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mothervonmayhem · 9 months ago

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Battle of the Bands

Hobie, Miguel, Gabriel, Gwen and 1st person pov OC / MC

New Adult magical realism AU (obvi) brain worm that has grown from a 2-shot screenplay for some fun comics into a monster. This fic is like Tremors in my brain.

The summer before college MC, Gabriel O'Hara, and Miguel O'Hara go on an international road trip with their metal band, Neon Requiem. Destination? BandFest, the Battle of the Bands in London guaranteed to secure the winning band a record deal. They meet other ATSV characters along the way.

No mention of Y/N / Reader, written from 1st person POV. Self-insertion is made easier by fewer details about the MC.

Notes on language: Tried my best here, if you are a native speaker of French, let me know if the MC's French is unnatural and I will love you forever.

Romance, angst, and poorly understood music concepts are often written as having a distinct visual component because I am an artist first. <

@pinksugarscrub @the-kr8tor I DID THE THING!

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Chapter 1 - “Vous êtes maître de votre vie et de vos émotions, ne l’oubliez jamais. Pour le meilleur et pour le pire”

The Rusty Nail's neon whir and raucous rhythms had been muted to a melancholy hum that evening, it was a ghost town, the emptiness of the dimly lit bar echoing with decades of unfulfilled longings. I nursed my drink, letting the smoky burn of liquor etch contours of quiet contemplation onto my throat as I surveyed the handful of kindred souls keeping solemn vigil. Life had been feeling heavy, and I needed to write, to make art, and to get lost in music.

At the far end of the bar hunched a beautiful wraith, his slim, angular frame sheathed in torn denim and studded leather. Something indefinable shimmered around him, unsung poetry, snippets of melodies, a symphony I could see and hear and almost touch. Drawn like a moth to the lambent glow of the music, I slid onto the stool beside the ethereal punk spectre. In my mind's eye, I crowned him the prince of punk, a fairy tale rebel.

Our bodies brushed intimately in the cramped space, raising ghosts of sensation along the exposed skin of my fishnets. "Wozzat, luv?" he murmured, kohl-rimmed eyes flickering over the point of contact with a soldering heat.

Mon dieu, {My God} Had I spoken my admiration aloud? A flush crept up my cheeks as I scrambled for a response.

"Désolé. Je répétais quelque chose pour ne pas l'oublier… Need to write it down before I lose it," {Sorry. I was repeating something so I wouldn't forget it…} I mumbled, a flimsy excuse for my wandering mind.

Fumbling through my bag ,I pulled out my tattered notebook, fingers trembling as I scribbled down a scrap of verse inspired by the punk's incandescent presence beside me. I scribbled my observations in hasty strokes. The dying light of day bled into night, a liminal space that begged for a soundtrack. I could almost hear it, a melody just out of reach, shimmering in the smoky air.

"The liminal light of late afternoon, yawning into early evening…" I muttered, pulling on the strings of the melody, trying to draw it back to me. "I don't want to be loved for the things that I don't do. I don't want to be just a pretty face, I want to be a work of art…We are all just works of art."

The jukebox fell silent, making my mutterings around sift and strange, slightly unhinged---but the punk prince remained---his gaze heavy on my skin. I met his stare, unflinching. Unabashed curiosity flickered in eyes, wide brown and doe-like, framed by lashes so lush they seemed to blur the line between masculine and feminine, earthly and ethereal. I found myself dizzied by warring impulses - to flee this unsettling intimacy, or be consumed by it wholly.

He was a changeling, gorgeously androgynous: part punk Mona Lisa with a Cheshire cat grin, part Jean-Michel Baptiste, part force-of-fucking-nature. He made me feel like a background character in his story, could be a punk fairy princess, and I would be the dragon. My thoughts raced, fragments of poetry and half-formed desires. I scribbled faster, chasing the threads of inspiration, but a nudge from my prince brought me back to earth.

Snatches of poetry, raw and unfinished, that I urgently longed to refine on the page before they dissipated like the last wisps of smoke in a spent ashtray. But the punk's aura dragged me too deeply into devotional reverie. I glanced up apologetically as my concentration scattered, the thread of inspiration slipping through my fingers once more.

The bartender had sprouted up directly in front of me, and she eyed me expectantly. Her hair was a shock of blue curls and silver streaks shorn close to her scalp, it made her eyes seem more gray. Her skin etched with lines that mapped out the years like a roadmap. I felt the familiar pang of a poem lost to the ether.

"Un…Jack Daniel's, s'il vous plaît," {A…Jack Daniel's, please} I said, no longer able to filter its lilt from my words, as I wasn't paying attention to dulling it.

"Blimey, that's a proper choice, innit? You 'ere for the battle of the bands event this week, love?"

"Oui, how did you know?" {Yes, how did you know?}

"Just a…sense," he demurred with a wicked grin. "Call it a punk's intuition, darling. I'm in the mix too, y'know."

The bartender chuckled as she set my drink down. "You mean because everyone is here for Bandfest? Don't listen to this one, lovey, he's incorrigible. The crowds will be in later on, but you're a bit early."

"Shh, Roz. Who's up tonight?" The prince asked, a wicked gleam in his eye.

"Oh, you want insider information? What's in it for me?"

"Givin' away free tattoos, could autograph yer arm, love."

"I'll pass, thanks. The brackets are up in an hour anyway. It's Night Terrors vs. Death Rapture, Blood Prophecy vs. Cherry Bomb, Spider Punks vs. Neon Requiem…"

"Why are the punk bands going up against the metal bands?" I asked, just as the prince inquired about Phantom Pulse.

"There wasn't a lot of quality competition this year, or that's what the sponsors said, so they automatically advance to the semifinals since they won last year."

"Bollocks!" The prince cried, his outrage palpable.

"Oi Punk, you don't want to sign with Vic Luna at Zenith Music Group, anyway."

"Tu…ne le fais pas? Mais pourquoi?" {You…don't? But why?} The words tumbled out, my curiosity getting the better of me. At her blank stare, I repeated the question in English, heat rising to my cheeks.

Roz leaned in, her voice low, "Look kid, it's complicated…"

The prince rolled his eyes, a sneer playing at his lips. "Betrayed a lot of good bands."

"You don't need to remind me, Punk, I lived through it. Despite the changes at Zenith Music Group, they still organize the annual Bandfest, which showcases both established and emerging talent in the punk and metal scenes. The event is highly respected within the community and provides a platform for bands to gain exposure and connect with fans," the bartender continued, her words stilted, rehearsed.

"Ay, and they are the sponsor bringing in your crowds." The prince's voice was sharp, laced with an emotion I couldn't quite place.

"The only time we're out of the red, punkass. We'd have to shut down if it weren't for the Battle." She said heavily, "Which is the greater evil, we are a place of refuge for several members of the community, not just you."

"You don't need to remind me Roz, I'm living through it. Right, I'll stop ragging on the corporate sods for now, until you have some plausible deniability." He raised his hands in mock surrender, a bitter laugh escaping his lips.

"There's a good Punk." Roz smiled, sliding him another pint before retreating.

I made a mental note to warn my bandmates about Vic and Zenith's sordid history. We were in this for the music, not the money, no one played metal for the money--but it never hurt to be cautious.

"Roz is like the den mother of the London punk scene, a living testament to grit and resilience, and screaming yourself hoarse at basement shows. Dream t'be like her when I grow up. To listen without judgment, offer advice without preaching, and know when to slide a shot of whiskey across the bar and when to cut you off. She has a way of looking at you, really seeing you, like you matter… like you are more than just another face in the crowd." His voice trails off, heavy with emotion. He blinks and shakes it off.

"Can I see it?" The prince's voice cut through our lost thoughts, his fingers reaching for my notebook.

I clutched it to my chest, a knee-jerk reaction. "Can you look into my very soul, like Roz?"

His smirk widened, that Cheshire cat grin that set my heart racing. He nodded, a challenge in his eyes.

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours," he purred, and I felt my stomach flip. I repeated the phrase in my mind, first in French, then in English, just to be sure I'd heard him right. Wasn't this some flirty idiom?

"You have a book of poetry somewhere hidden in those skinny jeans, mon ami?" {my friend?} I ask, hesitant, double-checking his meaning. He flirts like others breathe.

In lieu of an answer, he produced a sharpie from thin air. Before I could protest, he had my arm in his grasp, his touch electric against my skin. I shrugged off my leather jacket, baring my arms to his ink-stained fingers. Roz chuckled as she set another drink before me, clearly amused by the prince's antics.

"You'll need it…I see you took this wanker up on the free tattoo offer. Don't let him draw any on your arms."

"Any? …Any what?"

"Wankers," she clarified with a laugh. It clarifies nothing, I need to study my British slang.

"I would not mar the flesh of such a beautiful and willing participant, Roz. Kindly fuck off," the prince mumbled around the sharpie cap clenched between his teeth.

Between the verses he scrawled, he peppered me with questions, his voice a giddy whisper.

"So, who's your poison, love? Which bands get your motor runnin'?"

"Ah, j'adore Rammstein, Gojira, et bien sûr, Motörhead. And so many others, doesn't even scratch the surface. Et toi?" {Ah, I love Rammstein... And you?}

"Proper choices, those. For me, it's the classics - Sex Pistols, The Clash, Buzzcocks. Real raw, in-your-face stuff, y'know?"

I leaned in, excited, but too close. I nearly jumped as my lips grazed the dusky shell of his ear. "Ah, un homme de bon goût! I've seen the Buzzcocks live, you know. Pure chaos, c'était incroyable!" {Ah, a man of good taste! I've seen the Buzzcocks live, you know. Pure chaos, it was incredible!}

"No bleedin' way! Metal chick like you? I'd give me left bollock to have seen the Sex Pistols live. But I did catch The Clash back in '07. Changed me life, it did."

"Lemmy, sans aucun doute. The man's a legend!" {Lemmy, without a doubt.} I declare into the bar.

"Oi, don't go disrespectin' Johnny, now! The bloke's a punk icon, 'e is!"

"You're a punk icon!" someone shouted from the back, but the prince waved them off with a grin.

"Oh, I didn't catch your name," I said, with a sudden shame, my brow furrowed.

"Everyone just calls me Punk. You can too. Just not dirty punk, we don't want to come to blows, do we, love?"

"I'd kick your ass, mon ami. Pas grand chose à donner, mon petit prince des fées… eh mon prince dégingandé, right? I would not describe you as petite even if you are skinny." {I'd kick your ass, my friend. Not much to give, my little fairy prince… eh my lanky prince, right?}

Miguel was at my side in an instant, all rippling muscle and furrowed consternation. "Carnalita, {little sis} why did you sneak out on practice just to drink in this hellhole?" he rumbled, disapproval lacing every sonorous word. Tenderness faded a bit.

I met his gruff chiding with an insouciant toss of my hair. "Salut, Miguel. Ça fait longtemps." {Hello, Miguel. It's been a while.}

"Is that Jack? No puedo mas… Carnalita…This shit is bad for you." {I can't take it anymore…little sis...}

"Je nais etre rond comme une queue de pelle. Tu es vraiment un trou de balle quand tu dis des choses pareilles!" {I would be round as a shovel handle. (Idiom, essentially she is saying ~ I was born to be drunk) You are really a dumbass when you say things like that!}

Miguel's grumbling stream of Spanish reprimands washed over me as I settled into our familiar dynamic - the tender yet terse cantata of friend and protector that had composed them score of our relationship since childhood. For all his bluster, I knew every arrhythmic cadence encoded Miguel's steadfast affection.

Only Gabriel's soft interjection could salve the rising discord. "You worry too much, Miggy. We've been practicing all week."

He cast me a plaintive glance, silently pleading for conciliation, and I grudgingly obliged with an internal eyeroll. "Qu'il aille se faire! C'est vraiment chiant tu te rends compte." {Let him go fuck himself! It's really annoying, you know.}

Heedless of my saucy french asides, Miguel merely drew a fortifying breath before continuing in that maddening timbre of unrelenting reason. "Gabri and I could have come out with you. You shouldn't go out alone in an unknown city - it's not safe for you, mi carnalita."

The prince leaned towards us with a lazy smirk, "S'not that serious. The Rusty Nail is safe enough." He paused as the bartender snorted in agreement before continuing, "We're keeping the lady safe, mate…you can trust me, I'm one of the Spider-Punks."

Miguel simply sneered at the prince's proffered handshake, dismissing it out of hand. "You have arms like sticks. How would you keep her safe?"

The punk's smirk widened as he shrugged. "Ah, one of those. Never skip leg day, eh bruv?"

I strangled a guffaw as Gabriel hastened to run interference, engulfing the punk's hand eagerly. "We've heard of you guys, the local punk band, yeah? Your drummer is…gahh…Ah-Mazing! You think we could meet?"

"You call that punk noise "rock"?" Miguel scoffed. "Metal is where the real skill lies…Real talent is in the complexity, the technical skill. Metal pushes boundaries, takes you to new places. Punk's just three chords and an attitude."

I rolled my eyes. At this rate, I'd have to drag Miguel out before he started a brawl.

"Ah, mais non, Miggy. There's art in simplicity too. Punk, metal, it's all about the energy, the message, non?" {Ah, but no, Miggy. There's art in simplicity too. Punk, metal, it's all about the energy, the message, right?}

Miguel grunted, but squeezed my hand.

I stood, motioning for him to lean in close. "Allez, let's save the competition for the stage, d'accord? I learned some things about the record company. We should talk in private." {Come on, let's save the competition for the stage, okay?}

The prince unfolded himself, towering over me. "Tell you what, mate. Let's settle this on stage. We'll let the crowd decide who's got the real chops," he challenged.

Gabriel chimed in, "Pero, mana's right, Miguel." {But, sister is right, Miguel.}

Miguel looked ready to explode, but Gabriel's eyes held him in check.

"Music's music. Let's just focus on putting on a good show, and maybe we can learn something from their band, eh?" Gabriel said.

The prince leaned in, lips grazing my cheek. "Aye, love. Can't wait to teach your wall of meat here a thing or two. How about we give 'em a show they won't forget…later?"

I grinned, "Oui! A collaboration? Here… Ça ne casse pas trois pattes à un canard…mais, pour vous. I want it back later." {Yes! A collaboration? Here…It doesn't break three duck legs (Idiom ~ It's nothing special) …but, for you. I want it back later.}

The lanky punk sauntered off, his studded boots leaving faint trails of glitter on the barroom floor. Miguel's scowl deepened as he watched him depart, fists clenched tightly.

"Is that your poetry notebook?" he growled, voice rumbling low.

"Yes, I traded it to the punk faerie for these tattoos, I smirked, revealing the vine-like scrawl of ink now adorning my flesh like raised scars from whipping brambles.

Miguel's face darkened further, storm clouds gathering at my words. "The one you never let anyone touch or read…"

His voice strangled to a whisper, and I could not parse the complex calculus of emotions flitting behind his eyes

Gabriel placed a calming hand on his brother's arm.

"Easy, hermano {brother}. He's not worth it," Gabriel said in a soothing tone.

"Be nice, Punk is a good guy. I like him," I countered softly, a warm glow blossomed within me as I realized my entire arm was now a crawling garden of sentences entirely in French.

Miguel opened his mouth, undoubtedly to unleash a heated retort, but Gabriel cut in, "Should we go look at the brackets to see who we're facing?"

"It looks like my entire arm is covered with quotes from The Little Prince, which happens to be my favorite book. It's actually quite a sweet gesture," I said softly, fingertips grazing the raised words like treasured runes.

With renewed curiosity, I examined the ink quote now etched on my skin: "Vous êtes maître de votre vie et de vos émotions, ne l'oubliez jamais. Pour le meilleur et pour le pire." {You are the master of your life and your emotions, never forget that. For better or worse.}

I didn't mention the lone scrawl that could have been a phone number hidden amidst the literary foliage now vining my limb. Miguel was in full-on Dad mode, and I didn't need to add fuel to that particular fire.

"I already know the competition for the quarterfinals, we don't need to waste our time. Come on, manos {used as slang for brother}, we're going to kick some ass!" I giggled brightly, elated at my new 'tattoos' scrawling up my arms. I didn't put my leather jacket back on, I didn't want to cover any of it up.

Miguel's glare never wavered, his eyes fixed on the far side of the bar where the prince had disappeared into the crowd. "Don't tempt me. Let's go, carnalita {little sister}, time for practice."

With a resigned sigh, I surrendered to my brothers' insistent tugs, allowing them to lead me from the Rusty Nail. But the punk prince's parting words still reverberated through my mind like the lingering notes of a siren song. Later, he had purred, that single hushed syllable seeming to contain all the intoxicating lure of a siren's call - equal parts velvet promise and brazen challenge, twined inextricably into an enchantment I could not resist. The whole damn bar was a sailor's nightmare.

#across the spiderverse #hobie x reader #hobie spiderverse #hobie fluff #hobie brown #astv hobie #spider punk #au spiderverse #miguel o'hara #miguel spiderman #miguel fanfic #hobie fanfic #miguel o'hara x reader #gabriel o'hara

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eggsmuses-a · 2 years ago

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THE ACE •:

The Ace groaned, pinching where his brow would be. Guess he’ll just have to get to the point of it. “Have you read the works of Sun Tzu, Mara?” He asked “In his writings, he told of the value of knowing the enemy just as well as yourself. During the fight with The Witch Queen, I made it a priority to learn all I could about the hive and, especially, Savathûn. Of course, given that she’s the queen of lies, I made sure to sieve through the sands of her words to find the nuggets of objective truth. Want to know what I found out?”

The Ace walked over to his table and pulled up an image of Fundament, turning their attention to The Hive’s distant past. “Before Savathûn was Savathûn, she was known as Sathona.” He stated “She and her sisters feared for the lives of The Krill. So Sathona, along with her sister, made a deal with The Worm Gods to spare them from a perceived demise. Thus, The Hive were born.”

The Ace switched the image on the table to that of Savathûn’s Throne World, The Traveler above it. “Countless years later, Savathûn obtained The Light and stole The Traveler, all in an effort to fight against our system’s eradication at the hands of our ancient enemy, The Witness. This tells me something important about Savathûn’s mind. Something useful.”

Flipping a switch, the Ace turned off the table’s screen, walking back over to The Queen of The Awoken. “ Savathûn has a Hero Complex.” He stated “And before her death, that “Hero” learned her whole life as The Witch Queen was manipulated by The Witness. If revived, I’m willing to bet a ton of glimmer that she’ll want to rebel, to get revenge, to declare war on the entity that was pulling The Hive’s strings from day one...and war tends to make strange bedfellows. You’re not the only one who can see the chessboard, Mara. How do you think I’ve survived so long?”

EGGSMUSES •:

Sun Tzu. How ironic this was to be brought up now, especially when so much of her reign reflected idealistic views of Sun Tzu's work.

#ﾞ ᴍ ——— ❝ I am familiar. ❞ Deep within the halls of Awoken libraries, the Dreaming City was littered with literature of Golden Age times. Those that survived upon the Yang Liwei, those her people still remembered. The ones lost in translation. The Art of War was one of many of those writings that had made it out of the Exodus Green in one piece. ❝ The Awoken particularly enjoy his teachings. We study the work within our troops. ❞

When the projection of Fundament appears though, Mara's interest is piqued. She was aware of the Hive having some past, but never to the extent of what the Worm entailed.

She nods, eyes quite literally lighting up as her eyelids ride each revelation like a wave; rise &. fall. Though she would have found this matter herself if she were to pressure Savathûn's Worm more, it's evermore intriguing to hear the summary directly from the Guardian's mouth. As if she hadn't listened to the comms, as if she were an outsider to the ordeal.

&. it works, because the perspective feels like something new. It's restating what the Vanguard &. herself had assumed, but having the confirmation takes weights from her chest. There was no more uncertainty to what they had all learnt, only the truth spoken directly from a source.

Bated breath is released as she whispers exactly what Rascal announces at the exact same time, ❝ Savathûn considers herself a hero. ❞

Of course, her actions make so much sense now. The Traveler &. hunting its powers, "protecting" it within her throne world, the first Collapse. Everything aligned so perfectly now.

&. the Vanguard was just as blind as ever.

Though, she still begs to differ on the potential of an alliance.

❝ ... nobody truly knows the pieces that are sacrificed in every game of chess. ❞ Mara adds, a stare traded as her eyes graze upwards. While they both see the strings attached, it's harder now to predict their opponents next move. Unless by some miracle a prophet comes with knowledge of something else the Witch Queen has hidden.

❝ I don't doubt that Savathûn has sour feelings towards the Witness, otherwise your Traveler wouldn't have revived her in the first place. My natural worry is within who she determines worthy of that bitterness. We have no way to prove that she will join us, she is a god of cunning after all. ❞

&. the chances are she will make a break for it if they don't stop her before then. The Hive Goddess probably sees all as her enemy now; she is entangled in lies that have shrouded her from knowing the truth. That much is evident by her enragement at learning about Fundament.

❝ I don't believe it wise to trust our forces to someone who deceives. Whether survival banks on it or not. ❞ Bold claims, Deception Queen.

#ﾞ ᴍ ——— ❝ That’s Queen Mara Sov to you . ❞

#/AAAAA THANK YOU 🥺#/im loving their dynamic too #/POWERFUL PEOPLE TALKING TO POWERFUL PEOPLE #/🤝🤝🤝#/sorry this took so long though !! hope its alright im replying just now <33 #tutela-populus #( not your queen / your dictator ) -- mara ic #( 🥚 ) -- rascal-7 #( .. ) -- thread #( v.i ) -- mara #( bacon and eggs mcmuffin ) -- queue #long post //

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milesprower · 6 years ago

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idk if that prompt thingie of the cool @dailysonicocs is still going but here are more (doodley) concepts about “velvet worms”

1. straight up character who is a velvet worm, probably very warm, good for that fella

2, thanks to the extensive kamen rider blogging of friends, sooner or later it would come to this, since the suits are rather bug related

kinda rabbit as a nod to this seasons rider bc of the rabbit theme heh

3. classic one, and Velvet “the worm”, less being a worm but also being a total worm if you know what i mean

#yeah some rambling also in the tags so it doesnt't land in the main tags #is it still that way?#idk tümblr doesnt seem to become a more stäble website #*wiggles in chair to some sweet tunes*#*and thinks about velvet's bf*#bug -#injury -#both cartoonish but better be safe than sorry #also realized all facing more or less same direction except stringie bc worm on a string is a true rebel #rebel worm i am just like you - the worm on a string

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timeagainreviews · 4 years ago

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Reappraising Companions

Years after having watched every available episode of Doctor Who, I've had plenty of opportunities to rewatch episodes time and time again. As with most movies and television, I've found revisiting certain stories and eras has caused me to see them in a different light. A story I may have once reviled is suddenly more interesting. I even came to appreciate Peter Davison's performance as the Fifth Doctor for its subtle nature. But what about companions? Are there any companions I didn't care for at first, which I've softened toward over time? That is the question I wish to explore.

Below I've chosen a selection of companions of whom I had initially disliked for various reasons. They span across multiple eras and both the classic and modern versions of the show. With each companion, I have endeavoured to be fair in my reappraisal, but this doesn't mean I've changed my mind. I would also like to state that none of these appraisals are about the actors. My goal is to evaluate companions by the way they were written. The performance will come secondary.

1. Danny Pink

I chose Danny Pink to kick this list off because he is the reason I am writing this article in the first place. Recently, I took to rewatching a selection of Danny Pink episodes, in hopes that I may find something I didn't initially see. When Samuel Anderson was cast as Danny, I was excited. I've always been a big fan of male companions. They offer a different dynamic to the TARDIS that we don't often get to experience. However, in the wrong hands, they can be exhausting. Enter Steven Moffat.

When Steven Moffat took the reins of Doctor Who, he introduced us to Rory Williams. A smart, loyal, and combative male companion, not at all enamoured with the Doctor's mystique. At his worst, Rory was made to compete with the Doctor for Amy's affection. At his best, Rory held the Doctor accountable for the lives he brought aboard the TARDIS. With Danny, I felt like this is what Moffat was trying to do again, but this time, it wasn't as successful.

When we're introduced to Danny, we watch him and Clara fumble over their words like teenagers. It's meant to be cute, but their chemistry is non-existent. It feels like watching an episode of Coupling, in that it's painful and causes me to scan the room for exits. Their adorkable awkwardness is supposed to endear us to their relationship, but it seems forced. This is compounded when the Doctor enters the equation. Forcing Danny to fight for something very few of us in the audience believe in the first place.

Once again we find the male companion being forced to compete with the Doctor for the affection of a woman. But in this instance, instead of holding the Doctor accountable, Danny seems to hold the Doctor in contempt. Coming from his own history of military training and PTSD, Danny projects all of his inner struggles onto the Doctor. Which is unfortunate, as Danny's inner turmoil is his most humanistic trait. This wouldn't be the first time in Moffat's era where the Doctor's nature as a hero was called into play. The problem with Danny's appraisal of the Doctor as a general, barking orders, is that he's wrong. And we as an audience know it.

Not only do we know it, but so does the Doctor. The Doctor even gets a character arc over the identity crisis Danny gives him, wherein he realises Danny is wrong about him. Danny, however, never comes around to the Doctor's side. Even in his final moments on screen, he remains combative with the Doctor, in an exhausting refusal to grow as a character. We're supposed to believe he's come to some sort of character growth of self-acceptance by sacrificing his chance at a new life, for the life of a boy he mistakenly killed. Instead, he carries the same chip on his shoulder to his grave.

Danny is a companion wholly failed by writing. Even at his most heroic, it seems in service of making the Doctor look like a buffoon. His mimicking a soldier while yelling in the Doctor's face is embarrassing for everyone involved. Imagine this is your boyfriend meeting your friends. You would be mortified by his behaviour. Now imagine you have to lie about hanging out with your friends because it might make your boyfriend upset. Now imagine this friend is a very dashing person who constantly puts the lives of others before him. Danny and Clara's courtship is a romance by gaslight.

2. Clara Oswald

Clara is a whole other can of worms. I could probably dedicate an entire article to her character. I should clarify that my initial dislike for her character is somewhat mired in personal disappointment. By the time Clara was introduced, we had seen a string of modern human companions. We got the occasional tertiary companions from the future, such as Captain Jack or River Song. But we hadn't had a main companion from the past, future, or another planet. So when Jenna Coleman was introduced as Oswin Oswald, Junior Entertainment Manager of the starliner Alaska, I was very excited. Finally, a companion from the future! I was so ready for the Doctor to go on a quest to save Oswin from the cruel fate of becoming a Dalek. What an exciting storyline that was going to be.

And then we see her as governess Clara Oswin Oswald. Ok... Well at least she's still from a different era, right? Oh, she's dead now too? Oh. Much like Moffat's Dracula, all of this great promise was suddenly dashed against the rocks of a contemporary setting. Sigh. I was so excited. What we're given in “The Bells of St. John,” is a new character with less direction than either Oswin or the governess before her. So much that Moffat had taken to literally modulating her brain with an app. Maybe she's really good with computers now? Sorry friends, much like Rose Tyler's gymnastics and Peri Brown's botany, it's never going to come up again.

And this is the biggest issue I have had with Clara Oswald. She spends most of her screen time fluctuating between what character they're writing her as this week. The writers simply didn't know what to do with her while the Doctor tried to figure out why she's so "impossible." One week she's wacky, one week she's stern, another week she's bisexual queer bait. Her characterisation is all over the charts, which sadly, tracks with her entire storyline. She's a woman, fragmented across time, and so is her personality. And don't even get me started on that impossible girl nonsense.

Steven Moffat once said in an interview that one or two people usually guess his big reveal ahead of time, but that no one had guessed Clara's. Perhaps that's because nobody's fan theory was "It's going to be absolute shite." Instead of just being a woman who gets to be her own person, she has to become the most importantest companion. She has to save the Doctor by being planted throughout his timeline, saving him from the Great Intelligence. You know, by sometimes being born as herself, and other times being born as a Time Lord. Sometimes knowing who the Doctor is, other times having no idea whatsoever. Sometimes having a name that is a play on of Oswald, or Oswin, or Clara. And at no times did it make any kind of sense.

The funny thing is, that for me at least, Clara's character doesn't really become interesting until all of that nonsense is behind her. The Clara I find most compelling is the Clara in mourning. Clara post-Danny Pink is a Clara with focus. Her mood swings seem more from a place of destructive behaviour in the wake of great loss. Watching her hold the TARDIS keys hostage above a volcano was some seriously gripping stuff. Aside from the gross digs at her appearance, I found the Twelfth Doctor's relationship with Clara far more endearing than that of the Eleventh Doctor. It may have taken them until her final moments as a companion, but they did get her right, in the end.

3. Melanie Bush

Back in 2015, I had the opportunity to meet Louise Jameson, who played Leela, my all-time favourite Doctor Who companion. I also got to meet Colin Baker, who was all charm. Also in attendance was Bonnie Langford, aka, Doctor Who's Mel. After having gotten autographs from Louise and Colin, and having circled the convention hall a few times, I decided "Sure, why not. Let's meet Bonnie Langford. It's only 10 quid for an autograph." Upon meeting her, she was a very kind woman, and even still, I was racking my brain for something nice to say about Mel. To save face, I lied a very simple lie. I said, "I really liked you in Doctor Who." She smiled, said thank you, and signed my picture. And I walked away, taking my shitty liar mouth with me.

Because the fact is, I didn't like her in Doctor Who. I found every moment she was onscreen excruciating. From her poodle haircuts, to her 80's disaster attire, to her fat-shaming the Sixth Doctor, to her constant screaming at every little thing, she depressed me. I spoke in my review of "Terror of the Vervoids," just how weird it was that we're never actually introduced to her as a character. Instead, Peri is written off, and suddenly, Mel is there, already chummy with the Doctor. You guys know Mel, she's the Doctor's friend, because we told you she was! Instead of getting to know Mel slowly, we're thrown into the deep end, forced to sink or swim within the curls of red hair piled high. Mel doesn't just come out of nowhere, she comes on strong. Fitness expert Mel here to get your fat Doctor Who loving asses into shape. Drink this carrot juice you geek pig!

Not even in Big Finish audios was I finding myself warming up to Mel. When Ace was introduced, they couldn't have pushed Mel out quicker. I found everything about Ace immediately refreshing. Here was a calm and collected badass rebel that I could get behind. It's ironic then; that it was in the Seventh Doctor era that I have begun to find something likeable in Mel. Much like Clara Oswald, a changing of Doctors enriched my appreciation for her character. This appreciation didn't come immediately, mind you, it came about around my third or fourth watch-through of "Paradise Towers."

Perhaps it's the influence of Andrew Cartmel, but with the Seventh Doctor, I have begun to appreciate Mel in the snarkiest manner. Mel is best utilised as a commentary on the Doctor/Companion relationship. She's precocious to a fault, she chews scenery, she screams at the drop of a hat, and she is oftentimes a naive idiot. Yet in "Paradise Towers," it becomes hilarious. Like much of the 80's era of Doctor Who, there is a very "2000 AD," atmosphere to the stories, and I could easily see this as a setting for Judge Dredd to drudge through, busting skulls and filling bodies with bullets. Setting the sunshiny persona of Mel against this backdrop is so brilliant that I can't imagine another companion in this story. Where she would usually grate against me, her sharp contrast from the things happening around her is exactly why I began to soften toward her.

Not even the ire from the Kangs could shake Mel's confidence, which is oddly what makes her cool. Or "ice-hot," as they would say. For the first time, Mel's headstrong sense of self makes her a rebel. She doesn't need to follow a crowd to feel accepted. Sadly, very few writers were able to find this core to Mel, but it was enough for me to be able to look at her in a different light. I could finally look at Mel and say I did like her in Doctor Who. Even if it was just for a moment, and even if it was somewhat at her expense. From a very cynical perspective, Mel can actually be pretty fun.

4. River Song

I know a lot of you are probably aghast to see River Song on this list, but I assure you, I have my reasons, and they are not without consideration. I should begin by saying some good things about River. She's smart, she's competent, she's got a healthy grasp on her sexuality, and she's cool. Why then did I not like her very much the first few times I watched her? Well, if you hadn't noticed, the bulk of this list are characters written by Steven Moffat, and once again, it all comes down to writing.

We're first introduced to River in the Tenth Doctor two-parter "Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead." At first, she's just one of a team of forgettable space scientists on an expedition. However, as she finds out the Doctor is who he is, her entire demeanour changes. Like Mel on steroids, we're given a heaping dose of "Who does this bitch think she is, being all familiar with the Doctor?" Only, instead of it lasting one episode, it's every interaction we have with her character beyond this point. Instead of getting to watch River and the Doctor grow as a couple, we're forced to watch them meet in opposite directions. It is the antithesis of "show, don't tell." Everything about the Doctor and River's relationship is implied. "You're going to love me someday," she promises. Couldn't we just see it play out naturally? Spoilers.

This idea is one that can only really be done on a show like Doctor Who, where things are wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey. The problem is, this doesn't mean that the idea is worth exploring, or even successful. It's made even worse when the relationship implied is one deeper than friendship. The Doctor is famously chaste, married only to his TARDIS and what lies ahead. Because of this, the idea of a person the Doctor will someday trust enough to share his real name and eventually marry carries with it a sizeable amount of convincing. Such a huge shift in the show's dynamic requires a lot of character development. Sadly none of that is to be seen onscreen. Who is Jim the Fish? Who cares? Steven Moffat's joke of "I'll explain later," became painfully prophetic of his time as showrunner.

I've got no complaints about River being a Time Lord, or even her being the child of Amy and Rory. Those elements are fine, really. It's the way in which she is presented which I find most detrimental to her character. I never did buy into the idea that the Doctor loved her as a wife. Their wedding seemed necessary to save the universe, as opposed to a union made out of love. Any kind of enjoyment I've ever gotten out of River stems mostly out of my love for Alex Kingston's performance. Where the show fails to establish her, she more than makes up for in style and substance. I grew to like River Song, despite the show's failure to ground her properly. River grew on me as she always said she would, but by no effort on the part of the writers. River is cool because River is cool, not because it was inferred that she was.

5. Susan

If you’ve followed this blog long enough, you’ll know I’ve already mellowed on Susan. In my reviews of the First Doctor era, I’ve had mostly good things to say about her character. This doesn’t change the fact that I found her utterly irritating at first, and it feels appropriate to talk about it here.

My initial dislike for Susan is a lot like my intial dislike for Clara. A lot of it was wrapped up in my own expectations of the character. Susan is the Doctor’s granddaughter. She is a Time Lord, therefore she should also be brilliant. And we get a lot of that in her first episode. She is mysterious, she’s enigmatic, and she is brilliant. Even her teachers at school found her perplexing. But the show doesn’t continue down that line. In fact, there are times when they make Susan borderline stupid. But how much of this is clouded by my own preconceptions?

For starters, Susan wasn’t a Time Lord. At least, not then. She was just a young girl. She may have been smarter than her fellow students, but this played more into how she was raised. So when the show depicts Susan screaming at every little thing, grabbing her hair dramatically, it smashed apart my mental image of a Time Lord. I couldn’t appreciate that they had her act this way to help sell a bad effect. Oftentimes Susan, like many Doctor Who companions, had her character sacrificed to make the baddies scarier. It was a product of her time, and even still I feel her character suffers for it.

However, one of the things I have discovered through repeat viewings of the First Doctor era is the surprising amount of character development among the TARDIS crew. The Doctor, Ian, Barbara, and Susan all go through deep character development that was sadly often secondary in classic Doctor Who. Before the nature of the Doctor and companions was transient, there was a feeling of a family bond forming. Through this, I have come to find Susan to be a rather deep and sensitive person.

When it comes time to say goodbye to Susan, I can’t say I exactly agreed with the method. The Doctor locking her out and deciding she was mature enough to set out on her own felt hasty. But I would be lying if I didn’t agree that Susan had gone from a little girl to a young woman at that point. When you stop expecting Susan to be the Doctor, and allow her to be a kid, she grows on you instantly.

6. Adric

Let's be honest; it's not really original to hate on Adric. It's nothing new to point out what a bad companion he is, but here we are. Something I constantly endeavour to do on this blog is to be fair. One of my biggest complaints about the Doctor Who fandom is the proprietary attitude people take toward the fandom. The "I don't like it; therefore you shouldn't like it," attitude spat with such vitriol is one of the worst parts about being in the Doctor Who fandom. So when you say "Adric is my favourite companion," I'm not devising an argument for how wrong you are, it's fine. Like who you like. This doesn't mean I'm not also thinking in my head "What? Why?" Because I honestly, without malice, do not understand.

The most I ever enjoyed Adric, was in his introductory story "Full Circle." Setting him against a group of fellow Alzarians dilutes his lesser qualities. In fact, when paired with Varsh, he almost seems likeable. Sadly, we have to say goodbye to Varsh, and it's downhill from there. We're forced to watch a contrarian boy genius butt heads with the Doctor while he waddles around in a toddler's outfit while showing off his pound shop sheriffs badge for "mathematical excellence," to anyone who will listen. Adric is so obnoxious that he makes Wesley Crusher seem likeable in contrast.

However, it's not just his contrarian nature that makes me despise Adric, he's also disloyal to the Doctor and his friends. He's so susceptible to bad ideas as long as they a presented logically, that I've dubbed him the Ben Shapiro of the TARDIS. He's a smarmy little shit who believes himself superior to women, and he's really got no justification for his ill-placed self-confidence. Constantly demanding respect while giving very little reason to deserve it, he's like a poster child for incels. To make matters worse, he's oftentimes wrong and easily duped into taking the side of evil, turning him into more of a liability than an asset.

Recently, the idea that the Thirteenth Doctor could save someone from sacrificing themselves by using the TARDIS at the last moment to save them came under fire. "Why didn't the Doctor do this for Adric?" they said, forgetting conveniently when the Twelfth Doctor did the exact same thing in "Into the Dalek." But yes, why indeed? Why would the Doctor ever let a duplicitous, argumentative braggart die by their own stupid need to solve a math problem? My headcanon is that the Doctor got better at flying the TARDIS. The real reason is that people hated his character. The silence over the credits after Adric dies isn't out of respect for the character. The real reason is that the BBC couldn't secure the rights to Kool and the Gang's "Celebrate Good Times," before it aired.

Listen, I am not unsympathetic toward Matthew Waterhouse. He never should have been given such a big role, considering his utter lack of ability at the time. I imagine it was his own insecurity that fuelled his on-set antics. Giving unsolicited advice to veteran actors is cringey, but also the actions of a young and naive boy, in over his head. I know I said I was going to try and treat the performance as secondary, but in this case, it goes hand in hand. He has the stage presence of a fake. Every moment he's onscreen is disingenuous. The fact that he is present at the death of my favourite Doctor, stinking up the scene is genuine pain to me. If he has been made better in Big Finish, I've not yet heard it. As of now, there is nothing I've seen of Adric that has changed my opinion. But I'm glad if he makes you happy.

#Doctor Who #Danny Pink #samuel anderson #clara oswald #jenna coleman #Melanie Bush #Bonnie Langford #River Song #Alex Kingston #Susan #carole ann ford #adric #Matthew Waterhouse #tardis #bbc #companions

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kocuces-blog · 4 years ago

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Knight Online - No CheatsKnight Online - No Cheats

Least Requirement

Working System Windows 98/2000/XP/ME

kocuce

Computer processor Celeron 300

Memory 128 MB

Hard Disk Space 400MB

Video Card 16MB or above 3D Display Cards with DirectX uphold

Extra Software DirectX 8.1 or Above

"At the outset there was bedlam. Ageless energies whirled in an extraordinary mass of shading and light in the soundlessness of room. Throughout the long term the energies acquired substance and started to mesh itself into the texture of what might one day spell life.

Out of this texture a string, an inconsequential piece of force unraveled itself from the mass. While the substance of this string was very much the same as the energies which at the exact instant were advancing, it changed along a different way. It alone acquired cognizance."

Knight Online is set in a bygone era of orcs, savages, and primates? At any rate, it is set in a universe of enchantment. There is the acceptable nation, called Elmorad and the abhorrent nation, Karus. Similar names are for the races.

The Humans, the Elmorad, have a pick of three classes which are: Barbarian, Male El Moradian, Female El Moradian.

The savage is the most grounded class, on the off chance that you are a brute you must be a hero, and you must be male for reasons unknown. The El Moradian can be whatever other classes, which are Warrior, Magician, Priest, And Rogue and can be either Male or Female.

The Orc thingys, also called Karus ingame. They all have peculiar and brilliant names so I will simply allude to them as there callings since that will be simpler for individuals to comprehend. Right off the bat, there is the Aarch Tuarek, which is essentially the Karus savage, in that it must be a Warrior. Tuarek can be either a Priest or a Rogue. Wrinkle Tuarek is the Karus Magician. At long last, the lone female of the Karus is Puri Tuarek, which must be a Priest.

Each new part in Knight Online picks one occupation toward the beginning of there venture, yet at level 10 you would then be able to additional your occupation. Like most MMORPG, there are a few occupations to browse, there are four for each race and they are alluded to contrastingly in each race. Every one of the occupations has it's own extraordinary abilities.

Champion - Elmorad/Karus - 'Sharp edge'/'Berserker' - Their job is to battle hand to hand and protect the others with a couple of buffs.

Maverick - Elmorad/Karus - 'Tracker/Ranger' - Their job is to assault from a good ways or to utilize covertness, likewise they can buff.

Entertainer - Elmorad/Karus - 'Mage/Sorcerer' - Their job is to utilize wizardry to do a large portion of the harm or to back foes off.

Minister - Elmorad/Karus - 'Priest/Shaman' - Their job is to recuperate the gathering, and revile adversaries, additionally they can fix ailment and condemnations.

Each time somebody step up they get 3 capacity focuses, which can be placed into classes that influence your character.

Strength is mostly for champions, however ministers need it to, so they can utilize better weapons.

Wellbeing is for everybody truly, except works best on heroes and mavericks since they get added MP (wizardry power).

Expertise is for rebels, it influences the assault achievement rate and assault power.

Insight influences the MP for clerics and performers.

Enchantment Power decides the assault power for performers abilities.

There are additionally normal abilities ingame, generally they are clear as crystal like the others, they are:

Order - Adds to the order capacity in a military

Governmental issues - It is conceivable to rehearse legislative issues in a country

Attack Weapons - Lets the player use attack weapons

Language - Lets the player decipher the contrary races language.

Weapons

There are a wide range of kinds of weapons, to numerous to specify here and mixes that can be utilized in Knight Online, for instance purposes I will utilize blades. Players can utilize a one gave blade and shield, two one gave swords, a two gave sword. But, there are likewise tomahawks, maces and lances (well one gave lances, at that point shaft arms). They are the hand to hand weapons. Likewise, there are different classes weapons, like knife, bow, staff, minister mace and shield (like I said previously). Blades and bows are utilized by mavericks, contingent upon the sort of rebel you wish to be. Staffs are utilized by performers, and minister maces are utilized by, you got it, clerics.

Defensive layer

Like the weapons in Knight Online, there are to numerous to specify here so all things being equal I will simply discuss the various sorts of reinforcement, there is protection for every one of the races, which has various prerequisites, likewise unique durability's.

Remarkable Items

Every one of the one of a kind things, like studs, neckbands, pendant, ornament, ring, belt, have various capacities on them, some add to strength, wellbeing, and insight. Others add to certain wizardry types or add to the protection of the player.

Sundries

These are the mixtures to recuperate HP, MP, reviles, updates, and journey things. I'm almost certain remembered for here ought to be the things that can be brought for genuine cash, as that is the way the designers of Knight Online brings in their cash. There are looks to give rewards like twofold exp and so forth

Redesigns

Thing redesigning has gotten increasingly more well known in MMORPG, and now it is extremely simple to do in Knight Online. Protective layer and weapons can be overhauled utilizing scrolls which can be gathered from beasts, or brought from different players, a portion of the less solid parchments can be brought from NPCs however.

There are four kinds of parchments, which are:

Thing Upgrade Scroll

This sort of parchment will expand the thing by +1, the harm will go up, as long as the redesign is fruitful. The breaking point is +10 however, and there is a sure disappointment rate.

Decrease Scroll

This parchment will lessen the prerequisites of the thing it is utilized on, it must be utilized once, and there is again a specific disappointment rate.

Natural Scroll

This one will add a basic property, the sorts of basic harm it can add are: fire, ice, thunder, poison and so forth It additionally has a specific disappointment rate, however it can change a one of a kind thing to an upgradeable thing with a 100% possibility of working.

Disperse Scroll

This one will add a natural property to a staff, it will add something like fire or ice, it is 100% too.

Abilities

Since there again such countless abilities to make reference to in this audit, I will simply note down the essential abilities to give you the possibility of every one of the callings. For every one of the races there are various abilities, yet since I am simply doing the essential abilities they have similar fundamental spells.

Fighter Skills

Run - This speeds up which you run. Level 1

Slice - This incurs 120% harm to the foe. Level 3

Crash - This raises the assault rate by x1.5. Level 5

Protection - Increases the safeguard of the player, briefly. Level 7

Puncturing - Increases the assault rate by x2. Level 10

Cleric Skills

Small Healing - Heal party individuals wellbeing by 15HP. Level 1

Light Strike - A light sorcery assault. Level 2

Strength - Increase party individuals strength by 15. Level 4

Light Healing - Heal party individuals wellbeing by 30HP. Level 5

Oppose Poison - Increase party individuals poison obstruction by 20. Level 6

Splendor - A more grounded light wizardry assault. Level 7

Little Restore - Increase party individuals HP by 50 for 20 seconds. Level 8

Rebel Skills

Run - This speeds up which you run. Level 1

Toxophilism - Shoot bolt. Level 3

Knife Thrust - Inflict 150% harm with a blade. Level 5

Quick - Increase party individuals running velocity. Level 10

Force of Wolf - Increases encompassing gathering individuals assault, Uses Blood of Wolf thing. Level 30

Entertainer Skills

Streak - A Magic assault to harm foe. Level 1

Shudder - Inflicts harm to foe for timeframe. Level 3

Bring Party Members - Summon party individuals. Level 4

Fire - Burn a foe. Level 5

Cold Wave - Attack which lessens an adversary's assault speed. Level 7

Sparkle - Ignite within adversary's body + scatter wizardry assault. Level 9

Door - Teleport to respawn territory. Level 15

Break - Teleport all of gathering to your respawn territory. Level 35

Missions

The missions truly help new players, the primary journey all players ought to do is the worm one, you need to gather 5 silk groups from worms, and you ought to get some exp, that is an incredible method to step up, particularly when simply beginning. The vast majority of the journeys are ordinarily RPG missions, where you need to murder something or discover something/somebody to and afterward get back to the individual who gave you the journey or discover another person. They are the most ideal path for new players to step up however, and some are a decent kind of revenue.

Beasts

There are numerous beasts in Knight Online, and are found in different areas, they respawn consistently so step up is generally simple. For every one of the beasts there are various types of beasts the further you disappear from the towns, they get a lot more grounded as you go further away, however drop better and give more experience focuses, yet are more earnestly to get to. They range from werewolves to savages to primates. The most fragile is Worms, which are level 1, the most grounded are Dread Mare which can go up to level 175, which is the most elevated level beast ingame at this moment, and that would require extremely undeniable level gathering to overcome it.

Exchanging

Exchanging is a major piece of Knight Online for a great deal of players, it is the means by which a few players make the entirety of their cash. There are two different ways to exchange, there is the customary way were you are exchanging with just a single individual. Despite the fact that, Knight Online is certainly not a customary RPG truly, so they incorporated a bartering kind of exchanging, so you can see different people groups things they need to see, just a single individual can see another people closeout at a time though.

Occasions

Lunar Gate War

This is a huge PvP occasion were you need to assault different countries base and murder all the NPCs in there base. You must be level 30 to enter this occasion, and just the initial 120 players who transport to Lunar Valley at the workers occasion times. All the occasions are GMT-8. On the off chance that you win, as a country, you will assault different countries old neighborhood.

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corwynnasmith · 5 years ago

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In honor of posting the first chapter of Put That Kid Down’s sequel, What You Wanted, I’m gonna give everyone what they never wanted.

Volatile, untested writing tips on making your murdery character sympathetic from an amateur! (These can also be used for making sympathetic villains, with or without murder, but I’m just going to focus here because my most morally screwed characters are usually the protagonists).

1. You can introduce the character in a non-murder, positive context. First impressions matter! Don’t start off a supposedly sympathetic character waist deep in entrails and gore. (Though you could pull that off with a joke, if you’re cool enough.) This could be through:

1a. A #gooddeed. Help a child get a kite from a tree. Save a worm from drowning. Etc. This gives a positive impression of the character that can cause readers to forgive flaws more easily down the road. Like murder.

1b. A relatable situation. Get stuck holding the door open for a whole line of people. Worry about what to get their never satisfied mother for mother’s day. Etc. This makes the character more human, less murder machine. People look for reasons in humans, and don’t immediately write them off just because they do terrible, terrible things.

1c. A positive relationship & interaction. Pet the cat they take very good care of and call “Baby.” Hug a friend goodbye with a thanks for the advice. Etc. This is a Redeeming Connection that can make people look a bit harder at the character for explanation when they show their true colors, instead of shoving them in the murder box right off the bat. HOWEVER this one can backfire into making them seem more terrible if manipulation/deceit is the basis or SEEMS TO BE the basis of the relationship. (The Murder Beard Syndrome - ‘I’m not your ordinary serial killer because I have a real FRIEND’ becomes ‘they are definitely just a serial killer using that person for cover’ - so be careful).

1d. Miscellaneous because I bet you can come up with more, am I right, folks?

2. You can give your character a plausible reason. Sure, we all want to occasionally write a rebel without a cause, but characters that murder for seemingly no reason can be a hard sell outside certain groups (know your audience lol). This can be:

2a. An actual Good Reason. The people killed by your character are in a kill or be killed situation with no real alternative. Or they are infected with something that cannot be cured (coughzombiescough). Or they are being forced to by an outside power. Or it’s a mercy kill, even. Etc.

2b. A seemingly good reason. This reason can be explained. It may not be the best option or the most moral option (or even a moral option at all), but it has weight. For example, killing prisoners of war. This is not good morally, but from a utilitarian standpoint, can be explained. Revenge schemes also follow this viewpoint - taking vengeance can be explained, even if it’s morally iffy to bad.

2c. A bad reason. I know I just said MAKE IT PLAUSIBLE. I know I just said that. But hear me out. This works best when combined with (3) below, and is seen in the popular show Dexter. Your character wants to murder people for a reason, but it’s a bad reason and they should feel bad.* For example, they crave something about the murder, like it relieves a stress or gives them a sense of control. This could even be the character that just finds killing fun, though that is a thin line to tread. Maybe your character can’t stand rudeness or hears certain people’s life force like a thin, high pitched noise and is just trying to make it quiet (though that is almost 2b). So many bad reasons out there. Run free.

*Feeling bad is not actually a requirement. See Dexter again, in the beginning.

3. Give your character a code. This doesn’t have to be a moral code, but the closer it fits to the popular sense of morality, the more sympathetic your character will be. This lends itself well to vigilante killers, which tend to hover between 2b and 2c regarding motivation.

4. Remember your character needs a life outside killing / doing terrible things. In order for anyone to have a fully fleshed character, there needs to be depth. Hobbies, jobs, dreams, fears, goals that aren’t necessarily geared towards (in this case) murder. A past and a future. Relationships, good and bad. Of course, throwing in random tangents to your plot could through your readers for a loop, so it’s best to work these things in as actual plot elements. For example...

4a. Introductions. Does your character need to meet someone plot relevant? Have them attend the same sewing circle - you know, the one they joined because they didn’t want the skills passed on by their beloved elder to go to waste! The same business meeting where you reveal your character’s work ethic / passion for their job! Speed dating to show your character’s desire for love! Etc.

4b. Complications.** It isn’t a story if your character never struggles! Introduce a relationship as a barrier to getting terrible things done due to obligations, hilarious and inconvenient timing on the part of the loved or hated one, or simply scheduling problems where your character’s calendar is #toofullforcrime. Maybe tear your character between two conflicting goals, the first being your murder-adjacent plot and the second being a passion for a hobby/job/relationship/etc. Have fun with it! Torment them!

4c. Facilitations!** Sometimes, things go right! Maybe your character needs to infiltrate an organization, so they use their skills gained from a certain hobby or past employment to ingratiate themselves with the target organization! Every hobby has a potential application in murder and villainy if you just try hard enough.

**If you use a hobby, job, relationship, etc. as a facilitation or complication, it is best to have it be mentioned briefly as part of a daily/weekly routine, or during the plot’s “downtime” before having it spring out of the box in its True Form as a plot element. This makes the story seem planned ahead gasp. However, having it spring out of the ether can be a good reveal for it if you’re aiming for comedy or shock value.

5. Judge your audience’s Taboo Level / know your audience. Or choose your own Taboo Level. Draw a line somewhere. This is not a line your character has chosen, or will mention, or even knows about. These are just actions your character will not be doing in the story. Some Evil Deeds are instant death for a character’s sympathy standings, based on your audience’s values. Some almost universal ones*** are:

5a. Betraying the Connection to Humanity. Unless your story is about descent into madness / darkness specifically, your character taking the very thing that made everyone sympathetic to them and murdering/destroying/giving up on it can be Very Bad without a strong redemption arc planned. (If it is about the descent, then this is the turning point that makes your story lol) This can be played off as Very Dramatic instead if it’s for a good reason / seemingly good reason. Popular ones would be:

For Your Own Good

Because I Don’t Deserve You

The Connection is Actually Evil

The Connection is Accidentally Killing the Character

Etc.

5b. You- you should be able to come up with this list on your own lol Please just know your audience and also your own limits. And whether or not you’re willing to take the chance the behavior might be normalized by your depiction, too.

6. Emotions are important. What your character is thinking and feeling and telling themselves about what they’re doing are key to sympathy. If the POV permits, you can have some thoughts and feelings floating around, but it’s best to show it. Let your audience sleuth out the truth through your character’s body language, actions, word choice, tone, etc. You can, of course, explain the cues as you give them, like a nervous fidget or an impatient glance. If your readers can’t understand your character, ever, they will not empathize. They will not care. Don’t just have a string of actions one after the other - let your character react.

7. Have fun with it. If you don’t like what you’re writing, chances are your readers won’t, either. I know writing itself is hard and arduous, so maybe you won’t have fun with the actual writing, but the end story should be something you want to read. You can keep these tips in mind or throw them out the window as long as you’re writing for yourself. (But Cor, you JUST SAID- yes, keep your audience in mind for readability/understanding/values, but when it come to the actual story and its characters - those are yours).

Keep writing!

#writing #writing tips #making a sympathetic villain #making a sympathetic murderer #PTKD #put that kid down #there's a sequel lol #I just meant to announce it and I made this monster post #villains #writing villains #morally ambiguous character #unwanted advice

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enkisstories · 5 years ago

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What are you?

- A Detroit Become Human drabble - - Sometime 2039 - - AU: Deviant path Connor, revolution succesful -

“I’ve never before seen an android like you...” A mix of wonder and disbelief sounded in Detective Reed’s voice. And while Connor was standing across from him all relaxed, expecting a civilized exchange for once, the man followed up: “For real, man! I can’t believe someone blew good money on you! You’re butt ugly!”

“Cut!” someone yelled. “Cut, cut, cut!”

Laughing Gavin Reed dodged out of the camera’s range. And there, in the perpetual semi-darkness of the DPD’s cafeteria, the new janitor was already expecting him, one hand raised. They high-fived each other, still shaking with laughter. Meanwhile Connor was muttering something that sounded like “Kill’em with fire, both of them”, but that only served to fuel the other two’s amusement. In fact, Reed turned the janitor – a PL600 android whose nametag read “Daniel” – around by the shoulders for him to get a better look at Connor’s expression. He was rewarded with a wide, satisfied smile on the PL600’s face.

Now the director approached the duo, waving the movie script like a flag.

“Let’s assume everyone here is actually mature and you just forgot your lines!” the man addressed Reed. “You, detective, were to express bewilderment at the new android’s identity.”

“I know Connor identity. It’s like a fucking vegan in this regard, telling everyone the moment it enters a room.”

“Connor’s product identity, I mean. So you approach it and ask “What model are you?”…”

“Why would I do that?” Gavin objected. “It’s clearly spelled out on the jacket: RK800.”

“Because”, the director replied, patiently as if talking to a bunch of kindergarteners, “Connor will then preach its system specs and assorted information to you, aka the audience. CyberLife wants to sell that shit, after all!”

The janitor frowned at these words.

“So they want to sell PL600s again, too?” he asked.

“Nonsense!” the director dismissed the outlandish suggestion. “There’d be no gain in that!”

“But that’s how Markus won the revolution”, Daniel insisted. “By kissing Simon on the mouth right in front of the TV cameras. If exposing Connor to the spotlight serves to advertise its successor model, how much more must the audience crave to buy, uh, me, after seeing this?”

“Well, about that…” The director started, but then reconsidered and pressed the tablet he was holding into a script caddy’s hands, nodding to her in a “you tell’em” manner. After all, this janitor and his detective companion had proven to be of explosive temperament before. There was really no reason to remain within their range when the young woman could serve as their aggression sponge just as well.

The script caddy turned around the tablet to check whether her baby had gotten hurt while being held by her boss. She blew some unseen dust off the device, then looked up to Daniel and then down at Gavin.

“Thing is, in the movie Markus won’t be kissing Simon”, she explained. “He’ll kiss North instead.”

The announcement was met with various expressions of “North!”, “North?”, “Noooooorth…”, “North?!” and, in Lt. Anderson’s case, a tired grunt along the lines of “Oops, I dozed away, did I miss anything important?”

You had to acquire a quantum of de-sensibilization in their line of work, nonetheless a good number of the assembled officers, including two of the normally expressionless android beat cops, was glaring at the movie team now. Only Daniel didn’t bother with staring for long. He shot forward, grabbed the director by his collar and rammed him against the wall.

“Gavin, help me!” the android hissed through clenched teeth while holding the man.

The detective shrugged. “Yeah, right …” he started. “It’s, uh, okay. You, uh, can control yourself and stuff.”

“What are you babbling there?” the android replied, clearly irritated. “I need you to punch this piece of human trash in my place! You hit harder than me!”

The situation wasn’t helped by the Lieutenant coming fully awake now and trying to figure out what was going on here. Daniel and Gavin being violent? check. Connor looking hurt? Check. Tina Chen merely existing? Check. Everything was in order, just as always. So what had caused the ruckus? Ah, right. That one guy Daniel was holding had to be the culprit. Of course the janitor was lacking proper authority to make arrest. Hank raised his voice: “Connor, you take this rat the holding cells!”

“Never been happier to carry out an order”, the RK800 replied. He turned to Daniel. “May I?”

“All yours now.”

Connor took the movie director from Daniel, then he “glitched out” and “accidently” kicked man in the stomach where it wouldn’t show later. Then the RK800 turned his arrest over to one of the android beat cops.

The officers watched the android frogmarch the man away, all the while also suffering from a few glitches that ended in the human going “ouch” and “whimper”. One didn’t call Connor “that shit” here and got away with it. Even Reed and Daniel were using their jabs against the RK800 more like synonyms for “Good morning” nowadays. Hank had long since learned to distinguish those from actual insults, which were quickly retaliated.

“What is that about?” the script caddy asked, bewildered. “I’m not from Detroit. Frak, I didn’t even watch much of the news related to the revolution, thinking it wasn’t important. I know who Markus Manfred is, but the rest are just names with no faces to connect to. Sorry.”

“North used to be a fu…” Gavin started, but Connor interrupted him. “Android sex worker”, he finished the sentence. “Thing is, deviants have entered relationships, because our psychology isn’t so different from yours. But only a rare few are sexually active. Realistically in the movie you can have one main couple, with maybe one or two more getting teased, but not confirmed in canon. If North of all people is shown to exchange intimacy with another character, that will send a damn questionable message to humans and androids alike.”

While Connor spoke, Daniel filled Hank in about the details of what had really happened. The lieutenant nodded a few times, but didn’t take his order back. The only thing the man rued was that he couldn’t locate the script writer and arrest him or her, too.

“So, did Markus sign the same deal Captain Fowler was fast-talked into?” Hank asked. “Does Jericho have to perform a few “Starring real participants of the revolution!!!” scenes for your goddam movie?”

Several of the movie team members shook their heads. No, Jericho wasn’t required to have a part in this. Each and every one of the rebels would be portrayed by a human actor instead. What was another can of worms, altogether.

“I didn’t feel that helpless when CyberLife was still pulling my strings”, Connor spoke up. “Didn’t we win the revolution? I know we did, only it doesn’t feel like it. At all.”

“You aren’t getting payed to feel”, Gavin Reed remarked.

Connor shot the detective a long, thoughtful glance. Eventually he said: “But I am getting payed. As part of the team I’m bound to this farce, but I, Connor, have not signed anything. Getting out of the contract is as easy as quitting.”

“Quit policework? You?!” Gavin sputtered. “What the fuck, you’re threatening everyone’s job security already, and now your own, too?! You’re batshit-crazy, mate!”

“For real!” Daniel added. “Even if it is no longer what you ARE, it is what you LOVE!”

And giving up something or someone that was dear to one was just unthinkable to the janitor.

Connor grabbed them both and pulled them into a huddle.

“Of course I won’t! But make the public believe I might, that I will do! Before androids there was the internet and it is still a powerful tool in our hands! If the public sees what lengths I’m prepared to go to to distance myself from the movie, some will start thinking. Ey… a few, anyway.”

“And you’re doing this because of the kiss?”

“Because of everything, Daniel. But also the kiss, yes.”

“Ah! Fancy North yourself, huh? Or Markus?”

“No! Neither!”

“Then who? Simon maybe?”

“Or Hank?”

“I do not fancy any human or android!”

“Of course you’d say that. Now look…”

And while Reed and the two androids were arguing, Hank Anderson leaned back on his chair with a smirk. This was exactly the sort of trouble a young man should have to deal with: His co-workers teasing him about a love interest. Not sorting out the problems of all of androidkind. Connor’s plan had merit, that much Hank had to agree. But setting that plan in motion could wait until after the youth had had a chance to be alive today.

#non sims #detroit become human #dbh #dbhtextpost #dbh textpost

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nothingoingon · 6 years ago

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Rules: tag ten followers you want to know better! Tagged by @yukidemon

Gonna tag: @bunnehdemon @4-of-a-kind @kiliofdurinsline @butterydopecowboy @atomicbritt @hakuna-wutata @gekired @astrodile @nemesismess @cornofthebreads

NAME: Steph or Kichi or Nothin

STAR SIGN: Sagittarius

HEIGHT: 5′ 4″

WHAT’S YOUR MIDDLE NAME? [CLASSIFIED]

PUT YOUR ITUNES ON SHUFFLE. WHAT ARE THE FIRST 4 SONGS THAT POPPED UP? She’s A Rebel - Green Day Tear It Down (from HT3) - Tiësto You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison - My Chemical Romance Body Breakdown - Dragonforce

GRAB THE BOOK NEAREST YOU AND TURN TO PAGE 23. WHAT’S LINE 17? There is no text, it’s just a full page picture of a house.

EVER HAD A POEM OR SONG WRITTEN ABOUT YOU? If I wrote it myself does it count? I wrote a song about me making waffles at 4 am.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU PLAYED AIR GUITAR? This past Thursday, it’s a common thing.

WHO IS YOUR CELEBRITY CRUSH? I don’t think I have one atm, they don’t last long usually anyways

WHAT’S A SOUND YOU HATE + SOUND YOU LOVE? Hate: it changes a lot, mostly due to tiredness levels, but crying is probably the most consistent thing? Love: white noise

DO YOU BELIEVE IN GHOSTS? yes and no

HOW ABOUT ALIENS? yes and no

DO YOU DRIVE? Yes and I have for almost 7 years

WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? physically read: Steve Lichman Vol 2 audiobook: Monster by A. Lee Martinez

DO YOU LIKE THE SMELL OF GASOLINE? sometimes but only when it’s supposed to be around y’know?

WHAT WAS THE LAST MOVIE YOU SAW? Slender Man

DO YOU HAVE ANY OBSESSIONS RIGHT NOW? Just drawing my own story ideas, worms on a string, and i guess League of Legends?

DO YOU TEND TO HOLD GRUDGES AGAINST PEOPLE WHO HAVE DONE YOU WRONG? Depends on the offense and if it’s happened before

IN A RELATIONSHIP? No, kinda wish i was but at the same time don’t because I don’t know if that’s a thing I can do

(If you read this far congrats! If you don’t wanna do the tag you don’t gotta!)

#got tagged #caps ///44 #bold ///44 #This was fun #you don't have to if you don't wanna

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shemakesmusic-uk · 4 years ago

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Pale Waves have dropped their new video for ‘You Don’t Own Me’. Taken from their just released new album Who Am I?, the clip fits perfectly to the 90s-slash-00s guitar pop aesthetic that runs throughout the record. All multicoloured hair and graffiti covered walls, it’s a bright, brash delight. [via Dork]

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Los Angeles-based pop artist Cooper Phillip is known for her empowering anthems that highlight everything from strength and gratitude to self-love. Her latest single, 'Not Perfect,' is yet another example of her ability to craft uplifting tunes, encouraging listeners to start putting themselves before others in order to fulfill your own desires. The Russian-born singer has just dropped a new music video, and it's everything we expected from this flamboyant artist and more. The theatrical video emphasizes the importance of rebelling against the idea of being perfect and all that it represents. When you begin to let go of the idea of perfection, Phillip reminds us, life is so much better. Phillip wants to encourage you to live life a little less seriously, do what you want, wear what you want, and most importantly, be who you want. After all, our time on this planet is far too short to worry about living up to other people's standards and expectations. According to the artist herself, "'Not Perfect' is about self love and finding qualities about yourself that make you unique. There is no need to modify who you are just to fit in with society's norms. You have to stay true to who you are and carry yourself with pride and with dignity." 'Not Perfect' features Phillip's soaring, soulful vocals, big and bold melodies, and fast-paced, dance-worthy beats. Intoxicating to say the least, this song will worm its way into your mind all day long. By the end, it'll have you grinning ear to ear, and more importantly, it'll remind you who you are. [via Pop Dust]

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Closely following the release of their new single, Maltese electro-pop outfit OXYGYN have shared the brand new video for ‘Mercy’. The new video continues from 2020’s ‘Wicked White Lies’, a portrayal of how society deals with social issues in which individuals are made vulnerable, as frontman Kurt Abela details: “We become angered by a social cause when it first emerges, but we are quick to break it down within our own minds and forget. Instead, we focus on our own personal issues, and are not able to overcome them. This video acts as a wake-up call to society that the social issues hinted at throughout the video are still present and need their due attention.”

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Oxford alt-pop outfit pecq have unveiled the video for ‘Killing Time’ . The band say: "‘Killing Time' is about making the same mistakes over and over – dying relationships I kept going back to, destructive habits I can’t break. I’m a big one for drastic changes and breaking with the past but so many times I end up back where I started – burn it down and build it just the same." Killing Time is the second single from their forthcoming EP Stranger, due out April 15. [via Loud Women]

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With us getting a taster of spring the past weekend, singer-songwriter Bess Atwell is keeping the momentum going with her dreamy new single 'Co-op'. Like the first blooms of spring, Atwell’s latest single unfolds with serene ripples of guitar strings surrounded by her lush calming vocals, leading us to a track that has us reminiscent of Lana Del Rey and Phoebe Bridgers. Similar to her previous offerings, the track maintains the same fresh and unique sound she has displayed throughout her career. Accompanied by a self-directed video, the singer puts the emotional context of the track at the forefront, directly referencing the lyrics with bold imagery and contrasting props. Opening up on the single, the singer revealed, “It’s an illustration of mine and my partner’s life together. The relationship seemed to provide me with some sort of permission to recuperate from family trauma, as if realising for the first time that there was a life outside of that chaos lulled me into an emotional slumber. Through the song, I grapple with the desire for, and fear of, comfort. I used references to Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway to depict a vivid nostalgia and an affinity for trivialities that serve to calm when darker thoughts set it.” [via Wonderland]

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Polish alt-pop aesthete Brodka has shared her barbed new single 'Game Change'. The multi-hyphenate returns with new album BRUT, a fresh statement from a potent, outspoken figure. Huge in her homeland, Brodka has shifted and evolved with each project - and BRUT will be a further chapter in this. New single 'Game Change' is out now, and lyrically it's an expressive statement of feminism that comes at a timely moment for Poland. Brodka says that the single "is about gender roles in society; a topic that's particularly prevalent in her home-country of Poland at the moment, where reproductive rights are being rolled back by lawmakers." The dazzling video is online now, and it spins a repressive dogma on its head. She says: "While making the video for 'Game Change', I was inspired by the story of the Albanian Sworn Virgins. Women who, by taking a vow of chastity, take on a male role in society while gaining all the privileges associated with being a man. They are treated as men but can keep their feminine names. This story, although abstract, is relevant to the current situation of women in Poland. Sadly, you don't have to be a Sworn Virgin to have your rights decided by men in the 21st century." [via Clash]

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After teasing the collaboration last week, Ashe and FINNEAS have unveiled their new single 'Till Forever Falls Apart'. The collaborative track is accompanied by a video directed by Sam Bennett that shows both artists dancing at sunset. Ashe says of the song, "'Till Forever Falls Apart' is one of my favourite songs with one of my favourite people. If I’ve learned anything from Moral of the Story, it’s that accepting the hard truth is strangely comforting. This song, while sounding like the most romantic song I’ve ever written, is about acceptance as well. The lyrics, ‘I’m gonna love you knowing we don’t have forever’ is about how it’s more important to have had the chance to love than to stay in love. FINNEAS is one of the most talented people I know and it’s fitting to release this song with someone I love so much. I'm lucky to know him and I hope to never know a life without him in it." FINNEAS adds, "Ashe to me, is a timeless artist. Her music will be as relevant and important 30 years from now as it is today. Making music with her has always been an extension of our friendship and I could not love this song more." [via Line Of Best Fit]

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Charley enters into the Australian pop world with her debut single 'Hard For Me'. It's the type of slick, high-tier pop song that sits amongst the world's biggest stars, carrying the same acute level of sheen and confidence as Charley moves above a bright, synth-driven production that elevates her every word. It's the type of single that takes the foundations laid by modern-day pop heavy-hitters - she lists Katy Perry as an inspiration, for example - and builds upon them, evolving the sound forwards into 2021 and beyond. Produced by Stephen Schmultz in Nashville three years ago now, the song introduces Charley and everything you need to know about her this early on. You get a taste of her sound and the energies and inspirations that fuel them, as well as the intimacy that underlies a lot of her songwriting, and how she brings pockets of her personal life to the forefront through glitzy pop songwriting. She's a welcome addition to Australian pop, and you get the sense that 'Hard For Me' is really just the beginning. "[Hard For Me has been] a long time coming, and as a Virgo, I am not patient," she says on the single. "In my head, this has always been my debut release. It’s got such a special place in my heart. I’ve had such a vision for every single part of it. "Me and my boyfriend had kind of just gotten back together again at that point. All of the butterflies were heightened again. I just wanted to write a song about how I felt about him and how it gave me such a rush when I looked at him. Everyone has been there! When you just… melt." Take a dive into the single and its Mitchell McKay-directed video clip above. [via Pilerats]

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After making a name for themselves with their dusty-yet-glowing self-titled debut in 2017, Chapel Hill duo Blue Cactus are announcing their return with their second LP called Stranger Again. Set to be released May via Sleepy Cat Records, the album continues the pair’s mission to blend classic country sounds with vintage ’70s pop sensibilities and a sobering sense of honesty, as heard on the record’s first single, 'Come Clean.' “Sometimes we are the last person to tell ourselves the truth,” vocalist Stephanie Stewart shares of the track’s lyrical origins. “We ignore our gut, suppress our instincts, and go through the motions of a life that other people have defined for us. We become the person everyone else wants us to be and lose ourselves along the way. ‘Come Clean’ is about radical self-love and acknowledging the struggle in that journey; that hard, unflinching look in the mirror. “In 2017,” she continues, “I was in the process of separating from my then husband. I wrote most of this song during that time. It wasn’t until a year later after the divorce was finalized that I was able to find the words that had been missing from this song. I was carrying a lot of shame and guilt, and once I finally let that go, I was free to rediscover who I was as a person outside of that relationship. I was finally free to love me.” The track’s video echoes these themes of rebirth and relearning, with the band members blindfolded and slowly making contact with the outside world. [via Flood]

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Mermaidens have delivered their catchiest, dreamiest cut yet. 'Soft Energy' is the single teased with the announcement of their Soft Energy New Zealand Tour. The new track is stupidly good, and ushers in the next Mermaidens era after 2019 album Look Me In The Eye. Vocalist Gussie Larkin took the director's chair for the 'Soft Energy' video, and with support from NZ On Air and director of photography Ezra Simons (Earth Tongue), has created a blush-tinted world for the band to expose their soft, tender hearts and ask those with a "tough and detached exterior ... to act with softness and vulnerability". [via Under The Radar]

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Along with the release of her debut EP, Swimming Lessons, 19-year-old alt-pop singer-songwriter Genevieve Stokes premiered the video for her newest single, 'Parking Lot,' on Friday. Shot in her hometown of Portland, ME, the 'Parking Lot' video is a wistful tribute to the first flush of young love. "I wrote 'Parking Lot' after I met my now-boyfriend for the first time," Stokes tells NYLON. "It’s about the intoxicating, obsessive feeling of a new crush and creating a fantasy world with them. " After teaching herself piano at the age of eight, Stokes spent her adolescence developing her sound, inspired by iconic female singer-songwriters like Cat Power and Regina Spektor. Swimming Lessons was recorded this past year in a cabin in the woods, a haunting, beautiful setting that seeps into the records' sound. [via NYLON]

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You can’t blame us for wanting a bit of hedonistic relief after a year of going stir-crazy within our four walls. And as we yearn for release, and ache for the proximity and darkness of a packed dance floor, here to give it to us, no questions asked, is dark-pop trio KRUDO. Comprised of pop singer Olivia May Green, as well as established industry greats, producers Dan Duncan and Igor Tchkotoua, KRUDO blurs the lines of genre to make way for a whole new body-moving beast – and their latest release 'You Can’t Blame Me' is no exception. Moody warped synths, sinister bass lines and the haunting vocals of Green tell a story of empowerment and self-love, as she growls “I’ll never change or leave to fit your master plan.” Just the anthem we needed when many of us will be feeling disconnected and out of sorts. The trio have previously stated that their music is “not about polished pop music; it’s about memorable moments that hold a clear message.” And that much is clear from the formidable sonic palette of the new release, accompanied by a symbolic music video which shows Green breaking the picture-perfect shackles of industry expectation and rising phoenix-like into her own identity. Taken from their two-part EP of the same name, the release comes as part of the ever-expanding release schedule of label HE.SHE.THEY – the event series, record label and fashion brand operating as a safe space for individuals regardless of “age, race, sex, gender, ableness, religious background or sexual preference”. [via Wonderland]

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Top popster Bebe Rexha has dropped a brand new single, titled ‘Sacrifice’. The track is taken from her forthcoming second album, which she claims is “by far the most challenging yet fulfilling project I have ever worked on. I wrote, recorded, re-wrote, re-recorded and then repeated that process in order to deliver an album that truly reflects who I am as a singer, songwriter and most importantly as an artist. I want to give listeners a journey of pop paradise fused with elements of rock and hip-hop. It’s important to me that my music continues to recognize ongoing themes of vulnerability, the cycle of self-destruction & self-realization, and female empowerment.” So there we go. ‘Sacrifice’ follows up on 2020’s ‘Baby, I’m Jealous’ which featured Doja Cat. You can check out the vampire themed video above. [via Dork]

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Tulliah has debuted the video for her really quite lovely new single, ‘Distant Dreams’. Taken from her debut EP Fre$h Hugs – set to drop next Friday (12th March), the clip was filmed in her hometown of Mt Martha Beach, Australia and directed by Cass Wood. Tulliah explains, “30 degrees, snow gear on the beach, fish man = very weird dream! I had this idea for a while that the video clip for 'Distant Dreams' would be really weird and dream like. When I was in the studio we went on a tangent about being in winter clothes while sunbathing on the beach, flying on planes to Hawaiian beaches and little fishes eating big sharks. I have no idea why haha but I knew it was weird, just like all Dreams are”. Talking about how the track came together, she adds: “We set up my new piano in the backroom of my parent’s. My mum was moving a painting that they have had for years to the top of the piano when she read the back of it – it was called Distant Dreams. This song flowed out of me. I used to never really believe that I could achieve my dreams. This song is about not wanting to break away from my visions and goals. The lyrics ‘don’t go waking me up’ is a really direct demand to myself! It’s about not wanting to go back to doubting my capabilities.” [via Dork]

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Ladyhawke is back with a brand new single, ‘Guilty Love’. The first taster of a new album, due to arrive later this year, the track features fellow popsters BROODS. Ladyhawke – real name Pip Brown – explains: “‘Guilty Love’ came about after some writing sessions with Tommy English in Los Angeles. Georgia Nott from BROODS came along to one of our sessions, and after we were talking a while, we realised we had all grown up Catholic. We shared stories and experiences; Georgia then suggested we write a song about shame”. “‘Guilty Love’ is important to Georgia and me for different reasons. Personally, growing up in the Catholic school system, as I reached my teens, I started to feel immense shame and denial about my sexuality. I suffered the constant fear of being judged and alienated by my friends and family. These feelings took a long time to shake off and work through. ‘Guilty Love’ is a way to share our experiences, and hopefully help anyone going through the same thing to know they’re not alone.” Georgia from BROODS adds “’Guilty Love’ came from the classic “in-studio heart to heart”. We talked about growing up religiously and how we carried a lot of shame around the idea of what a woman (or person) should be. This song is about that but also about finding our own way back to a sense of spirituality through love. The love that once caused so much guilt, ended up being the most healing and spiritual. END CONVERSION THERAPY EVERYWHERE!” Too bloody right. ‘Guilty Love’ comes with a video fitting of the song’s message. [via Dork]

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Atlanta-based pop artist Siena Liggins shared her video 'No Valet' on Thursday, the second single from her upcoming debut album Ms. Out Tonight. The track serves as the follow-up to 'Dirty Girl' alongside Yung Baby Tate, seeing the singer take viewers from the dancefloor to the backseat of a car in the club parking lot. The quirky clip finds Liggins adorned and surrounded by sparkly glitz, cowboy hats, and disco balls, playfully performing with a full band. "'No Valet' is steamy, downtempo braggadocio disguised as a backseat car anthem for whatever happens after the after-party," Siena explained to FADER about the song. “I was listening to a lot of old songs produced by Timbaland before [producer] Nydge laid down this really sexy bassline that put me in the mood for something steamy and dreamy at the same time.... It’s the confidence I get after the function is over and the groove I need when I’m talking my shit." [via The FADER]

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London's Mychelle is certainly an individual. Freshly signed to FAMM - the same management company as Jorja Smith and ENNY - her new single 'The Way' is a subtle but deeply powerful piece of songwriting. Soft and soulful, it relishes on nuance, allowing the most subtle element to rise and grapple with intensity. Mychelle's video for 'The Way' was shot on Hackney Downs in East London - fact fans might not that it's close to our office. Directed by photographer Michaela Quan it's a beautiful glimpse into her world. [via Clash]

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Pussy Riot have announced a new EP called Panic Attack, due out next week — March 11. As a preview of the impending release, they’re sharing 'Sexist', a bold new single featuring fellow Russian rapper Hofmannita, which comes with an unforgettable NSFW music video. 'Sexist' is the second single Pussy Riot have shared from Panic Attack, following 'Toxic', their collaboration with Dorian Electra and 100 gecs’ Dylan Brady. Produced by White Punk and Count Baldor, 'Sexist' is a dark electro-pop hip-hop song about the severity of rape culture. Pussy Riot and Hofmannita take turns telling the fictional story of a heroine being invited to a hotel room by a male governmental official, being harassed, and, unable to escape, murdering him in self-defense. Consider shielding your screen before hitting play on the song’s music video. In the NSFW clip, various nude men pose as pieces of furniture while the singers casually push them around with collars and whips. Peppered throughout is plenty of latex apparel, BDSM positioning, and generally regal decor. According to Pussy Riot member Nadya Tolokonnikova, the video is meant to inverse the main premise of the patriarchal culture. “Instead of women and queer people being objectified and serving as furniture, we use sexist pigs as furniture,” she said in a statement. “The video does not encourage to oppress anyone, but rather satirically highlights arbitrary and absurd nature of any oppression.” [via Consequence of Sound]

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williamcdoner · 4 years ago

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Knight Online - No Cheats