#lots of crane wives but also bunch of others

[jeena-says-hi]

Yet another example of the Crane Wives being very life series coded…

Don’t think about how Can’t Go Back by The Crane Wives fits Double Life Ranchers like a glove

Don’t think about how:

Could be Jimmy saying “It’s not fair,” and Tango telling him what’s in parentheses.

Don’t think about Jimmy and Tango left in a Void that smells faintly of burnt wood.

Don’t think about Jimmy calling out for his soulmate, like a canary calling to the miner.

Don’t think Don’t think DON’T THINK DON’T THINK

(so writing a fic about these angst-filled boys)

[internetgiraffekid1673]

Alrighty are you ready for a bunch of rapid fir questions? Yes I did leave for like thirty minutes and then come back!

Favorite song

Favorite artist

Favorite colors ( I know basic but I genuinely like knowing)

Favorite movie

Favorite Christmas movie

Favorite holiday

Zodiac

Favorite classes/ least favorite classes ( yes I did directly plagiarize this from you)

Favorite way to get out of class ( random I know but I'm running out of ideas and inspiration is always helpful)

Favorite mobile game

Favorite book

Favorite queer book ( I need some recommendations)

Do you or do you not like jewelry? Favorite kind of jewelry ( bracelets, earrings, rings, ect)

Do you paint your nails? What color?

Do you play any musical instruments, which ones

Favorite pride flag only based on the colors not what it represents

I'll probably come up with more in like three seconds but right now this is what I got!

Aiight, let's goooo!

Favorite song: start with something hard why don't we! I have far far FAR too many favorite songs, and it tends to swap a lot. I'd say my current is One Voice by the Wailin' Jenny's because it's blorbo coded. I'd say more long term is probably Down to the River to Pray, specifically the Alisson Krauss version because it has many happy childhood memories attached.

Favorite Artist: uhhhhh. Currently, the Crane Wives, Madds Buckley, The Longest Johns, The Jolly Rogers, The Wailin' Jenny's and The Haunted Windchimes! That's not in any particular order, I just can't pick!

Favorite Colors: this one does actually have complicated answers for me! I would say really generally and generically, I like blue (because I'm boring). However. My favorite color to wear is gray, I like owning things in any pastel colors, and my favorite color combination is a violent and hideous contrast of orange and magenta!

Favorite Christmas Movie: KLAUS! GO WATCH IT! RIGHT NOW! KLAUS KLAUS KLAUS KLAUS KLAUS! It's on Netflix, it's an adorable animated comedy, I am OBSESSED, and I will watch it as a comfort movie ANY time of year!

Favorite Holiday: Halloween! I love spooky season! The vibes, the fun, the community, the weather---all of it is very fun.

Zodiac: virgo, but only JUST barely

Favorite classes: I like all my classes because I am a pathetic little nerd. In high school my favorites were probably orchestra and choir, but that feels like a copout because they're so different from other classes. As far as core 4 subjects, I really like history and social studies. In college it was my psychology classes HANDS DOWN!

Favorite way to get out of class: HMMMMM. So I actually HATED missing class in high school, and my parents would usually just let me take a mental health day if I needed it because they are the best. In college you can just . . .skip. Like. You shouldn't. But you can.

As far as what I learned from my peers, it depends on who you need to justify the skipping to. Generally though:

1) Period cramps are being extra bad

2) Friend or family member is having a mental health or physical health episode and needs help RIGHT NOW

are the two most reliable, but the way most of the kids in my school did it were to just be fully honest about skipping and bribe the teachers and parents. Like. The teachers cared a lot less that you showed up a half an hour late if you bring them burger king and a box of donuts for the class. Your teachers also don't tend to care as long as you show up most of the time, get all your assignments done, and keep your grades up.

Favorite Mobile Game: 2048

Favorite Book: For a long time I struggled to answer this, but I've decided in the past couple years! My favorite book is Disenchanted: The Trials of Cinderella by Megan Morrison. It's the second book in a series called The Land of Tyme (although it's not marketed under that). The first book is Grounded: The Adventures of Rapunzel, and the third book is Transformed: The Perils of the Frog Prince.

They're all really amazing and immaculately worldbuilt fractured fairytales that are all woven together. Like the worldbuilding is so good that I was able to use Disenchanted for a civics essay because it is a civics textbook disguised as a fantasy novel.

Disenchanted is my favorite because I am most attached to the characters there and also because it is the most grounded in the world. It's got the least extraneous fantastical plot going on, and the characters are all a lot more street level. But they're all very good and you should all go read them right now.

Favorite Queer Book: I really liked Aces Wild. Ragtag squad of asexuals that met online pull elaborate cons and heists on Vegas elite. Very very entertaining and heartwarming.

Jewelery: I think jewelery is really pretty on other people and I also can't touch any of it myself with a 10 foot pole because of my sensory issues. VISCERALLY despise being in contact with any and all jewelery. I can't even wear cloth jewelery, lanyards, watches, etc. It all just triggers my sensory issues out the wazoo.

Nails: Makeup of any kind also unfortunately drives my sensory issues up the wall, although that one's more about the smell than the feel.

Instruments: I do! I've been playing the cello for a little over 9 years now, and I'm pretty good at it! I also play guitar, which I mostly taught to myself during COVID. I can play the ukelele as an extension of the guitar too. I can also play the piano sort of. By which I mean I can read the sheet music for it, I know how that maps onto the keys, and I practice a lot, but I haven't had formal lessons since I was 7 and I don't think I'm very good. Didn't stop my church from having me play it for the tiny children during sunday school though.

Favorite Pride Flags Based Only On Colors: Any and all iterations of the lesbian flag are UNFAIRLY pretty. I'm actually also a huge fan of the aroace flag. I'm also pretty fond of the gay men's flag, the trans flag, and the genderfluid flag!

Thanks so much for asking! This was fun!

[great-axepectations]

P!Apo Theorycrafting

So on last night's stream viewers were allowed to ask one question regarding p!apo's lore. My question was "Who is the most important person in his life?" and the answer was a cryptic "a reflection". He also mentioned there's something in his first pirates episode that no one's been talking about. So of course that's been buzzing around in my head all day so here's an attempt to coherently present my thoughts:

Missing Moon God

In the stream where Martyn and Sausage were cursed, one of messages they both received was (verbatim): "The warmth of the Sun and Moon fully vanish from your skin... As if not even the Gods can help you now..." We've seen our beloved admin sun god, a sun god cult, and sun god artifacts and chapels. Where's the moon god? Why was the word 'Gods' plural? And 'sun' and 'moon' both capitalized? If there is no moon god then why mention it? I've seen a bunch of light vs dark dichotomy in pirates lore, with light not necessarily the 'good' side. A bit of a moral gray area if you will, much like pirates themselves.

Spooky lore tweets from the official account say "look to the light in the darkness". The sun is a light in the day. The moon would be a light in the darkness. (Or stars, admittedly. There's a lot of star imagery on pirates.)

What Are Pirates About

There is a small section in the middle of Apo's pirates episode labelled 'What Are Pirates About' with the following dialogue:

Graecie: Listen, I know you're here for for the most glorious battles and stuff Apo: Well yeah, obviously. That's what pirates are supposed to be about, right? At least that's what I was told. Acho: Do you make all your decisions based on what you're told?

Acho's question could be conveyed as "Do you think for yourself? Or are you doing this because someone told you to?" Who told Apo what pirates are about? And why is he so intent on following their expectations? Are his motivations his own, or is he doing things because someone told/expected him to? Acho and Graecie then talk about how being a pirate is about being free to make your own choices. Is that the direction Apo's character growth is going in?

"A Reflection"

So how do these connect? The moon, while bright in the sky, does not technically shine with its own light: it reflects the light from the sun. And maybe it's the terminal brainrot I have from being a fan of the traffic life series and how that exposed me to the sublimely sad music of The Crane Wives, but I can't help but think of the lyrics to The Moon Will Sing:

The moon will sing a song for me I loved you like the sun Bore the shadows that you made With no light of my own I shine only with the light you gave me I shine only with the light you gave me

Now I'm not quite sure what a connection between p!apo and the moon could be (other than the fact that he safely washed up on the faction isles under the light of the moon), but the metaphor still stands. If the most important person in his life is a reflection, is Apo just the mirror? I also joked in the chat that it could be 'a ghost trapped in a mirror', but what if that were true? I haven't seen every stream, but the writings in his book seem to be addressed to a loved one, and I've seen people theorize it's someone who has passed on. Is he trying to preserve that light by reflecting it? And again, where is the moon god?

And knowing that cc!apo has a penchant for creating tragic little characters, is p!apo going to start finally living for himself and then die in a horrible traumatic way that fucks me up for weeks?

[wrongcaitlyn]

so sorry for spamming your ask box 😭

but i was wondering if you could describe how you think nico’s singing voice/overall tone he uses in a lot of his songs is.

like i know some of the source songs are upbeat pop but i’m gathering that most of them are softer?

if there was for instance any singers that you think would be similar to how he sounds/sings i’d love to know! (eg i think will can sing moderately well he just doesn’t think he can because he doesn’t have the same regular pop style as his siblings as when he sings it sounds like a mix of florence and the crane wives in the style they use.)

first, never apologize for the asks‼️‼️ usually if i don’t respond it’s bc im doing smth boring like studying/hw and i am mentally looking forward to responding😭😭

had to sleep on this and think on it for a while to see if i could remember the names of any other male artists, and then accepted the simple fact that i am a certified pop girl stan and that will never changeHDKDJ

sooo i cant RLLY think of anyone that, like, matches his voice aside from conan gray - that’s who ive been imagining the most while writing😭 i just think his voice is honestly so beautiful and ig its just how ive imagined it?

i can give some songs specifically that i think are so so nico (in terms of vocal delivery, not lyrics/production)

- heather

- people watching

- astronomy

- little league

i think very much kid krow conan/some superache songs are the way that he sings… i also feel like he sometimes over-produces(?) idk if that’s a term but like changes his voice slightly in production (less and less as the years go on bc he’s more comfortable with his natural voice) but his live performances are incredible. i also don’t think he necessarily knows his range, like he’s never tested it out, so one day he’s gonna sing super high notes just bc he never tried before (snow angel) and it’ll be incredible

the only other male artists i know/listen to are hozier and noah kahan and their voices are very different than what i imagine nico’s to be😭 i don’t necessarily think it’s raspy (or at least, not when he records it like in the studio) but really smooth, sometimes with voice cracks if its like an intentionally very emotional song

i think he also intentionally sings a lot in his lower register (think, like, the way taylor sings maroon vs how she’d sing karma) and he’s incredibleee at it.

honestly the way i’d like to describe it the most is simply angelic. i’m sure there’s an artist out there somewhere that sings the way i imagine nico to, but for now im just gonna go with conan!! im in awe of his vocal capabilities tbh, esp in the recent album (even tho i don’t think found heaven necessarily matches with nico’s voice/what i imagine that to be)

AND YOU ARE SOO RIGHT ABT WILL he def can sing, but he always like purposefully messes up the singing if yk what i mean? like if he was actually trying, he’d be incredible, but he purposefully puts on like a strained tone or messes up notes just bc he doesn’t want his actual singing voice to be judged (plus he grew up around naomi and apollo and a bunch of other singers, and he just isn’t *that* good, but he’s definitely not bad in any way)

thank you for the ask!!

[bedrock-to-buildheight]

you got good ass takes on minos and sisyphus hows The Lady and the Tiger by tmbg as a those two guys type of song ? I need peer review on my song associations lol. also do you have any songs you associate with any ultrakill characters ?

It's a very interesting and spicy song for those two, cause in this song, Minos' opinions is represented by the tiger, the more dangerous choice. I like it!

As for my songs for the blorbos, OH BOI YOU UNLOCKED AN UNSKIPPABLE CUTSCENE

Below is a bunch of songs and who they're for. Some even has explanation

Gabriel

This Is Love by Air Traffic Controller - damn near a gabv1el anthem. A homoerotic AND homicidal lovesong. Literally the third line is 'I'm an idiot for thinking this was anything but blood'

Dear Wormwood by The Oh Hellos - Gabriel to the Council

Kaiserion by Ghost - same vibe as above, with more anti-christianity vibes

Bitter Water by The Old Hellos - Minos/Gabe, in an anticipatory grief, doomed yaoi kind of way

V1

Would That I by Hozier - highly specific Gabv1el with Minos/Gabe former relationship

Stars from Les Mis (Phillip Quast version)

V2

The Plague by the mountain goats - imo V1 was never made to give much of a shit aboyt humans. It's almost vindictively happy at seeing humanity's hubris catching up to them at last

The Toy Soldier's Song by The Mechanisms (Gunpowder Tim vs The Moon Kaiser) - loyalty is a lot to ask of a weapon, the song

Want You Gone from Portal 2 and Still Alive from Portal

Cry for Judas by the mountain goats - 'But I am just a broken machine, and I do things that I don't really mean'

A Sadness Runs Through Him by The Hoosiers - Gabriel/V2. The story of guard dogs who had bad owners

Minos

Sisyphus

Cirice by Ghost - Minos/Gabe that started out as Minos manipulating Gabe into siding with him a la Drowning Man (fic)

The Music of The Night from The Phantom of The Opera - slow, powerful and seductive. If charisma itself is a song

Ferryman by Shayfer James - despite the name, this is a Minos song. There's a certain indifference to shitty lovers and the insignificance of individual humans that fits him well

Run to You by Pentatonix - Minos/Sisyphus post-Prime. The specific amv scene I have in mind is 'Minos finds him bleeding out after fighting V1 and they share a few moments. Sisyphus realizes that maybe, he did regret one thing'

For the Departed by Shayfer James- Minos/Sisyphus, depicting their final moments before Gabriel arrives in Greed

Villainous Thing by Shayfer James - Sisyphus to Gabriel. An understanding between people who care about Doing Right, but hold too much anger to take the respectable route. Plus a bit of flirting <3

Ferryman

The Moon Will Sing by The Crane Wives - Ferrygabe resentment song <33 They fucking hate what he made them into

Obsessed With You by The Orion Experience - self explanatory

Others

Body by Mother Mother - self explanatory 2. That one piece of unadded ferryman lore hakita dropped is the gift that keeps on giving

Cupid by Fifty Fifty - lmao

Bury My Mother Pale and Slight by Amalgemotion - Virtues song. The chorus is directly calling to Gabriel as 'the knight' who will bring them freedom. I like to think that 'the king' mentioned here is God

For Narmer from Warframe- Sisyphean Insurrectionists

Like The Dawn by The Oh Hellos- Hell/Lucifer

Nothing Changes from Hadestown - The Council

Living in The Light by Ridiculon - The Council

[pinchan]

12 7 2 for any ocs!! :D <3333

hiiii vera :-3 i'll be answering using multiple ocs bc they've been rotating in my head lol

(number 2 under cut bc it got REALLY long oopsies)

7. What is an aspect of their appearance that you like the most?

midas' lack of (visible) face is easily my favorite part of her design, it adds to the dehumanization and mysticism surrounding her character. she's a walking corpse without a name or a face :-)

it's kinda hard to say for danilo, its design is supposed to look plain and boring so ToT i think i have to say its hairstyle, since i do have notes for myself to convey their emotional state through their hair

i also like akira's hair. another intentionally bad hairstyle to convey a bit of the character lol. but my favorite about her is of course her stitches, they're her core design element after all and shows a bit on how her ability works

12. Do you have a playlist for the character? What songs do you associate with them and why?

for this trio i have a playlist that has songs that fits at least one of them, so it's a trail mix rather than a dedicated playlist. some songs there that fit all three of them are:

Curses - The Crane Wives

Christine F - Surf Curse

The Perfect Girl - Mareux

The Wolf - SIAMES

2. How long was the process before the character reached its final version? (or a version that would be clearly recognizable as the character?)

midas' process of creation was hilariously and needlessly convoluted. i've talked about it previously here. tl;dr: her conception went as far back as 2022 but it never came into concrete creation until early this year

design-wise, it went through quite a few iterations. i kept getting unhappy with its design, but i think i'm finally happy with this one

(oldest to most recent)

danilo was also a funny one, although quicker. here's a quick one that i just now realized i never uploaded here:

they weren't supposed to be any more than "haha funny priest gets off to pain" one-note character, and a lot of their character traits that i wrote down when i uploaded them on artfight were mostly quick thoughts that i had no real plans for, but unexpectedly a lot of those traits come together very, very seamlessly. from their near-perfect memory (caused a major conflict with their daughter), their distaste of wealth, even their scars and the choice they made to be a priest. they're a very happy accident :-)

my first ever art of them vs the "transition" process to where we're at now. around this time i've also started to solidify their character, so i decided a mildly awful hairstyle like their current mullet thing would be fitting

creation date wise, akira is the oldest of the bunch. she was initially created as a jjk oc on early 2022, and i've posted her exactly once at that year lol. she was initially created to be paired with kenjaku as well as nao. i thought it would be fun if kenjaku were to meet someone who's so like them yet they hold no respect for, i always love hypocrisy in character writing

like midas, her character took a backseat because i was still fixating on ko around that time (more specifically developing ko's jjk au), but this year i've exported her to an original story with both danilo and midas. these three were created completely separated from the others and weren't intended to be in the same story at all, but their character works like turning gears with one another and now they're grinding my brain

jjk akira didn't have much going for her besides her cursed technique. like the other two, akira's finalization took time this year. when driving an idea struck me to frame akira's curiosity for life in a different way than kenjaku's: hunger. rather than intellectual curiosity, akira's drive for knowledge is something more primal, seeing herself and others as no less or more than animals, and she's made herself an apex predator to learn about it all firsthand. from heart to liver, from fat to blood

old vs most recent design

[rune-chaser]

OC question time!

Are there any songs that you strongly associate with any of your OCs?

OC(s) of your choice has been given 50 of their world’s monies. What are they spending it on? (If their world has different tiers of money, i.e. gold and silver coins, go with the higher value currency)

Do any of your OCs have pets?

And finally, just anything you would like to share about them in general :)

1)

There are a few actually! I'll try and grab some from an array of folks!

Marin: You all know her I've shared I think Fight Song by The Stanfields before, as well as Bad Influence by P!nk SO I'm gonna share another one that inspired the Icon I made for her playlist after like 4 years of having no icon Pink Panther by Scene Queen: https://open.spotify.com/track/32ljWqOxw3ckyuaUc882F6?si=ce75c6f7bc8946be

Sunita: You also Know Her I'm actually gonna share a song for her that is very very early on in her playlist! the 4th one added, because it's a song that I so heavily associate it with her I have a very hard time putting it to other characters. I Found by Amber Run: https://open.spotify.com/track/5zT5cMnMKoyruPj13TQXGx?si=f408015ff7a64533

Lake: THE NARRATIVE'S (my) FAVORITE I like her so much and she is so special to me and I plan on putting her through the wringer because I love her. THAT BEING SAID! bet you'll get off on this by Xana: https://open.spotify.com/track/73RMaD9aBr66HauQdertbc?si=2528b5cdc9f948de

Lord Huron: They are the big bad of my dnd campaign! Based on The Most Dangerous Game! This song I actually thumbnailed a good 40 seconds of an animatic to hehe Go Get Your Gun by The Dear Hunter: https://open.spotify.com/track/3JdJIrVP3QBSA8L1RSdUho?si=012dfef3ff89487d

Alani: The Captain that got them all into the mess of my dnd campaign! She's the captain of the ship that sunk getting to Tiamat's Maw (where Lord Huron resides, not that anyone knew that at the time) And I just really like it for her : ) Save Ship, Harbored by The Crane Wives: https://open.spotify.com/track/7EX8XCuQF5YlozMjNedoez?si=33fa94bd896b4f90

AND THE REST UNDER A READ MORE CAUSE WE ALREADY GOT LONG

2) We'll go with Alani again! Since the Alazarian world is about the only story place I have the money really matters, Song of Blood may also but I haven't developed it enough to be mindful about it.

50 gold can sometimes be a drop in the bucket with things, so I'll go with Platinum! which would be a higher value of things. But that can go a LONG way when supplying for a ship! Food Rations and even pay for her crew! But she would more than likely use it for supplies to keep her crew happy and safe, And should she see that there is enough left over after that to distribute, well should she be so fortunate to have the extra, why not share it around and pay the crew a bit more?

3) Lyric does! Huron too by a technicality.

Lyric however is a ranger, so they have an animal companion! A Hunter's Griffon that they named Cross! He's a lil guy a bit larger than the average cat! He's a very good tracker as well and helps Lyric out a lot on scouting around home and other places!

Huron has a bunch of Hounds! if you've read the story there's hunting dogs and Huron has those too! Like, A lot. Too many I think but A LOT. She's curated what's been desired of her hunting dogs to bite bite kill kill or maybe just be really really fast! He also has Guard Drakes that are, by a technicality, pets.

4) Wildcard

I actually wanna talk about Song of Blood a bit because I'm currently taking a nail file to it. and trying to slap some clay on it to mold it to what I want.

Specifically I wanna talk about this guy a tad : ) It's Naomi's dad!!!! When it wants to walk around looking a lil more human, because it's dragon form is a bit more fucked up. Series of images below of the most recent pass at its design : )

[birdsat4am]

I saw your post asking about mcyt lore so uhhhh *takes a deep breath

Mcyt is actually a pretty big category of fandom, cause different minecraft servers have different roleplays or storylines, but if it's related to tcw I'm willing to take a bet that it's specifically about the life series. Not sure why really? A lot of the characters and stories just line up really well with the songs I guess.

Basically for the life series it's kinda like a remixed version of regular hardcore minecraft. Each player gets 3 lives, and if you lose all 3 you die for good. When you're on your first and second life (green and yellow respectively), you're not allowed to kill anyone and your goal is just to survive. When you reach your red life however, your goal switches to killing green or yellow players, and then other reds when there's no one left. Also the world is pretty restricted to like???? 700x700 blocks I think??? So players can't just get away from each other.

The rules up there are the basic rules of the first season (third life). They had a bunch of other seasons afterwards that change the rules up (health syncing with other players, trading lives, a timer instead of lives, etc etc) but the main premise of the game is the same: you kill on your last life, and if you run out of lives you're gone for good.

The story is based a lot more on improv than some other series (namely dsmp or empires) but i feel like the improv adds to the charm? You never know what happens next and that's what makes the parallels and cool moments so much more memorable. I think the whole theme of betrayal and death and alliances just mesh really, really well with crane wives music. Like if your entire story revolves around complicated feelings with your friends and enemies over several lifetimes and choices then half of tcw's discography will probably apply to you

oh my gosh i wasn't actually expecting anyone to reply!!! and in such detail too!!! literally made my day, thank you so much! /gen

that. makes a lot of sense actually yeah i would also associate a premise like that with crane wives music

[bluebeetle]

tag someone you want to know better

tagged by @rartorata side note still struggle with spelling that to the point where the other night i had a dream that a certain youtuber who lives in our city who has a 100k+ followers iirc and goes to a local con here tried to get you cancelled but it didnt work bc she couldnt spell ur username right. lol.

Favourite colour: red :3 or green

Last song: Canary in a Coal Mine - the Crane Wives

Last movie: blue beetle :333--oh wait i did see american psycho since then

Currently watching: tv show wise, just undead girl murder farce on the go, everything else i was watching with friends is on hold rn... at this very moment, some nisipisa window shopping videos. also working through the newest quintonreviews mega video

Currently reading: Still reading the Brian Deer book from awhile ago, but for comics it's We Are Robin and this spider-man 2099 and arana novel.

Currently working on: getting through a bunch of books to donate, fixing my sleep schedule.... i have a con coming up but i decided im not doing anything new for it bc i have cosplays ive only worn once or never to bring to it anyways (i try to wear my cosplays at least twice lol). wanna get back to art or writing soon tho but ive been zzzzz

Current obsession: Been reading thru all my comic trades so mostly DC comics rn... Damian Wayne has been on my mind a lot today

too eepy to tag people and martha is kneading my arm

[thechaseofspades]

How about a director’s cut for My Head Is an Animal? What made you decide to work Of Monsters and Men (and that album, in specific) into the story? How did you first get into them?

🎵 Musical Episode Talk 🎶

Fair warning, I use a *lot* of words to answer this. 900 of them to be approximate. Peek under the cut and scroll at your own risk.

There's a bunch of different angles to this so I'm probably just gonna spit them out variety show style and then maybe have them cross over at the end.

I've danced around this before but I'll just out and say it, Violet is kind of loosely based on me. Not in a Literally Me ™️ self-insert way, but I give her some traits and characteristics that I have in real life. As much as I like her, I feel like the show kinda left her blank, especially compared to how much development Lena and Webby got. I don't think the stuff I've added feels very out of place on her anyway.

I remember reading a few fics in which characters would come out to each other, and that was pretty neat. At the time I was way less out than I am now, so the only way I could really express that was through fiction. Hence, why I took the aroace Vi headcanon I already had and made a story out of it.

I'm a sucker for character playlists. Whether it's songs that tell their story, or just the kind of music they'd be into, it's the easiest way for me to get a grasp on a character. I actually do this when I write as well. Each fic has its own "soundtrack", except Dream(s) because of how short it was.

OMAM had their big hit in 2012 with "Little Talks", which has kinda lingered around ever since. I've gone through phases of loving it and forgetting it even exists over the past ten years, although it's probably never leaving my head anymore.

I pick up a lot of music from soundtracks and playlists. I'm not a big discography guy. The easiest way to get me to like a song is to attach it to something else I like (hence why character playlists do it for me). In this case, OMAM appeared in the NHL 20 soundtrack ("Alligator". Recommend it), which brought them back into my brain around 2020-21.

There was a social media post I saw while I was still getting accustomed to the whole aroace thing, which asked for songs that fit the community. Kinda similar to the aro vibes post that went around about a week ago. One of them was "Love Love Love", which caught my eye because it was OMAM. I gave it a listen, and I would love to tell you that it hit me right away, but it just didn't really. But after a few times over, it started to click. I'm not sure if this is when I listened back to the whole album or if that came later, but this was the catalyst for that.

Whenever I have panic attacks or otherwise just bad times, I listen to Fleetwood Mac. It's my ultimate comfort band. My top 2 tracks are "Rhiannon" and "Dreams", which are pretty much guaranteed to put me in a better mood. That's one of the concepts I gave Violet, as both a justification for the music and a point of conflict.

[Edit: oooh I just remembered I also did this concept in the first ever fic I wrote (unreleased) about Lena having a meltdown and Webby and Vi calming her down with a song! So I guess that makes 3x I've done that trope now]

Back to character playlists. If you remember the post I made recently about the Violet Sabrewing playlist getting wiped from Spotify, that's relevant here. It had songs by The Oh Hellos and The Crane Wives, which really planted the idea in my head that Violet would be into indie folk rock. What else is indie folk rock? OMAM!

I already liked "Little Talks" and loved "LLL", and I dug the indie folk rock vibe, so I figured why not dive into the whole album. Which is funny because I almost never do that. Not a discography guy, like I said.

You still there? Great. Anyway...

When I sat down to write "My Head is an Animal", it was originally going to be about Violet finding the song, kinda like I did. The "Love Love Love" scene was going to be the majority of it. But I felt like it was missing something. I wanted to see Violet go through the process. I wanted to show her struggling, realizing, accepting, etc. I wanted to show the full experience.

Hence, the full album. I had some ideas for where I was ultimately taking the story, but this was the most seat-of-my-pants writing I've ever done. I had the songs playing on loop as I wrote each segment, writing down how it made me feel. How it made her feel. The ups, the downs, everything.

I didn't want to just parachute in during the middle of Violet's process, because that feels like shortcutting it. But I also wanted to give closure as seen in the final cut. In reality, there's still a lot more to figure out for Vi, as there is with anyone, but after putting her through a panic attack or two, I wanted to see her happy.

Hopefully that all made some sort of sense. At the very least, it was worth writing down for my sake. And big thanks for the ask!

[smoralcoral]

Masterpost!

Hello, everyone! I'm Smoral! Not my real name, obviously, but internet privacy is important.

(If you know me in real life, no you don't!)

This blog mainly serves as a public diary, in which I scream my trashy, trashy hot takes into the void. I also post about my interests, and I would like to start posting art and writing on occasion, if I feel so inclined. If you're interested, read below the cut!

I have a wide variety of interests. Some that come to mind (my favorites will be in bold) include:

80s Pop Music, Chappell Roan, Taylor Swift, Pop Music in General, Florence and The Machine, Hozier, The Crane Wives, Mitski, Tally Hall, and Basic White Girl(tm) musical theater.

I like Hades, Fallout 4*, Terraria, Minecraft, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, The Sims 4, Stardew Valley, Hypnospace Outlaw, and a whole bunch of other games that I've played here and there.

I really need to read more, but some books that I've enjoyed include: The Crucible, In The Dream House, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, and others. I also enjoy Alison Bechdel's body of work.

I visit the movie theater a lot, and so I basically post about whatever movie I've just seen.

I also post stuff related to art and writing, analysis, and political content, I'm not a super fan of anything, so my knowledge on a certain topic may not be great, but I still enjoy talking about them! I'm also not super defensive, so if you personally don't like something, that's okay as well. I think everyone is entitled to their own perspective, for the most part. The exception to this is politics, as I simply cannot, and will not, tolerate someone who doesn't believe in basic human rights.

*RE: Fallout, I've been considering making a separate blog, just so I can reblog stuff about Piper Wright.

This blog is a MESS. I do want to implement some form of organization for prior posts, though. Here are the tags that I intend to use:

laugh.txt for funny posts

me.txt for stuff that I find personally relatable

shut up smoral for anything original that I post

smoral can't draw for art

smoral can't write for writing

analysis.txt for posts discussing media

politics.txt for politics and societal trends

helpful tips for tutorials and general life skills

posts pertaining to a piece of media will be tagged with the name of the media.

other people's art for fanart

other people's writing for writing

slanek.txt for posts that would interest my partner, mainly stuff about star trek and trains.

I also put commentary in the tags.

I think that's about it! Hope you enjoy my blog!

The blinkies were made by blinkie maker, with the Kirby blinkie and Rainbow Flag belonging to Anakin.

The text was created with random text generators online, and edited by myself in procreate.

I unfortunately don't know who created the alien and little blorbo guy, but I am happy to credit if someone claims ownership!

[rainbow--skies]

Pinned Post Re-do. Again.

About Me

Rainbow

Url used to be @rainbowpie14

Discord is rainbowsk1es but I probably won't accept requests if I can't tell who you are

Any Pronouns

Lesbian

Minor

Christian but normal about it (I post about religion sometimes but it's tagged)

American of Italian and Puerto Rican descent (White, Hispanic + Latina)

Any personal information that's not here I probably won't tell you. I do not post my face.

Tagging

#rainbow's mind 24/7 is most original posts

#rainbow's thoughts on life is reflections on my experiences & people I've met

#rainbow rants is me complaining

#my art and #my writing are for if I get around to making anything I want to share

#reblog is what it says

I tend to use a lot of generic categorization tags for fandoms, ships, characters, art and writing, tutorials, animals, etc.

I use #unreality, #tw blood, and #tw gore where necessary and try to avoid guilt trippy "you must reblog this" posts

If you need other trigger tags just ask but I may say no if I don't think I'll remember. I won't tag caps and swearing for sure I used to but I post way too much of them and will forget

DNI

I'm not doing a whole big list anymore. If you're a bigot, exclusionist, or send people death threats I'll block you because you suck. If you mostly post NSFW I'll block if you try to follow because I keep this blog SFW besides the occasional mild joke. If you're under 13 and admit to it, I'll block you if you try to follow because I want you to have a good childhood and not be on Tumblr. Other than that I think most Tumblr discourse is pointless but if you really want to know where I stand on something, ask.

Sideblogs

@yourfaveislesbian: Putting your favorite characters on the lesbian flag (I tend to post in sporadic bursts)

@magnus-institute-official: Me and @stardustedlyra roleplay an AU of the Magnus Archives (inactive but maybe we'll go back to it someday)

@ask-drtk: Me and a bunch of friends' askblog for characters from a roleplay (not running yet but we'll probably get there eventually)

@sideblog-with-everyone: Trying to get as many Tumblr users on a sideblog as possible. Feel free to join! (I'm not an admin but I figured I'd help promote the effort as I am still on the account)

Fandoms, other hobbies & interests, any random shit I feel like putting in the future, and credits for images under cut. I probably will update that section more some day.

Fandoms & Media-Related Interests

There are varying degrees of activity here. Some of these might just be occasional analysis or gameplay posts, some I also do ship and read fic and stuff in. Sometimes I may post other stuff too if I see something cool for an old/less serious interest I don't follow much or I forgot to update this.

Keeper Of The Lost Cities

Warrior Cats

The Hunger Games

The Magnus Archives

The Magnus Protocol

Witch Hat Atelier

Azumanga Daioh

Sanrio Characters

Yotsuba&! (Still reading)

Akiba Maid War (Still watching)

Dungeon Meshi

The Sims (Especially Sims 4)

Animal Crossing (Especially New Leaf, Happy Home Decorator, and New Horizons)

ClanGen

Roblox (Various games)

Various webcomics, mobile games, and other digital media

A lot of music, but my favorite bands are Paramore and The Crane Wives

If you want to know more about anything on here, characters and ships I like, etc., please ask! If you want to recommend me something, go for it as well! After I finish the two things still in progress on here I probably will start Dungeon Meshi next though.

Other Interests

Trombone (I've been playing for 6 years)

My own and my friends' OCs

Computer Science

Languages, especially etymology and names

Science, especially biology

Writing

Drawing

Credits

Divider from @sweetparty

[iridescentis]

so while I've been listening to each of the crane wives albums I've connected a lot of them to laura and specifically the way she viewed her experience and the people around her throughout the story and it gave me an idea for an AU of sorts?

basically where laura is staying with max in a house owned by her uncle who is renting it to her, and the town is kind of similar to the one in life is strange 2 where the grandparents live, because living in this rural, woodland environment is an attempt to help them overcome the trauma they have endured

and so laura works at a community bar type of place and (since siobhan is a musician i thought it would be fun) laura plays guitar and sings at this bar semi-frequently, and she plays this setlist of songs by the crane wives as a way of coping

also, as a sort of reunion, she and max somehow invite everyone to this town on the anniversary to check in with each other, and they are invited to watch her perform on a full moon

i also have a bunch of other little headcanons, such as i think she would've received the curse of being followed by eliza, and meds didn't help that, so she is relatively spiritual?? kind of, like using methods to ward off evil spirits and such. also that former werewolves get achy on full moons, just muscle pain, so she still tracks it, and maybe even has a lunar cycle tattoo on her back

[stars-n-spice]

Yippee! OC Sunday :D!!

These fun little questions ease the pain of the week starting again, I love participating in these, thank you Freesia for coming up with it! <3

Anyways, going to be talking about my squad of TBB S/Os. They're known as the "Baddies Batch" because they're significant others to the members of the Bad Batch and they're a bunch of Baddies. Phee is included in the squad too!

More information about the Baddies Batch can be found here!

You can find out a little more about the different individuals from these links:

Khea Nultez - Wrecker's Mando Mechanic GF Tay'kaa Marr - Crosshair's Changrian Merc BF Viram Cossa - Echo's Mikkian Medic GF Jung-Myn Yun - Hunter's Mute Jedi Partner

Questions answered under the cut!

What's a song that represents their vibe?

Khea Nultez - "Steady, Steady" by The Crane Wives! Something a little folksy, but fast-paced, defiant, and confident singing about one's journey and the mistakes you can make if you don't have a clear head for what's to come. Fitting for the headstrong Mandalorian tied to her culture and family who has a tendency to run, to and from danger. Tay'kaa Marr - "Style" by Foster the People! Something that's upbeat and catchy, yet when you actually look into the lyrics there's something a little more–resistance, regret, frustration, etc. Fitting for a cocky merc who puts up a stylistic facade with a devil-may-care attitude who refuses to comply with authority. Viram Cossa - "First Love/Late Spring" by Mitski! Something bittersweet that sounds like yearning and being so terrified of love and what it brings while also discussing maturity and the varying levels of it. Fitting for the Mikkian so overwhelmed by her work and desire to be in a relationship, who had to grow up faster than most and doesn't know how to handle her emotions as a result. Jung-Myn Yun - "Bambi" by Hippo Campus! Something a little slow and soft, about longing and the confusion of trying to figure out your place in the world. Fits perfectly for the softspoken former Jedi Temple Guard who's trying to make sense of an ever-changing galaxy and their place in it.

If they could change one thing about themselves, what would it be?

Khea Nultez - Khea wishes she was stronger, both physically and mentally. If she was stronger in those two ways, maybe she would've been able to save her brothers. If she was stronger, maybe she'd be more mature and would've not done the things she did to make her life more difficult. Maybe if she was stronger, she wouldn't be so afraid all the time. Tay'kaa Marr - Tay wishes he could say 'no,' more or know when to stop. Not in like a people-pleasing way (though that's part of it) but in a way he doesn't know how to back down from things, therefore putting him and others at risk. He's competitive, he can't help it, and he wishes he could. Viram Cossa - Viram wishes that she knew how to let things go. How to let friends, family, grudges, traditions, and ideas go for the greater good or for the sake of herself. She wished she didn't hold onto everything so desperately and tightly because in the long run, it just makes everything hurt all the more. Jung-Myn Yun - Jung lowkey wishes he was never a Jedi. He wishes he could've lived a normal life and not one of a Jedi Temple Guard, where you're stripped of your identity and individuality because maybe life would've been simpler. He would've been able to know who he was and would've avoided all the pain that came with being a Jedi.

Which store would they shop at for their clothing in a modern day AU?

Khea Nultez - Khea doesn't really care where she gets her clothes, as long as they fit and don't bother her, she'll wear them. However, she tends to get a lot of her things from places like Boot Barn or brands like Ariat because she's a cowgirl at heart. Tay'kaa Marr - Tay's a bit of a brand freak and wears like only Nike or Adidas. He has a bunch of 'sporty' or 'comfortable' clothes that are usually brand things because he thinks it's "cool." If you catch him wearing something that isn't a brand he's going to force you to never tell anyone. He also likes streetwear things, so places like OUTCHA work too! Viram Cossa - Viram likes to thrift or shop at little boutiques like Francesca's! She enjoys finding cute outfits and putting things together, never mind the fact that she's usually in scrubs all the time. She's not too picky really, so long as it's cute. Jung-Myn Yun - Jung kinda dresses like an 아줌마 ("Madame/older woman" in Korean, but also kinda a slang word for a certain style). They get most of their clothes from places like Uniqlo or Louis Castel, or really any place you can find older Asian people shopping at. Really, so long as it's comfy, he doesn't care.

Welcome to OC Sundays! 💙 Each week, I'll post three random questions for you to answer for one or more of your OCs. Feel free to link the work(s) they appear in, too! We'll have a little showcase where you might discover someone that piques your interest and voila! Something new to read! 😁 As for the image? Random dude I found on Canva, with so much sass and so much cake that I had to include him. 🤣🙈 And apparently all of this is going to have a 70's vibe, LOL.

What’s a song that represents their vibe?

If they could change one thing about themselves, what would it be?

Which store would they shop at for their clothing in a modern day AU?

[albatris]

hellooo i am once again in your inbox with my little rental car questions. am i getting annoying yet? i can stop lmao

for the songs: nat! quinn! alex! lloyd!! yvonne!! any of them or all of them or whatever you like!!

(also i noticed some of ur ATDAO content and am intrigued by Kai's song vibe too)

(don't feel pressured to answer all/any of this lol, its a Lot)

hello hello hello!! thank you as always for ur little rental car questions, I am often very slow at answering them but they make me go ":D" every time, so.... :D!! (also no no no, you're not getting annoying, you're fine ahaha)

so, I have already a few requests for Nat and Quinn tunes waiting in my inbox, so I'll be scattering my Nat and Quinn tunes across a couple of different asks....... or maybe I'll just bunch them all together...... yes either way, if you're keen for tunes I can tag you in those too :P BUT I will give you one for each of them here as well because I am kind and benevolent

I have no Lloyd or Yvonne tunes yet unfortunately............ but I am on the hunt for some so maybe I'll find some soon..... I have Alex tunes over here in a previous ask! and I will offer you some Kai tunes...... and then perhaps I will throw in a few Greeble tunes also?

FAIR WARNING this will be a lot of words, I am so sorry, I forgot to mention how Asking About Music would open this floodgate, this is something you have not witnessed yet but lots of my other mutuals have.... I Love To Ramble and this is a topic that I am incapable of shutting up about

under the cut because.... yeah. sorry sorry sorry

so first up is Nat, n I will offer you “When I Was Done Dying” by Dan Deacon, which is.......... not the MOST Nat tune, but is a funky little song that can go both at the very start and the very end of the playlist, though I opted to put it at the end c: it’s a song with a lot of bonkers imagery and thematically ties conveniently into both Nat’s first and final appearances..... plus the line “And the Earth looked at me and said ‘Wasn’t that fun?’ / And I replied ‘I’m sorry if I hurt anyone’” hurts me in my heart and is just such a sad note to end on

next is Quinn, n I will offer you “Metaphor” by The Crane Wives! this was the very very first Quinn song I added to the playlist, as soon as I got Quinn’s vibe pinned down I was like “oh yeah lmao this song is perfect”. it conjures up the nice little image of someone who’s adept at sweet-talking and truth-twisting and manipulation, perhaps because it’s all they know how to do, perhaps because it’s a defense mechanism and survival tactic...... the tone of the song is not particularly distressed though..... like..... it’s a shifty, shady song but also “Don’t look too hard, ‘cause you won’t like the scars he left in me” is a little oof and gives the whole thing just a sprinkle of seasoning in terms of Why Quinn Is The Way Quinn Is. plus the brief shift to “I can’t trust a single thing you say” is a nice dash of that fear and defensiveness too :3

anyway yes, I have lots more Nat n Quinn tunes on the way in various different flavours including Nat-And-Quinn Combined Tunes and Greeble-Nat tunes

NOW FOR KAI TUNES THOUGH

oh, I could talk about ATDAO sounds forever, my ATDAO playlist is a 14-and-a-half-hour monstrosity that I have so much fun with also I do have an entire Kai playlist from back when I was making individual character playlists

anyway, here’s some for Kai I plucked out for you!

“The House” by Air Traffic Controller! such a delightful little bop and is exactly the vibe for the Lancaster household of Kai’s younger years c: though a lot of the specific details in the song aren’t the same as specific details of Kai’s life, the energy is perfect! Kai had a fantastic home life and such an energetic and loving family, n I mean...... things got SUPER messy post-time-loop because Kai’s family thought Kai was dead and things completely fell apart and they’ve spent seven years trying to claw their way back to normality...... so yes this song is very good but also Ouch in comparison to Kai’s current loneliness and complicated family situation

“Someone New” by Hozier is one of my favourite Kai tunes!! lots of love to go round here, perfectly encapsulating Kai’s boisterous personality and tendency to collect friends wherever they go (the stranger the better, yes), n the deep love they have for humanity as a whole.... they are the type of person to fall in love with strangers on the bus dfkjfsdf

“The Record Player Song” by Daisy the Great is an EXCELLENT Kai song but one I only trust in my own hands..... like, it’s a good character song but only ‘cause I have the necessary background and nuance to handle it....... I can come at it from the right angle.... but it needs a mention, yes

anyway, this one is here for.... a deep-seated terror of your own motives and the fear that you’re not a good person..... the alienation and detachment from your sense of self and the people you’re supposed to care about.... which is a great source of distress for Kai, who’s always been deeply compassionate and caring

they spend a lot of the story dealing with extremely undiagnosed depersonalisation/derealisation disorder due to Time Loop Trauma and constantly feel as if the world around them isn’t real, that they’re not real, n feeling so disconnected from their own emotions.... plus they’re scared shitless the only reason they try so hard to care so much about people is because deep down they don’t actually care about anything at all

choice lyrics include

“I don’t really love you / I just said that for a change of pace / I’m sorry, sometimes I don’t recognise my face”

and “I need a dictionary / Someone look me up and define me / Please remind me who I’m supposed to be around you / So you will do what I want you to”

and “Sometimes I think all I’m ever doing is trying to convince myself I’m alive”

just.......... oh, go to therapy, kid, you’re not a terrible person you’re a good, kind, loving person who’s been through a fuckload of trauma and needs help dealing with all this terror and guilt you’ve been carrying round

technically “Wander. Wonder.” by The Arcadian Wild fills the same role in the playlist, lots of terror, lots of alienation and isolation and disconnectedness, but this song IS allowed in other people’s hands (it is also an exceptionally good Kai song, probably the top one) (Tris also makes a tangential appearance in this song ahaha)

also it would be a crime for me not to mention "Wobbly” by Ezra Furman for Kai of course :3

and finally............................. two Greeble tunes........ only for the Greeble on its own, I have a handful of VERY good Nat-Greeble tunes lined up for a different ask

“SPRORGNSM” by Superorganism! just a funky little hivemind bop! and also The Bedquilt Ramblers’ cover of “This World Is Not My Home” which........ sad sad human centre-of-the-Garble vibes

like, man, this guy made some TRULY atrocious choices but I do feel bad for him. he was an idiot, yes. but he deserves some rest at long long long last. everyone deserves some rest eventually

anyway thanks for........................ letting me ramble....... I apologise for the........... incredibly lengthy ramble..... please have a SPLENDID day

[starffledust]

*laughs in I didn't see the notification and then I contemplated doing this too long so it's kinda irrelevant and I have barely anyone to tag but here me go*

I was tagged in a get-to-know-me thing by @sylphidine, so we're doing that now. I also don't know for sure if this is the right format but I'm just letting it happen.

rules:

tag nine people you want to get to know better/catch up with!

favourite colour:

I actually am always tied between yellow and blue. Depending on the day I'll tell you my favorite is either one. I just like them both equally. I think I look quite a lot better in blue but I always love how yellow looks in pictures and won't hesitate to pick the yellow game piece in every board game I play.

currently reading:

Oh man, so many things. I always have at least one academic book and one personal book that I'm reading at any given point. Currently I'm almost done with reading Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson. I've started The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis since I've watched the Netflix special, and I'm also slowly making my way through It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet by James Herriot, The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman, and Song of the Dark Crystal by J. M. Lee. I also started Stardust by Neil Gaiman today.

A lot I know, but sometimes I can't focus on one and start another so it just depends on the type of day for which one I read.

I also tend to just reread Good Omens, Frankenstein, and the Guardians of Childhood books a lot, so that slows me down with the others.

last song:

I'm listening to Take Me to War by The Crane Wives at this very moment because it goes with one of my characters and I'm trying to get in their mindset to write something. It's also just a really good song.

last movie:

I watched Luca because my friends were saying it's good. It is, I'd watch it again but it's not one of those things that I have major interest in. It's still cute though so I recommend it. Oh, and wait until the post-credit scene because it's funny.

last series:

I'm guessing this means tv series? I just watched the first two episodes of The Mysterious Benedict Society on Disney+ and am now anxiously waiting for Friday when the next one comes out. Let's just say there might be some art for it here in the future.

sweet, spicy or savory:

Savory. Savory all the way. Give me my crackers

craving:

Can't pick one thing so here's a list:

- Gender validation

- A walk through the woods

- A model train (please)

- Something natural to photograph instead of my house for the billionth time

- These certain ramen noodles that the store was out of which I've really wanted for a week :(

- Some more Rise of the Guardians fanfic. I've read all the ones I'm willing to read and now I'm just stalking the tag on AO3 for when something new is posted

tea or coffee:

Coffee.  I like the wary reactions I get when I put nothing in it and drink it black, but also iced coffee is really nice when the thermometer chooses to be above boiling

currently working on:

Haha, oh boy I have a lot. Let's see

- Writing a series of Rise of the Guardians fanfic focusing on all of the Guardians' experience with becoming a Guardian and just dealing with MiM in general. It's very angsty and I have Sandy and Nightlight done, but I want to release all of them pretty close to each other so I have to finish the others as well before I post anything

- Making quite a bit of art for my side blog and have an animatic planned

- Still trying to edit my stupid original manuscript. I've just been procrastinating it and I made a lot of major changes last time so it's gonna be a lot of work that I'm not willing to commit to at the moment

- Also just trying to work on time management in general (not just art but also house chores and the like). I think I'm getting better in terms of productiveness and knowing when I have to just take a break

- Currently in the process of cleaning my entire room (bookshelf, desk, closet, etc.) It's all very dusty and I have way too many books that won't fit that neatly. I also have a bunch of those mini cars and planes that I'm rather fond of and don't want to just throw in a box somewhere so I'm trying to figure out what to do with those

- I'm actually currently on vacation :)

tagging:

@mushiroomoo

@mx-mossy-draws

(y'all are the only people I really know on here so...) don't really have anyone else, so free reign to whoever wants to