#it was for the encounter theme but... it changed so much it doesn't really fit anymore smh

[writingquestionsanswered]

I'm tired of my ideas always being big. It's overwhelming. I like seeing others' WIPs and ideas because they're just so simple... Like, that comic about a mermaid living in the ocean in our modern time and dealing with plastic trash. So simple and my own brain is bursting with ideas. But my own WIPs... they just start huge. I'd like something smaller... but I don't know how.

Stories Always Get Too Big

Stories can get out of hand quickly when they sprout too many independent threads. There are three primary culprits that serve as sparks that create these threads:

1 - Setting 2 - Non-Protagonist Characters/Relationships 3 - Back Story

The thing to remember, though, is that no matter how interesting your setting is, no matter how compelling your other characters are, and how fascinating the back story is, those things are not your plot.

Plot is the sequence of events through which the protagonist (and potentially other main characters) attempt to resolve the story's conflict by overcoming obstacles and setbacks in pursuit of a goal.

In other words, focus on this:

the protagonist > their normal world > the event that introduces a problem they must resolve > the goal they formulate in order to resolve that problem > the events that occur as a result of their pursuit of this goal > their attempts to overcome obstacles and setbacks encountered along the way > their attempt to solve the problem once and for all > failure or success > life in a changed situation/world

Anything else doesn't need to be there unless it is critical in order for one of the above steps to make sense.

So, let's take your mermaid example... though I haven't read that comic so I'm winging it here:

the protagonist = mermaid normal world = doing mermaid stuff inciting incident = finding plastic trash in the water goal = clean up/find the culprit and teach them to do better events = cleaning up, learning about humans, tracking down culprit climax = mermaid appeals to humans to do better finale = mermaid is living in a cleaner ocean

Now, let's say your brain starts to go off on a tangent about a deep oceanic rift and an evil merman wizard who lives there... stop right there. It's a fun idea, but what does it have to do with this story? How does it relate to the trash, clean-up, finding the culprit, or appeal to humans to do better? It doesn't. Theoretically, you could make it make sense... like, maybe the merman wizard likes the trash and wants the ocean to be dirty and gross, so maybe he is opposing the mermaid's attempts to clean up and to appeal to the humans. Okay, that works, so you can keep it. But, let's say you also have this idea about these creatures that live around the hydrothermal vents, and the mermaid meets and falls in love with a scientist who's studying them. Okay, again, interesting idea, but this one is much harder to fit in with the rest of the story. Sure, you could say the scientist is studying marine pollution instead... that brings it back around to the main conflict, but still, what does this relationship add to the story? How does it help or harm the mermaid's mission? How does it help to explore the story's themes or help deliver the message? It doesn't really sound like it does, so this would be an example of a thread you can probably snip.

And the thing is, it would be okay to follow a thread like that while you're plotting or writing your first draft, just to see where it goes and see if you can make it work. Part of why we edit and revise is to snip out the threads and elements that aren't pulling their weight. But learning how to curb them as they occur to you will help save you work later on down the line. Try writing those ideas down in an ideas document, and maybe those can be worked into different stories, a sequel, or a companion story.

One final note: I am very much aware that there are some epic writers out there who let wild tangles of threads sprout as they write, and they follow them all without abandon, relevant or not. That's okay, too. These are writers for whom that works, who don't feel overwhelmed by all of those threads, who want to write something bigger and more unwieldy. Maybe in time as you get accustomed to writing smaller, tidier stories, you embrace the bigger stories your brain wants to tell. Or maybe you don't. Whatever works best for you is all that matters. :)

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

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[amaya-writes]

this is kinda specific but bear with me! for ringtober—what about reader who is like Mori's niece or sm but she helps handle the business-y side of the mafia, then one day Mori is kinda like ykw you're a young girl you should be married at some point and sets up an arranged marriage. With Dazai, Chuuya and Akutagawa.

Ringtober Masterlist

Notes: I didn't add Akutagawa because I really couldn't come up with a reason for why Mori would pick him.

Warnings: regular port mafia esque warnings I mean it's a mafia fic so expect slight mentions of mafia themes, slight angst themes?

Characters involved: Dazai Osamu, Chuuya Nakahara

Fem reader, you/yours

Dazai Osamu

Dazai always knew his relationship with you was merely professional, and he was happy to keep it that way.

Mori had only decided to get the two of you married so that you couldn't come in harm's way. There had been several...complications at work lately, several 'what ifs' that Mori didn't like the sound of.

It was awful to think it, but Dazai knew Mori wouldn't care for you as much as he did if you weren't an asset.

You were valuable, and Dazai was on a job to protect the mafia's assests.

This was just work for Dazai, just another assignment, albeit an extremely long one.

He wasn't emotionally attached to you whatsoever, heck Dazai didn't even know if he could feel such things for someone.

You, however, were.

He could tell that this arranged marriage meant a little more to you.

Mori would have convinced you to agree either way, but you caved at the idea of marrying the suicidal mafia executive a lot faster than anyone expected.

It could have been anyone else. In fact, Dazai was certain it would have been Chuuya. He was the perfect fit—someone with enough power and hear to be able to look out for you and be a good husband.

But Dazai? Dazai was just doing his job.

Marriages held some sentimental value for everyone. And he couldn't lie, seeing you at the mafia headquaters in a white Kimono did slightly intrigue him. But that didn't change anything.

You spent your wedding night in separate beds and Dazai left the house far too early to encounter you.

The same continued for months, until that looming sad aura hanging over you began to disappear.

In its place came something more heartless, but Dazai couldn't find it in himself to care. In fact, he quite liked this side.

If only you had developed this personality sooner maybe he wouldn't have had to marry you.

He knew you liked him, knew that this marriage was more than just work for you. But Dazai Osamu was a suicidal maniac working for the most notorious mafia in Japan.

He lived to die, and a ring on his finger wasn't going to change that.

Chuuya Nakahara

At first, it doesn't mean anything to him.

He knows the only reason Mori picked him is because he can't trust Dazai enough to not manipulate and use you to hurt Mori.

Chuuya was too loyal to the cause, and powerful enough to ensure you would never be in harm's way so long as you had him by your side.

He wasn't the first choice, but the logical option.

The fact alone wounded Chuuya's ego quite a bit, and Dazai was always around to rub some salt into those wounds.

The day the two of you signed your marriage papers Chuuya didn't even bother looking at you properly, and got drunk and passed out on his bed soon after.

By the time he woke up you had already left for work.

Things continued like that for a few days, but they started to change with time.

It started slowly—you buying extra dinner and leaving it out for him, him offering you a glass of wine after a long day.

Casual nods each other's way turned into greetings and then small conversations.

By the time you got around to your one month anniversary, things had progressed to small conversations and occasionally having dinner together at the table.

Chuuya knew neither of you had any romantic inclination to one another, but over time you started to feel comfortable around each other.

You were more like roommates than husband and wife, a fact that Dazai and Kouyou never fail to tease him about.

Needless to say there have been a lot of jokes regarding Chuuya's inability to perform sexually and the impact that has on your relationship. All lies of course but that doesn't stop Dazai (Kouyou laughs with him).

Chuuya doesn't want to pressure you to think you have any obligation towards him as his wife. Aka he won't force you to do anything you don't want.

But with time the two of you become friends and then even more than that.

You start to help each other. Casual things like reminding each other to eat or cleaning each other's wounds. Sometimes Chuuya would find you asleep slumped over a pile of paperwork and would carry you to bed.

Othertimes you would help him get the stains out of his uniform since he was terrible at it, and constantly spilt both blood and wine over himself.

This one time Chuuya was drunk and made you wear his hat and has never stopped thhinking about how you looked. At that moment he felt very grateful to have a woman like you as his wife.

Maybe in a year or two your relationship evolves into a romantic one.

Or maybe not. But either way, Chuuya tries to be the best husnad he can.

[eternally-tired-muffin]

First off, I absolutely love the Hashira surplus AU. I see lots of somebody lived/everyone survived AUs since I have an Ao3 addiction, but none really go in the direction you’ve chosen. I think the idea of twin pillars is nice to think about, but unless they work best together and are messes without their other half it wouldn’t really make sense to just count them as one if they’re perfectly fine independently. Kind of like how Daki and Gyuutaro work in canon, I suppose. So if Sabito lived, he would undoubtedly become the Water Hashira first and end up leaving Giyuu at Kinoe despite him eventually catching up in strength and qualifications. Same with Shinobu, if Kanae survived then she wouldn’t have room to become a Hashira with the 9 max rule. All in all, I really like what you’ve done with it and how you’ve built off canon. I don’t have any direct questions, but definitely wouldn’t mind to read about anything you haven’t got a chance to share or small details you havent been able to fit anywhere! Have a good day/night and sorry for rambling lol-

AHHHHH THIS IS THE SWEETEST THING OMG T^T

I'm glad that you think this take on everyone lives makes sense! I tried to change 1 thing at the start and have the ripple effect come across naturally.

In terms of things to share, thank you so much for asking! This au is my baby so I'm thrilled to yap haha. I have a lot of projects I'm passionate about, so the actual drawings will come out very slowly, though I will answer asks and plot questions as they come. I'm currently working on the comic where Kanae meets Nezuko, so have a sneaky WIP page :P

The recent arc has also got me thinking about how the infinity castle arc changes.

MANGA SPOILERS FROM HERE!

I've decided to commit to saving everyone, as the core principle of this au, so the upper moon fights are going to go down differently. At the moment, I haven't fully decided, but my initial idea is this:

Instead of Giyuu, Sabito joins Tanjiro in fighting UM3. In canon, Giyuu acts as a parallel to Rengoku, with themes about weakness/strength and duty (who 'should' live). In this AU, Giyuu doesn't have the same survivor's guilt, and Rengoku doesn't die. As a result, it isn't thematically important for Giyuu to go up against Akaza. However, Sabito was present in the mugen train arc, and he narrowly survived the encounter. I think it makes sense for him to go up against Akaza with Tanjiro (who was stuck as a witness last time) and get to see how they've both grown - Tanjiro getting stronger and Sabito getting smarter. Maybe he learns Giyuu's defensive form?

Since Giyuu is free, I think he'd join in the UM1 fight. Having a defensive fighter could influence the battle. I have to be honest, I haven't reread this arc in a minute (so it is fresh when I watch the movie) so I can't quite remember how the fight goes down, but I think Giyuu would be there from the start. They just manage to keep themselves together as more allies join and overwhelm UM1.

I haven't used Rengoku here - I haven't decided his status after the mugen train arc. He lives, but I don't know if he is fit for battle. He may join Uzui and his father in protecting Nezuko. Perhaps he rallies the kakushi and the medical team with his large presence and still well above average physical abilities.

UM2 is a bit more complicated. Shinobu's drive for revenge is a key part of her character, but in this AU, Kanae survives. This is another thing not set in stone and may change. At the moment, I think in this AU, Douma has a habit of eating his victims alive. He taunted Kanae, managing to bite off her ear, so while Kanae manages to survive, she is truly affected by this fight. Shinobu despises him like in canon. In terms of the UM2 infinity castle fight, I'm not sure how to administer Shinobu's poison. It could be that Douma eats an arm or leg, but Kanae arrives in time to help. I'm also currently thinking that Aoi* might join Kanao.

*I haven't committed to her role yet (in addition to knowing basic medicine). She could be a poisons using demon slayer (like Shinobu) or someone who blended the role of demon slayer and kakushi - this is worth its own post though.

All of the speculation around the inifnity castle is just a draft, though! I would absolutely love to hear any suggestions/ ideas, so please feel free to reply/ reblog/ send an ask :D

AU masterpost

[melonteee]

Oda is really good at foreshadowing because, while him having always had a clear complete backstory for each character from the get go isn't so sure, he clearly has character sheets for each of them that highlight the themes to be explored through them and what logically leads them to become who they are today (finding family in strangers for robin : why not bio fam? -> neglect. why realization at enies lobby and not jaya? -> betrayal in the past, needed proof of truthfulness. why this found fam and not another one? -> criminal lifestyle and previous experience of constant exploitation)

Then when he sets up a scene between characters, he takes all of those sheets into account and specifically choses what would make sense to be "revealed"/said between those characters (and in turn to the audience) at this specific point in time in the plot and in the overall story

Ex: Robin and Law's talk about the Will of D. It makes complete sense for both of them to have this talk in the story between each other specifically. Why didn't Robin ask any other D before Law ? The D clan aren't that plentiful when you think about it to the point Robin met 3 of them in her entire life. She didn't know how important it was back then so she never asked Saul. She probably asked Luffy but Luff-man doesn't care about those matters to the point he only found out he even had a dad at 17yo ("sorry Robin"). In short, Law is perfect for the job. And while his information fits at that point in the plot for Robin to uncover, we as an audience aren't ready for it yet.

Alternatively, when those character themes sometimes coincide between different characters, he simply ties them together to avoid redundancy

Bonney is a funny case to me because she was created in a week like most of the non-Strawhat supernovas but Oda made sure that her and these new characters wouldn't interfere or create plotholes with what he's already had in mind while leaving enough leeway to tie them more into the plot if needed. Bonney has the biggest leeway of any supernova because of her devil fruit powers. The fact it changes her age and we were only ever given an estimation means you could technically have her be born at nearly any point in time as well as be the daughter, mother or grandmother to anyone you wish.

Yet she fits so well as Kuma's daughter for a very simple reason: It makes the scene of Kuma sending Perona to Mihawk's island gain a layer of sense that was kinda missing and easily glossed over on a first read. Other than giving a demonstration of what Kuma's abilities could do pre-Sabaody and emphasize how much bigger of a threat he was compared to Moria even if they shared the same title, we never really got WHY Perona was spared like the strawhats were at Sabaody. There wasn't some grand vision to it, no tie to something he was part of like the Revolutionaries, ... So why ? Especially at that point in time where he was slowly but surely losing himself and any tie left to his humanity

But then Bonney comes in and their backstory is revealed. And that's when you begin to notice. You notice that Perona is a pink haired adult woman with a rather childish personality. Notice that her devil fruit can easily be underestimated and holds a lot of potential. Notice that Kuma mechanically asked her a really strange question which lacked an important key setup for it. Notice that the spot on Mihawk's island where he sent her to was safe from danger. And you realize

Perona might have reminded Kuma of someone very very close to him to the point his mind couldn't even fathom harming a look alike.

And chronologically at the time of this encounter, he's only seen Bonney as an adult once back at the Sorbet Kingdom where he ended up fainting at the sight alone

In a strange turn of events, things just fit and we're all happy for it

I have nothing to say you're just spot on about everything here. I am so desperate to see Oda's notes on when he makes arcs and characters for how he puts everything together. I can only hope he's kept all of them so, when One Piece ends, he can release a book with all his concept sketches and character/story plots to see exactly how he does it. I need to see how the gears turn u know

[mommalosthermind]

So I'm slowly starting to come to understand that we shouldn't censor things but also I'm still a little uncomfortable with the site allowing things like pedophilia to be written in a way that's romanticized. I get it. Avoid it since I don't like it but at what point do we say, 'hmm this isn't okay.' I mean I get it, fiction doesn't hurt people but if that were truly the case then why are we lobbying for rep/realism/etc in media? Fiction, at some point, has to have some effect on real life.

Hello darling! I got your second ask too, please don’t worry, you’re definitely not coming across as unkind.

And you’re definitely not the only one to have similar thoughts or concerns.

But my answer’s going to be the same.

There is no such thing as a little censorship, and opening that particular can of pringles is not going to end happily for anyone. It’s better to not open it at all. And yes, that means people will create deeply fucked up things. But they should have the ability to do so, just like you should have the ability to avoid the hell out of it.

(Which, for AO3, is where I start in on my tag your shit appropriately/read the fucking tags!!! Rants. Learned the hard way a million years ago when I *thought* I was reading something very very different than I was, so when I got to ‘Character has sex with a dog’ I lost my mind, then realized I fucked up and hadn’t read the tags. If I had, I would have noped out of that fic immediately. So. That entire encounter was on me.)

“At what point is this not okay?” Well, that’s the whole point, isn’t it? Who would be in charge of deciding where the line goes? Who gets to decide what goes on which side of the line?

The last anon seemed to think writing was the same as doing, and thus writing shouldn’t be allowed at all.

And then got annoyed when I pointed out how often those unsavory themes happen in movies or TV without any warning at all, and generally, people move right past it.

Fiction doesn’t hurt people. People hurt people.

My favorite comparison is still my kitchen curtains, because my curtains are still weird: fairies, trees. Very witchy. I’ve seen people do literal double takes over my curtains. I can tell by the way they squint they can’t stand them or don’t understand why I would want something so *non-traditional* in such a public part of my house. They keep their damned mouths shut though, because they know its rude to tell me to change my curtains to fit their idea of a kitchen. (And also because I’d toss them out after laughing my ass off but that’s not relevant)

Person A has an idea of what ‘acceptable’ levels are, but that’s much much less than person B. Who wins? No one.

And no one should have the power to just decide things like that.

It’s stupid o’clock at night where I am, so I’m not about to go digging for studies, but I know we’ve got pretty solid proof that media doesn’t cause behaviors spontaneously. At the risk of sounding old, but this same argument once was applied to music, too. The weird compromise was slapping content warnings for language/sex/violence on CD’s. (Y’know. A significantly less useful form of tagging?) It didn’t… really do shit for anyone. Other than make those CD’s more attractive to teens, tbh. But. The argument at the time was rap and rock were violent and would make kids go insane and violent just by listening.

It… didn’t. It still doesn’t.

Reading dark fic isn’t going to cause someone to do something out of the blue.

Someone who’s debating doing the thing might seek out media about whatever their obsession is, yes. But their obsession was already there. Fic, music, movies, they’re not going to create it. I’d wager those girls who murdered their friend and blamed ‘slenderman’ had signs long before they went that far.

Part of the problem with this entire thought is that it’s thought policing. Folks assume the thought equals the sin. And as someone with pretty wonky intrusive thoughts and a long family history of mental issues— no. I have weird ass thoughts all the time. ‘Huh, I’m up high, I should jump, maybe I’ll float.’ I’m not gonna act on them. I know they’re weird thoughts. I’m not gonna float, I’d just die. Your brain just… says things sometimes. Some of us more than others. Therapy’s helpful for folks who struggle with that.

Fiction’s got nothing to do with it, though. Fiction just represents someone else working through their lives.

Melissa Etheridge wrote a song (scarecrow) about Matthew Sheppard’s murder. She didn’t cause anyone else to go torture another lonely gay boy to death. She was working through her grief at losing another one of us. And we worked through our grief when she sang.

Art is made for the making of it. Fiction—even the kind that squicks you— is still art.

As for the other part of your ask, the representation? I’m not sure I see the connection you’re trying to make. When people talk about rep, they’re talking about making the characters more authentic, more reflective of the beautiful range of humanity at large. Not seven brown haired white guys and one bitchy white woman and the unnamed not-white side character used for shit jokes. There should be a rainbow of humans in media, because little black girls deserve to know they’re strong and smart and beautiful. Because queer kids of all sizes and shapes deserve to know they’re loved. Because boys should get to be princesses. Because people with chronic illnesses, disabilities, they should get to be part of the stories. Because white folk need to see the rest of the world as human. Folks want to see themselves in the heroes, the happiness, the successes.

Too many kids never get to see themselves on the screen or read about people who look like them.

I loved belle as a kid because she looked like me and she loved reading. I loved Ariel because she wanted to be free. I cried over encanto because I know what it’s like to be excluded, what it’s like to be the big sister. I cried over reading red white and royal blue because the gays get to live and they’re happy. Everyone should have some way to connect.

The realism bit,though, I don’t think is the consumers as a whole. Yeah, some folks prefer it, but from what I’ve seen over the last 20 years, it’s more like the people who control most popular media have decided that’s what they wanna make. I don’t care for it, tbh. Media doesn’t need to be an exact copy of the real world.

Stories are meant as a place of solace, or at least a place that is different, than your day to day.

I like stories that have soft, happy ever afters. We’ve worked through the Big Bad Thing and come out stronger for it and now we get our well deserved rest. The real world doesn’t give me those things. Other people look at the state of the world, read seriously fucked up shit, and then go, well, at least my life isn’t that. It could be worse! And this is their happy place.

So. I’m not sure I’m much help here, but tl;dr: remember the tenets of fandom:

1) kinktomato: your kink is not my kink and that is okay. (You like this, I do not, I’m gonna leave it alone, the end.)

2) DLDR: Don’t like? Don’t read. Filtering and blocking are your besties.

3) ship and let ship (or sit down) — don’t press your dislike onto the people who do like. Let ‘em alone, go find what you do like.

4) tag appropriately, read the damn tags.

5) curate your own spaces. You alone are responsible for your online existence/experiences

6) have fun. Enjoy it. Be weird. Be silly. Be fucked up. Be unrepentantly yourself. Don’t let anyone else take that away from you.

[galaxythreads]

The live action ATLA is amazing. 9.5/10. I didn't love everything about it, but there are so so so so many good parts and I'm so glad that Netflix decided to make this. I've seen a lot of weird criticism from long time fans and maybe I just haven't been in the fandom long enough, but. I absolutely think it's worth giving a watch if you go in with a semi blank slate. The Netlfix series is not trying to be an exact scene by scene remake of the show.

The thing about it that you have to remember when you go in is that they said they were going to change the tone of the show, and they did, and it works! It's not the same. It's not a comedy. It's funny, but it's not a comedy. Character motivations were changed to fit the darker theme. It's using Avatar as source material and intends to be an adaption, not a reconstruction of the series.

Katara is much more traumatized about her mom's death, which made sense! She was murdered in front of her. She's afraid to take on a maternal role because of that. She's quieter and softer because she's afraid and she's healing from her mother's murder. Katara in the series made sense, too, but I feel like someone looked at her and went! Wait. Smol child is maybe...not okay??? I have faith they will build her up as the seasons progress if they continue.

Hakoda is disappointed in Sokka barely passing his trial. Makes sense! They're at war! Sokka has to take care of the village, of course Hakoda has high expectations for him. And the thing is--Hakoda still trusted Sokka with the responsibility of the village anyway, so his disappointment in Sokka's trial didn't stop his faith in his son. And honestly, I think it's fine that Hakoda is not a perfect parent who never makes mistakes. Parents rant about their kids to their friends all the time. It's healthy because they're not doing it in front of, or to, their kid. Hakoda didn't know Sokka was listening. So. Idk. Sokka doesn't go through his misogyny is bad actually arc, and while I missed it, I thought he functioned really well in this story without it. And for the record!!!! Sokka STILL makes stupid jokes the entire season. He didn't lose his sense of humor.

Aang feeling so much guilt about leaving? Yep! I can vibe with that. I missed his innocence and playfulness, but I feel like this wasn't a bad take on the character either. He was still playful, but in the world they live in, it would make sense that he feels terrible for leaving. And everyone they encounter takes it upon them to rub it in his face so why wouldn't he feel bad or out of place?? Especially after Bumi. Everyone says he needs to face this alone, and Aang learning that he doesn't have to?? Powerful!! Is it the same arc as s1 of the show? No! It's not supposed to be!

Zuko's actor was perfectly cast. That boy IS Zuko. The scence at the end of e6 made me cry because it was so powerful with the 41st, and that felt so EARNED after episodes of watching Zuko's crew despise him to suddenly realizing the only reason they're alive is because of him and realizing it's an honor to shelter him. Zuko drawing Aang to pin him on his disaster wall was amazing. Him getting hit by some random woman for attacking Aang? Amazing. Him sitting next to Iroh during Lu Ten's funeral? So soft. The Agni Kai really rubbed people the wrong way, but I think it was interesting that they decided to have Zuko showing compassion be the root of Ozai's anger. He showed compassion to the 41st, he shows compassion to his father, and when Ozai has defeated him, he has him on the ground and could walk away, and he chooses to burn his face. It's not exactly the same as the show, but again, it's not intending to be.

Azula being here was interesting. I don't know if I loved Zhao being incapable of doing anything without her, but it works for what it is. Zhao is intended to be annoying and he was! So. 10/10. She cried when Zuko got his scar! Ozai playing the long hand of terrible abusive tactics made me want to bite him. Because Ozai doesn't care about Zuko. He uh. Made that pretty clear when he banished him and then at the end when he's explicitly told Zuko might have died at Agna Qel'a and he's like ????????? Am I supposed to care??? We've gotten rid of weakness. So??? Like he used Zuko to force Azula to become more ruthless. He used Zuko to shape her. I do hope we get more exploration of Ty Lee and Mai so they aren't Faceless Blorb Friends, but I just don't think there was really time in s1.

The parts they chose to remove and add into the story was interesting. You got to explore the story for the first time again. I definitely think both versions have merit and are deeply enjoyable, I just don't think you should go in expecting it to be exactly the same thing? I was happy to see a new take on the story, but that might be because I knew that it was going to be darker and the characters would adapt to that. I do hope we can get more of the vibe of the show's humor in season 2 if we get season 2, and Katara feels little more like her show-counter part because I missed her, but honestly, I do recommend to a friend.

Or at the very least, if you absolutely refuse to watch it, PLEASE go watch the last 1/2 of episode 6 with Zuko and the 41st because I CANNOT.

+THEY ACTUALLY PRONOUCED EVERYONE'S NAMES CORRECTLY #bareMinimumAward

[thegingerwrites]

trope selection tag game

Thanks for tagging me @ragnarlothcat !

enemies to lovers or friends to lovers - I really love it in fanfic but I haven't really found a good example in original fiction. I feel like the stakes are often lacking in original fiction. It's either, dang you guys are mean to each other, you should not be in a relationship (especially het couples) or you guys don't really have any reason to hate each other (I just read You're The Problem It's You and was frustrated by it the entire time). But fanfiction enemies to lovers? 10/10

coffee shop au or flower shop au - I knew flower shop aus were a thing, same with bakery aus or tattoo shop aus, but I don't think I've ever really read one? But I've read some very good coffee shop aus. They're good for a meet cute 🥰 Although writing this, I'm also thinking about travellingcircus 's a dark alley, a bad idea which starts out as a coffee shop au and takes a thriller turn which isn't exactly a meet cute but is extremely good

hurt/comfort or there was only one bed - ugh, these are both very good! And there was only one bed is such a classic for a reason BUT hurt/comfort is so adaptable and I love angst

found family or partners in crime - I love a found family. It always hurts when a piece of media brings a group of people together throughout the story and then they go their separate ways at the end, it sometimes feels like it devalues the character development they made together throughout the story. I'm a huge fan of finding love in multiple and unexpected forms

canon compliant or canon divergent - I don't think I can choose between these two especially with star wars and obikin. There is so much talent involved in creating a satisfying canon compliant fic where the love is there, it just doesn't change anything (and in fact, makes everything feel a bit worse). If there's a theme here, it's that I really do love a bit of angst. I'm thinking about @thedunesea 's The Labyrinth Song here. I read it months ago at this point and it absolutely wrecked me, an incredibly satisfying read. But I also love canon divergence. I love carving out a space where things could have gone different in canon

fluff or angst with a happy ending - This is another one where I was like, don't make me choose! But I'll go with angst here (and not just because a theme is developing) but because they specify angst with a happy ending which feels like the best of both worlds

1st person pov or 3rd person pov - I'm going with Lemon and Rag here. I don't really read any first person fic. I'm alright with it when it comes to original fiction but I still don't read very much of it.

soulmates or forbidden love - I've read a few good soulmate fics (which makes me think of Twin Suns by MmeIrene (I'm not sure if they have a tumblr!) which was very good) but I feel like I read more forbidden love (especially if we consider being forbidden by the Jedi Code or the Council or in original fiction we talk about things like class or homophobia forbidding people from being together)

roommates or fake dating - I absolutely agree with Rag, a lot of original fiction especially doesn't really give a good enough reason for why they're fake dating? Where as roommates allows for a lot of great pining 💕 And I could not answer this one without thinking of @darthwillies fic Roommates which is just soooo good

slow burn or meet-cute - I love and respect the power of a good slow burn. I'm not sure to what extent I'm capable of writing it but it owns my entire heart.

love triangle or polyamorous relationship - my answer to a love triangle is so often polyamory. I never read much of it until ofmd and steddyhands a few years ago and I love some obianidala. I don't know if I could ever write it to my satisfaction though, there's just so many moving parts 😅

royalty au or magic au - I feel like I haven't really encountered too many of either of these? Although I'm loving Rag's If the Shoe Fits which is maybe more of a Cinderalla au than a royalty au but Prince Obi-Wan is just too good in that fic. Put them in pretty outfits, give me some court intrigue, that sounds great!

high school/college au or neighbours au - This one was really hard! I like and dislike both of these. I don't really seek out modern aus in general tbh but I think I've read more high school/college aus. Though honorable mention goes to Heartbeat Drives You Mad by @renlyslittlerose an excellent neighbors au!

mutual pining or idiots to lovers - This one comes back to the angst with a happy ending possibilities. I agree with Rag, I think idiots to lovers can be a kind of mutual pining, maybe with more miscommunication and misunderstandings, but that idiots to lovers isn't a tag I would seek out or one that would intrigue me

I couldn't help but turn this into a bit of an obikin fic rec list for some of my favorite tropes 😅 No pressure tags in addition to the ones scattered about the answers: @usakostar @betweensaintsandmonsters @grapenehifics @unspuncreature @samstree

[seaofreverie]

I listened to a new Sparks album and it was all I could think about for two weeks straight afterwards, a.k.a. My Hello Young Lovers Review

Okay, so here's my fabled review (I mentioned having written it once about three months ago, so I guess there's a chance that someone still remembers that). It's hecking long (seriously, it's long.) and consists mostly of me pointing out specific sections of the songs and raving about which specific elements of the songs I particularly like. And also attempting to make some sort of general statement on the style / atmosphere / themes etc. of the whole thing. I wrote this back in november, after 5 full listens of the album, over the course of about a week, and I didn't update it with any new opinions that I have formed since, to keep it true to that original form, besides some side notes where I thought they'd be useful to add. I hope you enjoy my yapping, however unprofessional and all over the place this whole thing probably is.

How to start album reviews? Well, I could sum up the general vibe / thing / feel / theme with the album but that seems much more fitting for the conclusion of the whole thing.

So let's kick this off with the first thing we see instead!! The album cover, the sleeve! (note: I got this album on vinyl for that first listening experience, the 2022? reissue) Ohh so pretty and cute, isn't it? Even inside, so much pink, even over-the-toply-so (for real though, I didn't even really think about what to expect from the inner cover, besides some photos that I knew would be there, but it was certainly not THIS. level of pink and cute), it looks so pleasant and sweet, doesn't it? And the band photos too, fun times all around!

Oh wow, ok, let's get back to reality here, I knew what I was in for (knowing just one track and excerpts of other two + reading misc comments on the album before already, as it is inevitable, you know. And frankly, that was actually the exact right amount of info from that commentary for a peak enjoyment here. Not going in totally blind but still encountering many surprises). This is a prime and, imo, very well executed example of mood dissonance. In a way where, idk, maybe it comes from me still having this even small amount of info beforehand, but it's the kind of situation that you can actually tell that something is off.

So yeah, the visual aspect of the album does fit it and I'd even say it does so VERY well, but as to how and why, maybe I should start exploring the atmosphere and themes and elements of individual songs first so we can make more general conclusions from that! So yes, I think it's time to dive in!

1) Dick Around ▪︎

Shortly put, amazing, showstopping and life changing song. And one of the earliest ones for me too! As a part of the extremely important and memorable playlist (note: my first time hearing a bunch of random popular sparks songs), it appeared somewhere in the latter half on the mix and oooh boy, was hearing this song for the first time, on the road in the dark evening too, an experience. I certainly found it intriguing to say the least, maybe I wasn't yet completely SOLD you know, and let's not forget that the second time I heard it (july) it actually kind of freaked me out in a way, but still, it certainly made an impression immediately. There's a reason this is one of the more well known / popular / important songs of theirs overall. This song is truly a journey and it messes with you in so many ways, oooohhh so many ways. I was super looking forward to hearing it again properly after being teased with some parts of it in the more recent weeks, so ok, maybe this is where I get to the individual parts I want to talk about.

Actually wait, first let's maybe say something about the placement. Of course it's the first song as I was pretty much certain it would be (and maybe already had kind of possibly spoiled..?), and it does work incredibly well as a mood-setter for the rest of the album, so it truly couldn't work any other way in my view. So yes, speaking of parts, there are so many different ones! Hearing this again was extra fun also because I would remember the main "point" / mantra of the song ("all I do now... is dick around") but not much else, then be reminded of another notable but very different part, then listen after this whole time properly on pretty much repeat now and be aware of those other little touches and bits that bring it all together...

So, let's start with the pleasant vocals & piano break near the beginning, it's, well... I just really like it (I hope I'll be able to say more specific things about other elements in these songs that I think need to be mentioned as I go on LOL), and right after that we have some very nice strings, then, suspenseful strings!! Idk why but I really really like it when those come in, they really set the unnerving classical tone that follows and returns throughout the album, then the same "calm" / bouncy vocal melody and a more "all over the place" piano returns (at least from what I remember, the notes are sort of more expansive in range in this part I think...). And soon enough... we reach the real moment of the song when it gets, well, real. And very intense. And this is almost jumpscare-like, ohhhh it's so good, even when you know you can expect it it still hits the spot amazingly.

So this is the rocking part that's honestly pure distilled joy and amazement to hear for me each time, the repeated echoey "hey hey"s for a second there are just the icing on the cake, so so so good. And, in fact, it doesn't get more rocking than this for the rest of the album. Dissappointing? Maybe it WOULD be, if there weren't other things still going on later, which were also in their own ways showstopping, so I think that yeah, those can make up for all that follows not really coming close to this level of unhinged. And this is the right word here I think, unhinged!! Damn, this freaking song. Like for a second there I remembered that in one of my early-ish hearings I just found it almost uhhh, unbearably raw? Idk if it's the right word but yeah, it gets... ugly for a second (I need to stop cringing at every more unusual / to the point word I use or I won't be able to write any genuine reviews in my life). Before going back to the main mantra of course! And then it goes on in a circle a bit more again, with more changes and some progression of the story and all that. And end on the mantra again. I don't know if I'm leaving out any super important bits here, I might be... Well, it comes back to full on rocking near the end too, with some variation too, so that's awesome! And very suspenseful and unnerving strings too for a moment!

So, should I talk about the lyrics / the story just a bit now? Ok, I won't go super deep into these or any of the following ones, I'll try to focus more on specific bits and the feelings that come with them and a general "theme" if anything. So, I think this song and its story is very engaging and I like it a lot and it certainly provokes further thoughts and ponderings, those 6 and a half minutes fly by super fast (guess that's just the power with sparks and their long songs, it's kind of incredible how maybe this goes ESPECIALLY for songs that rely a LOT on repetition, because those might work this trend the best), lots of variation, while still keeping some prominently repetitive / reoccurring parts balances it very well. You're really just thrown from one part to the next with this song. Ok, I wrote a lot about just one song and I feel like there's still more I could say if I thought about it hard, but let's move on now, we don't have all day (night)...

2) Perfume ▪︎

This is a favourite. An instant favourite. Right away this song grabbed me with its subdued, brooding and honestly pretty dark tone and sound. Low vocals, kind of ragged but driving guitar sound, and the DRUMS. They do SO much for this track, something about this specific drum pattern / style is very pleasant to me, very atmospheric. It's like a specific pattern that works to deliver some kind of effect (ok, I think through that, in a way, I just described the whole thing with repetition in sparks' music, especially in this era, nice, I guess that's how I view it and why it works so well) there's still a lot of interesting stuff going on there, plus it just sounds nice, idk. Once again, maybe "driving" is a good word for it. But now I need to mention that there is this one odd-one-out part that sounds much more cheerful, or maybe hopeful (and it returns again near the end). Because it has this specific thing, the different intonation of the SAME lyrics than the rest of the song ("and that's why...") feels strangely emotional. It certainly hit ME in the feels once I noticed it, so, yeah!!

So I think this is one of the darkest songs in mood and sound, while it also has something extremely COOL about its sound that I can't really categorize, I think I'm gonna feel like repeating this for every other song on the album but it just feels so CLASSIC, it's that typical song that always existed type of feel, yeah. But here it's less so due the melody necessarily, and more due to the whole picture. With some others it's also the song as a whole of course but they don't necessarily feel as much as a representation of a whole THING / genre / type of song / feeling in music of sorts (I'm really bad at articulating my exact views on these, am I not...) rather than those specific special moments that just bring it all to the next level. But OHHH I can't believe I almost forgot this, but the piano lines (I mean the post-chorus ones specifically) in this song, oh my goddddd!!!!!!! They're truly THE thing that sold me on this song completely, they're just so... something. So I guess this song also has that special "it" moment after all, doesn't it? Well, still possibly not quite as prominently as the next one, because...

3) The Very Next Fight ▪︎

Well, this is the kind of song that's completely made up of those specific parts making a very special whole. Starting with, of course, that melody line during the chorus "it's always the same. It's always the same". But maybe, just to be fair, I should actually start with where the song actually starts so, well, hmmm, the beginning. The very solemn piano and overall kind of heavy atmopshere here kind of slows down the momentum after the first two songs, and it delivers something quite different instead. So yeah, well, that chorus melody!! Oh wow!!! Isn't it so simple though? But it works so well!! It's simply beautiful honestly. It absolutely is! And later the electric guitar comes in for more effect and oh wow, it feels so incredible, yeah. And then some more solemnity with the... I think harpsichord?

This track feels very empty (as in the atmosphere, I'm not actually calling it empty as a bad thing or something like that, no no no!!) in some parts, then it has those emotionally charged bits, and let's not forget that it has some more really amazing guitarwork near the end. That kind of guitar "wailing" sounds beautiful in its own right too, it also kind of reminds me of some other rock-adjacent genre(s), I can't tell what exactly though...

4) (Baby, Baby) Can I Invade Your Country ▪︎

In all honesty, after my first listen I decided that this was probably the song I was the least impressed by? Kinda strange, yeah, because I no longer think that, and yeah, it was another one that I was only slightly familiar with already. Very slightly. It's a very interesting song once again, I think it's really unique after some thought actually (as are most all of the songs on this record tbh, obviously). It's unique, but it once again has this special classic quality to it that just feels like it represents a very specific type of sound.

I wanna say that the chord progression in the chorus might be some variation of one of the "usual" progressions although OF COURSE I might be very wrong here, it's just the feeling I get because maybe it's worth mentioning that 1) a while ago I started noticing this one type of progression in songs that made them sound very similar to Kiss Me, Son of God (They Might Be Giants song), so I figured it must mean that KMSOG is just in some kind of typical progression that is used a lot, especially in country-sounding songs from my experience 2) there was also an element of some classic rock / rock&roll (?) / punk (??) songs that also made them sound very alike after a while when I started listening to this one internet radio station recently, idk if it's the same progression or its variation or if all those songs use different variations mostly but are still based on a very similar thing at the end of the day, but yeah. I might still not understand chords or be able to catch them while listening, but there's now at least a little part of that whole section of music theory that I might be able to recognise in music just by myself, so that's some major music literacy development on my part I think... Anyway, maybe the progression in this song didn't even remind me of that usual pattern specifically, but it just made me think of that thing nevertheless, maybe it's similar, maybe it's not... So this was kind of an irrelevant tangent on my part, oops.

So ok, let's get to the jist of this... What exactly I like about this song and such, or just what I wanna mention. Well, I wanna mention that this is probably one of the more repetitive songs, also one of the longest I think, maybe the third longest, I wouldn't be surprised by that (the opener and closer are both pretty tough competition in the length department) but it doesn't feel monotonous, it flies by super fast, once again.

I think it's also possibly the brightest sounding song on the record, the word that immediately sprung to mind here is "triumphant". Certainly fitting with all those awesome horns!! They're truly what really sets this song apart. I'm especially a fan of the horns in the bridge part, I think it's the bridge. Sooo so cool sounding, kind of "descending". I also really like the layering of the different vocals and their melodies and such, the acoustic guitar also brings it all soooo nicely together, it's so pleasant sounding, especially in the quieter "baby, let's invade" part.

Idk what else to say, very awesome song though and I definitely don't mind listening to it twice (with the repeat as a bonus track, which I'll also get to briefly at the end) at all, in fact this might be the least "intrusive" song in a sense, so that makes the best choice for a repeat, if I had to choose, I could see myself going with this one, it's just very pleasant all around.

5) Rock, Rock, Rock ▪︎

So things get real once again, huh. This is one of the songs that I count in the category of kind of sick and twisted but in a way where I only respect them more for making it, so that puts it right next to, hmmmm, sherlock holmes for sure, maybe some others I can't think of right now. Big part of that factor is surely played by the repetition which just works, well, very well. Specifically the choruses.

One part of this song I was pleasantly reminded of on my first few listens were the short strings interludes, they really give it some of that pleasant classical feel (a separate thing from what i describe as classic feel here!) that I could say kind of contrast with the song and its atmosphere in general. Or maybe spruce it up, idk, we do have very dramatic strings during the verses too... The very deep drum sound is also pretty prominent in this track I think, pretty great.

As to some more notable parts in the vocals department... Let's just say that the way Russell says some words is very, uhhhhhh, effective (i think this sounds more cursed than it should, but i mean exactly that, the delivery just really hits you... and other times it's kind of silly instead). And also, with that repetition and it creating something great in mind, there's the repeated "and since you put-" part near the end that's also really great. The repeated "I"s in the bridge I think also need a mention. It's like they know exactly what word / phrase to repeat, what amount of times, and in which part of the song for it to work the best, like the perfect placement and number.

I think this song also has a bit of a fake ending, so that's also something of note, especially when it's supposed to sound as dramatic as possible (at least that's the idea I get from it). And actually, oh, so does the previous song! I forgot that part even though it's even more noticeable / memorable in that song than it is here imo.

6) Metaphor •

Second half of the album starts off with something that's very elegant and all the while very pleasant and melodic, all of which makes it a very nice track, even in a more usual pop song sense. Some very cool piano to start things off, and the electric guitar accompaniment, which also enters pretty early on. And then we have that slightly more strange part, kind of like an early bridge, that honestly has a bit of a comical effect imo (with no disrespect intended!!)? As in, I find it kind of funny and silly personally. Yeah, the "who's up for a metaphor" part, especially when we get the repeated "don't don't"s and "we we"s, and, well, what follows is what's definitely the greatest part(s) of the song, when Russell enters his falsetto mode and we get the "aaaaa-ªªªªª..." etc. backup vocals in choruses. Those are the moments of the song that are just, well, ONCE again that classic factor that makes the melody & everything else super special. But more specifically, I think those parts are just kind of beautiful. Yeah, I'd say this song is the prettiest in sound that this album gets overall. Truly wonderful and gets you excited for the remaining songs.

Meanwhile, the spellings of dig as d-i-g might feel kind of random I guess? But it works. Adds variety or whatever (note: it's also a very good moment of a rhythm change I believe, I think now that's what makes it sound as cool and satisfying as it does). So yeah, kind of a heavenly song I think, in a sense, also one of my top faves just for that factor (note: this song is now probably my favourite on HYL, and also among my top fav Sparks songs overall. It wasn't instant, but it grew on me quickly and oh man, I truly love this song so much now)

7) Waterproof •

I think this is kind of an odd-one-out actually? And why? I think it's probably the closest on the album to being sort of a fully, or at least MOSTLY, "normal" song. It doesn't have so many parts that are just downright weird and unexpected I'd say, it's just kind of friendly instead compared to the other ones (note: it took me perhaps too long to realize that this song just doesn't have quite as much repetition, which most other songs here rely on heavily, so that's definitely what makes it stand out the most). Not that it's an entirely bad thing! Sometimes you gotta slow down and relax a bit I guess...

I do appreciate the kind of sudden switch with the "the sky is starting to cloud up" part, and the little orchestral bit right after the first time the aforementioned switch happens (the second? or generally some later time it happens again there are also some very awesome horns! Really starts feeling like a quaint rainy street in some french town or something...) when, well, I was going to say that the vocals and the strings do the same melody, but they actually don't, at least not fully, still though, I did have that illusion before I made sure it wasn't the case with another relisten, either way, when it DOES happen, and Sparks do that a whole lot I feel like, it's always quite awesome, I mean, syncing the vocal melody with some other prominent intrument's melody...

The I think harpsichord also makes a return, yay! And then there's the guitar part, that does have some real surprise factor when it comes in, but this time for sort of the opposite reason - it sounds bright and nice this time around, and also it reminds me of Sparks' later style tbh, specifically in their following more rock-centric songs of course. And I think that's very nice, we see the always progressing evolution of their sound here I think. That guitar bit also has some album closer vibes, that kind of fake closer (or nearly-closer) situation kind of reminds me of a similar thing I experienced with Bon Voyage on Propaganda for example (note: I have since learned that Bon Voyage IS the closer on Propaganda, and the following two songs on streaming are just b-sides. So it makes sense that it would sound like an album closer because it IS one).

Annnddd the last thing that I just can't forget about here is Russell's another epic falsetto moment (waterwatereverywherebutnotadroponme!~) that part actually makes me smile. Yeah. Legit. I paid attention and I did smile on that part during my relisten today. ... Ok, let's go on.

8) Here Kitty •

When this song came on the first time during my vinyl listening I of course instantly knew exactly which song it was (bcs I've heard the title before, and a few words on it too) and had this little amused "oh no" moment. And, well, turns out this song is actually very awesome and veeeery interesting! It adds something really unique to the album. I saw someone call it quite impressive in the vocals / vocal lines layering department recently (in the last week, so already after hearing it myself I'm pretty sure) and I absolutely agree.

First off, let's settle that - this is a very strange song. But that's exactly what makes it so good of course. The strangeness keeps you so distracted from this fact, that when we reach the bridge of the song you suddenly realize that beneath all the "tatata"s, meows and unsettling rising piano notes we have the very much usual song structure with verses and choruses. Yeah, I think I actually sort of figured it out, what might be the verse, and what might be the chorus... Speaking of which, the parts that I identified as choruses have this, well, it's the same thing all over again (but each time the specialness comes from a different place and is totally different of course), but that very classic feel, indicative of maybe even some specific genre but idk what exactly...

Besides that, well, maybe let's go back to my oh no moment for a minute, and let me say that I either am very illiterate in that sense (and yeah I am tbh) or the lyrics aren't as overtly, let's say, innuendo-filled? as I expected. They actually have a semblance of a story you know... I mean, NO, not even a semblance, it IS a story! Let me also say that this is a very interesting song to have stuck in your head a lot over the course of pretty much an entire week. Yes, it got to the point where it could be annoying. One last bit of the song I really like is at the very end, when one vocal line starts to sound kind of echoey / distant, nice touch.

9) There's No Such Thing as Aliens •

The song that first cemented itself as being by far the shortest song on the album, sort of an interlude before the incoming epicness of the last one (that was quite literally my very first impression before I even heard either, looking at the vinyl this one was visibly much shorter than the last, and of course I expected the last one to be fittingly grand, and so it was obviously, but we'll get to that in a minute). The funny thing is, it's not even that short, as I figured even before eventually making sure how long it was in fact, and that's almost 3 minutes, which, well, of course that's still something around well over two times shorter than the last song.

But enough about its length, this song actually does kind of work as an interlude thematically too, which it is? it sort of even feels like it doesn't quite fit with the themes of the other ones, I mean, maybe not that it doesn't fit but just that it's defintely the furthest removed from the much more similar topics of the other ones (more about that also later!). Plus it's pretty sparse lyrically, once again, there's less you can fit in under 3 minutes anyway. Which supports the interlude argument also I believe.

Anyway, the music. First of all, waltz time!! Always a treat in sparksland to have that rare spooky 3/4 time track. The feeling I get from this track is: grand, very orchestral, anddd, hmmmm, elegant. But is it more elegant than the rest of the album... Idk, I wanted to use 3 different descriptors. I honestly don't think there's much more to say about this one, it's great, the melody is really great, the grandiosity of the choruses, the even more notable waltz time during verses. I think that yeah, I could pick this track as the most orchestral / classical inspired of the album. One cool moment I'll mention though would be the very ending, with the repeated "no"s going for longer than you'd expect them to maybe, and the deep drum accompanying all that. Very grand ending.

10) As I Sit Down to Play the Organ at the Notre Dame Cathedral •

Well, how do I even start on this one. I think I can say that with literally each single listen I become more and more in awe of this song. Could I even call it even more of a journey than the opener? In a sense, yeah. There's so much going on here. So much that I almost feel like breaking it down into individual parts and giving all of them their due because they all work for the amazingness of the whole. In fact, I might even already have this track roughly memorized (all... 7 minutes of this track) so it could be done. But ok, I'll just go with each part as I remember it, we'll see if I in fact do go over nearly all or all of them.

So. Echoey synth (?) intro, then the first melody part, with the individual words repeated, kind of "urgent" vocals part, very nice rhythm and something I just find very cool. As it progresses we get another part of just the synth / electric guitar-like synth / guitar or whatever this thing is, then a mix of both + this clicky instrument and / OR is it the harpsichord again? Giving it all more urgency and a nice constant rhythm. I also really like when the "byebyebye" vocal gets looped before the synth reenters. Overall, this part of the song has a very electronic, drony feel that I greatly enjoy and find very atmospheric and immersive already.

But, well, it doesn't end here. Because later, everything else stops and we hear a church organ. Even the melody it enters with is very much like something you'd hear in a cathedral, indeed! Good environmental storytelling, isn't it? But then... the organ transitions into this very very cool frantic melody (and by very very cool I mean that it's probably the #1 thing that stood out to me about this song right from the start) which returns consistently throughout the song and is just oh so very awesome.

So we enter the next part, what could probably be called the central part "as I sit down to play the organ...", tension is rising, the organ is doing its thing in the back, then some "hallelujah"s and BOOM! The chorus? The "I've got faith" part of course. And with it some epic strings, and I don't think I can really say what exactly it is about this part that makes it SO FREAKING GOOD & ABSOLUTELY SHOWSTOPPING but it's easily in my top 3 moments on the album at least. Then it's followed by the slightly considerably calmer "she's here..." section and we go mostly full circle for now, more variations on the same parts. Some grandiose "lalala"s & epic drum action too. And then, the "I believe" sections which I cannot let myself neglect, mostly just on the basis of them being kind of sickening to me. You know, in the "why did they do this (said respectfully)" way.

Ok, did I really just talk about all of the individual parts, I guess so. But before I move on I have to mention the moment when the very first major part, the "bye-bye-bye my baby" part, makes a sudden comeback. It's honestly just so good and satisfying, when completely different sections switch and make unexpected (or maybe you actually DO expect them on some subconscious level, and that's what makes them work so well??) returns like this, if a song has that it's very likely it will become a top top favourite or at least have a very big effect on me. Or even HUGE effect, like here.

So yeah, the song does eventually end (I mean technically unbelievable somewhat, since it's so long, but have I actually mentioned yet that this track goes by about just as fast as the first one, because it sure does, you do not notice the time passing WHATSOEVER) on some more "hallelujah"s. And the album's over. Wooo boy.

Bonus tracks

Well, it's not really over yet if it's not the vinyl but the streaming version. We still have just two more bonus tracks, technically just one? So I'll go over both quickly now for completion's sake.

First we have "We Are the Clash" which is a pleasant song for sure, can work as kind of a denouement after the crazy journey of the previous track, so you're left on a little less of a mood unresolution and can become a little less unsettled after all of this going down... Idk.

But yeah, I actually have this impression veering on pretty strong conviction that this song is a cover actually. It could even be a cover of the band whose name is mentioned in the song, which would put this version in a extremely funny area of how far stylistically it might be from the hypothetical original, if it exists (what's up with all these bands and their "we are the [band name]" songs, there's so many). Of course I could also be very wrong about this so all I just wrote could turn out to be absolutely hilariously off target, still, a fun little attempt at guessing things and connecting ideas on my part, whatever the truth turns out to be (I will learn the truth... in due time. My experience tells me that when I'm still fully in initial unwell mode over an album it's difficult for me to read and retain any outside information / commentary on it. So no need to rush it, heh) (note: yeah I was right for once. I meannnn I guess it was obvious anyway but still, let me have this, I've been fooled by assuming that a cover was someone's original song way too many times so I'm happy to not be fooled for once).

So ok, the last last track. Baby baby can i invade your country is baaaaaack, not much to say but it's pretty much the same other than the lyrics, since well, it is the "alternate lyrics" version, not "alternate" version. I do think that it might be slightly longer than the final version though but it's also likely I'm misremembering.

Anyway, lyrics, all I can or feel the need to say is that they seem to be definitely way more to the point on what this song's actual topic is (not... invading... countries . I don't need to explain it here do I) so subtlety win for the final one I guess. Just so it is known, I have not read these two songs' lyrics unlike all the main album tracks'. But I think I caught enough to get the main idea from both, you know. I do think also that the final version's lyrics just kind of sound better, idk if it's the rhythm of the words or what but they do just have a nicer flow. So, improvement, probably, still very nice to know this version anyway of course. (note: yeah i have learned since that most of the final lyrics are the US national anthem. Makes sense that if any song were to have alternate lyrics it would be this one)

To round it all up...

I think there's still a lot that can be said about this album as a whole but how do I go about that. Well, I did mention earlier that I'd come back to a) the overall feel / atmosphere here b) the themes / stories and how they connect. So those shall work as a guide to my conclusions part of this whole review.

First off, I could even say a bit about the main vibe / sound here in reference to Lil' Beethoven! Since it really does work as a sequel, at least in sound, by all means. I described LB with stuff like... cold, distant, cathedral-like, what else was there.... Ok, I have more, lifted directly from my LB write-up. (note: finally listening to LB a month prior to this was enough of a big deal for me that I wrote down my live reactions to hearing the songs) Impersonal / detached. Alien. Spacious.

Do those apply here too? I think so, yeah! Pretty much all of these words also feel like pretty good descriptors here. But honestly, the more I think about it.... Maybe it's just that the distance / the detachedness and alienated feeling is a bit lower here? Or at least in some songs more than the others. It's hard to explain honestly.... That similar atmosphere continues here but it's just..... not as pronounced maybe. Idk, maybe it will become clearer with this next point I wanna make which is that LB actually is less, uhhh friendly in sound. Less accessible! Yeah, I do think that this album could be seen as: LB started the experiment, HYL perfected it by taking it in a slightly more accessible direction. Or is perfected a wrong word here, who can say which was, or should be considered the better outcome here.... I think I actually have a problem putting concepts into the right words today. But maybe at least some of my feelings about this can still come across here...

So yeah, I don't think it's possible to tell if HYL is better or LB, it also depends on how you look at it! As it kind of always does when judging stuff per good / better. One thing that I can say sort of for sure though is that LB certainly started ideas / techniques that HYL expanded on and toyed with further, so in that sense, it could be considered an improvement. And so it is clear, I don't think I can say 100% that I like one more than the other. It's not that simple. I guess you could however say that HYL was more of an instant hitter and LB really just grows and grows more in power overtime....

So yeah, they kind of did take the LB concept and all of the avant-garde, experimentation factors that come with it, and made it more accessible, which is a form of art and an achievement and a testament of skill in itself. I think the somewhat friendlier, more palatable approach of this album also lifts off the coldness aspect a bit, but it's still there, especially on tracks 1, 3, 5, 10, off the top of my head.....

But maybe I should talk more about the album and its sound as it stands on its own before I move on though. Maybe we could jump from the words I already used: classic, orchestral, brooding, dramatic, dark, aggressive (yes, I somehow see it as friendlier than its predecessor despite also being much more aggresive in all senses. Raw even. How does that work? I can't tell you today. And idk if I'll ever figure it out. And also personal, YES, that's the word, this album feels soooo very personal and emotive. Not in the sense that I'm trying to say that it must be personal to them, more like it just shows some very personal feelings and struggles), triumphant (but that goes only for that one song really), driving, ELEGANT. I think the word elegant is the key here. In all of its subtler or less subtle tone shifts it keeps that very elegant, kind of graceful feel, all throughout. Even when it seems to be touching subjects that wouldn't necessarily bring that kind of atmosphere to mind, it kind of elevates them and gives them, idk, a new meaning?

So is this a good segue into the topic of themes? I guess the album name sits well with what I think is going on here, because my main impression of the whole thing was something like.... stories of fucked-up guys with self-image problems / feelings of inadequacy, which they try to go around fully convinced that they're right (and their messy love-lives too ofc). Or are they just, normal, regular guys actually. Who can tell. It certainly gives you an idea / a whole concept to work with and ponder here and to connect and visualize kinda.

I think that yeah, out of what I've heard so far this has to be the most thematically-consistent sparks album there is. It comes to a point where all the songs give this little impression of a whole universe where all of this takes place, and while I've had these kind of impressions from albums that are way more all-over-the-place conceptually with their lyrics (I mean like.... pretty much every They Might Be Giants album. You can create this sort of illusion with more than words, the music and its atmosphere and often also its stylistic consistency might be even more important actually), this comes, in my mind, almost close to concept album levels in that regard.

The definition of a concept album probably calls for something more specific than all the tracks being in sort of a similar theme but you know.... I don't think it really happens most of the time in music in general, that the whole album has this sort of a familiar idea / spirit throughout that makes a unique whole. (note: apparently wikipedia calls this album a concept album. Another win for me in that case, lol). You could probably try to connect different songs' themes and work with that in some way.... Which is something I already did in all honesty, but actually it's a between albums thing here, because I do believe that the dick around guy could be the same guy that the narrator from ugly guys with beautiful girls talks about. Similar ideas you can connect! That's what I'm talking about. I love it when songs tell overarching stories.... Make me think about characters from songs or little universes and vibes created by even the vaguest of lyrics and the ideas those create and the imaginings they bring, any day.

Ok, what else can I say. I think I mostly covered everything I could actually. Should I say something more about the cover with the added context now. I already said that it gives off a "something's wrong" feeling, but I think it's also compelling in how it conveys that elegant, non-threatening and polished image, sterile kinda. Well, I think only one of those four words I just chose doesn't really apply to most of this album's songs. I mean non-threatening ofc. Hmmm, maybe sterile doesn't really work here either, besides those prominent examples of the coldness of sound on this album, it would actually go more with LB, which also has a fittingly minimalist, all-white cover. Collected and orderly to a distressing degree. Just like here, it also gives off some.... distressing vibe. As I already said with the "this isn't right" feel.

What else can I say. In reviews you usually give your opinions, which I very much did throughout this thing here, everything like this is always somewhat subjective I think, but even then, a final verdict could also be said here. I think it's pretty damn clear by now what my opinion on this album is. I wouldn't spend several days writing a review and analysing every little detail if I didn't have a very strong (positive) opinion on this album (I guess I technically can imagine writing a very throughout review of something that just annoys you so much that you simply have to go through everything wrong with it and have some relief and closure through that. I can't see myself doing that kinda thing however, I'm not that kind of hater (or really a hater at all lol, i hope), I'd rather devote my time to things that I find actually cool and awesome and stand-outs in a positive sense, and worthy of attention and that dedication).

So this comment I fittingly found on tumblr over the last few days feels pretty relevant towards my opinion of writing "reviews" of stuff (this was more of a, very detailed analysis I know, but review just kind of fits, especially with how people call their recaps / commentary / writeups of concerts "reviews" a lot of the time):

(note: yeah I think I should come clean here that despite my very recent start of actual social media participation I've already been a serial lurker in various places for years now, lol, I mean, that's probably a normal thing to do though, I hope. I mean, probably lots of people do or did that at some point, but still. And I don't know whose post this is anymore sadly. But I thought I'd keep it here because it's a good summary)

And also, just for the record, this is my opinion on HYL pretty much. Yaaaayyy i loved it i had so much fun!! For real. i'm glad they're creating something!!!! Absolutely. One of a kind album that I will cherish as yet another great and unforgettable entry on the list of albums that changed me (TM) and brought me lots of fun and great memories / associations, even in such a short time. And the actual FIRST on the new list of albums that I'm happy to have brough the utmost attention to and dissected like that. It's out of love.

Thank you for reading this far! Here's a little bunny as a prize!

Whoa whoops this gif was supposed to be small! Have a huge bunny in that case, you deserve it! 🐇

[yellowloid]

hey! i was sort of reading “something to rely on” lyrics, and i remembered that you analyse some of miles, monkeys and tlsp songs. so, i just wanted to ask what are your thoughts on this song, cause i particularly think it’s about alex or some of it. anyway, other songs from cdg can be fully about alex, but barely no one talks about this one, so i thought it’d be great to discuss about it.

there’s also “adios tara tara” that i also think it’s about alex, as other songs from change the show, but that’s for another time! i also love your blog, your fanfics and song analysis, they’re always really good! 🫶

sooo first of all sorry for being this late lmao this is kinda embarrassing because this ask was sent MONTHS ago maybe almost a year ago it was so long ago i literally don't remember. i'm only just answering now BUT better late than never i guess skgshdfh

(as usual don't take this too seriously lmao this is just a silly theory, i'm in no way implying it's the truth. it's just delusion o'clock)

now, if you follow me you know what i think of coup de grace as an album - and that is, the fact that it's soooo about alex it's crazy like. bro was so angry and in love and heartbroken????? and he wrote a literal masterpiece of an album????? that's iconic if you ask me

so to no one's surprise, let's follow the usual theory - them having some sort of falling out after eycte because of miles getting serious and alex consequently chickening out, which led to Peak Gay Drama Year, also known as 2018, when they both release albums that - more or less explicitly - contain images that could easily be interpreted as references to each other. something to rely on is no exception:

"crescent moon, left in my drive / all too soon, you made your point"

the reference to the moon creates a pattern, since the semantic field of astral entities is also present in songs such as killing the joke, with "interstellar, dressed in leather, drinking bitter boy" - which as we all know is one of miles' most direct lines when it comes to referencing alex, and it can easily be linked to am's own space-themed album, which miles definitely got to listen before its official release date.

opening the song with a reference to the moon could be a way of @ a certain someone, letting him know that yes, this song *is* in fact about him, if he didn't get the other billion hints in the whole album. (however, for the sake of keeping it vague, i won't be referring to him directly but rather to a ~mysterious person~) (i'm sure you get my point tho *wink wink*) [gunshots]

mentioning the moon could also be a way of referencing the ever-present theme of nighttime encounters in the entirety of mk/am/tlsp's discography: sometimes those encounters are described as fun, sometimes they mean trouble; sometimes, they leave the people involved with a sense of guilt and/or shame, on which we'll come back later and which often leads to bad decisions ("all too soon, you made your point"). in this particular case, the first image that comes to my mind is someone leaving sneakily after a (series of) one-night stands, with the song obviously being from the pov of the person being left, who also gives us a reason why they think the other person left:

"keeping off the radar, how does that make you feel? / keeping it clean, through all the things you wanted me to be / out of touch, with all the rumors i keep hearing of you / keeping off the radar, how does that make you feel?"

this person doesn't seem to want other people to know about their affair, and that's why they keep it secret; it seems that they want miles to be something he's not, or something he can't be - or maybe they ask all these things of themselves, which would maybe make it easier for them to accept the relationship going public. this person wants to keep it neat and clean, picture-perfect and fitting to everything everyone expects from them; but as much as they try to stay lowkey and not attract attention, the narrator informs us that no matter how much this person tries to hide, there's still rumors going around about them, as an individual as well as their relationship(s) with other people, most likely with the narrator too.

"all aboard the guilt train / last call before we leave / last call before we learn to love / the last call before we leave"

the line referring to guilt is insanely queer-coded and i will die on this hill because it just SCREAMS internalised homophobia, with which the other person might be struggling. it wouldn't make sense otherwise - because what would that person feel guilty about, if it were a straight-passing relationship? unless it was a cheating situation, of course... but it could be a cheating situation AND also a queer one, with this person being in another (het) relationship while having a same-sex lover (the narrator), which would give that line a double explanation. also every time i listen to this song i just can't help but think about 'all aboard the kane train' WHAT WHO SAID THAT

however, the narrator tells us that this is the "last call before we leave" - meaning, he's giving this person an ultimatum to make up their mind and decide if they want to be with him for real or not, since the latter possibility would result in him leaving - not necessarily for good, but... just trying to get over that person once and for all. at the same time, though, it's also the "last call before we learn to love" - which is incredibly soft imo, because it's him still putting trust and hope into that person and a positive decision on their part. he believes they will eventually choose to be with him, he hopes for it and trusts the other person to make the right decision, which would lead to them being together and learning how to love each other without limits nor second-guesses. the repetition of the leaving line could also be seen as a way for him to give it a new meaning compared to the first one: if they ended up together, they could leave that world based on nasty rumors and appearances, ignoring them all to just be happy together. because, after all, miles declares it openly:

"you're all that i wanted / all that i need / you're all that i wanted / you're all that i need"

i mean. does this even need an explanation. bro is down BAD

"something to rely on / something to get high on / i don't want to beg or steal, i don't want to borrow hearts / i just want to make it real / something to rely on / the making of a mystery, wishing on a falling star / i don't want to let this sadness rule my heart / your actions from the start / in spite of me insightfully inviting me to fall apart"

i left the chorus last because imo it captures perfectly the whole vibe of the song and what i think is miles' outlook on life in general: the narrator wants something stable and secure, an established relationship with the other person; he doesn't want to have to beg and argue and make it more complicated than it probably already is, he doesn't want to be a pastime or just some lover. he wants something thrilling and intense, almost addictive - but most importantly, he wants something real. this complicated situation with the other person is making them both suffer, and the other person's behaviour doesn't make it any easier; but in spite of everything, and in spite of his sense of self-preservation, he still finds himself unable and unwilling to resist them, to let them go for good. and no matter how self-destructive this might be, he doesn't want to be ruled by negative emotions; he's already fallen for them, too deep to even consider letting them go. he just keeps falling, and yeah, the outcome of their situationship might still be a mystery, but he chooses to be hopeful - "wishing on a falling star", bringing the song to a circular end by mentioning other astral entities that inevitably remind us of the "crescent moon" that opens the song. which also evokes the idea of circularity that is typical of situationships like the one described here, where the moment he seems to have made up his mind (or maybe the other person finally did?) it's like rinse and repeat, and once again they're back to square one.

[magnorious]

Review: We Visit the Garden Gnome Emporium

TL;DR: Where the heck was this writing and directing in the premier? It's fantastic.

---

I admit, I was harsh on the premier. I stand by my opinion that Disney, with its endless Disney Money, should have strived to make a show that's amazing from the opening scene, not just get along by brand recognition. I nitpicked the inconsistences and there's still plenty here. With the lack of real combat scenes so far (the Fury fight in the museum, the hellhound at the creek, even the bus explosion) I'm wondering if the producers were too afraid of scaring children (in adapting a children's book) to really go for it. The rush this time at least had a creative re-write. All that said, episode three feels like it was produced, written, and directed by a completely different team. The acting is better, the pacing is better, the strange editing choices are fewer in between. The music is more memorable, the castings for new faces fit better, the tone is darker where it needs to be, the characters (minus Annabeth) feel so much more like themselves.

Is it completely faithful to the book? No. But as I said for the premier, changing how the source material happened isn't bad if the changes improve upon the existing story, or get to the same point if in a slightly different way. The encounter with Medusa is, book-to-screen, line-by-line, very different. But the vibe is the same. She's still creepy and threatening and a hell of an interesting perspective for Percy and Annabeth to face, being who they are, and she drops major hints on the entire theme of the book series: The gods' neglect and how many problems it causes. Her costume is different but it works. Her dialogue is longer, but it works. The Fury being there at all forces them underground and remain within Medusa's reach. I still also stand by that I wish this show had been animated a la Arcane or Spiderverse, but episode three proved the world over that this team is dedicated to telling the story, even if it mucks up a few plot beats along the way. **Minor spoiler** Percy's indignant "I am impertient" was perfect. 10/10.

It doesn't feel like it did in the premier, where the team certainly read the book, but didn't understand why some details were important to get correct. This feels like they really did their homework this time and I sincerely hope the rest of the series keeps going up from here. Side note: Costume department! I see you. I see you there dressing Percy in shades of blue and green when he's not in his camp t-shirt. I noticed. I see the 40s vibe you went with for Medusa. It mostly makes up for the Oracle looking more underfed than mummified corpse, but, you know, you win some and you lose some.

Side side note: The post-credits preview music sounds uncannily like the Avengers theme.

[demonslayedher]

Things that popped into my head while rewatching this episode:

--Recalling Gotouge's journey in developing the world and story and how Tanjiro and Nezuko were originally going to be side characters until the editor heard about them and swooped in to save the series by making Tanjiro the main character. (According to interview in Fanbook #1)

--Recalling how the art direction team, in order to produce this episode, made a trip out to the mountains of Tochigi Prefecture (which would have more snow than Mt. Kumotori typically gets nowadays) and experienced stomping around in the deep snow and feeling it pack under their feet, and feeling the exhaustion and early lack of sunlight. (According to interview in booklet handed at out at early Mugen Ressha showings)

--Giving Takeo, Hanako, Shigeru, and Rokuta red eyes like Tanjiro is such a choice and it was made. --I believe Saburo the umbrella craftsman lost his family to demons. --I love that we got to see Grandma Kamado. Tanjiro was so little. --Tanjiro really is just everybody's favorite person, isn't he???? Look at him, Tanjiro-ing all over the town.

--I've heard it said how Tanjiro must so bitterly regret telling Hanako and Shigeru to stay home that day.

--Did Nezuko imply that Rokuta's sticking to Tanjiro because he looks so much like Dad??? That loss really is so recent in their hearts, as is the encounter with the bear, as it's the first possibility Tanjiro thinks of when he sees the attack. But, we see their worldview so clearly in how Tanjiro muses on the fickleness of life like the changing weather of the sky, and he knows from the get-go that happiness is fleeting. But also, we see how he appreciates what he has so much. ;__;

--Kokushibo took three days to become a demon and wondered how long it might take Kaigaku to become one, as strong ones may take longer. Nezuko's body was left out there in daylight for many hours, and probably many night hours too as Muzan wouldn't risk being so far from cover so close to dawn. It was still daytime when Giyuu got to them, albeit covered with clouds, but Nezuko might had taken 8-16 hours. A lot of time seems to have passed between Tanjiro's discovery of the family in sunny conditions and then being partway down the mountain with her in overcast conditions; perhaps Tanjiro didn't hurry at first under the assumption that they were all hopeless and was in the process of preparing their bodies for burial, and he didn't notice the hope for Nezuko right away. Imagine his panic into action once he did. --When first following this series, I had read Giyuu's entrance into this scene as heartless and distant and jaded, which made his change to yelling at him and then hoping he'll do something (even before being impressed by Nezuko) felt strange, but now I read every line as full of kindness and sympathy from the get-go. ;___; Giyuu was hurting for Tanjiro the instant he knew what happened. --Might I say how much I love Nezuko's slow stare at Tanjiro lying on the ground after Giyuu hit him? She's still not making sense of everything going on around her, but there's this pause when she's having to compute that the person (brother???) whom she... doesn't want hurt (cares about???) is... not moving... oh, hurt??? HURT!! HE'S HURT AND THIS GUY DID IT!!!! DEFEND, DEFEND!!! GRRRR!!!!

--The drop of Nezuko's piano theme music as Giyuu comes running, no sound effects to his upcoming violence, I love the juxtaposition

--I have no clue how long Giyuu waited around for Tanjiro to wake up. Probably not terribly long since it's still daytime hours, but long enough to have neatly dressed a demon and fitted her with a muzzle.

--Curious if Giyuu had any knowledge or recollection of Kanae's wish to befriend demons, though the person he thought of who insisted on a demon not harming someone seems to have said that right before being proved wrong, and Giyuu seems to carry guilt for not having prevented their death

--My gosh, Tanjiro is still so little and powerless. He struggled so much while carrying Nezuko, noting how his lungs hurt breathing that frigid air. He has so, so much ahead of him.

[lindstromm]

@lyricfulloflight I know I threatened to haunt your ask box while reading Red, White and Royal Blue, but what actually happened is I didn't put it down except to eat and sleep, and I finished the whole thing in two days. So.

General thought: This is one of those rare instances in which the book and the movie are equally good. Of course the movie left some characters and plot points out, but it stayed true to the tone and themes of the book. I loved them both.

There were two things in the book that I thought illuminated Henry's character better, but that didn't make it into the movie.

Henry's decision. In the movie, after Henry flees the lake house and then ghosts Alex, Alex shows up in the rain and after Henry tells him he doesn't want the life Alex is offering (going from the crown to politics), Alex won't leave unless Henry tells him to, and the audience is left to believe that Henry changed his mind because he couldn't say the words. In the book, Henry has more time to think. He goes for a run the next morning, and encounters Philip.

Philip is ... fine. He's not unhappy. "It's all very deeply fine." Henry realizes he doesn't just want "fine." And I LOVED that that was all it was. Henry didn't get forced into some huge dramatic situation in which he really didn't have a choice. He just saw his brother being fine with following the life plan laid out for them, and decided he didn't want "fine." It was ENTIRELY Henry's decision. He wasn't forced into anything by circumstances. Alex doesn't have to wonder if Henry felt pressured into staying with him.

That was just such a unique way for the author to handle Henry's decision. Romances are all about drama, and that Henry's decision came down to something as mundane as running into his brother eating plain toast was brilliant. I loved it. Alex is a drama king who dashes across the ocean, gets soaked in a rainstorm and forces an emotional confrontation. Henry sees his brother eating toast.

I mean, that's just so typical of their personalities.

That scene wouldn't have fit into the movie because of the pacing, but it fit so perfectly into the book. (Also, maybe Henry realized that there wasn't much difference between the crown and politics - either life is going to be chaotic and invasive, so he may as well be with the man he loves. He may not want "that life," but turning down Alex still won't make him into a private citizen who can write books in peace.)

The second scene from the book that I felt illuminated Henry's character more was the dance at the V&A. In the movie, Henry talks about his "daft pubescent fantasy" and then Alex turns on the music and invites Henry to dance and becomes his fantasy man.

In the book, Henry again calls the whole idea a "daft pubescent fantasy," but then Henry is the one to turn on the music and ask Alex to dance. That's how he tells Alex that Alex is his dream, his fantasy, his everything. I really liked Henry taking the initiative in living out his daft pubescent fantasy. I felt like both these scenes made Henry more active in deciding to take on the risk of this relationship, rather than just getting swept off his feet by Alex.

Okay, your turn! Tell me something you loved about the book!

[roserefrain]

early live a live s/i lore ideas under the cut. they got quite long and rambly!

so! live a live is very fun to make ocs and/or s/is for because you get to make a lot of different things. live a live characters need a time period, a chapter title (always structured as The [blank]. a statement relating to or describing the main character), a "for" statement (to do with the theme of their chapter. ie, for love, for hope, for redemption), a final boss (a powerful and evil character of some sort, whose name is a play on "odio"), and a chapter gameplay gimmick of some sort that makes it stand out.

even if you're a fan of live a live you're probably like "wait what are those for statements?? those aren't in the game" and you would be correct. they are on the ps4 collectors edition tote bag.

listen. the tote bag is so important to me. every live a live oc needs to have a tote bag line. i could rant about this tote bag for paragraphs i am Not joking. (<- likes live a live a normal amount) i will restrain myself tho

here are some of the ideas i have for my s/i, based on the criteria i previously mentioned. time period: recent past (taking place around a decade or so before Masaru's chapter) chapter title: few ideas for this based on which direction i take the chapter. The Cursed, The Endless, The Second Hand, and The Repeating are all ideas i've had! for statement: again, multiple ideas here. For Change is the main one, but i've also been tossing around For Joy and For Tomorrow (<- i like this one, but it doesn't really fit with the theming of the rest of them, does it?) odio: my basic idea is that the timeloop of the chapter is being caused by a ghost of a once powerful person, who is trying desperately to grasp on to their power/keep the world the way it was when they were alive. i'm not totally married to this idea though, it could go a lot of different directions! chapter gimmicks: the chapter is a timeloop, because i am a certified timeloop enjoyer. it is one day, looping over and over again, and only the main character seems to be aware of the previous loops at all. gameplay wise, this means you are playing a short section many times, with limited actions (there isn't a clock that ticks down, that would be too similar to Sundown's chapter, so instead each time you interact with something takes an "action point". some things take multiple of these points. when you run out, you start over.) information gained transfers between loops, but items do not. the gameplay is mainly focused around item puzzles ("use this item to do this" style, like old point and click adventures)

the main character must search for the most efficient path through this day in order to reach and defeat the final boss. there are multiple paths to reach the final boss, some more challenging than others. there is a "golden path" where the main character helps all the chapter npcs before defeating the boss, which leaves no time for strengthening themself for the encounter (this gets you a special item). and a "bad path" where the main character deliberately antagonizes or frightens all npcs in order to get them out of the way quicker (this would also get you a special item)

my initial little design idea for my s/i is this! made with the "something about them" picrew by sodapvnk which you can find here!

i don't have a ton in terms of personality or whatnot for them yet, i wanna refine their scenario before i do much development for them! however, they would have several different possible character interpretations depending on how you go through the route, as i think that'd be a fun parallel to oboro-maru

[aotopmha]

Oh, looks like I have a draft with a bunch of little unrelated thoughts about FF16 I couldn't really fit anywhere else.

So here's some random observations.

(Spoilers for the entire story.)

- I really like how the relationships are handled in this story.

It feels so "normal" to me.

In many stories it sometimes feels like a single relationship is the only element that remains of a character once it gets underway.

This is especially true with female and gay characters and also teen romances (and in that case there is grounding to it, considering how teens are working themselves out to begin with and how huge of a deal relationships can be to them), but it happens in so many stories with adults, too.

Dion and Terrance act like a regular couple who care for each other.

(This especially cool since, as said, gay characters tend to only be their relationship.)

And especially after they get together, Clive and Jill do, too.

Sometimes adults are even made to act like teens.

But while Clive and Jill have an element of awkwardness at first, too, they are adults. There is a lot less shame about simply being in a relationship or talking about feelings with the opposite sex. Clive's hesitation doesn't come from her being a woman, it comes from his traumatic life.

And while I think the sex is pretty empty shock value in most of the scenes, I think Clive and Jill get the best scene because it's just as much about the feelings as it is about the sex.

And afterwards there is simply a shift to their relationship becoming that of an actual couple rather than two people trying to connect despite their baggage.

And if you notice, the scenes with both of these couples are about feelings concerning both halves of the relationship.

There is criticism of Jill mostly featuring in romantic scenes with Clive by the end of the game, but I feel like they're scenes that are always about the both of them. And both of them always bond over something they both know.

Be it their struggles or worries or childhood memories.

It's such a solid part of the story to me.

- The fact that Joshua wss willing to save his mother was such a cool character beat because the truth is that Annabella did treat him well and he didn't go through the same gauntlet of horrors Clive did that completely changed his opinion.

It's such a little detail, but super neat because that's how family relationships work.

Dion killing his father goes under this, too. His father clearly wasn't the best person anymore, but Dion clearly bore with it because he cared about him.

Dion is a really, really good concise character you learn a lot about in basically every scene he's in.

But this element of complicated family ties/caring about awful family members considered here is super cool to me.

-Ultima's presence as a alien manipulator speaking in an alien language was kind of fantastic.

How he tried to use Clive's own face and lack of control to lead him to the path he wanted, but initiated his growth instead, how he manipulated Kupka using his love for Benedikta and Clive's face and how he used Annabella and her new child to manipulate Dion's father and in turn break Dion.

His eventual more obvious role was so frustrating to me because I think his manipulation was so neat and used the humanity of the Dominants in a cool way.

- I like that Torgal has his own little arc of protecting his friends by turning into Fenrir and I like that his main connection is actually to Jill because she's Shiva, but also because he hung out with her the most. It somehow felt like it made Torgal out of all characters also have a complete story.

- Ultima's theme is the one that has stuck to me the most out of all of the tracks in the soundtrack. I love how it is used in combination with Clive's across the final boss encounter.

With all of this said, I think I truly might be FF16'd out for now.

Story is still living rent free in my head, so this is on somewhat shaky ground, but feeling like taking a break about talking about it because I've posted about it so much.

[owlsinathens]

Good morning on the last day of this first ever Greysnow week! Today is an extra day that we pay the iron price for, so I'm continuing that theme by shamelessly reccing OUR fics today.

Near Mint (surface marks do not affect play) by MymbleHowl @st-clements-steps

Rating: E

Summary: All Time Top 5 Break-ups (in chronological order)

1. Robb

2. Jeyne Poole

3. Renly Baratheon

4. Kyra and Patrek

5. Gilly

Jon Snow is not getting into the Top 5.

Dany says: Where do I start with this gem? It's the High Fidelty AU I had no idea I needed until @st-clements-steps came up with it and then I was already gone, hook, line and sinker. The title in itself is already genius, but then when you read further that pales in comparison to how fucking brilliant this is. The AU is perfectly translated and all our beloved characters and their stories drafted for the fic fit seamlessly. All the Top 5s are hilarious and relatable and/or discussable, and inside all of that you have two sad boys who need to find their way back to each other ♥️ Please do yourself a favour and go read it, and then go and read all of the author's works, because Greysnow or not, her way with words is one of the most unique and fascinating things I've ever encountered.

Mirror at the Wall by @selkiewife

Rating: M

Summary: Theon is reunited with a resurrected Jon at Castle Black. Jon has suffered significant memory disturbances and Theon must help him remember who he is.

Dany says: This. Fic. Is. SPECTACULAR. Two men, broken beyond recognition, but still there, still alive and now reunited after being through the wars - and they do recognize each other (sobs galore!!) The attention to both Jon and Theon's characters is stunning, the descriptions gritty and evocative, the whole AU idea so so SO good. Special mention to Satin, the true MVP. 2 more chapters of this masterpiece are coming, and I couldn't be more thrilled! Go and read and subscribe and bookmark, you won't regret it one bit.

Law of the North by theonsfavouritetoy, aka @owlsinathens, aka – well, me

Rating: E

Summary: Balon Greyjoy has once again declared himself king, sealing his son's fate in the North. Jon doesn't like Theon, never has – but he also cannot stand aside and watch an innocent man being put to death. So he decides to do something that'll change everything.

Dany says: I had a really hard time trying to choose one out of my 100+ Greysnow works (I have either too much time or too little self-control, or both), but in the end I decided to go with my longest fic (so far, I'm pretty sure 1x1 will be double that in the end). I can't objectively say anything about the quality, but I can tell you it was a blast to write and I still love everything about this fic.

....you know what? Since I'm paying the iron price, I'll be even more shameless and rec another of my fics.

Tighter by theonsfavouritetoy aka me

Rating: E

Summary: Theon carefully exhales, feeling his ribs expand against the fabric enclosing his torso, safe and comforting, and yet…

“Tighter.”

Dany says: So, there's this corset in a world where corsets don't exist, and from there everything snowballed and took on a life of its own, resulting in a massive project of a post-GoT Theon lives AU that I'm still in the process of tackling (Using this chance to say that the next ch of 1x1 is in the works). And it all started with Tighter. Which is a fantastic ficlet, and I'm only cringing a little saying that out loud. Please go read it 😏

[sometipsygnostalgic]

orchid!!

orchid ⇢ what’s a song you consider to be perfect?

Holy shit this is a HARD one because there is so much videogame music that I adore. I'm not big on NON-videogame music though.

So I'll just give a few recommendations:

The Changing Game is one of the best Homestuck tracks, it's so dark and intimidating and the fact they associate it with the Scratch, sort of captures the scale of that event. There are other great homestuck songs, I just am thinking of this one for some reason.

Collision Course (Davepeta's Movement) is probably the most PERFECT homestuck (fan) track though. B33 Undertale, Nepeta, and Dave all in one go. When this premiered it was like 4 hours into the stream and the most hype thing ever! It inspired me to work with LOFAM as an artist for a while.

Battle Frontier (Platinum) is a Pokemon track I think about a lot. It's so high energy. The reason I think about it is probably because of Entrapta though. I said she'd have this theme. Listen, doesn't it fit? The energy, the mechanical rhythm... It's perfect (for that specific purpose).

Volo's Battle Theme, aka Cynthia encounter theme remix, is the coolest music to come out of Pokemon in a while. And I was a BIG fan of some of the music in the past 3 gens, especially 7.

Fly me to the Moon and Let's Dance, Boys! from Bayonetta 1 are some of the most hype tracks ever. You feel so happy fighting angels while they're playing or watching the credits or watching Bayonetta's silly sexy dance video at the end of the game.

Devil Trigger from DMC5 is a really high energy song to beat up your opponents to. It fits Nero and his explosive rage like a glove.

Bury the Light, Vergil's heavily memed theme from Special Edition, is not only the perfect successor to Devil Trigger, it's also the perfect Vergil song. Also I like to scream the chorus to this sometimes. I AM THE STORM THAT IS APPROOOAAAACHING, PROVOOOOOOKING----