#in the previous version of the verse they were all friends actually and had elemental powers but that's a story for another time

[melien]

[sakurarisen]

OKAY! So after a delay from a nasty as all getout sinus headache among other aches and pains, I've got the vast majority of my carrd updates DONE! <3 Of notable updates:

All FF7 verse info for Sera, as well as misc info for the experiment AU Frozen Flames, has moved to its own area! All info specific to FF7 verses can be found HERE from here on out!

There's been some edits to her 7 info and lore - Namely that the lore given by Chadley on the Phoenix summon in Junon is, ultimately, wrong. There were multiple phoenixes of varying elemental ties, not just fire, and Sera is the human form of one known as Aria, seeking to hide after aiding Shiva, her best friend and fellow goddess, while her brother Thoma is the actual fire phoenix, the summon that's collectable during Rebirth being only a fragment of his power left behind to guard that area. However, there is no way for anyone to prove Chadley's information wrong; Sera doesn't remember and neither does Thoma, and they will not ever remember. This is something that was added as a bit of background lore, and could be used with plotting - But Sera herself will not remember and be unable to say one way or another on any of it, especially with much history of the original phoenixes being lost by the time of Remake/Rebirth. Please note this is tied solely to my own version of Shiva written on @shinrarisen. Further notes regarding this lore edit are at the top of the FF7 misc section.

Sera also has a small sensitivity to mako and the lifesprings due to the previous point that's been added.

Her magic and spellcasting is stronger than most due to the fact her core is that of a phoenix, but it's only a small bit stronger - I.e. while someone else in SOLDIER might be able to create a 5 foot wide hunk of ice, Sera's might be 5 and a half and a fair bit denser; a small increase, but not one that's going to make that much of a difference.

The main carrd/info has gotten a HEAVY update that I feel like was long overdue, too, including the following:

The main info has been largely rewritten, and heavily tweaked where it's not been rewritten, mainly to bring Sera in line with her status as a fandomless/original OC. While she still has primary verses in Genshin, FF7, and Star Rail, Sera has always been fandomless and fully original at her core, and I wanted to return her to that. The reason she wasn't initially on this blog was because I had her verses split between two blogs and only meant for this one to serve as a hub for FF7 stuff rather than let it take over my other blog, but since she's been fully moved here and I'm not using my other blog right now, I wanted her to fall back in line with her roots as fandomless at her core. This is all overall primary info now that applies to all fandoms, while the other specific fandom based areas (FF7, Genshin) contain further verse specific additions on top of this.

A new mark has been added; regardless of verse, Sera now has multiple oddly-shaped blue marks across her upper back that resemble scars, and are called birthmarks for her entire life, but are in truth a physical tie to her core as a Fenix. More information on these marks and how they tie in can be found in this post.

So much more has been developed for Halcyon Era, and the carrd was horribly outdated in its info, so that, too, has been updated where nessecary, cementing her newer and expanded story as canon like it belongs. Just like above, though, please keep in mind that while there are subtle nods that Sera's not completely human, she doesn't know she's not. As far as she's concerned, she and Thoma are 100% human but have odd abilities they can't explain occasionally, like the ability to use magic they never speak of outside of incredibly trusted companions. Despite Aria sleeping inside Sera and Sera and Aria being the same person, Sera does not have, and will not gain, access to her full original power. More notes on this can be found in the carrd.

Sera having the ability to use a sword has been added, though this is a 'once in a blue moon' thing!

Updated her weaponry loadout to reflect her reliance on magic and archery.

Rewrote much of the 'Lifestyle' section and added to it, and completely rewrote the 'misc' section in full. Since these also better explain Sera as a Fenix, and the writeblr on it is coming up, also took the chance to remove the 'phoenix lore' section entirely.

Edited mentions of Thoma away from 'cousin' and in where he belongs as her older brother, because wow I should've done that ages ago!

There are mentions of the writeblr - The Halcyon Era sideblog that will have the full Halcyon project in far deeper detail - sprinkled throughout the main carrd, but I have yet to link it; @yoroiis and I are working around weather, health, and schedules to try and get it to a point where we can make it open for people to read as much as we possibly can, and it'll get its links just about everywhere as soon as we hit that point! It's gone through a ton of plotting and still has a lot more coming for it even after we open this sideblog of ours up, so that's next up on the list of tasks to do, for sure~!

Of course, these aren't the only edits I've been planning to do, I do still have tweaks to do to the Genshin side of things and small edits here and there to make, and it's not complete by a long shot, but these are the major ones I've been meaning to get to for a while. So much has evolved with Sera in recent months that I really wanted the updated, solid information down and public before I got back into the swing of things, and while it's not 100% complete, it's close enough for me to call done for now~! <3

~Pom

[sanstropfremir]

the hotly anticipated kingdom episode 7 review is here!!

this episode was a lot less spectacle-y than the last one (the last episode with stages, i mean), and i think that was a good choice for all the groups on the whole to tone it down on the run up to the finale, because at the rate everyone was headed there would be no room to go any higher. i'm very glad that there was actually a collab stage and not just a song swap, especially because it gives a chance for the boys to work together and make friends when they otherwise arent going to be able to interact much. love love love to see them making friends and having fun doing these stages!

i'm not really sure why mnet didnt put the vocal stage this episode, because what on earth else are they going to put in the next episode with it??? i know it's a content stretch but still, it seems like a weird choice to me. anyways, there’s four stages for me to talk about this time and i'm going to try to not ramble out of control, but we’ll see. i did enjoy watching all of these, but we’ve all got favourites and i'm going to rank by which group i liked better out of the two for each stage, and then i put a few conclusions at the end. strap in folks this is another long one.

rap stages

skz + btob + atz

i was actually really surprised at how much i liked this stage. i would not classify myself as a rap fan and believe it or not i actually do not place a lot of importance on lyrics when enjoying music. although i have very high lyric retention and comprehension, i focus more on the sound than the literal words, so a fair amount of rap is swing-and-a-miss in my personal listening. plus when you add a language barrier on top of that, a lot of the nuance and technical skill of it just flies over my head. so i really dont have much to say about the sonic elements this time around, sorry. also.....i know i joked that nobody from the kingdom staff is reading my reviews.....but is someone from the kingdom staff reading my reviews????? i specifically mentioned that i think skz should do an art themed stage and then we got one????? i know i manifested the punk ateez stage but did i manifest this also??? am i just that powerful???

costume

obviously these are pretty basic rap/hiphop stage looks, but the white was a really good choice for visibility’s sake, and also thematically: it reflects the colours in the lighting really well.

i am DYING to know who the designer of minhyuks jacket is. if somebody knows please tell me i love it so much. it looks like some of the recent belted jackets that dior was putting out, but the drawing on the front armscythe piece reminds me of the superm/kim junggi collab for tiger inside. say whatever you want about superm, but you cannot deny that that is not some of the coolest merch on the kpop scene.

loved the traditional korean elements that came through in addition to the western references: the screens, hongjoong’s fan, minhyuk’s big fuckoff brush, the masks, and the sleeves on the dancers at minhyuk’s bit. those are a costume feature from a style of korean traditional masked dance called bongsan talchum. the masks themselves are versions of hahoetal masks, which are used in a very specific archetypal ritual dance in andong. i think these are imae masks, who is the servant/fool archetype that mocks the nobleman and the scholar. i suspect that was a deliberate choice, but i can only speculate.

another point about the masks which is not relevant but maybe a fun fact for people who don’t know. i actually thought at first that they were western theatre half masks, which are a very old style of mask that, like with hahoetal masks, represent a number of archetypes/stock characters. maskwork is a very common training practice in theatre schools, because it teaches body language and control, because half your face is covered and you cannot speak in your own voice (sometimes you cannot speak at all, this is one of the rules of full mask). the tradition of usings masks to portray emotion goes all the way back to the ancient greek chorus, but more commonly people in the west sometimes know it from the italian commedia dell’arte, of which you will have definitely seen some of the character archetypes before. i just find it neat that the same types of art pop up in different places seemingly independently of each other. humans are cool.

set

not much to say here, it's pretty bare with just some propwork. thought the screen use was fun and they used it smartly in a couple of transitions. 

thought changbin’s bit of ‘interrupting’ the artists was cute and fun. there’s obviously a picasso reference there, and the four technicolour paintings are a reference to andy warhol’s pop art silkscreen portraits, most famously of marilyn monroe, but he also did many other celebrities in the 70s and 80s.

lighting

i LOVED this lighting. super bright and fun, lots of use of colour, obviously. the projections were there to enhance the visuals and weren’t distracting in any way. i thought the transition to black and white/ink with minhyuk was smart and had good contrast, it gave a strong rhythm to build back up to for the climax.

sound

bang chan’s ‘spelling colour with a u’ bit had me SCREAMING with laughter. we spell colour with a u normally bang chan, the americans are the ones that are wrong. 

staging

i don’t really have a whole lot to say here, it was pretty straightforward and fun. like i’ve said in previous reviews, i wish they were more conscious of the steadicam direction and would stop showing extended bits of the production crew. at least everyone was wearing full blacks this time.

fun use of the upward angle combined with the groundwork/leg choreo during hongjoong’s verse, that was a highlight for me.

sf9 + tbz + ikon

nothing against this stage, the other one just hit harder for me. bobby is the best rapper on the show and he really carried this stage with his charisma. he’s a fun performer to watch and he knows how to command a space. i'm sure there’s technical notes that people have about the raps themselves, but i'm here looking at visuals as a priority, which i'm sure you’ve all grasped at this point.

costume

these were clearly extensions of these idol’s personal styles, with is a perfectly fine choice, especially for a rap stage where the emphasis is more on authorship. LOVED bobby’s 11yro girl at recess look.

amusing that both rap stages involved paint in some way? loved the backup dancers shooting supersoakers filled with paint at them, but i wish i knew the reason for it? i'm glad i saw this stage first because i would have been underwhelmed by the paint throwing if i had seen this after rainbow bonanza.

set

almost no set at all here, just a few props. i'm not judging as harshly on lack of set this round because these stages are meant to be more about skill than anything else. 

lighting

i loved the projections, i thought they were unobtrusive and i admit, i LOVE outer space themed anything.

i liked that they did more concert lighting and had no projections in the first half to put more focus on the performers, it really highlighted the fact that this stage was about them, and not about anything extraneous.

sound

it was indeed a song.

staging

i do wish there had been a bit more control of the space, because it did look very empty at some parts and they could have staved that off by keeping tighter camera shots. this stage is so fucking big, holy shit.

they really brought their onstage chemistry and they looked like they were having a blast, which FINALLY!! 

i actually really liked hwiyoung’s opening, i think there was a lot of potential there for some sharp contrast work that i wish had been played through a little more, especially with the cool white light overtop the black costumes. it actually reminded me a bit of the intro in the music video from a rapper i do actually listen to, bewhy’s gottasadae.

glad to see some more use of camera effects with the black and white, but why did they do it over the paint throwing? it just made the trajectory of the paint invisible because there was no colour contrast.

performance stages

sf9 + tbz + ikon

ok obviously im gonna have a lot more to say about the performance stages, nobody is surprised there. this one was the better constructed of the two and my personal pick for better stage, but i actually liked watching the both of them equally.

costume

king shit, literally. we love contemporary hanbok in this house. there was good colour and style distinction between the three of them without clashing. 

costume change was fun and neatly blocked, it's pretty common to see backup dancers and chorus hiding quickchanges but i liked how this was a more unusual formation.

taeyang rocking the organza skirt and the big purple eyeshadow, thank you for keeping it cunty as always.

i really liked juyeon’s underlayer look. finally we get a good tbz costume look thats thematically relevant!

set

like all the stages this round, pretty minimal. the setting was almost entirely established through the costumes and the projections, which is some really good designwork. it's pretty much just the litters (the lifted chairs they entered on), and some smaller props. they managed to not make the stage feel empty because there was a lot of projection visuals to compensate, which is difficult to do without being overbearing, but i think they mostly pulled it off.

i originally thought it was gonna be weird to try and mesh the traditional korean architectural aesthetic with the weird mnet deco, but i ended up not noticing it as much as i thought i would.

lighting

like i just said, projections very well done and do a fantastic job of conveying setting without being overly distracting. like with the atz/skz/btob rap stage there’s a really broad range of colour use here that they offset by brightening and properly fill lighting the faces so you can actually see what’s happening.

the use of the strobing lasers and more concert style lighting fit really well with the change in the music from traditional instrument sounds to electronica and the more hiphop/isolated movements.

sound

i liked it well enough! i think it had a good arc that we can see echoed through the rest of the piece, like previously stated in the lighting and movement style. 

staging

like i mentioned with the quickchange, there was some really interesting formations using the backup dancers here, especially as a lead toward/away from the camera

having the three of them enter on litters; again, literal king shit, love to see it.

this has a pretty clear narrative that doesnt really need an external explanation, which is good. i have to assume that the burning of the paper with 妃 (concubine) is intended to be a gesture of ‘burning’ the love out of their hearts, but that was the only thing i'm still confused on. this may very well turn out to be a reference to a specific story that i just have no idea what it is, but we’ll see once the subs are out!

i loved juyeons solo bit with the alcohol drinking and the table flip, that was the choreographic highlight for me. i just really wish he would use the other muscles in his face more often. we know youre pretty, you dont have to blue steel your way through all your performances!! take a page out of donghyuk’s book and make some ugly faces, it's good for you!!

i though taeyang’s swordwork was fine, but since i do actually have a decade of sword training i'm very judgemental. it's not bad, he obviously has practiced with the weapon and he knows how to control it, but he doesn’t have the same understanding as someone who has trained with a sword as a weapon and not just as a prop. if we hadn’t seen another stage with swordwork in it i probably wouldn’t have brought this up (that's a lie, i still would have brought it up, i have a third dan), but you can really see the difference between how minhyuk moves with his sword and how taeyang moves. a lot of this has to do with the proper weighting of the blade, which i mention briefly in my second episode review in btob’s section (and also this ask here, where i talk about properly weighted weapons in relation to the gun choreo in sf9’s and ateez’s previous stages); minhyuk is likely using a ‘real’ sword (it’s blunted but still made using proper methods and materials), and taeyang is using a cheaper-made replica (unless you’re doing full contact striking a LOT there’s no way a properly made blade breaks like that. also you would never tape it together hello??? respect the blade). if you know what you’re looking for, you can tell from the movements themselves when someone has training. minhyuk did a load of real training for a film where he was a swordsman, and you can tell; the sword is an extension of his arm, all the movements lead with the tip of the blade first, because that’s your first, your fastest, and your most dangerous point. you do 90% of your cutting with the first eight inches of blade, but it takes a lot of specific training to get your hands and arms to a place where that kind of movement is possible. taeyang’s movements are driven from his hands, which is unsurprising, because that’s where he’s used to his extensions stopping. the tip follows rather than leads. wow this got insanely sidetracked i hope you liked this crash course on swordwork.

this is pretty much what i expected to see from this unit. these three groups all have standout soloists, so i wasn’t surprised to see these three boys as the picks. juyeon and taeyang especially, theyre both from groups that are more likely to do experimental stages and choreography that highlights them as soloists and skilled dancers.

skz + btob + atz

this was a letdown from ateez’s last two stages, because they knocked those out of the park, but it's only fair that they have a bit of a fall. that being said, i did really enjoy watching this for its sheer ridiculousness; i’m forgiving the wolf concept this time because well, it’s wolf. you can't cover wolf and not do a wolf concept, that’s against the law. also, like i’ve said before, i'm all for dark concepts IF you give them thematic weight. is it on the nose? yes. is it thematically relevant? also yes. is it dumb? also also yes, but that’s never stopped a single kpop group in the history of ever.

costume

friendship restored with ateez stylists, rivalry started with skz stylists. the fur shoulder fluffs??? stupid and i love them. perfect in every way. however i keep seeing the same fucking costumes on the skz boys and i will come directly for the stylists at jype if they dont get their shit together. be! more! creative!!!

i really really wish they had gone more 2013 kpop with it, we need more of that ugly ridiculous styling. peniel was actually pretty close, with the overly long tunic and those yellow lenses. very vixx on and on (yes i know they were vampires from outer space, let me live)

i actually thought the wolf gloves were fun? the small bits of uv paint actually worked instead of looking out of place, and i'm glad they put them on wooyoung because the uglier an outfit, the better he pulls it off. 

set

same dice, just the long table and the camo net at the beginning, which i thought was unnecessary. the table was useful for levels though, so happy to see they utilized that.

lighting

there is so much happening all the time. lots of lasers. it's definitely aiming for camp territory, and i dont actually hate it as much as i did on my first watch. it actually wasn’t as dark as i thought either, because its mostly lit with blue and amber. but it doesn’t really have that great of an arc and its not really that good on the whole.

the projections are a bit much for me, but that’s only when i'm actually looking at them. true to form, i didn’t even notice the excess of red slashes until like my fourth rewatch because i was too busy watching the performers.

sound

rookie exo my beloved. the original wolf goes so hard for absolutely no reason, so i’m not knocking this stage for being ridiculous. in fact it should have been more ridiculous. i think they did a fine job updating the song for a.....less 2013 sound. 

i like that they didn’t bother to live sing the stage even though they recorded vocals for it, it gave them all a chance to actually focus on just the dance.

that being said, i am kind of missing all the adlibs from the original. but even though there’s some strong vocalists in this unit, they aren’t made of the same stuff as baekhyun, luhan, chen, AND d.o.

i literally just realized that peniel had already debuted when this song came out AND is technically exo’s senior because btob debuted like two weeks before exo officially did.....oh no

staging

choreographically this feels a lot more like the skz stages that we’ve seen rather than the ateez ones, so i'm curious as to who the choreographer was. 

the tricking was definitely more ridiculous in this one, but i can't really say any of it was there for no reason because it all had elements of fighting in it. the scale of the tricks was quite large though and not very well blended with the rest of the choreo, which ending up making them look awkward. i thought it was a nice detail that they shone a green toplight on the dancers that made up the cliff wooyoung climbed up so that it looked like there was grass on it. cute.

the blocking is lacking a lot of fluidity, and i think that’s partially the scale of the tricking and also the editing, because this editing is TERRIBLE. there’s so much cutting, why is there so much cutting!! haven’t we already learned that longtakes are the best for this???

there’s a lot of stuff here that had good potential but could have been pushed a little farther. i feel like i say this for every mediocre stage, but what can i say, i'm good at constructive criticism. 

they should have given more showcase to the tree and the scratching arms; it's the most iconic move!! i also wish they had kept some kind of iteration of the different unit ‘leaping’ in over the exiting one, i always thought that part of the original choreo was really fun and did a lot for establishing them as wolves. 

i LOVED peniel entering with all those backup dancers in chains, thats some fucking iconic shit. very ‘im the alpha wolf,’ which is valid because he’s like at LEAST five years older than everyone else on the stage. i wish that instead of being the backup dancers it was the actual members, because THAT would have been an image. theyre all wearing harnesses and collars anyways, just clip em in! he’d be like one of those dogwalkers!

me last week: specifically talking about how krump is an uncommon style in kpop and it's very hard to get right kingdom, throwing the manifesting dodgeball at me for the third time: here would you like a KRUMP SOLO?

if you didnt believe me before that krump is hard to get right, i sure hope you do now. peniel did fine, but you can see how easily you can veer off into looking ridiculous.

some conclusions

i mentioned this really briefly in an ask i got earlier today, but i do think it's important to establish that the two performance units are doing two different types of performances. i can understand why people are underwhelmed by the atz/skz/btob stage and wanted it to be less of a traditional kpop dance stage and more like the experimental stages we’ve been seeing for the last few weeks. and i agree! i think they could have done more with it. but i also think that this kind of stage was a good choice for this particular subunit. unlike with the sf9/tbz/ikon unit, there are not really any standout technical soloists in ateez or skz. ateez has, in my opinion, the highest ratio of dancers with actual stage presence of any of the 4th gen groups ive seen. they’re at a solid 75% for any given performance, and occasionally they can bump that higher depending on the stage. that high of a stat is rare. it's extremely rare for a group to have all its members have good stage presence (i can think of like, maybe two or three?), and to get over 50% is pretty damn impressive. but ateez’s strength isn’t in how good they individually are as dancers, but it's in how well they work together. there’s a reason why they put FIVE of them in the performance unit. one of the first things i said about ateez to hanya is ‘i love wooyoung but he doesn’t stand out when he's not centre.’ which is for good reason!! he’s not supposed to! they all willingly give up centre and take it back when they need to, because they have that charisma. there’s a very cohesive push and pull to watching ateez that speaks to their strengths as performers. dancing in a group where you are all meant to be equal is a very different skill than just being a talented soloist. you have to understand what to prioritize in a different way. taemin dances differently with shinee that he does in his solo career, especially since they’ve been back. he understands when to step back; more often than not i find key to be the standout dancer in shinee choreo.

this is a very long winded way of saying that wolf was a good choice for them even though the stage didn’t turn out as well as it could have. also the fact that they made a cohesive performance at all, with a week of rehearsal and while working with essentially strangers is a feat and speaks to all of their skill at their job. performing in a group is a huge part of kpop, and they did call this the performance stage, and not the dance stage.

i'm not entirely sure on what the breakdown is on why each of the subunits were formed. i know the team sizes are extremely uneven, with sf9/tbz/ikon clocking in at 26 people and atz/skz/btob clocking in at 17 (i'm not counting changsub because he's not there and probably has a scheduling conflict), which is like, a whole extra group of difference. but atz/skz/btob utilizing their whole groups for each of the units (5/3/1 for performance, 1/3/1 for rap, and 1/1/1 for vocal, for 7/7/3 total), verses sf9/tbz/ikon only bringing out six people for these two stages and then six for the vocal stage is......weird? that's over half of their group number that’s not performing. i do think the groups brought out their standout performers and made smart choices with the stages but the balance still strikes me as odd. i do wish tbz had actually done some group choreo because they are very strong group performers and it would have been fun to watch.

ateez really played the long game here, good job boys. teaming up with the group who gets the highest fan votes AND the group with the strongest technical skills? i see you.

i think this is probably too wild of an assumption and is only based on circumstantial evidence but.....i think hongjoong might actually have a lot more creative sway than i previously thought. all the stages he’s been a part of have been very well designed, and i know he provided suggestions for the two ateez stages prior to this... i’m probably thinking too much. 

ok you know what i know there were some other points in my brain somewhere but this is already 4000 words so i’m going to stop. if i remember anything else its probably gonna end up in the answer to some of the asks i’m inevitably going to get because i think my opinions on these ones are a little bit more controversial, whoops!

not entirely sure if ill do an extensive review for next week’s stage, because i'm not really a ballad fan and i dont really do vocal reviews, but i could do a quick one. i guess it also depends on what else they put in the episode. we’ll see!!

[jazzicology]

JAZZPRING!

This will seem topsy-turvy to those of you in the Northern hemisphere - but in New Zealand, Spring is just around the corner. And here at Jazzicology headquarters in Queenstown, we’re busy preparing for our Spring jazz gigs. Putting together a set on a specific theme is a great incentive to search for and learn new material. Here’s our ‘Jazzpring’ setlist with some notes on each. We’ve aimed for a mix of tempos and contrasting jazz styles. In amongst some old standards are some quirky additions: possibly the only song written from the perspective of a frightened tomato (Hang on Little Tomato); and a wonderful number that perfectly sets Shakespeare’s ‘It was a lover and his lass’ to a catchy melody and jazz chords – it deserves to be in everyone’s Spring set list. I was amazed how many jazz songs there are on topics relating to Spring – far too many to include in just one gig!

Joyspring. 1954 composition by Clifford Brown, jazz trumpeter and a key figure in the Hard Bop movement. The lyrics I use are by Jezra Kay. This is a super-fast-paced, up-beat tune. I discovered, rather too late for this gig, that there are also some wonderfully poetic lyrics by Jon Hendricks, a leading jazz lyricist who is responsible for the lyrics for many well-known jazz songs composed as instrumentals. You can read about Hendrick’s lyrics for JoySpring here.

You must believe in Spring. Composed by Michel LeGrand (1964), this song shares some features with his other, better-known compositions (Windmills of Your Mind; What Are You Doing For The Rest of Your Life). The chords and melody strike a reflective and melancholy, yet hopeful, mood. It is a truly beautiful number that I had not previously been aware of. I have been listening to Bill Evans’s instrumental version of it – it just incredible - and this vocal performance by Sarah McKenzie. It was originally called La Chanson de Maxence and was written for the French film ‘Les Demoiselles de Rochefort’. Looking at the original French lyrics, it is clear the English lyrics are not a translation; the song’s theme of Spring is entirely attributable to the authors of the English language lyricists Bergman and Bergman. Indeed, these lyrics are so well crafted that it is difficult to believe the phrase ‘You Must Believe in Spring’ wasn’t originally in Le Grand’s mind when he wrote it! Listening to various vocal recordings over the last few weeks, I discovered some additional lyrics that, as far as I can tell, appear only in a recording by Barbra Streisand. I don’t know who wrote them (possibly Streisand), but they seem apt for a troubled world, so here they are for other singers who may be interested in using them:

When angry voices drown the music of the spheres 

And children face a world that’s far beyond their years 

Above the darkest skies, The far horizons lie 

With all the reasons why you must believe in Spring.

Spring can really hang you up the most. Composer Tommy Wolf (1955), lyrics Fran Landesman. Spring isn’t all rainbows and daffodils – like all fun times of year, for those who are down or lonely it can serve to underline your own misery. The title of the song is a jazz twist on the opening line of T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land: "April is the cruellest month". My favourite version of this song is by Carmen McCrae – it’s like a masterclass in jazz vocals. I was surprised how difficult this song was to learn – and was relieved to find an entire blog written about it, claiming that the obscene number of verses and lyrics, and wide vocal range and unusual phrasings are clearly the work of someone who hates singers! Fortunately, I love a challenge.

Blue Skies. Irving Berlin (1926). Blue Skies is probably the best-known and certainly the oldest song in this set. Thelonious Monk wrote a Be-Bop number, ‘Suddenly in Walked Bud’, based on the chord progressions in Blue Skies, as a tribute to his friend, the jazz pianist, Bud Powell. The lyrics are a virtual who’s-who list of jazz greats from that time. Monk’s ‘In Walked Bud’ is an example of a jazz ‘contrafact’: where a new melody is laid over existing chords (in this case, Blue Skies). There are lots of examples of this in Bop from the 1940s, because it was a way for jazz musicians to create new pieces “for performance and recording on which they could immediately improvise, without having to seek permission or pay publisher fees for copyrighted materials (while melodies can be copyrighted, the underlying harmonic structure cannot be)”. Since the lyrics and melody for ‘In Walked Bud’ work perfectly well over the chords for ‘Blue Skies’ (apart from the bridge) I’ll incorporate elements of them into our performance.

It might as well be Spring. Composed by Rodgers and Hammerstein (1945) for the movie State Fair, for which it won an Academy Award for best original song. Many people have recorded this, but I’ve been listening to Ella Fitzerald and this lovely French version by (the aptly Spring-named) Blossom Dearie.

They say its Spring. Composers Bob Haymes and Marty Clark (1950s). With a melody and lyrics that are as light and floaty as a feather, this is a quintessential Spring song about being in love. Blossom Dearie appears to have been the first to record it, in 1957.

Nature Boy/Nardis. Composed by Eden Ahbez (1947). Nature boy is on Jazzicology’s set list – but with a twist! We will perform it using the principal motif from Miles Davis’ Nardis in both the Intro and coda. This was an idea developed by me and UK jazz pianist Sid Thomas, and you can listen to Sid and I performing it here. The ‘back story’ to Nature Boy is pretty interesting in its own right and can be found in a previous Jazzicology blog penned by Sid, ‘The one hit wonders of jazz’.

I love Paris in the Springtime. Cole Porter (1954). A classic recording of this by Ella Fitzgerald. However, I very much like this version, which has a Parisian café feel. This is a relatively simple melody to learn, with the chief challenge for the vocalist being the wide vocal range needed to change register.

Timeless Place. Composed by Jimmy Rowles in the 1970s as an instrumental (‘The Peacocks’) and recorded by him and sax legend Stan Getz in the 1975 album of the same name. The wonderful, reflective lyrics were added much later by UK jazz vocalist, Norma Winstone, and included on her 1993 album Well Kept Secret. This song is technically very challenging for a vocalist: the melody over the ‘bridge’ is a little non-intuitive and sits outside the harmony – it creates a tension which resolves into the main refrain. The word Spring appears nowhere in the song, but I’m going to justify its inclusion here because the lyrics include a beautiful formal garden with flowers and trees.

Double Rainbow. Composed by Brazilian jazz maestro, Antonio Jobim in 1970. This is one of his lesser-known numbers. It perfectly captures a spring garden, after a sudden rain-shower, with rainbows, puddles and a little robin hopping about. Actually, because the song is written in Portugese, the little bird in the song is a chico-chico, so robin is used as the equivalent in the English translation (maybe I should use a bellbird instead?). In Portugese, the title is Chovendo na Roseira (the rain is falling on the roses) and I perform it using first the Portugese and then the English lyrics – both are lovely, and the different languages each lend a slightly different feel to song.

Hang on Little Tomato. Music and lyrics by Patrick Abbey, China Forbes and Thomas Lauderdale and released on the Pink Martini album of the same name in 2004. For those who have gotten their tomato seedlings off to an early start, this the song you need to sing to them when they get planted outside. It’s a scary world out there for a little tomato. It’s a seriously cute little song, and a reminder that we all need to keep hanging on to the vine. The song title is apparently a reference to a Hunt's Ketchup ad campaign "Hang On, Little Tomato!" in a 1964 issue of Life magazine. (Is it a coincidence that Pink Martini’s named their own record label Heinz, I wonder?)

Hey Nonny No! Composed by UK jazz composer and pianist Sid Thomas, this up-beat, toe-tappin’ number captures the feel of Spring brilliantly and the melody and chords provide a fabulous setting for Shakespeare’s ‘It was a lover and his lass’ from As you Like it. You’ll be humming this one on the way home.

Seed Leaves. Another Sid Thomas composition, this one setting to music the poem ‘Seed Leaves’ by Poet Laureate and two times Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Wilbur. You can find the poem here. Anyone wishing to request the music for ‘Hey Nonny No’ or ‘Seed Leaves’ can contact Sid Thomas here.

Surrey with the Fringe on top. Rogers and Hammerstein, from Oklahoma (1946). Is it a little bit twee? Maybe, but hey – it is also very sweet. And it was a part of Miles Davis’ repertoire in the 1950s, so there’s no arguing with that!

Up Jumped Spring. Composed by US jazz trumpet player Freddie Hubbard in 1962, and included in his album Backlash. The lyrics were added later by vocalist US jazz vocalist Abbey Lincoln. This clip of the song being sung live by Audrey Silver is really worth listening to - what a confident, flawless performance.

So, there you have it: an eclectic Spring jazz set involving Shakespeare, tomatoes, rainbows, birds, toads, seedlings, melting snow, new love and a little sprinkling of melancholy. The lyrics in this set contain the words ‘isinglass’ and ‘yggdrasil’ – not words you hear every day – come to our gig on September 5th (assuming Queenstown is out of lockdown by then!) and see if you can spot them!

Other suggestions for Spring songs can be found here: 

https://jazz.fm/classic-jazz-songs-about-spring/ 

https://www.wrti.org/post/10-jazz-tunes-remind-you-its-spring

Nance Wilson

Nance Wilson is one half of Queenstown-based jazz duo, Jazzicology, together with pianist Mark Rendall-Wilson. 

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/nance-wilson-trio 

Facebook: Jazzicology

[radramblog]

on Megalovania

This wasn’t what I originally planned to write today, but things change when cool news comes in. Besides, I’m in a pissy mood, and I want to write about something fun to try to change that.

To coincide with the 6th year anniversary of Undertale’s release, Toby Fox has announced the upcoming release of the second chapter of its…sequel?, Deltarune. And in honour of that very sudden and very sick announcement, I thought I’d do a piece on what many would describe as Toby’s iconic song, Megalovania. It’s had a fair few iterations at this point, so there’s plenty of meat to go through.

This may or may not be just an excuse to talk about Homestuck again. But there will be other things! I promise! Mostly those, actually.

Megalovania first appeared as the final boss theme for Toby’s Earthbound Romhack (back when he still went by Radiation), The Halloween Hack. Considering the works that would follow, THH has kind of been buried in history, and in some ways, that’s for the best. It’s very 2000s edgy, if you catch my drift.

Toby has stated that the original intent was for the final boss music to be Megalomania, from the soundtrack to another SNES JRPG, Live a Live (not to be confused with Kill la Kill), but he couldn’t get it to work for whatever reason. In a way, that’s kind of a shame, because Megalomania is an absolute bop, but I’m not going to act like what we got wasn’t also very good.

The original version of Megalovania from THH probably sounds kind of basic to those more used to the modern iterations. Do keep in mind that this was designed to be played by a now 26-year-old game on an even older console, and its not like SNES romhacking was easy at the time. Earthbound (and by extension, the Halloween Hack) are in this weird place where the soundtrack definitely still sounds really limited or bitcrushed at times, but some tracks (such as Pokey Means Business!) manage to sound excellent.

Megalovania is somewhere in between, I think. The guitar riff that drives the whole track sounds absolutely gorgeous, which is good, because I think that’s really the key element of the whole thing. The melodies present from other instruments throughout the whole thing vary in quality, both in the subjective sense and the fidelity sense, but without that riff, the song would be nothing. It’s the one truly consistent thing through every single version of Megalovania, it’s the heart of the track, and it’s surprisingly simple for something that sounds so driving and intense.

The context surrounding Megalovania iteration number one is somewhat more awkward to talk about. Like I said, The Halloween Hack is edgy, and I fucking mean it. The story is (after some preamble) a descent into the mind of Dr. Andonuts from the original game, having been driven mad on account of being in a timeline where Ness and friends don’t come back alive from the confrontation with Giygas. After a long metaphysical journey, the main character (who is Varik from Brandish for some reason) confronts Andonuts’s psyche itself as the final boss, who begs for mercy before flipping his lid with, well. I’ll just quote it. Keep in mind this is what you’re reading as Megalovania starts to play:

               “I HAVE FUCKING HAD IT WITH YOUR SHIT. you little fuckers are going to have your bodies ripped in half. I’ll shove your asses so far down your throats that when you crap you’ll sing fucking beethoven”

“tl;dr: eat shit, [slur redacted]”

 Which if you ask me is a little much. As spooky as the whole romhack is, Andonuts’s dialogue is so utterly over-the-top that it’s hard to take seriously. It’s such a pristine combination of the humour both of the time and of Toby’s likely age at the time. It’s still a fairly impressive piece of work as a whole, but considering where we’re up to, one could call this humble beginnings for Megalovania.

The track’s next big outing was as part of the Homestuck soundtrack. I’d argue that this is really where Toby got his name out there, seeing as much of his early notoriety came from his huge contributions to the webcomic’s lengthy list of albums, and also the fact that apparently Undertale was in part coded in Hussie’s basement. I don’t remember where I heard that first, but I’ve heard it from multiple sources, so.

This version of the song, styled as MeGaLoVania, starts off with a bit of a statement, with the opening notes being very much on a real shreddy-ass electric guitar, but the body of the song is actually largely the same (if cleaned up and with some different instruments) as THH’s version. Of course, this version does have more going on, as evidenced by a few of the guitar lines carrying on new melodies, as well as continuing in the background behind sections from the original piece. Owing a lot to the increased instrumentation and fidelity, this version of Megalovania is easily the rockiest, especially as the final minute of the track brings in Vriska’s banger of a theme (also composed by Fox) and the drums pick up in intensity.

While Homestuck’s soundtrack is incredibly vast, relatively little of it actually ended up being used in the webcomic itself. MeGaLoVania, of course was used, and it was right during what I’d argue was the comic’s peak in Act 5 Act 2. The animation featuring the song, [S] Wake, is such an incredible pair of oh holy FUCK moments, what with the revival of Aradia and her actually being able to (temporarily (heh)) halt the story’s main threat, and also Vriska just fucking murdering Tavros, no biggie. Looking back at it now, the whole thing feels kind of quaint, the animation style in particular (it was just Like That), but it was such a big deal at the time. It doesn’t hurt that this is easily my favourite version of Megalovania, because I’m a sucker for guitar noodling, and also a sucker for Vriska’s theme.

Homestuck (and MeGaLoVania) was pretty big in the early ‘10s, but at the end of the day, the comic and track were still very niche. And then 2015 rolled around, and Undertale came out, and suddenly it was everywhere.

As someone who’s known the song since before the game came out, it is somewhat disappointing to have it so strongly associated with Sans. Especially since A. He already has a much more fitting theme, and B. it’s so clearly the theme of that specific fight, and even moreso that of the Genocide player themselves, but fine, whatever. MEGALOVANIA, as it is styled, is very much a more bombastic version of the theme, one with more experience under the belt, and more control behind the context. After all, in this case, Toby didn’t have to wrangle with the limitations of SNES Romhacking or of featuring the track in someone else’s work. The track still has the base elements of a chiptune and chugging guitars, but the different soundfont used helps a lot to elevate the whole track’s intensity. In particular, I think the verses (do they count as verses? I know very little actual music theory, sorry) sound miles better in this iteration than any of the previous, and the snappy percussion is subtle but also great.

There are a lot of things that make the Sans fight so memorable, and MEGALOVANIA is obviously one of them. I imagine many would cite the sheer difficulty as another, but more important than that is the way it plays with expectations. In the Genocide run, you are the most attuned to the game’s combat system, and you’ve spent enough time wailing on Undyne to have expectations about how fighting Sans is going to be. And then he attacks first with an insane hard-to-dodge combo, he gets to dodge attacks, and he gets to force you onto a time limit. It breaks the rules of the game in such a shocking way that it’s hard not to find it memorable. This is not even mentioning the wild lore implications behind the fight’s dialogue, or that such a silly character goes so fuckin hard during a scrap.

Silly is something Sans is, which people seem to forget considering how much of his associated fan material is based around this one fight. Man spends half the game napping and selling hot dogs and telling awful puns. It does bug me a little, but I completely understand the impact of the scene. Despite most players never seeing it, it has to be one of the most iconic facets of the whole thing.

While hundreds if not thousands of remixes and covers of Megalovania exist at this point, most of them aren’t worth bringing up, because I don’t have infinite time on my hands, and because they’re not official. I do want to quickly bring up Megalo Strike Back, a track Toby made for an Earthbound fan album, because it slaps like hell. It’s clearly got a few of the elements of Megalovania, but the melody is so much more mysterious and eerie, and yet also kinda jaunty. I’m a big fan, and considering how many fan animations and games I’ve heard it in, so are a lot of folks.

The other version I’d like to bring up is, of course, the version that appeared in Smash Ultimate. Considering Nintendo’s typical policy surrounding fan media, having a track that originates from a SNES Romhack in fucking Smash is both incredible and hilarious.

Musically, however, it’s not that notable. The first minute or so, in fact is basically just the Undertale version with a slightly different mix (as it’s styled MEGALOVANIA, that’s the version being referenced here), though I think some of the later parts are in a slightly different key that sounds pretty interesting. I’m not sure how I feel about the piano section- on the one hand, I’m not really a fan of that instrumentation, on the other, it is very Smash, and the violins that come in are great. And then there’s guitar noodling on the back half! I just noticed that! It’s different from the Homestuck version, though.

And that’s all I have to say about Megalovania, I think. It’s a song with a surprisingly storied history, and one that is unlikely to be forgotten as long as people still remember Undertale, Homestuck, or even the Halloween Hack. And considering at the very least the popularity of the former, that’s going to be a long time away.

…okay two more things, one I think battle against a true hero is better than MEGALOVANIA and two James Roach aka probably the biggest lategame Homestuck composer remixed Megalovania for Pesterquest but it’s reaaaaaally subtle until like 3 minutes in and he called it “yeah, it is” and that’s fucking hilarious okay bye

[elizabethvaughns]

so i've been mulling over this for quite a bit now, so i might as well articulate my thoughts and get them out onto this blog. so i was just thinking: subjectively or objectively, which one is better? the if/then dc preview or the broadway production? long post (1750+ words), so i'm putting a read more break <3

now, objectively at the very least, i know i have to say it's the broadway production. why wouldn't it be? it's a lot more polished, it's...the final draft, of sorts, of the production. we all know the final draft is usually better than the rough draft. but here's the thing. when it comes to an artwork that has several different versions, one tends to gravitate toward the version they saw first and have a certain bias against all the other versions. if you saw the bway version first or the dc version first, you probably like that one more. now i'm not saying this bias is conscious by any means. absolutely not. however, when one falls in love with some media, in my case at least, they take it in over and over and over again. and then they get so used to that one thing that all other versions seem weird. i can pinpoint two non-if/then instances in my life where such a thing happened.

in the summer of 2018, i watched the RENT movie on netflix. now i was fully intending to listen to the obc soundtrack before watching the movie, but i never really got to it. anyways, that movie was like love at first...watch to me. oh man, i loved it so, so much. so i downloaded the soundtrack on my phone and, you guessed it, listened to it over and over and over and over again. one fine day, (about a few weeks after, actually) i realized i never actually had listened to the obc soundtrack. so i did. and it sounded...odd to say the very least. i mean, some of the voices were different, sometimes the lines were changed, all in all, a confusing experience. to say the least, if you asked me back then which version i preferred, i would've readily said the movie version. but now, three years in retrospect, i'm not so sure. the obc version is a lot more...complete, i like the vocals more, and i'm now salty that "christmas bells" as a song was cut. evidently, i like the obc version more(but i still love the movie version hell it's still one of my comfort movies).

in the fall of 2019, i listened to falsettos. i actually listened to both the obc and the 2016 revival cast recordings. i guess that lessened the bias a bit because i was exposed to both versions at about the same time. on the fateful date of 2 october 2019, i watched the falsettos revival proshot. that's when i truly fell in love with this musical. but, even so, my initial exposure was to both recordings so even though i had a slight bias toward the 2016 version, i still loved both of them.

now, back to if/then. i actually find it difficult to pinpoint where exactly my exposure to if/then started. was it the very first time i heard about it in 2018 when i read a very meta RENT fanfic on ff.net where elizabeth made an appearance and i thought "what the fuck"(pun very much intended)"is if/then" (psst if you find the fic could you please drop the link in the replies meta fic isn't really my shit but i want to reread it for nostalgia's sake)? or was it the very first time i listened to the obc recording in 2020? or was it the boot of a broadway production that i first saw on 13 march 2021? whichever one i pick, they all lead to the same conclusion: i naturally gravitated(and sometimes still do) toward the broadway production because it was the first version of if/then that i was exposed to.

now sometime in early april 2021 over my spring break, i watched a recording of the dc production. i knew beforehand that this production is a preview, after which some changes had been made, resulting in the broadway show. since those changes were obviously made to better the production, it would be a logical conclusion that the very presence of those changes entailed a...worse production (not considering the fact that the interpretation and the very liking of art is entirely subjective). one could say i entered the watching experience with an unconscious bias, of sorts.

from the very first note, i was caught off-guard. i didn't know they changed this much. when i watched the bway production, i was just enjoying it for all it was worth. but when i was watching the dc preview, i was comparing it constantly to its broadway counterpart. oh, david's shirt colour is different here. oh, anne's wearing a pantsuit instead of a dress(cute). oh, time for hey kid! oh wait no they put "the moment explodes" right here. also, i was just humming along to the songs, just mouthing along the lyrics(because i have them all memorized), and every now and then and getting thrown way off-track when the tune remained the same but the lyrics changed. most notably, in "walking by a wedding" and "you learn to live without". all in all, i had what one could consider negative opinions about the dc production because of that bias.

but then i watched it second time. a third time. a fourth, fifth, sixth time. and over that time, i fell more and more in love with that production. as i've said before, the interpretation of art is wholly subjective–what one may consider a shortcoming of a particular piece, another may consider a strength. let me take the placement of "the moment explodes", for example. in the dc production, it's before "some other me". therefore, the line "every friend i ever knew or thought i did" doesn't hit as hard because we don't know her situation with lucas yet. even so, "some other me" hits twice as hard because lucas is an even bigger asshole now. in comparison, however, "the moment explodes" is after "some other me" in bway as you all know. so the aforementioned line holds a much greater significance when compared to its dc counterpart. however, one could also consider that line (in the dc production) as a sort of foreshadowing for the reveal in "some other me" of the new normal of beth and lucas's friendship (or the lack thereof).

obviously, some changes were most definitely welcome, "this day" to be more specific. of course, there was that little reprising of "what if?" near the end of "this day" in the dc production which i really loved, but all in all, the mood of "this day" was much more fun and enthusiastic in bway as opposed to dc, which in my opinion is an excellent way to start an act. in contrast, some changes were...not as welcome. i don't know about you, but personally, i really enjoyed two cut scenes from "the story of jane"("no more wasted time" dc version). first, the scene where kate brings her kindergarteners to beth. it was fun to see higgs squirm. second, the scene where elena and beth's interaction parallels beth and stephen's in "map of new york". narrative-wise, i think that it is an incredibly important scene as we get to see two sort of boss-employee relationships mirrored to each other, only beth does it well as a boss (if that makes any sense). we see beth as passionate but still sort of hesitant in mony but she grows to be more self-assured by nmwt, and i think the aforementioned scene only cements that notion as beth takes on the role of mentor for elena. also, "the story of jane" was a really fun song and, as much as i love "no more wasted time", i wish it still contained elements of "story of jane". and while i did enjoy the reshuffling of "the moment explodes" such that it became clear when beth and lucas made up in the bway production, they were ultimately still...not talking during "you learn to live without. as a result, we miss that one scene from the dc production where lucas and kate attend beth's awards ceremony and shoo stephen. and need i talk about the lucas/david duet verse("you get that we're connected, / i feel like you get me") in "ain't no man manhattan"? honestly, i feel like dc anmm was, all in all, better than bway anmm–especially that one verse where lucas sings to this other dude about how everyone is connected(no, not the one to stephen, the one after that. the one that ends with "[something something] / who you helped get elected").

also the situations with stephen and with kate/anne in both timelines were relatively clearer in the dc production. even so, the actual distinguishing of the timelines was better in the bway production.

in conclusion, the relative merit of each production(broadway vs. dc) is really up to the interpretation of each viewer. scenes that may seem weak to one may be considered narratively important to another. both productions have their own merits and flaws.

to me, both productions are equally good. my previous assertion/assumption that the final draft is always better than the first is not necessarily true. some things that you think were actually pretty good get lost in the editing process. some other things that should've been cut (ahem ahem, kate's referrals to lucas with "she", ahem ahem, liz's "i don't believe in independents like i don't believe in bisexuals. pick a side" line) get left in there. art is subjective. the editing process is subjective. in the end, though, the only thing that matters is that you enjoy what you're watching and find personal fulfillment in it. and i do! for both of these productions. for both of the productions, i'm smiling all the way up to "here i go". i'm slightly saddened during "you don't need to love me". i'm empowered by "the story of jane"/"no more wasted time". i'm grinning in liz-verse all the way up to "i hate you". i feel like sobbing during "some other me". my throat clogs up when "i hate you" starts. i'm actually sobbing by the time "you learn to live without" ends.

...you get the gist of it. all in all, both of these productions are phenomenal and i'm grateful for their existence and to have been able to watch them in the year of our lord 2021.

i love this show so much i swear.

i talk a bit more comparing broadway and dc here.

my other ramblings essays:

if/then appreciation

"what if?" vs. "what if?(reprise)"

character analysis of lucas

[blackidyll]

It's been a long while since I've been on Tumblr, but here I am, trying to get back into my usual rhythm of life. Mainly: I'm alive, but I'm really, really tired.

The end of 2019/beginning of 2020 has been really insane. I fell sick for most of December - the whole cough/cold/sore throat trifecta that got so bad I finally ended up on antibiotics on New Year's Eve. I actually took two weeks of leave in December, but I was so sick and busy during this time that I basically got no rest whatsoever, and when I got back to work in January it was to drop straight into an absolute tsunami of work - one huge project ended the day before Chinese New Year, and immediately after CNY holidays I had another huge executive event to prepare for (I was working over weekends), and when that ended last week I got YET ANOTHER project dumped on me. Covid19 and the political situation in my home country is also taking its toll. I feel like the past two months has been an absolute blur - mostly of stress and negativity.

I'm so tired, you all.

Anyway, I'm trying hard now to pull back and strike a balance between work and having down proper time. I owe quite a few of you replies to messages and chats, and TBH there's like 60+ comments in my AO3 inbox that I haven't had a chance to respond to. I'm going to try hard over the next few weeks to get to all of them. I really appreciate every message and comment I get, because they constantly remind me there's still people and the entire world out there, when sometimes it's so easy to get caught up in my head with all my stresses and worries and the day-to-day grind.

I'm going to go throw a bunch of things in my queue to get this place kickstarted again, but in the meantime - have some fic recs. I've been reading a lot of fic to keep afloat the past three months; these are the WIPs I'm following at the moment. I'm completely out of creativity so my own fics will have to wait, but it always gives me a boost when I see some love for my WIPs, so if any of these appeal to you, give them a read and drop some love to those authors too.

The Bureau Files series by Catsafari [The Cat Returns, episodic/case style canon-based sequel; Baron/Haru]

i kill giants by diasterisms [Star Wars new trilogy; canon-based sequel to The Rise of Skywalker; Rey/Ben]

Ragnarǫkr, Part 3 of the Sharingan Rising series by weialala [Naruto; canon-divergence with supernatural elements; Sasuke-centric, technically Sasuke/Naruto but is more Sasuke's relations with everyone]

Peripeteia, Part 4 of the Carry Your Heart verse by mondaze [Shingeki no Kyojin; canon-based A/B/O verse, eventually diverges at the retake Shinganshina arc because Erwin lives (\o/); Erwin/Levi]

Just Another Day by Tierfal [Fullmetal Alchemist; post-manga series, Roy has severe PTSD; pre-relationship Roy/Ed]

try something new by gdgdbaby [Nezha (2019); post-movie oneshot where the two have grown up and gotten their bodies back; Nezha/Aobing]

WIPs that haven't been updated recently but since I'm on a roll, you all should read them:

Nukume Dori by Leareth [Tokyo Babylon, X/1999; canon-divergence, kind-of time travel with X!Subaru falling back into the TB!timeline with all his memories intact; Subaru/Seishirou, a lot of trio interactions with Hokuto] 

boy with a coin, Part 5 of the signal to noise series by twigcollins [The World Ends With You; post-game sequels exploring the consequences of Neku winning the long game and Joshua deciding to bring him back to life; Joshua/Neku]

(more info and my comments on each fic under the cut, because they get long)

The Bureau Files series by Catsafari [The Cat Returns, episodic/case style canon-based sequel; Baron/Haru]

I've been (re)watching Studio Ghibli movies on the weekends and I fell completely in love with The Cat Returns (I love Whisper of the Heart but I missed this movie somehow?). This wonderful sequel fic series focuses on an adult Haru that becomes a full-fledge member of the Cat Bureau and goes on plenty of adventures with the Bureau crew. It's also 500K words (!!!) of delicious slow slow slow SLOW burn between Baron and Haru. I just found out the author will be posting the next installation in the series this month, so you know. Perfect time to read the existing content and then follow the author's weekly updates for more of this amazing series.

i kill giants by diasterisms [Star Wars new trilogy; canon-based sequel to The Rise of Skywalker; Rey/Ben]

Yes, I'm a Reylo fan. I find the grey dynamics between Rey and a vaguely redeemed Ben Solo fascinating. I think it's because I was such a huge Luke and Mara Jade shipper from the Legends days. Anyway, I'd recommend pretty much all of diasterisms's Reylo fics (they nail the characterization + growth arcs incredibly) but this WIP in particular is a direct TROS sequel, which is great for all us fans who were very WTF about the way TROS ended. Also - lots of Force ghosts :D

Ragnarǫkr, Part 2 of the Sharingan Rising series by weialala [Naruto; canon-divergence with supernatural elements; Sasuke-centric, technically Sasuke/Naruto but is more Sasuke's relations with everyone]

I think my bookmark gushes enough about this series (and the previous installment) that I don't need to rehash it here. But anyway, this sequel is flipping amazing. The world building is so incredible omg. The wait between chapters is very long but so very worth it.

Peripeteia, Part 4 of the Carry Your Heart verse by mondaze [Shingeki no Kyojin; canon-based A/B/O verse, eventually diverges at the retake Shinganshina arc because Erwin lives (\o/); Erwin/Levi]

I'm usually very, very particular about my A/B/O verses (the concept squicks me a little but some writers subvert the trope and those are amazing) and this is a really great take on the trope - Erwin and Levi bond first out of necessity and then have to rebuild/realize a romantic relationship out of it later; they're already such strong friends and incredible partners that the bond actually throws them out of whack initially lol. But the evolution of their relationship is so well written, and the sub-plot about Levi being targeted is also great. Anyway, in this particular sequel goes back to the canon-timeline; Erwin survives the Beast Titan charge, everyone finds out about Marley, and the Survey Corps goes on a mission to make contact with the outside world. I don't actually follow the manga but I know enough that this sequel is really intriguing me. Also, Erwin lives. Thank goodness Erwin lives.

Just Another Day by Tierfal [Fullmetal Alchemist; post-manga series, Roy has severe PTSD; pre-relationship Roy/Ed]

Everything Tierfal writes is golden, but this one. Oh man, this one. It gets dark, and sometimes that's bad if you're already stressed (your mood doesn't need more depressing things to drag it down) but sometimes... you also want to indulge in it, because when you see a character go through hard and traumatic times and make it out the other side, it gives you hope too, you know? Anyway, right now at chapter 2, it's all trauma and pain for Roy, so take caution while reading this fic, but......... Ed. Oh my goodness, Ed. He tries so hard. He doesn't give up. This fic reminds me a bit of But Not Buried This Time, where Ed is the one drowning in his guilt... I remember thinking while reading that fic, "goodness, everyone needs a Roy like this in their life." Well, for this fic? I just keep thinking, "goodness, everyone needs an Ed like this in their life."

try something new [Nezha (2019); post-movie oneshot where the two have grown up and gotten their bodies back; Nezha/Aobing]

not a WIP but what the hell. So this version of Nezha is hell of a lot different from the Nezha I remember of my childhood (in that....... Nezha 100% kills Aobing lol and I remember being very conflicted because I love dragons and Nezha kills a lot of them, but at the same time deity!Nezha is pretty badass?). So anyway, someone with creative control DEFINITELY has shipper glasses on when they made this movie, I cannot get over how adorable Nezha and Aobing are. I really enjoyed this movie, it was so over the top and funny. And they made Nezha and Aobing literal soulmates? This fic is cute and adorable because it's Nezha and Aobing traveling and helping the world after they grow up and regain their bodies, and it's just tons of adorable teenage(?) confusion where they're hovering on the edge of friendship and something more. THEY ARE SO ENDEARING I love them!!

Nukume Dori by Leareth [Tokyo Babylon, X/1999; canon-divergence, kind-of time travel with X!Subaru falling back into the TB!timeline with all his memories intact; Subaru/Seishirou, a lot of trio interactions with Hokuto]

Instead of dying on the Promised Day, 25-year-old Dragon of Heaven Subaru wakes up in his 16-year-old body during the Tokyo Babylon timeline. Having seen what the future holds, he decides to continue with his original Bet with Seishirou - this time fighting to win. In the latest installment, we go pass the TB timeline into the years before 1999 and the changes that the divergence makes is just absolutely fascinating, plus we start seeing more of the X/1999 cast, whom I love and adore.

boy with a coin, Part 5 of the signal to noise series by twigcollins [The World Ends With You; post-game sequels exploring the consequences of Neku winning the long game and Joshua deciding to bring him back to life; Joshua/Neku]

I love Joshua so so much but he digs his own bed willingly and he lies in it with all the broken pride he can muster. He's very much the master of forfeiting the game before he can lose, except this time it's Neku standing beside him, and Neku is very, very stubborn. Trust your bloody partner, Joshua (I say, with all the love in my heart for this Joshua and this poor beleaguered but incredibly stubborn Neku and the all the game mechanics and worldbuilding in this series). Also, the latest cliffhanger is killing me but I'm ready to see Joshua go absolutely feral on anyone who would dare touch his city and his partner.  

[bookshelfpassageway]

Hello yes I would like the full rundown on It's A Wonderful Life a la Eugene Riverworth (I once helped my DM spec out alignment-reversed versions of our entire party, alt universe characters are near and dear to my heart)

ALRIGHT SO IT'S CATASTROPHIC AMOUNTS OF CONTEXT TIME

Sorry I took so long, I've just spent most of my week trying not to turn into a puddle of goo. I accidentally listened to Mr Blue Sky today, however, and the last verse sucker-punched me into finishing this.

...At some point, I'm going to take my google doc of garbage notes with no filter and turn them into a coherent campaign recap to hand out to people. But for now, here's this definitely-more-than-a-snippet-snippet.

Alright so, to start with, we have an NPC friend named Rothwin. He's a goth wood-elf wizard with a deep, deep set guilt complex about how many people he's known that have died. His mother, due to a dragon attack, and he recently discovered, his little sister, due to the mafia said dragon runs. His twin brother was recently thralled by Mind Flayers, and we've been trying to track him down. He also had a particular bond (I don't have all the details, but he gave him an enchanted knife and a letter) with our halfling assassin, Tasher, who was disintegrated back at lv 8 by a possessed Eugene. He let the possession happen on purpose, to try to get the upper hand in a fight with our warlock's patron, but the thing he gave himself over to was not at all inclined to give Eugene's body back. This chain of events also led to the kidnapping of Rothwin's brother. There's a reason we call him the "trashwizard".

Anyway, Rothwin. Rothwin is the hero child that wants to fix everything. Guilt complex from here to the moon. He's also a slightly higher level wizard than us, a lv 14 party, and he's recently spent a LOT of time scribing studiously in his spellbook. Because Eugene is a nosy little man, he actually got a glimpse at the spell he was working on: Wish.

So, the night after Rothwin's brother is captured, we hang around and try to comfort him. He seems oddly alright, and tells us that he thinks things will be looking up, soon.

When we awake, the world is different, none of us know any of the others, we remember nothing of the world before, and Rothwin has erased the dragon that tore his family apart, over 200 years ago. In the process, the circumstances did not arise where Tasher died.

The original Eugene left home at 17 to seek his fortune, and, finding that to be a very hard task, gradually lowered his standards over the course of a decade until he became the glitzy mountebank in the pointy hat we all know and love.

This new Eugene never had that chance to be a con man. If he did swindle, it would have only been a brief stint of the minor, hunger-induced infractions of the very beginning of his career. He had a pretty similar childhood and departure. Instead, he was recruited by this universe's much more prosperous version of the Mage's Guild (run by Rothwin's mother), an agent of whom saw some element of talent in him. So for the past ten years, he's made his name as an Illusionist of mild note, a full wizard rather than a rogue multiclass, and slowly moving up the Guild's ranks. He'd just been promoted, even. He's Neutral-Good-aligned, as opposed to the original True Neutral, and though his base traits remain the same (including: sociable, vain, ambitious, indulgent, a bit foolish), they're dialed up to different degrees. This Eugene is a genuinely sweet person, in a slightly fussy and oblivious kind of way, and actually allows himself to get attached to people. Which happens easily, and strongly. He hasn't had any need to shut that part of himself down. He has a Simulacrum named Snowy, and understands what birds are (running joke in the campaign, his familiar is exactly one pint of screech owl and summoning medium-sized birds has never been successful).

Eugene's youngest sister, in the original timeline, was a warlock of the Raven Queen. She quickly began having visions of the way fate was originally supposed to play out, and together they were able to research what might have happened and start to contact the old partymembers. Everyone arrived, and started getting flashbacks of the events of the campaign. We fought some old enemies who were defeated in the original world, including the devil that set off so much catastrophe, and a mad wizard who here had managed to imprison the guy who can fix this.

We managed to short out this wizard's magical abilities with a Counterspell, triggering the source of his stolen power to take over his body to see what the hell was going on. The Whispered One, known more commonly (though not in this campaign. His name is a pricey secret after all) as Vecna. We met him once in the original timeline too, he's how Rothwin found out his sister was dead, and was responsible for the warlockifying of an artificer. (it was almost the original Eugene, but the depressed cat got in there first, also, selfishly, a warlock multiclass would have screwed over his spell slot situation too much)

Between people starting to get flashbacks (flashsidewayses?), logical deductions, and a free trial of information from the Whispered One, we realize IC what's happened and what we'd be going back to, and how to set things back to exactly square one.

Everyone gets... Maybe a little too into the RP at this point. There's a lot of philosophy and metaphysics. There's also a lot of upset when we realize who doesn't survive the original course of fate. We try to figure out if it's possible to put it back the same but just a little different, and realize that someone is here with the power to do so, but the Whispered One is not going to budge unless we give him a secret as payment. Changing fate to save a life (possibly more), would likely require a more costly secret than average. Also, we as players aren't just going to shortchange VECNA. We like being alive (Sure we will piss off the Raven Queen, but that's fine, we'll burn that bridge when we get to it). Also dramatic gestures are more narratively satisfying. Eugene's mental state is a fascinating concoction of self-loathing, existential dread, cunning bastard, hero wannabe, "hey I've known this party longer than anyone except my family and former business partner" + "I will admit I care about people". Some solutions are proposed, the Dragonborn Paladin has a book from her backstory, the Assassin has god secrets...

And Eugene, filled with guilt and distaste for tragedy and fondness for Tasher and a complicated infatuation towards Rothwin and all the trappings of a moral person, realizing for absolute certainty that all that he's become, worked for, and hoped for in this life, MUST be overwritten by someone he can't stand, and knows won't be able to stand him... Suggests that what is more secret than a life that could have been, and never could have been, lived? His own existence could not only amount to something, but actually be preserved in some capacity in the Whispered One's library.

This is immediately, though with some surprise, accepted by the Whispered One. "In all my years and years, I've never had a whole person a secret before..." A portal into a dark room with pinpoints of green light inside opens, and all he has to do is step through, and Rothwin will be given the power to re-cast Wish to bend the world back to the way it was-... While having fixed that which can be fixed. There's a bit of devolving back into Philosophy here, people trying to stop him or suggest simpler secrets, but knowing this might lead anywhere except causing more stress and the risk of him chickening out, Eugene steps through the portal.

Cassie, who had been watching him intently since the deal was proposed, gives the world's smallest "...wait" at the exact moment it's too late. Rothwin is given a green glowing rune, and casts Wish again.

The party wakes up right where they left off before all this happened, with no memory of what transpired. Eugene seems no worse for wear, and has gone back to accidentally persecuting the local introverts. Tasher washes up on the beach where we scattered his ashes, remembering only the other world and feeling a compulsion to seek out the place where we might be going next, and the devil we fought... Is present on the material plane again, somewhere.

So yeah. The man can’t go one timeline without yeeting himself headfirst into shady eldritch nonsense in a bid to find a Third Option. But this time having fixed the problems he created by all the previous times he’s done it. RIP good!Eugene, you were too pure to exist without the universe breaking. This is absolutely going to come back to bite me in the ass and I have no idea how my DM will have it do so.

[amazildoessomethingstupid]

Chapter 102: Escape Route

So… I have a confession to make.  

I actually read this chapter weeks ago, when I had those few missed updates a while ago. And since reading it, I find myself for the first time ever since doing this rant series…lost for words.  

I know! 

And I don’t mean that to say this chapter is confusing, or aggravating, or too good to talk shit about, it’s just…empty. Which is weird, given that on paper there’s some juicy elements to talk about.  In fact, I was initially pretty excited to go into this chapter given that this is the chapter that gave us:

So how the hell can I say there’s nothing to talk about? Well, it’s all in the summary.  The chapter starts with the panel I presented in the beginning, where Lucy establishes that it’s Augustus’ birthday.  There’s a bit of back and forth which is cute, but it’s all just fluff to get us to…

A retcon of that one chapter where Lucy tried to ride the bus with Augustus!  Except instead of being kicked off the bus for bus hopping, she instead gets to stay.  Now that might seem like a semi-interesting concept, but it’s really not and it’s evident in the chapter.  It’s basically just this

Lucy sees the place that Augustus lives in, and what it’s like in the inner city, and a glimpse into his home life. She’s culture shocked, and ends up sleeping over, where she has

THE DREAM

but then we snap back to reality and nothing is really changed.  I’m glossing over a lot here, but the thing is, while reading this chapter I felt oddly underwhelmed.  It felt like I already knew everything that would happen in this chapter.  Which might be chalked up to me being spoiled about the Alejandro dream when this chapter initially came out, but then again I’m no stranger to spoilers.  And in fact, a lot of times spoilers lead to more interest from me, because I want to know how we got to those big moments, and a lot of times there’s things that were missed while everyone was focused on that big moment which is where a lot of my rants get their material from.  A good example of this, being the carnival.

I knew about this line and the implications when it came out, but it didn’t spoil it for me. There were plenty of surprises and criticisms to throw outside of this one boneheaded moment.  There was more than just this one scene to make me perk up and dive into, such as Lacey’s behavior following this confession.  But here?

Outside of the alleyway nightmare sequence, there’s nothing to dig into.  Which baffles me so much I’ve had to sit and stew on what the fuck to even talk about for weeks!  Because there SHOULD be something to talk about here, there’s a new event going on, a return to form of having an alternate take on a previous situation. You’d think, as someone who basically started their artistic comeback doing that exact same thing I’d have more to talk about here, but I’m kinda stumped.  What do I talk about?

Oh, we see that Augustus lives in poverty and has bad parents? Yeah, we already knew that!  

Well okay, we may have known that but maybe this is about showing that Lucy knows that now too, and it’s showing her come to this revelation! Which that might be true, except for the fact that

WE ALREADY KNOW LUCY KNOWS THIS SHIT, WHEN AUGUSTUS TOLD HER!

But what about Alejandro? Maybe this chapter is meant to be a refresher to the audience to remind us that Alejandro’s a threat, except that’s even weaker because his existence as a real threat, was already reestablished THE SAME CHAPTER LUCY CAME BACK IN!  

Any information to be gathered from this chapter is either surface level shit, or just stuff that every reader already knows about.  And what makes this even worse is the fact that THIS WAS A FUCKING REDRAW OF A BCI EXCLUSIVE COMIC!  

So anyone who actually read that, and paid money to see that exclusive storyline was rewarded by having to wait at least TEN FUCKING WEEKS to read the same fucking shit they read before! And yes, I am going to talk about the BCI exclusive, because it made me kind of excited to dive into this chapter knowing that I could double dip, by comparing the BCI exclusive version to the canon version.  And it would’ve been a moral dilemma for me to show you this, because I do respect Taeshi’s private art and not showing what she may not want to show.  And I would feel bad about showing something that people paid money to exclusively see… if it weren’t for the fact that IT IS A COMPLETE PANEL-BY-PANEL CARBON COPY OF THE FUCKING EXCLUSIVE!  I COULD SHOW YOU THE ENTIRE FUCKING BCI COMIC, AND IT WOULDN’T MATTER AT ALL, BECAUSE IF YOU’VE READ THIS CHAPTER YOU’VE ALREADY READ THE FUCKING EXCLUSIVE SO IT DOESN’T EVEN MATTER!  

“But wait!” you might be saying, “That’s not entirely true.  Taeshi redrew the pages, and changed bits of the dialogue!”  And you know what?  You’re right!  She did, let’s talk about that shall we?

These are the only things she changed, just dialogue tweaks.  And you might be thinking, “Okay I see what you mean.  These are all just minor changes, that really don’t deviate in any substantial way to the chapter’s story.” Except… if you pair this with the other thing that wasn’t in the BCI exclusive, it’s quite clear what these little changes really insinuate, and what they mean.  Because, you know what wasn’t in the BCI exclusive?

This scene and yes the entire dream sequence, which I haven’t touched too much on wasn’t in the BCI exclusive.  It was created solely for the canon adaptation and if pair this with the minor dialogue changes I specifically brought up, you’ll see why they’re actually significant..  

First of all, I just need to point this out because I saw it, and now you can’t unsee it either.

Lucy’s going full owl head here.  These guys must be freaks to hit on someone doing the fucking exorcist full neck turn. But don’t let the owl head distract you, bear in mind that those five panels I showed from the BCI was the entire exchange and reaction between Lucy and these creeps.  However, in the canon…

It actually lingers on a bit more, we see the guys’ faces and them leering at Lucy, it has more implications outside of a simple cat-calling (no pun intended).  It’s more focus on Lucy trying to act tough and stifle her fears.  

But this change really shows what the changes are really trying to get at here.  The original line insinuates more than violence, but could mean death.  Whereas the change to “He’d be more than excited to know you came way out here.” Is pretty clear in its implication.  And this implication is indicative of what this chapter is really trying to establish. And the implication is…

THE R-WORD. And no, I don’t mean THAT R-Word you assholes; I mean the R-word that gets brought up whenever you talk about Augustus x Daisy, the R-Word that is tied to Alejandro, the R-Word that is brought up to excuse Lucy’s change in character, the R-Word I refrained from using in the carnival chapter because I don’t want to talk about that...  I’m talking about…

Rape. 

You wanna know what the whole purpose of this chapter is about?  If you break away all the needless information that we already know about Augustus, the only thing to take away from this chapter and its dream within a flashback…is that Lucy was almost raped… it has traumatized her, and she need serious help.   And after realizing that, and the fact that the entire trip is pointless in giving the reader anything new to chew on, I can’t even give a thought to the rest of that dream sequence, as it’s just that Lucy distrusts her friends and feels isolated.  Even if I talk about that, and what interesting things to gather from it there may be, I know it doesn’t matter because it’s a fucking DREAM WITHIN A FLASHBACK!  And if we look at this chapter and break it down to brass tacks, all this chapter tries to accomplish is trying to make us sympathize with Lucy by bringing up the absolute worst fucking thing imaginable.  And it just so happens that this is during after we’ve seen Lucy do some messed up shit to her former friends. Perhaps this chapter is meant to make us feel pity for Lucy, and let that pity excuse the bullshit she’s done.  But pulling out the rape card?  That’s fucking low.  This chapter aside from the rapey bits, is just numbing.  Like I said, everything that this scenario could’ve dived into or revealed were revealed and reinforced already.  And I remember when this chapter was coming out, even us shitposters and loving haters were fucking bored to tears, counting the fucking days for this chapter to end. But I know what some might say,

“You’re being unfair, Lt! Of course you know this stuff, you’re a fanatic!  This is a refresher for everyone, because they may not remember the stuff with Alejandro! They may not be so well versed, and you yourself even complained how there were minor things you forgot about in the canon that needed to be reminded to you!” and you know what?

Ya might be right there, pally.  You might be right, the dedicated fanbase probably could use a refresher on the threat of Alejandro, I mean who’s gonna remember that plot point from all the way back in Volume 1?  Except that like I stated in the beginning of this rant...

THE THREAT OF ALEJANDRO AND THE EFFECT HE HAS ON LUCY AND AUGUSTUS WAS ALREADY RE-ESTABLISHED SEVEN CHAPTERS AGO!  HIS INFLUENCE IS EVER PRESENT WITH AUGUSTUS!

“But that’s seven chapters ago! In real time, that was like a year difference.  You can’t just expect readers to remember that!” Well maybe you’re right, maybe you’re right.  But wait!

AREN’T YOU THE SAME PEOPLE WHO TELL ME AND MANY OTHER READERS THAT THIS COMIC IS MEANT TO BE READ IN BINGE FORM?!  WHERE IT’S CHAPTER BY CHAPTER!   BUT NOW YOU WANNA GIVE A BREAK TO THE ADDICTS WAITING WITH BAITED BREATH DAY ON END FOR AN UPDATE!?  WHAT IS THE FUCKING POINT?!  

 sigh...

In closing… This chapter above all else, and I’m surprised to say this…  Is utterly pointless.  It’s nothing but shock value, meant to reinforce the fucked up part of BCB and these characters.  It gives us nothing new, and it’s a chapter that I feel is just a waste of time.  We already knew the things it brings up, and what we didn’t know, we could easily infer.  Not to mention that its placement before December, muddles the motivation of Lucy’s suicide attempt if not exposes a missed opportunity because it would’ve been a lot more interesting and moving to have Lucy think about her friends outside of Mike before jumping, and we see there that she has that mistrust in them.  But nope, that’s not what we get and this chapter does absolutely nothing except tell the audience, “Hey!  Lucy was almost raped and it’s fucked up!  We didn’t take the time to explore this, and establish her feelings before (even in times after this flashback supposedly takes place) so we’re going to bring it up now!  And it’s a flashback so we can say it was there the entire time!  But in reality, we just didn’t want to dive into it back then, but we’re gonna bring it back in now!”  And hey, why not recycle an entire storyline that you did before and change next to nothing.  Because that’s super creative.  

I give this chapter a hollow 2/10 I’ll give it an extra point because the nightmare sequence was actually well done.  I liked Taeshi’s use of vertical paneling and experimenting with the webcomic style in that way, and it was done very effectively.  However, that doesn’t change that fact that it was nothing but shallow shock value in my eyes.

[rkevent]

MGA SEASON 5: THE GRAND FINALE STARTS NOW!

It’s the start of the end. After nearly two months of airing, the grand finale has finally arrived. At the start, there were 100 hopefuls, and now only 20 of the best contestants remain and fight for the title of winner. Only one group may take on that title and now it is time to see what they have to show us for it. The episode starts live at 9pm sharp and as the audience cheers live, so do the people at home.

“Hello, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the grand finale of the Mnet Global Auditions Season 5!” It’s the assigned MC, Hong Jinwoo, who greets the public and, in return, they all cheer in excitement. “It’s been a long road here, but we got to learn a lot and see a lot during it. Many left us along the way, but they also left their impression in everyone’s hearts at home. Tonight, our 20 finalists will have to give their best and show what they got to be called the very best. Before starting, let us please greet our lovely judges!”

The man points over to the five chairs filled with known faces. With each name he mentions, the judge stands and greets the public around them. “Nova Entertainment’s CEO Hyun Bin! Royal Entertainment’s CEO So Jisub! KT Entertainment’s CEO, Katie Lee! TRC Entertainment’s CEO Tiger JK! And Sphere Entertainment’s CEO, Baek Jiyoung!” Beautiful text appears below their image to introduce themselves to whoever was watching, but these are figures anyone tuned in should already know.

“All of our finalists worked very hard during this week,” the MC continues. “Before they get on the stage, why don’t we show you what they were up to during practice? Check it out!” The man points to the camera and, while the images appear on the big screen on the stage for those watching there, the same scenes show on everyone’s TV screens at home.

It’s the same order people are used to. The building on the screen is that of Sphere Entertainment. Inside, there are only four contestants. It’s only them are the three coaches and… cupcakes. “It’s Jinwook’s birthday!” Jinki says as they each grab a cupcake for themselves and when the camera zooms on the birthday boy, candles fly around his head. But there isn’t much time for commemoration. Instead of jumping into an impromptu ‘Happy Birthday to You’ performance, KAND DANIEL decides to start things off. “Can I say something?” He asks, and his teammates allow him to.

“It’s about last round, and what the judges said.” A quick flashback shows their previous performance and a few of Tiger JK’s words to them. “We believed yours took a step away from what is normally thought of when people think of Sphere. You didn’t give us much more than what already came with the song.” The CEO says before it returns to the practice room. “Truthfully, I agreed with everything they said, and I worried about it all before performance day, too. I should’ve spoken up about it before, so I wanted to apologize for that.” DANIEL continues with a cupcake in hand. “It was my direction that put my trio team in danger and sent my teammate home, and I didn’t want that to be the case again. I want to do better this time!”

“I know I mentioned it last week, but what about a mashup?” His crowd doesn’t look too appeased, but the boy continues on. “Hear me out, okay! We can choose two songs with easier dances because I think everyone but WOOJIN will struggle learning two dances.” Jinwook cuts him off. “There’s something I’ve been working on, actually. We can use that so we already have a head start and don’t have to dedicate so much time to it if everyone wants?” With a newly found light, people finally seem to agree. “Yeah! That would be really cool!” DANIEL says. “It fits the Sphere concept if it was a Sphere idol that made it, right?”

From his corner, WOOJIN shoots them a question. “What are we going to do about choreography?” After a small pause, DANIEL suggests something. “It would be cool if we could include elements of choreography from the other dances too.” The dancer doesn’t look too convinced by his words. “Maybe, if you can learn the dances fast enough.” On the other side, JUHO speaks up. “DANIEL, we can learn the choreography together once WOOJIN has sorted out the parts. It might help things move faster if we can both help each other during the process.” With everything decided, the team gets to work.

While the team gets to work on sorting parts, WOOJIN steps off to learn the choreographies, as he had done in the weeks before. The rest of the team joins him later on and they all dance along to different songs, but the mashup itself is saved to be played only on their grand stage.

“To show what they prepared,” the MC appears on the stage and the quiet silence from the practice room changes into the cheering of the live audience, “please welcome our Team Hollywood!” The first four finalists make their way to the stage: KANG DANIEL, MIYAWAKI SAKURA, BAEK JUHO, and PARK WOOJIN. They stand there for a moment wearing brightly colored sunglasses. The stage is properly decorated with tropical vibes including blow-up palm trees.

They take off their glasses and put them in their pockets before the instrumental starts to play. It’s WOOJIN who starts singing the first lyrics, followed by DANIEL. With a mashup, it also allowed for him to intercalate his lines while JUHO sings the one from a different song. It’s SAKURA who comes in next to introduce yet another song, all tied in together. While he had already sung before, DANIEL also raps along with SAKURA. WOOJIN takes over the final dancer center and then the other members slowly sing the last few lines from DANIEL to JUHO, and then SAKURA. They hold their pose for a moment before reaching for their sunglasses, then putting them all back on in unison, turning and strutting back stage.

The camera moves into Nova’s practice room as the coaches are about to give their feedback following the last episode’s results. Sunmi is the first to talk as she scribbles on her notepad.“Okay, so not only where you guys clocked for the ambitious choreography it was also subpar of expectations. now not only do we need to meet expectations but we have to exceed them.” And despite ranking fifth last episode, instead of looking gloomy, the group seems determined to show they could be more impactful and do much better during the finals. After some time brainstorming, they decide to go with an angel and demon concept for their Nova performance. They settle for a remade version of Paradise Lost mixed with B.A.P’s 1004 hoping to highlight their strengths and choose to add an intro to develop a story. While it looks challenging to find a good way to make it all work, they can count with the coaches’ insights and experience. Sunmi helps with the skit and suggests choreography aspects, Sungyeol provides extra ideas for stage setups and effect and Seungwan mixes the song with her own flair to make it stand out.

During one of the practice sessions of 1004, YEWON pulls KENTA aside and apologizes to him. “I’m sorry too, that we didn’t do well. I don’t think there’s much we could’ve done better except gone for a different song, but… still. And I can understand why you were frustrated with me last week, but I hope you’ve changed your mind since!” He says. “I’m glad you get to have a bigger role in both of our songs. You’re too talented not to shine as much as you can on our last stage.” With this, they return to practice and the honest conversation proves to be a good remedy to improve their teamwork. With only two vocalists now, Seungwan continues sharing her expertise with JACKSON and KENTA, giving exercises and tips. “When practicing high notes, remember to use sounds that go outward. Ah!” She demonstrates as she gestures for them to repeat after her. "You may laugh, but that’s actually a good sound to make.” She smiles. “You can practice by being angry with me. I’m a big girl. I can handle it.” After some sessions, KENTA seems to project his voice better.

The contestants continue to receive the coaches' advice through the week and CHANGBIN approaches Seungwan to revise the lyrics he wrote. After studying it for a second, the coach informs she's going to consult some friends. It’s And*roma’s CHAEYOUNG who answers the phone and tells the boy to go over the rap so she could hear it, giving positive feedback to him. On the other hand, coach Sunmi doesn’t seem happy with their song choices when she returns to check their progress. “I’ve looked over everything and was filled in on your ideas and reasons behind them but I just wanted to let you guys know I feel like your first choice for Nova isn’t really a Nova song at all.” She says, but it seems too late to make drastic changes.  Although disagreeing with their choices, the coach still helps to choreograph the dance opening, making good use of the skillsets of the members so that the dance wasn’t too difficult and more creative.

An ominous instrumental starts and YEWON, KENTA and CHANGBIN are seen kneeling on stage with bibles open in their hands. They mouth something as if they were reciting hymns and keep a blank expression on their faces. Is JACKSON who appears behind them with a sinister look on his face and takes off his cloak before their song starts. KENTA also throws his cloak and Bible off to the side and reveals his all-black outfit before he gets center-stage and does a solo dance that looked like he was playing piano, the expression still strong. The other two left behind throw aside their Bibles and cloaks, then get into formation and JACKSON sings the first verse. KENTA shows his vocals and the group manages to keep up with the choreography. CHANGBIN opens the rap portion following the chorus, letting YEWON shine with her powerful rap before returning to showing what he was known for. JACKSON’s high notes create more impact when they sing the chorus again and church bells can be heard, the red fog becoming red as they transition to another song. The instrumentals give off a different vibe as YEWON dances. The whole stage lights up as KENTA sings and they lift the girl up. Another dance break is performed by the dancers, followed by rap and then high notes in the background. Toward the end, CHANGBIN and KENTA take off their black tops and reveal white clothes underneath. The instrumental ends the performance and fades out beautifully.

The camera zooms and the scene changes to the designated practice room inside TRC. With only four of them now, their spirits seem shaken as they gather for the first time to talk about their plans for the final. “Well, I was disappointed of course.” LEE CHAERYEONG says during her interview when asked about the results last week. “It hurt a bit. Is it bad that I took the words the judges said personally?” KANG HYUNGGU admits. However, the group looks determined to show a better side of themselves to the public and discuss different ideas they would like to incorporate into the performance. Coach Jinsoul points out they should keep their strengths in mind as they share their thoughts, and CHOI MINHO presents a rough copy of a mashup he’d had before to the others. There are disagreements about whether they should do it or not, but in the end, they agree with a mashup for TRC stage. Once again, they decide to join forces and work on the choreography together.  Another clip of HYUNGGU’s interview appears again. “We’ll prove to you that we’re not boring this week, judges.” The boy says with a serious expression.

Even when there’s visible progress, it’s Doyeon who notices something different in MINHO and approaches him later. The boy opens up about the loss of contestants that became friends and his current situation. “I know people are tired of hearing about it, yeah? That I’ve been on the show before… but it’s different this time. The pressure’s different. The stages are different. The people— I didn’t lose this many friends last time. Seeing ‘em get eliminated, it’s…” He tells her and the coach gives her piece of advice before joining the other coaches again and letting the male focus on practice. The coaches continue to give them some pointers through the day, especially on singing and stage presence. "Doyeon and Jinsoul did their best to guide our singing. They checked on us, kept our spirits up, but made sure to give us constructive criticism. The three of our coaches were so supportive and I think everyone needs that. Being on the MGAs or not.” MINHO tells the interviewer. HWANG YEJI is the next to share her thoughts on them. “Jinsoul was really very helpful and motivating when it came to my singing? She gave me such good advice and upped my confidence a lot. Doyeon was also very nice and helpful, she’s also so pretty, i’m shocked. Then SANA as well, I am really grateful to all their advice these two weeks.”

More scenes of their practice time are highlighted, showing them tweaking and making adjustments for the choreography and lyrics. On Sunday, YEJI storms out of the practice room without explanation and surprisingly returns with food for everyone. “Is anyone hungry?” She asks and the team shares Korean BBQ to get some energy for the next round of practice. CHAERYEONG appears practicing her facial expressions after getting a few tips from the coaches. HYUNGGU brings another round of energy drinks and snacks as they discuss how to make the performance stand out, throwing more ideas for the stage and team name. “Lucifer,” HYUNGGU suggests once the concept of angels vs. demons comes up, but they settle with Sirius. "I think our creativity is overflowing this week and you’ll want more. I think we’ll get another episode then?” MINHO says shares in the middle of the week. “I personally think it looks promising. The song choices are more ambitious and interesting and their ideas are definitely bolder than what they prepared last week, so it has potential to impress the audience and the judges.” Doyeon gives her opinion. On the other hand, Jinsoul shares her concerns. “Honestly, I was worried about the song choice. There aren’t so many singers in our team, and since we had Nova as our other concept well… you know how their dancers are, but MINHO has a great tone when he’s singing, and they put together really interesting performances with a theme and a storyline and everything, so I think it’ll be good.”

The video comes to an end and the audience warmly welcomes the following group with louder cheers as they make their way to the stage. The girls are wearing elegant flowy white shirts and angel wings while the boys show a different side with their black and red suits, a glimpse of the concept they chose for the stage. “Shining bright!” HYUNGGU calls out and they all shout “We are Sirius!” in unison. After they’re done with introductions, they move to take their places. The lights dim and the stage is completely black, building the expectation for what’s coming.

When the beat starts playing, spotlights reveal the four sitting on contrasting sides of the stage in thrones. The left side is more ethereal while the right one shows the opposite vibe. White feathers trail behind the girls as they stand to walk to the center and black ones are left on the ground where the boy once was. When they meet center-stage, pyrotechnics are added and YEJI starts the song with clear vocals. As they dance and sing, the group also tells a story of demons trying to make the angels fall for them, a constant push and pull. HYUNGGU steps forward during his part, along with MINHO, as they offer roses to the girls, but they toss them aside. They showcase a self-choreographed routine and CHAERYEONG continues to prove she’s also a talented rapper. Who surprises is MINHO, singing the verse and showing a set of moves from MYNAME’s Paradise. The feathers, the red apple, the interactions, and facial expressions support the story they’re telling as the song progresses. YEJI sings the chorus and HYUNGGU is responsible for the adlibs, flames flaring up with each mention of fire and creating an intense atmosphere on stage. MINHO returns with a rap portion. Leading to the end of the performance, HYUNGGU sings and the boys reveal their intentions and replace the flower crowns the girls had for one with black roses. It’s MINHO who’s in charge of the last line.

Another company appears on the screen, this time it is KT. The four contestants sit together in the room and YUKHEI hands each girl a cup of coffee. The mood is clearly more subdued this time as things all turn towards the end. At least they appear focused on the mission and choose a song quickly. They’ll follow the story they started the previous week. SIA suggests the storyline and the rest help add onto it. NAKYUNG gives the idea of making the stage look like a secret hideout, YUKHEI adds the idea of using a couch and YURI of decorating the area with chain-link fences.

They still struggle a bit with some other sorts of details. A team name doesn’t come as easily so they decide to call for some help. The screen shows scenes of Eclipse of the KTWorld Concert, and the text below it says that the idol coaches couldn’t stop for help due to their schedules. Back in the practice room, the contestants are all crowded around SIA as she holds onto her phone in front of her face. They all sport their best begging faces and puppy eyes. On the other side of the line comes the voice of Minji who is illustrated by a picture of herself on the bottom of the screen.

As a savior, the idol suggests ‘Black Widow’ as the name for their group, and they all appear to agree with it. They all say their goodbyes and it shows the end of the day. On the morning after, YURI gets there the earliest. She has a number of cupcakes in front of her as well as some coffee orders beside her. SIA arrives after her, and YURI shouts out. “Happy birthday, SIA-unnie! I hope you enjoy it— I made the cupcakes fresh and frosted it, piped everything myself. But it was worth it for you!” The birthday girl looks surprised. “I- I didn’t realize you knew it was my birthday,” she admits. “You’re too good to me, you know that, YURI?” They hug each other before the screen changes back to the stage.

“And now,” the MC says, “let’s welcome our KT group, Black Widow!” The four make their way to the center before doing their group greeting. NAKYUNG is the one to start it. “When cupid fails, we are-” and then all the girls point their hands as finger guns at YUKHEI and he puts his hands up in a surrender pose “Black Widow.” Once they’re done with their individual introductions, they move over to their starting positions. Before any song can start, the stage goes dark.

A clip of their performance last week plays on the screen behind them showing all five of the original members. When the song dies off, JIEQIONG’s voice, the contestant eliminated last week, says “The story isn’t over.” From then, their song of the week starts to play. YURI starts by vocalizing over the instrumental, followed by a few lines from YUKHEI. SIA is the one who takes the actual first verse. The dance is a bit demanding to those not exactly trained in dancing, but they keep up. When it gets to the bridge, they repeat the same movement from their introduction, but this time with YURI singing in the middle. Before the song can pick back up again, NAKYUNG comes out with the highlighted short rap. They all turn their backs in the end and walk away.

The final place appears on the screen: Royal Entertainment. The last four finalists are sitting together trying to come up with ideas when the door opens and their coach, Cheri, appears with an ice cream cake in her hands. SUWOONG hurries over to help her with a smile. The smile quickly disappears when the cake tips over and falls to the ground. KYUNGSOO stretches his arms but stands too far to reach, HEEJIN and YOUNGJAE freeze in shock. Suddenly, Ella and Wonwoo walk in with a new cake and the contestants sport a new expression of shock.

They dig into their second cake, commemorating their win from the previous week. Despite the delicious lunch, the finalists are soon put to the test. To prepare themselves for their performance, Ella insists that they must practice their squats. Cheri instead suggests they should harmonize while doing squats to make sure they’ll be completely prepared when on the stage. The four proceed to do as they’re told, sweating while trying to sing. Once they’re done, SUWOONG throws himself on the ground. “Coach Ella just wants to see us suffer, doesn’t she?”

However, on the following day, SUWOONG is the one dragging KYUNGSOO behind the door on a sprint. “Quick, hide! I think that’s Cheri’s footsteps… shh!” They wait quietly, but the one who walks in is HEEJIN. He quickly recruits the girl to join them and soon there are three people trying to hide behind a door. “We’re going to get them back,” SUWOONG says “You do know you’re not exactly quiet, even when you try to be, right?” HEEJIN says, but they continue with the plan. When the door opens again, they shout a loud “Boo!” The one coming in is YOUNGJAE, who lets out a loud shriek while retreating to a corner of the room. “Don’t do that!” He whines while hitting SUWOONG’s chest. Soon, the boy is recruited as well, and the four of them wait for their coaches to arrive.

When the door opens again, they all shout once more. Both Ella and Cheri squeak. SUWOONG is laughing away while KYUNGSOO and YOUNGJAE walk over to check if the two are doing well. They apologize constantly afterward and then get back to practice. They are shown back doing squats, and maybe they feel some regret from pranking the coaches back. With this, the show is back live on the stage. The MC smiles at the camera before speaking. “Representing Royal, welcome the Royal Flush!” The contestants walk over to the center and start to introduce themselves. “We are Royal Flush!” They greet before bowing with unison. They introduce themselves individually before getting into their positions.

They’re either seated or lying down. The stage is decorated with beautiful flower sets and the camera zooms in on those before the song starts. KYUNGSOO is the first to sing, followed by SUWOONG. They go over their squat choreography as they had so intensely practiced before YOUNGJAE takes it away with their lines. HEEJIN is the one who delivers the high note, as expected from the chosen best singer on the early episodes. They all shout together and confetti shoots out from above them. With their final pose, the confetti continues to fall as if they were white petals, ending their stage.

It takes a few moments with them standing on their place before the camera moves to someone else, the MC. “Weren’t those some great performances?” The crowd cheers loudly. “Which one was your favorite?” They all shout different names, but it’s tough to point anything out with 3000 people present. “Well, but that wasn’t the end quite yet! Today, to make this finale special, the groups prepared two performances, each with a different concept. Would you like to know which ones they were assigned?” The audience replies with a loud ‘yes!’ and the man chuckles. “We’ll gladly show you… after the commercials! Don’t change your channel we’ll be right back!”

[bluephoenixdruidicprincess]

Taylor Swift Lover Reaction

The day's here. Taylor Swift released her new album Lover, so I'm going to talk about it. I've been super hyped for this album ever since Me! was released and I was excited to see what Taylor was going to do after Reputation. It definitely looked that after the darker tone of Reputation, we were going to get more of a lighter tone for the TS7 era.

How I'm going to do this, with each song, I'm just going to give some thoughts I have on it. Some songs, I have more to say and others, I have less to say.

1. I Forgot That You Existed

It's an interesting song to start the album with. The first part of the journey into the Lover era is moving away from the toxicity you've experienced which makes sense, once you move away from the hate, you can begin to love. Interesting to see where it'll lead. And I totally feel Taylor on this. It really is a magical moment when you've been bothered by someone so much but then bam! a moment hits and you realize you don't care about them anymore. It really is kind of freeing.

2. Cruel Summer

Hello, Speak Now days! How I've missed you! I've never really complained about Taylor's change in genre, I really liked both 1989 and Reputation but I still do carry a flame for Speak Now when she had that mix of country, rock, and pop and I'll always miss those days. So to hear the style come back a little bit in the form of the wide, all-encompassing bombastic sound this song had, well, it was a real treat for sure.

3. Lover

A song I'm familiar with. This was released early as a single so it's gotten some radio play. It's a cute song and I love the slightest echo she puts on her voice in post production to create the sound. It really gives something to the overall vibe of the song. With all that said, Lover is not a song I'm too terribly "in love with", pardon the pun. I don't mind it, I think it's cute and I'll sing along with it on the radio, but it's not something I'll go out of my way to listen to. It's actually kind of interesting that I feel this way for the titular track on this album because I felt the same way for the titular track on Speak Now. But it's not a slight on either of the albums. The songs may not be the best imo, but the themes they represent over the course of their albums is why they're titled that way so I completely understand why they were used. So maybe Taylor is using a lot of inspiration when writing the Lover album that came from the Speak Now era.

4. The Man

We got a fast-paced song here that's super catchy. I like it.

5. The Archer

It's track 5. The fabled Track 5. If you're familiar with Taylor Swift and how she sets up her albums, you know track 5 is usually reserved for an emotional, hard-hitting track. So Reputation had Delicate, Red has All Too Well, Speak Now has Dear John, Fearless has White Horse, and the self-titled first album has Cold As You...all are just gut-wrenching emotional. I did leave out 1989 because for me, that one seems more like it was an exception to the rule but maybe there are folks out there who thought All You Had To Do Was Stay was gut-wrenching.

Everytime I listen to The Archer, it chokes me up. As much as I hate it because I want Taylor to be happy, she does heartbreak real well and she knows how to bring out those emotions with her writing in the best ways. There's just something so bittersweet and defeated in the overall vibe of The Archer and it's heart-breaking.

6. I Think He Knows

Such a retro but also very modern sound and also the perfect song you need coming out of The Archer. It's fun and upbeat and cute.

7. Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince

I don't even know how to describe this song and my feelings for it, it was that good definitely on par with my love with Getaway Car from the Reputation era. I really like it, I'm definitely going to listen to it again, and the metaphor used for this song was implemented perfectly.

8. Paper Rings

Another fun, cute song that I'm going to have fun singing and dancing along with as I listen to the album over again.

9. Cornelia Street

I think this might be my favorite song of the album. It was just a perfect mix of the new Taylor sound with the old Taylor writing style.

10. Death by a Thousand Cuts

Definitely not my favorite on the album and certainly Cornelia Street was in no danger of being replaced. This song isn't bad, it's a song that's just kind of there, but if it wasn't, I probably wouldn't miss it. It doesn't really illicit any kind of emotion in me.

11. London Boy

Taylor is just on a roll in this album with her quirky, happy, upbeat kind of songs. I feel like she was really try to perk us up after The Archer. But I'll definitely listen to London Boy again.

12. Soon You'll Get Better (feat. Dixie Chicks)

Of course, since I made a comment about how fun and quirky the songs have been since The Archer, that means Taylor has to bring us back down to another heavy-hitter, and it's featuring the Dixie Chicks so I expected nothing less than a soul-crushing track. This song is hard to sit through with dry eyes. The hopelessness of the situation Taylor is lamenting about but still clinging onto hope because that's all you have is really truly gut-wrenching and I can see myself listening to this song over and over again and crying each time.

13. False God

For a song that made a few references to NYC, I kept on getting hardcore New Orleans vibes from the instrumentals in this song. Maybe that was a part of the metaphor as this song is about a relationship that is out of flux, not quite matching up with the ideal so the instrumentals having the same vibe makes sense. But even if that wasn't intentional, who cares. That's my interpretation and I'm going with it.

14. You Need To Calm Down

Another song I'm very familiar with, another single. It's a fun, summery kind of song despite all the controversy it had. I had a lot of fun laughing at the irony of the situation within the controversy as I'm sure Taylor did as well -- the song is about not putting all of your energy into something you hate and that's exactly what the Taylor haters did when this song was released, thereby proving Taylor's point and it was hilarious for me to watch unfold.

15. Afterglow

Still not quite on the level as Cornelia Street but I can see this one definitely making it into my Top 5 for this album. I know this song is going to be in my head for a while.

Speaking of songs that get stuck in your head, we've finally gotten there, let's jam to Me!.

16. Me! (Feat Brendon Urie)

The first single released and I love this song, I know the lyrics by heart. I was super obsessed with it when the single released. And spoiler alert: it definitely will make it into my Top 5 for this album. But I am sad Taylor went back into the recording and took out the "spelling is fun" part of the audio. I don't appreciate the censorship, I'm just saying. The "spelling is fun" line was cute and was a really nice segway into -- girl, there ain't no "I" in team, but you know there is a ME, you can't spell "awesome" without ME. It fit perfectly with that verse and anyone who hated it or thought it was cringy simply has no taste...that's right, if you don't like the things I like, you have no taste😛.

But Taylor and Brendon was just the perfect combination of artists I didn't know I wanted a collab with until I got it. They both are just so weird and dramatic in their own ways and it really shined through in this song. I hope we get more collabs from them in the future.

17. It's Nice To Have A Friend

I love the instrumentals and harmonizing going on in the background of this song. It was actually really hard to pay attention to the lyrics because I kept on getting distracted with the cool sounds going on in the background.

18. Daylight

What a great song to end this album on. The entire album has been exploring the theme of Love and all the different facets and shades it comes in and it all culminates into Taylor reminiscing through this song the trials and tribulations she's been through and how now she can see everything clearly because she's finally found the daylight. It's just a great way to end the album. And there's a little message at the end of the song where Taylor is speaking, "I want to be defined by the things I love, not the things I hate...you are what you love." And that's such a great message to send. Too often, we all get caught up in negativity and the things we hate when we should be putting all of our energy into things we love. And it kind of takes you full circle to the first track which was I Forgot You Existed where Taylor was making the decision to move on, to end the hate, and just be apathetic towards that person. It was such a great way to end the album.

So overall thoughts in the album? This is definitely something I'm going to have to listen to a few times to really have any definite feelings on. I mean, we're talking 18 tracks here, this was a huge album and this wasn't even the deluxe version. When I get my hands on the deluxe version, we'll see what that one has. So yeah, there is a lot of material to sift through on this album. But I guess premature thoughts? It's a cute album. I don't know if it's my favorite. Speak Now probably still holds that title but this album is definitely enjoyable to listen to particularly if you do like Taylor Swift. If you were a hardcore fan of Taylor's older stuff and you weren't really feeling the genre change, have no fear, you might like this album. It still has that very modernized pop sound but there are definitely elements of her country roots here that you'll probably enjoy. Ultimately, this album, soundwise, is a real nice amalgamation of all of Taylor Swift's different sounds just like lyrically, this album is the culmination of everything she's learned and grown through over the course of her previous albums. This album is really aptly named and I'm so glad to see Taylor release this kind of album. She feels things so much, whether she's happy or sad, and music is her outlet. She really is a Lover who wants to share that with the world and I think we're incredibly lucky to have her.

So my Top 5 currently for this album is as follows.

5. Afterglow

4. Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince

3. The Archer

2. Me!

Was there any question what my favorite track on this album was going to be?

1. Cornelia Street

Awesome job, Taylor! As per usual, you never disappoint. Another fantastic album.

[eurosong]

Undo my ESC - 2019, SF1

Hello there, folks, and welcome to the first part of Undo my ESC, where I take a look at the field this year and, for each country, make a feasible change – as small as, for example, minor tinkerings with the staging, or as big as a different song completely winning a national final. It’s all light-hearted and just my opinion, of course. Allons-y... Cyprus: We start off completely in the deep end. I loathe “Fuego”, and this repackaged Fue2.0 is no better and is indeed perhaps worse to me given that I hate desperate attempts to catch lightning in the same jar. I also find Tamta a very unsympathetic character. I don’t know what I’d do to improve this, other than replace the internal selection with a national final with some songs actually in Greek and with local character. Montenegro: Things do not improve... but at least the solution is easier! Montenegro had a decent national final in which literally any other song would have been a better choice. I particularly liked “Nevinost”, and so did the unfortunately out-voted expert jury, so would be tempted to give D mol’s ticket to Tel Aviv to its artist, Ivana Popović, instead. I do find D mol to be sweet kids though, so the other part of me would be sad to rob them of their time in the limelight and would instead have taken the 90s throwback and bizarre random background sound elements out of their song, replaced the score with one that emphasised the traditional musical elements, and kept the lyrics in Montenegrin.

Finland: Three strikes and I am almost out. I really struggle with the new UMK format – I understand the logic behind it, just as I did when it was a thing in the UK in the early 90s, but I think it only really works if an artist has a wide-ranging repertoire. If not, then you end up with 3 samey songs that only appeal to people who like the music styles that artist makes. I’m not an EDM fan and I would have taken the relative flop of Saara Aalto last year as indication to return to a multi-artist UMK. Plenty of artists from previous years who could be worth a spot in one such.

Poland: I was disappointed by the disappearance of Poland’s national final, but I can’t say I was too surprised after a few underperforming years. I have to commend the Polish broadcasters for going for something popular within their own country, without being overly preöccupied as to how it would play outwith their borders. Pali się is one of those entries that I don’t like much but which I respect. My changes would be to remove the pointless English intro and outro, which, if one were not paying attention, one might not notice actually being in English. I’d also try to make the song a little less linear, as the song feels mostly confined to one pace.

Slovenia: Finally, we come to a country where I can change next to nothing. Many people I know were disappointed that “Kaos” was not elected as the Slovenes’ song. Whilst I found it an earworm, I really didn’t like her haughty, “I’m only in EMA to promote my new disc” attitude – and I really preferred the delectable, contemplative and intimate “Sebi.” It’s pure elegance in simplicity, and I wouldn’t need to change a thing.

Czechia: I appreciate the Czechs’ creätive way of bypassing the expenses of a traditional national final – whilst still giving fans a choice – by holding their selection online. Really cute this year was the way they tried to equalise differences in funding by making the candidates’ official video be a low-budget affair filmed in their flats. I liked quite a few songs of their selection, with the eventual winner, “Friend of a friend”, middle of my rankings. I would, of course, opt for my #1 of the NF to win instead, the delightful slice of “Bohemiana del Rey” style that was “True Colours.”

Hungary: Hungary’s A Dal has the cachet to attract a number of returning artists, so it was not surprising that, eventually, it would be won by someone who’d triumphed before – and I’m delighted it was Joci Papái, one of the biggest revelations of the Hungarian NFs for me. Yet, as is often the case with folk coming back to take a second bite of the cherry, the sophomore effort comes short of the first – “Az én apám” is lovely, touching, but lacks the bite and edge that “Origo” had. I might have JP come second and hopefully return for a second victory in 2020/1 with something a bit stronger, and send in his place the soaring but melancholic “Madár, repülj”.

Belarus: Life is too short to do some things, and whilst I try to listen to pretty much every national final song, one of the things life is too short for is intensively following the Belarusian national finals with their hundred-odd auditions. I saw a few, though, and they were a rum lot. Musically, Aura’s touching “Čaravala” was probably the best of those I heard – but was also strangely won over by the unpretentious, fun ode to tubers that was “Potato, aka Buľba” and depending on my mood, I might give it the nod either.

Serbia: Beovizija had a great lineüp yet again, and there were a number of songs I would have been happy to have gotten the win, including the eventual winner, but also those of Saška Janks, Extra Nena and Ivana Vladović. The latter’s beautiful “Moja bol”, with strings to die for, was my favourite on the night, but in retrospect, I’m not sure I’d replace the equally stunning “Kruna.” I’d be tempted to send it in its acoustic version though, where Nevena’s lovely voice stands out even better.

Belgium: Ô, Belgium. I adored “City Lights”, and so my expectations were really high. This is nice enough, but a bit beige, and doesn’t quite deliver, especially the way the enjoyably tense verses lead to an anticlimactically limp chorus. I’d change that with something that actually feels like a pay off to the verses and the Walloons would have a better shot of shining again.

Georgia: I have to say that, once again, I find myself being one of the few people I know who has some love for Georgia. Whilst it wasn’t truly my cup of tea, I appreciated and enjoyed Iriao’s song last year on some level, and the same is true of Oto’s – he has a powerful voice and it’s a strong, if rather unsettling song. I think, though, that I prefer the darkly ethereal Sevdisperi zgva, which sounds like what I imagine would result if Björk were tasked to write a Bond tune.

Australia: After a few years of rumours, Oz finally jumped on the national final train, and, credit where it is due, it was one of the most intriguing national finals of the year. It was as if SBS had decided to atone for its aggressively MOR pop picks of previous years by actually showcasing some musical diversity. Unlike a lot of folk, I don’t dislike “Zero gravity” – it has a meaningful lyrical background and some quirky charm. But there’s no question about whether I would replace it and with what. I still get chills every time I listen to “2000 and Whatever” – the sheer, irrepressible burst of positive energy and the power of its “kulila miranyi” still give me goosebumps. Damn straight one of the best song of the entire year.

Iceland: Given the amount of hype Hatari have received – and how fans flooded videos of its competitors with comments about how they shouldn’t “fuck up” by picking them instead – I may be one of the very few who would change the result there. Yet, I almost definitely would, even though I typically like lesser-heard genres at Eurovision and like the heavier, industrial musical style. And yet, I find this quite trying. It seems like a very knowing, art school student pastiche and I’m not here for their “above the contest” feel or the BDSM gimmickry. I’d be tempted to replace this with the low-key but lovely “Hvað ef ég get ekki elskað”, or to at least pare back the OTT disdainful irony.

Estonia: It feels almost like another era when I was a firm exponent of the idea of Eesti being Beesti. Three years of immense disappointments will quench that type of fire. Whilst leaving behind the stunning Spirit Animal in 2017 and opting for a generic poperatic vocal exercise in 2018 were excruciating, this might be the biggest let down yet – a land of so many talented musicians having to rely on an Avicii pastiche sang with no small difficulty by a reedy-voiced Swede. I found Eesti Laul very slim pickings this year, and found the other two frontrunners to be rather bland too – even the delightful Sandra Nurmsalu came with a tune that, whilst pleasant, sounded less nomadic epic and more toilet tissue commercial backing track. I would have gone for Kadiah’s delicate “Believe” as my pick instead.

Portugal: FdC was once again one of the best national finals, and the one for whose result I was perhaps most anxious. There were a few songs I really liked, like “Pugna”, “Mais brilhante...” and “Inércia”, but when the dust settled, there was only one song I wanted to see winning – “Telemóveis,” of course, which I was delighted to see prevail. I have some real worries about the bizarre staging distracting from the message and emotional power of the song, though. There’s so much going on, and it might be enough to push people from being entranced to being weirded out. I’d get rid of the spoons, sort out the clothes and try to make things impressive without being so extra.

Greece: I actually really like Greece this year, even if I’m still pissed off at what they did to “Don’t forget the sun” in their dubiously axed national final last year. Her voice is beautiful, the music is uplifting and anthemic, the æsthetic is curious and a bit culty, but at least memorable. The one thing I don’t like? The lyrics, which sound like a bunch of motivational Instagram quote clichés loosely knitted together. Sing something actually meaningful, preferably in Greek.

San Marino: Lord, I’m not going to start because if I do, I shan’t stop. All I’ll say is that San Marino’s “troll nation” status is wearing thin for me. Unbelievably, hundreds of talented people came out in numbers last year willing to represent them, and yet they went with a song written supposedly in 5 minutes but probably in half that. I’d have invited Sara de Blue back instead to make up for the bizarre fiasco that was last year’s 1in360. And the automatic qualifiers:

France: If France’s national delegation aren’t rethinking their voting system after this year, then they ought to be. It’s the opposite of Sweden, where the juries really have the power and the televote is scattered – all you need is a frenzied following to overturn a low jury placement. I liked a great number of Destination Eurovision’s selection this year. I would have taken pretty much ány single one of them over the snivelling, bombastic, self-aggrandising drivel that is Roi. With regards to what to send in its place, I’m torn between the powerful “Là haut”; the adorably, quintessentially French “Allez leur dire”; or the energetic, indefatigable earworm that was “On cherche encore”.

Israel: Boy howdy, Israel sure want to do their level best to avoid fluking a 1979 and winning on home ground, eh? I heard there were many big names who sent songs in, though I’m unsure if any of them would have helped to make the stormy Kobi seem more sympathetic. I think I would have opted to let Ketreyah perform for the hosts instead.

Spain: After a great national final last year, I was really disappointed with the subpar quality of the so-called eurotemazos which were anything but. Miki’s song was the best of a bad lot and at least he didn’t have the hideously negative attitude some of the other people, who seemed surprised and aghast that the winner of a contest related to Eurovision could end up performing there. I’d try to give Miki a song that matched his energy with at least a bit more lyrical depth.

Join me in some days when I evaluate what I would change with SF2!

[fallen-gabrielle]

The MLP comics are fine (and so is the extended universe)

I will talk about the comics and the extended lore the rest of the medias provide us with more world building. For those who haven’t read the comics, there will be major spoilers, so read at your own risks. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!

Of course, there are Bronies who still consider the comics as non canon. Just like there are Bronies who consider the Equestria Girls as non canon. And same thing with the chapter books.

Others call all that the “extended universe”.

Me? I like Equestria Girls, I like the comics, and the chapter books too. OF COURSE THERE ARE INCONSISTENCIES (< that’s the main reason people don’t like the comics/chapter books/etc, which I think is stupid), the authors don’t have the time to check everything with the show, but they do their best (and especially vice-versa). The show writers don’t follow the comics (and the rest...) because they simply don’t have the time. The comic writers make sometimes references or even sequel to some episodes because they watch the show (show writers don’t read comics and chapter books).

So I consider the “extanded universe” as canon. I don’t care about plot holes, DC comics and Marvel comics have lots of those, and a ton of alternate universes too (reboots, earth-two shenanigans, etc). So why being so hard on the MLP comics ? I really don’t get it. If the reason the comics crush people’s headcanons, I’m sorry, but that’s a lame excuse.

I can understand that the whole “I can’t keep up with all of that” thing, but using it as an excuse for hating the comics (and others medias) is kinda dumb.

And because Hasbro said  “anything that is said in the cartoon, it is primairy canon above any others medias“ is the source of many arguments inside the fandom. That and if they use comic books characters in the show and no one read the thing before, viewers would be confused by what’s going on.

I still think the MLP lore is well developped with the addition of the comics.

Let’s make a recap for what we have in the MLP medias (except the toy line):

The show;

The comics;

The chapter books;

Equestria Girls franchise.

Now, let’s see what kind of comics we have :

The main serie (Friendship is Magic, ongoing)

The Micro serie (10 issues)

Friends Forever (38 issues, replaced Micro Serie)

FIENDship is Magic (5 issues, released at the same time of Friends Forever in April 2015)

Legends of Magic (12 issues, replaced Friends Forever)

Ponyville Mysteries, “sequel” to the eponymous chapter book serie (5 issues, replaced Legends of Magic)

Nightmare Knights (5 issues, replaced Ponyville Mysteries)

The movie prequel (4 issues, released before the movie)

Annuals (somehow ongoing, you may never know *shrugs*).

Now, the list of the chapter books :

The “main serie”, featuring one character;

The Equestria Girls ones (even tho most of them are just book version of the EG movies and specials);

The Princess Collection;

Ponyville Mysteries;

Beyond Equestria, books that features one of the main characters with characters from the Movie.

Yup, that’s a lot.

With all of this, it is certain that the lore of Friendship is Magic was expanded. But alternate worlds in the comics are not the first alternate worlds the franchise has.

There are alternate universes mentioned in the show.

Remember the season 5 finale? There are SIX different timelines :

Sombra war (King Sombra wins);

Everlasting Night (Nightmare Moon wins);

Changeling Invasion (Chrysalis wins);

Total Chaos (Discord wins);

Ultimate Destruction (Tirek wins);

Industrialization (Flim-Flam win).

Each being actually CANON. They are just not the timeline the show is following. That makes them ALTERNATE UNIVERSE, in a sense (just like Flashpoint).

I know that an universe and a timeline is not quite the same, but it still parallel worlds.

So why rejecting the alternate universe that appear in the comics? If we consider everything canon, we have :

1. The Main Equestria (pun not intended)

I’ll call it Equestria 1, from the show and which has 6 different timelines. In a way, the timelines still exist as parallel worlds. So if using the right magic/spell, it may be possible to visit the alt timelines. I’m not going to arg about it like in The Flash, because science isn’t really used in Friendship is Magic, so yeah, don’t start the science talk about alt timelines in a cartoon with magical horses.

2. The Equestria Girls world

From Equestria Girls duh where everyone looks like humans. Sunset Shimmer, who is from Equestria 1, stays there because Hasbro don’t want to mix her with the main show (fight me, this is the real reason why she’s not back to Equestria).

3. The Mirror-verse (comics)

I know that TECHNICALLY every alternate universes are “mirror-verses” because the portals to every alt worlds are mirrors, but I call this one Mirror-verse because every characters are the total opposite from Equestria 1. All the good guys are evil, and all the evil guys are good.

In Reflection (main serie, issue 17-20), the two alternate worlds became so “close” that the merge between them could have destroy them both. The King Sombra from this world stored all the evil of the Mirror-verse inside of him to restore the balance.

Also, this King Sombra is in love with Princess Celestia from Equestria 1. Mmmh... Maybe that’s why people don’t like the comics : their waifu is actually taken (well, not anymore after Reflection). We haven’t heard of this alternate universe since then.

4. The Shadow-verse (comics)

Alternate universe that appears in Legends of Magic and the Annual 2018 (that is a complement to Legends of Magic). This is also the world the serie Nightmare Knights is taking place (see more below).

This is also a personal fan-made name for this universe : this is the one where an alternate Pony of Shadows (aka alternate Stygian) is superpowerful. He defeated his version of Starswirl the Bearded. But as a real power hungry villain, he wanted more. He tried to corrupted the Celestia and the Luna from his world but his Starswirl stopped him from doing so.

But between this moment in the past and in the present day, Green Pony of Shadows (yes, that’s how I’ll call him, because he has green fire/shadows) contacted his counterpart through his dreams: apparently, he succeded to corrupt his Celestia (his Luna seemed to be too weak to resist corruption). So of course, Princess Luna and Stygian from Equestria 1 decided to rescue Celestia of Shadow-verse. But soon they realise that Green Pony of Shadows is not in charge in this universe anymore. It is Eris (Discord’s cousin) who rules the place with the staff of Sacanas (staff used by the Storm King in the Movie). We don’t know yet which world/universe Eris is from. I assume for now she’s from the Shadow-verse.

This is the plot of Nightmare Knights. We already saw easter eggs to previous villains (including Grogar). There is a King Sombra who looks like King Sombra from Mirror-verse. Is he the same Sombra who travel to Shadow-verse or is he the Sombra from Shadow-verse and he just looks like Sombra Mirror-verse post corruption ? I know this is just a reference, but there are TWO Rarities : Nightmare Rarity and Rarity corrupted by dark waters. So did they come from Shadow-verse or alternate worlds where one is corrupted by the Nightmare Forces and the other one by the dark waters ?

Also, what happened to Green Pony of Shadows ? Should I keep calling this the Shadow-verse since Eris is in charge now? I don’t know, we’ll see.

5. Unknown Atlernate universe (TCG)

Yes, even the trading card game proposes an alternate unviverse in which Solar Flare/Nightmare Star (a corrupted version of Celestia) rules her world with an iron hoof. An alternate universe so horrifying that Starswirl from Equestria 1 had to destroy the portal so that no one will know about it (also, he probably didn’t want to see Solar Flare coming in Equestria 1).

I personally prefer Solar Flare over Daybreaker. I really thought that Celestia’s evil counterpart would be it but noooooooo, Hasbro don’t know everything in their own merchandises. They are the one creating inconsistencies. 

The comics created a few controversies

1. Nightmare Forces controversy

The oldest question : which princess is the best ? Back then, we can only choose between Celestia and Luna. And of course, most people choose Luna for her tragic backstory.

In the second arc in the main serie (issues 5-8) Nightmare Rarity, the story is kinda the same as in episode 4, season 2 Luna eclipsed.

It’s about her acceptance of her past and stuff like that. What the comic brings and it’s what most Bronies are not happy with is the Nightmare Forces. So, according to the story, it would be an outside force that corrupts Princess Luna into Nightmare Moon. Yeah, no : using that excuse to glorified the character is lame. Making her a slave to something wasn’t well recieved within the fandom.

The arc is supposed to happen after the episode, that’s why it is a little confusing.

But the comic never stated WHERE the Nightmare Forces come from. And I think people have tendecies to forget who Luna is : an Alicorn. What’s the connection, you ask? Well in episode 13, season 5 Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep?, Luna created the Tantabus, a creature for the sole purpose of punishing herself for her past mistakes. What IS the connection, you ask? SHE IS A FREAKING ALICORN, that means she has a magic more powerful than anypony in Equestria. If she was able to create the Tantabus out of guilt, it is possible she created the Nightmare Forces out of envy and anger. It’s like her magic and feelings created another personality, Nightmare Moon and when she was defeated by the Mane 6 and the Elements of Harmony, her evil personality and its magic (the Nightmare Forces) were simply rejected from her body/mind and went to the moon waiting to come back. That’s what happens in the comic. The Nightmare Forces took over Rarity because being a bearer of an Element, that makes the rest of them useless.

There is a rest of Luna’s magic in the Forces and they started to act as a whole new entity after their separation.

Of course, this is only a headcanon, but it is the best explaination I can come up with to keep the Nightmare Forces and Luna being the only responsible for her actions (instead of putting the blame on something exterior).

2. Deers controversy

In the show, there are deers who appear to be non sentient. They look like they are being enslaved by the ponies.

In The Root of the Problem (comic main serie, issue 27-28), the story introduce us to a race of sentient deers who lived in the Everfree Forest (they are kinda the elves of Equestria) with their king, Aspen, being the ruler of their civilisation. 

Since the show writers can’t add characters from the comics because it would confuse everyone, we will probably never see King Aspen in the show. Not everyone follows the comics, and not everone follows every comics.

3. Seaponies controversy

See this for more details.

I may be the only one to think about it, but I don’t care.

The Umbrum and the Pony of Shadows

I won’t hide it, King Sombra is my favorite villain of G4.

So much potential and awesome look. I was a little disapointed with his lack of screentime.

So of course I started to have headcanons about him. I learned to not go too far with them because when the canon backstory has to be revealed, it will crush my headcanons. So I waited a little to know more about King Sombra. And I was blessed with FIENDship is Magic issue 1 !

This issue tells us his origin story : he is from a tribe/kind of ponies made of shadow and darkness called the Umbrum/Umbra (I actually don’t know the plural), the shadow ponies. These ponies represent hate and fear, they are the perfect opposite of the Crystal ponies, them representing love and hope. There is a need of balance : day and night, light and darkness, fear and hope, love and hate.

Now, while I was super excited to read the arc Siege of the Crystal Empire (main serie, issue 34-37), I have to admit that despite the good premises, the writing and setting were UNFORTUNATELY lacking of quality. The so called villainous league of second rate antagonists that serves NOTHING to the story, Radiant Hope’s character (the worst Mary-Sue I have ever seen), the part where Cadance (the princess of LOVE, btw) was able to use HATE magic without getting a headache (while when Twilight did it, it was hurting a little) AND IT WAS NEVER TOUCHED UPON IN THE LAST ISSUE !!!! Just like King Sombra’s character in the season 3 premiere, a big disapointement because of the wasted potential...

Despite all that, the issue expands more about the shadow ponies (I’m trying to cope with what I can, ok?). We see their true form: 

Nightmare fuel

We know they attacked the Crystal Empire, leaving nothing but despair until Princess Amore created/found the Crystal Heart (Journal of the Two Sister) : the only weapon/artefact fueled with love and hope, the total opposite of what the Shadow ponies are, full of hate and fear. Since then, the Umbrum are trapped inside a prison, the Crystal Heart needs to be “refilled” with love every year (the purpose of the Crystal Fair) in order to keep the Empire safe and sounds from them.

A lot of stuff happened 1000 years ago, huh ? The Umbrum left nothing but DESPAIR. Keep that in mind, it’s going to be important.

The Umbrum were also mentioned in The Movie Prequel issue 4, they are well known outside of Equestria. I wanted to see this sign so bad in the Movie, because that meant the Umbrum were canon to the show, meaning the comics too. Alas, no such sign in the Movie :(

But that doesn’t explain where they come from, and you’re going to ask : “Okay, but what’s the connection with the Pony of Shadows? Because it is the title of this paragraph.”. I’m coming about it.

I think that the powers of Stygian, aka the Pony of Shadows, and the Umbrum magic ARE THE SAME/COME FROM THE SAME SOURCE.

Think about it. The Umbrum are the shadow ponies, and Stygian became the Pony of Shadows. Except the similar names, something hit me while watching Shadow Play, part 2 (episode 26, season 7) :

Pony of Shadows: [laughing maniacally] Welcome to the Well of Shade! When you turned your backs on me, I discovered this place. The darkness spoke to me of a power beyond any I could imagine, and I listened. The shadow and I became one. Soon, all of the realm will be the same. Then all ponies will feel the despair I did when you cast me out!

What if the Hollow Shades (the town where they are in this episode) was the home of the Umbrum ? They would have just travelled to the Crystal Empire for conquest or something like that (it failed, since they were trapped after they attacked), leaving the Hollow Shades empty. When Stygian was rejected by the Pillars, he was full of resentment : he tried to do something good but the Pillars thought he was just being jealous of their powers/status. So somehow, Stygian found the Well of Shade, and well, his quote says it all. It is possible that the place still had a few of the Umbrum magic and he was so resentful and full of hate for his former friends that he was able to channel the shadow ponies’ magic. It is even possible that the Umbrum looked more like Stygian in shadow form, and their famelic looking faces are just side effect of a curse/their fight against Princess Amore and the magic of the Crystal ponies. 

So if we consider the comics as canon, many things can be connected and explained more in detail than the show wants to tell us. The lore just got bigger and deeper.

And it would be a shame to just stick to one media just because it could crush your own fantasies. If you don’t have the time, it’s okay: if one day you are bored, I recommand to read the comics : it’s worth it.

I spend my whole night writing this thing.

[maximoffficexchange]

As ever, there’s a fair few prompts which no one has claimed. The entire point of the round up is for anyone interested to claim any of these remaining prompts (or a prompt which was already claimed) and write 500 words or more for the prompt. 

So! Lets look at what prompts remain, hm?

MCU Wanda is rarely shown interacting with other female characters in the MCU and that's a damn shame. I would love to see moments of friendship between her and other MCU women, whether it's women she actually knows but we got little to nothing onscreen (Natasha, mostly), women she might realistically have met pre-IW at some point (Pepper Potts, Laura Barton, Maria Hill, Sharon Carter), women she only met briefly in IW (Okoye, Shuri), women she could have met in IW and still could in a post-IW fix-it fic (Gamora, Nebula, Mantis; Nakia and Valkyrie also count because they should have been in IW so there's no reason not to put them in that context, and actually you could put Lady Loki on that list if you want), or women she never came close to meeting in canon but could have because why the hell not (literally any female character in the MCU, including all the shows--for instance I haven't watched Runaways yet but I've read it and a fic about Wanda and Nico hanging out would be pretty great).

Yes! More female characters bouncing off one another. We actually had a few like this last year, and it’d be good to see that extending into this year. There’s a lot of ways this could be done - maybe an all-female version of the Avengers team, (Peggy in place of Steve, perhaps, Pepper in place of Tony), or maybe just coffee mornings with Natasha, Maria and Helen Cho extending to include others. 

Maybe it could go more science, and have Betty Ross, Jane Foster and Helen Cho all wanting to study the nature of Wanda’s powers, or maybe more magical with Lady Loki teaching Wanda to use spells.

There’s a lot of scope here which can be a problem - with so much freedom it can be hard to decide a plot to go with - but it also means you can do whatever you want.

AU where Pietro survived Ultron. Wanda helping Pietro get to know Vision and his growing role in her life. Can be a combination of elements from MCU and comic verse if it works for you. Additional characters are fine but preferably not much Tony please.

Pretty simple and straightforward prompt and leaves it open for you to leave Wanda and Vision as friends if you don’t ship it. If you do, then it gives you an opening to discuss the exact nature of the twins dynamic in this setting - whether you believe they’d be incestuous or not, how possessive or not each of them is, or if its a mutual codependency where they understand one another’s place in their particular dynamic and the issue is more a matter of where Vision fits in when for all their lives the twins have been each others Number One.

This could be done as a string of datenights and aftermaths, of Pietro being possessive/defensive until Wanda confronts him, discussion between Pietro and Vision over how they each interact with Wanda - there’s not been many Pietro-centric prompts this time around, so perhaps giving him a bigger role here might be a way to make up that difference.

Pietro is punished in front of Wanda (whether this be at Hydra, in a previous home they were in, out on the streets after Pietro is caught stealing), and Wanda is restrained, or for some other reason, is unable to stop what is happening. flashbacks to similar situations are welcomed and encouraged. And then maybe something similar happens when the twins are with the avengers (of course, on a much less severe level, like some domestic setting, maybe the tower before the battle in sokovia in AOU— something along the lines of Pietro mouthing off and one of the older avengers bending him over a nearby surface and giving him a few smacks) And of course, Wanda getting overly upset over the situation in both instances and taking care of him in the aftermath. I love codependent Wanda/Pietro, just no incest and no scarletvision please!

I... honestly have more issues with this prompt than I do ideas, sadly. There’s a lot with the ideas suggested which may seem implausible, unlikely or hard to handle, and so make it unlikely that anyone is going to take up, which is only added to by the restrictions placed without a counter-suggestion to fill in the gaps of what is disallowed.

The best idea I have here would be a more subtle psychological horror angle. The twins being separated during foster care resulting in one or both of them getting hurt, and that feeding into a fear of separation. A test at the castle where Wanda has to keep attacks off a running Pietro, and failing to do so, and being unable to go to him because she’s kept at a distance to see how well she can use her powers from a distance. And then all of that culminating in the team suggesting that the twins train separately and it getting a big panicked NOPE response from the twins.

Pre-AOU// Pietro is trying to have a girlfriend/boyfriend, but neither of the twins understand what the problem is with Wanda always being around. The boyfriend/girlfriend, of course, wants some alone time with Pietro, but the twins don’t like the idea of being separated. Maybe Pietro breaks it off with the person and some cute fluff ensues :)) I love codependent! Wanda and Pietro, just no incest and no scarletvision please

Again, specific disallowances without a suggestion of what might take their place - especially when, as this is pre-AOU, there’d be no chance for scarletvision. 

The question here comes in who the OC partner for Pietro is - if indeed they’re an OC, one could bring Crystal down from the moon for an Inhuman gap year - and how they’re written so it makes sense that they’d be with Pietro and Pietro with them, but that they’d still have issues with the twins codependency.

Physically & Emotionally abused Wanda & Pietro— can be an AU where they grew up in foster care, or just coming from Hydra// flashbacks are fine but if at all possible I would prefer it to mostly be in the present (as the age they are in AOU) maybe protective!clint and laura (or any avenger really, just not Vision. I also like the idea of Bruce as well for some reason) trying to teach them that physical touch is okay again, and that they won’t be punished for every little thing they do or mistake they make. I LOVE codependent Wanda/Pietro, just no twincest and no scarletvision please <3

Again, disallowances without a counter-suggestion to fill the gap. I do think that specific disallowances like this, especially without a counter-suggestion, creates a kind of pink elephant situation - don’t think of the pink elephant! and then suddenly all you can think about is a pink elephant.

In this case this story could fit in with the other flashbacks prompt further above (based on the specific disallowances, probably from the same prompter) and possibly be used as an exploration of the twins independent tendencies - they refuse to rely on others because all it does is get them hurt. It could go more towards the twins being taught to reach out when they need help, and this resulting in them not clinging to each other so much - knowing they can go to others and that others aren’t going to try to force them apart means they don’t feel so strong a need to cling to one another, and instead they loosen up around others becoming more affectionate in general.

A slight AU where the Maximoff Twins in the Ults universe are not in an incestuous relationship.

Could be a scene rewrite, a character study of how the dynamic changes, a still unhealthy dynamic where one or both of the twins /want/ to be in a romantic/sexual relationship, Wanda/Robots without the jealousy, pretty much anything. 

I'm very hard to squick and open to anything from the spectrum of fluff to profoundly weird smut to psychological horror.

Now this is a great one. The twins dynamic in the Ultimates universe has plenty of questions to it and issues, but one of the big ones is that (supposedly) they’re outright incesty in it. Rewriting a scene to change that could allow one to massively tweak the twins’ dynamic in it - maybe making Pietro less obsessive, explaining why Wanda is willing to flirt with others despite their supposed incestuous relationship and so on. 

There’s a lot of potential scope here, which could be fun - especially if one considers all of the opportunities available in the first two volumes of Ultimates.

The hardest thing about coping with grief is that you never know when it will hit you, you could be fine for weeks and then you see their favorite movie and it makes you cry. Wanda struggling to cope without Pietro on a day-to-day level not an immediate aftermath to AoU.

Now this one is just going to be sads and pain which to be fair, we all need sometimes. There’s a lot of things this could cover, from maybe specific foods that Wanda associates with her parents and her brother, to jewellery that he gave her or even just the way he was always there - so she reaches out for him only to remember he’s not there.

There’s a lot of opportunity for Pain here.

An MCU fic where Wanda keeps in contact with her fellow Avengers in the two years between Civil War and Infinity War. Whether it's through dead-drops, encrypted messages, secret meetings or what have you, just Wanda staying connected with her found family, even when they're fractured apart. It can be spread out through different countries or when she's staying in Edinburgh.

(Bonus points for Wanda/Vision, and any other friendships between her and her fellow Avengers.)

Also fun! This one could also allow for more Wanda-Natasha bonding, with Wanda using skills Natasha taught her. It could also allow for the author to explore how Wanda and Vision came to get closer.

The tone for this is also open - you could go spy thriller, cute fluff, character study and loneliness, romance with Vision or even Wanda’s own individual adventures keeping in contact with her friends to ask for help or drop in to help during the time. There’s a lot you could do with this.

Okay, so, listen to me here: Macbeth AU.

Pietro as Lady Macbeth, convincing Wanda down a path she might never take only to see what it's doing to her, see all that has been done and feeling incredible guilt. Wanda as Macbeth, taking the inadvisable path on the advice of someone she trusts and believing it, truly believing it, until it all comes crashing down. Ultron as the witches perhaps. Maybe some degree of House of M to it, as that also had Pietro advising Wanda down an inadvisable path.

Macbeth AU

Can be just the general story idea and themes, can be full on Shakespearean influence and castle, but just... proper Macbeth-esque tragedy pretty please?

This is - sadly - an inherently limiting prompt, because it forces one to keep to the general shape of Macbeth. However it does give one a huge opportunity for Pain and Sads, which is always good. Pietro in the role of Lady Macbeth and Wanda as Macbeth in perhaps a fantasy medieval setting - or one could go scifi if one wanted or anything of a myriad options. 

We know from comics (such as House of M) that Pietro is very good at convincing Wanda to do things she later regrets and with the recent Quicksilver No Surrender arc we see Pietro coming to confront how he offloads his problems onto others and rarely takes responsibility for his actions despite how often they hurt his sister. This gives one a chance to dig into that, forcing Pietro to confront his actions and their effects as well as a chance to do a tragic Dark!Wanda with more sympathy than is often thrown her way.

A character and relationship study of the twins - ideally from Pietro's perspective - based on the knowledge that as humans are social creatures we need a certain amount of positive physical contact to keep us mentally healthy... and then digging into what happens to two people who have only one another to go to for that/only one another whom they trust for that and how it has a long-term impact on how they understand and interpret physical affection, on their in/ability to accept it from others and how due to only being able to immediately and easily accept it from each other how other's see it and the troubles they have to overcome when forming bonds outside of just those two.

Crack Title - "Codependency and how it ruins your understanding of affection and relationships; Maximoffs Edition"

So this would be one heck of an intense character/relationship study. One could go full nerd with it as well, looking into the science of mental health and the ways in which their upbringing has messed with the twins and caused them harm. One could use scientific anecdotes to start sections off, and then study those anecdotes in the context of the twins, or one could simply have the twins getting counselling and pepper it with excerpts of their counsellor’s notes. It could even start with one of the twins in a relationship or starting a relationship - this fic has no restrictions beyond its prompt - and then having to confront things with their partner and pick apart the nature of their bond with their sibling. It could even go full incest and pick at the various unhealthy threads that might lead them there.

A 1940s AU of some description. Either superspy shenanigans with Wanda and Peggy (can be shippy if you want) or WinterWitch mystery shenanigans with Bucky as the PI and featuring a Missing Pietro.

Well. This one has two paths, so maybe two people might claim it and each go in a different direction. Given the time setting one could pepper in a lot of the stuff from Agent Carter regardless of whether Peggy features, or one could play it straight. There’s scope for different ships depending on taste, for spy drama or mystery drama - this could easily be a multi-chapter fic if one chose to take it in that direction. 

[japanessie]

SWANKY DANK Smokes Album Review 『レビュー』

I was absolutely prepared to dislike this album. Hey, that’s a mean and discouraging thing to say for a band I’m supposedly supporting. I watched the trailer and was, “Ehh!”. I guess it was one of those times when a trailer failed* to excite me because it didn’t show the highlights of the real work. 

*I remember saying to my friends how MFS The Puzzle trailer was like a reject song from the ALONE session. But the real song gave me goosebumps. Yup! Sometimes a trailer just fails to do it for me.

I haven’t been particularly enthusiastic over their move to a major label. My low expectation turned out to be a blessing because “Ooh la la!”. I said I was hoping to be surprised by these gentlemen and …. was I in for a BIG BIG SHOCK!

Yes, this is my long overdue review of this album. I owe this to these gentlemen to give my feedback (^^). Sorry for the delay.

Track 1 I Never Gonna Let You Go 

(Words & Music : YUICHI)

Thought my computer accidentally played OOR or something. You know how bands OOR and MFS like to include an “opening intro” at the start of every CD. I was utterly surprised.Despite their Pop leanings, SD never really used piano or keyboard as a big part of their music arrangement. This is a departure from their usual approach. The song starts and ends with gentle piano that complement KOJI’s melodic vocals perfectly. The rest of the song is high energy melodic Pop Punk these guys are known for. I hope to hear this song being performed with only a piano someday. Why not? Their producer DAICHI-san was after all, the brothers’ keyboard player when they were teen pop stars. Would be cool to see him onstage with the brothers again (^^)

Track 2 Colors 

(Words & Music : KOJI)

I reviewed this song at length here. It’s the lead track and it just punches you in the face. It’s speedy, it twists and turns in weird ways. It’s uplifting. It’s ear-grabbing and leaves you wondering afterwards, “What just happened there?”. Love hearing YUICHI sharing the lead vocals again. To me it’s the perfect track to pick as the introduction song to a new audience with a major label.

Track 3 Start Again 

(Words & Music : KOJI)

Probably the strongest song on this album. It’s a big stadium rock kind of song suitable for the current young crowd who are used to bands like OOR. This is true Stadium rock ..... and thankfully minus the unnecessary electronica effects. It showcases KOJI’s melodic vocals with the thundering drums sound as his backdrop. This song deserves to be performed in an arena. A small Livehouse won’t do it justice. My definite favourite from this album.

Go here for lyrics + translation (^^)

Track 4 捧ぐ歌 

(Words & Music : YUICHI)  

This one is Pop Punk but somehow has the feel of Doggy Bag gone all out rock LOL. For those who are new to them, that’s the Pop Idol version of the Matsuo brothers before they decided to ditch that world to do Rock music. Awesome guitar solo.

Track 5 Obedience 

(Words & Music : YUICHI)  

This is the BIGGEST SUPRISE of anything the SWANKY gentlemen had ever done. My jaw literally dropped .... no kidding .... as I listened to this the first time that day. This is legit THRASH METAL with a touch of sophistication done SWANKY style. I spent my tween years listening to a lot of thrash metal, thanks to my brother. So, my ears knew it well XD Ok, SWANKY being SWANKY. Yes, it’s thrash metal at the verses but then they suddenly leap over to punk and pop and back to thrash again. This one is the most exciting and mind-boggling of ALL the songs on this album. A clear winner to me. I wanted to be surprised and Obedience delivers that to me in abundance. It even makes me want to say, “Marry me YUI!”. Yes, I’m grateful to him THAT much for deciding to make this one XD

Track 6 Closer

(Words & Music : KOJI)

Decent song but it suffers the fate of being placed right after a bigger and way stronger song. Can fit comfortably in The Love Is Gone album.

Track 7 The Hot Love Season

(Words & Music : YUICHI)

Starts with reggae-like guitar. Finally YUI has turned his love for The Police and Sting into something XD. This song is also surprisingly multi-dimensional / multi-genre. Overall it’s very ... hmm ... The Jonas Brothers gone punk? It won’t be out of place at all if placed on the soundtrack of Disney’s Camp Rock movies. It tickles me when suddenly it goes into a break that is kind of a cross between Marty Friedman’s Thundermarch & Jerry C’s Canon in D. It’s like The Jonas Brothers suddenly inviting the boy next door who had been practising his guitar with YouTube for too long XD

Confession! 

This was the song in the trailer that made me prepare myself to absolutely hate this album. Ooh ... strong statement there. Yes, I disliked the chorus so much because it stirred up that cringe-y feeling I got from Bad Girl (eewww..) from the previous album. Good news is this song does NOT give me that cringe-y feeling. The more I listen to it, the more it feels like watching Disney’s Camp Rock (which I actually like) all over again. Disney should take notice of the Matsuo brothers to work on their soundtrack. Meanwhile, I just pretend that Bad Girl doesn't exist.

Track 8 Making My Way

(Words & Music : KOJI)

I was told that this is the reworked version of their old song My Story which is available on their 1st full-length album the self-titled SWANKY DANK. Confession, I failed to find the similarities.

Track 9 アイノコエ

(Words : YUICHI, Music : KOJI)

Stadium rock ballad. Kind of Bon Jovi’s Wanted Dead Or Alive combined with Motley Crue’s Home Sweet Home minus the piano. More of the latter I must say. Listen to Home Sweet Home and then this one especially the way the drums build up with the guitars towards the end. Then, you’ll understand what I mean. 

Funny thing is years ago, YUICHI indirectly rebelled while shooting the J-Drama  青い経験 / Aoi Keiken by repeatedly playing Bon Jovi and Motley Crue with his guitar when he was supposed to promote Doggy Bag. Ok, YUI, if you’re reading this, you’ll know what I mean. Congrats, you finally got what you wanted XD 

Track 10 Neverland

(Words & Music : YUICHI)

Pop punk rock. Cutesy. Suitable for end of concert in terms of sound but lyrics suit early part of concert. Favourite part is YUI’s digitally harmonized voice.

Track 11 Make A Noise

(Words & Music : YUICHI)

That shortie track which seems to have become a little tradition with SD nowadays. But I just feel this one doesn’t really have the energy and the punch-you-in-the-face effect of Promise from Magna Carta. As weird as I feel Promise is, I think it has a stronger impact for the “What the hell just happened there?” feel compared to this one.

Overall feel

With this album, the Matsuo Brothers took the star power back to them. With the last 3 releases, I felt that KO-TA was the star. He was such a dominant element on it is WHAT it is, One of A Kind and Magna Carta. With Smokes however, you can feel the brothers putting their vision out there with a vengeance. Like they are giving a clear signal that this is a Matsuo-brothers-fronted band. 

My Verdict:

Previously, if I were to recommend a SWANKY CD for a new fan, I would advise to go for the album Circles first and start the collection from there. But with the release of Smokes, I’m starting to think that this can be the one to take over Circles to be the “buy this one first” CD. That’s not an easy thing for me to say because Circles is special to me. It has my favourite SWANKY song ever DESTRUCTION and of course, the special turning point song Sink Like A Stone is on it BUT the reason I recommended Circles was to let new listeners hear the across-genres-songwriting ability that this band has. Smokes has that across-genres quality in HUGE abundance. Also, at this point in time, the SWANKY gentlemen seem to have steered their music more towards arena rock. So, new fans would probably be more familiar with this version of SWANKY. Get this CD then.

[happymetalgirl]

Bad Wolves - N.A.T.I.O.N.

Since breaking through into mainstream metal/rock’s zeitgeist with their cover of The Cranberries’ “Zombie”, Bad Wolves have taken the opportunity to follow as closely in the footsteps of Five Finger Death Punch as possible in an effort to hoist themselves up alongside that band as one of this era’s most recognized named and most streamed acts, despite the baggage that comes with it. And on their debut album last year, they came through with a bunch of passable, but entirely forgettable alternative rock and alternative metal songs clearly intended to land on as many Sirius XM stations and Spotify playlists as possible. For its few bursts of momentary intrigue and even all-in heaviness, the album always buckled to its greater priority of lowest common denominator accessibility and ultimately came out predictable and utterly boring as a result.

Low as my expectations were for the band’s sophomore effort this year and as much as it takes pretty much exactly the same approach at the same goal, N.A.T.I.O.N. is a slight improvement upon its predecessor, but that’s not saying much. Again, the band are aiming for wide appeal rather than deep resonance, so N.A.T.I.O.N. once again finds them running the gamut of radio-ready styles of alternative rock and metal and metalcore, from sappy ballads to a few genuinely intense bangers, and stale middle-ground filler in between. While such diversity in style is something that plenty of bands have succeeded in spades with, Bad Wolves are not showing themselves to be capable of accomplishing that kind of album, at least not with this goal of fast-tracking themselves to a co-headline tour with Ivan Moody and company in mind. For one, the songs on this album are so incredibly unimaginative the lighter they get, with the ballads sounding almost aware of their own shallow sentimentality and the more modest rock tunes sounding like blatant phone-ins that even Nickelback would be kind of embarrassed of. It sounds very grumpy-heavier-than-thou metalhead of me, but the band really show their highest creativity when the guitars and drums are free to break out of the decades-old formulas constructing the majority of the songs on here and go for some lively djent/hardcore-influenced punch. And that’s the other thing, the formulas the band are plugging into aren’t even new or fresh in any way; the band are essentially writing Shinedown and Nickelback songs that didn’t get the chance to be released as bonus tracks in 2007 or 2008. While there’s not anything inherently wrong about revisiting an older style, Bad Wolves are doing little more than repeating the tired motions that ran their course during that period. Secondly, the band’s trying to make the album varied and “dynamic” with ballads woven into starkly and confusingly contrasting rockers gives the album as a whole an incredibly awkward flow from start to finish, like it didn’t even matter to the band what order the songs went in because they were all just written as fodder for some curated streaming playlists anyway.

The album kicks off on a muscular note with with djenty blast beats of “I’ll Be There”, with some rumbly bass and some slick metalcore riffage, the choruses being filled with some transparent Killswitch Engage melody imitation. That being said, it’s a pretty decent straightforward melodic metalcore banger with some much-needed drum-syncopated 8-string flair giving it most of its muscularity. “No Messiah” is little more than a continuation of the band’s pre-established formula and the start of the Nickelback impersonation with its Kroeger-esque taste for melody. It’s pretty predictable and representative of an era of rock whose peak has been about a decade past, and the song doesn’t make much of a case for its return, as most of its appeal comes from the gritty guitar tone and well-timed drum accents carrying the song that are more representative of modern metalcore than the overmilked Shinedown-alt-rock dragging the song down. The under-three-minute “Learn to Walk Again”, despite its butt-metal verses, is a more concise and much more tasteful example during its soaring choruses of this modernization of last decade’s melodic alternative metal. It sounds like something Benjamin Burley might have written back in 2010.

The uncannily Nickelback-esque alt butt rock of “Killing Me Slowly”, though, immediately kills any momentum the album was beginning to build up to, Jesus Christ it’s such a basic, unoriginal song, and it doesn’t get much better when the band slow things down on the subsequent surfacy saccharine alt metal balladry of “Better off This Way”. And this is where the album’s flow is its most noticeably disjointed. The djenty hardcore elements return on the rap-flowed “Foe or Friend”, and it’s a truly punchy, punishing metallic hardcore cut that shows that the band is clearly in tune with that genre’s current evolution/revival through acts like Code Orange, Vein, Knocked Loose, Jesus Piece, etc. It’s songs like these that show that this band is capable of making a consistently creative and aggressive album that plays to their instrumental strengths rather than trying to do their best impression of Five Finger Death Punch or their cohorts in the alt metal field from ten years ago. And hardcore songs like this make absolutely no sense sandwiched between corny, phone-in ballads like “Better This Way” and the acoustic/clapping cheese of the subsequent understating of the substance-abuse ballad, “Sober”.

And then of course we get “Back in the Days”, which sounds like a slightly better version of a Nickelback-type hard rock track, and at this point on the album the band is really just retreading their footsteps and walking in circles plugging into the formulas they’ve already plugged up into on the album, and the album’s flow continues to make no sense with the Killswitch Engage-esque old-school NWOAHM melodic metalcore on “The Consumerist”, which is a pretty standard and traditionalist representation of that genre’s older form, so one of the better tracks here. The subsequent “Heaven so Heartless” makes stylistic sense for once after the preceding track with a moodier take on the heavy alternative metal style of “The Consumerist”, similar to how Breaking Benjamin at their best gave heartfelt alternative metal extra catharsis via some welcome metalcore edge. The song “Crying Game” that follows, though, is another formulaic alt metal power ballad that offers as little novelty to discuss as the previous tracks in the same vein.

The album closes with the bookending melodic metalcore of “LA Song” as if to try to end on a heavier note to give the illusion that the album is more packed with true intensity than it really is. The cleanly sung choruses don’t really contribute anything of value to the song, and the song once again just shows that this band needs to set its strings-men and its drummer free to run wild if they want to make anything worth more than a yawn through.

I feel like my vocal appreciation and praise for what Motionless in White are doing to revive several older styles by aesthetically and stylistically shape-shifting to put a more updated spin on those older sounds with their stamp on it should be enough to prove that I’m not just some pouty Scrooge that hates anything mainstream. Motionless in White are very much a prime example of how to approach making mainstream heavy music while maintaining creative integrity and not just letting a label pimp whatever your talents are to their financial ambitions, and I think they deserve every bit of success that Bad Wolves and their obvious adopted older brothers have had. I have said on here every time I criticize a cheap, creatively bankrupt, radio-pandering project that I enjoy myself plenty of accessible, mainstream rock and metal, and even some pop music if it feels genuine to me and I can vibe with it. I like what bands like Linkin Park, Breaking Benjamin, and even Shinedown did last decade with their very accessible sounds, and I still enjoy plenty of those bands’ songs and even full albums to this day. But those bands did wear their styles out or morph their sounds or their entire aesthetics into more wide-appealing forms that ultimately noticeably cheapened their art for the short-term gain of (or last-ditch push for) greater mainstream success. And those are the formulas Bad Wolves are tapping into on this album and their last, and it’s kind of a sad picture of the state of rock radio/playlists that that is what’s apparently the path to quick success on the charts.

N.A.T.I.O.N. is just like any wide-reaching, low-satiating, “something for everyone” modern rock/metal album that tries to shotgun a whole bunch of non-complimentary styles at the open ears of rock and metal radio, some cheesy ballads to play on the way to a date at a NASCAR race and some typical rockers with just enough adrenaline to get some of the crowd there moving (but not too much to alienate people who never listen to this kind of music outside sporting events), and a few genuine hardcore bangers to try to convince people actually interested in heavy music that Bad Wolves really do have some street cred and aren’t just another industry puppet meant to replicate Five Finger Death Punch’s lucrative business model.

A little something for everyone that leaves everyone still hungry/10