#sailor moon music history

[bakanokiwami]

TOP 10 THEATER FANDOMS ON AO3 BASED ON NUMBER OF FANWORKS (2009-2022)

To make these bar chart race, all series titles in the Theater Category on November 29 (or the closest date to it) of every year were copy-pasted from Wayback Machine to Google Sheets, rearranged according to number of fanworks, and then inputted to Flourish to turn into a bar chart race.

Locked fanworks aren't included in the count because Wayback Machine can’t view those, only Ao3 users can.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan was in the Theater category in November 29, 2022, but has been removed by the time this post is published, so I'm leaving it out of the chart.

Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon may be in the top 10, but only 1% of its fanworks come from Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Musicals).

Fandom tags that are no longer in the Theater category tag as of posting this are left out of the bar chart race. These tags are usually either miscategorized or already have other tags referring to the same fandom.

For tags that existed on the same years before eventually merging into one tag later on (such as Romeo And Juliet - All Media Types which later on merged with Romeo And Juliet - Shakespeare, and Hamlet - All Media Types which later on merged with Hamlet - Shakespeare), I use the data of whichever tag has the highest number for that year.

Please refer to this post for more bar chart races.

Thanks for understanding and hopefully I didn’t mess up anywhere! 🙏

[r0binphobic]

Intro Post

(Bc I want more friends & I haven't made an intro post yet!)

hihi! My name is Robin. You can call me Robin or Robby idc. I go by any pronouns (she/he/they). Here's my linktree for more of my socials beside Tumblr :) I do have discord, I just haven't been on it in a while since I don't talk to many people on there.

My dms are always open if you wanna yip yap (I actually want you guys to talk to me 😔)

Time Zone: PDT (GMT-7)

INTJ-T (Idk much abt personality types but if some of you may want it)

Pings are always on ! ! (☆▽☆)

Idk I'm mostly researching and learning. I really enjoy learning. I know that sounds a bit nerdy but if that makes me a nerd, so be it.

Anyways, I really like history, I like all history, besides the Tutors/Henry VIII. I'm just not very interested in them, sorry sorry.

Anyways, thanks for reading :')

[ambientren]

Eurydice Would Have Made it to the End.

A different kind of sacrifice, A different kind of love.

[t1meslayer]

Going in for round 2!

I had a lot of fun with my Debrief for "Stone-Cold Lovers (Ch. 3)," and I think there's a bunch of interesting, insightful aspects to my writing here given Splatoon's setting offers plenty of aquatic-themed worldbuilding.

So, let's get into it! Check out my full author's commentary below the cut — but only after you've had the chance to read "By Moonlight," my latest Splatoon fanfic.

I've been playing Splatoon since the 2015 original on Wii U. But to be completely honest, the series never hit me until Splat3. I never bought Octo Expansion (though I did watch most of it), so "Return of the Mammalians" may have just become the first time I truly appreciated how insane the series' lore is. Playing through the final battle during a road trip back from San Francisco with a couple of buddies is something I'll remember forever.

I also fell in love with Shiver and Marie as a couple, spawning a whole host of fanfictions.

But that's neither here nor there. Because this story is about Pearlina.

(The featured image evolved over time)

Another consequence of my foolishness circa Splatoon 2 is I didn't realize how much I liked Off the Hook's music. In fact, the origins of this very fanfic came from a brief obsession with Marina's piano-playing prowess on songs like "Tentacle to the Metal" when Splatoon 3 released in 2022. A connection to the 1st Movement of "Moonlight Sonata" was baked into the premise by their similar set of three notes playing in succession.

Though, I should be clear: I am not a classical music nerd, nor any kind of music nerd. I have a pretty terrible ear for music, and as a result don't listen to much (video game soundtracks notwithstanding, most of my ambient noise is YouTube videos, TV, or podcasts).

If we want to get really deep into the weeds of how pathetic I am, my main attachment to "Moonlight Sonata" stems from Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Heartbreak (2002) on the GBA.

My rendition of Marina playing the song even ends at essentially the same point as this game's usage, since it's baked into my soul.

When's Hamtaro coming to Nintendo Switch Online, cowards?

That being said, I largely based the in-universe playing on this video by Rousseau, a YouTube channel that creates fancy visuals for piano covers of classical and pop music:

My original plan was to have Eight gift the Beethoven book to Pearl and Marina as an oddity acquired through raiding Grizzco facilities following "Return of the Mammalians." However, the idea came back in full-force with the release of Splatoon 3: Side Order. There was a brief period where I considered applying to the Pearlina zine "You and Me Against the Universe!" with something similar, but that was before I fell into my drive to write for zines.

Side Order definitely feels like a test run for more fleshed-out Roguelike modes in future Splatoon games, but I'm enjoying it all the same. And I just had to include tidbits of lore like Eight joining Off the Hook's world tour.

As one final note on "Moonlight Sonata," this is the first time I've written a musical performance as prose. My Mariver fic "Harmonic Frequencies" ends with a bit of choreography for Deep Cut's tribute to "Calamari Inkantation," but that's about as far as it goes. Luckily, my sister is studying Music Education and Music Performance in college (and she graduates soon!), so I was able to lean on her as a source of knowledge.

She just had to suffer through my insufferable gay seafood to get there.

Her main advice was to think of writing musical prose not as a literal translation of sheet music, but instead to really hone in on the emotions of listening to music. It took a bit to figure out the right balance between describing the performance itself and the more emotive images it conjures in Pearl's head, but I love the outcome!

My sister said, "Also the moonlight stuff is fire af." Clearly I've peaked.

===

Fun Fact: She told me I should look into the creepier aspects of "Moonlight Sonata" while writing. Did you know that the song is dedicated to then-16-year-old Countess Giulietta Guicciardi (per Brittanica), a student whom he fell in love with (per New York Times)?

Because I didn't.

===

My presentation of Pearl changed a fair bit over the course of this writing. Pearl's They/She pronouns were pretty spur of the moment, and the idea of They/She Napoleon has since become a running in-joke between me and my beta reader, the incredible artist Trybard (who was the source of my great screencap preview post that I blocked out for anonymity of personal socials).

Pearl with full tattoo sleeves was also a sudden decision that's entirely inspired by a Twitter post; I unfortunately cannot find that post anymore, it disappeared after I shifted pages. Likewise, Pearl learning Octarian is part-cute girlfriend stuff, part-excuse to use the joke about them reading Beethoven as "Beat-Havin'" that came to me in a flash of divine inspiration.

Marina doesn't get nearly as much love in the personal headcanon department, it was Trybard who suggested she might wear a citrus-y perfume smell. I added the motor oil.

I also added the fact that she's living it up in Pearl's downtown apartment, and lending out goofy manga-themed sleep shirts.

Off the Hook's apartment setting only includes the windowed hallway and main foyer (which I hope adds to the sense that Pearl is rich enough to afford the most ridiculously huge apartment of all time). However, there are two tidbits about the setting that I quite enjoy:

First, did you catch the bit about the charred piece of hull? I wanted to keep it subtle in writing, but my intent was referencing the NILS Statue! Did Pearl or Marina take the trophy? Who knows.

Second, Off the Hook's wall of records went through hefty trial-and-error. I settled on the idea of giving them Gold/Platinum/Diamond records (ala the real-world practice of Recording Industry Association of America certification) while listening to the collective works of Off the Hook. Given this is pre-Splat3, I imagined that the new recording of "Nasty Majesty" and their Splatfest theme "Color Pulse" would have among the most attention.

I also imagined that Splatoon wouldn't just use an exact 1-1 copy of our record certifications. Thus, the Recording Industry Association of Inkadia (RIAI) was born.

Rather than using precious metals to delineate sales, I decided to go with the more Splatoon-feeling marker of "neon records." I actually did a minor amount of research, predominately leaning on the website of Brigham Young University physics and astronomy professor Harold T. Stokes to figure out Neon's color spectrum.

Using this, I equated:

Violet = Gold (500,000 sales)

Green = Platinum (One Million sales)

Yellow = Double Platinum (Two Million sales)

Red = Diamond (Ten Million sales)

I even formatted the text to look like an actual RIAA plaque, just with the color's name rather than a literal record. AO3's HTML formatting can only go so far.

I used the "acronym" formatting to add extra context in the form of each song's to-date sales, which was all I originally planned to say. Learned all about that option in my horrific opening chapter to the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet fic "Paradiso," in which Arven has a nightmare that breaks the text "House of Leaves" style.

And that, my friends, is all she wrote.

I could go way deeper into the minutia Pearl's boisterous tone or Marina utilizing mechanical terms, but the broad strokes of where certain ideas originate seems like a better use of my "Debrief" time. Let me know what more you might want to see me discuss going forward, or what ideas for Splatoon fics you wanna see added to my eternal backlog! (The poll-winning Stardew Valley piece has to take priority now — no more game release distractions~)

Though, as one final note: Yes, the title is a Sailor Moon reference.

You're welcome.

[brrr-stina]

“Life is too short to be upset about the little things” 😘

Cancer baby🦀♋️

Beach life 🏝️

Moon child 🌙

Travel

Painting

Reading

Family

Friends

Anime

Sailor moon is my bitch 🌙

Recommend me a song or a book to get lost in ✨💕

- Traveling to places I’ve never been is what I aim for whether it be a new country or a new situation! I’m up for the changes life has to offer me ✨💚

Dinner dates

Friend gatherings

Museums

Just vibing to this life of mine like a Lil Wayne song 🎧. Making the best out of what life has to offer

[bunnymajo]

Wing Girls: An early example of an all female transforming hero team

We've all heard the take that in 1992 Sailor Moon is the first anime to focus on an all-female super heroine show akin to "Super Sentei" or "Saint Seiya", aimed at girls, and that is true. But I want to talk about another very early example I've never seen mentioned: The Wing Girls, a plot element that shows up about midway of the 1984 shonen anime "Yume Senshi Wingman"

Yume Senshi Wingman is a show very aimed at teenage boys. It focuses on Hirono Kenta, a huge tokusatsu nerd with his own hero persona, Wingman. He's chosen and gifted with the Dream Note that can make anything he draws in it come true so he can become Wingman for real and defeat and evil organization from taking over his world. Another big point about Wingman is it's focus on love triangles and fanservice, between Kenta's ladylike classmate Miku and the more bold and flirtatious Aoi, who is a resident from the world that the Dream Note came from

The opening visually explains I think what kind of dynamic they were going for here: (also if nothing else, the music in this show is really good)

In episode 33, Airing on November 13, 1984 - Kenta and his classmates are visiting a shoot of a liveaction henshin hero episode. Agents from the evil organization are rumored to be part of the cast and Kenta's not able to focus his attention on it, so the female classmates who know his secret are given their own special forms in case something goes wrong and they need to step in

Enter the Wing Girls, consisting of Aoi, Miku, along with his other classmates Momoko and Kumiko

More of a backup squad to Wingman himself, they're still given similar abilities to instantly change forms with the power of the dream note and enhanced physical abilities for punching and kicking

They make a few other appearances throughout the show but this is their big solo moment. They even get their own theme song on one of the drama CDs, and figure merch in 2009.

I just think they're a neat little part of magical girl history.

Side mg history in case someone brings it up:

The idea of female super-hero magical girls as main characters goes as far back as the early 1970s with "Suki! Suki! Majo-sensei" and "Cutey Honey" and continues to sporadically appear through the decades. But these only focus on one heroine compared to an entire team.

Another early cited example of a mg team is the Studio Pierrot crossover special "Majokko Club Quartet: Alien X from A Zone" a direct-to-video special from 1987 that shows the heroines from Pierrot's line of magical girls: Creamy Mami, Magical Emi, Fairy Persia and Pastel Yumi, team up against alien invaders and parodies sci-fi tokusatsu tropes in the process. While the original TV series are all aimed at children, and the special is still within the realm of SFW, I would argue this OVA is more aimed at adult fans of the series due to its content and release format. So that's why I tend to not think of it on the same level as Sailor Moon.

[diavolo-is-babygirl]

So in honor of the Overture concert-you know, the event Diavolo’s not going to be in-I came up with my own concert lore. Introducing:

The Demon Brothers, Angels and MCs (otherwise known as the Astrals) put on a ‘We Love You, Diavolo’ concert.

In the vibrant realm of the Devildom, where the boundaries between chaos and harmony blur, an unprecedented event unfolds. The demon brothers, known for their fiery spirits, and the celestial angels, emanating ethereal grace, unite for a momentous occasion: a grand concert in honor of none other than Diavolo, the enigmatic ruler of their realm.

At the heart of this spectacle are three remarkable young men: Tristan, Reverie and Agni, each possessing talents that weave together the fabric of heaven and hell. United by destiny, they embark on a clandestine mission, aided by Barbatos, the meticulous demon butler, and Solomon, the sage sorcerer, to plan and prepare for a week-long extravaganza.

As the concert draws near, tensions simmer and friendships deepen amidst the secrecy. The demon brothers negotiate with celestial beings, forging alliances that defy their turbulent history, while the Tristan, Revi and Agni (collectively known as ‘The Astrals) craft melodies that resonate with the very essence of their realms.

(In other words, I have a team of male MCs that form a magical, singing idol trio: The Celestial Astrals. Inspired by Sailor Moon and Love Live Idol.)

However, the greatest surprise unfolds during the crescendo of the performance. Amidst the symphonic brilliance and shimmering stage enchantments, Tristan, the Exalt and Diavolo's devoted boyfriend, steps forward with unbridled courage. In a heart-stirring declaration, he proclaims his passionate love for Diavolo before all in attendance—a revelation that reverberates through the gathered demons and angels alike.

But the impact of Tristan's declaration transcends mere mortal emotions. His heartfelt words alert something primal and ancient: Diavolo's slumbering father, a titan of unimaginable power, drawn by the raw emotion and undeniable bond between his son and his mortal beloved.

In this spellbinding tale of collaboration and revelation, where demons and angels find common ground and mortals ascend to greatness, one truth emerges clear: amidst the cacophony of their worlds, love and music possess the unparalleled ability to unite even the most disparate souls.

- Courtney

[misteria247]

Ya know what now that I'm talking about older anime aesthetics I'm just gonna say this-

I think that it's one of my favorite things.

Mainly because of the artistic nature of it. Like don't get me wrong anime of today is absolutely gorgeous and can be simply breathtaking but......there's just something more to older anime. Stuff like Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon, Lupin III, Ranma 1/2, Cowboy Bebop, Maison Ikkoku, Urusei Yatsura, Fist of the North Star, Card Captor Sakura, Trigun and so many others all have this feeling about them. There's this special kind of mystical, captivating atmosphere to them that just draws you in as soon as you see them.

It's like watching art in motion. Seeing the vibrant colors and backgrounds, hearing the music and sounds of the locations, almost being able to taste the food and drinks that are on the screen. It's just absolutely stunning. An era of artistic history in the making. It's kinda sad that we don't have that kind of anime style anymore whenever I think about it.

[twig-tea]

9 People You'd Like To Get To Know Better

Tagged by @visualtaehyun and @thegalwhorants 💕

3 ships

Need to limit myself because there are too many good couples in media! The three I'm most enjoying in what I'm watching right now are:

Qian and Yuan from Unknown

Kazuhito and Natsukawa from Living with Him / Kare no Iru Seikatsu

Aylin and Luna from 23.5

First ship

I've answered this before but I was reading galwhorants' answers and suddenly the words "world shaking" popped into my head, and I remembered that the main site I used to read Ami/Makoto (sailors Mercury and Jupiter from Sailor Moon) fanfic was on worldshaking.net so I looked it up and that site has been rebuilt and some of the fanfic restored! So if you are curious about what babyqueer me was reading ~1997 it's still around and you can go see for yourself (shout-out to the author & curator Erica Friedman who was [and still is] a mentor and community-builder for so many of us; she was the one who organized Yuricon which is still an excellent resource if you want to get into or understand the history of yuri!).

Last song

I'm a quiet TXT fan and I've been enjoying their new mini album; the last song I listened to was Quarter Life (which has the unfortunate effect of making me feel old since I'm long past the quarter-life crisis age lolol but it makes me nostalgic for the pop punk heydays):

Currently reading

I finished book 1 and am chipping away at book 2 of MoDu (Silent Reading); it is such a satisfying read! I need more hours in the day so I can keep reading it.

Last movie

I just finished the short Burmese film Khar Taw Mi (another Trust Entertainment work centered around Thingyan, this time around the cultural performance aspects rather than the water party parts, so lots of traditional music and dance). If we're talking feature film, hmm, I think it was either Doi Boy (2023) or Past Lives (2023), I can't remember the order I watched them in; I watched them both in March (and both were very good).

Currently craving

Honestly, what I most want right now is spoons to do the things I've been dragging my feet on doing. Food-wise, I was giving a colleague tips on visiting Newfoundland and now I'm craving soft-serve creamsicle ice cream, which I've only ever had in St. John's.

No-pressure tags! And if you've already done this one tag me in the comments: @lurkingshan (since we fought over ships last time); @happypotato48; @sorry-bonebag; @my-rose-tinted-glasses; @telomeke; @waitmyturtles; @bengiyo (especially for the movie question); @thisonelikesaliens; @hyeoni-comb

[myrmyrtheorca]

give me your favorite manga or anime of all time. NOW. like, the ones who changed you as a person. if you are okay with questions like that!

HELLO HI I RISE FROM THE GRAVE FOR THIS INCREDIBLE YAPPING OPPORTUNITY

fr tho thank you Lottie for asking me too despite my death apparent, this will be long, I'll put the honorable mentions first as to make it a little more interesting and KHR will be at the bottom for the same reason-

Honorable mentions!

Sailor Moon - love myself some female friendship and magical girls. And women who could kick my ass like Pluto.

Black Rock Shooter - as above, plus vague setting and cool transformations.

Fate series - ok hear me out. I haven't watched the anime and just started the VN, I mostly play the mobile game, but it's about history and there's cute girls in it. Peak.

The Vision of Escaflowne - COOL MECHAS (hasn't finished it)

Yuru Camp - CUTE GIRLS FRIENDHIP AND COZYNESS also relaxing music (hasn't finished it)

Serial Experiments Lain - what the fuck was that

Violet Evergarden - tears? tears in my eyes? stop???

Dungeon Food - I'd have put this above if I wasn't just at the second volume of it, holy shit this is so fun but I feel it will crush my soul soon

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Ah. Lord, NGE. The vagueness of its worldbuilding, the psychological aspects, the occult and religious simbology, and the GODDAMN MUSIC. If you like classical, epic and otherwordly music, I beg you to check out NGE's score even if you're not interested in the anime itself because Shiro Sagisu is a gift from the gods and one of the best composers of our time. The series is a masterpiece. People despise the movies but IMO they do exactly what a movie should do: entertain. Anno embraced the "I'll be cringe, but I'll be free" and went all out on them, as he should have. Also, there's Kaworu Nagisa. Look at him!

Steins;Gate

PLEASE. PLEASE DO AND DON'T DO THIS TO YOURSELF AT THE SAME TIME. I WAS NOT READY. This anime will take your heart, embrace it, warm it up, GRIP IT IN ITS HANDS, CHEW IT AND SPIT IT OUT. Admittedly I played the VN because I wanted to experience all endings and OH MY GOD. It's terrifying and emotionally damaging. I started playing the sequel (Steins;Gate 0) and I had to STOP because it's so gut-wrenching in all the good ways that I need to be in the right spot for it.

Bleach

talk about recent experiences. I live under a rock when it comes to popular anime most times, and I never had the occasion to watch Bleach until recently (still haven't technically finished it because I'm waiting for TYBW to finish releasing to watch it). I... don't know what it is about Bleach that I like so much, but it got me in a similar way to KHR, as in I think about it often against my will and I'm even considering creating an OC for it. I think it's the characters, because the story is pretty straightforward... yeah, yeah it's the fictional men again. Kubo makes handsome men who fight with swords and transformation and everyone has their own powerups and...hhhngh. Look at this batch of cookies.

Ah no, wait, there's Shiro Sagisu again as composer. Almost forgot. *dances aggessively to spanish guitars*

Dr. Stone

I'm not a science brain, totally the opposite. Math doesn't math, geometry is evil and chemistry is wizardry. BUT, I love things that TRY to teach me those things in a funny and accessible way. I still won't understand them, but it was fun trying! And Dr. Stone has that, it's the moment I realize I like it when things are explained to me in that way, especially through media. Plus, fun characters, emotional moments, and cool plot.

Katekyo Hitman Reborn

Fortunately or unfortunately depending on your opinion on the show, KHR was the first ever japanese piece of media (excluding videogames) I've ever consumed. Being a lonely and socially awkward human being, it soon became my personality. It was these fuckers who made me get into manga altogether, I started buying the volumes (but only up to Varia Arc because 1. I didn't have an allowance, everything was done with Christmas/Easter/birthday money and 2. I was so obsessed with the Varia that my goldfish brain lost interest mid Future Arc.) and from there I discovered the pleasure of physical copies. The show has never aired in Italy, so nobody knew what the fuck I was talking about. It was, as many others were for me, a very lonely experience. But it was also the first time I felt... unique? Like, "this is my special little treasure and nobody can take it from me" kinda thing. I was emotionally invested in this show and every small piece of merch I could find like my Varia character songs CD became some of my most prized possessions (UNTIL I STARTED GIFTING AWAY MY SET OF VONGOLA RINGS BECAUSE I WANTED TO BRIBE PEOPLE INTO LIKING THE SHOW) (YEAH THAT WAS. STUPID. BECAUSE IT OBVIOUSLY DIDN'T WORK. AND ONLY MADE ME FEEL MORE LONELY AND RINGLESS) Then, the falling off. I started playing an MMO that also shaped part of my personality and as you often do with things that remind you of lonelier times, I sold my volumes and stopped thinking of KHR... until recently, when I joined this fandom and the spark came back because fuck it I'll be cringe but I'll be free. I got my fair share of flack for hyperfixating on an old anime at 24 years old, but it's one of the best experiences I've ever had. So yeah. KHR was ultimately good for me.

[le01zk00l]

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES 2012 ..BUT THEY GET TO BE ACTUAL TEENAGERS (let them be happy please..)

RAPH LORE !!! (From a person that has never really written a cool story before)

-Raph used to prove himself to others, he feels like he will never be enough for those around him, causing him to overachieve (which he mostly fails to do) and is often trying to get splinter to think he is the best. His siblings caught onto this quickly, and Raph began to try and like himself more, stopped trying to prove himself as much, and instead tries to lift his brothers up with him (after a long history of bringing his brothers down)

For a long time (12-14 yrs old) Raph would bring his brothers down for his own gain, like downplaying their achievements and getting jealous whenever they outshined him. Thankfully Raph realized that wasn’t the way to go, and after many apologies decided to try and help his brothers out, if they four weren’t the best, then he’d rather not be.

LIKES !! : wrestling, boxing, art (painting, drawing, writing, etc) rollerblading, drums, his Brothers ^_^!

DISLIKES.. : Extremely loud people, bugs (mostly grasshoppers or roaches) , people crossing his boundaries.

SILLAY FACTS BOUT HIM ^_^! : 

Raph began to draw and do art on an attempt to outshine his siblings, and ended up liking it enough to keep doing it for fun

Began to invite Mikey to rollerblade with him! Tho Mikey preferred skateboarding instead

He is the Go to whenever you want to move something heavy

Is “OKAY” with Leo..(it’s a bit rocky)

Has broken 3 bones so far, and there are WAY more to come

Treats Mikey extra nicely on April fools day, just so he does get pranked as hard

He and Donnie have this middle child energy, they can agree on things without even talking..mind reading communication..whoaa..

Really wants to be emo/punk/scene/scenemo (I think that’s how u write it..) and goes around trying to find cool things that fell down the sewers, or just steals B-Grade stuff from hot topic and hopes for the best 

Mikey goes with him sometimes ^_^

His favorite sibling is Donnie, Donnie creates the most dangerous things, and he LOVES trying them out

*secretly* watches old anime with Leo..mostly sailor moon

His favorite bands/singers are : Tyler, the creator, ICP (insane clown posse) , babymetal, Weezer, Mindless self indulgence, Rebzyyx, 6arelyhuman, some other Rap/punk artist out there somewhere..

He and April are besties, they sometimes just sit down to talk about the most underground music/ strangest topics or gossips they know..and could spent hours

Secretly listens to MORE MORE JUMP! (Self insert in there)

Appreciates J-pop, he likes the *sometimes* strong instrumentals !

Listens to ADO, he loves the way she puts her whole soul onto her covers/songs, finds it very satisfying to listen to

HAS bought stuff from VampireFreaks ^_^

Wants to play Guilty gear SO BAD..but can’t (Would be an A.B.A main)

has played skullgirls, he is a Fukua main, or would play Beowulf OR Squigly (mostly on mobile), he plays characters he considers have “Fast gameplay” since characters that attack “slowly” stress him out

Has a teddy bear named “Skully” Mikey crocheted for him..

[art-that-fucks-you-up-tournament]

SET FIFTEEN - ROUND ONE - MATCH THREE

Excerpt from illustrated edition of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1972 - Errol Le Cain) / "La Mort de Marat (The Death of Marat)" (1793 - Jacques-Louis David)

EXCERPT FROM ILLUSTRATED EDITION OF THE RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER: This image is representative of all of part 4 of the poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, and is a part of a larger illustrated edition. However, I absolutely adore this piece on its own. Yes, it has the elements from the poem, but it adds so much mysticism to that section. I love the colors, the darkness and the blue with the splashes of color, and the albatross standing out, almost separate from the piece, in its blocky triangle with the red blood-like strings moving to the woman. I love how the ring of circles look like the phases of the moon, and gives me a sense of time passing, even with how immediate (i guess?) the albatross and the woman's interaction feels. Also, the ship becomes a ship of the dead, with the rotted sails and the hull of the dead crew. And then back at the center of it all is the Albatross. It also is just very 70s to me, and feels a little nostalgic, like an old fantasy novel cover or something. Its great on its own, and as an illustration of a poem, it picks up on the literal and the metaphors and themes of the epic. It just delights me. I would definitely recommend the poem, its a great epic about a stranded sailor and his doomed ship.

Something I just realized, writing this, is that there is no narrator visible, which I love. The poem is in first person, and I think that translates to this image. Obviously the reader is not the mariner, but there is a closeness that occurs with that tense. Same with this, the viewer is not on the ship, but outside of it, but we are viewing the scene from almost "over" the albatross, making that our focal point, and the albatross is what draws us into the rest of the scene. I love it.

(Sorry for the weird crop, I was trying to even out the curl from the page.)

Also, here are a few stanzas from part IV, (easily placed to be deleteable lol), for fun.

Alone, alone, all, all alone, / Alone on a wide wide sea! / And never a saint took pity on / My soul in agony.

The many men, so beautiful! / And they all dead did lie: / And a thousand thousand slimy things / Lived on; and so did I.

I looked upon the rotting sea, / And drew my eyes away; / I looked upon the rotting deck, / And there the dead men lay. ...

Beyond the shadow of the ship, / I watched the water-snakes: / They moved in tracks of shining white, / And when they reared, the elfish light / Fell off in hoary flakes.

And I blessed them unaware. / The self-same moment I could pray; / And from my neck so free / The Albatross fell off, and sank / Like lead into the sea. (@travelingsmithy)

LA MORT DE MARAT (THE DEATH OF MARAT): The first time I saw it was in a history textbook in junior high and when the teacher wasn't looking I tore the page out and used it as a bookmark in my diary for years. It looks the way pipe organ music feels. I want to fold it up and put it in my chest. (@ambientcrows)

(This is an illustration from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner book by Samuel Taylor Coleridge published in 1972 by The Arcadia Press, London. The illustration was done by Errol Le Cain. Only 100 copies of the book were printed.

"La Mort de Marat (The Death of Marat)" is an oil on canvas painting by Jacques-Louis David. It measures 162 cm × 128 cm (64 in × 50 in) and is held by the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium. A replica, done by the artist's studio, is also on display at the Louvre.)

[yallemagne]

Everyone talking about the new Dorian Gray taking the fuckin Sailor Moon approach to praying the gay away.

Let's like actually dip our queer little toes into this. If they keep Basil's attraction to Dorian, hey what the fuck? Hey fucking dumb cunt writing this stupid adaptation, let me tell you a little something: you are directly comparing being gay to being incestuous. And let me tell you another thing: a difference between being gay and being incestuous? Being gay is neutral and being incestuous is bad. Wanting to kiss people of your same sex? Perfectly neutral but has a history of being condemned as a sin worse than murder. Wanting a romantic/sexual relationship with your family members? Bad! Immoral, even! Inherently toxic and unhealthy! All "consensual" depictions of incest are blatant examples of childhood sexual grooming.

(if anyone wants to say "it's just a story it's not saying anything about gay people" literally in the book the characters are representative of gayness. Basil is a representation of gay men who pine but never indulge, Dorian is a representation of the boogeyman gay that the lawmakers use to justify imprisoning people for homosexuality. the whole fucking book is a commentary on shit in society, it is an OBNOXIOUS commentary. you cannot make an adaptation without taking your decisions into account.)

This is just like the fucking Dorian Gray musical that gender bent ONLY BASIL because they claimed they needed more female characters. The reason they claimed they needed more female characters? They wanted to show more facets of femininity than Sibyl Vane's femme fatale. WHAT? Yeah they called Sibyl a femme fatale. Bitch, the only person this femme is fatale against is her goddamn self. I think they were genuinely trying to squeeze in a Madonna vs Whore complex and assumed that since Sibyl is an actress she must be a whore. Literally just MAKE THE MAIN TRIO CHICKS WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!

Anyhow anyway, bereft of anything to really spice up the Basil/Dorian thing as Forbidden, they aged up woman Basil to be Dorian's art teacher, using her authority over him to force him to model for her. Wuh. Uh. WUGHh. WHahglsh. "THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH WOMEN IN THE OG STORY QUICK MAKE BASIL A PEDOPHILE!!!"

We don't need a modern retelling of Dorian Gray, and modern retellings will aways be trash because the events of that book are moulded by the era is set in. But I suppose if someone has a gun to your head telling you to make a modern retelling, you do know that being gay is still illegal in a lot of places, yeah? So you don't... You don't need to change the story to the point that Basil, one of the only non malicious characters in the story, just flawed the regular human amount and condemned by unjust laws, now deserves to be in prison for a legitimate crime.

This is a ramble.

Netflix stop fucking adapting shit you fucking suck. Every single time you fucking suck. Is this gonna be worse than when they compared vampirism to AIDS and cast people suffering from AIDS in a very predatory light for the Dracula miniseries? Who knows? But I guess there's gonna be an influx of incest kink people in the Dorian Gray tag if that miniseries' popularity is anything to go off of.

[randomlonelymusician]

Untold Stories from Milgram: Kazui Mukuhara

Besides its interesting concept and cool music videos, Milgram really sheds light on usually untold stories in Japanese society. One of these is told through the series' oldest character, Kazui Mukuhara

While it is not overtly confirmed, it is heavily implied that Kazui is gay. Being 39 at the start of the project in 2020, he would've grown up in the 90s. Some time in his adulthood, presumably when he's a bit older than the typical "marrying age", he marries his coworker and friend Hinako. He loves her, yes, but not in the way she does. And his farce that he loves her romantically is what ends up killing her.

The 90s were a peculiar time in Japanese queer history. There was a lot of progress being made with representation in the media (Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor Sakura) and many queer communities in places like Tokyo were alive and well. At the same time, a broad acceptance of marriage expectations put on women was on a decline, and had been since the 70s. But as seen by the current climate today, the idea of queer acceptance and letting go of old gender norms is still something that hasn't fully occurred in Japan.

Kazui is a victim of not only Japanese homophobia, but the cultural ides of conformity. He marries not out of love, but to appear "normal", despite knowing he does not fit that mold. Obviously, someone can't hide forever, and he eventually confessed his sexuality to his wife.

Kazui's wife, Hinako, is also a victim of homophobia, as well as a culture of sexism and a woman's role in marriage. If the two of them were to get a divorce, Hinako would be the one to face the majority of the backlash. She may even be blamed for it, even if is, in the end, on Kazui. To her family, Hinako's failed marriage would be a reflection on her.

For most of his adult life, Kazui was in a Catch-22 situation: Either lie and marry someone he doesn't romantically love, essentially dragging an unknowing bystander into his situation, or facing the wrath of social stigmas and discrimination. I don't blame Kazui for the choice he made. I forgive him. But there are consequences for any actions you take, no matter how justified they are.

[rosenbraut]

Hey Marie!

How are you? Are you enjoying Tumblr more?

So I have started revolutionary girl utena (the way i known it could have changed the trajectory of my entire life if i had seen it at eight) and I am in love with the concepts, the themes, the architectures, everything.

Do you have similar books/movies to recommend? Any other media?

Hi!! 🌹🍓

I’m trying! :)

And I’m so, so happy you enjoyed Utena!!! Ever since I first came into contact with the phenomenon that is revolutionary girl Utena, I’ve been trying to find something that evokes a similar emotion. So far, I haven’t found anything that combines elements in a similar way — as you mentioned, there are so many aspects of it, themes, art, music, architecture. I feel like maybe we’ll have to accept that it is a completely unique piece of fiction. However, we can still read!

What I think might be a fun endeavour is to make a list of the references they make and compile a reading list out of that. Astronomy, psychoanalysis, myths, art history, there’s a LOT to dig into and I feel like enriching our own inner lives will prolong our enjoyment of Utena and deepen our enjoyment of the other material it’s referencing (if that makes sense). In the meantime, while I compile that list, here are some other things:

fairy tales (eastern European and German especially) for their interwoven morals and thoughts on death and agency. Reread sleeping beauty and savour every word (bones wrapped in rose vines), dig into Tsarevich Ivan, the Firebird and the Gray Wolf and think about fate and rebirth.

Demian by Herman Hesse. It seems that not many people know that the show (not the film or manga) directly quote Hesse every single episode — or both go back to the same source, I’m not sure which. Either way: Demian comes close in many aspects. Not telling you which ones <3 (I read it without knowing anything about it because I saw that quote and I think it was the best possible way to come into contact with that book, so I’ll let you enjoy it the same way)

The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony by Roberto Calasso analyses and compares Greek myths, weaves them together and summarises them in ways you might not have thought about before.

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy for thoughts on trauma and beauty, history and sibling relationships.

Nabokov in general for various thoughts on language, isolation, beauty. Invitation to a Beheading for that doomed isolation. Ada or Ardor if you were intrigued by the highly mannerist incest (it’s more carnal in Nabokov, but still extremely gorgeous and soaked with that same old blood elitism and high profile intellectualism)

Apart from that, I feel like SKU is a child of its time. If you look at other manga from the time just before the new millennium, there are a lot of reoccurring themes. Sailor Moon, X (which I never finished, so this is just a first impression), etc all feature themes like the end of the world, other universes, secret societies and glittering architecture in dark voids. I’m always on the lookout for more manga from around that time because the strange future nostalgia is so fascinating to me.

[nanawritesit]

Random Headcanons I Have For The DDLC Girls 💞

Monika:

favorite pocky flavor is almond crush

loves cappuccinos

wants to learn ballet

does pilates (and is super into the pink pilates princess aesthetic)

is obsessed with skincare

her dream date is a picnic on a sunny day

a dog person, especially smaller dogs

listens to penelope scott and mitski

likes to listen to music on vinyl records

favorite flower is lily of the valley

wants to learn french

loves art museums and studying art history

wears almond shaped acrylic nails

favorite animals are deer and butterflies

favorite movies are girl interrupted, the virgin suicides, gone girl, and jennifer’s body

loves cheesecake, especially the blueberry kind

reads sylvia plath poems every night before bed

Yuri:

wants to study abroad in london

prefers dark chocolate over milk

favorite pocky flavor is matcha green tea

favorite bubble tea flavor is purple taro

spends so much time doing her eyeliner every morning trying to get her wings to match perfectly

has definitely tried slam poetry at some point

listens to black veil brides and my chemical romance

thinks snakes are really cool and wants one as a pet really bad

collects fancy stationary

is addicted to perfume, her favorite scents are jasmine and vanilla

wants to learn the cello

is subscribed to watcher on youtube

listens to true crime podcasts

falls asleep to asmr videos

her favorite movies are all of the tim burton ones, especially corpse bride

has an intense hair care routine

Natsuki:

went through an ouran high school host club phase, she won’t admit it but her favorite host is tamaki

has a full gaming pc setup… pink cat ear headphones and everything

a twitch streamer

listens to hatsune miku

plays cooking mama

convinced all of them to go to a cat cafe

collects sanrio merchandise (her fav is my melody)

loves sailor moon, her favorite scout is definitely sailor mars

wants to cosplay but is too nervous

a crystal collector, has an altar full of rose quartz

HATES exercise

collects keychains and pins of her favorite characters

loves buying cute socks with fun patterns

writes fan fiction on tumblr and actually has a lot of followers

is obsessed with strawberries

Sayori:

prefers pancakes over waffles

has a squishmallow addiction

plays animal crossing

always plays as baby peach in mario kart

favorite cereal is fruity pebbles

only orders hot chocolate at coffee shops

wants rainbow sprinkles every time she eats ice cream

is a huge kpop stan, definitely stans twice and collects their photocards. her bias is probably sana or nayeon

loves christmas and carefully planned out the perfect presents to give the girls, also organized a christmas party for all of them

cuts her own hair

wears a lot of blush and collects different brands, especially ones with cute packaging

ALSO collects sanrio merchandise, but her fav is cinnamoroll

loves studio ghibli movies! especially my neighbor totoro and kiki’s delivery service

drinks chocolate milk with every meal