#oh well i'll leave it up to you

[ohitslen]

Tending wounds.

[serpentface]

Do you conlang? I was wondering if you had naming languages (or possibly even more developed ones) for pulling the words you use. I tried to search your blog but didn't find anything, wouldn't be surprised if the feature is just busted tho. Your worldbuilding is wonderful and I particularly enjoy the anthropological and linguistic elements.

Ok the thing is I had kind of decided I was not going to do any conlanging because I don't feel like I'm equipped to do a good job of it, like was fully like "I'm just going to do JUST enough that it doesn't fail an immediate sniff test and is more thoughtful than just keysmashing and putting in vowels". And then have kinda been conlanging anyway (though not to a very deep and serious extent. I maybe have like....an above average comprehension of how language construction works via willingness to research, but that's not saying much, also I can never remember the meanings of most linguistic terms like 'frictives' or etc off the top of my head. I'm just kinda raw dogging it with a vague conceptualization of what these things mean)

I do at least have a naming language for Wardi (and more basic rules for other established languages) but the rudimentary forms of it were devised with methods much shakier and less linguistically viable than even the most basic naming language schemes, and I only went back over it LONG after I had already made a bunch of words so there's some inconsistencies with consonant presence and usage. (This can at least be justified because it IS a language that would have a lot of loanwords and would be heavily influenced by other language groups- Burri being by far the most significant, Highland-Finnic and Yuroma-Lowlands also being large contributors)

The 'method' I used was:

-Skip basic construction elements and fully move into devising necessary name words, with at least a Vibe of what consonants are going to be common and how pronunciation works -Identify some roots out of the established words and their meanings. Establish an ongoing glossary of known roots/words. -Construct new words based in root words, or as obvious extensions/variants of established words. -Get really involved in how the literal meanings of some words might not translate properly to english, mostly use this to produce a glossary of in-universe slang. -Realize that I probably should have at least some very basic internal consistency at this point. -Google search tutorials on writing a naming language. -Reverse engineer a naming language out of established words, and ascribe all remaining inconsistencies to being loanwords or just the mysteries of life or whatever.

I do at least have some strongly established pronunciation rules and a sense of broad regional dialect/accents.

-'ai' words are almost always pronounced with a long 'aye' sound.

-There is no 'Z' or 'X' sound, a Wardi speaker pronouncing 'zebra' would go for 'tsee-brah', and would attempt 'xylophone' as 'ssye-lohp-hon'

-'V' sounds are nearly absent and occur only in loanwords, and tend to be pronounced with a 'W' sound. 'Virsum' is a Highland word (pronounced 'veer-soom') denoting ancestry, a Wardi speaker would go 'weer-sum'.

-'Ch' spellings almost always imply a soft 'chuh' sound when appearing after an E, I, or O (pelatoche= pel-ah-toh-chey), but a hard 'kh' sound after an A or U (odomache= oh-doh-mah-khe). When at the start of a word, it's usually a soft 'ch' unless followed by an 'i' sound (chin (dog) is pronounced with a hard K 'khiin', cholem (salt) is pronounced with a soft Ch 'cho-lehm')

-Western Wardin has strong Burri cultural and linguistic influence, and a distinct accent- one of the most pronounced differences is use of the ñ sound in 'nn' words. The western city of Ephennos is pronounced 'ey-fey-nyos' by most residents, the southeastern city of Erubinnos is pronounced 'eh-roo-been-nos' by most residents. Palo's surname 'Apolynnon' is pronounced 'A-puh-lee-nyon' in the Burri and western Wardi dialects (which is the 'proper' pronunciation, given that it's a Kos name), but will generally be spoken as 'Ah-poh-leen-non' in the south and east.

-R's are rolled in Highland-Finnic words. Rolling R's is common in far northern rural Wardi dialects but no others. Most urban Wardi speakers consider rolling R's sort of a hick thing, and often think it sounds stupid or at least uneducated. (Brakul's name should be pronounced with a brief rolled 'r', short 'ah' and long 'uul', but is generally being pronounced by his south-southeastern compatriots with a long unrolled 'Brah' sound).

Anyway not really a sturdy construction that will hold up to the scrutiny of someone well equipped for linguistics but not pure bullshit either.

[hunysckle]

feeling very mom-coded in this sweater/jacket/jeans combo =3

[montied]

at least if she does go through with it i can just go to seymour and no-one will know. what're they gonna do about it

[keeps-ache]

'please i have a family !! of ocs'

[cometcon]

[Messages I sent to my friend last night for when I find out if I'm right or not as I continue watching this show. PLEASE DO NOT GIVE ME ANY SPOILERS. I WANT THE SHOW TO REVEAL IT AS CORRECT OR INCORRECT.]

Listen. I'm in Season 2 of Monk and I need to write this down to you because I'm calling it now and I don't think you want to watch this so it should be fine if I'm right:

RANDY KILLED TRUDY

I'M LIKE 80% SURE OF IT

They've dropped TWO extremely subtle hints by this show's standards and this show isn't always the most subtle in its set up and pay off [so with the vibe I'm getting from what I think I'm noticing I feel like they want it to be there so you can go back and see it again later but are intentionally drawing as little attention to it as possible so you hopefully don't figure it out early but also if you do you'll feel really smart for having engaged with the show] .(I much prefer that to telling me everything though so it's mostly ok).

One: Randy mentioned back in Season One that he joined the police department 4 years ago. At that time in the story, it was 4 years ago [according to a line spoken by Dr Kroger in the SAME EPISODE which practically guarantees that Randy's 4 years information is important!!] that Trudy died to PLASTIC BOMBS UNDER HER SEAT. [The reason why I clocked this as important is that the show has been consistently training us as the audience to never ignore a seemingly off-hand remark using times, dates, number of years, locations or anything like that whatsoever because 99.99999999% of the time it's relevant and gets used by Monk (sometimes others but usually Monk) to crack the episodical cases. I'm telling you now I'm 99.99999999% sure that wasn't an off-hand comment that doesn't actually matter any more than any other comment like that has ever been in any episode to that point or after it. It means something. They've taught me it means something so I really hope that pays off.]

ok it might be three actually I just realised something from another character not just Randy

Two: I'm now watching Season Two and Monk was talking to another character and they have him tell her that the car bombs were plastic bombs and that he feels guilty because he's sure they were meant for him. This isn't the first time this show mentioned car bombs, but it is the first time I remember them being identified specifically as plastic bombs.

Three: The very next episode - the one I'm currently on - is dealing with a series of murders using PLASTIC BOMBS.

GUESS WHAT RANDY JUST SAID

Ok ok so relevant dialogue leading up to it:

Monk: "What do we have?"

Captain Leland: "Mail bomb. An ounce and a half of plastique with a magnesium charge."

Randy (looking a little excited which wouldn't be unusual in normal circumstances for his character but is extra sus here given my existing sus): "There were two triggers-- a chemical detonator wired to the wrapping, and a motion detector. So when you opened it and moved it-- boom."

Cap. Leland: "Not hard to make.”

AND RANDY, this cheeky smug little fuckwit, GUESS WHAT HE SAYS NEXT????

"Crude and unpredictable actually."

YOU SMUG LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT MOTHERFUCKER I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE YOU SNEAKY LITTLE SONNOVA FUCKING BITCH

I'M GUNNING FOR HIM. I'M GUNNING FOR RANDY. FUCKING LITTLE WEASLEY SHIT.

Also you know there's that whole thing where some killers like to insert themselves into the investigation where possible as part of the thrill/try to head the cops off etc. It's a real life phenomenon. And if Randy is the type of character I've been thinking he is then he's a) very good at putting on the unthreatening bumbling dumbass assistant role which hello Felix archetype but without the competence angle to begin with, and b) he's exactly the type of person to insert himself into the police department Monk works with to see the damage he did to Monk with the bombs and revel in it, as well as stay close enough to gain trust with the department and Monk to know what's going on, but probably also to keep feeding his ego that even Adrian Monk can't figure out that Randy did it.

Basically imagine Felix [Red vs Blue] if he had no game or rizz and you have the underlying character I'm picking up from Randy.

(And if I'm right then a) I'm going to scream so loud the neighbours might call in a welfare check for me and b) jesus mother fucking christ his actor is amazing at playing a character-within-a-character, goddamn. Every kudo on Earth to him.)

[I haven't managed to watch past the Playboy episode yet because unfortunately I have a life and I can't bingewatch constantly until It's revealed whatever happened to Trudy but you can bet your arse I'm going back in as soon as possible because I'm so excited to find out if I'm seeing shit or if I'm seeing shit I'm both supposed to and not supposed to see. Goddamn I've missed getting to use my brain while watching media.]

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UPDATE: I just started Season 3 and I started my other best friend on Monk too last night so they're getting in on the drama. XD

We'll see how this season goes. They're ramping up the Trudy plot lately so my money is on this season for some kind of reveal. Crossing my fingers. It has to be Randy. Look at that weasely little face. Piece of shit.

Also said best friend I'm messaging in the screnshots above saw the individual scene where that dialogue is from I was freaking out about earlier. And they pointed out he looks really dressed up and they don't think it's because of his 'girlfriend.' They think it's because he was excited as fuck to be doing a bombing case similar to what he did (but inferior in his eyes of course) and he dressed up for it. Fucking smug little prick.

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UPDATE: I finished the first episode of Season Three and I'm calling BULLSHIT. NO. NOT ALLOWED. B u l l s h i t. I'M STILL GUNNING FOR YOU RANDY YOU FUCKING PRICK I KNOW YOU DID IT I KNOW IT I FEEL IT IN MY LEFT ANKLE FUCK YOU. MY ANKLE DEMANDS YOUR TWO-FACED BACKSTABBING WIFE-BOMBING BLOOD, DO YOU HEAR ME????

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UPDATE:

S3 Ep7.

There's a LOT more focus on Randy lately and it's making me itch.

Sharona just made a joke about Randy blowing up his 'girlfriend.'

Yeah that's not the only girl he blew up, Sharona, you watch. I know it was him. I can fucking smell it from here even through that cologne. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...

Mini Update: Ok so Crystal's real. One thing he didn't lie about but wow there's a lot of focus on making Randy adorable. I'm not buying it. It's set up to make his evil nature feel all the more like a vicious betrayal, I tell you!!!!

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UPDATE: I miss Sharona and the way they wrote her off in the show was weird and kind of lazy (though I guess I shouldn't be surprised; this show is lazy whenever it would be too much effort to spend a little more time on something to get a better result I just try to ignore it as much as possible since I'm already ignoring a lot/critically consuming a big percentage of it mentally). I wish they'd just paid her actress what she asked; it was probably perfectly reasonable and she was fucking epic.

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UPDATE: S4 Ep2. I'm loving how much they diss on Randy. Fucker deserves it. Unfortunately I haven't seen anything else to give me any more input on my theory other than the newspaper clippings on his fridge last season in that episode where he got conned with fortune cookies. If you tilt your head and squint you can maybe see it as him enjoying getting to work with Monk on cases but like, in the gloating way, if that makes sense. Humour me here I'm desperate for more to shit on him with. XD

OH actually come to think of it I did see a smile at some point in one of the episodes where I felt sure Randy shouldn't have been smiling/it was sus as fuck but now I don't remember which one. Dammit I should have written it down straight away. Sneaky little shit.

In this episode I'm on currently he gave Ambrose a big stink eye for not letting him take the candy (and so he shouldn't; wife-killers don't get candy, Randy. Lol no rhyme intended. Hah. No-Candy Randy has a good ring to it I reckon lol).

Anyway, Ambrose had better watch it, or he might get a plastic bomb lobbed through his window. XD

YEEEEEES MORE HANDING RANDY DEAD PIGEONS MAKE THE BASTARD MAN SUFFER

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UPDATE: S4 Ep6.

You sure are very intent on exhuming Trudy's body, Randy... What, you worried you didn't finish the job properly?

Oh my fucking gods Randy is having a fucking ball driving Stottlemeyer around the bend right now! This fucking ass knows exactly what he's doing and he's having FUN! Also, he could be using this as a cover for how hard he's going in trying to find Trudy!!

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UPDATE: S4 Ep7.

Awwww they're giving the bomber a surprise birthday party!! That's so cute!! He's gonna fucking betray them and it's gonna hurt like a mothefucker and I'll be sitting here unsure whether to cheer or not because I'm right FUCK YEAH CALL OF THE YEAR. But it'll also mean the characters they've made me care about are gonna get absolutely WRECKED. But I'm also a whump-lover so I guess cheering will still be appropriate. XD

HAH THE CAKE CAUGHT ON FIRE FUCKING SERVES YOU RIGHT 'LIEUTENANT'.

OH MY FUCKING GODS THEY'RE WHUMPING RANDY SO HARD THIS EPISODE I LOVE IT. XD

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UPDATE: S4 Ep11.

Oh Randy honey you seem very interested in trying to make sure Monk isn't found in case he found something out about the Trudy bombing. That's fascinating...

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UPDATE: S4 Ep14.

I have to say I'm getting pretty sick of the writers torturing Monk and having other characters act out of character to refuse to do anything about it because torturing Monk is more important than consistent or even basic human characterisation. There's a difference between whumping a character vs torturing an already bad representation of a disabled neurodivergent person and this show does a disturbing amount of the latter specifically for laughs. This show seems to be trying to one-up itself whenever it can after already having retconned Monk into being more self-centred than he was in earlier seasons/generally leaning even harder into the allistic writers' idea of what severe OCD and 'high functioning' autism look like than they already were. I'm trying so hard to critically consume because I enjoyed the characters and their dynamics, plus waiting to find out what happened to Trudy, but I'm watching this show steadily slowly losing more and more of the things that made it at least bearable let alone enjoyable and it's beginning to frustrate me in closer percentages to whatever enjoyment I'm still getting out of it. I'll try but idk how much longer I can put up with this.

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UPDATE: S4 Ep15

"You're a compassionate guy, Randy. This just means you have a heart." * "What if I'm a bad boy? ;) " * "You're one of my oldest friends, Randy. I've known you for years." Oh yeah. They're setting it up. There's going to be a reveal soon, I'm sure of it!! :D

Also lmao more whumping Randy via his tooth. XD

Writing gripe again: what the fuck was the point of taking Monk to the dentist if they weren't going to take him in to check the scene? At this point the writers really did just put him in there for 'normal people' to laugh at him for being scared of the dentist. It's fucking disgusting. (This is me critically consuming btw. This is the critical part. I'm allowed to hate and love things in the same show without one cancelling the other out.)

But yeah so the allistic character Randy gets to have a completely understandable outburst about not being there for their entertainment and that's framed as normal and fine (which it is. No one should be treated that way. I'm gunning for him because I'm sure he killed Monk's wife based on all the clues earlier seasons left us even if they decided to retcon it later which I'll hopefully find out at some point. I laugh at Randy because I think he puts on the dumb act to get people to underestimate him and because if I'm right he fucking deserves the whumping and that's what makes it funny because his character is an actually terrible person getting off extrrmely easy in light of that). But Monk never gets to call out the abominable way he's treated just for existing in weird and inconvenient ways for the rest of the world. He has to take it on the chin and be the laughing stock of the allistic audience this was written for and us neurodivergent people watching it were expected to just accept watching the way we're treated be played for laughs on screen, further reiterating that this treatment is normal, acceptable, reasonable and to be expected because our behaviours and struggles make us deserve to be infantalised, sensationalised and turned into cheap entertainment for the 'normal' masses. What's worse? THEY GO OUT OF THEIR WAY AND EVEN MAKE THE WRITING WORSE IN ORDER TO PRIORITISE THIS.

So I hope people who watch Monk, particularly later seasons because they weren't as bad about it in earlier ones, keep this in mind when watching because this isn't ok but I see it all the fucking time, even in more recent things.

We are not your playthings, your cheap entertainment, your annoying road blocks, your tragic story, your helpless little children to save, your inspiration porn, your magical good doctor/detective/lawyer/forensic bone specialist/etc or whatever else you see us as other than human beings. We're more complex than Hollywood finds convenient and entertaining to portray us as. We are a spectrum. We are unique individuals with vastly differing lifestyles and needs. We are HUMAN. Start fucking writing us that way.

Ok out of meta level and back to story and characters.

AWWWW Stottlemeyer just said "I miss you. I need you." to Randy. That's so fucking sweet. :') It's a shame he said that to Randy of all people given what I'm sure he did/is doing, but sweet all the same!!

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UPDATE: S5 Ep6.

RANDY YOU STINKY LITTLE MOTHERFUCKER I SWEAR I WILL FUCKING SLAP YOU!!!!

DID YOU SEE THAT? HE DELIBERATELY MENTIONS THE LIBRARY ISN'T WORTH ANYTHING, IS STANDING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SHOT (WHERE NATALIE SAYS IT'S IMPORTANT TO MONK BECAUSE OF TRUDY) LOOKING AT THE GROUND BARELY CONTAINING A SHIT-EATING GRIN FROM WHAT I CAN TELL AND THEN HE SAYS "I DIDN'T KNOW THAT'S WHERE HE MET TRUDY" WHICH TO ME IS TANTAMOUNT TO HIM ADMITTING HE DID IN FACT KNOW AND WAS SHITTING ON IT DELIBERATELY AS A POT-SHOT AT MONK WTF RANDY YOU GJVJFKFHKCOHCHCOCLJC *THROTTLING MOTION*

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UPDATE: S5 Ep13

First of all, I skipped the radio room scene specifically where I knew the writers would let the Max asshole absolutely wale on Monk because pretending it's ok to constantly shit on neurodivergent people for however long they like then patting themselves on the back for having this one put the bad guy in jail or whatever else they do to make themselves feel like good people is a holding pattern for these writers now and I would rather spend that time on sections of this show I'm still enjoying or do something more productive with my time. Like rant about outdated fictional media from the early 2000s on tumblr. XD (Seriously though this is STILL a problem in way too many things and it's been over 20 years like wtf.)

But with that knowledge already - plus the little section at the end I had to watch as part of skipping to the next scene being the radio asshole saying "I should be but I'm not" to Natalie who I assume said he should be ashamed of himself or something followed by him being a misogynistic prick because they get to do that in this show a fair bit too surprise surprise - when Randy starts LAUGHING in the Captain's office with Monk and Natalie there? And admits he LIKES that asshole?

More of THIS piece of shit showing his true colours? I very much believe so. Still gunning for him. It just keeps piling up...

Hey at least they called Willie a little person rather than any of the numerous other slurs I would have expected from a show like this. Not sure how that community would feel about a little person being used solely as a suspected-murder-weapon plot device, though my money's probably on 'yuck' just based on the typical marginalised experience of being constantly and only used that way in media across the board. Also the way they treat him in the next scene is NOPE.

Oh you had to pull over did you Randy? Bitch I bet you pulled over because it was near impossible not laugh your arse off at a man making fun of Trudy on the radio but the captain was in the car and that would have really blown your cover.

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UPDATE: S6 Ep1

Oh Randy does have a brain. What a surprise. I'm watching you, asshole. (But props for the jengi attack, great job ngl).

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UPDATE: S6 Ep2

OK HEAR ME THE FUCK OUT.

They're talking about the bomb and Stottlemeyer is once again talking about how basic this bomb was. HE SHOOTS A LOOK AT RANDY (translation: I suspect Randy knows about this and has talked to Stottlemeyer before so he looks to Randy while talking about this very basic BOMB thinking this knowledge is just innocent and some of the only decent knowledge Randy has) and then Randy?

THIS FUCKING LITTLE SHIT IS IN A BACKGROUND SHOT LOOKING AWAY FROM STOTTLEMEYER HAVING JUST COME FROM THE FRAME WHERE THE CAPTAIN LOOKED AT HIM, THEN AT STOTTLEMEYER ONCE THE CAPTAIN IS TALKING TO MUDERUSS AGAIN, THEN GLANCING BACK DOWN TO WHATEVER HE'S HOLDING IN HIS HAND WITH THAT CONFIDENT 'INNOCENT BUT COMPETENT BUT SHHHH SHHHH' LOOK I'VE SEEN HIM DO A FEW TIMES IN THE SHOW NOW HOLY FUCKING SHIT. AND THEN THEY STRAIGHT UP SHOW HIM FULL SCREEN DEAD CENTRE WITH THE MOST INTENTIONAL-LOOKING DEADPAN EXPRESSION I'VE EVER SEEN. WHAT IS THE POINT OF THAT? THOSE ARE SOME VERY POINTED AND OTHERWISE UNNECESSARY SHOT CHOICES, WRITERS...

I'M STILL GUNNING FOR YOU RANDY. I HAVE MY EYES ON YOU AND I'M WRITING THIS DOWN THIS TIME.

[astralprisms]

Was wondering why this particular gith face always feels like it suits baldness best and then I realized it IS in fact Orpheus' face model, Orph just has different unique ears.

Anyway welcome back, dreadwolf.

[dandyshucks]

i am freeeeeeeee [collapses into a pile of dust]

[nocentis]

Honeysuckle

⚶ ┆ Between his teeth and beneath his nails, an airy fruit light as love is bitten down to the rind. Even with his mouth full of pulp he finds himself desperate for her taste.

A sigh echoed and swallowed, kept locked in his chest like a secret. He held his breath until it burned; savored every hitch and every hum of her sacred song. Each curse spoken like a prayer, like praise; wept like gratitude wrenched raw from the soul — raked clean and spit out like the pit of a cherry. When he's forced to breathe, she is the hallowed riptide, and he would be blessed to drown in her lush.

Ripe as a peach at the crown of her cheeks; soft red flush so sticky sweet. Another of her colors comes to life in his mind. One shade closer to the divine.

⚶ ┆ Woven together like lace under the pale light of a waning moon. He can't be sure where he ends and she begins. She pierces straight through him like he belongs to her, and in some capacity, he knows that he does. There is no room left in his heart for desire of this nature. It has reached its bounds and collapsed inward on itself — a singularity the size of her that takes of these moments and stretches them infinitely, ever deeper, ever denser; inescapable.

Too much would never be enough and yet he counts every falling grain of timesand, tallies them up, and says his Hail Mary's in correspondence. Blessed is he for these hands to hold her, for these eyes to view her, for this mouth to speak her name. Blessed is he for the breath and the bread, the water, the whine.

Under his breath, to no god in particular, he issues his thanks.

"You're still awake." Her voice is strained by the small hours. The calm is sweeping her away and yet she remains afloat, waiting for the rise and fall of his chest to slow before she sinks into sleep. "Your train leaves early. You should rest."

His own voice is gravelly, thick with syrup, when he attempts to quell, "There will be another train. There is always another train."

There is nothing more important than this — her head on his chest and his fingers in her hair, scarlet as the sun's kiss and softer than silk.

She shifts so that she can look at him, and the nightglow catches the honey of her eye. "You should rest," she reiterates, and though she aims to chastise, he can feel her care bleeding through her touch.

"I will," he promises, though he chooses not to specify when. "I'm not ready for tomorrow."

He feels her hum before he hears it. Gentle as a lullaby, it dims his vision, and he finds a brief reprieve inside his eyelids.

"You're ready," she assures, succinct as ever.

"You're right," he concedes through a sigh, "I don't want this to end."

"Then don't end it," she slides her hand into his, weaves their fingers together in an airtight knit, "Water it. Let it grow. Keep it alive while we're apart."

He responds first through a light squeeze, a bit of humor trapped in his chest, and he can't deny that, "There are some things even I can't kill."

[nowandforalways]

"Never to change, ever to share...": An off-the-rails analysis of "Now And For Always" from the Lord of the Rings musical

Good day to you, my dears.

"Now And For Always" is my favorite song of all time and has been since I first heard it at age 16. With the revival of the musical giving us a ✨whole new arrangement✨ of the song, I decided now would be as good a time as any to analyze it as a whole and take a look at a few of the changes made to see how each version accomplishes exactly what it set out to accomplish with it's storytelling from a musical perspective.

A QUICK NOTE BEFORE WE START: While in the original production of the show, "Now And For Always" is clearly diegetic (that is, the characters in the show are actually singing the song in the world of the show), it's a bit more debatable in the new production. Samwise Gamgee is a wonder, but I find it hard to imagine him schlepping an entire guitar to Mordor - this ain't Hadestown, after all (the "Wait for me"/"And I'm coming with you" thing would require an entirely separate post 😉). Regardless, for the sake of analysis and also my sanity, we are going to say that the song is 100% diegetic in both versions of the show.

Key: NA = new/revival arrangement

OA = old/original arrangement

SO

First lets take a look at what stays the same between both versions (which is most of the song, tbh) and see what can be seen. We're gonna get lightly music-y here.

This song is in 6/8 time signature, which basically just means that it's counted out in two groups of 3 notes each - 123, 456 - with a sort of slope-y feeling to it, like rising up to 3 and falling back down to 6. You can also count it in a very slow 2/2 (1, 2), with each of those being on the 1 beat and then the 4 beat of the 6/8 counting pattern. This time signature has the effect of making it slow and relaxing, but still sound Hobbit-y, in a rather country-ish way. This time signature could technically become a very fast waltz, and it does lean into a natural sort of swaying motion when you listen to it. Perfect for singing around the fire.

The rhythm of the song itself is interesting because it's very speech-like. If you try to speak the words out loud in rhythm, it doesn't actually sound that off from a typical English speaking rhythm. This makes it very easy to learn, and very easy to add your own words to, as its implied Sam and Frodo are doing as they sing it. Lassi Longren, the composer of the song, said that it wanted it to sound like an old song that the Hobbits all know and sing around the fire, and the idea of a song like this with a chorus that everybody knows and then verses that are improvised by individual singers makes a lot of sense (makes me think of, like, "The Campfire Song" from The Lightning Thief - a song that is also in 6/8 and with a very speech-like rhythmic pattern).

The chordal structure also contributes to this homey, comfortable feeling. The song is in the key of D major, which is a fairly middling key (it's the key that most pennywhistles are automatically tuned to!), and is constructed around just 3 chords, with 1 more thrown in there if you want the cadence on "strange and rare" to sound correct. This makes it extreeeeeeemely easy to play - like I can barely play guitar, but I can reasonably play this. For the music nerds, the chords are I, IV, and V, with a little vi for that one cadence I mentioned earlier. This is essentially the most basic group of chords ever created, and it seems very intentional to me - it makes the whole thing feel comfortable and familiar, like it's an old song you know, even if it's your first time hearing it (Fun fact: The Shire theme from the Peter Jackson films uses also uses this chord group!). The only this about the song that might make it tricky to sing along with is its range - it's more than an octave, which can be hard to span if you're not a practiced singer. But you know, sometimes you just gotta have that fun melodic contour. Song gets boring if it stays all within too small of a range. :P

Okay so that's all the basic musical stuff that's the same between both arrangements. Time for the differences.

The most major musical differences in the NA as I can see are: Frodo and Sam switching who is singing the higher vocal part and who has the lower part during the second chorus, different instruments being used for the solo instrumental lines, and the whole of Frodo's solo verse and chorus. These all serve the major thematic change in this moment in the NA, but I'll get to that at the end.

First, the vocal lines in the chorus. You all know how much I looooove that Frodo is always on the lower part in the original show (see this whole post I wrote about it here!), and I equally love Sam getting the higher part in the OA for this song. It fits his character and part in the song very well - he started it off, he's done the improvising bit; after one chorus of unison to make sure that Frodo has a handle on the melody, he can pop off. Young, dreamy, surprisingly poetical Sam, with his love for elves & beauty & all things that grow, gets the chance to soar, while Frodo stays lower, hanging onto the melody. It almost works like foreshadowing for their characters, with Sam audibly choosing to do so much while it seems like Frodo is just there, but Frodo's actually doing the arguably far more important part of carrying the melody.

In the NA, they are flipped - now Sam stays on the melody while Frodo pops up to the higher part, and it still works just as well. Frodo's actually been on the higher part for the whole show up to this point, cause that's just how Louis Maskell rolls (the one very significant moment where he sings a lower harmony to Sam's melody is right before he leaves at the Grey Havens, which I could probably write a whole 'nother essay about), but it doesn't screw with the character perception in the way I had initially feared. Sam starts the song, Sam's got the guitar, so Sam stays on the melody, to carry the thing through. This now leaves Frodo free to do his thing with Sam's support. And this is where I start heading into headcanon territory, but I can't help but think by the easy way he slipped into it that maybe Frodo has sung this part before. He canonically has a nice voice (the Breelanders like it so much that they make him sing "The Man In The Moon Stayed Up Too Late" twice in the book!), and it would make sense for a naturally talented singer to get enough experience singing that they are able to whip out a higher part just for fun - maybe, if they ever sang this one down at the Ivy Bush, or by the fireplace in the parlor of Bag End, this was Frodo's part. And speaking from the same character perspective, Frodo is also everything I described Sam as before - dreamy, poetical, sweet - he's just older and, at this moment, significantly more tired both mentally and physically. But, he hasn't lost his hope yet, so he can still reach down and bring out a past version of Frodo, one who could sing that part in the song.

Next, the instruments. This is pretty simple; there aren't a lot of changes, but the one significant moment is the use of a harmonica instead of a fiddle for the solo in the middle of the song. Both versions of the show have instruments associated with certain characters (harp for Arwen, whistle for Frodo, concertina for Gollum, etc.) but the NA has the advantage of having all the actors play instruments, so it becomes rather explicit. In this case, the harmonica is being played by and associated with Bilbo, and that's neat, because this is a continuation of a story that he was also a part of. The fiddle in the OA is more representative of hobbits as a whole, so it also works in context.

Aaaaand the last one, the arrangement of Frodo's verse and chorus. This one is a doozy, because this is where we will be involving my theory on the different reasons for Sam starting the song.

So, the first time I heard the NA "Now And For Always", I actually started yelling IRL "IT'S A HYMN" as soon as it got to Frodo's verse+chorus, because, well, it is. Lemme explain. The orchestrations shift from the guitar and strings of the rest of the song so that Frodo is backed primarily by the ensemble singing "Oohs" and some sort of drone bass note underneath that I can't figure out (probably like a cello or something). The tempo suddenly becomes a lot slower and a lot less "bouncy", so to speak - that 6/8 time rising and falling pattern that I described before is significantly downplayed, and there are a lot more complete rests in the music, and that gives the whole thing overall a much straighter feel. This all gives a very hymn-like effect, particularly the "ooh"s, because voices moving between chords like that in a homophonic way (that is to say, everyone changes notes at the same time) is common in chorale-style hymns, and the drone, because having something called a "pedal point" (one note held underneath multiple chords) makes the music sound a lot older and more solemn. This is in contrast to the OA, which has, while not the exact same backing in Frodo's verse+chorus (it does get slower, and more smooth and flowing in the instruments), certainly much less contrast between Frodo's bit and the rest of the song than the NA. They both do this, but the NA just a bit more emphasizes how serious Frodo is about what he's saying. It's also is a texture that we haven't heard yet in the show and won't really hear again, so it kind of demonstrates the changes going on in Frodo by this point, like he's becoming something not quite of the world (sort of like all those comments in the book about him being "clear" or having a light shining through him). From a practical standpoint, it's also because Sam had been playing the guitar this whole time, and now he has gone to bed, so no more guitar. But above all, the vibe that making it sound like a hymn gives it is reverence, and that is important for the next bit.

Hoo boy, it's extrapolation/headcanon time. I've done a lot of actual musical analysis, but there comes a point where you have to take all those things you've gleaned and start spitballing about what they mean when combined all together. Here's what I have landed in: The changes in the NA reflect a change in Sam's motivation for starting the song in the first place.

Lemme explain.

In the scene before "Now And For Always", the boys are discussing Frodo's realization that destroying the Ring means that the elves will leave, and that there will be no more magic in the world. It's as they reflect on these very big changes that Sam starts singing a song about how at least some things stay the same. NOW. In the OA, Sam and Frodo start off the song in much the same place, emotionally - they're both kind of moody and mournful, feeling shaken at the idea of everything changing in such a big way, and missing the days when they believed that stories always ended with things returning to a happy normal. Sam's line "We hobbits only really like stories that end just the way they started, don't we?" is sort of a rueful realization that they are both severely freaked out by all of this because they come from a place that values unchangingness so highly. Sam starts the song as a way to bring them both some comfort by reminding them of home. He then fills in the bit about Frodo during the second verse because Frodo mentioned special folk and great adventures, they're both so tired that everything's funny, and Sam genuinely adores Frodo and knows how brave and important what he's doing is. Frodo's verse about Sam, in turn, is sung almost like a lullaby, which makes sense, as lullabies are often directed at the person falling asleep. So Frodo sings to Sam as he falls asleep about how much he admires him right back, sort of returning the compliment, like in the book. The way he says "it's not me they'll remember, you know" just before he starts singing has this weird sort of regretful tone to it, as if Frodo has kinda always known that his would be a thankless task, and that Sam, taking charge and leading them around and taking care of them, will be the one who goes down in history as being instrumental. He has been seeing this whole time how much Sam has done for him, and he knows that in time, others will too.

In the NA, on the other hand, the vibes of the scene before the song are somewhat different. The lines do not change at all, but the attitude from each of them is different. Here, we have the exact same conversation, but Frodo is audibly more stressed about it (not to mention more audibly exhausted), and Sam, in response, is keeping his tone very neutral, almost lighthearted at times. That general vibe continues into the song, which I thought was weird at first, until I realized what Sam is doing. Frodo is very shaken by all the big changes that he sees coming, so Sam responds by reminding him about the songs that they used to sing the Ivy Bush - the ones where nothing ever really changes. He says the line from above about hobbits liking stories that end the way they started like he's reminding Frodo of a fun fact, which is that despite everything going on around him, there are still plenty of stories about heroes where things are allowed to go back to the way they were. In other words, while the OA of "Now And For Always" is two people trying to comfort themselves by singing something that reminds them of home, the NA is Sam Gamgee Is Going To Cheer Up His Best Buddy Or Die Trying, first by reminding him that plenty of things do stay the same, and then by getting a bit silly and describing Frodo as one of the heroes (who, I will remind you, are allowed to go home unchanged). He goes until he sees a sign that he has succeeded somewhat in his quest - remember my headcanon about Frodo singing the higher part being indicative of his old self shining through? That could certainly be a signal to Sam that his little idea worked. More likely, the fact that Frodo starts waxing poetic about plum cake (which is so valid of him, tbh) when a few minutes ago he had to be ordered to sit down and eat something is also a sign to Sam that Frodo feels better, at least for the moment. So he feels alright to go to sleep. And then Frodo sings his part. And THAT'S why the reverent tone I mentioned earlier is so important. Because it makes it seem like Frodo also realizes, in this moment, what Sam has just been doing, and what Sam has been doing this whole time. The pauses in the music make it seem like he's coming to awareness, step by step, of just how much Sam has done for him, and the only possible emotional response for something that earth-shatteringly loving is reverence. And THAT'S why the NA ending works so gosh darn well - it gets across everything that Frodo is thinking and feeling in this moment with the music as well as the lyrics.

So, yeah. I don't have, like, much of a conclusion for all this. These are just a bunch of things that I observed about these two songs and then my brain running absolutely buckwild with extrapolating conclusions from there. And a lot of this is my own interpretation of what I hear, so if you thought something different, that's totally fine! Also, this is entirely based on only being able to hear what's going on, so if you've seen the show and I got the vibes super off for part of it, please let me know. :)

Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you around! Heyday!

EDIT: The more I think about it and try to feel it in my body, I might call the time signature a very fast 3/4. Regardless, all my points still stand. Just wanna cover all my musical bases. :)

[unproduciblesmackdown]

@tinybigfoot no i love information! which is unfortunately often in conflict with "i'm not looking up shit," like might be found on wikis easily lmao, except for when i'm having an "i'm extremely looking up shit" moment. love the drama of the scene having a known time via Newspaper b/c of the accurate contemporaneous headlines rather than being able to simply read the date; didn't know about that event! and this is me just yesterday looking at bits of paper in the backdrop of one of the Introduction comic pages like ooh can i read this (no) imagine it if had Clues (don't think it would & doesn't seem to anyways)

another zany fact to remember that yeah according to those character profiles mitzi Would Have It Be Believed she's at all younger than mordecai, ft. the implication that since yeah he was born in '99 & mitzi Was born in the nineteenth century too, she's either the same age or slightly older. let's go Circa Thirty Characters....which is mostly just mitzi who'd deny as much & mordecai having a couple years to go, fingers crossed. then we leap over to people born in the '80s lol

[bellumestpax]

tag drop pt. 1.

𑁋 ⸢ you should stay in my good graces. ╱ interactions. ⸥ 𑁋 ⸢ let me give you some advice. ╱ anonymous. ⸥ 𑁋 ⸢ guess i'll waste another year on wondering. ╱ wishlist. ⸥ 𑁋 ⸢ soft skin and i perfumed it for ya. ╱ open starter. ⸥ 𑁋 ⸢ i'm working late cause i'm a writer. ╱ out of character. ⸥ 𑁋 ⸢ is it that sweet? i guess so. ╱ ask memes. ⸥ 𑁋 ⸢ i walked in and your dreams came true. ╱ answered asks. ⸥ 𑁋 ⸢ heartbreak is one thing ; my ego's another. ╱ queue. ⸥ 𑁋 ⸢ i know i have good taste. ╱ promos. ⸥ 𑁋 ⸢ i'm just kidding ; but really please. ╱ psa. ⸥ 𑁋 ⸢ i know i have good judgement. ╱ self promo. ⸥ 𑁋 ⸢ well. i have a fun idea. ╱ inbox call. ⸥ 𑁋 ⸢ don't bring me to tears when i just did my makeup so nice. ╱ shipping call. ⸥ 𑁋 ⸢ switch it up like nintendo. ╱ desires. ⸥ 𑁋 ⸢ oh i leave quite an impression. ╱ reflection. ⸥ 𑁋 ⸢ i want to jump off a high cliff because i've never done that. ╱ mentality. ⸥ 𑁋 ⸢ don't mistake my nice for naive. ╱ aesthetic. ⸥

[readypanda]

Just finished making the most scuffed wattpad book cover ever lol. Title mostly redacted until I'm finished but here it is

At least it's not AI generated, I guess

[aikainkauna]

Tumblr, I am disappoint. A couple of years ago a sizeable chunk of you history nerds were nuts for The Longest Day in Chang'an and now, when I finally managed to finish it (it was AWESOME; one of the best shows I've ever seen, full stop) I come online and find

A) WHY DID NOBODY WARN ME ABOUT GENERAL GAN SHOUCHENG and

B) WHERE IS ALL THE THIRSTY GENERAL GAN CONTENT?! Now, I know that cdrama fandom is pretty chaste and that in much of Asia, perving is something you keep private and I can respect that. Ok. Cultural differences, I'm cool with that. I'll keep the lewdz to my Pillowfort.

But still! Look at him! A hot baddie with stupendous amounts of guyliner and a carefully coiffed Beard of Evil, he gets a scene like this, and there's no chaste and ladylike swooning or oohing or aahing, even?!?!

[starpros-sunshine]

I still think it's so funny how this card belonged to a Tori event. A kind-of Tori centric story that was about Tori having to come up with a dance for his class project and who gets the 5* card? Wataru.

"Well then Tori could've gotten the 4* card to this gacha thing in the story of which fine tries to help him do his schoolwork together."

WRONG!

Eichi got that one :)

Wataei hijacked the fine gacha about a story that should be about Tori nobody does it like them <33

[blizzardfluffykpop]

why the fuck do i miss pigeons