#really vibing with how to disappear completely and no surprises. which is not a good sign

[hauntedbythefanficsofmypast]

Dead-ends and Surprise Visits

Masterlist

Of Meetings and Musings

“Welcome back to the channel, GalacticPhantom here and today we’re playing Vikings vs Pirates!” The camera pans over to a ghost pirate ship zooming in on a kid's face. “And we’re gonna kick his—!!!YAAA!!! Oh wait, SKOOOOL!!”  The camera zoomed out to show two large floating ships one obviously an early age pirate ship and the other clearly Viking.

Tim paused the video smirking as his eyes scanned the town below him, noting a few landmarks he’d be able to search out. He hummed before taking a sip from his tea cup. While finally off the mandatory rest, Alfred was still displeased it ended sooner than he wished. That meant Tim was still subjected to his coffee ban, something he’d lamented the last hour. 

He was under the firm belief that the reason it took him fifteen minutes to find this video was because he didn’t get to enjoy his usual three am coffee.

Tim would not be telling Alfred that he thought so, that would be a death wish and he’d be banned from being active in the current, ah ghost hunt?

Tim grimaced at the thought, shaking his head as he didn’t want any association with the GIW, he’ll just refer to it as a manhunt. Sounded slightly worse but less ‘were just gonna decide an entire universe is non-sentient and undeserving of basic rights and protections’.

One last skim over the video had Tim turning back to his notebook noting the areas he had written down.

Nasty Burger

Casper High

Fenton Works

It wasn’t much to go on but Tim had worked with less before so this should be easy work for him.

It was not easy work.

Nasty Burger was a fast food chain said to have completely shut their door in 1974, no reasons were given they all just shut down overnight and disappeared. Any searches just lead to conspiracy theorists talking about how the food chain appeared out of nowhere one day in the seventies. Tim had to give them credence though, he was also scratching his head on how the chain just appeared. It was quoted to have ‘Good food but a creepy vibe, like I don’t really know what I’m eating. They don’t say beef, lamb or chicken, just well, meat patties. It was good though so I didn't question it.’

Tim had a feeling that Nasty Burger was somehow linked to the Infinite Realms, he was convinced Danny’s entire town somehow had a direct link. Of course in order to follow that path he’d have to find the actual town in question!

 Casper High was also a dead-end, it did not exist anywhere, ANYWHERE even in Casper, Wyoming. Where one would expect the high school to be named Casper High! He’d even hacked into government servers to see if the GIW had them in a media and information lock down but there was nothing! The most mentions he could get was that the GIW had been driven out of a town years ago after a few failed attempts of catching a ghost named Inviso-Bill, stating large property damaged that left them deciding to never return. That would've been a lead if they actually mentioned the town in question! Like seriously!! It wasn't even redacted or hidden from clearance, it just wasn't mentioned!

Tim’s last chance was Fenton Works which wasn’t a complete dead-end but still a dead-end. He was able to drag up a little information on them but not much. Jackson Fenton and Madeline Fenton nee Burgess, a couple that got married years ago in a courthouse wedding in Madeline’s hometown of Spittoon, Arkansas. He thought for sure he’d find more but their file was gone, just gone, any existence of them past their home towns was gone including that of their families. He groaned, flopping back on his couch after hitting his third dead-end of the search, even his searching systems were coming up with nothing. Like none of them actually exist, which is impossible because Tim had been watching Danny’s videos for a few months now. That adoption bait definitely existed the question was where the fuck was he.

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and trying to settle his thoughts before complete unease set over him. Shooting off the couch and into a fighting stance his eyes scanned the room as he pressed his bracelet emergency alert three times. Someone was in the living room with him, someone had been, something was off. Tim could feel it. He didn’t move until Bruce burst through the door and in second he had moved behind his dad and in front of his siblings that stood in the hallway still.

“Someone was here B. I don’t know how but they were and then they were gone in seconds, not even. I had closed my eyes and things immediately felt wrong.” Bruce scanned the room waving Dick and Cass inside, the two oldest immediately doing a top to bottom inspection of every corner trying to find any clue.

“Are you sure Tim? The security systems caught nothing, and I would’ve been notified immediately of a system shut down no matter how small.”

“I’m positive Bruce, I don’t know what happened but someone was in here.” Bruce watched Tim for a second before nodding looking at Duke.

“Can you sit in on your lectures over video call today? I want everyone in pairs until we discover who stepped foot in the manor.

“Sure won’t be an issue. I’ll pair with Tim today since he is working through an investigation. Dick frowned, moving forward wrapping an arm around Damian’s shoulder only earning a fake dirty look.

“I’ll pair with Dami, we already planned an outing to the zoo today. We’ll stop and pick up Babs along the way and bring her back to the manor afterwards.” Bruce nodded, turning to Cass with an upturned eyebrow, the girl hummed before shaking her head. She looked around the room one more time before looking back at him.

“Steph.” She said and the blond was seemingly at her side in seconds grinning, linking their arms together.

“I’ll text Babs for a weekend sleepover so Gordon won’t accuse Dick of trying to date her again!” Steph crowed grinning at Dick who gave her a mock offended look.

“So mean to your favorite older brother! I can’t believe this betrayal.” Steph laughed, punching his shoulder.

“I don’t know about favorite Dickie.” She said, earning a gasp that quickly developed into playful banter between the two most outwardly cheerful of the Batfamily. Bruce smirked slightly before looking at Jason, a suggestion of him and Babs pairing up on his tongue before he noticed the slight glare Jason directed at him.

“Don't even think of it. Babs will be fine with Cass and Steph. We're pairing up assshole, you don't get out of this just because you're the big bad bat.” Bruce thought about arguing for a second but instead just shook his head. A rare fond smile took over his face as he looked at Jason. 

“If you insist Jaylad, we're gonna have so much fun at the Gala tonight. You know a lot have been asking how you're doing, so this will be a perfect opportunity to reconnect with some old friends.” 

“Oh fuck I didn't think this through.” Jason groaned, earning grins from his family as he knew this night would be painful. Alfred knocked on the door calling the attention of the family who quickly clocked a panting Harley Quinn standing beside him.

“Miss Harleen arrived a few moments ago in response to Tim’s distress signal going off. I've assured her everything is being handled but she wished to make sure as well.” Harley gave them a grin as she stood straight walking into the room.

“Messy.” Cass said with a teasing smile as Harley did look very disheveled. One pigtail up with mismatched clothes and one pink and the other blue shoe on.

“Ya know it baby cakes! As soon as I got Birdie the third's signal I rushed over. Brucie gave Pam-a-lamb and I a run down since we could be at the original meeting, I nicked a com from him before he left.” Bruce smirked slightly, rolling his eyes as his kids looked at him surprised.

“Harley has proven to have your health in her best interest since her reform. So yes I let her take a com from me, I knew she'd get to one of you as soon as possible.” Harley grinned before walking over plopping on the couch. She nodded to Alfred as she kicked her shoes off and moved to sit criss-cross. “As you can see she did.”

“Of course! Ya know Bruice and I were close in college before he dropped out! like siblings really along with Crane and a few others! That makes you all my little nieces and nephews!! All the better now that my minds mostly back to normal cause I can spoil and tease you all!” Harley laughed, earning Some grins from the others. She paused, staring at Tim's computer confused. “Hey Timmy, why are you looking up Jackie and Mads? Wow I haven't seen those faces in forever! Look Brucie You remember them right! Jackie, Mads, and good old Vladimir! Though his picture isn't pulled up.” She paused, grabbing a sticky note that Was a glowing neon green. “Sick stick notes I want one, Amity Park? With coordinates too? Is that Where they moved to?” Tim stared at the sticky note in complete shock looking quickly at Bruce.

“That's not mine B-wait wait you know them Harls???” Tim said looking between both of them torn by either examining the note that randomly appeared after Tim’s intruder scare or grilling Harley and Bruce, maybe even Crane as they were his only leads now. Bruce put a hand on his shoulder, halting his runaway thoughts.

“Later, for now let's get this analyzed. Something tells me someone decided to give us a little help finding them.” Tim nodded as he carefully took the sticky note from Harley with a thank you.

‘Latitude: 41° 19' 27.60" N

Longitude: -87° 47' 25.19" W

Amity Park. -CW’

Whoever this CW was somehow managed to get in and out in seconds. Tim's mind was sprinting with all the different possibilities moving about. His determination settled as he handed it off to Bruce who waved Jason along to follow him. He gave Duke a small smile as the other punched his shoulder playfully.

“Let's grab my stuff from my room and we'll settle down here until dinner ya?” Tim nodded moving toward the door with him before turning to Harley.

“Are you staying for dinner?” Harley hummed dramatically before placing her hands on the couch arm and pushing into a handstand.

“Can I invite Ivy over?” She carefully tipped over in a slow back bend before pushing off and landing on her feet. 

“The more the merrier, can she look over the garden though? Damian is trying to grow tomatoes and struggling horribly. He doesn't want to ask her as he feels it beneath him.” Harley snorted as she followed them out the door, all three ignoring Damian's indignant yelling.

“She’d love to, you know how she is with plants!” Tim nodded before grinning abit deviously.

“And while we wait you can tell me about Jack and Maddie Fenton and what B was like in college.”

“Oh you got yourself a deal there Birdie!” 

Danny stared blankly at Clockwork, who acted as if he didn't even notice. His mentor was in his teenage form, Danny knew it meant something, if only the Titan would acknowledge it. The others on the Council glanced between the two a few times until Frostbite decided To speak up.

“Your Majesty, you rarely call Council meetings, might I enquire on why this meeting has been called.” Danny stared a little harder at Clockwork before sighing and turning back to the others.

“Thank you all for coming so suddenly, I know it was last minute and I apologize.”

“My Lord apologies are not needed! Anything that is this important to you is something we are thankful to be privy to!” Pandora said confidently grinning at Danny who smiled appreciatively. 

“I am still very thankful. I was hoping Clockwork would help clue us in but I can see he has chosen to keep his end quiet.” Danny sighed slightly knowing whatever was happening was important. “As you know my full title clues me in when spoken aloud. As we use this when I am needed for things in the Realm. Early today someone not of the Realm used my full title.” Ghost Writer hummed, crossing his arms leaning back.

“Could it have been someone in Amity Park?” Danny shook his head with a sigh as he thought about it.

“No, I would've felt the proximity, and given how close I'd be, would've known who spoke of me like I can with our people. This was further much further and by someone I don't know. It left me rather stumped and uncomfortable.” Danny paused for a moment glancing at Clockwork, who kept a serene expression. “Given that Clockwork is still silent, I can only hope that means I have nothing to really worry about.”

Princess Dorathea looked between the two before giving Danny a serene and gentle smile.

“Well, I believe we must not fear this too much. If it was something truly dangerous I am certain Lord Clockwork would alert us immediately. Perchance it is just some new magics being told of who rules our Realm, please fear not My King.” Pandora nodded along enthusiastically, still grinning, causing the other to smile as well.

“Perhaps we should have a few of the guards patrol Amity Park.” Frostbite announced after a moment of thought. “I have no doubt Princess Dorathea is correct but I can still see the worry in your posture. Amity Park is officially a part of the Realms, so I have little fear of it being found. Especially with Royal Secretary Foley adding his own intense firewalls.” Tucker nodded in conformation as he put his PDA down.

“I think that would be a good idea, have a few patrols. I am not overly worried. I've essentially wiped the town off the maps, it can only be found by chance and  coincidence.” Danny nodded, thinking it over before giving them one of his normal bright smiles.

“Alright, then we are in agreement? Moving forward I will have five Knight patrol Amity Park throughout the day. Knight Wes will obviously remain with me so I will have Fight Knight pick four Knights to patrol with him. Now with that determined, why don't we have lunch together?” A chorus of agreements sounds from around the table.

Past, Present, and that of Space

[lvnleah]

hiya you’re the first person i’ve found that writes for lotte!! could i request an arsenal fic where reader is quite loud and outgoing so when she joins arsenal everyone expects her to become friends with beth, katie etc (which she does and they become great friends) but she ends up getting together with lotte and people are shocked but it makes sense bc they work so well together as time goes on THABN YOUUU

Balancing the chaos | Lotte Wubben-Moy

thank you for this request! I loved writing it :)

Joining Arsenal felt like stepping into a whirlwind of energy, banter, and loud personalities. Right from the start, everyone expected you to fall in line with Beth, Katie, and Kyra — the unofficial leaders of the banter brigade. Your outgoing nature made it seem like a perfect fit. After all, they were known for being the loudest in the room, constantly joking around, and bringing life to every team event. And, in many ways, that’s exactly what happened.

You quickly became fast friends with them. Beth’s humour paired well with your quick wit, you were always up for Katie’s teasing, and Kyra’s boundless cheekiness seemed to match your energy stride for stride. Whether it was karaoke nights, team dinners, or intense training sessions, you were right there in the thick of it, adding to the noise, the laughter, and the good vibes. Your connection with them was effortless, and people started to associate you with that tight-knit group of loud personalities. If you were around, the party was never too far behind.

But amidst all the chaos and fun, something else quietly developed that no one really saw coming.

Lotte.

She was the complete opposite of what people expected for you. Where Beth, Katie, and Kyra brought fire and noise, Lotte brought calm. You weren’t exactly avoiding her in the beginning — far from it. But she wasn’t in the spotlight, the loud group where you naturally gravitated. Still, over time, you found yourself drawn to her. There was something magnetic in how she could remain calm and composed in the loudest of moments, how her focus never wavered on or off the pitch.

At first, it was the little things. You’d bump into each other at the gym, and she’d offer a small smile and a quiet word of encouragement. Then, during team meetings, you noticed how she always had the most insightful observations. When she spoke, people listened. There was a strength in her stillness, and it fascinated you. Slowly, conversations with her grew from football tactics and strategies to deeper topics. You’d talk about music, books, and life outside the whirlwind of football.

You couldn’t pinpoint when it shifted, but suddenly, you found yourself looking for her after training sessions, seeking out her company during quiet moments at the training ground. Her calmness balanced your own loud energy in a way that felt… right. It wasn’t that you had to suppress your natural outgoing self around her, but with Lotte, you didn’t feel the need to always be ‘on.’ You could just be.

People started to notice the shift before you even realised it yourself. Teammates exchanged surprised looks when you and Lotte would sit together at meals or when you’d disappear for walks after practice. It wasn’t like you were hiding anything, but in a team full of larger-than-life personalities, your budding relationship with Lotte was quietly unfolding in the background.

It wasn’t long before your friends started teasing you about it.

“Oi, where’s your partner in crime?” Kyra asked with a teasing smirk, glancing around as if searching for Lotte.

You shrugged, a bit flustered. “Who?”

“Lotte,” Beth said, raising an eyebrow. “You’ve been spending a lot of time with her lately.”

Katie leaned in “I see what’s happening here. You’ve ditched the loud lot for the quiet, mysterious one, haven’t you?”

Your face heated up, but you shot back quickly, “Please, as if I could ever ditch you lot. Lotte’s just…” You paused, trying to find the right words. “She’s different, yeah? Calm. We talk about stuff other than football, you know?”

Beth smirked. “Ah, so you’re telling us she’s your escape from us? Is that it?”

You rolled your eyes but couldn’t help laughing. “You lot are a lot to handle, okay?”

Katie nudged you, “So, what’s going on with her, then? You two seem close.”

You opened your mouth to respond, but before you could say anything, you heard a voice from behind.

“Am I interrupting something?”

You turned, and there was Lotte, standing just behind you with that calm, amused smile on her face. She must’ve come in quietly, unnoticed amidst the chaos that was your group.

Katie immediately grinned and leaned back in her chair. “Speak of the devil. Nah, not interrupting at all. In fact, we were just talking about you.”

Lotte raised an eyebrow, giving you a look that said she knew exactly what they’d been saying. “Oh? Should I be worried?”

Beth shook her head, still smirking. “Not at all. Just discussing how someone here can’t stop singing your praises.”

You groaned, playfully shoving Beth. “Ignore them. They’re being ridiculous.”

Lotte chuckled softly and slid into the empty seat beside you. “I don’t mind.”

The group exchanged knowing looks, and for a moment, the teasing stopped. It was one of those unspoken things — the kind of connection that didn’t need a loud declaration or a big show. Lotte’s presence calmed the table in an instant, her quiet energy grounding the loudness around her.

Over the next few weeks, the shift became more obvious. The team dinners and nights spent together continued, but more often than not, you found yourself sitting next to Lotte. There was something about being with her that felt natural, like the two of you balanced each other perfectly.

Then, one day after training, as the team was cooling down, you found yourself sitting on the grass beside Lotte, the rest of the team chatting and laughing nearby. You were both quiet for a moment, just enjoying the stillness. Finally, Lotte spoke, her voice soft but clear.

“You know, I don’t mind the teasing,” she said, her eyes flicking to yours with a small smile. “About us.”

You blinked, caught off guard. “About us?”

Lotte nodded. “Everyone seems to have noticed that we’ve been spending more time together. And, well… they’re not wrong, are they?”

Your heart skipped a beat. “You mean…?”

She gave you a small, knowing smile. “I mean, if you’re okay with it, I wouldn’t mind if we made it official. Us.”

You felt the grin spread across your face before you could stop it. “Yeah,” you said, leaning a little closer to her. “I’d like that.”

When the rest of the team finally caught wind that you and Lotte were together, the reactions were… varied, to say the least. During a post-match dinner, Katie was the first to address it, of course.

“I didn’t see that one coming.”

Beth smirked, shaking her head. “I mean, I kind of did. They balance each other out.”

Kyra, never one to miss an opportunity to tease, grinned. “Oi, loudmouth, who knew you’d end up with the quiet one?”

But they weren’t upset — far from it. They could see that it made sense. What you had with Lotte wasn’t loud or attention-grabbing, but it was steady, grounded, and real. It was the kind of connection that didn’t need to be shouted from the rooftops. As time went on, people grew used to seeing you and Lotte together, and they began to understand why it worked. The calm and the storm, the balance between loudness and quiet strength.

She grounded you in ways you never knew you needed, and in turn, you brought a sense of fun and adventure. She’d encourage you when you needed it. It was a partnership built on mutual respect and understanding.

On the pitch, it became even more evident why the two of you worked so well together. Where you brought the intensity, Lotte brought the control. You’d push the pace, and she’d make sure the defence stayed steady.

What started as a surprise to the rest of the team soon became second nature. Beth, Katie, and Kyra remained some of your closest friends, and you never lost that bond with them. But now, Lotte was the one you went home to at the end of the day, the one you shared quiet moments with when the chaos of football and life slowed down.

In the end, the thing that shocked people most about your relationship was how obvious it became. The more time passed, the clearer it was that Lotte was your perfect match, even if no one saw it coming at first. It wasn’t the relationship that everyone predicted, but it was the one that worked — for both of you.

[enquire]

Kismet

I imagine anyone following this series could probably guess who I was doing next. Yep, it's Utsuro. This one was kind of interesting. I'm not super sure about the markings (they might be a little too complex? still thinking about it) and his hair was a pain to translate into pony form for me. No clue why he gave me more trouble, but I might end up changing that aspect later because it still feels a little off to me. Also, the markings are sort of part of his cutie mark, kind of like how Luna's is. I kinda wanted to give the vibe of his cutie mark being invasive/changing him. Like his coat has been symbolically tainted or burned from it. He always had some spots and freckles, but after he got his mark, the darker markings + patches/shadows over his flanks and legs appeared.

Anyway, let's get into things...

Kismet was an ordinary earth pony who lived with his family somewhere in Equestria. Like most ponies, he was excited to get his cutie mark, and curious about what it would be.

When an oddly foreboding black mark appeared on his flank one day, strangely accompanied by several new markings, at first, Kismet was just as overjoyed as any former blank flank would be.

However, as time passed, it became clear that Kismet's cutie mark was unique, to say the least. Because no matter what kind of trouble came his way, somehow, it would pass him by completely unharmed.

Good fortune and success followed him wherever he went. Kismet prevailed whenever he attempted anything, and those closet to him were often granted the same blessings.

Soon, everypony wanted to have Kismet around. In the beginning, Kismet was happy to suddenly have so many friends. But eventually, he began to realize that nopony wanted his companionship because they cared about him or enjoyed spending time together.

When a team wanted to win an important game of hoofball, they invited him. When his town's mayoral election came around, the two candidates fought for his support. And the few friends and family Kismet had cared about slowly began to treat him differently.

It shouldn't be a surprise, then, that Kismet came to see the mark as a curse. Once he realized the fortune tied to him was the root problem, he tried everything he could think of in order to make it stop. But no amount of bad luck charms or attempts to control it himself affected the endless good luck.

In the end, Kismet gave up entirely. He left his hometown behind, and started covering up his cutie mark and going by various aliases during his travels. (His current being "Sunset Shores," and using a cutie mark belonging to somepony too distant from him to have the identity theft be an issue)

He tried a few times during this period to start new lives for himself. But inevitably, his good luck would start affecting things around him and the ponies he had met. And in the end, the connection would be made between the two, and Kismet would quietly vanish.

Being alone was somehow more tolerable than being lonely while surrounded by others. So Kismet simply drifted from place to place, not making connections, and never allowing anyone to really get to know him.

On a few instances, his path led him to several other outcasts. Ponies who had nothing, were failures, or had nopony to trust or rely on. Kismet couldn't help but see himself in them. And the ways in which his fortune changed those ponies' fates were some of the only times Kismet ever felt anything positive about his mark.

Though after the connection was made, and things began to deteriorate, Kismet would disappear again. The gratitude and reverence was overwhelming. That being said, he never regretted them, and eventually, he came to realize that somewhere along the way, one pony whose path had crossed his was different. There was one pony who he had helped, who had seen what he was, and yet still saw him before any of the rest.

Perhaps that is why she, and she alone, was able to find him again. After traveling halfway across Equestria, the two of them met once more. And so, Kismet no longer travels alone.

Also, above are examples of what it looks like when he covers up his original cutie mark.

Right: "Sunset Shores" with Clover Shore's cutie mark. Left: Blank flank version. (he doesn't always bother with replacing it)

Last few notes: Kismet's fortune is probably a little different given the universe and how cutie marks work. It still makes his life miserable but doesn't necessarily completely drag the meaning from everything. At least not quite to the degree divine luck does. Just a *bit* less intense but still a curse.

And there isn't a despair cult, world-ending tragedy, nor any killing games in the works here, so there's that too...

[platypotoo]

I started watching the show assuming (from pictures and such) that Sydney and C*rmy are the main couple. I didn't even know Richie existed.

But having finished the second season just now, I can't feel anything romantic between Syd and C*rmy. I expected to like them together, even to ship them at least a little. But I just don't.

Syd and Richie on the other hand? Wow.

In season 1, where they absolutely hate each other most of the time, their interactions are already so meaningful:

- The first time that we as viewers see Richie be vulnerable, Syd sees it too.

- His worry whether she is okay after the gunshots. Should be normal between colleagues, but... they used to dislike each other so much...

- When Syd resolves the fight between the gangsters, Richie looks at her in irritation, but also almost... awe? It also makes him actively change at this point already, actively change himself and how he sees certain things.

It's really a testament to the writing of this show, to the complexity of its characters that Richie is such a scumbag in season 1, in some ways saying exactly what you'd expect a guy like him to say, yet he could have been so much worse. He never crosses a certain line. And then in season 2, he becomes so much better.

Their interactions kind of hit me like a freight train - completely unexpected, raw, realistic, extremely emotional, almost forceful.

Thematically, too. The very new one and one of the oldest. At the beginning: always at each other's throats. Fighting, pulling, pushing. Is it possible that they might find peace with each other? Find even more?

The structure of season 2 had the main cast interact less, and since Syd and C*rmy were the ones working most closely together, I was sure that the strange vibes I got between her and Richie would disappear in favour of Syd/C*rmy. But except for the table scene (which I just didn’t read as romantic, more a continuation of Syd's personal arc), there were very few meaningful scenes between Syd and C*rmy.

There weren't many big scenes between Syd and Richie either, but... nobody really expected them to. However, we did get two scenes of weird awkwardness, like they didn’t know how to behave around each other without fighting. (her jumping away when nearly bumping into him! Their weird interaction when she's seeing him in a suit for the first time! "You smell good"?! Wtf? Ultimately it probably means nothing but I can't stop thinking about it!!) And of course the one scene in the last episode, when they are more than amicable colleagues - they are the perfect team without ever training together, same focus, same drive to make things exactly as they should be, helping each other, supporting each other and being impressed by each other.

It's just so weird how Sydrichie completely surprised me. I wouldn't even call it only "chemistry" or something. It's their entire dynamic, the way they made each other madly, almost exaggeratedly emotional in season 1, then went on parallel paths apart from each other - did some soul searching, improved themselves - and ended up as this weirdly perfect force together. I never expected it. I've never seen anything like it.

Right now, I think there's a 50:50 chance that in canon nobody of The Be*r's staff gets romantically involved, or that Syd gets together with M*rcus. No other option is realistic. But I'll be thinking about her with Richie for a good long while.

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

Friday Ramblings

I don't normally do this but I have a couple of thoughts going on in my head regarding the last couple of days week in BL that I just wanted to collect them all instead of just doing it in tags.

Shadow

I'm pissed. I am a big fan of anything horror or supernatural themed stuff so I was really looking forward to this. (Don't even get me started of how disappointed I am at the disappearance of the other horror themed show I could be watching) And the first part did not disappoint. It was a strong first half, good set up of the different story lines and all the players and I was really excited about it. There was such good meta written about the show, and it turned out to be superior to what the show eventually gave us. (@wen-kexing-apologist specially gave us such excellent meta on this show that I wish they were in charge of the second half of this show) I agree with @lurkingshan about everything they said here. Something which I thought was interesting was that I think in this second half the show purposefully made the fake arm really obvious. I don't know if it wanted us to know before Dan but I also don't think it was an accident. But I'm also not gonna theorize about the reasons because I really don't care that much. The "BL" bait was just another thing that pissed me off. I'm not upset it's not BL, I'm upset because it was sold as such and no one will convince me otherwise. For a couple of episodes, at least, the show wanted us to think that Dan was falling for Nai. The prom moment was just fucking ridiculous. The parallels with October 6 could've been really interesting if there wasn't so much going on that it kinda took the weight of it away. One of the questions I like to ask myself when watching any media is - what is it trying to tell? Sometimes nothing and that's fine. It's pure escapism and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. It can still be excellent. And sometimes it tries to say too much that it ends up not having a cohesive message and it all falls flat. Religion, communism, family trauma, homophobia, mental health, infidelity, teacher-student relationship, pregnancy, murder, police brutality, friendship, bullying, the oh so many supernatural elements, I could go on. You get the picture. So in conclusion, I am not happy.

VIP Only

It's cute. I like both of them enough and it's a good mellow way to start the friday madness.

Last Twilight

This show is surprising me so much. In the best ways. As I said before this pair didn't do much for me in the past but I've surrendered completely, specially to Jimmy. He was so good in this episode that I felt obligated to gif it just so I could keep watching his expressions.

That whole final scene just floored me. His eyes just carried that moment and that whole scene so well that by the end a lonely sunflower brought tears to my eyes. ( and I do not cry easy). After all the cute dates, this scene was a gut punch.

I'm just really stuck on this show, and it holds my attention all through the episode.

My Dear Gangster Oppa

This episode was silly, I couldn't care less about the gangster side of the story at the moment, I'd rather spend more time with the gamer friend group. Wahl got a bit of a redemption but I still don't like him. I liked that Guy stood his ground with Wahl and Tew, but hated the stalker behaviour. If you wanna go dude, just leave!

Sahara Sensei to Toki-kun

Japan my beloved. They just keep giving me all I need. Toki is giving me some Aoki vibes and I could not be happier. And Toki now has got two friends in his corner and I'm so happy. This one and Kinou Nani Tabeta are currently my main sources of joy and my heart is full.

Pit Babe I'd like to thank @pharawee for giving us the novel commentary because it makes it a bit less confusing while I watch this. I have no clue about omegaverse so a part of me is confused, sometimes bored, another part of me is just waiting for Jeff and Alan to be a thing and all of me is happy that Pavel is on my screen weekly.

Twins

This show is dragging and I'm officially bored. I don't mind a slow burn if the rest of the show can hold it together. But the team animosity is just tiring and annoying at this point, the side couples are not engaging ( a bj in the shower does not a side couple make) and for a show named Twins, I would like to see more of them.

Middleman's Love

I'm 99% here for the sides. They are cute, they give me some Ram/King vibes and I wanna see more of them. I was super happy to see Ngern again and the family dinner was a good moment. I don't have the patience for this sort of misunderstanding anymore so that ending annoyed the hell out of me.

(I'm watching For Him too but I have nothing nice to say, so I'll say nothing at all. And yes I know I just did that with Shadow but I was never that invested in this one)

Really looking forward to Kinou Nani Tabeta tomorrow morning and The Sign in the afternoon.

I wish all a great weekend and thanks for reading💜

(because I needed a good cry)

[aranarumei]

hi kiri What’s the deal with a3’s timeloop day. you shouldn’t be surprised that I am asking this. okay I love you bye

ok this is actually a pretty simple answer! but i got rambly so here's a readmore.

A3! (which stands for Act! Addict! Actors! <- don’t ask me why it’s this. idk) is a gacha game where you play as the manager, Izumi Tachibana (I’m doing first name, last name here) and you work to revive a dying theater company called Mankai. there’s 3 Acts, each with like, 4 big stories in them. and a bunchhhh of shorter event storiess which imo are crucial to experience. The first 2 acts, along with the interceding events, have been completely localized, and were run on the now-defunct English server. There is, however, an archive—if at any point in time you are ever interested, feel free to shoot me a message. And I’m serious. Even if it’s like two years later. It’s been like almost 3 years since I started going thru a3 and I haven’t even finished act 2. I’m slow

Anyways, Act 1 deals with establishing the company—in its former glory, there used to be four troupes that rotated by season. Izumi’s dad also used to run it, and he disappeared. So that’s why there’s four big stories each act: it’s one per season. In Act 1, each story deals with gathering the members for each season troupe together, and then pulling off their first play. And it also deals with like, the issues all the characters are facing. It is like, within the yumejoshi genre so there’s definitely that vibe of like. wow look at all these pretty boys who are kind of into me!? but I think it’s pretty mild on that point and like. something I enjoy is that I can see Izumi as like. an actual Character as opposed to just a self-insert. Which is nice. but the real selling point for me is that there’s a lot of like, found family and rich character dynamics within the cast. It is even homosexual sometimes.

One thing I find really interesting about a3 is that I think it has really strong character writing and development. And it’s really good at establishing different “moods” across each troupe, which works well in creating dynamics and also because each troupe specializes in something different. So spring is like, the “classic” troupe—they tend to do lots of reinterpretations of classic works, though that’s not exclusively their thing… but anyways. they do like. nice fantastical stories in my opinion. Summer does comedy, autumn does action, and winter does drama. and winter HAS drama.

Now up until winter there’s been some wackiness in a3 but it’s been like, pretty grounded in how it’s played out. and then winter rolls around and. see the issue with winter is that unlike some of the younger members they’re all composed of adults. so they’re bad at talking about their feelings, because instead of just shouting things out loud they will just shut down and like. Leave. I love this about them and I think it’s such a good writing choice.

Enter Tasuku Takato and Tsumugi Tsukioka. Tasuku and Tsumugi used to be like, the best of friends. they acted together and followed their passions together. and then they both auditioned for the God Troupe together, which is this prestigious famous troupe (it’s also evil.) and while tasuku got in and became one of the lead actors, tsumugi failed his audition. This left a deep scar on Tsumugi, who ended up kind of running away from acting as a vocation all together. now, Tasuku quit the God troupe because they were engaging in some shady stuff, and ended up joining Mankai along with Tsumugi, who coincidentally was inspired to try acting again. tsumugi’s been elected the leader of winter troupe, and therefore the person who’s meant to take the lead role in their first play. Tasuku is constantly snapping at him whenever he’s unconfident, and it’s just not great vibes. To top it all off, they’ve been issued a challenge by the God troupe, where they’ll both perform and the audience has to vote on which play they like better. Tsumugi is not really confident he can stand up to them for obvious reasons. Tasuku gets mad at him about it. Tsumugi runs into this weird doll, and the next day, they wake up in a time loop.

See, the thing is, they’re on such a tight deadline for the play, and winter is So Bad at talking about their feelings, that magic is real now. this is somewhat of an oversimplification, but it’s funny to say it like this. Anyways, there are like, seven mysteries in Mankai (have I mentioned they all dorm together! they all do! Each of them has a roommate and they all live in a big dorm that’s connected to their own theater and stage. It’s part of why they’re in such big debt and trouble at the beginning—its really hard to maintain those facilities) and one of them is about this doll that will put you in a time loop unless you become friends. essentially. And this is what happens… eventually they end up talking to each other for real due to the time loop, and each affirms just how much they respect the acting of the other. later on when Tsumugi slips back into being unconfident tasuku is able to resolve his past mistakes, because part of why he was so angry at Tsumugi was also because he was angry at himself for like. not reaching out. And telling him how much he loved him and his acting. Because their styles are very different—tasuku is loud and commanding, and Tsumugi is a more understated and subtle.

A3 is also very very cool in that parts of its plays mirror real life? so like. this play, sympathy for an angel, has two leads: Michael (Tsumugi) and Raphael (Tasuku). In it, Michael becomes interested in this woman on a list of people who are about to die, and ends up visiting the human world. He writes letters to her. His friend, Raphael, warns him against this, saying that he’s foolish for going so far for someone he can’t even meet. And each time he steps into the human world, his own soul gets weaker, and his wings begin to wither. Still, he persists against objections. Eventually, the woman recovers, gets a fiancé, and he returns to heaven. Thinking he’ll just wish for her happiness even with his unrequited love, he looks at the list and finds out that despite recovering, she’s still on the close to death list. Despite the danger to himself, he descends into the human world, and takes her place in a car accident. As he’s dying, his soul about to be obliterated because he’s been in the human world too often, Raphael descends and holds him in his arms. Michael says that he’s happy he got to do something for the person he loves, and he’s happy to be held by his best friend. Raphael says that though he’d called Michael the fool, it was him that truly was one: because he stood by, unable to protect both the person he loves and his best friend. Because he was in love with Michael the whole time of course. And then Michael dies in his arms. Now this makes me weepy as does the accompanying character song but what I really love most about it is like. Raphael’s regrets in that he didn’t protect Michael kind of directly mirror Tasuku’s own regrets in being unable to help Tsumugi when he was going through a tough time? only Tsumugi isn’t dead and so Tasuku has an actual chance to fix things, which is sweet.

It should be mentioned that one guy in the spring troupe WRITES all of these plays which is deeply funny to me bc it means that 1) he is probably gay and doesn’t know this and 2) he has precognitive abilities regarding the inner psyche of all of his castmates. and that’s a3 timeloop day. some of these a3 characters have me by the throat btw I just get beamed visions of them chatting and introspecting like constantly. I definitely haven’t explained everything but I think this is enough?

[earthbovndmisfit]

Sailor Jonathan and Merman Speedwagon?

For some reason my dumb brain read that first part as "Sailor Moon Jonathan" at first lol (absolute YASSS there ngl)

I once did make a piece featuring fisher Jonathan and Merman Speedwagon, but I'm assuming that's not what you'd have in mind here?

Sailor Jonathan sounds really nice! Would he be the kind of sailor that works on a big ship along with a large crew? Or would he be more of a loner who travels the seas on his own on a much smaller ship? I personally vibe more with the former, but it could also work with the latter. Going with the former, maybe he's more like his og counterpart here too? Like, he doesn't get along with most of the crew due to everyone thinking he's just some lame guy (whether it is due to Dio -who may also be a sailor or a higher rank?- spreading rumors about him or simply just due to misunderstandings with his crewmates), and so no one really sticks around Jona save for the times they have to work with him on something. And so Jonathan is often spending his free time alone on the deck whenever they are out in the open sea. It's during one of those days (maybe nights?) when he spots what he thinks at first is some big ass fish and which catches his eye due to its bright colors. The idea of catching it to show and prove to everyone else that he's much more than whatever false ideas they have made of him crosses his mind. However, the "fish" disappears before he can even go get a net or something to catch it. He's disappointed but doesn't discard the idea, and so he keeps a net by his side whenever he comes to the ship deck to spend his free time in order to catch any big fishes he might find. And so, days later, he sees the "fish" again during one his breaks. Ready to get into action, he goes for it right away and throws the net out. It takes a few tries and a lot of struggling before Jonathan can finally catch the fish and drag it to the ship deck... only to discover that the fish is not a fish but it's actually a merman!

....a merman that curses a lot by the way.

Speedwagon continues fighting and struggling and manages to free his upper body from the net but the cursing doesn't last long as he completely stops mid sentence when his eyes fall on the handsome and tanned man standing before him, staring down at him in awe (which is basically why Spw managed to free himself from the net). They look at each other for a solid minute in silence, surprised and dumbfounded, contemplating each other's beauty.

Once they find their voices and are able to speak again, they do so, and so all of the questions come in. At some point, Jonathan helps Speedwagon out of the net and they start getting to know each other, careful not to attract unwanted attention from any crew members. They ask basic stuff at first. And that's also how Jonathan finds out that the old sailor tales about merpeople are more than simple folklore. He also learns that the reason why he'd seen Speedwagon more than once swimming around the ship is because he's a thief and has been scurrying on board to steal trinkets and other stuff from the "human world" (which is highly valuable among merpeople and usually sells well). He's very good at his pesky profession too, however, his plans didn't consider there would be a lonely sailor hanging around on the deck while everyone else was getting shitfaced inside the ship.

[princess-of-the-corner]

Something I didn't immediately notice about W.I.T.C.H.: in the comic the Guardians (and Elyon) seem as close to queer as it would be feasible in a Disney comic first published in Italy during the 2000s and the 2010s. All of them have what in hindsight is a clear indication they aren't hetero - and for Irma is rather blatant.

Will: after certain events in the New Power arc her relationship with Matt almost collapses, and while it's salvaged due an elderly couple literally shouting at Matt to just go and tell her how much he loves her by the last issue one may get the impression Will is using him as a beard but is in denial.

Irma: goes from boy to boy during the entire series - and in the last issue she says something that is VERY close to a love declaration to Cornelia. To me looks like she was a lesbian and in denial until the last issue.

Taranee: after a certain thing in the third arc collapses her relationship with Nigel she seems to have a thing with a friend at the Jensen Dance Academy... That never goes anywhere. She's instead seen more often with Will (her closest friend).

Cornelia: her relationship with Caleb in the comid was a disaster waiting to happen (long story short, they dreamed of each other and fell in love without really knowing each other. When they finally managed to spend a few hours together they realized just that, and had at least enough sense to end things before they did something stupid. There was even a special about what would have happened if they had persevered, and it wasn't pretty). Things with Peter went much better, but by the late comic he had conspicuously disappeared - and in the last issue she looked more happy than surprised at Irma's declaration. Make that what you will.

Hay Lin: her relationship with Eric went well until he moved out of Heatherfield, at which point he slowly disappeared (last time he's even mentioned is in a story after the New Power arc where Irma implies they broke up, with the story in question being a romantic mess about Hay Lin's new crush). And then, in a later story, she flat-out states she has never fallen in love before.

Elyon: the comic gives the exact same vibe as if she was in love with Cornelia but in denial as the show. They didn't go and say she likes boys that look like Cornelia, but she took Cornelia's apparent betrayal (Cedric lied to her) REALLY hard, grew attached to the shapeshifter who normally goes around looking like male!Cornelia, was quick to reconcile with her the moment she had the chance (that was when she still believed Phobos was a good guy), and the guy she ends up dating is Caleb, Cornelia's ex.

Now I realize what they were almost certainly doing, but back then I was a naive Italian teenaged boy who liked magical girl series and completely missed the subtext.

Gay as hell tbh

[gio-cosmo]

Was looking through my Steam 2023 wrap up and:

Horror visual novels my one true love 🫶💕💖 if there’s one thing I love it’s playing games that are completely surreal 🎉

I only got steam a few months ago (I got my laptop as a present in august for my bday!) so there wasn’t much data to go off of, but my top three games were OneShot, Needy Streamer Overload, and Mad Father! I’m gonna take this opportunity to ramble about games and review em for a bit so bare with me lol.

OneShot is amazing. I’m absolutely enamored with it I love it so much 🫶 I bought it on a whim and wasn’t sure if I’d like it or not bc at first glance it didn’t seem like the genre of game I usually go for. But I am SO glad I got it bc it’s literally one of my favorite games ever now. I was completely invested and entertained the whole way through, everything about it was just so good. It’s the type of game I wanna recommend to everyone I come across, it was such a fun and interesting experience. I also love the art style and music! What I’d give to experience it for the first time over again man…it’s so good.

Needy Streamer Overload was one I put off buying for a while bc again, it REALLY did not look like the sort of game I usually go for lmfao. I wasn’t planning on buying it at all actually, but I stumbled upon it again when it was on sale so I figured “eh, why not?” I’m surprised by how much I like it! It’s pretty crazy and just overall an intense and sort of weird experience but idk I really enjoy it and I love the graphics and layout of the game. Plus the ost is amazing! Again, I really like games that have an abstract, surreal, unnerving sorta vibe to em, and this game definitely delivered in that category. (definitely can be triggering for some people in certain aspects though so if you’re ever considering playing it make sure to inform yourself beforehand!)

I played quite a few Horror RPGMaker games in the last few months, mostly for nostalgia purposes. As a kid with unsupervised internet access, I watched so many YouTube playthroughs of Horror RPG’s which in hindsight I definitely shouldn’t have been consuming that sorta content at such a young age, but! I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a love and appreciation for those sorts of games now bc of it. I will say though I genuinely don’t think any RPGMaker will ever beat Ib. It’s my favorite RPGMaker ever I absolutely adore it. I played it again a few months ago and have been a little obsessed with it ever since, Ib fanbase where are you and why have you all disappeared!!! Anyways. I had so much fun playing Ib it’s so awesome.

Honorable mentions to Doki Doki Literature Club (which I replay at least once or twice every year) and milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk (+ it’s sequel!)

Thanks for reading this far 😯 I hope you all have a wonderful day :)

[doomandgloomfromthetomb]

Bob Dylan - Tokyo International Forum, Tokyo, Japan, February 10, 1997

Like many of you, I've been digging into the latest Bootleg Series over the past few weeks — and no surprise, I've been really enjoying it. I've said it before and I'll say it again: it's a golden age for Dylan fans. Just imagine 10 years ago if you told anyone how many archival treasures (many of which were unheard even by the most die-hard bootleg sicko) would see official release by now ... they'd almost certainly say: "I don't belieeeeeeve you. You're a LIAR." Believe it: we'll be sorting through the Bootleg Series' riches for decades to come.

Fragments is another winner. Do we need that Time Out of Mind remix? Well, maybe. I like it, anyway — though the 1990s Dylan album that most needs a remix is Under the Red Sky, if you ask me. In a weird way, the de-Lanois-ed mix of TOOM gives me a deeper appreciation of the sonic environment that Dan created for the album; all those instruments and players and overtones blending together, not always totally harmoniously but always totally interesting. However he ended up mixing the finished product, that environment coaxed some astounding performances from Dylan; one of the biggest pleasures of Fragments is just luxuriating in the awe-inspiring crag and grit of Bob's vocals, getting to hear his various approaches to songs, like an actor trying out different accents, different rhythms, different vibes. In a weird way, it makes me think of the Basement Tapes, when Dylan would disappear into his own voice, time slipping way way way out of mind.

Anyway! Soon after the TOOM recording sessions in early 1997, Bob was back on the road again, heading for another joint — in this case, the Tokyo International Forum. This recording of the second show on the tour is a good place to check out where Dylan was at during this point in the Neverending Tour; he had a new drummer, David Kemper, who would be with him through the Love and Theft days. Guitarist John Jackson was coming to the end of his Dylan stint. Bucky Baxter and Tony Garnier, well, they sound comfortable and groovy. It's not a completely remarkable show, but that's not a diss — Bob is very into it vocally and the setlist is nothing to complain about. That "Shelter From The Storm" re-arrangement is a jaunty pleasure and "Love Minus Zero" builds majestically. The crowd participation on the "Highway 61" rave-up is wild. And the "Girl From The North Country" in the encore takes us someplace very wonderful — Dylan's guitar solos manage to be both heartwrenching and hilarious. As the snowflakes storm here in Colorado, it's warming me up.

[partsandservice]

🎀 + 🎁 for the ask game!!

🎀 Elizabeth Afton

ohhh elizabeth... what is she not to me. well first off i always get extremely bothered by any of the fandom characterizations that make her like super malicious or evil or manipulative or whatever. like guys shes literally like 10 years old... shes a baby... that being said i dont mean to imply shes a perfect angel or anything though. i think she is absolutely a very sweet little girl at heart but i think she can definitely be very stubborn and strong willed.

people like to be like "oh yeah shes such a spoiled brat" but idk... i think her relationship with her dad is really complicated tbh like i think he definitely is probably. the nicest to her out of any of their siblings but i still kind of doubt he really dotes on her or gives her much love or attention overall. he is just a very cold father i think. and imo i feel like the reason she seems so demanding in the sister location clips we get of her is bc she definitely kind of tends to demand whatever material things she wants out of her dad really just to try to get a reaction out of him/get him to give attention to her. i think he tends to kind of be like "whatever yes ill buy you the doll/toy/etc" bc he cant really be bothered to care. and so i feel like when she asks to see circus baby and he refuses its like. a Big Deal to her. especially bc baby seems to be kind of based on/targeted to her which is really meaningful in her mind, since it seems to show he actually does care about her after all.

im just kind of rambling now sorry liz is just the baby of all time to me... idk what else i think she is very close to michael especially in the period after evans death i imagine he would try to really step up and be a better sibling. and i think him not being there when she disappeared would always fuck him up leading to the events of sister location eventually. idk thats a different topic ill save that for later

🎁 Charlie Emily

dear sweet charlotte.. i think she is such a sweet shy little girl. liz is a bit more energetic and forceful i think whereas charlie tends to be much quieter. and also in an inversion from lizzy i think charlie is so so close to her dad. i think shes kind of his whole world and he kind of dedicates his whole job and life to wanting to make her happy as best as he can. i think charlie and liz are definitely childhood friends since really early also, like the sequence we get in the silver eyes of charlie describing her memories of playing at fredbears extremely young but with liz instead of sammy. on that note i dont think sammy really exists in the game universe, charlie just has so strong only child vibes its hard for me to imagine otherwise. but yeah i think their relationship is super strong and if anything probably a little unhealthy for henry with how attached to her he is. which of course would cause his life to completely collapse when she dies

after charlie dies of course is a bit of a different story. idk if i could fully tell you why william did it, besides that he was jealous for henrys attention and wanted him to focus on their job and not keep getting distracted by his daughter. but i think its such a heartbreaking surprise for charlie, this man shes only ever seen as basically an uncle hurting her in this horrible way, when she assumed he wouldve been there to help her. i think charlie possesses the puppet immediately, but probably cant really do much with it in the broken state we see in the minigame. henry would of course eventually discover both the body and the broken animatronic, and hed be so heartbroken i think hed pretty much quit the company immediately. i imagine henry in his home workshop trying to fix the puppet, mostly out of guilt that his creation could end up like this. but once it was fixed i dont think he could look at it again, i imagine him dropping it off in a box of stuff at freddys before he leaves town for good. charlie at this point woukld be forced to realize she cant do much for her father anymore, even if she got to see him he wouldnt ever look at her the same way. i think shed slowly gain more awareness of her situation, and when the mci happened shed be so panicked wanting to help the 5 children, not realizing she was really just trapping their souls there with her. maybe she just wanted a friend...?

ugg ok i cant keep rambling you get it theyre so important to me.

[stevensavage]

They Don’t Care, I Don’t Care

(This column is posted at www.StevenSavage.com, Steve's Tumblr, and Pillowfort.  Find out more at my newsletter, and all my social media at my linktr.ee)

The modern media sphere is a strange space. We’re overwhelmed with some great stuff on way-too-many streaming services. Potential hits like “Coyote Vs. ACME” are being killed by tax purposes. AI art controversies are everywhere, to the point where “bad AI” is an insult.” Some once-beloved figures are revealed on social media to be complete numpties (my new favorite insult). When you just want to watch something for fun, it all seems a bit weird.

What I find is that, more and more, I feel like I care less about media.

There’s so much B.S. that it feels like all media executives and no small amount of other people just don’t give a damn about making neat stuff. It’s tax writeoffs and script changes to extend a season and sudden cancellations and number tweaking. Look, I’m not going to act like a lot of media has been high art, but it feels like the amount of people in media who don’t care is high or has always been higher than we’d like.

Then it makes me hard to care either.

This feels weird. My fiancee recently watched Resident Alien which, though I didn’t get into, was a delightful mix of Northern Exposure and My Favorite Martian - if the Martian was really sort of a jerk. She also started Ripley, which has a compelling film-noir-meets-Bergman vibe that surprised and delighted me. This is just the last few weeks, there’s great things out there in the media.

But any of these wonders could vanish in a moment because of some bad executive decision. They could be archived because of obscure tax codes. Someone might get recast with an “edgy” actor who will then drown in scandal like everyone predicts. Without things on hard media, good things can disappear.

It’s just hard to care when so many people with power and money don’t, or even seem actively hostile to what they’re supposedly doing (Warner Brothers). Why care when they don’t and might destroy something to get a stock bump?

At the same time, I look at zines I read, obscure films and up-and-coming mad geniuses like Mike Cheslik. These are made by people who care and that leads me to care, because there is something about enjoying media that requires both parties to give a damn. I think one reason people will enjoy even sleazy exploitation flicks and bad b-movies is the people behind them cared in some relatable way.

Someone who wants to pay the bills and slam out a film with the proper percent of explosions and dinosaurs I can at least get, you know?

So here I am, surrounded by truly great things I take time for - Dune II, Delicious In Dungeon - but I wonder how many other people care less now, or who’s interests have changed. Reach out to me and let me know your experiences.

Steven Savage

www.StevenSavage.com

www.InformoTron.com

[illululusion]

Okay okay okay unasked for but I'm gonna go share my opinions on all of these hehe! Also this is complete utter nonsense but also I will not proofread these and these are my genuinely first thoughts!

Also so so long I need to figure out how to place a cut in a post uhm

Meta Knight

Love the themes, they tend to be quite high energy feels like something intense (which to be fair the fights are quite cool in the game) but not in necessarily purely antagonistic way.

Over all: not my music style but definitely a few will be in my playlists.

King dedede:

Royal sounding, love the start with the brass intruments! The lower tones in many of them makes it feel heavy, very fitting with king dedede.

I think it's interesting how the start of the king dedede themes are all very similar, with the brass announcing the royal, but the themes themselves differ quite a lot from game to game!

Overall: would listen to specifically triple deluxe's on repeat.

Marx

Ohh the ominous! It feels like you're being hurried along, like the tones themselves aren't necessarily evil sounding but the way everything sounds hurried ooohhhh. Like evil main character theme (which knowing Kirby soundtracks love their leitmotif doesn't seem surprising) on 0.75 speed it sound much less menacing! Like it generally sounds a bit menacing due to the violin in there (that's what made me feel like it was weird) but aside from that most of it sounds like you just have some normal Kirby just a bit sadder I guess? The tones don't feel as heroic in the slowed down version. Huh.

Overall: wouldn't listen on repeat too much anxiety damn.

Magalor (I am biassed)

Crowned specifically could kill me it is so good. The leitmotifs in this damned song! It feels so heroic, it also makes you feel so betrayed because DARNIT MAGALOR! You can't help but think back to the earlier moments magalor shows up, before betraying you. Almost makes you feel like you should have known.

But also so many of the recurring parts are done on brass, making me (specifically) feel very empowered, like time to put an end to this, sorry my friend but we shall prevail.

The other themes around magalor also sound very good. Just nothing beats crowned for me. The rock sound from Vs. Magalor is very nice that I will admit. It also feels so different from other themes it's very interesting.

Overall: I am very biased, and would listen to this forever.

Fecto elfilis/chaos elfilis (two planets approach the Roche limit)

It starts of almost godly, like a choir singing to it's god. However as it goes on it sounds less like a choir to their god and more like a false god. About halfway the choir returns, and it sounds almost sad. Like this isn't who we revered, elfilis deserves their end to be a worthy one. It's interesting to have voices this much in a theme I will say, but it really adds to the song.

After the whole sad part to me it sounds more like it turns to Kirby's side like end our struggle.

Overal: would listen on repeat.

Zero two:

CHIMES?! the slow change I to the bell things and slow buildup to the melody. Oh! The tone ladders add a lot like this song feels like it's continuously building up to something! Only to fall back down. But it manages to sound almost hopeful because of it.

Can't say much more because I am not all that knowledgeable about zero two and the game they're in.

Overall: 10/10 would listen again. Second to crowned to me.

VOID TERMINA:

Similar vibes to Crowned (TO ME). The bell keeping the rhythm which just disappears to have our flutes appear! It sounds once again quite hopeful.

And then the lower energy (ADORE) to let us think and allow an even greater height to appear later in the theme! I adore when songs change their energy like that. There's such a slow buildup, makes you think about what comes next if this isn't the peak of strength. The return of more choirs Hmmm hmmmmmm.

BASS! PHASE CHANGE! LEITMOTIF! OHHHHHHHH!!!!! YES! GREEN GREENS THEME VOID YES! YES YES! THE IMPLICATIONS! And then to return to the low energy! Hmmmm!!!!!!!! The piano interlude feels so tranquil. You have to do it Kirby. You can do it! THE LOW NOTE KN THE PIANO! A DISTURBANCE HHHHHHHDGDGDGDS.

return of the main music but just slightly different! It feels less energetic. The return of the bell and it fades to piano again. Oh my lord I love this theme maybe a bit too much again. The piano is interesting as I don't feel it shows up often. And the ending just being so so pure and just the green greens sounding so sad. The way it makes such a happy (and well known) theme sound so incredibly sad is impressive

Overall: damnit I love this theme too. Would listen on repeat. I think it's impressive how they manage the energy in this so well.

Queen sectonia:

Oh so many parts. Damnit I'm never done!

Dirty & beauty, sounds like it's a rap battle in a church? I have no clue what that would mean. But yeah. Interesting that it's such a slow song I will say because so many of Kirby's themes are quite fast and upbeat. OH ROCK? DAMN! YOU GO QUEEN SECTONIA!

It's such a difference between this theme and so many other boss themes. It's a welcome change and I hope they do something like this again!

Moonstruck blossom is so different from its predecessor that it feels weird. It's got a very interesting progression. The brass (adored) the regality! Yes! There's a lot to love about this one too. The fake voice is an interesting choice. Feels weird makes me feel weird as someone with a lot of years in vocal training. No real person would sing like that, it feels eerie.

Overall: want more rock and slow themes they work quite well actually. Probably wouldn't listen on repeat.

Galacta Knight:

The greatest warrior in the galaxy: it's very similar to meta knights themes but not only does it sound different it feels different, it feels rushed. Like galacta Knight would never take the time to rest.

Warrior from another world: similar to the first. It feels like it's been made In a room with more echo.

The one from planet robobot is interesting, it's once again very similar but it adds a layer to the theme which makes it feel less harsh

Overall: it's interesting how these themes are slightly changed in every game.

Morpho knight:

(Star allies) so echo-ey I can comfortably zone out to this. It's weirdly calm for what morpho knight is.

Overall: not much to say, cool song would listen on repeat

Bonus Poll! Music Edition!

It's character theme time! These options were based on what mod's friends responded with! ^-^

:D /pos

[thegatekeeperofzuan]

DAYGLOW APPRECIATION POST

have y’all ever listened to dayglow? i would certainly hope you have. i saw him live last weekend and it was one of the best concerts i’ve ever gone to. the TONE that he has singled out for his music is so good. 

CAN WE TALK ABOUT LIKE SHE DOES? that song is such a banger. i cannot believe that it isn’t everywhere all at once. like the movie. but anyways. clear 80′s roots, featuring that “large singing crowd” sound (you know, where theres a bunch of different types of voices singing) which gives it such a uplifting feeling. the synth that comes in with the vocals, that wavering one? adds some great depth. good song. “oh all of the life that i have, i wanna be with you, i feel it like pouring rain. there’s nothing else that i’d rather be than in love with you every day. and you can take all the time that i have, im nothing without you, maybe we’re just the same, taking the feeling of love and turning it into a beautiful name” AHHHH

TURN AROUND? ABSOLUTELY STELLAR. a great beginning, of course, i looove the acoustic guitar tone, and the break into the chorus “i cant seem to...turn around” just sounds like a bunch of water breaking free of a dam. but in a beautiful way. the water is anime water, very teal and sparkly. and then the guitar before/during “i sure could use some sleep, but i’m still working in my dream” sounds like it came from more than a feeling like boston and you can’t tell me i’m wrong.

jump to dear friend, because i don’t want to type too much. DEAR FRIEND IS SO GOOD Y’ALL? completely different vibe, off of his first album unlike the last two which were off of his most recent, but anyways. the ... rhodes? wurli? i wanna say its a wurli but my dad disagrees with me has such a good tone, and the overlay of the fuzz on it adds so much. the simplicity yet richness of the chord progression. and the song writing!!!! the lyrics to this song slaps! in the “make me cry” way!! “i just don’t know how i’m doing, i leave my window open wide, and as far as i’m concerned, i forget from time to time. i’m so curious about you, i just saw you in my dream, you showed up just to surprise me, and disappeared so suddenly. apologies for being scattered, i just couldn’t go to sleep, i hope you don’t think that i’m crazy, if that’s really what you think,” EXCUSE ME? absolutely amazing.

some more shoutouts from harmony house: the recurring musical motif!! the one that comes back and is in almost every if not every song on the album!!! beautiful. AND strangers/like ivy. those two songs. the lyrics. and the switch between the two. sooo good. unparalleled. 

[opens-up-4-nobody]

...

[thesylverlining]

Finished, and really enjoyed them like to a surprising extent, they're really charming esp ANH which feels... Well, not like a huge blockbuster, but a Weird Little Space Movie about cute dorks saving the galaxy. Also it's much queerer than I remember. Like not even purely shipping wise but just Vibes that I'm sure were unintentional but boy I got em.

But it's REALLY funny to me how kid brains work/what you remember and also Don't, and how ur brain fills in the gaps for very old memories, like:

I forgot completely that they made a second death star. I thought they were trying to destroy that thing for 3 movies (and idk, put the ANH ending in a different order in my head or?) or there was a Different threat, but nope. Death star 2. Somehow. (which makes rogue 1 even sadder omg)

I thought Lando died. Like at the end of Empire. Bravely self sacrificing to set them free and escape cloud city. I had absolutely no memory of him in ROTJ, and was quite pleasantly surprised to find this is not the case, esp since it just... Seems like the kind of thing a movie from that era (and lbr, this era) would do

I have a completely fake child memory of Yoda not disappearing when he died, but instead Luke throwing his body reverently into the swamp. I "remember" his little feet disappearing into the water and it is clear to a distressing degree. Now I'm wondering if I saw some kind of parody as a kid that did this bc OBVIOUSLY IT DOESNT HAPPEN IN THE MOVIE 😭

So yes! Very fun! And good to watch them as a grown up and have a concept of them based in reality and not.. Whatever my kid brain did lol

Rewatching the original star wars trilogy and honestly baffled and dying to realize that Luke and Leia being twins was not even remotely mentioned ALL THE WAY to the end of Empire, like. I kept thinking surely soon it'll... And no, they're... Still kissing like. That. Like 4 times. I'm.

My truest sympathies for the original Luke and Leia shippers they must have been so mad lmaooooo