#tRuby i miss you..............

[autisticlalna]

🎶 I'm falling through the hourglass, and I don't think I'll ever make it back!

⏯ NOW PLAYING: Hourglass by Set It Off

for @mcyt-jukebox-bonanza, featuring Rubyco from Twitch SMP!

ramblings under cut:

RUBYCO MY BELUBYCO.

ive had this idea for a tRuby art since first hearing the song earlier this year, when Ruby played it on stream and mentioned it being a tRuby song. the event was a perfect opportunity to finally make it a reality! out of all the jukeboxes i did this one might be my favorite because it came out exactly as i imagined :D

there's a lot of details i want to talk about but dont know if i shoujld because i want to see if anybody notices them! and i'll be posting the other jukeboxes throughout the day. WOO

[p-and-p-admin]

Advice on structuring scenes and chapters.

If you have been writing or studying writing for a while - heck even if you have just been perusing groups like this one for any length of time you will have encountered a myriad of ways to tackle structuring an overall plot or outlining a full work. Most of us will have encountered things like Three Act Structure and The Hero’s Journey for example, but when you start getting down to the nitty-gritty on how to structure individual scenes advice gets much thinner on the ground. It won’t be of much use to you if you can plot an entire novel in an afternoon but are then unable to shape the smaller units of your story like chapters or scenes. For those that struggle here, I suggest The Triangle Method.

It was when I was studying screenwriting that I came across this method as outlined in John Truby’s The Anatomy of Story. It is deceptively simple and says: “Think of a scene as an upside-down triangle. The beginning of the scene should frame what the whole scene is about. The scene should then funnel down to a single point, with the most important word or line of dialogue stated last.”

An effective triangle scene or chapter will feature three parts.

The opening should raise a question relevant to the plot. Gripping storytelling revolves around questions. Will Harry win the Triwizard Cup? Can Indiana Jones retrieve the grail in time to save his father? Will Elizabeth Bennett’s family be ruined by her sister’s elopement? When the question a scene poses comes from your protagonist’s desire your readers become engaged. They want to know - need to know - if your protagonist succeeds. Truby also advises being quick with the pacing at the head of a scene. A slow build to the main conflict of a scene isn’t realism, it's boring. Get to the point so your readers are not impatient or switched off.

The middle should feature failed attempts to achieve the goal Michael Scofield (Prison Break) had it right when he said “Make the plan. Execute the plan. Expect the plan to go off the rails. Throw away the plan.” Characters who succeed on the first throw of the dice are dull. Both to write and to read. Robust storytelling needs the character to get it wrong, to fail, and to miss. Often more than once. This allows the protagonist to display their smarts, cunning, persistence, and their skills. They will sort through and discard some of the potential answers to the narrative question at the head of the scene. This refinement of their approach, discarding faulty or impractical solutions is what narrows their options down and into the triangle’s point. An example of this can be seen when Harry takes his egg to the prefect’s bathroom during the Triwizard Tournament and tries a number of things before finally dialing on how to retrieve the clue.

The scene or chapter must conclude with an answer to the narrative question Whether a line of dialogue, an action, an event, or a decision the scene or chapter's narrative question must be resolved - positively or negatively. Once you reach the point of the triangle the scene or chapter should end. Save any character reflections for the next scene or chapter, this will encourage the reader to keep going to flip into the next scene or chapter to see how the character has been impacted by the resolution to the question posed by the last. In an ideal world, the resolution to your narrative question should be surprising. Predictable answers bland stories make - however in the very specific medium of fanfiction there is a definite love of tropes and cliche that has been very much embraced by the form. Only you as the writer can decide if now is a moment to lean into that or to create a more page-turning effect by subverting the expectations of the audience.

So there it is. Deceptively simple but it does require practice. I bet if you look back at some of your favourite scenes and chapters you have read or even written you will see it has this sort of shape, even if you had been unaware of it at the time!

[chrancecriber]

Radio SunLounge Romania (March 07, 2023)

23:59 Lounge Deluxe - Good Time Girl 23:53 Andreya Triana - Lost Where I Belong 23:50 Olegy - Slow Confusion 23:46 Product 01 - Heart Ov Glass 23:42 Idenline - Call Me (Original Mix) 23:42 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 23:36 Lemongrass Feat Jane Maximova - Reinvented Me 23:32 Frank Borell - Deep Moods (Yesterday Mix) 23:28 Atb - We Belong 23:22 Gushi & Raffunk - Travel (G&r Celebration Mix) 23:22 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 23:18 Michael E - That Feeling 23:12 Don Gorda Project - Stay On Course 23:08 Poldoore - The Northern Compass 23:04 Catching Flies - Komorebi 23:00 Thunderball - On The Sly 22:56 Marga Sol - Other Side 22:50 Aandra - Baak Waa 22:44 Blank & Jones - El Bajo 22:43 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 22:40 Soundset City - You Are My Angel (Smooth Vocal Lounge Mix) 22:36 Dadamnphreaknoizphunk (Feat. Jen) - Waiting 22:30 Sunyata Project - Sudden Moments (Extended Mix) (Extended Mix) 22:26 Five Seasons - It's All Good, Man 22:26 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 22:22 Arnold T - What I Miss About You (Katie Melua) 22:15 Michael E - Land Of Beauty 22:10 Nina Simone - Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair (Jaffa Remix) 22:06 Beach Hoppers - Top Of The World 22:01 Guardians Of Secret - Guinean Warmth (Mystic Voice Mix) 21:56 Trinah - Every Day 21:52 Ross Couch - First Love (Original Mix) 21:47 Atb - Wait For Your Heart 21:41 Truby Trio Feat. Marcus Begg - Universal Love (Arme Rootdown Round Midnite Mix) 21:38 Late Night Alumni - This Is Why 21:34 Soundlift - Savage Islands (Original Mix) 21:29 Jean Mare - A Better Place (Easy Lounge Vocal Mix) 21:29 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 21:25 Let Em Riot - Rad 21:21 Anam - Precious 21:16 Dmtunes - After The Storm 21:13 Kosheen - Hide U (John Creamer & Steamer & Stephane K Remix) 21:13 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 21:08 Direct Lights - Deeper (Original Mix) 21:03 Chimaera - Fly Away 20:59 Yonderboi - Pabadam 20:53 Craig Armstrong - This Love 20:53 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 20:47 Marc Hartman - I Can't Stop 20:43 Weathertunes, Eskadet - Night On Earth 20:38 Puch - Playground 20:33 Xemplify - Naughty Secret 20:30 Luis Hermandez - Celebrate (Original Mix) 20:26 Pochill - Violet Theme (Nick Version) 20:21 Barcelona - Fall In Love (Green Relax Edit) 20:17 Silver Pixel - Billy Jean 20:16 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 20:11 Solanos - Estranha 20:07 Blank & Jones - Ocean View 20:01 Steen Thottrup, Denver Knoesen - Balearic Bliss 19:57 Flunk - Blue Monday 19:51 Carrie Skipper - Time Goes By (Floris De Haan R 19:44 Aimee Sol - Anything You Want (Sunshine Deluxe Edit) 19:39 Nina Simone - Black Is The Color Of My True Love-'s Hair (Jaffa Remix) 19:33 Artenovum, Oliver Schlolaut - The Sun Is Shining 19:29 Lissa - Some Of Me (Feat. Philip Nolan) 19:25 Matisse & Jury Jet - Early Sunrise (Feat S Khovansky) 19:20 Aqua Mundi - Simple Ou Double 19:12 Fresh Moods - Rhythmbreeze 19:12 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 19:08 Artemis - Subterranean 19:04 Orjan Nilsen - Drink To Forget (Lounge Edit) 19:00 Trillian Miles - Swamp Girl 18:58 Sebastian Davidson - Yugen (Original Mix) 18:52 New Beginning - Another Day 18:37 Lorenzo - I Will Love You Forever 18:31 Mo Horizon - Gonna Be 18:27 Artenovum - When You Fall Asleep (Slow Coach Mix) 18:22 Bruno From Ibiza - Golden Love 18:17 The Soulful Sun - Loose It (Original Mix) 18:11 Beach Hoppers - Keep Dreaming (Eskadet Moonlight Version) 18:04 Banco De Gaia - Acquiescence (Tripswitch Remix) 17:58 Promid - Don't Forget Me 17:54 Quantic - Intro The 5th Exotic 17:48 Green Lemon Feat. Magica Fe - 11 O-'clock (The Man Behind C. Edit) 17:42 Jens Buchert - Melange Electrique 17:37 Miraflores - Baila Conmigo 17:29 Ambitus - Answers 17:25 Jaimee - Cherish The Day (Ultra Lounge Rmx) 17:25 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 17:18 Cinematic - Empty Eoom (Daydreaming Mix) 17:14 Vargo - Dear Friends (Prelude) 17:10 Deeper Sublime & Coffee Machine - I've Got You (Original Mix) 17:04 Faro - Tiramisu 17:04 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 17:02 The Timewriter - The Soul Redrive 16:57 International Pony - Superyou 16:53 Architect - Closer 16:49 Jp-juice - Shogun (Jp-juice Remix) 16:45 Clavvs - Fade 16:40 Eddie Silverton - Coincidences 16:35 Velvet Dreamer, Tim Gelo, Diana Moon - Sky Is Falling 16:31 Leonard Sign - Sea Of Shinas (Beauty Atmosphere Mix) 16:26 Uppermost - Believe 16:22 Ikon - No Reason To Stay 16:18 Ganga Feat. Helle Chirholm - The Wind (Original Mix) 16:13 Keep Shelly In Athens - Blue Rooms 16:08 Afterlife - Black Iris 16:03 Cafe Americaine - Marina Beach (Guitar Flow Mix) 16:00 Cu - So Fine 15:55 Anthony Island - Yesterday (Original Trumpet Version) 15:55 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 15:52 John Legend - Wanna Be Loved 15:49 Krystian Shek - Too Much Thinking (Katoey Cut Mix) 15:45 Jason Bradberry - Seven Days (Gridlocked Remix) 15:39 Joy - Sell Him Your Soul 15:39 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 15:34 Newton - New Beautiful Life 15:29 Chillbirds - Breaking Out (Beach Mix) 15:26 Beacon - It Won't Be Long 15:22 D. Batistatos, Evita Saloustrou - Anymore 15:18 Mo'jardo - Forgive Me 15:13 Jane Low - Night Theme (Original Mix) 15:07 York - Iceflowers 15:02 Citrus Jam Feat. Judith Erb - Do You See (Rainbow Mix) 14:57 Lemongrass - Soulful 14:52 Krystian Shek - Samarkand (Feat. Nina Ramsby) 14:46 Tim Angrave - Positivism 14:44 Aquilo - Put Me Down (Original Mix) 14:38 Velvet Dreamer, Tim Gelo - Cafe Latte Macchiato 14:34 Living Room - The Essence 14:29 The Shapeshifters - Lola's Theme (Lola's Loungin' Mix) 14:26 Lemongrass - Lucky (Feat. Suzy Duffy) 14:25 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 14:21 Afterlife - Pirates 14:18 Moshang - Padoga 14:13 Pnfa - Kingdom Of The Blind 14:08 Lounge Traveller - Many Places 14:03 Taylor Clare - The Right Track (Swift Again Mix) 13:56 Christophe Goze - Some Day I Will 13:53 Lisa Shaw - Grown Apart 13:49 Urban Phunk Society - Siesta 13:49 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 13:46 Lisa Shaw - Grown Apart 13:42 Klangstein - Within You (Feat. Nosie Katzmann) 13:38 Cataldo - Do It All Night 13:34 Nikonn - Sunrise 13:34 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 13:31 Glambeats Corp - Hollywood 13:26 Gary B - Live It Now 13:24 Sabrina Waters - Sardinia Paradise (Wet Island Mix) 13:19 Afterlife - Speck Of Gold 13:16 Randy Crawford - Gimme The Night 13:10 Mirage Of Deep - Ave Maria (Sights Of The Mediterranean) 13:07 Nikki Ocean - Rude 13:03 Audio Elastique - Here And Now (American Flute Mix) 12:58 Chill Cole - Urban Stories 12:52 Reunited - En Ukendt Glaede (Feat. Anne Dorte Michelsen) (Shazz Man Remix) 12:49 Hess Is More - Yes Boss 12:44 Trillian Miles - A Little Love 12:40 Slo - Birds In The Cage 12:36 Mike Tohr & Jonas Johannes - Napthali (Feat. Salome) 12:31 Mathieu & Florzinho - The Indian (Original Mix) 12:26 Jane Maximova - Puppets 12:26 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 12:21 Bessie Boni - Mystic Revelation (Feat. Gianna Partner) 12:16 Ricky Martini - Noale 12:10 Mazelo Nostra - Beach Hopper 12:06 Yppah Feat. Ali Coyle - By Then It'll Be Too Late 12:01 Soundset City - Smooth Delight 11:57 Marcel - Kisses 11:51 Danny Hay - Night In (Original Mix) 11:46 Dj Maretimo - Ocean Cruiser (Wavepatcher Cut) 11:46 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 11:41 Naoki Kenji - Let It Flow (Jazz Jazz) 11:35 351 Lake Shore Drive Feat. J'unique - Xtc 11:29 Airstream - Land Of Dreams (Escape Mix) 11:24 Ian Pooley - Since Then 11:19 Amelie - Softwood 11:14 Mathieu, Florzinho - The Indian 11:09 Frank Borell - Angels And Angels (In Heaven Mix) 11:04 Aria Nova - Pop 11:00 Krystian Shek - The Easy Way Of Life 10:50 Bobby Deep - Angel (Christos Fourkis Lounge Mix) 10:46 Goloka - Tobacco Slide 10:46 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 10:43 Alien Cafe - Chloe Says (Original Mix) 10:38 Bent - K.i.s.s.e.s 10:33 The Diventa Project - Still Raining (Rnb Remix) 10:27 Oscar Salguero - New York City Evening Sax 10:26 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 10:22 Gelka - Open (Feat. Sam Brookes) 10:20 Deeper Sublime - Someone Like You 10:15 Afterlife - Far Away Feat. Juanita Grande 10:10 Marc Puig Ft. Maria Collado - To Forget Me (Original Mix) 10:06 Deeper Sublime & Coffee Machine - I've Got You (Original Mix) 10:00 Jayson House - Time To Rest (Original Mix) 09:55 Van - Minha A Noite 09:51 Tears - Cicada 09:47 Gary B - Song For Kaye 09:43 Derail - Freedom - Deep Mix 09:38 Atb - Black Nights 09:33 Hello Meteor - Night Distance 09:28 Therr Maitz - Found U (Riesso Remix) 09:24 Blue Stone - Come Alive (Feat. Sheyenne Rivers) 09:21 Krystian Shek - Too Much Thinking (Katoey Cut Mix) 09:14 Voom:voom - Best Friend 09:14 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 09:09 Achillea - Desndame 09:05 Deniz Reno - Fly 09:00 Schiller, Jael Malli - Tired 08:56 Grooveprofessor - Summerbreeze (Fresh Dub) 08:51 Kosta Rodrigez - Soul 2 Sell (Boosanova Chill Mix) 08:46 Sonic Adventure Project - Haze 08:43 Sven Van Hees - Pastel Paradise 08:39 Melorman - Ten 08:39 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 08:34 Albo - Superstrings (Part I) 08:28 Jess & Jess - Gorgeous Necklines 08:25 Dido - I'm No Angel 08:19 Bush - Letting The Cables Sleep 08:16 Dido - You Don't Need A God 08:11 Chilleando - Sunshine (Californication Mix) 08:07 Crystal Theory - Breathe 08:02 Five Seasons - Round And Round 07:59 Paul Hardcastle Feat. Maxine Hardcastle - Dreamin 07:52 Blue Lotus - Eshu Igelu 07:46 Velvet Dreamer - Chasing The Moment 07:41 Proxy Brides - Toute La Nuit 07:35 Michael E - Breathe In Breathe Out (Original Mix) 07:29 Hessismore - Yes Boss 07:24 Brainstorm - Maybe (The Equalizers Nuclear Bomb Remix) 07:19 Omnimotion (Feat. Aleah) - Days Of Silence 07:18 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 07:14 Aloha Cafe - Night In Altamy 07:09 Takt 3 - Slow Walker 07:04 Natasha Sas - So Far (Original Mix) 06:59 Lemongrass - Let The Day Begin (Feat. Jane Maximova) 06:55 Frameworks - Breaks My Heart Ft. Kathrin Deboer 06:51 Grooveprofessor - Tears Like Rain 06:45 Cafe Americaine - Serenata Splash (Italo Mix) 06:37 Esteve - Sunset Beach 06:32 Dub Mars - Between The Lines 06:28 Thomas Lemmer - Savannah 06:24 Jens Buchert - Sweetwood 06:19 El Rubello - It's Not Unusual 06:19 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 06:15 Merge Of Equals - You Can Make Me Smile 06:08 Green Lemon - Voz Interior (Meditation Mix) (Feat. Magica Fe) 06:03 Openzone Bar - Seven Seas 05:56 Lenny Mac Dowell - Winter Fantasies 05:51 Messiah Project - Sadeness 05:47 Chris Le Blanc - Now And Zen 05:43 Chris Le Blanc, Roberto Sol - Ahora (Feat. Ines) (Rs Ibiza Chill Mix) 05:36 Dubdiver - Surya Mangalam 05:31 Afterlife - Falling 05:27 Keep Shelly In Athens - On The Road 05:23 Marga Sol - Come & Love Me 05:17 1000 Memories Feat. Nikki Sale - One Man Ahead & Nikki Saletta 05:16 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 05:12 Mr Fijiwiji, Holly Drummond - Something To Hold 05:08 Lung Feat. Paper Aeroplanes - In Bloom (Original Mix) 05:04 Mr. Moods - A Certain Smile 05:00 Paul Hardcastle - Looking For You 05:00 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 04:54 Jean Mare - Everything (Original Mix) 04:50 Atb - Moving Backwards (Feat. Kate Louise Smith) 04:47 Coffee Machine & Eriq Johnson - I've Got You 04:43 Treepines Makdaf - Here 4u 04:37 Chicane - Looking Down (Drax & Goodings Room With A View Remix) 04:34 Steve Osaka - Smooth Sexophone 04:29 Jerome Ismaae - Underwater Love 04:23 Jeff Bennet-'s Lounge Experience Feat. Alexandra - Sympathy 04:23 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 04:18 Neophyt - Sence Of Rain (Original Mix) 04:10 Infusion - Love And Imitation 04:05 Plastyc Buddha - Personal Faith 04:01 Funkaholics - I Don't Wanna Give You Up (Chill Version) 03:57 Hooverphonic - Mad About You (Llorca's Radio Shot) 03:52 Lemongrass - Frozen Boy 03:46 Mo' Horizons - Superworld 03:37 Monodeluxe Feat Paola - Night Moods 03:31 Jane Maximova - Morning Bird (Feat. Dmirty Raschepkin) 03:25 Nux - Feel The Vibe 03:20 Pascal Dubois - Deep Into The Night (Long Island Mix) 03:16 Telepopmusik - Breathe 03:16 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 03:11 Plus49 - One Man Doing Yoga 03:07 Riccardo Eberspacher - Light Signs 03:03 Francis On My Mind - Never Be The Same 03:00 Marcel - Kisses 02:54 Tim Angrave - Dream Escape 02:50 York - When Love Takes Over 02:46 Frame By Frame - Seagulls 02:41 Jazzy James Jr. - Fusion Of Jazz (Trumpet Tower Mix) 02:36 Armand Frydman - Vacation Break 02:32 Velvet Dreamer - French Kisses 02:26 Kosta Rodrigez Feat. Amy - Gale In The Waterglass (My Love) (Long Beach Cut) 02:22 Marga Sol - Cafe Del Amor 02:22 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 02:17 Blank & Jones - Snappiness 02:11 Naoki Kenji - My Destiny Rmx 02:07 The Chiller - Chiller (Original Mix) 02:03 Leona Lewis - Private Party (Gregers Lounge Mix) 02:00 Duane Alpert - Cool Experience (Laurent Paradise Mix) 01:55 Steen Thottrup - Satellite (Feat. Denver Knoesen) 01:51 Soulavenue - Stuck In A Dream 01:44 Christos Fourkis - Until The Morning 01:40 John South - Working Late 01:34 Minus 8 - Badman & Throbin (Gabor Deutsch Lovely Vocal Remix) 01:31 2raumwohnung - Sasha (Sex Secret) 01:27 Vibrant Groove Project - Don-'t Let Me Go (Vocal Jazz O-' Mix) 01:22 Lebensart - Eastern Sunset (World Colours Mix) 01:18 Houie D. - Endlesslove 01:13 Furns - Fortress 01:08 Michael E - Promise 01:03 Roberto Sol - Remember That Day (Original Mix) 00:58 Elektrohandel - Somnia Dulcia 00:54 Atb Feat. Melissa Loretta - White Letters 00:49 Atb - We Belong 00:45 Ricky Martini - Noale 00:39 Solanos - Imaginar 00:35 Gary B - Without You 00:30 351 Lake Shore Drive - Neopolitan Nights 00:30 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 00:24 Jens Buchert - Octalimbo 00:19 Dub Mars - Take A Trip Down Memory Lane 00:15 Goloka - Tobacco Slide 00:09 Mirage Of Deep - Stone Words 00:09 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 00:04 Nightview - City Hall (Smooth Downbeat Mix) 00:01 Zimmer - Bai

[thereadingmoon]

22 for 2022

Rules: Choose 22 books you want to read or goals you want to achieve in 2022. That’s it! It can be a mix of books and goals, or 22 books, or 22 goals…. it’s up to you. Then tag some friends to play along. I was tagged by @wearethekat - many thanks for this prompt to kickstart blogging again this year! I have a lot of books I want to get around to reading this year but I left some goals down at the bottom. And yes, I have a lot of technical writing non-fiction here because I was ✨inspired✨ to further my knowledge on storytelling.

Steering the Craft, by Ursula K. Le Guin I actually started last year but I have yet to finish it!

The Second Rebel, by Linden A. Lewis I enjoyed reading the first book to this series.

Nona the Ninth, by Tamsyn Muir Of course. I share WeAreTheKat's sentiments. It's a must.

Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi It's been on my reading list for a year now!

Notes on Directing, by Frank Hauser and Russell Reich

Dæmon Voices, by Philip Pullman

The Anatomy of a Story, by John Truby

On Writing, by Stephen King

The Cambridge Introduction to the Novel " " to Creative Writing inspired my research.

Devourers, by Indrapramit Das

The Poppy War, by R. F. Kuang

Foundryside, by Robert Jackson Bennett

Pandora’s Jar, by Natalie Haynes I have been inspired by Madeline Miller to look at more feminine takes on myths.

Early Riser, by Japser Fforde

Black Leopard, Red Wolf, by Marlon James This one's been waiting for three years.

A Thousand Ships, by Natalie Haynes

Midnight Robber, by Nalo Hopkinson

Write more short stories. I've started to write a bit more and enjoying it because short-form works don't demand too much from me and I'm slowly allowing myself to make more mistakes and experiments this way. So, yeah, I want to write a bit more!

Get back into drawing traditionally. It's been years since I sketched seriously.

Present myself better through clothes. Now that I may go out a bit more, I want to try dressing up better and to cultivate my style more. I want to play with makeup more, too.

Exercise more/rollerblade. I miss rollerblading.

Enjoy the year!!!

It's been some time since I've tagged someone for something, so this is an open tag for all :^DDD

[tartheanmaid]

Kei Kimura, Women’s Courage, and Change.

We start the musical with Kei welcoming home her little brother Sammy, and helping with the Wishing Tree celebration. The first time we see Kei sing is in the song, “Wishes on the Wind”. In which her family celebrates the harvest and each of them hang wishes upon a Wishing Tree.

For my brother I wish

For great journeys and adventures

To see the world

Till he finally misses home

-Kei Kimura, Wishes on the Wind

Here we see Kei wishing, not for herself, but for her brother. Although she loves her brother, she dislikes having to act a mother to him because theirs died in childbed giving birth to him. She reinforces this with her next line in the song;

I wish that I didn't have to play the mother

Though it would tear Papa apart

-Kei Kimura, Wishes on the Wind

This song serves as our introduction to the Kimuras and their community. But for Kei that means we learn where she starts, who she was before Heart Mountain. We know that she feels contempt for her stillness and her current situation, but also feels that she cannot leave to pursue greater things because she feels she is the only thing keeping her family together.

Now that we know where Kei comes from at the beginning of her story and her journey, we can look at who she will become, what that means, and why by choosing herself and standing up she did the right thing. In order to understand why Kei has “Women’s Courage”, we must look at where that term comes from.

I first heard the term “Women’s Courage” in the way I am using it in A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin. The phrase refers to the kind of courage that a mother has, protecting her children by any means necessary. It refers to the courage of a young woman rescuing her lover from her own father’s dungeons. The kind of courage it takes to be a woman and survive in a patriarchal society. But not the kind of courage that is a woman rebelling and being more masculine, a woman having courage and nerve while also being feminine and proud of her womanhood gives her woman’s courage. The term in the novels originates from a passage in A Clash of Kings.

Perhaps I did not want to be the only one who knew the dark truth of what had happened there, Catelyn thought. "Brienne, I have taken many wellborn ladies into my service over the years, but never one like you. I am no battle commander."

"No, but you have courage. Not battle courage perhaps but . . . I don't know . . . a kind of woman's courage. And I think, when the time comes, you will not try and hold me back. Promise me that. That you will not hold me back from Stannis."

Catelyn could still hear Stannis saying that Robb's turn too would come in time. It was like a cold breath on the back of her neck. "When the time comes, I will not hold you back."

-Catelyn V, ACOK

I firmly believe that Kei has always had this courage deep within her all along, and that her journey in Heart Mountain is not about gaining courage through Frankie, through Oji-Chan, or anyone else. But learning and finding courage that she has always had within her.

Next she shows us that, even if she may not know it yet, she has the courage to not only be a force of light for others but also lead them and lift them up.

It will all be alright

There’s a way through this night

Stay strong

On this long road

Gaman, Gaman

Sturdy and sure, keep faith and endure

Gaman, Gaman

Hold your head high and carry on, Gaman

-Kei Kimura, Gaman

As she sings the people around her in her community join her naturally, showing that she may not be as flashy or charismatic as Frankie when getting people to join her, or as loud and proud as Sammy, but people naturally flock to her leadership anyways. Her journey was never about gaining courage. She has always had it. People naturally flocking to her lead proves that even if she cannot see that courage in herself yet, others do.

We see this trust in Kei again in “Get in the Game”. Sammy starts singing, but people only join in and agree with him once they see Kei is behind him. At this point in the story Kei still believes that she must still herself and hold her family together, not truly putting her effort into anything but peacemaking and family. Excluding herself.

Keiko, always think of other. When you mommy die you grow up so fast. Take care Sammy. Help with farm. Why, you no go to dance? Have fun.

-Oji-Chan Kimura, Ishi Kara Ishi

It’s not until Oji-Chan points out that she never focuses on anyone but herself does she realize that maybe she does deserve to do something fun once in a while. Oji-Chan makes a paper flower out of his loyalty oath and gives it to Kei. This symbolizes Kei herself blossoming, and finally starting to become who she wants to be. She goes to the dance, Kei has budded. She has started to find the courage she has always wanted, but never realized she already had. Finally, when her brother seemingly isn’t at the dance can she focus on herself. Do what she wants for a change. So she dances with Frankie.

The only way to move forward is to first look back. Kei does this in her solo song, “Higher”. She realizes that she is finally becoming who she wanted to be as a child. That she can become the person she set aside to help raise Sammy. To be herself. Her true self.

There once was a little girl playing on a swing set

That her grandpa built by the sycamore tree near the rusty farmyard gate

While her mama pinned the laundry the little girl would cry out loud

"Push me higher, push me higher, push me I can't wait"

Her mama would push a couple times but there was laundry still to do

So she learned to use her own strength, pull her own weight, push on through

-Kei Kimura, Higher

The girl would push a couple times but there was laundry still to do

-Kei Kimura, Higher

I believe that this is the song where Kei realizes she’s falling for Frankie. That what she wants, is her, is him. What I said before, “The only way to move forward is to first look back”, goes along with the kind of changes that Kei goes through as a person at Heart Mountain. When Sammy is leaving, she is finally free to stop for a moment. To stop the constant flow of her life that is moving so fast yet never going anywhere, and look back at her past.

How the years passed quickly by that girl's a woman still afraid to try.

Is it too late to start again, get back that feeling I had then?

But now my life is upside down

There's no more farm, there's no more town, and no use asking why

But I won't let it pass me by

Life won't pass me by

-Kei Kimura, Higher

And then, at last, take a step forward. In the direction she wants to go in. Her life has taken a new turn, new opportunities arise. And maybe this time, with her newfound courage.

In John Truby’s The Anatomy of a Story, he states that he believes that there are, at minimum, the same 7 steps in every story. Weakness and Need, Problem, Desire, Opponent, Plan, Battle, Self-Revelation, and New Equilibrium. The self-revelation of the hero can come before or after the final battle in the story.

By going through the crucible of battle, the hero usually undergoes change. For the first time, he learns who he really is. He tears aside his façade he has lived behind and sees, in a shocking way, his true self. Facing the truth about himself either destroys him or makes him stronger.

If the self-revelation is moral as well as psychological, the hero also learns the proper way to act toward others. A great self revelation should be sudden, for better dramatic effect; shattering for the hero, whether the self-revelation is positive or negative; and new— it must be something the hero did not know about himself until that moment. Much of the quality of your story is based on the quality of the self-revelation. Everything leads to this point.

-John Truby, The Anatomy of a Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller

Kei’s self-realization is that she has always had courage within her. Her self-realization is positive, her journey has changed her for the better. Kei begins her self-revelation in “Higher” but finishes in “Our Time Now” with her verse near the end.

It's my time to live a life of my own

But that doesn't mean I will spend it alone

I won't be bound by what others allow!

My choices are mine alone to define

It's my time

My time now!

-Kei Kimura, Our Time Now

The first two lines in Kei’s solo verse in “Our Time Now” originally refers to her choosing Frankie and choosing to spend the rest of her life with him. She chooses women’s courage, she chooses bravery, and she chooses herself in her self-revelation. But when Frankie is taken into government custody, Kei's life is once more thrown upside down. But this time she must make a choice. People flock to her lead now more than ever. Kei’s strength and courage is finally seen by everyone around her. While the battle of Heart Mountain is still fully underway, the “Battle” portion of Kei’s story is done. Her moral decision is here.

Once the hero learns the proper way to act in the self-revelation, he must make a decision. The moral decision is the moment when he chooses between two courses of action, each of which stands for a set of values and way of living that affects the other. The moral decision is the proof of what the hero has learned in the self revelation. By taking this action, the hero shows the audience what he has become.

-John Truby, The Anatomy of a Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller

Now in her moral decision she is using the leadership position that people naturally give her to carry out that decision. Helping Frankie and the others to get out of jail. She and the other women who were left behind write letters to newspapers, to get their story out there and in the local news. Kei’s moral decision is about herself and fully coming into the leadership position her people have given her, but it is also done out of love. Where lots of women's courage comes from. By choosing Frankie over her family she chooses what she wants to choose.

What am I supposed to do,

Pick up the pieces without you

The world is upside down

And they have come and torn my heart away

I'm done with standing by,

Now it's time to do or die

I will fly

-Kei Kimura, Resist(Reprise)

“Resist” was Frankie’s song, but “Resist(Reprise)” is Kei’s. Frankie’s rebellion is a failed one, but Kei succeeds. She is stronger now. Stronger than he was. She has to be. She uses a version of his refrain “Resist. We’ll face the fire.” in her reprise, but hers is more sturdy. Kei’s goes as follows: “Resist. Let’s face the fire.” She has always been less flashy than Frankie, but more trusted. Their rebellion songs reflect that.

As Kei and the others prepare to enact their rebellion the women around Kei start to sing while she finishes the song.

Resist, let's face the fire

Resist, we're climbing higher

(Resist, resist, resist, resist)

(Gaman, gaman, gaman, gaman)

(Gaman, gaman, gaman, gaman)

-Kei Kimura and Allegiance Ensemble, Resist(Reprise)

This loops around to the song “Gaman” at the start of the musical where Kei becomes a beacon of light and hope for her community by rising above and trying to help everyone stay calm during a situation of great strife. Thereafter the refrain “Gaman” becomes a symbol of Kei’s womanly leadership in the musical.

I wish I could say that Kei’s new equilibrium comes in “Stronger Than Before” but it doesn’t. While that song is important in Kei’s story I believe that it’s main purpose in the 7 step story is Hannah’s self-revelation. Kei’s true new equilibrium comes only after the song “Itetsuita”.

At the new equilibrium, everything returns to normal, and all desire is gone. Except there is now one major difference.

-John Truby, The Anatomy of a Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller

That major difference in Kei’s story is in herself, but it is also in her world. The world was never the same after the bomb on Hiroshima was dropped. Although Japanese-Americans were let out of internment camps because the war was over.

At 8:15 AM Tokyo time, the B-29 bomber, Enola Gay...

Itetsuita (it was frozen)

A single atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima...

Sugoku natsui (too blisteringly hot)

Described as incomprehensible devastation...

Dozo miyou (here, look)

And we pray this promises a quick end to the war

Kaze o miyou (look at the wind)

Itetsuita (it was frozen)

Itetsuita (it was frozen)

-Allegiance Ensemble, Itetsuita

Life has technically returned to normal, but there is now a major difference.

Kei has come full circle. She now has a husband, a daughter, and a family who doesn’t hold her back. At the end Kei’s positive self-revelation allows her a happy new equilibrium. She learns how to live properly in the world and to do that in a way that wouldn’t disappoint the girl she was before her mother died. She now lives in a world where she can swing higher than ever before. But there is still a major difference, the Kei that comes out of the Heart Mountain is very different from the one that went in.

[mrdantastic808]

The Hunchback of Notre Dame: Storytelling in Song

What makes a good song in a movie?  Is it a catchy hook (like “Hakuna Matata” or “Colors of the Wind”)?  Is it the character pouring out his/her heart’s greatest desire (like “Part of Your World” or “Let It Go”)?  Is it the flashy colors and dance choreography (like “Be Our Guest” or “Friend Like Me”)?  

Generally, a song serves one of two purposes: it either advances the story or reveals something about the character.  Here’s a good litmus test: If you remove the song, does it change the movie?  If the answer is no, the song serves no purpose. Songs like “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” or “Do You Want to Build a Snowman” tells a narrative through montage. Take them out, and the movie is missing a crucial timeline piece.  Songs like “Belle” (aka “Bonjour”) and “Reflection” give us greater insight into the character’s head.  We sympathize with the character and root for him/her because of this.  This litmus test also demonstrates why a song like “Out There” works while “A Guy Like You” doesn’t.

A villain’s song works the same way.  Some advance the story (such as “Poor Unfortunate Souls”) while others reveal the villain’s character (such as “Gaston”).  Of course, some do both.  A good example is Frollo’s song, “Hellfire,” from “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.”

According to author John Truby, “It is only by competing for the same goal that the hero and opponent are forced to come into direct conflict and to do so again and again throughout the story” (Anatomy of Story, 46).  After Quasimodo helps Esmerelda escape from the clutches of Frollo, we see the desires of both our hero and villain shape with their songs.  Both want Esmerelda, but for very different reasons. For Quasimodo, Esmerelda represents his desire to fit into society.  He sings a soft song, “Heaven’s Light,” where he hopes to be loved by her.  This is followed by “Hellfire,” where we get into Frollo’s mind.  His goal up to this point has been to rid the world of “sin” (aka gypsies), but he’s now wrestling with lust towards Esmerelda the Gypsie.  

Bridging the two songs together, and running parallel with “Hellfire,” is “Confiteor,” a Latin prayer of confession.  This adds a layer to the song, bringing out the hypocrisy in Frollo.  He cries out to Beata Maria (Virgin Mary), fooling himself into thinking he’s a man of God.  He believes himself to be a pious man, yet he’s quick to judge darkness in everyone except himself.  His refusal to take responsibility for his actions allows himself to be consumed by the fiery passions of lust.  The song ends with chants of “Kyrie Eleison” (Lord, have mercy).  Frollo is no longer the same person as he was at the song’s beginning.  He literally turns his back on the silhouettes representing the “holy” war he thinks he’s fighting.  

Instead, he chooses to fight for his selfish desires.  And he’s on a collision course with Quasimodo as they compete for the same person.

One thing I didn’t notice as a kid was that the instrumentals for “Hellfire” are scattered throughout the movie.  Now knowing the lyrics to this music changes the context of the movie’s experience.  We first hear this in the opening song “Bells of Notre Dame” as the title card displays.  In a way, it symbolizes Frollo’s darkness: He killed Quasimodo’s mother and raised the child in a gilded prison, isolating him from society by instilling lies.  Quasimodo must overcome the “Hellfire” of prejudice and lies about his identity.  In order to defeat Frollo, Quasimodo breaks free from the chains holding him down.  As he’s accepted himself, he’s now ready to be accepted into society.  The instrumentals play again to close the movie, but this time used to illustrate the hero’s triumph.

“Hunchback of Notre Dame” wasn’t a movie I watched often as a kid.  I enjoyed it and watched it a couple of times, but it was overshadowed by iconic movies like “Aladdin” and “Lion King.”  Revisiting this as an adult, I now realize how underrated this movie is. Sure, it’s not perfect, but there’s so many elements I used to overlook that I now have a deep appreciation for. “Hellfire” is one of them.  It may be one of the greatest Disney villain songs of all times.  

[authorsworkshop]

Character Development

What do we mean by “Character Development”? 

Just to start— when you google “character development,” you will find some confusion as to the meaning of the phrase.  When we use it here, we’re talking about the writing characters that grow and change throughout the story. This is different from crafting a character and strengthening characterization, though these are arguably foundational to the process of character development. 

Why character development? It helps us root for the hero. It keeps the story emotionally interesting. If done well, at the end of the story, it leaves readers even more emotionally satisfied than a well-executed plot wrap-up.   

Two elements need to be in place for effective (believable and emotionally satisfying) character development, a character primed for development and a compelling character arc. While the work of many pantsers (people who write flying by the seat of their pants) testifies to the truth that these elements don’t have to be carefully planned in advance, we would likely find them at the heart of our favorite stories, intentional or not.

Crafting a Character Primed for Development 

As indicated above, rich characterization can contribute to an effective character arc. However, there are a couple of specific elements of this characterization that impact whether or not a character is primed for development. These elements vary slightly depending on who you ask, but I think you’ll get the idea from these two samples.

In The Anatomy of a Story, John Truby advises writing heroes with weaknesses and a need, “From the very beginning of the story, your hero has one or more great weaknesses that are holding him back. Something is missing within him that is so profound, it is ruining his life… The need is what the hero must fulfill within himself in order to have a better life. It usually involves overcoming his weaknesses and changing, or growing, in some way.”

In the 2019 NaNoWriMo prep guide (on the very last page of its lengthy Character Worksheet, invites writers to answer Three Big Questions about their characters that, like Truby’s weaknesses and needs, prime them for development.

What does your main character want more than anything in the world?

What do they need to grow as a person (not necessarily the same thing as what they want)?

What major flaws (internal problems) and obstacles (external problems) will stand in their way?

Plotting a Compelling Character Arc

Once you know what your characters wants/needs to grow and what is standing in their way, you have to figure out how to get them there. This element of the story is the Character Arc. It may mirror or intertwine with the plot arc, but, in most genres, it is not usually the same thing. An argument could be made that in fanfiction, it often comes close.

Various authors/storycrafters have come up with organizational structures and worksheets to help authors plot this out. I am not convinced that any formula is necessary for an effective character arc, but it might a good place to start if this is something you want to work on— like training wheels.

I will not go into detail about any of them in particular, but here are a few to check out. I’m sure the google machine could lead you to many more.

Try/Fail Cycle  

Vonnegut’s Story Shapes

6 Stages of Character Development (youtube/podcast)

Character Arc/Plot Arc Diagram 

Prompts

Prompt: How does ‘character development,’ as defined above, show up in your writing (if at all)? Do you find it to be important, as a reader or as a storyteller? If so, how?

Choose a piece (or pieces) of your own writing to evaluate. What was your character’s want/need? What were their flaws/obstacles? Can you plot out the arc? Was it believable? Emotionally satisfying? What might you do differently if you were going to rewrite the story?

Bonus prompt: Choose one of the Character Arc creation tools and plot out a Character Arc for a current WIP.

Additional Resources

tba! Send us some to add!

[keltonwrites]

knowing what you need to do and not doing it

Below is a piece from my newsletter. There is very little theme to the newsletter and there is absolutely no cadence, so it's like a surprise newsletter. Fun! Sign up for it at tinyletter.com/keltonwrites. 

A few nights ago, in a hotel room in Sesto, Italy, I woke up screaming. Not the screeching, arm-flailing kind, but the buried and from-the-belly kind of howl that wakes the herd. This has happened a few times, and it’s always because in a dream I’ve been faced with a threat I know I can’t handle alone, so I call for help, only to find my voice is broken. Cries come out as raspy whispers, and my threat comes closer and closer, as I try desperately to get some volume. Somewhere, the wiring in my brain knows it’s a dream and actual screaming isn’t needed, but my body learned to fight back and can now, with enough fear, bring hellfire from deep within, waking up me and anyone around me. To the best of my knowledge, my therapist doesn’t read my writing, but if she did, she’d be leaning back in her chair, arms crossed, face smug. The last time I went to see her, I started to talk about my latest health anxiety and she sighed, putting her elbows on her knees and her face in her hands and said, “I don’t care about your anxiety.” Then, throwing her arms into the air, “we know you’re anxious!” Next, pointing at me, “and you’re going to be anxious until you write something.” And, with a collapse back into her chair, “can we please talk about what you’re going to write?” This therapist was carved from the mounds of the earth with me specifically in mind. And she would quickly tell you that I’m screaming in my sleep because I haven’t been writing. Or, more subtly, that I feel trapped and unable to speak. I can’t write without risk. I can’t write about work without risking its health insurance. I can’t write about family without risking its loyalty. I can’t write about marriage without risking its integrity. I can’t write. And in my cabin in the mountains with the low ceilings and high dust, at my silent office with the words “selfless drive” painted on the wall, and on any page it feels like someone might read the wrong way, I feel quiet in a compressed way. “You have a lot of crazy, and if you don’t get it out, what do you expect it to do?” I twisted the ring on my right pointer finger, adjusting it back into the light lines of grime and green earned by cheap jewelry. She crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows. “But I meditate! Like, every day! I eat healthy, I exercise — I even started cross-training to make sure my exercise regimen wasn’t making me plateau. I go to bed early, I gave up almost all alcohol and caffeine. I eat so much salad. I go to therapy once a week, I spend time with friends, I make sure to take time for things like massages and beach days. What else am I supposed to be doing?” “Oh my god, Kelton: writing. You’re supposed to be writing.” And so, here we are. Some nine months to 17 years after the last newsletter I sent, and I am here to tell you my plan to start writing... again. After all, it’s an abuse of the system to know your passion and just actively choose to play DinerDash on your iPad instead of doing it. What a hateable, relatable protagonist. Two nights per week (typically Monday and Wednesday), starting today and lasting until December 22, 2018, I will be taking a self-inflicted and -instructed class on story structure. On Mondays, from 6-7:30, I will do my reading. Then, from 7:30-9, I will work the exercises from that reading. If there is no obvious exercise, I’ll pull an exercise from the internet that offers advice on novel structure and plot. On Wednesdays, I’ll use that same time block of 6-9pm to just write, with the intention of that work going toward the novel or this newsletter, though preferably the former. That’s 26 classes, and I am giving myself three skips to use as I please. The syllabus includes the following: “Wired For Story” by Lisa Cron (Sept + October), “Creating Character Arcs Workbook” by KM. Weiland (Oct + Nov), and “The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller” by John Truby (Nov + Dec). I’m telling you because I see the fallibility in forcing a rigid schedule on myself, and not merely expecting but demanding a result from it. I have done this many times before, but there is a character that has been clawing at my insides to get out, and it's just not fair to keep her trapped in my imagination anymore. Truthfully, I’ve wanted to write to you very badly for months. Not because I have some burning truth to share, some take I think will inform your views and change your mind, but because I miss the feeling of reaching out into something that felt unknown and full of potential. I miss how big the world once felt. I miss so badly that feeling that the best was definitely, without a doubt, yet to come. But with writing, it is. With writing, I can take the serpent that’s strangling me, trapping the blood and expanding weak veins, and I can expand him. I can color him and stretch him and skin him. I can build entire worlds inside him. And if a 40s-something woman named Donna leaning back in her armchair is to be believed, doing so is the only thing that can save me from the ever-tightening whir.

[bullets-and-masks]

Get to know me tag meme

tagged by @dykenisha I’m not new to Borderlands but it’s my first time interacting with the fandom so anyone that’d like to do it go ahead!! I don’t know who to tag :’v  favourite colour: oh man I really like to color with pinks and purples but I like to wear blues yellows and blacks HhHh is it noticeable that I can’t pick? top 3 ships: Borderlands because topics: Krieg/Maya, Janey/Athena and Angel/Gaige  I was gonna say “out the top of my head” but nothing came to the top of it but Waverly and Haught from Wynonna Earp  (it’s the gay braincells at work) lipstick or chapstick: chapstick if I ever remember to get it lol last song: Navegador - Malu Magalhães which is in portuguese so if you guys have trouble with that Burn the Stars -Massive Vibes, I LOVE to listen to it while playing Borderlands it is indeed a massive vibe rip last movie: Unicorn Store. It was a good time but I’m still trying to pinpoint exactly what I missed on its tone reading: The Dispossessed - Ursula K Le Guin  (it’s really nice to get such an organized and rich view on anarchy and other themes) The Anatomy of Story - John Truby   (should be called The Anatomy of Try Not To Be So Sexist)  Mortal Engines - Phillip Reeve  (the beggining lines of this book are still a really impressive thing like the sudden tone shift and that hook? A+)  The True History of Science Fiction - Adam Roberts (I know it’s an academic text in shape and delivery but also WhY the nEEd for the BIG WoRds; anyway it’s really cool and I’m having a great time) 

[autisticlalna]

okay ive managed to get some sleep, let's try and explain this in a way that makes sense outside of my brain

so Viking and Ruby both have like. extensive multiverse going on. and all of how it functions is established in a different series, but is still relevant to Skyblock Kingdoms because of whatever the beans Cherruby is up to.

the most basic gist is: they have shared lore where Viking is the manifestation of space and Ruby is the manifestation of time, although i guess only when they're in the same world together? there's also an infinite number of Vikings and Rubys throughout the multiverse, and we have this info because of a version of Viking that has space powers and a version of Ruby that has time powers on Twitch SMP. this is also all connected to the clock and compass that Ruby has on Skyblock Kingdoms, so that's why this is getting upgraded to "oh god this is relevant and i need to explain it" rather than me going "HEY THIS IS WHY I CALL THEM SPACETIME SIBLINGS BTW :D"

for the more complicated explanation, I HAVE DRAWN SOME DIAGRAMS.

behold: a basic Rubyco and a basic VikingPilot. they're siblings! they're also universal constants, seeing as you can't have a functioning world without time and space and these two dinguses represent those foundational aspects. we have no idea how this happened, and 99% of them dont know either, or even know what their roles are. they're just hanging out.

also, like, if one or both of them permadies, stuff presumably explodes. so far this hasn't been like, relevant, but it's been brought up so i should probably include that tidbit somewhere.

along with Ruby and Viking, there's also the Clock and Compass-- the Clock belongs to Ruby, and the Compass belongs to Viking. if neither of them are in a universe together, then the Clock and Compass show up as separate entities. (also they're labeled Tempus and Locus in galactic when we saw them in Twitch SMP, but there was also a bit where the fandom was nicknaming a Ruby and a Viking Tempus and Locus so it gets a bit confusing.)

however, if one of them is missing-- like, say, there's only Ruby and there was never a Viking in that universe-- then the other sibling gets demoted from "load-bearing pillar of the universe" to "normal guy" and the job of stabilizing space and time is instead done by the Clock and Compass, just like if they were both gone. i think.

for any situation where it's only Viking or only Ruby you can disregard this chunk of their lore as "not relevant" - they're a pair, do not separate. this was also the part i was confused on before, and to be honest im still not sure if im getting it right because the phrasing was vaguer than i remembered. we'll see what happens when i start transcribing tsmp lore again.

ANYWAY. we know this because of these dorks:

...specifically the bottom two, but tRuby and tViking are also important here.

Sapphire and Navigator are... sort of a matching pair? Navigator's a mess, let's pretend he's paired with Sapphire. (Sapphire's actual counterpart Viking is missing in action.) they're also the only two we know of so far that a) know about their roles and b) have the powers to prove it.

Sapphire can reset the timeline at-will (mainly to bring tRuby back to life, but has also used this to drag Navigator back when he swapped out), and has knowledge of past and future. Navigator can swap himself and other people between universes, and has knowledge of things going on in other universes involving his counterparts. Sapphire can't leave the universe he's trapped in, and Navigator is bad at anything involving time.

however, neither of them are native to the Twitch SMP universe! we don't know where they're from, but Sapphire got put there as gay baby jail and Navigator pops in to check in on her. tRuby and tViking are also not native to that universe; they were originally from TwitchCon SMP, but Nav felt bad that they're from a short-lived world and transplanted them into TSMP. they're also the only other matching set we know of besides Nav and Sapph, which might be why tRuby is able to remember past timelines and why tViking is aware of things other Vikings have done. also removing them from their home universe was probably a bad idea for that universe's continued survival but it was literally about to end anyways, so,

Nav and Sapph also can't manifest a body outside of their home universe (???), so for gay baby jail to work there needed to be a Ruby for him to possess and, uh, there kinda wasn't one in TSMP. before Nav's intervention, there was the Clock and Compass keeping things stable. (probably a good thing, because tRuby dies a lot and tViking exploded. he got better.)

but out of the Vikings and Rubys we've seen so far, Nav and Sapph are kinda the outliers in category of "actually knowing about and being able to do stuff with their powers". god wait shit fuck this raises even more questions about Navigator but im not going to get into that right now. ANYWAY

so now we've got a mismatched pair! Cherruby isn't from SBK, but we don't know how it got here or what the world it left behind was like. there's a possibility that Cherruby has a corresponding Viking back home (bc she did mention missing family), but there's also moments pointing towards her being solo. also somehow they found the Clock and Compass and has been holding onto them, and they're under observation for reasons probably related to that.

Summertime, meanwhile, presumably has No Fucking Idea. without there being a Ruby native to SBK*, he's been demoted to Normal Guy status and therefore doesn't have to deal with any of this. maybe. it's, uh, getting kinda fuzzier now that the whole "had a flashback to Dominion" thing happened. god i have no idea what's going on with him

(* Cloneby got brought up, but i don't think ze qualifies considering ze was created partway through. and also i don't know if Avid can, like, do that. especially with Cloneby being an imperfect replica, and cc!Ruby drawing attention to the fact that Cloneby doesn't have the clock despite it being part of Cherruby's design.)

you can now see why i decided to include drawings bc otherwise this is an absolute brick of text. TWITCH SMP IS A SERIES WHERE SO MUCH HAPPENS IN IT.

[bullet-prooflove]

CSI: NY Fanfic: Complicated - Chapter Seven

Rating: Mature

Pairing: Don Flack x OC

Summary: Does it have to be this hard?

Chapters:

Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, Chapter Four, Chapter Five, Chapter Six,

The bullpen was quiet for the first time in what seemed like an age. Flack hated it when it was like this, the silence let him too much time to think about the things. He couldn't stand the idea of doing that right now but it was happening and he was powerless to stop it. He shouldn't have got involved with Grace again. After a few drinks it had seemed like a good idea, coming home and finding her in his apartment and then in his shower naked it had been too good to be true.

It was only afterwards when his sensible side managed to kick in that he realized he was making a terrible mistake. Sex wasn't the way to go to get what he wanted, despite the fact it was mind blowing. If he was honest he wasn't sure that was accessible to him. Grace showed no signs of buckling. She cared about him, but it wasn't enough not any more.

The truth was he was in love with Grace, he had been from the moment he'd stolen that kiss from her that night in the bar. Too many drinks whilst playing pool after the Truby case when the bar was heaving. Somewhere in the midst when she'd been caught between the pool table and his body, he'd laid one on her. She hadn't resisted, in fact her hands had grasped his shirt and yanked him even closer.

The kiss had been sweet and sensual, their lips fit together as if the two of them were made for each other. Despite the fact it had only lasted seconds Don had placed it as his most memorable.

When the two of them broken apart the moment was over and they'd gone back to playing. Neither of them had mentioned it since. Don hadn't realized that was it then, he was hooked. Instead he had filled the missing piece of his heart with meaningless flings and one night affairs. It had taken a long time to realize that what he needed was right in front of his eyes.

He remembered that old saying, if you loved someone you set them free and that was what he was trying to do here. Don Flack always did the right thing, it was ingrained in his nature. Yet he was sick of being the brave one, it was exhausting giving so much of yourself away to the job, to other people. He needed more than that. He had wanted something for himself, someone to call his own but again it was eluding him.

He couldn't do this any more. He couldn't have what he wanted dangled so closely to his face only to have it snatched away at the last minute, he was done with that.

Don had been avoiding Grace's calls over the past few days, only returned a text if it was work related. The two of them were on separate cases at the moment so avoiding her wasn't too hard.

As soon as Don had the thought he knew that he had jinxed himself. The main door to the precinct opened as someone entered. He could tell the sound of her footsteps anywhere, and always with those battered ankle boots she adored so much.

Go away, he prayed without looking up from the report he was writing. Go away, go away.

She was wearing a different perfume today he noticed, something that was vaguely floral and reminded him of Spring. Her shadow fell across his desk, darkening the A4 papers he was reading as the footsteps came to a halt on the opposite side.

Don had learned many years ago that sometimes the best defence was to have a good offence and he was surprised to find himself shifting into that mindset almost automatically. He was already putting down his pen and rising to the challenge before she had a chance to attack. He kept his expression blank as he swivelled his head up to meet her piercing gaze, opening his hands in a mock gesture of welcome as he spoke.

"And what can I do for you on this fine day?"

"We need to talk." Grace told him, placing both hands on his desk to brace herself.

She was furious, he saw the look in her eyes as she bore down on him. Something had changed and she didn't know what and Grace didn't work well when she didn't have something tangible to hold on to. As far as he was concerned it was time for her to learn that Don Flack's patience had finally run out.

"The time for talking is over." he told her, his elbows digging into his arm rests, rotating the chair from side to side.

"Really?" Grace exclaimed.

Her eyes were narrowing with agitation as she tried to read him. She placed her hands on her hips as if reviewing a petulant child causing Flack's temper to flare as he stared back defiantly.

"What can I say?" Flack said, his voice in a matter of fact tone as he shrugged his shoulders. "You had your chance you blew it."

"Your serious?" she asked him, her eyebrows curving into a frown as she came to realize this wasn't some stupid little spat between the two of them.

"Like a heart attack, doll." he told her, shuffling the manilla folders into some form of order before raising to is feet. "Now if you excuse me I have work to do."

Doll, it had been what the other police officers had nicknamed her back when Moran had still been around, on account of her porcelain features and long dark lashes. The nickname had stuck for years until the Wilder case and that had shown everyone just how fragile Grace Sullivan really was. The beating she'd taken during the time she was held hostage at the crime scene in Brooklyn with Danny and Adam had proved her tougher than anyone had thought.

When the members of the Clan had attacked Grace, Adam and two of the patrol cops that were backing them up, she had fought so hard even Grace herself had been surprised they hadn't put a bullet in her. Instead between them they had fractured her arm attempting to restrain her before jabbing her in the head with the butt of an AK and she'd spent the next few hours unconscious while the two men tortured Adam into revealing the lab's security codes. Her damaged arm had made her practically useless when it came to their escape plan, Don knew she had harboured a lot of guilt over that for the longest time before she had learned to let it go.

Her right palm slapped against metal wall of the truck bed, bracing the entire weight of her body as Grace clasped her left arm close to her chest. Her wrist was twisted so the fingers of her fist faced upwards. He knew from the angle it was tilted at that it was either a spiral fracture or a break.

Her face was ghostly, the blood was berry red and vivid running down her cheek from a wide open gash that sliced across her hairline. There was another dried smear of red underneath her nose. There was a blush of purple already staining the line of her jaw from the punch that a perp had landed somewhere along the way.

Her breathing was laboured, he could hear the harsh ragged pants emitting from her lungs as she stood there for a second trying to regain some form of composure. She was trying to hold herself up but Don could tell from the way her body was trembling that it was becoming more than a struggle to prop herself up.

"Gracie." he said her name compulsively, stepping forward as she slid onto a sitting position on the edge of the truck bed.

His firm hands came to rest lightly on her waist, lifting her down from the truck bed as gently as he could until her feet touched the floor. Her knees buckled just a little as her feet connected. Don's muscular arm wrapped around her waist, supporting her weight as he guided her good arm around his neck.

"Adam..." she wheezed through her teeth as Don walked her step by step towards the waiting EMS team. "Jesus Danny..."

"We've got Adam and Danny, don't worry their safe." he reassured her as they came to the back of the ambulance.

He could feel her body relaxing at that knowledge. They were safe and so was she. Her head leaned in close to his. He could feel how exhausted she was, being strong in a situation like this was draining once the adrenalin had left.

Her cheek brushed against the darkened stubble of his own as they shared a moment of mutual relief . Grace exhaled, tipping her head back to rest on his shoulder for a second before he handed her over to EMS.

One of his men was calling, gesturing for him to look in the back of the car that belonged to the perps. He cast a glance at Grace as the paramedic sat her down on the edge of the ambulance.

"Go." she mouthed using her good hand to make a weak shooing gesture.

His mouth set in a grim line as he forced himself to divert his attention back to where his focus ought to be.

The case.

He shook off the memories, it was moments like that made him weak and pathetic and he refused to be like that anymore. He faced down murderers and scumbags on a day to day basis. Facing Grace like this should have been a cinch.

"Don." it was the sound of her voice breaking just a little that made him hesitate.

Jesus, he couldn't stand hearing her voice like that and knowing that he was the source of it. He took a deep breath to steel himself against it. He straightened his shoulders before blocking out all of the emotions that were churning around in his stomach before pushing on. Not once did he allow himself to look back.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The gym was busy much to Grace's disgust. Both members of the NYPD and FDNY exercised here regually. She was in the mood for a quiet work out, something to ease out the aggression that she was harbouring right now. She hadn't felt this angry in a long time, at least not directed at Flack. Working off a sweat after a tough case was the way she blew off steam and right now she had a lot of pent off rage to burn off.

The tape that was wrapped around her hands protected her skin as she threw a punch at the red bag that was hanging from the ceiling. She'd been going at this solidly for thirty minutes now and her anger still hadn't dispersed, instead she was sweaty and pissed off.

"Wow, what did the punching bag ever done to you?" she heard a familiar voice remark as she jabbed her elbow straight into the core of the bag.

Grace used the back of her hand wipe away the sweat beading on her forehead.

"Can I help you Denvers?" she asked, blowing a stray strand of hair out of her face.

Brandon Denvers grinned as stood beside her, using a green towel to wipe off the back of his neck. He was a fire fighter from the fire house near the Crime Lab, the two of them had bumped into each other at a number of arson scenes over the years. It wasn't until she joined the gym two years ago that any sort of friendship had blossomed.

Brandon was built like a linebacker, tall and wide with a muscular structure most men would envy. Brandon had had a shot at playing pro football before he's blew his knee out in his college years. His eyes were a charming shade of ebony, his hair sandy blond and cut short drawing more attention to his attractive features.

"What are you doing tonight?" he countered as she began to strip the tape off of her hands.

"I'm representing the Crime Lab at the Mayor's Charity Ball tonight." she told him, putting her foot on the bench in order to tie the loose shoe lace on her sneaker.

"You got a date?" he asked her.

Grace twisted her head towards him, her lips parted in surprised as she looked at him. Brandon chuckled at the expression on her face as she stared at him wide eyed.

"Come on Grace, your a good looking girl. You must get asked out all the time." Brandon said, giving her a smouldering look as a blush crept along her cheeks.

"Just not in the gym." she told him, trying to shrug it off as she picked up her water bottle.

"So do you have a date?" he persisted, crossing his arms over his chest as searched her face for an answer.

"Its going to be boring, all political types." she warned him.

"You'll be there." he pointed out as they began to walk slowly towards the locker room.

"It's black tie." she informed him.

"I look good in a tux." he said with an easy going smile as he gestured to his body.

"I bet you do." Grace said with a wide smile as she took in his large, muscular frame.

Why the hell not? She thought.

Flack had made it clear he didn't want anything to do with her back at the station house, that anger was still burning deep inside her. She was impulsive by nature. She had gone there to lay her cards out just the way he had done the night before and instead he'd practically slapped her around the face. The man was stubborn, she didn't know if this was something that the two of them could work out. She was far from perfect, she knew that, she'd just wished he'd given her a chance to explain.

Brandon was still waiting for an answer. Maybe something with no strings was what she needed right now to take her mind of the situation with Don. In a few days time he would have settled down and two of them would be back to meeting at crime scenes just like the old days.

Grace balled up the tape from her hands between her fingers in thought.

"Pick me up at eight?"

[this-sapphic-paradise]

Supergirl Season 1-3x05 analysis

I just want to start this off by saying that this analysis is being made by someone who just started studying screenwriting/storytelling, so in no way is this meant to be without flaws, and I welcome everyone to discuss the points being made, giving your own opinions and points of view.

And BIG thank you to @lena-lipbite-luthor for making the gifs for me!

Okay, so let’s start at the beginning, shall we? Let’s take a look at season 1.

During the first season of Supergirl, Kara had 3 close friends: Alex, Winn, and James. Their purpose on the show was to push Kara toward her ultimate goal, which was becoming a hero on her own. That doesn’t mean they were always in agreement; sometimes conflict and friction between characters are better to propel the protagonist, than nice encouraging words.

Kara also had 2 mentors: Cat Grant and J’onn – maybe three if we consider the fact that Alex also helped train her. Cat was important to both Kara and Supergirl, helping her see more clearly what kind of hero she wanted to be; while J’onn helped train Kara physically, teaching her to be a more responsible hero and a better agent.

We also had Lord, Astra, and Non as the season’s villains. Each of them, in their own way, helped shape Kara into a better hero, forcing her to make tough choices and sever some of the links she had with Krypton.

The season wasn’t perfect, it had its holes, like after Kara is healed from Red Kryptonite poisoning, and Alex says they need to work on their issues, but we never see that happening. But all in all, the season (and the protagonist) had a main goal: Kara had to learn to be a hero on her own.

Then comes season 2...

Can anyone tell me what Kara wanted, what was her desire on season two? …besides being a reporter and dating Mon-El, that is…

Because while wanting to be a reporter is not a bad thing on itself, it’s merely Kara Danvers’s desire, something that she got to do, and something that wasn’t the focus of the show.

And wanting to date Mon-El wouldn’t have been bad on its own if in order to get these characters together, the writers didn’t have to “deconstruct” Kara’s character. A quick and simple example of this is how throughout season 1, we were told again and again how important it is for Kara to maintain an equilibrium between Kara Danvers and Supergirl, and yet on season 2, we had that scene of Kara telling Mon-El that being Supergirl and having him was enough for her. When storytellers start to break the internal logic of their own fictional world, that’s when their story starts to fall apart. Robert McKee writes in his book Story:

Consciously and unconsciously, [the audience] wants to know your “laws,” to learn how and why things happen in your specific world. … For once the audience grasps the laws of your reality, it feels violated if you break them and rejects your work as illogical and unconvincing.

That’s why it’s so important for us, the viewers, to understand why characters make the decisions they make, and why it has to make sense within the context and reality of the show’s universe.

Now you must be curious as to why Kara having a bigger desire or goal is so important, and to explain that, I’m going to borrow the words of John Truby:

In the dramatic code, change is fueled by desire. The “story world” doesn’t boil down to “I think, therefore I am” but rather “I want, therefore I am.” Desire in all its facets is what makes the world go around. It is what propels all conscious, living things and gives them direction. A story tracks what a person wants, what he’ll do to get it, and what costs he’ll have to pay along the way.

Once a character has a desire, the story “walks” on two “legs”: acting and learning. A character pursuing a desire takes actions to get what he wants, and he learns new information about better ways to get it. Whenever he learns new information, he makes a decision and changes his course of action.

So you see, Kara must have a desire because that’s what turns her into an active protagonist; that’s what insures an attention-grabbing story line, making the audience go on a journey of (self-)discovery and learning with the protagonist, cheering her on and hoping she’ll achieve her goal. One of the main complaints I’ve seen floating around tumblr is how Kara has been bleak and uninteresting, and I’m afraid that’s the reason why: without a desire, Kara has no drive, becoming a passive character who mostly reacts instead of acting, and in turn the audience has little interest in investing their time and emotion on her.

The only two characters on season 2 who have any sort of true desire (in my opinion) are Alex and Lena.

Now you might say, “but Alex only wanted to be with Maggie! How is that different from Kara and Mon-El??” And to that I reply, the difference is that Maggie and Alex’s relationship is a result of Alex’s true desire: her need to be true to herself/to be comfortable in her own skin.

Alex’s journey through season 2 isn’t the story of how “she got the girl”, Alex’s story arc is her journey to finding happiness (and that she is deserving of that happiness).

Lena’s desire has been crystal clear since her first scene on the show: she wants to make L-Corp a force for good while simultaneously proving that she’s not like the rest of her family. Every single action she’s taken since that very first episode up to episode 05 of season 3 has been to try and make that desire come true, and that’s why Lena has been the most compelling character of the show lately.

To further argue that idea, Lena is the only character on the show whose actions cause consequences to her and others. Every major decision has equally major repercussions: she testified against Lillian, Lillian framed her for a crime she did not commit; she trusted Rhea, the invasion took place; Lena bought CatCo, now Morgan Edge wants to destroy her; Lena found a way to stop the Daxamite, she was accused of poisoning kids even though it wasn’t actually her fault.

Those events take the audience through a roller coaster of emotions with Lena, we experience those consequences with her, and by going through those struggles, Lena grows and changes as person. Watching that change occur, according to John Truby, is what gives the audience the deepest satisfaction, and it doesn’t matter if the change is positive or negative.

Now, the last point I want to make is about the supporting characters that have all but disappeared on season 2 and continue to be missing on season 3.

J’onn, James, and Winn have had a story line here and there, but their characters have come to a complete stop in terms of development. None of them have any goal they wish to achieve, none are of significant value to the season’s overall plot, they’ve stopped pushing Kara to be her best, and if they were to literally disappear from the show tomorrow, they would leave as the exact same people they started season 2 as (unlike Maggie who, even though had very limited time to develop, leaves the show a stronger person than when she first appeared). J’onn, James, and Winn haven’t grown as characters, and the writers are not giving them any chance to.

Starting on season 2, the writers isolated Kara by making her main focus her relationship with Mon-El. Again, having a relationship isn’t the problem (we have Sanvers to illustrate that), but when it’s the only focus of a character whose show is based on her wish to make a difference in the world, it goes back to the issue of making it look illogical and unconvincing.

Besides, by isolating (or limiting) Kara’s interaction with the rest of the characters, the writers have unmistakably dimmed the light of each of them, making each character look shallow and bleak in comparison to who they were on season one and who they had the potential to be.

To quote John Truby once more:

The single biggest mistake writers make when creating characters is that they think of the hero and all other characters as separate individuals. Their hero is alone, in a vacuum, unconnected to others. The result is not only a weak hero but also cardboard opponents and minor characters who are even weaker.

The most important step in creating your hero, as well as all other characters, is to connect and compare each to the others.

And most importantly:

Each time you compare a character to your hero, you force yourself to distinguish the hero in new ways. You start to see the secondary characters as complete human beings, as complex and as valuable as your hero.

This is Writing 101 apparently, guys. If I know this, professional screenwriters must know this as well, and I just can’t understand why they aren’t practicing it.

For the sake of the show we love, we desperately need to writers to keep that last piece of advice in mind.

Season three has me a little optimistic on that front: they have Kara and Alex having more scenes together again, and they are creating a good dynamic between Kara/Lena/Sam, my only concern with that is their intention behind it; I’m afraid they are only bringing the three of them together to cause a bigger and more “devastating” effect when Sam turns into Reign. Shock value for shock value is poor storytelling.

Speaking of poor storytelling and going back to things that must be basic knowledge for professional storytellers, I doubt I was the only one who felt the scene in Kara’s apartment with Lena, Sam, Alex, and Maggie was a little off, right? At first, I was bothered because they were only talking about men, then I thought it was just a weird a scene, but after the episode was done and I was able to take a step back, I realized why the scene was “needed”.

First of all, I believe they wanted to do a bit of fan-service by putting all of them together. But that’s not why the story “needed” the scene, that’s just how they chose to execute it. The writers needed the scene for exposition; they wanted Sam to learn Kara is healing from a “break up”, they wanted the sisters, Maggie, and the audience to know Ruby’s father is not in the picture; they wanted the other characters to learn Alex and Maggie had agreed to not have kids, and they wanted someone to touch on the theme of the episode – which was religion – and that befell on Lena, prompting her to tell that awkward story about the guy who wouldn’t sleep with her.

And here my frustration grows exponentially, because if I can buy a book on Amazon (Story, by Robert McKee), and learn this:

Why then is the scene in the story? The answer is almost certain to be “exposition.” It’s there to convey information about characters, world, or history to the eavesdropping audience. If exposition is a scene’s sole justification, a disciplined writer will trash it and weave its information into the film elsewhere.

Then the CW writers most certainly already know it as well, and there are only two possible reasons why that scene still made into the script: 1) some big-shot executive forced it to exist, or 2) the writers are that lazy/bad.

With all the “mistreated” characters (J’onn, James, Winn, M’gann, etc.), the forgotten story lines (Jeremiah, CADMUS, etc.), and all around bad writing and characterization, I feel like the show greatly underestimates its audience’s intelligence, and it just goes to show that the Supergirl writers, producers, and show-runners have forgotten one of the most important rules of storytelling:

“Story is about RESPECT, not disdain, for the audience.”

I truly hope the writers will find their LOVE for storytelling once more, because I know Supergirl means a lot to a great number of people, myself included, and there’s nothing we would like more than to sit back and enjoy the show again.

[mrxaguilera]

I miss this show so much... we miss you Nelson! Aka #lafayette 💗 #RestInPeace #TrueBlood #Trubies #LosAngeles #LA #goldenglobes #adventures #life #HBO #celebrities #myadventures https://www.instagram.com/p/CCZJh_2BlhS/?igshid=oesh51l13abn

[wild-blue-sonder]

Kat Tracks: 2017

Not a bad year for trance and electronic, but not particularly good either. 2017 was pretty ‘meh’ especially in the latter half of the year; most of my favorite tunes came out before May. Even though I was basically without internet since October and thus unable to keep up with my podcasts, it turns out I didn’t miss anything particularly intriguing which is kind of sad. That said, I think this year’s track selection is one of the most diverse to date.

1: Harry Vederci- The Power of Love (Adam White Remix) A January release that received profuse exposure on the Planet Perfecto podcast, I didn’t think much of it until about the fifth time it came up, then I decided to listen to the song in its entirety. It’s a decent cover of the original version by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. If you have an affinity for early 2000′s dance music like me, give the Rob Searle club mix a listen (but ignore the terrible music video).

2: Arston- Rage If you were one of those angry people at the beginning of 2017 for whatever reason, (most likely politics, right?), this is the track for you! Rage is a big room banger that will certainly help you release your aggression!

3: Solis & Sean Truby- Feel It (Mark W. Remix) I can’t not move in some manner when I hear this track; “bouncy” seems like an adequate description. Hopefully it’ll put you on your feet, too!

4: Orkidea- Higher State This is one of those rare tracks that I can’t quite classify, existing somewhere between trance, electronica, and progressive house. Whatever it is, I’m totally in love with it. Definitely a favorite of 2017.

5: Venaccio- Apollo This uplifting trance tune completely swept me off my feet the first time I heard it. The producer is new to me, but I can’t help but wonder if he was inspired by Ferry Corsten’s Gouryella alias after his string of successful releases. Apollo is simply a joy to listen to.

6: Armin van Buuren & Garibay feat. Olaf Blackwood- I Need You (Standerwick Remix) It’s really sad that there hasn’t been an original AvB release I’ve liked since his 2011 album Mirage. Intense was generic EDM and the majority of singles released since then have been pretty terrible. Leave it to remixers like Ian Standerwick to give us the sound Armin has abandoned.

7: James Cottle- Kesselhaus A solid trance offering from the Vandit label, which never fails to turn out quality tunes. Kesselhaus is named after the nightclub in Augsberg, Germany where this track debuted.

8: Game Chasers feat. Jes- Carry Me Away (Markus Schulz Remix) Moving into several spring releases now, this track has a light, airy vibe that made me look forward to summer. It’s been a long time since I heard Jes on a track I really liked; the last one was Cosmic Gate’s Here We Go Again.

9: Sasha feat. Poliça- Out of Time (Patrice Baumel Remix) The minimalist vibe in this deep house tune seems ideal for relaxing at a club or maybe a beach party. Sasha aka Alexander Coe has been around forever and if he keeps producing tracks like this it’s safe to say he’s still not going anywhere any time soon.

10: Para X- Rising Star (Chilled Mix) This version of Rising Star serves as the intro to Alex Roezel’s debut artist album of the same name, and what an appropriate beginning it is. I’m always a fan of good chillout tunes.

11: Andy Tau, Sean Mathews & Max Millian- Shadows & Light (Solid Stone Remix) Honestly I forgot about this tune until rediscovering it during my search for tracks to include in this list. One listen and I remembered why I downloaded it: I love the dark, progressive sound Solid Stone has adopted over the last couple years.

12: Cengiz Coşkuner- Emmioğlu (Ahmed Romel Remix) Ahmed Romel is a staple on the Blue Soho and Future Sound of Egypt labels. He has a really solid grasp on trance and progressive trance which enables him to deliver tracks like this, a captivating deep and dark take on Turkish folk music.

13: Talisman & Hudson- Leaving Planet Earth (21st Century Mix) The original version of this track debuted in 1997, so this year marks its 20th anniversary. If there’s one thing I love about the electronic music genre as a whole it’s its penchant for taking old tracks like this and refreshing them for modern audiences. In this manner, genre-defining tracks are able to withstand the test of time. This one certainly deserves to be remembered!

14: Dim3nsion- Eterna Eterna had something like a three-week run as the number one tune on Corsten’s Countdown back in August, understandable when it’s such a fantastic production. It takes you on a bit of a roller coaster ride with the intro, breakdown and build-up, but the journey is quite enjoyable.

15: Kidnap Kid- Where the Sea Swings in Like an Iron Gate Definitely one of the longest song titles I’ve ever seen. It along with the vocal sample are of Anne Sexton reading her poem “The Truth the Dead Know” which when combined with the melancholy flavor of this deep house track make for a very emotive piece of music.

16: Ilan Bluestone feat. Giuseppe de Luca- Frozen Ground (Spencer Brown Remix)       Above & Beyond feat. Richard Bedford- Northern Soul (Spencer Brown Remix) My penultimate picks of the year are two great remixes of Anjuna tunes by Spencer Brown. Frozen Ground debuted in June and Northern Soul was an emotive December release. I’m a bit more partial to the latter because I loved Richard Bedford’s work on A&B’s Group Therapy artist album which came out back in 2011, so it’s nice to hear them collaborating again.

17: Gabriel & Dresden- The Only Road This artist album from the legendary duo Josh Gabriel and Dave Dresden was a really nice way to finish off the year. It’s also their second artist album ever, the first being a self-titled one from 2005. I think Waiting for Winter is my favorite track among the dozen, but really the whole thing makes for good moody background music.

Previous Lists: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016

[one-of-us-blog]

The Eaters of Light (Doctor Who S10E10)

Today Drew is forced to watch and recap “The Eaters of Light”, the tenth episode of Doctor Who’s tenth series. There’s a monster on the loose in ye olde Scotland, and it’s up to the Doctor and his cronies to send it back from whence it came. Can they stop the beast before it eats all the light in the universe? Can they convince a bunch of Scots and some Romans to not kill each other?

Keep reading to find out…

Eli, I’m so thrilled that you enjoyed the last half of “There Goes the Bride” so much! I really, really liked Truby, and I felt like she would have fit right into the group if Dorothy actually had left the show. She felt like she had her own unique personality, and a savvy black widow would have been really fun to see play off of Rose, Blanche and Sophia. But, obviously, I’m happy to have my favorite Girl still on the show! I liked that Dorothy got to be the one to turn her back on Stan this time, and Sophia’s decision to finally give her blessing didn’t feel forced or false. She trusts her daughter, even if she doesn’t always agree with her, and that was really sweet to see play out. I’ll stop gushing about the episode now, but let me say that you did a great job with your recap! And, speaking of, I’ve got a recap of my own to post!

Buttocks tight!

Episode directed by Charles Palmer and written by Rona Munro

We start off at the Devil’s Cairn in Scotland, right here in the good ol’ present day. A young man chases after his even younger sister, who says she can hear music coming from inside the hill. The young man says the sounds she’s hearing are from ghosts, as everyone knows, and if she hangs around listening to ghosts no good will come of it. They start to leave, but then the girl starts hearing some raucous subterranean slappers. As her brother calls to her to leave the hill, we see that one of the stones adorning it has a little TARDIS etched into it.

After the credits, the TARDIS lands near the Devil’s Cairn all the way back in the second century. For some reason Bill has a sudden interest in Roman history, and she insists she knows about the Ninth Legion than the Doctor. The Ninth Legion is pretty famous, apparently, and they’re mainly famous for having vanished. The Doctor says they were killed in battle, but Bill says they just wandered off somewhere. The Doctor and Nardy go off to find the Legion’s last battlefield to prove they all died, while Bill goes off toward a river to find the missing Romans. Bill is observed by something spooky and comes across a woman, who, by the by, is sporting some interesting face painting, in the midst of a mourning ritual. She screams at the sight of Bill and chases after her with a sword, causing Bill to fall down a hill and come face to face with a Roman soldier.

The Doctor and Nardole, meanwhile, are still looking for dead Romans. Nardy catches sight of some creepy crows, but the Doctor’s not interested. The Doctor’s apparently never told Bill about the TARDIS’ telepathic translation program, because she’s shocked to find the Roman before her speaking in English. To him, she’s speaking Latin, and she soon deduces there’s some sort of space magic afoot. Bill asks if he’s from the Ninth Legion and he says he is, hinting at something bad happening to the rest of his squad. The Doctor and Nardole find a lumpy, boneless Roman body, and we find out that a lack of sunlight over a period of decades makes your bones disintegrate. The Doctor says this is alien handiwork, and nearby he and Nardy find a field full of dead members of the Ninth Legion. Nardole and the Doctor are then surrounded by more people wearing face paint, and suddenly it’s nighttime.

Bill and the Roman climb out of the hole, and the Roman says the Legion was killed by a spooky beast roaming the forest. The Roman says there were a few of his fellow soldiers who survived and they’re holed up somewhere, so he needs to check on them. He says the only Romans left alive here are the ones who deserted in fear of the beast, and then said beast shows up and kills him. Bill runs for her life as the beast follows, and she just manages to get inside the surviving Romans’ hidey hole before the beast slaps her with one of its glowing, striped tentacles. Bill and the Romans manage to block up the entrance, and Bill lets them know their homeboy is dead. The soldiers start to panic as they realize the beast knows they’re in here and they’re trapped, and then Bill passes out from the wound the beast gave her.

Nardy and the Doctor are being held at spearpoint by some Scots in face paint. One of the Scots, referred to as the Gatekeeper, arrives and explains that she’s responsible for killing the Romans. The Gatekeeper goes on an anti-Roman tirade, but the Doctor doesn’t buy that she personally killed the Romans. He wants to know what gate she’s supposed to keep, and what’s on the other side of it. Thanks to some popcorn from Nardole, he and the Doctor escape. The Doctor heds to the cairns nearby, since the Socts think of them as gateways to another world. The Doctor pokes around inside the cairn while Nardole is recaptured by the Scots. The Gatekeeper says the gate is opening, and that the Doctor won’t be coming back. He does see some sort of portal open, and on the other side he sees some creatures like the beast swimming around. The portal closes and the Doctor heads outside, finding out from Nardole (who’s now sporting some face paint of his own) that he was in the cairn for two whole days.

Nardole says he and the Scots looked for Bill over the last two days, but have had no luck. Back with the Romans, we see Bill and the Romans still stuck in their hidey hole. Bill knows she needs to find the Doctor, but the Romans say the beast is still outside and it’s not safe. The Doctor confronts the Gatekeeper about the interdimensional portal; the Gatekeeper says the beast is known as the Eater of Light, and her people have been keeping it in check. It got through, though, and the Doctor says more of them will break through, too. This is interrupted by a scream, which everyone runs off to investigate. In the hidey hole, the Romans explain to Bill that sunlight cures the blight inflicted by the beast. We get a prolonged bit where Bill explains that she’s a lesbian to one of the Romans, Lucius, and because we’ve got to turn expectations on their heads we find out that all these dudes are bi as hell (except for one exclusively gay one) and that’s just how things are in ancient Rome, baby!

This lovely bit of queer fun is interrupted as the beast begins to circle the hidey hole. The Doctor and the Scots find a deboned Scot, and the Doctor says that the stronger the beast gets the dark the world gets. The Doctor confronts the Gatekeeper about purposefully letting the Eater of Light through; she wanted it to kill the Romans, and thought the Romans could weaken or kill it. She admits this is true, and the Doctor congratulates her on dooming Earth. Bill tries to rouse the spooked Romans to join her in leaving the hidey hole and finding the Doctor, and eventually they get on board given their limited options. The Doctor makes plans to drive the Eater of Light back through the gate. The Doctor shakes the Gatekeeper out of her mourning and sulking and convinces her to help him fight the beast.

The Romans begin to make their way out of the hidey hole. One of them wants to rush out and gets snatched right up by the beast. Bill and the other Romans make it out of the hole just in time, and Bill and the Doctor are reunited (and it feels so good). The Scots and the Romans aren’t exactly on good terms, but thanks to the TARDIS’ telepathic field the two groups are able to understand each other. The Doctor convinces them to put aside their enmity to focus on the Eaters of Light, who are apparently going to eat all the light in the universe if left unchecked. The Doctor puts together a plan to lure the beast near the gate. The beast is attracted by sound, so the Scots let loose a raucous slapper like we heard in the beginning. The beast is attracted by the sound, and the Romans and Scots use some special Scot magic to weaken the creature with poisoned light.

They keep the creature subdued until sunrise, and at that point the poisoned light is too much for it and it slinks back through the gate. The Doctor says someone else has to guard the gate, so he’s gonna do that for the rest of time. Bill’s not cool with that, though, and neither is the Gatekeeper. The Doctor insists no one else can do the job like he can, but Lucius says he’ll help. The whole Ninth Legion says they’ll stay and fight alongside the Gatekeeper, and finally someone just conks the Doctor on the head to get him to shut up. The Gatekeeper and the Romans head into the gate to do… whatever they’re going to do, and the gate is made unstable by that amount of people going through at once. The chamber collapses, and the Scots begin memorializing the Gatekeeper.

Bill, Nardy and the Doctor head back to the TARDIS. For a minute Bill hears a bit of that raucous slapper, but the Doctor says music’s just funny like that sometimes. Inside the TARDIS, they find the Mistress waiting for them. Nardole is livid, but the Doctor says this is all cool. The Mistress says she’s biolocked inside the TARDIS so she can’t escape, and the Doctor’s having her do some TARDIS repair for him. The TARDIS takes off, and we see that little girl listening to the ghost music again. The Doctor plays a slapper for the Mistress in the TARDIS, and she sheds a tear without knowing why. The Doctor says she might be faking to impress him, or this might be a genuine display of emotion which would mean it’s time for them to be friends again. He’s not sure, but he hopes it’s the latter. He leaves the Mistress alone to cry and contemplate.

The End

~~~~~

I have some mixed feelings about this one! On one hand I ended up liking the Romans a lot more than expected to (probably because they’re a bunch of queer dudes), and while I found the Gatekeeper a little annoying at first she grew on me by the end of the episode. I liked the bit with the Mistress at the end, and I liked seeing Bill stand on her own without the Doctor nearby. On the other hand, the Eater of Light was a really, really dumb monster. It’s gonna eat the sun? Really? I thought its technicolor Tim Burton design was interesting, but it was just a dumb idea. I also had no idea how the Gatekeeper and the Romans going through the gate is supposed to keep the beasts at bay, and the thing with the crows was totally unnecessary. So there were some things I liked, and some things I really didn’t like. I’m just not sure which way the scales going to tip! Just kidding, I totally do.

I give “The Eaters of Light” QQ½ on the Five Q Scale.

Tune in soon to see Eli become the victim of a long con with his recap of the next episode of The Golden Girls, “Older and Wiser”, and after that I’ll be up to bat with my recap of the next episode of Doctor Who, “World Enough and Time”.

Until then, as always, thank you for reading, thank you for face-painting and thank you for being One of Us!

[missford]

I started this blog as a True Blood blog. And i spent a lot of my energy into True Blood fandom and show. Tho the last two season werent my faves, true blood was a very captivating, fun show. I was so into it. I have to say Eric Northman was the main reason I watched but the cast and story as a whole got me into it during season 1 (Alex/Eric had almost no screen time in s01). Lafayette was just an amazing character. And possible was one of the main reason I watched that first season! So many iconic one liners and scenes. So reading about Nelsans premature death made me so nostalgic. I remember it was amazing being part of true blood fandom and follow Lafayette journey and watch Nelsan amazing and mid blowing talent. Even if there were ships wars or characters bashing there wasnt a single TB fan who didnt love Lafayette! He united us. My heart is broken. 💔 we Trubies miss you,queen. Thank you Nelsan ❤️