s acting neutral but that shouldn’t be a choice in this case. He was my friend first!

Colson removes black Ray-Bans from his face and positions them on top of his head.

“Hello Y/N.” Colson sends me one of his charming grins so many teen girls swoon over.

“Hi,” I reply, not attempting to hide my disinterest. I curve my body away from him and towards Cara, legitly giving him the cold shoulder.

The dinner goes on without a hitch surprisingly, considering the circumstances. Penelope leans down over the back of my chair to say our goodbyes.

I turn around in my chair to face her. “See ya tomorrow.”

“See ya,” she rubs her hand up and down my arm.

She and I exchange kisses on the cheek. “Love you!” We say in unison as we part.

“Later Sam!” She wiggles her fingers at him in a wave.

Sam and I stick around a while longer since Cara and I have gotten into a deep conversation about our shared love for vintage things. A conversation about our collections of records alone went on for twenty minutes. I hadn't noticed that it was just four of us now. Sam and Colson have been talking most of the dinner.

A pair of hands rest on my shoulders and steal my attention away from Cara. “Y/N, you ready to go?” Sam asks.

“We’ll head out too!” Cara announces with her sights directed behind me.

I look over my shoulder and Colson is standing beside Sam. The four of us walking out together… how convenient.

I grab my clutch, sticking close to Sam to dodge Colson.

The four of us walk toward the front of the restaurant and right when we reach the steps leading outside, Cara announces that she forgot her purse.

“I’ll be right back!” She urges us to go on without her.

The cameras waited for us as I assumed they would. They’re capturing every minute of us waiting for Cara.

I place my hand on Sam’s shoulder, “would you go help her?”

“You sure?” His eyes flicker between me and Colson.

“I’ll be fine,” I assure him and he promises he’ll only be a second.

“Go to the car so you aren’t bothered,” he refers to the paparazzi.

“I’ll walk her,” Colson offers.

Sam gives him the go-ahead as he goes off to help in the search for the purse.

I’m left with the one guy I was avoiding. I grip the keys in my hand and walk down the brick steps to the sidewalk. I hear Colson behind me and stop to address him. “I can walk myself to the car.”

He raises his arms mocking a surrender. “I don’t doubt your ability to walk, just helping out.”

“I don’t need your help,” I scoff, starting to walk again.

“I never said you did,” Colson sassily replies.

*Click* *Click* *Click*

A man runs around me to get a photo of me straight on.

“Y/N! Y/N! WALKING IN WITH SAM AND LEAVING WITH MGK, ANY EXPLANATION?”

I pause for a moment, making eye contact with the man behind the camera. Is he honestly trying to start drama? What lies are he going to sell? I’m only going to the car because Sam requested. The only reason Colson is even near me is that he’s so freaking persistent.

I push back the aggravation and force my lips into a kind smile. I can’t have a single moment of weakness. I can’t give in to my emotions like others. “Sam is helping Cara with something inside. Colson was kind enough to walk me to the car.”

“HOW LONG HAVE YOU GUYS KNOWN EACH OTHER?”

I purposefully answer quickly so Colson doesn’t even have the chance to think of a response. “Not long, we met the other day backstage at The Late Late Show. We have a lot of the same friends and had no idea!” I peek over at Colson and he gives me a knowing look. I dismiss it and go on with my charade. I will not let this jerk mess with my career.

“ANY CHANCE OF HAVING COLSON GUEST STAR ON THE SHOW?”

“That would be great!” I lie my butt off, “having more friends on set would be fun!”

“COLSON, HOW’S YOUR NEW ALBUM COMING ALONG?!”

“We’re in the recording stage right now. Should be released sometime this summer," he answers.

“FOLLOWING UP WITH A TOUR?”

“Of course!” he chuckles.

I unlock the car and move around the guys to reach the door.

“WE’LL LET YOU GUYS GO ON. ENJOY THE REST OF YOUR NIGHT!” One of them departs.

“Thank you! You too!” I wave goodbye.

Some stick behind to get a few last pictures but for the most part, they all disburse. The ones remaining, however, keep their distance.

I yank on the handle of the door and Colson holds it for me. As if he's a gentleman. I begin to climb in, prepared to yank it shut in his face.

“Friends huh?” Colson chuckles.

I turn around abruptly and check around the general area of the sidewalk for any cameras. Seems the remainder of the guys have left. I shut the door and Colson removes his hand in a rush.

“No, not friends! I only said that to please the public," I huff.

“Ouch!” he acts offended, placing his hand on his heart. “I did find it interesting that you claimed we met backstage the other day so I was right!” He chuckles, believing he caught me.

“No, no, no, no!" I shut that thought down quickly. "The only reason I made that up was that it’s not good for my image if I admit I was at a party. People tend to assume that heavy drinking and drugs occur at parties. I can’t be associate with that scene!”

“Oh, so it’s alright to lie?” He crosses his arms and snickers, glancing down the street toward the restaurant.

I roll my eyes, of course, he doesn’t understand, why would he? “You don’t get it” I scoff, dismissing him. I turn and reach for the car handle again.

“So what if you were at a party? People drink, if some have a problem with that, that’s their problem. Oh! I forgot! You're America's Sweetheart! The perfect angel princess with a spotless record,” he mocks.

I slam the car door shut, having hit my limit. I keep my voice hush. “It’s not that simple! I'm not like you! I can't be caught partying! If the country, the world, sees the truth then my image is ruined! I've been doing this since I was a teenager! I worked way too hard for far too long to lose everything over a stupid mistake!”

Colson’s face falters from his usual carefree expression to one of seriousness.

“Found it! Let’s go!” Sam announces loudly to the whole block.

I toss him the keys and glance back to Colson who stands there in a stillness I have yet to see from me. His stare makes me want to hide. I feel as though I’m under a microscope being studied.

“Toodaloo Y/N! ‘Till next time my pals!” Cara strolls down the sidewalk.

It’s evident she’s had a couple of drinks. She sways further down the sidewalk and comes to a stop once she notices Colson isn’t following.

“Later Cara!” Sam shouts over the top of the car behind me.

Colson and I stare at each other I’m guessing for different reasons. He appears lost in thought and I’m desperately trying to figure out why. If I look away, I fear he’ll break to pieces or something.

Cara pauses. “Colson? You coming?”

He holds out for a moment but finally breaks eye contact with me. "Yeah."

When I’m no longer staring into those black works of art I regain my ability to move. I hurry into the car and Sam says his goodbyes again over the top of the car. I buckle my seatbelt when he climbs in. Watching strangers walk up and down the sidewalk, I’m perfectly aware of Sam starring me down.

He pulls onto the street. “Are we gonna talk about it or are we doing silence?”

I reach over and turn up the radio.

“Of course you make your own option.” Sam watches me, waiting for some sort of explanation.

We come in at the end of a song and the next one is oh too recognizable. The classic rock sound that is a part of all of Colson’s music plays through the car speakers. His vocals enter the soundwave and I groan loudly over the music before turning off the radio.

"No music then!" I snap.

__________________________________

Masterlist

Tags: @canyoubuymetoast @bri-3530 @asil1652 @andstilltryingtofindmyself @nadia2021 @olafsidehoe @mgkobsessed @fairywriting101 @ferrell-cat @naylanae-0308 @tonystarkswife10 @alexsa5 @brocksbabyyy @stormrider505 @magnificenthumancopangel @sarcasticfangirlus @lilramencup95beech @missyviolet123 @skeleton-gxr @glitterybearllamaflap @margaritaville20 @amoresix @thysagclub

[analyzecriticize]

Chainsaw Man Anime - The Quest Narrative

Disclaimer: I have not read the manga. This piece is based solely on the anime and what I could get from that. This is just what I noticed, so I could be completely wrong. All media is open to interpretations.

*This post will contain spoilers*

Chainsaw Man is an anime filled to the brim with symbolism and themes that it is really difficult to pick one thing to focus on. For this post, I want to focus on the quest narrative, since it is a simple introduction. The quest narrative is one of the easiest archetypes to spot because it is so widely used. A few points to focus on when it comes to the quest narrative are this:

1. The hero or person doing the quest 

2. A place to go 

3. The reason to go there

4. The challenges they face along the way

5. The real reason they went (what they actually learn at the end that changes them)

From the very first episode, parts 1-3 of the quest are already taken care of. Our hero is obviously Denji, the place to go is wherever the boss tells him to go, and the reason is that he has to pay off the debt left behind by his father/he wants the good things in life eventually (like jam to go with his bread). Where the anime currently is would be part 4, the challenges he faces along the way that leads to what changes him (joining public safety, the fights and relationships he has, the Gun Devil wanting his heart). Since only the first season has come out, part 5 is left unfinished.

Denji could possibly have two quests going on at the same time, depending on where you’d like to begin. 

If you start from when he joins public safety, then his place to go is public safety. The reasons depend on what perspective you take. To Denji, his reasons to work in public safety are to live the good life, form a relationship/touch Makima, and so he doesn’t get killed by public safety. To Makima, it’s because the Chainsaw Devil is very powerful, especially when wielded by Denji, since he has such loose morals. The reason she wants him on Special Division 4 is because he could defeat the Gun Devil with some proper training. Part 4 would be all the battles they are having along the way, each of them teaching Denji something new. As mentioned in episode 12 by the Katana Devil, Denji is getting better at fighting on a regular basis. Much of this is due to experience, but also because of his recent lessons with Kishibe.

No matter which perspective you take, part 5 is still up in the air. I’m sure manga readers have an idea what Denji’s real purpose is and how it changes him, but I’m just not there yet. The big thing is that Denji will eventually learn something that changes him in a big way and he will use that for some means. I hope to read the manga eventually in the original Japanese, but I need to study a bit more first. I’m already looking forward to season 2 so that I can see how his quest changes. Denji is the first character I have come across whose quest is self-motivated to this degree. Many heroes want to save someone or are aiming towards a bigger picture, but Denji is focused solely on his goals and will do whatever to achieve them. It is very refreshing and I’m excited to see how his story fits into the archetype.

If you have any thoughts or things to add, please feel free to leave a comment! Just remember: I have not read the manga and that I am out of practice with analyzing stuff, hence why I picked something so easy for my first. Constructive criticism is welcome, just make sure you can back it up with evidence. Manga readers - please no spoilers.

More info on the quest narrative: How to Teach Literature like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster

Anime: Chainsaw Man

Picture: Tower Records 

[stagefoureddiediaz]

would you say the music choices are important to a characters arc or the overall story??

Hey Nonnie

I love this ask so much and I had a whole answer mid flow and then tumblr decided to crash on me and delete everything I'd written 😭hopefully I can remember most of what I'd written!🤞🏻

my answer to you is both!!

It also depends on if you are referring to the song choices or the incidental music because that also has an impact. putting this post below a cut because its super long!

The incidental music composer will definitely be using leitmotifs and themes for characters and or pairings - I haven’t had the time (nor do I have the skills) to really go through and listen to the incidental music used to see if I can hear the themes and motifs used for each character, but they will more than likely be there. It could be something a s simple as a specific instrument playing a motif within a piece of incidental music to represent a character. (If you don’t know how this works, then i recommend peter and the wolf by Sergei prokofiev which is a piece written to teach children about storytelling in classical music and is a great beginners guide!) These little motifs etc can then be combined for interactions between characters and if there is a specific paring they may create an additional motif or layer - which might combine the characters individual motifs or create a new one - for example it would be worth seeing what motifs they use for Bobby, Athena, Michael, May and Harry then seeing if they’re combined in various ways and if a new theme/motif was created when Bobby and Athena became romantically involved (does any of this make sense?  Think i’m not explaining it very well!)

Incidental music is super important and it mostly goes under the radar - in that you notice if its not there, but don’t always pick up on it while watching - someone isolated out the incidental music from the shooting scene (if it was you please direct me to it and I’ll add the link in) and it changes the scene a fair amount - you can really see how the incidental music builds onto the drama!

incidental music composers often borrow or are inspired by other film scores and classical music - did you know, for example, that much of the music in star wars has been ‘borrowed’ heavily from classical music - John Williams took a large number of themes and motifs from Holsts Planets Suite, and the iconic star wars theme is almost a direct copy of the opening score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold for a film called the the kings men if you want to hear for yourself then this video explains it all - some of it can be hard to pick up if you don’t have a classically trained ear! John Williams is a bit notorious for borrowing from other composers - he’s borrowed from Stravinsky and Dvorak among others - but I’ve never had a problem with it, film scores are a gateway to classical music for many and its almost impossible to not be influenced by others that have come before and its always interesting to hear how a composer builds and combines their own compositions around those parts they’ve used from other places!

One of the clearest examples I have of 911’s incidental composer doing this is in 5x11 - the incidental music we hear during the ‘speed rescue’ is definitely influenced by the lightbike scene incidental composition from Tron Legacy by Daft Punk - its not the same but it has very similar elements especially in the use of the electronic keyboard motif - have a watch of the the scene again and then listen to the lightbike scene and see if you can hear what i’m saying!

then we have the songs they use - all of which are very definitely important and chosen with care to ensure whatever message the writers are trying to get across is picked up by the audience - whether that’s in relation to a specific character or story arc very much depends and sometimes its both! a few examples for you - the use of Billy Joel Pressure in the opening scenes of season 2 - is very much about the expectations for the arcs of the season - various characters being put under pressure in various ways - it all ties in perfectly with those opening scenes as well, but because its the first song we hear as we come back into season 2 the song itself is hinting at what is to come for our mains throughout the season. the same can be said for season 5 - Welcome to the Jungle by Guns and Roses - yes it was the perfect song for the animals being lose on hollywood boulevard, but the lyrics also speak about what’s been happening over the course of the season with lyrics like ‘watch it bring you to your knees’ and ‘if you want it you’re going to bleed’ or ‘welcome to the jungle it gets worse here everyday’ ‘and when you’re high you never want to come down’ - all hints at what’s been going on all season - we’re watching life bringing various members of the firefam to their knees, metaphorically bleeding and lots of stuff at height seems to be coming in the second half of the season - with the various jumpers and fallers etc we’ve had hints for.

if we also look at 3x03 the searchers and Bucks End monologue and Ed Sheehan Photograph- all of that will have bee built around the choice of song - which will have been chose to highlight important moments so lets break it down, I’ve put the full lyrics used below.

Loving can hurt, loving can hurt sometimes But it's the only thing that I know When it gets hard, you know it can get hard sometimes It is the only thing makes us feel alive

We keep this love in a photograph We made these memories for ourselves Where our eyes are never closing Hearts are never broken And time's forever frozen, still

So you can keep me Inside the pocket of your ripped jeans Holding me closer 'til our eyes meet You won't ever be alone, wait for me to come home

Loving can heal, loving can mend your soul And it's the only thing that I know, know I swear it will get easier Remember that with every piece of ya Hmm, and it's the only thing we take with us when we die

When I'm away, I will remember how you kissed me Under the lamppost back on Sixth street Hearing you whisper through the phone "Wait for me to come home"

and Bucks voice over; 

There are a lot of ways to be lost at sea.

Its not the same as being abandoned, or stranded. Those things happen beyond our control

Sometimes we just take a wrong turn to close to the tide.

The waters rise and sweep us away

we fight the currents for a way back to dry land and solid ground

to each other, to normal

and when we catch our breaths we search the shore for all that we lost and everything we loved

for our families

for our dreams and our futures

our friends and loved ones

and for those who couldn’t swim

sometimes being lost, is not knowing how to get from where we are to where we wanna be

where we need to be.

We see the camera panning over Santa Monica beaches and the devastation left behind by the Tsunami - the camera is moving in time with the opening refrain of the song and the opening lyrics and on the beat of the first hurt it is edited to hit the wall of missing loved ones - this two key moments edited to hit the beats of the music and tie the lyrics to the visual - the idea of love hurting - through losing people in a moment.

then we have the pick up of sometimes

🎶you know it can get hard sometimes’🎶

                                             ‘sometimes we just take a wrong turn’

then we get another tie in moment - a triple one this time - May - isolating her self in the aftermath - hiting with the lyric 🎶'Hearts are never broken’🎶 but being pulled back in by her family as Buck says ‘to normal’

then we see the boat couple getting married in hospital and their eyes meet as the line 🎶'till our eyes meet’🎶 is sung and they kiss as Ed sings 🎶‘you won’t ever be alone’ 🎶and Buck says ‘for our dreams and our futures

we move to Coop’s hospital room as we hit the first 🎶‘home’🎶 - and Buck says our friends and our loved ones’ - highlighting the idea of the firefam not being exclusive to the 118 but something repeated across all the firehouses in LA and them being ‘homes’ for those firefighters.

Then we have buck saying ‘for those who couldn’t swim’  the important line of the song here is ‘I swear it will get easier’ - its the only one we hear clearly during Maddie conversation about being a big sister before the camera sweeps away as the musical refrain starts t build and soar - which is when they edit the music to the last verse of the song - bringing it back down to  more sombre refrains buck says the final lines of the monologue and the song speaks of remembering and coming home

🎶I will remember how you kissed me🎶

                                                     sometimes being lost,

🎶Under the lamppost back on Sixth street🎶

               is not knowing how to get from where we are to where we wanna be

🎶Hearing you whisper through the phone🎶

                                    where we need to be.

🎶"Wait for me to come home"🎶

…And Eddie knocks on the door. I’m not sure if it translates well into text but if you watch with the closed caption subtitles on it helps show where the beats are and where the crossover between the song and the monologue are. the thing to remember is that they will have chosen the lyrics they want the audience to hear - the ones that are the most important to the story - both for the character and the arcs - this one is about Buck and his search for home - that is the big arc Buck is going through  as a character, but it is also the overarching arc that 911 is about. the idea that they’ve essentially set up that Buck has found his home but hasn’t realised and therefore hasn’t yet stopped searching for it is a major part of his story throughout s3 and beyond (he’s still looking).

these are just couple of examples of how the music alongside the incidental music plays an important role in the narrative - both types of music are narrative devices and when you combine them all sucessfully link 911 does - magic happens. the thing with 911 is that we’ve also seen them ‘get it wrong’ - the use of ‘what man’ over Eddies introduction - made sense in the moment and we know that Tim et al didn’t fully think through the implications of using that song at that moment wit hBuck watching on - it set a whole ship afloat that may not have happened if a different musical choice had been made!

Sorry this got epically long, but you asked me about music in film and tv and well that was like the starters gun for me!! Hopefully its interesting and makes some sense!! please come back to me if you have more questions😎

.💜💜💜

[interact-if]

Taking the spotlight for Day 6... Lucirene!

Lucirene, author of An Angel’s Song

Latino Heritage Month Featured Author

In the forest of Bres an otherworldly sickness corrodes the soil and changes the creatures within. “A parting gift from the fallen angels”  say the citizens of the Hyaku Region and the mark on your hand confirms it.

Though the scent travelling in the air is sweet and enticing everyone knows better than to get closer. But the mark, it pulses, it burns, the pain spreading as fast as the corruption of the forest does.

Your masters are calling, and it seems like this time you cannot escape them.

An Angel’s Song Demo | Author’s Ko-fi | Author’s Patreon | Read more [here]

Tags: dark fantasy, romance

(INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT UNDER THE CUT!)

Q1: So, tell us a little bit about the projects you’re working on!

I have so many, but the only one public is An Angel’s Song. It’s, more than anything, a story about grief, loneliness and overcoming it all while navigating a hostile environment and discovering long lost secrets about the Divine and about the MC’s country. That one is very cathartic for me to make because of the themes, I feel like I’m working through a lot of feelings I didn’t even realize I had by writing it.

The next one is also an IF and it focuses on comedy, adventure and character interaction. It’s supposed to be more lighthearted, more fun, but knowing me… I don’t know if it’ll stay that way. Basically, it goes: A Captain’s boat falls prey to the storms and the strange creatures living under the sea, and they and their crew end up washing ashore an icy, snowy country. I already have the main cast written down and they have so much synergy, it’s amazing.

And the last one I’ll talk about (a traditional novel) actually happens in the same setting as my second IF, but many, many years before, when their local deity/guardian was born. It’s more of a romance-fantasy than anything, a love story between a Goddess and a half-dragon, however it also showcases many of the situations the people had to navigate and face before their country could become the place you’ll see in my second IF.

Q2: What excites you most about using interactive fiction? What are some of the biggest challenges?

What I like most definitely is how much freedom we have as authors. Of course, one is constrained by one’s ability to code but I think, for the most part, we can do so many things, reach an entirely new level of immersion that would not be possible with a regular novel. It’s amazing how sometimes I’m reading something and get so into it, feel so connected to the MC I feel dread when they do, panic when they have to make a choice that will clearly impact a lot of people in their world. With IF you can really feel like you’re part of the story.

Another thing I like is being able to explore other paths with my writing. Like for example, what if the MC had done this instead of that? How would that have affected their relationships, their world state? Writing branches is a lot of work, especially because they could change so many things, but it feels oddly satisfying when you do decide to include them. 

Challenges… Coding, mainly. I feel like a lot of new aspiring IF authors are a bit afraid of coding and I can understand that, especially since, had it not been for the help of the community, I would have taken way longer to actually start using Twine. Hopefully with time for resources come up and it becomes less daunting.

I don’t know if any other author feels the same way but, though I think branching is a blessing, it is also a curse. I can only write the same conversation so many times, I mean I know I’m writing it in different tones and sometimes with different results but it gets frustrating after a while because it feels like you’re stuck, like you’re not progressing at all.

Another one would definitely be finding a balance between reader interaction and just following your vision. Since it’s IF at times I feel like I have to meet a quota of branches or ways in which you can react, sometimes I also find it difficult to make the MC feel like a real person instead of a reader-insert. I’m working on that.

Q3: What has been something in your project you’ve had to do a weird amount of research for?

That’s a difficult one… I don’t know if I would consider it weird but I do tend to investigate a lot about fashion, especially when designing the main outfits of the characters. I spend hours trying to find out what colors were used back then, what they meant, who was allowed to use them. I have this little image with some palettes for kimonos depending on the season.

I also spend too much time coming up with names, especially for places. Like I look up names of places that already exist, what they mean, I try to investigate if the words that I want to use make sense, then I panic because I can’t find anything, but I think that’s usual for writers. I also spent more time than necessary researching for the name of a tree that you will see way later in the book, which no one will probably notice what the name of the tree means or what it symbolizes but it makes me happy.

Honestly, I feel like the amount of research I have had to do has not been particularly weird? If anything at times I think I should research more, even if some aspects of Japanese culture will not apply to Kyou.

Q4: Which of your characters is most like you? How?

The initial version of the MC from An Angel’s Song, which I miss dearly since they had more personality. They were autistic coded too, and I hope some traces of that still remain. Apart from that I feel like all of the characters from the main cast share something with me, even if their experiences are, of course, more dramatic than my own.

A lot of them have issues with a paternal figure or an absent mother, which also resonates with me. Some of Saori’s traits draw inspiration from ways in which I talked or acted before I became a little better at masking, before I became more self-aware. Hazuki being emotional and caring, K being a bit clingy but devoted, Masa having a temper yet loyal, Miwa being friendly but reluctant to open up beyond surface level information. I think those things describe me.

There’s also Rei but I don’t think I’m writing her book anytime soon. She’s someone that’s very family oriented, she’s a bit temperamental but she means well and she’s not afraid to speak her mind. Now that I think about it, maybe Rei is more the person I want to become.

Q5: Does your heritage influence your characters as you create them? (How? Why or why not?)

I’ve been living in Venezuela my whole life so I think so, even if most of the time I don’t even notice it. I believe that this happens especially in regards to relationships because people in Venezuela are very family oriented and also, from what I’ve experienced, they form strong bonds with their neighbors, which creates this strong sense of community —sometimes it goes well, sometimes it doesn’t, but my mom and her friends always make at least some friends in their neighborhoods and they gossip with some coffee about the happenings of the rest—. So when it comes to writing a character it is very important to me to make an emphasis on family relationships because those are a strong part of my culture, of my identity. 

In An Angel’s Song you have the main cast having issues or conflicting emotions about one or multiple members of their family, which influence their behavior and their outlook on life, but for the most part they are (or will be) able to form similar relationships with people that are not related to them, or to work towards restoring that relationship, transforming it into something healthier. 

In my other books family dynamics are also immensely important. For example, I’m going to mention Rei again because I love her. So, Rei has a sister named Rin, and they are both very close, even if they haven’t spent much time together. Their bond and trust in each other helps them overcome a lot of obstacles and they rely on each other when they need support or encouragement. Rei also has other people that she thinks of as siblings, and restoring that relationship with them is one of her main goals. There’s also this recurring guilt she feels at leaving her birth family and her home to explore, because to her, families are supposed to stay together.

Another aspect that I think influences my writing is religion, even if I wasn’t raised in a particularly religious household nor do I belong to any religion. Religion is a big deal in this country, we have so many events and holidays relating to religious figures. I remember when I was very young I loved going to one of the churches here because the Virgin of that town had a building filled with pretty clothes to dress her with. 

So, in that vein, I try to think about the character’s relationship with religion, do they believe in the Gods? Do they trust them? Do they follow local deities or prefer the main pantheon? How does this religion shape the way people interact with each other and the world? In regards to characters that are Venezuelan or Venezuelan-coded… I do have a few that are Venezuelan, but I don’t think I’m going to be releasing their stories soon, so I’ll keep it quiet for now.

Q6: What is something you love to see in interactive fiction?

People being passionate about their work! This isn’t something exclusive to IF, but it is something that I love seeing. I also like seeing the different ways people innovate within the genre. I feel like sometimes, especially with newer writers, there is this idea that an IF has to subscribe to a specific format and that’s simply not true. If you don’t want to use a stat system you don’t have to, if you want to add combat then go ahead, if you would prefer to write an MC that’s already pretty pre-established (which is something that I personally want to try) then there’s nothing stopping you and I encourage you to give it a go. IF is very versatile and it’s wrong to try and fit authors into a box, especially if they want to bring something new into our little corner of the internet.

Q7: Any advice to give?

In general, I advise people to have fun writing, to not worry so much about how good it is, about if people will like it. Writing, at the end of the day, ends up being a pretty solitary activity and having those thoughts in your head too long will make you spiral. Be kind to yourself, be open to feedback when it comes (and learn to distinguish constructive feedback from destructive feedback) and enjoy the exploration of your world and characters. 

You are not alone in all of this. If you can, join a group of writers you can talk with, exchange ideas, get feedback from or just exchange memes (the ultimate bonding experience). Don’t be afraid, you’re not alone.

[callmecyan]

First time doing something like this so here we go I guess?

Hermittober Day 1 - Wings

List by @/ink-ghoul

Since I don’t know how to draw I decided to write! I have some headcanons at the end so ye :D

 It was the start of a new season, season 7, saying he was excited wouldn't even be close to describe how he was feeling. Grian was so, so happy and excited, it's like the last season was all a dream he had, a good dream, he couldn't believe it was real. He was here, he's part of hermitcraft, he is a hermit. And it's awesome, just like when Mumbo told him that Xisuma wanted to talk to him, that he got invited there.

 He was so nervous the first season, even when he was at the war, even when he was the one who started it, he was so scared that he could be stepping over a line. But god it was so much fun, and everyone was so nice.

 He was living in the jungle now, with other hermits as his neighbors, Scar, Mumbo, Stress and Iskall. And it was amazing, as much as he had to get used to mining and grinding again, he loved it, he felt like as the season kept going everyone would focus more and more on their own individual big projects, that this beginning was nice, he would see the others quite a lot and they would chat and help each other and it was just amazing.

 Something he found out is that the meetings they would have, that he thought were monthly meetings just so X could see how everyone was doing, were way more frequent at the beginning of the seasons. So everyone could talk about their plans, if they needed help with anything, plan mining sessions together, or even to just chat about anything, and of course for X to check on them. At first he thought it would be a bit awkward since he really didn't really knew much about all the things they had on hermitcraft or even knew anyone besides Mumbo, but they proved him wrong once again, everyone was so nice to him and he even remember the hermits ‘fighting’ to see who would get introduced first, who would show him around etc.

 They decided to meet up where the shopping district would be, he directed himself to the center of the island where he could already hear some of the voices. As he got closer Mumbo and Scar were the first one to notice him and they started waving at him, he wasn't the last one to appear, some people were still missing from the messages he saw on the communicator.

 He placed himself between Mumbo and Scar as he greeted everyone. He could feel Scar looking at him, so he looked up with a questioning look

 ‘'What's up?’’ Scar seemed a bit embarrassed, and he could feel some of the hermits looking at him too.

 ‘‘Uh- just- uh your wings? They- it's not purple anymore?’’ and he finally realised ‘oh’.

 He could feel Mumbo holding a laugh at his side and he could feel himself blushing a bit out of embarrassment, he put a hand on his neck

 ‘‘Yeah, I- uh I kinda forgot to tell you guys this is actually my bad. But my wings change whenever I’m in a new smp, world or somewhere that I wasn't before. You can say they kinda ‘adapt’ themselves into what I’m doing and working on basically, its weird really, not even I understand much of it I just got used to it’’

 ‘‘So’’ - False started, and he could see how the others were curious but probably afraid to ask, maybe scared of offending him accidentally?- ‘‘Do you know why they were purple before? Or you like- you don't know the reasons?’’

 ‘‘Uh it depends really, like how I said most of it I can try and break it down to why they would look like that, but it's never something certain’’ - he was trying to figure out how to explain things in a way that, hopefully, would help the others understand- ‘‘I think they were that purple color so it could look like an Elytra, I mean it was basically the first time I found out and even had contact with one, and I don't know, maybe because i really didn't know any of you guys? So it was kinda the way my wings found to ‘fit in’ I guess? So they would be similar to everyone else?’’ - as he looked at the others he could see how they were thinking about it, probably processing everything he said or trying to understand his explanation.

 ‘‘Knew’’ He heard Xisuma saying, he looked over to the admin and he could tell he was smiling.

 Grian made a confused sound, he heard other hermits laughing a bit and he heard Mumbo saying under his breath ‘‘oh my god’’

 ‘‘You said you didn't know any of us, but you do now. You’re part of the hermits, you are part of the family now’’

 ‘‘Yeah’’ he felt Scar putting a arm over his shoulders and basically giving him a side hug ‘‘you dont troll someone with a zombie spawner on the first day of the season if you ‘dont know’ them’’

 He couldn't help but laugh ‘‘aw c'mon Scar it was funny, you can't hold that against me the entire season’’.

 He saw Scar putting his other hand under his chin as he pretended like he was considering this possibility ‘‘hmmmm nope! I think i can do that’’

 After that everyone started laughing and the meeting continued, with a lot of them asking about his wings, how they look in other places, and it was fun, it was home, and he's so happy to be part of this family.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Some of my headcanons around the wings

Grian - his wings, as said, change depending on where he is. For example if he goes on somewhere his wings already ‘adapted’ themselves then they change to that.

Season 6: light purple wings, similar to the elytra color.

Season 7: parrot wings, the red ones with the yellow and blue details.

Season 8: a very dark blue very similar to black.

Creative worlds: white fluffy wings.

Watchers: he had two pairs of wings, in a darker purple.

Stress - unlike Grian, she can't ‘carry’ the wings outside of Hermitcraft, its a specific thing from Hermitcraft. Like when players have specific skins to specific smps? If that makes sense?

Stress wings are bug themed unlike Grian who has bird ones.

Season 6: dragonfly wins, with very soft light blue and pink.

Season 7: blue morpho butterfly.

Season 8: cicada wings with green and the golden-ish color.

[hamliet]

RWBY and Alchemy: The Birds

So remember when I wrote about the seven metals of alchemy? Well... there are also five birds, and like with the metals, RWBY seems to be associating a specific character with a specific bird. 

Birds are important in alchemy because they were viewed as symbols of the spirit, as “mediat[ors] between the earthly realm and heaven world.” Adam MacLean states:

The alchemist in observing the flight of birds, recognised in them a picture of the human soul undergoing spiritual development. The soul, aspiring upwards, flying free of the restraints of the earth bound body seeking the heavenly light, only to have to return to the earthly consciousness again.

Black Stage: Raven/Crow (Raven and Qrow Branwen)

The raven/crow/jackdaw is a symbol of nigredo, the blackening. This stage corresponds to earth elementally and symbolize decay and death (obviously).

It’s no coincidence that Qrow and Raven are focused on in the first part of the story, and while they still are under their own arcs, Qrow has been largely separated from his nieces and others during the past few volumes. His nieces and the rest need to grow up rather than depend on Qrow. See Splendor Solis 20:

The children are portrayed as playing with a crow/raven among them, symbolizing their immaturity. However, the adults in the back of the image are in red, showing that they have grown up.

The theme of growing up and maturation is very present in Raven’s arc: namely, she never did. She fled from her adult responsibilities in abandoning her own daughter and ran back to her childhood home, her childhood promise. She also undergoes a putrefaction, a purification by fire in a sense, through her daughter. When Yang confronts her in the vault of the Spring Maiden, she shreds every excuse Raven has, pointing out that Raven is selfish, cowardly, and childish, happy to sacrifice others but never herself. The daughter, here, is the mature one, and thus Yang wins the lamp of knowledge: Yang gave Raven a dose of self-knowledge in the vault, and we see Raven making a small step afterwards via going to see Tai.

Qrow is better off than Raven in that he doesn’t entirely run from his responsibilities... except he does, just in a different way. He drinks to dull the pain, and as a result, Ruby ends up taking care of him on their journey instead of the other way around. Qrow himself acknowledges that he has childish beliefs; his semblance is a self-fulfilling prophecy rather than an actual power.

For the first time in a while I thought, maybe, maybe I could be around somebody -anybody- without my Semblance making it… complicated. And now, it just feels like a childish dream. Gone... like everybody else.

Just like his twin sister, he’s afraid of truly getting close to people, which RWBY seems to hold up as the pillar of maturity and development. I’m not saying Qrow is as negative a character as Raven (he isn’t at all), but he is still struggling to grow up aside his nieces and their companions. In fact, this will be A Thing for all the characters who relate to birds.

The crow is often depicted as dying inside a flask:

Which could be seen as alluded to by Qrow’s alcoholism. Through not facing the darker parts of himself and not growing up, Qrow is killing himself. Fortunately, he’s been making some steps in the right direction.

Rainbow Stage: Peacock (Cinder Fall)

Look the girl has feathers on her outfit that are very reminiscent of peacocks feathers... without the eyes. We’ll get there. The feathers are described by CRWBY as “iridescent” which is a term alchemists employed historically to refer to the rainbow stage. 

Post-Blackening, the products of the great work are scattered in a variety of colors, colors that are all at war with each other. To quote Carl Jung,

It is commonly said of the peacock that it has an angel‘s feathers, a devil’s voice, and a thief’s walk.

NB: arrows are often used as symbols in part of this stage, and bows and arrows are weapons Cinder is, er, known for using too. 

Jung also comments this, which fits with Cinder being both a Maiden, associated with the seasons, and with her being an agent for change in the story as a whole:

Just as the Queen Mother or the mother of the gods grants renewal, so the peacock annually renews his plumage, and therefore has a relation to all the changes in nature.

The peacock is actually a flightless bird: post death in the Blackening, it cannot fly, but in order to proceed through the rest of the stages, it has to gather the disparate colors (ie parts of itself) in order to renew itself (yes, they’re linked to renewal and rebirth).

However, Cinder is not doing this. She received many call-outs, and has severed every bridge people have attempted to build with her. If anything, post volume 8, she seems more lost than ever. So what could be an impetus for her to do this? Well...

Why are her peacock-esque feathers missing their eyes?

The ancient Greek legend of Argus (which is a place in RWBY’s world; the place where Ruby hears Maria’s story of her silver eyes and asks Maria to train her in using her silver eyes) is that there is an immortal monstrous woman with snakes for legs named Echidna who they keep hidden in a cave, but she keeps finding ways to kill humans, until Argus finally kills her. After this, Hera has Argus guard a goddess with his hundred eyes, but then Mercury/Hermes/Thoth kills Argus, and Hera casts his eyes into peacocks’ tails to remember him. I wouldn’t read toooo much into this, but I do think it would be very, very fitting for Cinder to receive a call-out from her “kids”: Emerald and Mercury, the latter of whom is an allusion to Hermes/Mercury and the former of whom might be an allusion to Thoth. Until Cinder has been confronted by Mercury and Emerald, she won’t truly be able to see. 

I have said before that I think Ruby will use her silver eyes to save Cinder from being consumed by the worst parts of herself (as literally symbolized in the Grimm taking her over). The decay of the Blackening is washed away to reveal the color of the peacock’s iridescent tail, and so both a confrontation to get Cinder to face the worst of herself, and then pity shown to her by someone who has no reason to be kind to purify her (look, it’s a term in alchemy, and Ruby has been described as “the embodiment of purity”) of the Grimm will probably be the impetus for Cinder to change.

White Stage: Swan/Dove (Robyn Hill, maybe Winter Schnee?)

Robyn’s emblem is a white bird.

The swan symbolises the dissolving of impurity into ash. In Volume 8, when Robyn and Qrow are freed from prison, ash falls everywhere.

Like the peacock, a swan is a bird that does not fly. Robyn is grounded in Mantle, rather than Atlas. After the gathering of opposites in the Peacock’s Tail, the dove/swan “reconciles and unites opposite substances,” according to Lyndy Abraham. Swans swim along the surface of water, while the true colors are concealed beneath; swans dunk their heads underwater, which symbolizes a person diving deep into dissolution and purification. Robyn’s Semblance is also about this: it allows Robyn to sense their true colors and intentions, rather than what they attempt to protect at the surface.

I am also wondering if Winter is somehow connected to this as well, because of the appearance of white birds in her semblance. 

The focus on transformation that is part of the life cycle of a swan (ugly ducking to beautiful bird) is also perhaps symbolic of Winter’s internal development; this volume, she learned to fly on her own, growing up and shedding the need for father figures completely. She’s now able to fly (literally) freely and to save her people. But we will see; the connection is less strong here. 

Yellow Stage: Pelican (Hazel Rainart)

Due to the previous three all having links to a maiden, I wonder if the summer maiden will somehow be connected to pelican imagery, but for now, my inclination is to say that Hazel displays traits of the pelican as well, though there may be another person associated at some point. 

The pelican’s notable accomplishment is to stab its own breast and nourish its young with its own blood. It is a symbol of sacrifice. Hazel sacrifices himself to save the children: Emerald, Oscar, Jaune, Yang, and Ren. He does so by stabbing himself in the chest with numerous dust types, combining all sorts of elements (key to alchemy).

Red Stage: Phoenix (?)

This one remains to be determined. It could well could be Cinder (I mean, look at her name), plus the bird characters have thus far been adults like she is and possibly have a maiden association. 

But it could also be Mercury, because of his association with fire  and specifically with burning his “nest” as the phoenix does. When Cinder and Emerald find him, he’s burned his home. 

Plus, I think it’s pretty obvious Mercury will either get his semblance back or develop a new one, and it’s most likely going to be related to flying given his emblem and allusion. It would also fit with his having prosthetic legs: he doesn’t need them fixed, and his losses don’t make him any less human. It’s always been within his soul to fly. 

Ooooor the phoenix could be connected to Oscar, because of its association with the sun. It’s really too soon to say. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[razberryyum]

TGCF donghua Episode 11 Thoughts (SPOILERS for episode and novel!)

Ok I didn't think they were actually going to kiss, BUT for a heart-stopping second I thought they were gonna get close enough before cutting away. Just to tease us, if for no other reason. I actually held my breath. It was still a big tease nonetheless but I am still grateful for the scene because my God was it beautifully done. The focus on Dianxia's lips as he says Hua Cheng's name, the way his breath catches as HC leans closer, the world fading away around them, HC's ponytail gently falling forward just so, the way they just focus on his lips just as if from Dianxia's POV....all of it just screams romance. Once again, that was all the work of the donghua's team. In the book, this moment occurs when they're actually back at Puqi Shrine, and Xie Lian's actually in the middle of cleaning a table when he very nonchalantly addresses Hua Cheng by his name. It was cute because Dianxia did it so casually but hardly THIS romantic. So, really, hats off to the donghua team!

Actually other than that last scene, of course I am grateful to the donghua team for many other moments in this episode. To start, whenever they show San Lang protecting Dianxia.

We know Xie Lian can definitely take care of himself, but I appreciate that Hua Cheng's instinct is always to protect him anyway. I actually thought that's why he gave himself the name," Hua Cheng". The words translate to "Flower City", and in the olden days, a city had walls protecting the people in it, so I figured that Hua Cheng chose this name to represent how he will always protect Xie Lian, that his protection is all encompassing. Lol, I can't wait to find out how wrong I am.

Even though Hua Cheng's fight with Pei Su was mostly off screen and limited to quick flashes of swords clashing, what they did show of Hua Cheng in his "real" form was DELICIOUS.

I am grateful to the donghua team for Hua Cheng's adorable reaction to Dianxia being cheeky. Too precious!

Our General Hua looking like a god in armor...and the way he made bis appearance in that scene too, like a savior coming to rescue mankind...or in this case, Banyue.

This scene actually made me tear up. I don't remember thinking Pei Su was that attached to Banyue when reading the book, but that might've been my fault for not paying close enough attention when HuaLian weren't directly involved. I was actually wondering how they were going to conclude the Banyue arc in just one episode since it felt like they would have to pack a lot into just 20 mins or so, but I think they did a really good job of wrapping it up. Didn't feel rushed or that anything important was missing.

I love both of them already, but I want to especially commend the donghua team's character design for The Wind Master. I don't want to spoil anything for those who haven't read the book, but trust me when I say THAT is a brilliant bit of character design. They will have to change two things about her next season but it's like she's mostly there already. 😂 I also love her voice and voice performance (by VA Qiu Qiu), so perfect for the character. I seriously cannot wait to see more of her next season, especially after hearing that news about the VA. 😁

I guffawed. This was a bit of brilliance too. Man, I just love the donghua team! They really did such a GREAT JOB bringing TGCF to life. I mean, is there really anyone who hates this adaptation?? I guess if you weren't into Xie Lian and Hua Cheng's relationship, the case of the week parts might be a bit underwhelming, but what I appreciate about them is that they inevitably link back to Dianxia and his past, or introduce us to new characters which then opens up the world. They always have a purpose, leading to bigger things. As a first season I think it was pretty strong, what they changed from the source material were usually positive alterations. I mean, I'm reading the book now because of this show, after putting it off for so long, so I'm definitely converted.

I do have to say though that the season did end on a rather odd note since it felt like there should have been just a few more beats before the end credits. It was a little abrupt imho, but it still is miles better than poor SVSSS's season finale, which ended on a freaking scene transition.

Of course there's still that special HuaLian episode on February 16th, so I guess technicallyyyyy this first season hasn't quite ended yet. The special looks to be picking up right where this episode leaves off: with Dianxia having a conversation with Hua Cheng back at Puqi Shrine about his role as Ghost King and other related topics. I'm not sure why it's airing a month and a half later, or why on February 16th instead of Valentine's Day, but I'm not gonna look a gift horse in the mouth. I'm just grateful we have more TGCF and HuaLian to look forward to. Second season is already in production, and apparently the theme song for it will drop tomorrow! A live action has been announced which they're still casting, and honestly some of those casting choices scare me so depending on who they end up deciding on, I might just gonna stay away from that completely and stick with the donghua and book.

Novel Reading Progress...about to finish Book 2... SPOILERS

MXTX-laoshi is a total sadist giving us THAT kind of sex pollen scene when nothing could be done cuz Hua Cheng's still a little bean sprout...I love Dianxia, love him more now knowing he was a pretty flawed human being, that he's absolutely not perfect...his heart is warm but his actions are sometimes quite cold...I blame his privileged upbringing and his youth and inexperience for some of his rash decisions...he means well but of course the road to hell is pathed with good intentions...wish he would stop forgetting about little Hua Cheng though, poor baby...the more I read about the human face disease the more I don't want to...just, overall, I feel this heavy weight on my heart now because I know things are going to go from worse to utter calamitous shit soon. I am SCARED, preparing my heart for breakage.

To read the TGCF novel: https://tgcfmxtx.carrd.co/

[tuiyla]

Sentimental Affection: Hambo, the Shirt, and Objects of Psychic Resonance

Adventure Time and the mundane, aka Daddy, why did you eat my fries?

Ever a show to be full of hidden symbolism and so much more under the surface than its 11-minute runtime would allow, Adventure Time uses seemingly mundane objects like a teddy bear or a T-shirt to convey the monumental importance of character dynamics. This doesn’t only apply to objects but actual parts of one’s self, like Finn’s arm and the interwoven significance of his many swords. And then, there’s Marceline.

Like with many of the show’s more complex aspects, this is especially prevalent in Marceline’s story. How do you stress the sheer volume of having lived for a thousand years? How do you signify the lack of letting go of the past, lack of maturity? You give a girl a teddy bear and have her hold on to it for as long as she can. And it’s not just Hambo that adds unexpected depth to Marceline’s character and her relationship with others. There’s the infamous rock shirt, which we’ll get to, and then there’s the French fries eaten by Hunson Abadeer.

As iconic as the Fry Song has become and as synonymous with the complex Abadeer father-daughter relationship as it is, it seems silly, at first glance, that Marceline would be so upset over that simple transgression. But Adventure Time has a special talent for making the mundane whimsical and significant, so through the context of the full song, through little glimpses here and there, we understand the symbolism of the fries. It’s Hunson’s disregard for Marceline’s feelings, his carelessness, his lack of understanding, that really matters.

Just a teddy in the wreckage of the world

So what about Hambo? Hambo is, for a while, everything to Marceline. Hambo is the one representation of her relationship with Simon that she has left. It’s a remnant from the wreckage of the world, a plushie given to a scared little girl by an equally scared old man. It’s the one thing Simon leaves behind when he abandons Marcy, for her own good, and summons Hunson to take care of her instead. But Hunson eats those fries and so Marceline takes the family axe instead and keeps it as safe as she keeps Hambo.

Hambo stays with Marceline long after she turns into a vampire, ever a symbol of the tragic childhood she lost and yet is stuck in. It’s not a coincidence that she’s implied to tolerate much of Ash’s jerkish behaviour but draws the line when he sells Hambo for a new wand. That’s the only thing of Simon, the real Simon that she has left and it matters more than a boyfriend who doesn’t care about that. Disregard for Hambo is disregard for her. So Marceline keeps moving all across Ooo, both to escape from this new, twisted version of Simon and to find the one thing that proves he wasn’t always like this.

You kept the shirt I gave you?

Let’s take a break from Hambo for a moment. Let’s picture a time long before Finn washed up on the shores of Ooo, before the Candy Kingdom grew into what it is today. Marceline and Bonnibel are friends, maybe more - details depend on whatever nuggets “Obsidian” gives us. For a while, it works, and Marceline gives Bonnie a rock T-shirt. That shirt is so quintessentially Marcy that it becomes a symbol of their relationship when it’s with PB. The two drift apart, though, as Bonnie becomes known as Princess Bubblegum to everyone else and Marceline leaves before she can be left behind. The shirt becomes a sort of inverse of Hambo: a token of love that’s - as Marceline initially thinks - never cared for. Bitter as she might be over this, Marcy leaves it all behind as she left Hunson with the fries. She never really got to grow beyond being that young girl who was left Hambo in the snow.

Except, Finn does come along, eventually, and he brings Bonnie and Marcy together again. It’s intense and Marceline lashes out because, well, sorry she’s such an inconvenience. But in truth, it’s Marceline who tags along to defeat the Door Lord despite having no stakes in the mater, and it’s PB who wants to get her precious possession back. Her treasure is, of course, Marceline’s shirt. The one she always has worn, just in the comfort of her own room or under something else. Not out in the open, one might say, but constantly nonetheless, even long after Marceline was gone from her life. A reminder of what they had as much as Hambo is a reminder of who Simon was to Marcy.

That’s the wonder of “What Was Missing”. It lampshades the potential cheesiness of the message, that being “the real treasure is friendship”, but it is genuine in how it portrays that message beyond what would be expected of a kids’ cartoon. Finn keeps a piece of Bubblegum’s hair, but PB is right there to hang out with whenever they want to. Bonnie keeps Marcy’s shirt because she thinks it’s as close as she’ll get to be around her again, but Marceline tagged along just for the joy of being around them. What these two examples have in common is that both Finn and PB want something more from the relationship with the actual person, something they think is unattainable, so they hold on to the objects instead of reaching out.

I’ll get your kid back, toy

So what about Hambo and Marceline reaching out to Simon? When the Ice King inevitably finds her, again, Marceline is rightfully frustrated and just about ready to pack up and move again. But she’s grown these past few years since Finn entered her life and helped her face her past demons. It breaks her heart but she starts accepting Simon back into her life. They hang out and she insists on calling him Simon, because she never stopped viewing him that way. She knows who he used to be, even if he doesn’t, and she clings onto the representation of that hope, Hambo.

Marceline is already in a much better place by the time “Sky Witch” rolls around than she was at the start of the series. She kind of has Hunson, Simon and Bonnie in her life again. It’s all a bit complicated and unresolved - ”Stakes” isn’t for another two seasons - but she’s on her way. That doesn’t mean she’s gonna let the opportunity to get Hambo back pass by, so she asks for Bonnie’s help. It’s a bit awkward but she spent all this time being angry and feeling like she wasn’t good enough when PB cared enough to at least keep the shirt, so maybe that’s as much hope as Hambo is for Simon. And that’s exactly what “Sky Witch” proves, as Bonnie’s level-headedness helps Marcy navigate Maja’s treacherous turf and gets her Hambo back.

There's only one Hambo

There’s a misconception, a common and understandable one, but a misconception nonetheless when it comes to the shirt and Hambo. When Maja says that Hambo’s psychic resonance is nothing compared to the shirt’s, it’s easy to see the implication being that the shirt is that much more important. Therefore, Marceline is that much more important to PB than Simon is to Marcy. This isn’t entirely inaccurate but I also think that what’s important here is not to put these two objects and therefore the two relationships on the same scale. It implies that we’re comparing the familial type of love between Simon and Marcy to the romantic love between Bonnie and Marcy and that’s just a false and pointless comparison. Instead, the significance once again comes through trademark Adventure Time subtlety.

“What Was Missing” was mainly the Bubbline dynamic from Marcy’s perspective: her hurt, her anger over not knowing why it all ended. The twist with the shirt at the end only hints at PB’s side of things and “Sky Witch” takes it home. From the little moments at the beginning of the episode to the revelation that PB gave up the shirt for Hambo, it’s a full package. It’s in everything, including the scene where Peebs dismisses Hambo’s importance. It’s just a doll, totally replaceable, an insinuation which insults Marcy deeply. Bonnie doesn’t necessarily get why Hambo is so important but, in a way, PB does understand. She understands, because Hambo is to Marceline what the shirt is for her: hope.

When PB gives up the shirt, she gives up the only piece of Marceline she’s had for all these centuries. It wasn’t replaceable, just like Hambo wasn’t, but by giving it up she gives Marceline her most treasured possession, her hope. And you know what else? By giving up this remnant of the past, Bonnie gets Marceline back. “Sky Witch”, then, is the beginning of their new dynamic, as the lesson from the Door Lord finally sinks in. And by equating, in a way, Hambo and the shirt, after we’ve already seen in “I Remember You” and “Simon & Marcy” how monumental that relationship is, this makes Bonnie’s devotion to Marcy clear as day.

Magic, madness, sadness, and all the rest

Hambo becomes something even bigger in “Betty”. The reason why Maja wanted Hambo and then the shirt in the first place is because Adventure Time acknowledges within the logic of its own universe how important the love poured into these objects is. She uses the magic of the shirt and Simon uses the magic of Hambo. Marceline, reluctantly, lets go of Hambo because she just got Simon back, just as PB let go of the shirt and got Marcy back. Nothing is ever that straightforward in the land of Ooo, though, so Hambo brings Betty back but it can’t save Simon. Now Marceline got a taste of the old Simon, had hope, and it lives on in the person they sacrificed Hambo for: Betty.

Betty’s hope is misguided, though. With her time jump to modern day Ooo, a journey of denial and desperation begins that leads her and the whole land down a road of magic and madness. Betty’s shenanigans is its own separate post, really, and all the themes of acceptance, denial and change they represent. What I find fascinating in this context is how, again, in true AT style, the butterfly effect did its magic and the mundane lead into the whimsical and grandiose.

Right there where you left it, lying upside down

Simon gave a little Marcy her teddy doll and Ash carelessly passed it on. Marceline gave Bubblegum a rock shirt, something so quintessentially her that it was the one thing Peebs held onto even after all those years. The shirt was a symbol of their lingering connection and its sacrifice meant the start of a new chapter. The significance of the shirt was enough to get Hambo back, which in turn was powerful enough for Simon to get Betty back. And, eventually, by moving almost literal heaven and hell, Betty brings Simon back. Everything stays, but it still changes.

The shirt is not Marceline. Hambo is not Simon. Objects are not people, nor can we only be with people if we let go of those objects. That isn’t the message the show is going for. And these objects are only catalysts for character arc and dynamics in most cases, anyway. Marceline doesn’t grow up by letting Hambo go, she succeeds in leaving the past behind in “Stakes”. And, if the “Obsidian” trailer is any indication, even that doesn’t mean she’s done with all her demons.

What the intertwined stories of Hambo and the shirt tell us is that complex, emotional stories can be told through simple objects. A teddy doll can signify a thousand years of pain and yet provide hope, while a rock T-shirt can pack some good old-fashioned queer yearning into it. Hambo and the shirt aren’t even monumental parts of Marceline’s, Simon’s and Bubblegum’s stories, even if Adventure Time finds clever ways to use them in the plot. They are just two simple things that represent so much in terms of character development and some of the show’s central dynamics, and that’s damn good storytelling.

[bean-na-farraige-agus-foraoise]

Do you have any particular resources for “Eostre” being Bede’s own creation? I know there’s no other attestation and that there are debates among scholars as to this hypothetical goddess’s existence, but if you have the time/energy, I’d love to see more resources on it being definitively a joke / fake from Bede, rather than just a possible goddess we know very little about.

It’s more the use of basic logic, so I’m just going to spell out my argument. I only have one direct quote so one citation, because again, my argument is based on logic and the way one ought to approach medieval sources that then get picked up by 19th century scholars. (I also discussed this at length with an old professor of mine who focuses on medieval theology so much of this is from my notes rather than like textbooks).

I first look at the author, Bede himself. He, like most historians of his day, is not exactly known for being accurate- his other most famous history, the  Ecclesiastical History of the English People is just chock full of propaganda, omissions, and his own personal agendas- he literally avoids talking to native Britons as he’s heavily biased against them. Bede has also been described as having “often used figures of speech and rhetorical forms which cannot easily be reproduced in translation, depending as they often do on the connotations of the Latin words (1)"- which in companion with the propaganda and his own personal agendas makes it very likely that someone unfamiliar with Bede’s writing style like... perhaps a certain German, possibly one by the name of Grimm, would take what he said at face value without taking into account any of the historical and ecclesiastical influences on Bede’s writing. 

The work that Eostre originates in is known as The Reckoning of Time, and focuses on one of Bede’s favorite topics... calendars. And I don’t want y’all to say that I’m making Bede out to be an idiot, because he isn’t, what I’m saying that the man is significantly more reliable as a scientist and a linguist than as a historian. The Reckoning of Time, written in 725, discusses things that a lot of modern day people think that those in the middle ages couldn’t possibly know such as an explanation of how the spherical Earth influenced the changing length of daylight, of how the seasonal motion of the Sun and Moon influenced the changing appearance of the new moon at evening twilight, and a quantitative relation between the changes of the tides at a given place and the daily motion of the Moon.

But the thing with Eostre is that the arguments made by proponents of Eostre’s reality don’t seem to add up. They argue that Eostre is a survival of the goddess  h₂éwsōs, who has a set mythology and role, she is the bringer of dawn, an opener of the doors of heaven, and a goddess of light- and while I have no linguistic scruples with the possibility that linguistically Eostre evolved from h₂éwsōs I do think that there are some issues with this argument. Eostre has no such role and indeed, according to proponents of her existence, like Grimm, has an entirely different role as a goddess of spring, of rebirth, a theme that by the first century AD was associated with Easter (aka several hundred years before we see Eostre being attested, and over a thousand years separated from Grimm’s claims). The associations with Easter and rebirth are what brings the rabbit and the egg into the picture. Furthermore when constructing an image of Eostre, Grimm and Holtzmann the individuals most responsible for the modern view of Eostre, just kinda..... pull aspects of goddesses from other cultures- they pull a little bit from Aphrodite, snag an aspect or two from Freyja. And in fact one of the most popular myths surrounding Eostre, that she turned a bird into a rabbit and that’s why the Easter rabbit lays eggs, was once described as “one of the oldest myths in the world” despite it being a recent fabrication as of 1900. 

Several older texts that mention Ostara such as the Althochdeutsches Schlummerlied announced in 1859 by Georg Zappert is considered a forgery. Grimm, Zappert, and Holtzmann were looking were a common thread of Germanic connection on which to build a German national mythology. Germany would not be a unified state until 1871 and was instead a region of disparate and often un-unified small states that were frequently invaded by larger nations, such as France. A German national mythology and a German national history came to be key points in the unification of Germany, and later became a focal point of German fascism. 

Furthermore much of the arguments in favor of Eostre seem to rely on what appear to me, to be flimsy linguistic claims that were only thought up in relation to Bede’s posited goddess Eostre and Grimm’s claims of Eostre’s importance in Germany despite his.... making up the things about her..... but I digress- many of the things that are held up as “proof” of Eostre’s existence seem to come from hypothetical linguistics, it’s very much an attempt to connect certain sounds and popular German names to a figure who’s existence was not mentioned prior to Bede’s work, who was popularized by a German nationalist, and then whose holiday was taken and used in what was asserted to be a survival of ancient religion (Wicca- as published in Gardner’s Witchcraft Today) just four years prior to the discovery of the artifacts that are shown as proof of Eostre’s existence in 1958. And while many of these inscriptions have been attributed to Eostre, many of the inscriptions are also incomplete, and several of them have been attributed to a social group rather than a deity. Claiming that a deity exists because you see what is believed to be a linguistic connection to their name (which again was not attested to until the 8th century) is just.... it’s like the Danu situation for Gaelpol all over again. Basing linguistic studies off of hypothetical goddesses with highly debatable origins just doesn’t feel like proof to me. 

But back to Bede, Eostre is not the only deity he just creates while writing The Reckoning of Time. And Eostre is not the only deity that Grimm grabs up as being a real Germanic figure who is otherwise unattested- Rheda is also just brought into existence and shoved into a similar situation as Eostre- made into a fertility goddess because of which month Bede ascribed them to and preconceived notions of what would be celebrated at that time of year based on over a thousand years of Christian influence and associations already held with the Easter holiday. Also, Grimm does the same thing to Rheda that he does to Eostre, in that, because nothing is given of her, he pulls aspects from other deities to flesh out her character- giving her similarities to the Roman Mars. 

And even beyond Bede’s writing- some arguments have posited that the age in which Bede was raised (shortly after the conversion was completed) would have allowed him to talk to people about aspects of religion that would have not have fully died out. Which is fair, but one must also keep in mind that Bede was sent to live in a monastery when he was 7 years old, and that he and the Abbot who raised him were among the only survivors of a plague that struck when Bede was 14. This was not a life that allowed for much other than ecclesiastical education- and Bede cites local pagan authors in his his other writing, but none of them discuss Eostre or Rheda. It seems to me as though when writing The Reckoning of Time, that Bede, who was also discussing Greek and Roman cosmology and mythology might have seen the space for a goddess of spring in Anglo-Saxon mythology and just filled in the gaps utilizing the Germanic word for Easter as his base (remember, Bede was a linguist). 

But beyond this, it’s important to me that people remember that medieval monks were human. They were political beings, they were capable of having a sense of humor, they had agendas- Bede’s agenda was calendars, but it was an agenda nonetheless. And historians, archaeologists, anthropologists, they all have agendas, they have opinions, things that influence their arguments- don’t just take what they say at face value but examine why. 

But I raise the bar to you now- why do you believe in a hypothetical goddess, what evidence do you have that says she’s real? 

Ultimately my only dog in this fight is historical literacy and accuracy because I don’t follow the Germanic gods, I’m a Gaelic polytheist. It doesn’t matter to me what gods people follow even if I think they don’t exist, that’s not my fight- but seeing people claim that a holiday was stolen from a hypothetical deity really grinds my gears- particularly when those arguments are coming from people who couldn’t give me a single academic argument for their stance that hasn’t been disproven a thousand times over. 

1. Colgrave, Bertram; Mynors, R.A.B. "Introduction". Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1969).

[mego42]

What are some of your favorite GG song Moments. ? Here are some of mine.

1. Easy ft lorde- OMG this soong is such a bop. it just fits the scene so well. HONESTLY one of my fav scenes. HE IS LIVING HIS BEST LIFE IN THIS SCENE. I LOVE CHAOTIC RIO

2. Wild heart by SPELLES.- THIS SONG IS SO HAUNTING just fits the vibe so well. SO ANGSTY

3. The most recent song. Used in that Brio moment. Idk what its called . I know that Beth is having the time of her life but that song is just HEAVY. The lyrics 🙏😭😭❤❤❤ such a pretty song fr 😔

omg anon i love this question nearly as much as i love your taste. YES!!!! to Easy (i too love tf out of personification of chaos rio), YES!!!!! to Wild Heart!!!!  it’s SO HAUNTING and disorienting and PERFECT. and Y E S !!!!!!!!!!!!! to the most recent song (whole life by perfume genius). i am LIVING for the heavy ballad vibes, super agree it’s so pretty. 

in no particular order, my top 5 music moments:

blanket me / hundred waters

1x09 - beth makes the calendar laying out her kids future in case something happens to her

i’ve already exposed myself as an absolute loon when it comes to this song and you can read the whole breakdown here

but tl;dr it’s a song about relying too much on a person and needing to break free and be independent but not in a toxic sort of way, more in a for personal growth and the best for everyone because co-dependence holds everyone back and i really, really, really love that in context of beth and her children, her learning to step back and not smother them but also not give so much of herself that she disappears entirely because that’s not good for them in the long run

basically it’s sort of a thesis statement for beth’s underlying s1 arc

plus it’s just like, heavy and haunting and absolutely gorgeous and not to be like, unreasonably pretentious, moves me and i love it

notable lyrics: You're my blanket, you're my skin / You're everything within / You're my guardian, I'm your sail / A boat in your harbor / Gone under, capsized and sinking / Blanket me, blanket me, blanket me, blanket me, blanket me

-

whole life / perfume genius

4x06 - beth looking for a place to hide the wire/hooking up with rio

the song is all about leaving behind the things weighing you down and moving into a brighter, more free future and i love love love how that plays with the duality of beth hiding the wire and securing her source of information for the secret service BUT ALSO marking this moment as a turning point for beth and rio because it absolutely is.

(like not just the fact that they’ve resumed a physical relationship but rio’s invited beth deeper into his world and we’re seeing beth crack on a level we really haven’t before)

this season is leaning SO HARD into duality and the tangled up truths and lies between them and i am absolutely UNHINGED over it

i also really love the like, passionate ballad nature of it juxtaposed over this twisted, extremely sexy moment (intercut with dean joyfully trying to seize hold of his new hobby only to be IMMEDIATELY denied)

there are just so many layers to it and i love all of them

notable lyrics: The mark where he left me / A clip on my wing / Oh, let it soften / I forgive everything

-

ocean rain / echo & the bunnymen

4x04 - the beth and jane/rio getting the drop on fitz montage

the whole theme of this song is two people tearing each other apart and destroying the bones of their former intimacy which like, hello subject matter aptitude and it’s told through this GLORIOUSLY dramatic hurricane at sea imagery with ships being dragged below the waves by the hurricanes the two people have called down on each other set to a gorgeous over the top orchestral score

on a yrical note, i love that the song is basically the same verse over and over (interspersed with the chorus, obvs) and the only change is me vs you when it comes to who brought the storm down on them

basically, if you were challenged to come up with a song that represented two peak dramatique heaux nightmare factories locked in a never ending game of deadly cat and mouse, you couldn’t top this.

i am ABSOLUTELY OBSESSED with the choice to pair it with a montage of beth finally pulling the trigger (with foresight and intent, shooting rio was p obvs a oh shit look what i did moment), a milestone rio’s been dragging her (down) towards since the beginning of s2 AND using him to do it, dragging him (down) into her mess (m ade all the more messy when you consider he was the target of it) (i just! love it! so! much!)

i want to live in johnathan leahy’s brain

notable lyrics: all at sea again / and now my[your] hurricanes have brought down this ocean rain / to bathe me again / my ship’s a-sail / can you hear it’s tender frame / screaming from beneath the waves / screaming from beneath the waves

-

el musgo / gabriel bruce

3x04 - rio watches beth make money

UGH GOD when that high hat and bass kicked in the first time i was like oh shit we are in for some DRAMA and sure enough we were as well as a more sexual montage than anything you’d find in actual porn.

idk, the fact that they chose this deep, dark, mournful about lost love to an elongated montage slow motion montage of rio watching beth make fake cash and deciding not to kill her for nearly killing him doEs stuFf to me

all i’m saying is johnathan leahy ships brio harder than any of us and is a more dramatique heaux than either of them, which are two really impressive feats to achieve

AND THEN!!! AND THEN!!!!! they CHOPPED THE SONG UP!!!!! so they were able to take advantage of the dawning drama of the opening bars BUT ALSO include the closing stanza about wearing the marks the subject of the song gave the singer like a scar where they took his heart from him and the INTENTIONALITY of that creative choice puts me on the FLOOR

LIKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

notable lyrics: I'll wear this mark like a medal / But it's a scar / Where you took my heart from me

-

kimono hill / sophia kennedy

3x01 - rio leaves the hotel

honeslty, lowkey surprised this one made my top five. not because it isn’t a fabulous song deployed with johnathan leahy’s usual mastery, but bc i didn’t realize how much i loved it until making this list

i don’t really have like, a deep, lyrically rooted storytelling reason for loving it, i just think the way they used it in the show is Such A Vibe

the way the vibrating synthy tones and underlying organ kicks in while rio’s getting in the elevator has this beautiful held breath anticipatory quality to it that works SO WELL to set up the montage of rio strutting out back into his life while turner gets murdered (a scene i have some uh, complicated feelings about but setting those aside), and the bolands’ fresh start to the tune of bouncy drums and looping vocals

idk it’s such a shining note to end the first episode of a new season on, i remember feeling refreshed and super hype for what’s to come

notable lyrics: no lyrics, just the vibe of the opening bars

tl;dr i really, really, REALLY love how this show uses music. you can tell they put a lot of time and effort and thought into it and while i know the trajectory isn’t working for everyone, personally i love it. granted, as you can see from this list, i clearly love the shit out of a down tempo dramatic ballad, so. if you are more of a bangers and bops person, i would point you to @nickmillerscaulk’s inbox as she is a Certified Bangers Afficianado.