#thank you jules for introducing us to this concept

[umossu]

If You Could Love a Creature

Fanart for @julessongs fic

It's so poetic and visual!!!! Otherworldly!!! Magical!!! Monstrous !! ←comment i should have left on the fic itself but I was possessed by The Urge To Draw right when I finished reading (⁠-⁠_⁠-⁠;⁠)

I made wolf Sokka a little bigger in size than normal because I had the princess mononoke wolf in mind oops

Also some warmup sketches I did before I spent the entire night drawing THAT

[bunnys-tales]

Fanfic Writer Interview

Thank you so much for the tag Mon @monkey-banana41, I don’t think I’ve ever spoken so much about my own experiences of writing before and it was actually super cathartic and so much fun! Hope my responses can entertain if not resonate a little 🥰.

How many works do you have on AO3?

14 - it used to be more but I’ve orphaned quite a few this year just because I couldn’t stand my writing in them (one of them was my second most kudos’d, rip 🫠).

Your top 5 stories by kudos/likes:

As much as I love and appreciate kudos (like every single one of them makes my day), I’ve had to turn my brain off in terms of kudos expectation - as much as I’d love more, I have to be ok with what I get or I’ll crumble into self doubt and despair.

That said, here’s my top five most kudos’d —

Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen) - BSD / Multichap / 9,633 words - Listen, if I could orphan this one too I would but I love how loved this one is, so I’m keeping it for the tiny ego boost. This is basically an ADA/PM beach fic feat. fluff and a bit of crack. There’s also a bonus skk chapter because I couldn’t help myself. I don’t think it’s particularly well written but it’s one of my earliest fics and is a charming product of lack of skill/experience.

Dazai’s wounds are deeper - BSD / Multichap / Explicit / 8,406 words - Another early one. This is me attempting to explore a scenario where skk get an actual goodbye on the night of Dazai’s defection and Chuuya realising why it’s necessary. If I was ever going to rewrite a fic it would be this one, overall really liked the concept but fumbled a lot on the execution. Another product of lack of skill yada yada but I’m so grateful that other people seem to like it so much!

Ribbons and Bandages - BSD / Multichap / 19,711 words - This story covers skk on two Christmas Eves, pre and post Dazai joining the ADA. The first fic I ever wrote that’s even close to the style I’m aiming for. It’s also the fic that introduced me to Jules (as a writer and a friend 🥹) as we were put together to cowrite this for the bsdc 2023 Christmas event. I learnt so much watching Jules’ process that it entirely changed the way I wanted to write, whilst giving me something to aim for in terms of style and skill. This fic means everything to me 💕.

Fifteen Minutes - Given / Oneshot / 2,860 words - My second ever fic, ever! Fluffy oneshot set during Mafuyu’s birthday and Ritsuka trying his absolute best to be a good bf. It’s fluffy and angsty and features Mafuyu’s trauma and grief. I enjoyed writing this one, it’s not particularly deep or anything but it’s kinda cute. Love Hiiragi in this, he is pookie.

Peekaboo - BSD / Oneshot / 11,390 words - Valentine’s Day games night with the Flags, an exploration of what it means to be family (for the bsdc Valentine’s Day event with the prompt found family/March sisters). This fic holds a special place in my heart, it’s the first one I was genuinely proud to have written as a solo writer but it also introduced me properly to Kat who was one of the betas and now one of my closest online friends 🥹🫶🏻

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Absolutely, I need those people to know I love them with all my heart

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Hmmm, probably It’s No Use Going Back To Yesterday. I can’t handle reading or writing non-happy endings and I’d say it’s the only fic where the ending isn’t entirely positive. It’s left open to interpretation in a way, but Chuuya really goes through it bless him. It was written for the BSD Halloween Zine: Beneath the Moonlight, so the themes are spookier and err on the side of psychological thriller. It was a challenge to write something a bit darker for sure.

Actually, my letter from N fic Hold me up to the light, let the rays pass through about forgiveness is pretty angsty too but at least the ending is more hopeful/conclusive than the other one 🙃

What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

Probably Everybody’s Free or Ribbons and Bandages. Those endings are just pure sugar 🥹🥹🥹.

Do you write crossovers?

I have a lot of crossover WIPs. One I’m co-writing with Kat and cannot wait to get back to. I have a whole Final Fantasy x BSD universe planned too which I haven’t started but the brainrot is strong 🥹. I’m also desperate to write a BSD x Ghibli fic and am looking forward to hopefully taking part in the event next year (and hopefully with Mon if the stars align 💕).

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Not hate per se, but I got a negative comment which was pretty funny.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Noooo, I’m far too awkward but that’s not to say I won’t happily read or discuss it

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge, the benefits of not having a massive reach 🫡

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not yet but I’d probably die 🥲

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

YES WITH JULES AND THE EXPERIENCE SHAPED THE WAY I WRITE MORE THAN SHE’LL EVER KNOW OR ACCEPT. I loved it so much that I will literally jump at the chance to do it again. I’m currently writing a longfic with Kat and have tentatively discussed writing fics with Mon and Bunny when we have the time 🫶🏻. I recommend it to everyone, it’s such a wonderful way to engage with fellow writers.

What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Skk hands down. I’m watching mha currently (cheers Kat), and very much ship bkdk and EraserMic too

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

I have a lot of wips that I started and didn’t vibe with but still love the idea enough to want to come back to - I don’t know if I ever will though. But I would love love love to start my FFX x BSD wip, the potential is insane, I feel like the project might be too big for me though, or that I won’t do it justice.

What are your writing strengths?

I love to write thematically or explore concepts on a slightly deeper level. I therefore enjoy writing introspection a lot, and extending metaphors to insane degrees. My favourite thing to do at school (apart from maths) was essay writing and literary analysis — so it makes sense.

I like to think my instincts for character voice are improving and that my pacing is getting better too.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Dialogue and plot, really the bare essentials for writing fiction 😂.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

If I’m interpreting this question right — I’ve never considered it, but I think it’s hilarious when a bilingual character (hc or actual canon) starts ranting in another language (looking at you Chuuya) so I wouldn’t rule it out.

What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to?

Anything ghibli or Final Fantasy. I’d love to write a YoI fic or FMA too, I have so many favourite animes that I’ve not even touched as I don’t have the confidence to yet.

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

Honestly Echoes of a Requiem - it’s my least loved fic in terms of hits/kudos but I really poured everything into it and if nobody else loves it that’s ok because I do (plus Kat and Jules) 🤍

Tagging: @i-want-you-homosexually @calmlb @azapofinspiration

[blessedarethebinarybreakers]

Hi! I don't really have anyone irl I can talk to about this so I'm hoping you could help me! I think I might be a non binary lesbian but I'm not 100% sure. I didn't realise I was a lesbian until I was 21 due to compulsive heterosexuality and recently I've been questioning my gender. Can I be non binary and lesbian? Can I be non binary and still look/act feminine? Some days non binary and they/them pronouns feel so comfortable, like coming home, other days I feel like I'm too feminine or I'm just making it up. Any advice would be amazing! Thank you so much for this blog!

Yes, you can be nonbinary and a lesbian! I have so many incredible nonbinary lesbian friends, and follow so many awesome n-b lesibans online, and let me tell ya: the nonbinary community and the lesbian community are both deeply enriched to have n-b lesbians in their number.

Here's a fantastic look into queer history showing how nonbinary lesbians have always existed. (The author of the article, Jules Ryan, is one of my fave people i follow on Twitter)

Also, yes to being nonbinary and looking/acting feminine. You can wear what ya want, use the pronouns and other language that feel best for you, and still be nonbinary! i myself am a pretty feminine person, and definitely nonbinary.

I like what this article says about this topic.

And here's one of my fave lil videos introducing the concept of being nonbinary (or trans as a whole) that might help you out too as you explore!

[joot-aro]

thanks araki for talking about my favorite jojo and my favorite minor villain i will inject this straight into my brain

(image id under the cut)

[image 1 id: a screenshot of the jotaro page in jojonium where araki talks about his thoughts on various different characters. it reads:

"The idea of making the main character of Part 3 Japanese was something I had thought of doing around the end of Part 1. I had originally planned Jojo to be a trilogy, and thought it would be appropriate to have the final, fated confrontation take place in present-day Japan, but I didn’t want it to be a tournament-style affair, like what was popular in Weekly Shonen Jump at the time. That’s when I had the idea of having the characters head for a specific destination, like a road movie, taking inspiration from Jules Verne’s Around the World in Eighty Days. Years later, a certain TV comedian took a trip across Eurasia along a similar route. Just like with Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure (JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken) coming out before Bizarre Stories in This World (Yonimo Kimyou na Monogatari), I'll say that for the record, Jojo did it first (laughs).

Clint Eastwood, who I love and respect as an actor, served as the model for Jotaro. Jotaro’s trademark pose where he points his finger actually was inspired by Eastwood pointing his .44 Magnum. Even details such as Jotaro’s catchphrase being “good grief” take inspiration from parts that Eastwood played, where he'd have lines like “A bank robbery? You have to be kidding me...” That’s why Jotaro seems a bit “rougher” compared to other Jump protagonists. Joseph might be a little easier to get into from a Weekly Shonen Jump perspective, but Jotaro actually fits my image of a hero to a tee.

My image of a hero is that of a loner. As opposed to someone who does the right thing looking for compensation or attention from others, my idea of a hero is someone who is an unappreciated symbol of justice. There are times where taking the correct path leads to loneliness. I also think that heroes shouldn't be in the business of making friends. Jotaro goes on his journey while keeping his feelings bottled up inside because he’s a “lone hero.” He doesn’t celebrate in an over-the-top manner when he defeats an enemy. For him, a throwaway “good grief” is plenty.

Jotaro has become big enough to function as a synonym for JoJo as a whole. I’ve actually based subsequent JoJos on his visual design and differentiated them from there. My original vision for Jotaro was having him journeying through the desert while wearing his school uniform, and with that, fantastical and bizarre things would happen to him during his day-to-day life. On top of that, it’s not your everyday uniform. He's got a chain hooked on to his collar, two belts... I played around with his design quite a bit until I got something that conveyed just the right amount of rebellion. Speaking of teenage rebels, you know how guys used to have chains hanging from their pants, connected to their wallets? I drew Jotaro with his chain on his uniform first (laughs)! Let's add that to the record as well." /end id]

-

[image 2 id: a screenshot of the elder d'arby page in jojonium where araki talks about his thoughts on various different characters. it reads:

"Given the evolution from the Hamon to Stands that came with JoJo entering Part 3, I wanted to include some battles that didn’t just boil down to fistfights. I mentioned this in the Hol Horse retrospective, but I wanted to keep the face-offs between the Joestar party and DIO’s minions fresh by switching back and forth between one-on-one battles and team battles, and as part of that, I needed to add some variance to the Stand abilities themselves as well. I actually did a “gambling battle” in Cool Shock B.T., but I wanted to try doing it again differently as a Stand battle. D’Arby came from my desire to do that.

I think of gambling as something where you bet your own soul and pride as part of the process. To me, the money and chips you actually use at a real casino are just a representation of your soul. So it felt natural to have D’Arby take the souls from his opponents once they lost. Well, the fact that I can depict it the way I did is all thanks to the concept of Stands (laughs). As far as gambling is concerned, you can only win or lose—there is no in-between. With D’Arby as the sole challenger, I wanted to give him the mental fortitude and strategic cunning to give Jotaro a run for his money, as well as be able to instill some fear.

I had D’Arby face off with the Joestar party in a few different ways. I like coming up with ideas for gambling because you can turn almost anything into a bet. Bets involving animals are particularly interesting to me. It’s hard to predict what they're going to do, so it works as a bet. I like situations where it doesn’t seem possible to cheat, but maybe they actually are somehow. It’s also important for the bet to feel like it fits JoJo. Poker is pretty mainstream, so I assume many of you have played it before, but the key point to winning at it is perfecting the “bluff.” It’s less of a surefire way to win the battle, and more of a battle of wits between you and your opponent, testing just how much you can fool them along with just how gutsy you are, so I think it was appropriate for the final face-off between Jotaro and D’Arby. I really enjoyed drawing the D’Arby battle, so I introduced his younger brother before the final showdown with DIO. I didn’t want to give readers yet another poker match, so that time I had them play video games instead. Video games have all kinds of genres, like baseball or racing, so I had plenty of ideas to play around with, just like with the gambling theme.

Looking back on it now, I think introducing the D’Arby brothers and the Oingo Boingo brothers in Part 3 separated Jojo from other manga, because it allowed me to add just that much more variation to the battles. Jotaro and D’Arby’s gambling battle led to Josuke and Rohan’s dice battle in Part 4, and in JoJolion, which is being serialized right now, Josuke and Jobin’s beetle fight. Battles in JoJo can be both fistfights and battles of wits. I think the D’Arby battle might have been the starting point for that." /end id]

[mooniehsh]

Just like he was before

Lucifer meeting his daughter for the first time

Obey Me! Lucifer

 (OC’s daughter just to be clear) 

Warnings: A little bit of angst, just a tiny portion of it... yeah... 

(I’m really sorry if the characters doesn’t seem like themselves. It’s the first time i tried to write something with them, and I’m not that sure that i make everyone accurate) 

I'm 99.9999% sure that i might write about this again. It’s such a fun concept, and i apologize about my grammar. English is not my first language. 

Enjoy! 

- Made by: Ace (MT)

Gif not mine

Lucifer was livid, but that was not the exact word to describe how he was feeling at this moment even though it was close to it. He was anxious, waiting, and walking towards Diavolo’s chambers with stress and curiosity running through his veins and messy heart. Anticipating on firsthand that the prince was calling only to inform him about a problem with his brothers, or maybe a usual meeting about work, and that was the main topic he had on his mind when he called him... but no, luck doesn’t exist for him. So when Diavolo spoke about his lover as the central problem in this call he was speechless.

Not to say that he was terrified in a way...

But he decided to calm down, thinking of a reasonable cause of why the young prince had called him specifically about her.  And when he reached some possible motives, he decided to shut up and not bring expectations to the matter.

 Let it be a surprise", he thought immediately when fateful scenarios crossed his mind, she is not in danger I know it. Did he believe in his own words? This time: no, he did not. But as he said before, let fate decided for him and not bring speculations to an uncertain future. 

And the great moment had to come. He walked towards the entrance, heart on the mouth, begging himself to behave and not lose his mind in the process. 

“She is a strong woman. whatever is the matter I’m sure is not that complicated” 

But only if he knew exactly what was behind the doors he definitely would be beyond terrified, maybe even confused

And what a lovely surprise, that’s exactly how Diavolo view everything in the room: confusion and pure excitement of the creature sitting on the edge of his sofa, waiting for a word to be spoken.

But it was the other way around, he wanted to hear her voice, know more of the girl who reminds him of an old friend… how strange, he thought her parents liked to talk. 

- My lord, I think we should call Lucifer a second time

 - There is no need. He will be here soon, fear not my friend-The butler nodded with his head, looking over the woman in silence one more time. And he smiled, laughing inside for the similar looks she shared with the new guest coming to the palace in no time. – So, you said your mother wasn’t coming to meet us. Is she sick? -Diavolo asked for the third time, making the young girl exhale for the curious question. She did not want to talk, but she did not have to answer with words, so a simple shake of her head was enough.

But was Diavolo satisfied with it? Of course not. So, with that in mind, he asked again -Does she knows that you’re here? -She let escape a simple laugh from her lips, opening her mouth, making the prince wait anxiously for her voice to be heard once again.

- She’s occupied with mortal duties -She responds, gaining a sly grin from Barbatos, who was curious to know if the girl was frightened of Diavolo thanks to the fact that she had not made eye contact with the man in this whole time, except when they introduced themselves of course. But deep inside, he believed that it was more out of respect. Lucifer sometimes does that, so it would make so much sense if it were the actual reason…

How thrilling the day was going to be…

- She is a doctor, am I right? It is a good profession, more with these difficult times, don’t you agree? – She nodded, playing with her phone, cursing under her breath at the moment she noticed that it was completely dead, no battery that would help distract her from the intense gaze of the demons over her body

Mother was right about this; it was going to be a little uncomfortable…

- Mortal phones do not work down here, I’m sorry for not telling you sooner. -She threw an apologetic smile at him, making eye contact for the first time in that long-languishing moment. And with that, Diavolo chuckle filled the room, spreading the humor towards his butler and creating a weird tension on her shoulders

She did not understand how her dear mother passed one whole year with these kinds of things… she was a warrior with no doubt

-  Has anyone ever told you how much you look like your father? – He had no idea… hearing the same thing from close people with knowledge of the realms was overwhelming and frustrating. But it was something she learned to normalize, until now, of course. She was there to discover for herself the truth in those words, to see if they were lying or not.

Her father was a great enigma that never had a beautiful or tragic response, and if no one dared to respond it then she was willing to sacrifice her life to search for the long-waited question 

And the same thing goes for Lucifer, whose palms were sweating from the nervous heat he was feeling inside, but that didn’t stop him from knocking on the door three times. He waited, standing in front of the golden gate, quieting his mind with delayed work, supposing this was something insignificant and momentary

But the surprise was more than alarming to him than the call that the prince dared to make minutes ago. His eyes grew bigger in honest astonishment, locking his lungs with the thin air at the simple sight of a woman, whose steps were getting closer to him in the same moment when Diavolo said something about taking her to the house of lamentation.

Lucifer was not listening to one word that fell from the mouth of his dear friend. For the first time in millennials, he never expected to find someone so intriguing yet so dangerous to meet. And his mind finally exploded when Barbatos said something about a beautiful family reunion, pointing out how much of siblings they could be if the daughter- father thing never existed between them.

- You call me for this…? -  His tone lacks the true feelings he had inside, making him sound so cold and sour that the girl couldn’t help but mock him with a confused grin. So, he was her father? 

The great lucifer was nothing other than a tired and young man whose first impression was to criticize the meeting they were having? No wonder why uncle Sol used to talk so bad about him…

 -It was a surprise, I’m sorry if made you panic but I believed it was something very important… Lucifer, meet Miss Van Doren, your lovely daughter- And the world stopped only for him to digest that tiny information.

It was her; it looked like her, but somewhat different from what he expected… 

His beloved told him about the pregnancy long ago, something he agreed to have but for details like work and difference between worlds he never got the chance to see the beautiful newborn that he created with the love of his life. He only saw through photos her baby face, how pretty she was with so little age that made him question if it was his child. 

But when his work started piling up, Lucifer had little time to check his telephone, decreasing the chats he used to have with his lover, and with it, the photos of her daughter… 

Sometimes he even forgot that he had a phone in the first place

And so, he never got to know what his beloved daughter looked like today. Until now… 

-Luci? Are you listening to me? 

-Yes! Yes, I am… -He was not, Diavolo knew that immediately. Anyways, he repeated the same instruction twice, making sure the man in front of him was paying close attention. And this time, Lucifer heard everything - You want me to take her to the house of lamentation? - Diavolo nodded with a smile, barely touching the back of the girl, pushing her closer to her father and the man was more than astounded right now. 

Who would think that a demon like him gave life to someone that radiates the aura of an angel? She was a Nephilim, of course, but he was so sure that she could be easily mistaken by an actual angel with just one glance at her 

She was the vivid image of him, and it was scary. How her eyes were so dark but yet full of light, looking at his reflection in them, knowing that she was doing the same in those ruby orbs of him. And her hair, falling almost over her shoulders with gracious black curls, just like the ink in the books he used to read to her mother. The length not too long or too short, resembling a little like her mama at least. 

It was like looking at the mirror, looking at his figure when he was part of the celestial realm. Is this possible? He was a demon now, but here she is, radiating such a pure aura and soul… 

-The others might want to meet their niece, so it’s a good opportunity to know each other. But save some space for tonight, I need to know more about her… you never told me about your affair with Jules- Because he never craved to mix personal stuff with work, but it looks like he needs to do it now thanks to this little secret. -Anyways, I hope you have a wonderful day. -And with anything else to add, they started walking towards the exit, being the palace a place so quiet that even their breaths sounded like huge lightning bolts. 

Lucifer initiated the conversation, not even daring to see the girl at his side, and it looked like she didn’t want to do the same. 

-Your mother… why did you come alone? How did you enter? 

- My uncle helped me… -Her velvet voice took him by surprise, but her words charged against him so fast that he stopped, analyzing the phrase with a confused look in his factions. 

- Uncle? - He raised a brow, while his daughter stopped her steps a few meters away from him but with a low voice she assured him that this help didn’t come from his brothers. 

- Solomon, you know him, right? -Of course, the shady magician always comes to help this tiny family. First, it was Jules when she messed up something with chemicals, and now, his child. 

- You have no idea… -Should she ask? In her mind, that attitude was kind of similar to the man mentioned before. Do these two men hold a grudge against each other? She never questions Solomon about these types of things, more because he never answered… -And your mother? Did she agree to you coming here? All by yourself? -She inhales thin air, looking at his figure getting closer and closer. In every book or website, they described this man as intimidating, but he wasn’t. Hell, she even thinks her mother can do the same thing and she would be terrified knowing it was a sign of frustration… 

- … I sneak out, so no, she doesn’t know that I’m here. - And a side of him appeared at the terror her mother must go through if she found out. That was somewhat inconsiderate on her part, to leave without telling her where she was heading 

- Do you have any idea of how frightened your mother must be? You cannot come to the Devildom like this, it is very irresponsible. You could have been attacked by another demon or worst, your aura would easily attract them, and nobody would know you were here. -She wasn’t awaiting him to scold her in their first meeting, but due to the circumstances sooner or later it would be expected to happen. 

So she waited until he had finished. And when his lips sealed in a line, looking with the ruby eyes the dark ones she smiled somewhat uncomfortable 

- Mom is working right now, in urgencies… she never goes home until 7 pm, so I got my chance- It wasn’t enough reason, but for now, he let it slip, knowing that Diavolo and Barbatos were lurking in the shadows only to hear everything they discussed. They needed privacy, so he guides the girl until the breeze of Devildom hit them. 

Lucifer put one of his hands on her back, a little hesitant, he doesn’t know if she would like it or not, he is cautious as always. Although seeing how she didn’t mind, he kept it there, still guiding her through the desolated streets of Devildom 

- Even if your mother is busy, you shouldn’t do things like this. It is dangerous, any demon could have their way with you if you are not careful… - She lightly snorted, interrupting his speech, making him feel annoyed by her action

- Father, I’m not dumb. I did not ask anyone who passed in front of me to help me. Sol would never put me at risk and besides, I appeared with Lord Diavolo… I know what I’m doing here, so do you. -And before he even dared to say something more, she continued, hugging herself because of the weather. It was cold, and her little jacket wasn’t enough to cover her body. She wishes she had listened to Solomon before she agreed to just go in without a word. - And you can lecture me with mom at your heart’s content, but I was tired of waiting for this day to come… -Lucifer squinted his eyes just a little, not sure she was trying to say. Her facial expressions were completely the opposite of her words, making her voice appear like she was struggling with something but the moves she made didn’t say the same. She seemed calm, oddly calm 

- How so…? - But he was the same, curiosity in the voice of the demon but serenity in his posture. She had to admit, they were similar in some things… - You couldn’t wait to come and risk your life without telling anybody?

- Mother said we were coming in summer, that I would meet the great Lucifer and finally get the answers I deserved. Guess what? It’s already Autumn. She made that promised more than once, and every time I was ready to go and meet you, she got a call from the hospital. How convenient… -She whispered something, an insult maybe, he couldn’t listen properly, and her body failed to hide the frustration she had inside. - I couldn’t bear to stay and keep this waiting on and on… 

-You don’t have much patience, do you? 

- I do have patience, but everything has its limits - Her footsteps were pretty slow until she stood in the middle of the sidewalk, with expectations low of what he could tell her. This demon saw in her the same posture he had when the world burned down under his feet, right at the moment, he rebelled against his father for something he thought was wrong to do. The difference? She didn’t radiate rebellion or wrath, just interest, curiosity, maybe a little of exasperation. 

What a surprise… 

-I waited almost 17 years just to see you, so don’t give me a lecture for wanting to meet my own father. - Lucifer grinned, taking his coat and putting it on her shoulders, blocking his gaze with hers. The world talked, both of them discussing something incomprehensible like past and future, so odd to everybody else, but for them?

 It was just like looking at the mirror, one that never ages, the reflection that would never let the memories escape. And the similarities with the celestial Lucifer didn’t stop coming to his exhausted mind. She wasn’t corrupted, she didn’t have desires that could identify her as hostile or something related to that keyword. She was half-human, with a soul that any demon would love to devour, with ordinary wishes like any other person in her world… she was just like he was before 

- To be this our first encounter, you don’t look like someone afraid to defy me. - Just like her mama taught her, this man is not easy to talk to. She would play his cards, even if she doesn’t know what she is doing, even if she is not conscious of it. - It reminds me of someone… 

- Mom? - The sweet and velvet voice appeared, and he took her hands, walking towards home, glazing at her from time to time. - or it is you father? - that word was still foreign to her tongue, something she had never used even if somebody demands her to pronounce it. But here she is, trying to accustom her mind to do it one more time. Deep inside she liked the idea to finally call someone like that. And luck was on her side… 

- Both, more your mother than anyone else to be precise. She was more curious than Solomon if I remember right… -And she asked again inside of her head if the man fought with her uncle. However, she should save that question for another time - She was always intrigued even by the little things that life throw at her. I don’t know how she survived so many things. It wouldn’t be a surprise if you have the same strength Louise -and her heart stopped beating, making her feel the cold of Devildom get through her clothes. Lucifer took her features for a single moment, wondering what happened to make her look so startled.

- you know my name… 

- You thought I didn’t? -She nodded, so determined that it surprises him. Did Jules never tell her about him? - I gave you the name, right when you were born… she never talked about me? 

- Not much… but mom always loved to do it, the problem is that she is very busy with work and I don’t like to interrupt her with my curiosity… sometimes - He sighed, noticing the way her eyes inspected the trees, how her hair becomes a mess, making it hard to distinguish her locks from the coat. Meanwhile, the girl called Louise was with an infinity of questions haunting her mind.

Was he the one who gave her that name? It wasn’t a joke? Oh, god, she did not know whether to thank or question Lucifer even more...

- So you know very little 

- I wouldn’t put it that way… it’s more like I know who you are, what you do but I don’t know why you leave my mother, why did you leave me? - The big question comes to his ears, making him get away from her only to open the gate of the House of Lamentation. And the name was exactly what he felt: he lamented not being there for her mother or Louise. She was a woman now, not entirely but she was older enough to understand trivial matters of the realms. - She told me you were a workaholic, but I don’t think that’s a good excuse to not come and see us… right? -The silence weren’t deadly, but her patience surely took that attribute until the lips of her creator parted to explain himself. 

- Your time is very different from mine. The clock goes slower than yours, and I’m… -His pause was something he didn’t want to express. And his pride was a rare feeling he hated right now, where deep down he tried to fight it, but it was useless -I’m the same man your mother tried to tell you about… There’s a lot of things that requires my attention, and I’m just one solitary demon. -There was something behind it, she could feel it, she didn’t buy it. 

- That’s your excuse? - Lucifer groans reach her ears, making her back up immediately, not trusting his movements one bit - Mother suffer every time I see her calling you or texting you, we deserve something more than that cheap apology… -She was walking in dangerous territory, and still feels right to her to fight the devil himself. Man or demon who wanted so badly to let her know with the exact words how true the past was for him, how things went down hill so easily. 

- I love your mother, I really do. So sorry to disappoint your expectation in my answer, but I never lie when it comes to her, you should understand that. Some things escape my possibilities… - Louise hugged the coat, even more, drifting her gaze away from him. And Lucifer sighed, making sure no one was around, not even his brothers spying through the windows. 

With another apology, he tried the last thing he would ever do in front of others, being the avatar of pride and a man who craved for a gentle touch but always deny the act when is in front of him. He hugged her, causing the girl to gasp when she felt the embrace surround her. So sweet but bitter, like cold natural lemonade made at home. She finally felt the love of a father, making the wishes she kept inside her mind for so long a dream come true, achieving something both mirrors craved so much. 

- Life is cruel, that’s how it works in our lives ,dearest one… - Louise had a strong grip on him, not wanting to let go of this moment, clinging to his father fearing this would be the last time even though is the first. And Lucifer never wanted to protect someone of corruption so much as he does right now, being her daughter so precious that he desired to see her live peacefully, not worrying about demons and wars between species… but he knew that would be impossible. Still, he would protect her and her mother just the same way he wanted to protect Lilith, and he would not make the same mistake twice 

- I never wanted this meeting to be so depressing -Lucifer offered her a wide smile, being so close to open the front door, to show her this other life she never got the chance to meet 

- Let’s call it a heartbreaking reunion, not depressing -She nodded, agreeing with his words, returning the smile but in a smaller way. And with everything settle, he greeted her inside of the House of Lamentation with hidden enthusiasm, making some of his brothers appear and see the arrival of the oldest.

They were more in shock than Lucifer when they saw her, instantly loading the girl with questions or simply trying to guess what she was. 

Surely her soul was something from an old world. Nephilims were resurfacing, it was expected to the others feel this little and simple curiosity, but being so close to the girl, inspecting her to head to toes were a little… extreme 

But still, she let them do what they wanted to do with this curiosity. She let them say whatever they wanted to say. It was fun for her to listen to stupid theories, to look at them right in the eye and see them struggle while trying to decipher who she was and why she was there 

It was fun until someone broke the tension over the brothers, being Lucifer the judge of this behavior towards his daughter. She didn’t mind if we put aside the number of times some of them dared to get too touchy with her. She even smiled when one of the brothers said something towards Lucifer about her mother 

-Angel or not, you shouldn’t be so concerned about this girl. She is not Jules, we know how to behave -Asmodeus smiled with his words falling in the air as he speaks. Louise’s laugh reached the ears of the brothers, making the action contagious to her father, being the two of them a rare pair. 

-Of course, but being his daughter might complicate some things- Levi choked with his saliva, Beel gasped, Mammon screamed some completely incomprehensible things, and the others only remained in silence. Her eyes laid upon the blonde demon who wanted so badly to say something, being interrupted by others every time he had the chance to express his mind- And no, I’m not an angel

-I knew Jules had a child, but I thought it was with Solomon… -Louise was the one now who choked, looking at Asmo and Lucifer a few times, noticing that the raven-haired demon looked a little concerned about this new information 

-...I don’t have brothers. Noah is adopted, and my mother never had another lover -Asmo mouth formed a perfect ‘o’ , and Satan finally spoke with such an intensity in his eyes. She waved at him, receiving a tiny smile from his part. And every pair of eyes laid on him

-She is gonna get mad, you know that Louise? -Of course, he was going to say the same thing Lucifer did. She knew what she was doing, she knew the risks, she was not a stupid mortal who acted on impulsive decisions all the time. 

-You know her?! Since when?! -Lucifer’s curiosity grew bigger, knowing exactly what was going on in his house, taking a few steps closer to the avatar of wrath. Please, Louise begged, do not start a conflict

-He had been visiting Jules, am I right? - The older spoke, and Satan wanted to laugh, but he remained in silence, with his gaze on the girl who expresses between her eyes and hands, that he must  leave the wave of a fight at this moment. 

-I’m not like my other brothers who forgot to go and pay a visit to our favorite doctor. Even if she was busy… -The others started with the questions one more time, shushing immediately by Satan or Lucifer. Louise only understood that some of them were with little time to see her, and others like Beel and Asmo knew about this girl. Funny, she doesn’t remember when did they go...

Maybe she was very little at that moment, she would ask her mother later if she survives… 

-… So, just to be clear: you are telling me that this girl named Louise is your daughter, and Solomon got a son which he adopted, and now she came to see you because she wanted to meet you, and Satan knew all this time and never say anything to Lucifer for respect to what Jules decided to do with her love life. And we never got to know this information until now- When Levi put the words from his perspective it seemed like a total disaster, her mind would be if Louise were him.

-It is partially your fault, for not wanting to go and see Jules. It is cruel of your part Levi -The demon made a pout when Satan spoke about him, while Mammon looked at the girl with wide eyes, realizing that it was obvious the family she was part of. 

-Hell, you are really Lucifer’s daughter. You don’t even look like your mother at all… why you never said anything?! -Lucifer groaned, crossing his arms over his chest, annoyed by all this questioning and discussion. He thinks it would be worst with Jules, knowing that if both of them arrived like a big surprise the brothers would be screaming like maniacs about this matter… 

They were yelling, that’s correct, but in a more calming way… sort of. 

-At least she got her beauty - Louise’s cheeks tainted a faint red over them, looking adorable to Asmodeus, the demon who spoke seconds ago. - Yes! She has her beauty! Oh, you look like an angel -And like an instinct, she hides behind her father, who grabbed her hand and took her upstairs while the other demons tried to stop him 

-We are not done here Lucifer! Why Jules never said something about her? It’s her daughter! 

-Mammon, that’s enough! All of you should at least give her space and not asphyxiate the poor girl! -The oldest of the brothers yelled with no effort, reflecting his molested attitude and tired mind in this discussion - You want answers? Ask Satan, I’m trying to find them as well -And with nothing else to add, he kept walking with Louise right behind him 

-Why not ask Jules? She will arrive in this home in less than an hour, so it’s a good opportunity to explain all this mess. Right, Luci? -His grin grew bigger, and the girl shivers with the simple idea of the disastrous war her mother would do when she sees her. 

-How are you so sure? -A low voice that took everybody by surprise, asking for the truth in the words of Satan. The man stood there for a few seconds, getting closer and closer to Louise, putting his hands right on her shoulders, gaining a warning from Lucifer. He didn’t care, he had more connection with this girl than he, so why bother? 

-Louise, your plan failed in just one simple error. You didn’t tell Noah about your escape right?- She had everything under control huh? Yeah, that was lie… a big one - ‘Cause I don’t know you, but he is always with you when your mother leaves you alone at home. Sometimes he even invites you to see what he had created with Solomon… -And she always calls him if she doesn’t respond to her messages. She totally forgot about him...

-She called him, fuck, she did… - A mortal who sounded and looked like an angel cursed with the simple idea of forgetting a tiny detail. Satan laughed, biting his lips while his brothers looked around kind of confused, except for Lucifer who desired to shut everything off only to have time alone with his daughter. It was annoying as always, his inexistent bad luck trying to steal precious time with his new family

- … But… you know what? I think it was a good idea that I forgot about Noah… -And Satan’s eyes went wide with her words -She owns me an explanation after all, and in this place, no work would not let her get away without telling me the truth…. So let her come -She had questions just like these brothers, and she finally would get those precious answers she deserved. 

But she wouldn't create a war for it, on the contrary, she just wanted peace and to live with both of her parents present in her life. It was the correct thing to do… 

And Lucifer could only think how oddly similar it was, how her determination put her in such a high place where there’s no visible fright for defying her creator. Just like he was before the falling… 

[mogoona3000]

Irondad & Spiderson Extravaganza—Fanfic Author Appreciation Day Edition

In honor of Fanfic Author Appreciation Day, here’s the fic list that haunts me at night, that list I cannot stop reading even if I wanted to. There are a few more but this was going to run too long, so I’ll just add my AO3 bookmark link because wow. Everything I bookmarked deserves the look over. Promise.

Lights to Guide You Home - @jolinarjackson

This is that story I cannot stop reading, and I love it more each time I do. It introduces other characters from the MCU, and honestly, Jules can give the Russos a run for their money with the way storylines are connected here. It’s elegant and perfectly paced. It’s one of my favorites. I recommend the entire series wholeheartedly. 

What We Are - @yellowdistress

A sucker for biodad Mr. Stark = me. 

Guys. The very first chapter--the very first line in this story holds right at your PULSE. And it doesn’t let go, not until it wants to. Which is never. Precious Peter Parker is an UNDERSTATEMENT. You want some AU Stark boys going through their lives as best as they can? With your canon “chaotic & heart of gold” Tony, and “walking disaster & too pure for this world” Peter? This. This is it. The whole series. The whole thing. 

The Third Option - Uncertainty_Principle

My very first fic in this fandom and it was, indeed, the best start I could’ve possibly gotten. This AU is outstanding. Man, what a job well done. I have so much to say that I can’t even begin to express it all. This fic blew the door wide open for me. It’s..yeah. This is masterful. 

Hydra’s Not a Home - @tempestaurora

Ugh. There is something about biodad Tony that just fills my lungs with air. This entire series was so complete, so well done; it was fun, and witty, and hurtful and feelings were everywhere. Also, also..Pepper is everything and more in here, and I love when she’s heavily involved. And it’s done well. It makes me FLY. Needless to say..yes. So much yes. The entire series. The whole entire thing. A must read. A muuuuuust. Yes. 

Webcams and Webshooters - @losingmymindtonight

I’m trying very hard to keep my composure because THIS SERIES RIGHT HERE, MAN. WOW. These two chaotic messes are being ridiculous on Peter’s YouTube channel and it’s the funniest, the most enjoyable thing. Nothing short of the most loving and endearing clips until it punches you in the mouth, leaves you bleeding, and then patches you up. All at the same time. If you listen closely, you can still hear my love and tears over this. Goodness, this was outstanding. 

It’ll Be Over (And I’ll Still Be asking When) - @jbsforever

My heart. The jokes. The tears. The Bruce. The way this story is handled, the way Peter Parker..I just..And there is that one scene that I just go back to all the time, because y’all just write the coolest things, and my nerd tears are LOUD. Someone read this and geek out with me. Message me right after you’re done. RIGHT AFTER.

Reviving Peter Parker - @yellowdistress

Here’s what happened: I read this and it took me the h out. 

You know, some times we wish for things that we know cannot take place. And when they actually do happen, because in the world of Tony Stark, aliens and gods walk amongst him so nothing can really surprise him anymore, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Denni has a way to tell a story with such very human-like emotion, and responses from our boys, that it’s almost too much. The tears were present right with their sibling pain. Read it all. All the parts. You won’t regret it. 

The Closest Thing He’s Got - @ grilledcheesing 

The..things I underwent with this wonderful work..All the emotions in the spectrum. Just so many things to feel. 

You love Steve? Read this. You hate Steve? Read this.

You love Spidey? Read. This. You hate Spidey? Read this, but good luck.

You love Irondad & Spiderson trope? Read this!!!!!

You love Tony Stark? Read this right now. Because he’s dong his best and everyone needs to back off. 

You hate Tony? Read this and eat your heart out.

Read this. Read this read this read this

5 Times Peter Parker Saved Tony Stark - @madasthesea 

There is a special place in my heart for all things “Peter Parker saving himself + others” and Tony just impressed with him each time. Because yeah, Tony. You found a good one. And he loves you just as much as you love him. “Ugh. So proud of that Spiderbaby” was what I murmured throughout this whole thing, with the occasional scream :)

5 Times Peter Made Tony Laugh Out Loud - @ grilledcheesing

There were tears rolling down my face when I read this. It was the funniest thing. I love Peter, that walking disaster. I’m just glad Tony is in his corner. Please read this and have yourself a good laugh. It is the best. But beware that all jokes must stop at some point.

5 Times Everyone Thought Spider-Man was Iron Man’s Favorite Superhero -  @madasthesea

Mr. Parker deserves all the love, and all the support. All the encouragement. All the good and “doing his best to be good” Irondad. This is the fic where my boys are loving on each other and everything is right with the world. 

Here’s to All the New Beginnings - @groo-ock

There is no retired Irondad like this author’s retired irondad. Gosh, Tony is a MESS, but what a good one he is. This gives you origin pieces here and there, and Tony being comically distressed over Peter, and loving him so much, it’s almost unhealthy. Also, love me some Pepper Stark nei Potts. I laughed so hard and then cried just as much. Peter’s growing and Tony can’t handle much of it. 

Honey Bee Theorem - @ closingdoors 

There are so many ways Tony’s life could’ve been lived, so many things that could’ve happened, so many things that could’ve been said. Pepper explores all of them, and it leaves you breathless no matter which way she presents them. This was quick and painful and gorgeous. We stan Queen Stark nei Potts. And we might not be okay, but yeah, he can definitely rest now. 

Soul of Wit - @yellowdistress

Sometimes I’m in bed at night thinking, “hmm, Denni is out for blood.” And by that, I mean she’s out for mine specifically. This ridiculous one-shot shot me right in my chest. Leave it to Denni to literally show you the world as it is, and make you feel this..ache in your chest, and have you THANK HER FOR THE PAIN SHE’S CAUSED. I love her work so much, that talented bean. Read this. Till the very, very end. It’s gonna suck, but I promise you’ll love it. 

Holdfasts - @groo-ock

“I know this is just my under-treated anxiety talking,” Tony says, “but if I leave this chair or close my eyes even for a second, the kid is going to die. So I have to stay here.”

Tony and Peter are a walking disaster. It’s so bad, oh my gosh. It’s so bad. The laughing while simultaneously panicking as I read this was unbelievable. The things these authors make me FEEL. Y’all don’t understand how good this is. Like, lol, seriously. This is just straight up phenomenal. Phenomenal.

Four Paragraphs - @iron--spider

WOW. Okay. The softest thing in all the land is what takes place when this majestic author creates a story. I mean, seriously, these were the best four paragraphs I’ve ever laughed and cried through. The love, the pride, the longing, the gentleness. “Everything is alright. We’re okay” is always the theme with iron--spider and honestly? I STAN SO HARD, IT MIGHT BE ILLEGAL. Loved this so much. So much. 

Call This Fixer-Upper Home - @3wworms 

Amy has a way with words. It’s surreal how a simple one shot about a couch can have someone aching, eyes prickling, and long after the tab for the story is closed, the thoughts of it all produce salty tears. Maybe it was the note she left before the story started. But..nah, Amy has a WAY with WORDS. It’s unmatched. It’s surreal. 

I Am One of You Forever - @groo-ock 

Say goodbye to your canon broken heart because this is coming for it full force. This was entirely too beautiful; it was easy. Simple. Genuine. It was SO moving. The closing chapter to the brand new book. Like a dream. Mundane, loving, friendship, love. You name all good things, this one-shot has got it. The tears will be inevitable. On multiple occasions. 

Star Child - @iron--spider

This is so organic and so soft. It’s wholesome, so much so it made me cry. These two really deserved more time. And I will never thank this author enough for giving it to them. Always. My Pete is undoubtedly a star child. Don’t fight Tony on it. 

The First Birthday After - @iron--spider

Goodness. No words. Just tears. 

Happy Birthday, tincan. 

We miss you. 

Flight of the Navigator - @3wworms

Everything, and I mean everything Amy posts is truly organic, mature and just nothing short of phenomenal. This is my favorite from her. The level of detail and characterization displayed here leaves me speechless. Always. I literally run from her fics. She pushes things out of me with the most mundane, simple concepts. A conversation, a thought, a LINE. Goodness, did I cry when I read this. It’s elegant and intelligent, insightful. It’s just so great. There is a tone to everything she creates, and it’s always so heartfelt. Everything. Everything everything is truly a work of art. 

Blankets and Brain Melting Fevers - @hailing-stars

I love some ridiculous, overprotective, comical Tony Stark. And I love even more the way Peter’s heart always has a thing for showing something new to this man. Something as simple as spaghetti-o's, and to make me CRY real tears. This was so funny and truly wonderful. Uncalled tears! But wonderful nonetheless. 

On My First Son - pansley

I almost didn’t include this. There are some things some would say are better left..unread. But what a disservice would that have been to you, to us, to the author. 

I cried throughout the entire time I was reading this. Literally. The moment you meet Peter, you already lost. 

This is absolutely incredible. What a piece. 

This one is the definition of a tear jerker. Period. It will wake up things inside of you that you’d never even know you’d felt for these characters we grew with. 

I cannot emphasize this enough: I was dangerously dehydrated. 

Heavens, what a story. I was breathless. 

Read this, but sincerely do so with extreme caution. 

Hold on to everything, because this one-shot is coming like a tsunami. No ifs ands or buts.

[jadonsancho09]

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DNP is a new NFT ecosystem based on Blockchain technology and distributed via the Binance Smart Chain Public Network where the DNP ecosystem will be a bridge for the traditional digital content market with the NFT Market and provide a place for influencers, artists, content creators, etc. to be able to make transactions and interact with each other. The DNP ecosystem is designed with advanced algorithms and is dedicated to being able to promote the digital transformation of the Digital Content market in a more positive direction by providing a unique place for artists, writers, game developers, influencers, etc. to be able to promote the content they create and offer. on their site. The DNP team designed a sophisticated NFT ecosystem that wanted to combine traditional systems through Blockchain technology and finally their team created a new, more innovative NFT market protocol with unique and diverse use cases and wider range, Users themselves can earn rewards from transaction activities in the ecosystem through passive schemes income and simultaneously collect, in addition to gaining access to various other Features available on the public network of the DNP Ecosystem. Basically Blockchain Technology itself ensures the uniqueness of each NFT with a Unique ID that exists in the ecosystem with a digital and authentic signature that can be seen by all users so that everyone can verify it publicly on their distributed network, This provides a new, more innovative ecosystem.

The DNP team designed a unique, sophisticated and highly innovative NFT Ecosystem based on a new safer working structure based on Blockchain technology so that it provides a place for its users, especially content creators, artists, influencers, writers etc. This ecosystem allows them to produce new unique artworks that are NFT and DNP certified as well as design the platform by providing a place for them to trade and sell content to the public marketplace. The DNP Platform also has a unique new Advantage feature where their Platform has a Blockchain marketplace that provides a Place to sell NFT content with a simple and easy to use UI/UX. Blockchain technology introduces a very innovative new concept and with the NFT Concept which allows existing artwork to be "tokenized" to create digital certificates of ownership that can be bought and sold to each other on their Marketplace without fear of counterfeits because everyone can see where it's coming from. NFT created & originated. DNP strives to be a game changer in the Global Market with a new Blockchain Based Ecosystem system that is very unique and innovative for all its users with various features such as Auction, Marketplace, Charts, Wallet and many others. If you are interested you can take a look at their official whitepaper here; https://dnptoken.com/#whitepaper

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TAX: 6 %

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NFT token holders can auction their works (paintings / drawings / Photo / audio / video / Gif / Nicknames and names), start trading from the minimum price, and the NFT owner can also specify the price (If the lot does not reach the reserve price) it will not be implemented.

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What makes DNP different from most other crypto projects is that over 80% of the tokens will be distributed via vested airdrop, presale, public sale, or added to liquidity on Pancakeswap & Uniscrypt.

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Roadmap

Project Team

Peter Johansson: Blockchain Entrepreneur

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The Non-Fungible-Token (NFT) concept offers a new system that creates a Digital Content market based on Blockchain Technology and creates a new Global Market with a very innovative unique concept, Currently the size of the NFT Market itself will continue to increase over time and it also provides awareness everyone about how powerful Blockchain Technology is, The past few years NFT is growing very fast and all the time because it is implemented in a very innovative way especially in the global content market apart from that the recent Bullish Market factor has also highlighted the concept of NFT to get the spotlight in the market Crypto through the system offered by Social provides an opportunity for everyone, especially Artists, Writers, Influencers, etc. to be able to contribute to marketing and present or sell their work on a transparent marketplace and get NFT certification so that the work they create is safer from duplicates or copyrights. l other. I personally highly recommend the DNP ecosystem because it has great potential which is very innovative and I hope you will be a part of this great project!

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Author:

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[yououghtaknow]

skam brighton season 5 music analysis

hello :) i’ve gone through all the songs on previous seasons of skam brighton and explained why i used them and i thought i would do it for season 5 now that it’s over.

tw for disucssion of addiction, racism, pedophilia, transphobia and homophobia

trailer

we begin with a bang with “don’t blame me” by taylor swift. now it has been said about me that i am a swiftie and it is true. and nick braxton is a reputation era bitch. this song has quite literally it all for nick’s character - we got christian themes, reference to drug addiction and an unhealthy devotion to someone. this trailer has gone through many songs to find the perfect one, but i decided on this one because of the themes, and also because of the line “they say she’s gone too far this time” - which, in regards to nick, can be read in many ways. we got the nick going “too far” with his love for james in subtly trying to break liz and james up, nick and their drug addiction, and nick and their relationship with their gender identity - going too far in both the masculine and feminine directions. also it bangs your honour.

episode one

we!! begin!! with!! saturday night’s alright for fighting by sir elton john!!! because it is saturday night and, as we’vee seen, nick isn’t afraid to get into a fight or two. this song specifically was chosen because of the movie rocketman, which i drew a lot of inspiration from, with the themes of drug addiction and sexuality. also, once again, it simply slaps.

we then get “ymca” by the village people playing in the background over the rest of the party scene. i chose this song because it is a very stereotypically gay song, and a lot of what i wanted nick to deal with was self-perception in regards to stereotypes. he is very stereotypically flamboyant because it’s both the way he is and a defensive mechanism - leading to his bisexuality being erased and being seen as gay a lot of the time. he ‘s pretty much the opposite in regards to his asian identity, with him not being academically intelligent and outspoken and being very british in their speaking patterns. it’s about the balance and duality and all that stuff. 

then, as we are formally introduced to nick’s devotion to james, we get “where dreams go to die” by john grant. thank you to my friend katya for recommeding this song as a nick song because it is just. crazy. every line makes me want to scream. especially “this is like a well-oiled machine / could i please see that smile again? / it's all that makes me feel like i am living in this world”. like that just shows the extent of nick’s love - because sometimes you’re just in love with the idea of being saved rather than seeking help. is that poetic or am i just pretentiously talking about my trauma? who knows.

we then get “overprotected” by britney spears - because britney has been a nick staple the whole series. i first heard the song in the musical & juliet and i was immediately like “oh nick core”. the song opens with: “ i need time (time) / love (love), joy (joy) / i need space (love) / i need me (action!) / say hello to the girl that i am / you're gonna have to see through my perspective”. because we are literally seeing from nick’s perspective. i also wanted to introduce the gender dynamics early - including in the trailer, where nick refers to themself with she/her pronouns - and her nick is referred to in the text of the song as a girl. it’s also a very sad song about not having any control over your life with a fun pop backing track, which is very nick braxton.

we then get another party scene, that opens with “break up with your girlfriend, i’m bored” (by ariana grande) covered by sam fender. i chose this song because 1) i love the cover and 2) god is it a nick song. literally nick has so many wants (to be loved by their family, to get sober, to succeed in school, to explore their gender freely) but he focuses on wanting james and wanting james to leave liz because there are less achievable and thus safer. also the song fucking slaps.

we close with “happy little pill” by troye sivan, a mlm classic. a staple of 2014. i chose this song because 1) drug in title, easy get, and 2) it’s actually a really good song???? it’s about the dissociation. it’s very similar to the scene with bree in season 4 episode 1 where “chandelier” plays as she’s clearly not doing well but she’s pretending for the sake of her friends. nick and bree are narrative foils and i love them.

episode two

the first song of episode 2 is “be great” by lolandre and jeremy pope after we see nick and his dad’s dynamic for the first time. and it’s really something huh. it’s about how christian does want nick to be great, but christian has a very narrow idea of what success and happiness looks like.

the next bit of media we get in this episode is nick watching the first episode of euphoria. when preparing to write various seasons of skam brighton, i watched a lot of teen dramas to get a good feel for the vibe i was going for. euphoria was one of them and it’s a show i have a lot of mixed feelings for - i think it’s very well crafted and extremely interesting but i also do have issues with the sexualisation of teenagers on screen, even if it is mostly realistic. i chose this scene specifically because nick and rue are very similar characters, in regards to their relationships with their parents (i believe nick is more of a jules kinnie but more on that later). they both just want to be a good kid and make them happy, but they can never seem to do it. gia, rue’s younger sister, is also a parallel to nick’s brothers.

we then get “old eden” by honeywater which is just simply a song i like very much that had the vibes of the scene. also the lines “i want love / but i don't just want love, i want you / i see the beach house, your sweet mouth / but the terrible news / is that love is not how it seems on the screen / yeah, real love has problems / but it's what's in-between that's the best” is simply just nick braxton huh. ambiguous disorder.

we then get “generation why” by conan gray as nick storms out of their house after a fight with their parents. i chose it very simply for the vibes because i only listened to this song once and thought “i do not wish to listen to this in my free time but it is a nick braxton time”. it’s just the angsty indie pop main character walking down the street vibes.

we!!! end!!! with!!! a song i love very much - “sex drive” by austin mckenzie of dwsa fame. this song plays over nick getting “rejected” by james and resorting to grindr to feed their want for human affection - which is where the parallels to ms jules euphoria come from. i chose this song specifically because it begins with the lines “who’s driving?” on repeat, which calls into question who is in control in the scenario. as seen on screen, nick is the one who initiates the “date” but, at the end of the day, nick is an underage teenager and the person he’s on a date with is an adult man. also the song is simply a fun bisexual time.

episode three

we open with “hurricane drunk” by florence and the machine, a song that has been decidedly nick core since 2018. like “i’m in the grip of a hurricane / i’m going to blow myself away”...... nick braxton you crazy little person

“yours” by greyson chance plays over nick and james driving out to the woods to skip school together….. it is quite insane. “no matter who i'm with, it's you that i adore / if you're not sure / baby, i'm yours” like i scream and shout nick braxton has always been in love with the concept of james cohen

“myrtle ave.” by mxmtoon plays as nick is feeling isolated from his friends…. like they just vibe with the song and the lyrics so hard. nick is just. i have no words other than i love them.

we close with “st jimmy” by green day because. goddammit isn’t he. like james just comes out as bisexual (just like st jimmy in american idiot the broadway musical) and nick is like “you are like a saint to me, i worship you, i will do anything for you”. like it’s a song about drug addiction but it’s also about being bisexual but it’s also about the performance of masculinity and the performance of being a “rebel” that james and nick both do i love them so much.

episode four

we begin with “lucy in the sky with diamonds” by the beatles. i do not listen to the beatles but i think the song is about drugs and the beatles is a james cohen band in canon so it has the connotations babey.

we then get “seventeen” by troye sivan as nick goes on grindr to seek out adult men. it’s genuinely such a nick song - once again, the fun poppy music in the background and the deeply upsetting lyrics. also, as in season 4, i chose this song to emphasise the fact that nick is seventeen and a minor and should not be doing these activities.

we then get “dancing on my own” by robyn as we’re at the vaguely halloween-esque party. it’s once again about the boppy music and sad lyrics and like. nick voice i’m in the corner watching you kiss her ohhhhhh i’m right over here why can’t you see me ohhhhhhh i’m giving it my all but i’m not the guy you’re taking home ooooh i keep dancing on my own. like he’s fucking insane (he is both me and nick)

and then!!!! we get a scene very personal to me. nick watching rocky horror for the first time at a shadowcast showing and watching “the time warp”. i first saw rocky horror when i was about 10/11 because i saw it on glee and wanted to watch the real movie and it made me so so transgender and homosexual. it is such a non-binary little movie and the time warp is just an absolute bop. 

it’s followed by a brief showing of “sweet transvestite” because tim curry in that movie is such an experience for anyone involved. like oh to be gender questioning nick braxton and to see that. what a fucking experience. and also to be gender questioning 11 year old me and to see that and then find out my school is doing a kidz bop version of rocky horror. fucking insane transgender times.

we close with “cecily smith” by will connolly as milo and nick walk home together because. it is just such a sweet song. like life is not the things that we do it’s who we’re doing them with. and it is a very nickmilo song and i am the president of nickmilo nation. i love a non-binary romance i do i do i do.

episode five

we open with “halloween” by phoebe bridgers because it is literally halloween. insane. but it is also such a nick braxton song like come on man we can be anything…… nick braxton voice i’ll be whatever you want…… it’s about the people pleasing and the desire to be wanted and needed loved and goodness gracious. also nick braxton fig faeth kinnie for this song specifically.

and then!!!!! we get nick dramatically singing “girl crush” by the harry styles version in his bathroom mirror. because goddammit they do have a girl crush. it’s about the gender and the desire to both be with james and to be liz becausenick is non-binary babey……..

and then!!!!! in such a parallel!!!!! we get milo singing “inner white girl” from a strange loop on their instagram live. “a strange loop” was a big inspiration for this season, with very similar themes fo it (you should listen to it right now) and this song….. quite genuinely we have nick singing a song about wanting to be a white girl and then they hear this song….. like nick does cling to his inner white girl as a way of staying safe - they cling to the safe idea of mlm flamboyancy and humour to hide from their genuine emotions and gender……. like it is insane to me. also white girls can do anything can’t they!!!!!!!

we then get “the people who raised me” by gregory and the hawks after nick has a fight with their parents…. “but i won't mind no time spent to save me / just trying to be good to the people who raised me” literally nick is trying his best to be good but he can’t be and that makes him angry!!!!!! but that anger is born out of a deep, deep sadness that nick has no emotional language to express, but anger is a language he can speak and it is. insane. like it’s about masculinity, it’s about femininity, it’s about everything. fuck. 

we then get "search your heart" by george feeny as nick sadly vibes at school…. also this scene does parallel with the liz/mary scene in season 2 where their parents fight. like liz is shitty to her friends but stays for her sister and nick is great to his friends but leaves his brothers behind….. the range.

and then!!!! we get phoebe bridgers’ cover of “friday i’m in love” because it is friday and nick is in love huh.

and then!!!!!!!!!! a moment i have been building up to!!!!! we get “back to black” by ms amy winehouse after nick finds out james has a crush on alistair thee fletcher. and just like. god. this song has everything for nick. it’s a song about depression, addiction, leaving your lover, anger, bitterness, second choice ness….. and also he is literally going back to black with his hair colour!!!!! because he thinks being more masculine is what will make people love him and he views pink hair as un-masculine!!!!! and he’s also going back to his family, so he’s going back to trying to hide himself to fit into their expectations….. like god it is an insane little time.

episode six 

we open with “idk if i’m a boy” by blue foster - a song i got on my discover weekly and it was a deeply personal attack. like nick voice i don’t know if i’m a reject i don’t know if i’m a loser but i know that i’ve been feeling feminine since i’ve been teething…. and how the song uses humour as a way to cope with gender dysphoria like it’s nick bay bee.

we then get “green light” by lorde because god it is such a james/nick song i feel insane. like “did it frighten you / how we kissed when we danced on the light up floor?” because james and nick have canonically kissed many times before….. also lorde as an artist just has such intense nick vibes it’s so much fun

we then get "fluorescent adolescent" by arctic monkeys over a party scene because i’ve been told on the internet that it is a british teen party classic. unfortunately the rowdiest party i’ve ever been to is my cousin’s christening so i do not know if it is factual, but it does slap. 

we then get vérité’s cover of somebody else by the 1975 because i just simply prefer this version. but like. oh nick braxton. oh it’s about the rori and the james and the nick being afraid of being open and committing to someone but still wanting to feel the sense of being wanted by someone and being the sole person they want….. literally it is very crazy.

and then we end with “sugar we’re going down” by fall out boy!!!!! like it it such a good song nick voice am i more than you bargained for yet!!! i’ve been dying to tell you everything you’ve ever wanted to hear!!!! because that’s just who i am this week!!!!! like it fits so well with his character but also it is so funny that sugar we’re going down plays as they faint at the party……. i am a comedian sometimes.

episode seven

the first song we get in this ep is “demi moore” by phoebe bridgers as nick is detoxing in the hospital. like quite genuinely “i don’t wanna be stoned anymore!!!!!!!!” they don’t want to be alone anymore!!!!!!!!!

then we get “bite the hand” by boygenius. just. like. “i can’t love you the way you want me to” is just. such a statement for nick’s season. like he can’t love james the way james wants to be loved by nick, they can’t love their parents, their parents can’t love them…… it’s all about learning how to love in a way that is felt by all parties involved in the relationship be it romantic, platonic, familial or otherwise. like. it’s so insane it’s all about love

and then we get “relay” by fiona apple - which was a contender for the trailer song at some point. like nick @ alistair is very “i resent you for being raised right etc.” because he knows liz is fucked up and has flaws, he’s seen them, but alistair is easy to project all of his hatred onto. also just like evil is a relay sport thank you ms apple.

we then get “girls just wanna have fun” by cyndi lauper and “dancing queen” and “mamma mia” by abba sung at the lgbt youth club karaoke night because. i mean of course they are. also they are very fun gender songs and i enjoy them :)

and then. my friends. the moment you’ve been waiting for. nick braxton singing alanis morrissette’s “you oughta know”. now this is gonna be a long one.

the you oughta know analysis

first things first, i got the jagged little pill broadway behind the scenes book for christmas and there’s a whole chapter about you oughta know being a song about the queer struggle of being unseen and unheard and i feel so validated like that is exactly what the song is about.

but for nick. oh baby. it is them singing to james, to rori, to al, to liz, to bree, to his parents, to his teachers, to everyone who perceives them wrong. it’s their moment of standing up and saying i am angry and i am serious about this and i deserve to be listened to as a young person. i will now give an in depth analysis of every line i want to.

“the perfect version of me” - bree and nick have had so many parallels throughout the series, which bree can be described as a “better” version of nick. they’re in therapy, she’s taking care of herself, they’re bisexual and it’s accepted by everyone, she’s a good partner to rori, she has parents who love her, and she can be gender non-conforming in a safe way. but this line also applies to al - because nick and al have also been compared this season, with al talking about how he’s comfortable with his femininity and james liking al, who, despite claiming to be more feminine, is still more traditionally masculine than nick. al, bree and liz are all very academically smart. they are all very creatively gifted. liz doesn’t struggle for money. nick, in their mind, compared to all of these people, is a failure.

“so she speaks eloquently / and she could have your baby / i'm sure she'd make a really excellent mother” - this applied to both liz and bree, who both try to be seen as very eloquent speakers, and who are both afab, so therefore can have james’s baby - something nick wouldn’t be able to do. but we have seen in liz and bree’s seasons that they both have sexual trauma, and bree especially is uncomfortable with having children. it’s nick having this idea of womanhood and femininity being something so unattainable and required for james - that it kind of segways into al. because al is also assigned female at birth and could, as he is pre-t, hypothetically have a child, which is playing into some transphobic notions, but nick sees al as both more feminine and more masculine than him - making al just perfect for james.

“and every time you speak his name / does he know why you told me / you'd be there until you died / 'til you died, but you're still alive” - nick changes to he pronouns here, now directly talking about al. we’ve seen james flirting with nick and we know they’ve kissed in the past, and james and nick are incredibly close friends. but james still, in nick’s mind at this point, chose al over him.

“it was a slap in the face / how quickly i was replaced / and are you thinking of me when she fucks you?” - the conversation about how all the skam brighton characters relate to the line between sex and love is so interesting to me. it is also the reason i do not allow my parents to read this show. but anyways - nick does feel so genuinely replaced by everyone in his life, like there’s always a newer, better version waiting just around the corner. what nick doesn’t know is that that is how everyone else around him feels as well. and the line “are you thinking of me when she fucks you” is such a pointed line because it’s not a line of confidence or a joke. nick knows that no one thinks about them like that because they feel repulsive but try to play it off as a joke.

then we get the “i” section, which is, in the script, more “ayes” and “nahs”, but i wanted to change it to be the word “i” specifically because so much of the season is nick existing for other people. for their parents, for their friends, for their clients, for james. in this moment, they are choosing themself. they are standing up and saying “what i feel is important and i fucking matter”

“'cause the joke that you laid in the bed, that was me / and i'm not gonna fade as soon as you close your eyes / and you know it” - because nick’s sexuality and nick as a romantic partner is treated as such a joke throughout the show’s run, and james has been trying to turn every time he kissed nick into a joke that will go away, but it’s not going to go away because nick remembers it. even if james tries to deny his sexuality to nick’s face, nick is always going to remember that james was, at some point, attracted to men enough to kiss him.

“and every time i scratch my nails / down someone else's back, i hope you feel it / well, can you feel it?” - every time nick has sought out sex with strangers it’s because they feel rejected and insecure in themself. they seek out this sexual validation as a way to feed their want to be loved and noticed by people and he wants james and rori to feel hurt by it - he wants to have the power, he wants to have the control.

“and i’m here” - this line is just. so powerful to me. because it’s a line of defeat - after all this time, nick’s ended up at some crappy youth group with his little brother babysitting him, and he’s been dumped and cheated on and overdosed and everything is so awful. but then it becomes a line of celebration. of “yeah, all that shit happened to me, but i’m still here, i’m still standing, and no one can take away the fact that i am here and i am alive and i deserve to be respected” - something milo taught them when they talked about their tattoo 

“to remind you of the mess you left when you went away” - nick himself is the mess they all left - because they feel so abandoned and alone and like they are just a mess to be discarded, but he’s here to remind everyone that he’s here. it’s a call for help.

“it's not fair, to deny me / of the cross i bear that you gave to me” - this line i always saw as directed at his parents - they gave him this cross of being the perfect eldest sibling that ended up crushing him, and they deny that it ever happened. but nick knows it did. the same way he knows james like guys. the same way he knows rori didn’t like only him. the same way he’s been denying himself of the cross he bears of being non-binary, the cross of being an addict, the cross of being a mentally ill neurodivergent person. this song is him finally letting go of that denial.

“you oughta know” - he’s talking to everyone with that line. everyone should know about his pain, about his emotions, about what he’s gone through, because he’s kept it so bottled up for years. it’s not fair for him not to share it because he deserve to.

they don’t call me isaac tumblr user yououghtaknowmp3 for nothing.

episode eight

we open with “seven” by taylor swift as nick reads a letter they wrote to their younger self. like. “i used to scream ferociously any time i wanted” is such a line about being neurodivergent as a child and then being forced to mask as you grow up….. also the bridge is just james and nick core…. you should come live with me and we could be pirates…..

we then get “nonbinary” by arca because i feel like at this point nick would be trying to listen to more nonbinary artists because they want to see themself reflected rather than running from it!!!!

we then get “heather” by conan gray as nick and liz accidentally meet at the local mentally ill teen zone. because i am just fucking crazy like that. and yes, i chose that song before it got big on tiktok. but i think it’s funnier because it is a famous song.

we then get “falling” by harry styles as nick is being emo in their bedroom because nick is just the type of person who will dramatically listen to harry styles in their bedroom whilst being sad. it also completes the full circle of sad taylor swift to sad harry styles, but with no vehicular manslaughter.

we then get “400 lux” by lorde after james and nick have their big conversation because like it is just a them song. like you buy me orange juice. it’s also about the james/nick having a gansey/ronan dynamic in the way that nick is devotedly in love with him and james is just being homoerotic for the jokes. but not most other ways. honestly i haven’t thought about the skam brighton versions of these characters in trc….. many thoughts head full

episode nine

we open with “pink rabbits” by the national as nick redyes their hair back to pink. and i’ll be honest. i only chose this song because it has pink in the title. but it does still vibe with nick though.

we then get “be your own 3am” by adult mom as nick is dealing with some bad cravings. it’s just a very pretty song for listening to alone at night in your bed in that weird space between sleep and awake. i love it.

we then get “i am not a robot” by marina as nick walks down the street because nick is a marina bitch!!!!!!! and “you've been acting awful tough lately / smoking a lot of cigarettes lately / but inside, you're just a little baby / it's okay to say you've got a weak spot” is such a nick @ james line it makes me insane

also rich’s entire character and backstory is directly lifted from skins gen 3 because i am niche and make content just for me

we then end with “rager teenager!” by troye sivan because i have listened to that song exactly once, decided it had nick vibes, and just stuck it in an episode somewhere.

episode ten

we open with “strange torpedo” by lucy dacus because it is just. such a nick song. it is insane. i am insane. like it is about nick wanting someone but not being sure who or what it is because he just wants to be loved and discovers that sometimes being liked is better than being loved…….

we then get “used to you” by mxmtoon and like….. “tell me what i can say / and i can say it / tell me what i can do / and i can do my best / tell me who i should be / and i can change it” is such a nick early s5 lyric…… and how the song is kind of a love song but the line “now i’m just kind of used to you” is very nick about his feelings towards james

we then get “gay street fighter” by keiynan lonsdale as milo gets their sexy slow mo that all of the love interests get at some point. they deserve it.

and then “to be alone with you” by sufjan stevens plays as milo and nick have their first kiss in the pool because i always wanted to include that scene and thought “hey here is good”. and like. they are alone with each other a lot and they like spending time with each other….. they are friends, they are teens, they are falling in love a little <3

we then get “creep” by lena hall as nick has a little gender moment at school. lena hall played yitzhak in the broadway revival of hedwig and the angry inch and she just has so much gender. creep has always been a nick song and this cover just…. it’s them. 

we then get some ambient guitar music during the nick/rori scene and i chose some songs from “your city gave me asthma” by wilbur soot because it is a fucking great album and nick is canonically a mcyt stan so i simply had to. we end with “your new boyfriend”, which is a funnier, happier wilbur soot song and it is simply a fun time.

episode eleven

we open with “gender is boring” by she/her/hers which is just an absolute banger. like “gender never really meant that much to me / til' people started telling me how it was supposed to be” is such a great line and it is very nick braxton because. like. it’s just gender babey everything is about gender except for gender which is about having fun.

“dorothea” by taylor swift plays as james and nick have their final big scene together and like. it is such a homoerotic and fun song i love it so much thank you taylor friend of the show swift. “and if you're ever tired of being known / for who you know / you know, you'll always know me” is just……. god.

we then get “i do (end credits)” by kevin abstract as we open on the final scene of the season because a) it has end credits in the title and b) it is just another song i think nick would enjoy listening to.

we then get “they/them/theirs” by worriers as we get another little party montage because it’s a vibe time and like. i do love a they/them pronoun moment. it’s a very good and fun pronoun to use.

and finally we get “prelude” from next to normal as al comes in late to the party and awkwardly stands at the back. i chose this song because. well. you’ll see :)

thank you for reading my analysis that no one asked for, i just love having fun and talking about my silly little show :)

[himitsusentaiblog]

The Hollow Earth

On Facebook, I am part of a group devoted to Kaiju Movies (I know, that’s your shocked face) and one of the members was going off about how he doesn’t like the inclusion of pseudo-science like the idea of the Hollow Earth in the Godzilla franchise thanks to it’s inclusion in Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Kong: Skull Island.  His rationale was introducing the idea in a world where Flat Earths, Anti-Vaxxers and other unscientific ideas are running rampant and where actual science education in the US is lagging badly is a bad idea that the gullible could latch onto as actual Earth Science.  Or worse, conflate into some kind of conspiracy theory.  He said that writing it off as just a monster movie and justifying it that way is no excuse for such a ridiculous idea being added to the Godzilla mythos.

Ok, this is my thinking on the idea.  

The idea of the Hollow Earth is such a staple of Lost World style science fiction going back to at least Jules Verne’s seminal novel ‘Journey to the Centre of the Earth’ which featured living dinosaurs (or at least plesiosaurids) inside the planet.

It was also the central conceit of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ (the creator of Tarzan) Pellucidar novel’s (starting with ‘At the Earth’s Core’).

It’s a fixture of old school science fiction and often where remnant species from the prehistoric age come from.  You might as well complain that having prehistoric creatures living with humans supports the ideas of Young Earth Creationists.

However, none of that directly deals with the Godzilla franchise.

I hate the tell the guy on Facebook but it’s too late there as well.

Not counting the mention of the Hollow Earth in the cancelled idea for the third Godzilla film Bride of Godzilla?  (Look that up, it’s a bizarre story), the Hollow Earth has been used in the franchise proper.

Where you may ask?  In 1973′s Godzilla vs. Megalon.

In that film, the primary evil monster is sent to the surface of the Earth but the underground civilization of Seatopia.  Long ago, they lived on the surface but retreated into the Earth when their civilization was threatened.  There, they constructed an artificial sun and lived in peace for Millennia until being disturbed by the surface world’s nuclear tests.

I would even venture that they way the Hollow Earth concept is used in Godzilla: King of the Monsters might just be an homage to the Seatopian civilization given the other Easter Eggs scattered throughout the film.

[ktaebwi]

[TRANS] 180128 Yonhap News Interview w/ BTS (2/3)

Source Part 1 | Part 3

② BTS “Topics we introduced through music, hope you could think about them together with us”

- During the last 5 years, you have released a lot of non-formal tracks on Soundcloud, this ‘consistency’ differentiates you from other idols.

▲ SUGA: Consistency is an amazing thing. There isn’t any special reason, I just like music and find releasing music fun. You need to be so to understand the non-formal tracks.  A creator should not approach commercially. I heard many say ‘Why would you release this?’ but there’s only one reason, because it’s fun. I can make and release it, get feedback, express what is hard to deliver with words or my sincerity with music. They say we express ourselves a lot and make use of SNS well, and releasing non-formal tracks is also a method. It’s not an easy decision to release as 10 original tracks, I can’t use any word to describe it other than that I just wanted to it. The non-formal tracks released long ago were made when I was thoughtful and not so sociable, so I have some regrets personally, but it feels like thanks to it the sharp edges are now carved. It was one of the turning points in my life and marked my improvement in terms of music.

- I know that until before releasing the youth series ‘Hwa Yang Yeon Hwa’, you concerned a lot about your music direction. Were there any trial and error and how did you set your direction?

▲ RM: Leaving Billboard chart entrance and Melon chart ranking aside, there are always trials and errors in music. In the past, ours were about “how can we attract the public and fans but still keep our identity", now we have more listeners so we’re working with the upcoming title track following ‘DNA’. Like how visible results come out through big and small trials and errors, the next title track will go through countless trials and errors as well. 4 years ago, ‘Danger’ entered the Melon chart at No.54 but fell out in just one day and never climbed back again. It makes me emotional remembering how there used to be times like that and in the future, we need to continue to go through trials and errors again.

▲ J-HOPE: As we’re active as BTS, we study too. When we set a subject, we think a lot about how to deliver our stories.

- Looking at the albums you have released so far, each has different themes but all deliver the messages that connect to the youth. How do you gather different thoughts of 7 members?

▲ SUGA: How we make music is, everybody participates in one beat and one subject. There has to be a standard, so the producers will pick out the best and arrange them. We always do what comes with clear standards, since we talked a lot about what’s right and wrong. We start from what anyone can think, like ‘This is obviously right, this is obviously wrong’, maybe that’s the reason why we can earn empathy.

- Your lyrics give the feels of Seo Taiji & Kids from the 90s in the sense that you both talk about what someone needs to say but no one did.

▲ SUGA, RM: Seo Taiji-hyungnim told us that. He also invited us to join his stage. (BTS participated in Seo Taiji’s 25th debut anniversary remake project and joined Seo Taiji’s celebratory concert held at Jamsil Olympic stadium, Seoul.)

- Any lyrics that you feel pleased with whenever you sing?

▲ SUGA: My favorite is ‘The dawn before the sun rises is the darkest’ from ‘Tomorrow’. When I wrote that line it just flowed out naturally.

▲ JUNGKOOK: ‘Where there is hope, there are trials’ from ‘Sea’, I don’t know why but it makes me emotional. (‘Sea’ is a track RM made inspired from 1Q84’s ‘Where there is hope, there are trials’ quote.)

▲ RM: Among lyrics I wrote recently, I like ‘Best Of Me’. There’s a line that’s dedicated to our fans ARMY, ‘I wanted to be a gentle wave but why didn’t I know you were the sea’. It means that I thought I wanted to be helpful to the fans like a gentle wave, but then I realized they are already much bigger waves than me and they made me.

▲  J-HOPE: I have two. One is ‘(So thanks) For becoming the flowers of my most beautiful moment in life’, it’s dedicated to our fans and it’s beautiful. Every time I sing the song, I feel emotional. ‘Hwa Yang Yeon Hwa’ is a meaningful album to us and it brought the fans to become our beautiful flowers. Another one is ‘I want to forever be a boy’ from ‘Epilogue: Young Forever’, it gets me thinking more and more as time passes. (Hwa Yang Yeon Hwa: 화양연화 = The most beautiful moment in life, 화 = Flower)

▲ JIMIN: The entire lyrics of ‘Epilogue: Young Forever’. It holds the thoughts we had after finishing a concert so it made me cry a lot.

▲ V: I like every lyrics RM-hyung wrote. All lyrics of ‘Epilogue: Young Forever’ are good but if I have to pick one line, it’d be ‘I was able to make someone shout’ and ‘I want to forever be a boy’.

▲ JIN: ‘It’s okay, forget it all when I say 1, 2, 3’ from ‘2!3!’. I’m the dodger type of person so I forget all bad memories. I always try to be happy so the lyrics came home to me. I have always believed if I want to be happy at the moment, I need to forget the unhappy memories.

- You’re currently preparing for the next album, so which kind of messages do you plan to follow up with?

▲ SUGA: So far we’ve only had the big picture so we can’t say anything for sure yet. Since last year’s tour, we have been talking with each other about happiness, what is happiness and how we can achieve it. Although I think we can’t become happier just by trying to be happy, I also believe we need to make efforts to be happy no matter how. We need to learn and research. Since I was young, I have been thinking a lot about what is happiness and how we can achieve it. No one has ever taught us that. I think if we introduce this topic, it’ll get many people to discuss about this matter.

▲ RM: I had been fixated on the keyword ‘happiness’ until early last year. But a while ago when I came to Japan, I read a newspaper column that said humans can never achieve the happiness we desire. It’s in our genes, we can’t be happy forever. It said that humanity achieved many goals like the industrial revolution or the advancement of science, but once we attain something, we would feel lacking in something else. We too thought we would be happy if we win first place, but there came the next goal. That column makes perfect sense to me. So rather than happiness, I think we should try and find our own conclusion about ‘Love Yourself’, which is what we’re talking about now. ‘Love Yourself’ is finding the way to love oneself. My dream is not to top the Billboard, it’s to love myself properly, because I think no matter how many times I face the ugly and insignificant sides of me, I can’t reach them. I was lucky to meet this ‘Love Yourself’ concept, so I want to stay true to this emotion and take a step closer towards the way to loving myself. There’s a lot that can be said on this subject, including darkness and loneliness.

- Many of your lyrics are inspired by literature works like ‘1Q84’ and ‘Demian’, even ‘Spring Day’ music video used ‘The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas’ from ‘The Wind’s Twelve Quarters’ as motive. Which book have you been reading recently?

▲ SUGA: I’ve been reading a lot recently. I used to love digital machines so much like an early adopter, but I went back to analog. I started writing and reading books like when I was small. Not long ago, I read ‘Life Lessons’ by psychiatrist and writer Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. I have several of her books. Right now I’m currently reading Yoshimoto Banana’s ‘About Her’.

▲ RM: I have Yoshimoto Banana’s ‘Kitchen’ at home so I’m reading it.

▲ J-HOPE: I’m planning to go back to childhood and read what I used to read back then, the classic science fiction ‘20 Thousand Leagues Under The Sea’ and ‘Around The World In 80 Days’ by French writer Jules Vernes. Lately thoughts of childhood have been keeping me relaxed.

▲ V: Recently I’ve been trying to read Phillip Chesterfield’s ‘Letters To His Son’.

- As the leader of K-pop, what do you think is the value or DNA that makes K-pop loved despite the fact that K-pop songs are in Korean?

▲ RM: K-pop is like a total art package. It’s a genre with lots of entertainment factors like music and music video, characteristics of each member, contents published on SNS and Youtube, fashion. It allows the public to enjoy in an intimate and diverse way. Fans relate to our lyrics and get to know our personalities, feel the closeness through photos, videos and everyday events we share on Twitter. K-pop creates lots of black holes that attract people in.

▲ SUGA: It hasn’t been long since the word ‘K-pop’ was born, so we still have a lot to do until we can characterize what is K-pop exactly. With Billboard opening the K-pop category again, it’s like our steps began again. I feel like it’s too soon to bring any conclusion to what it is.

[wade98martin-blog]

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[coffee-obsessed-writer]

The Assistant

A/N: Ok, if you are reading the amazing story, The Bonds that Bind Us, by my equally amazing wife @srj1990 then this story should be a bit of fun for you! Basically, me hating on the character of Ginny Monroe by way of fan fiction. Hope you enjoy it!

Warnings: None. Bitch gets what she deserves.

Word Count: 2524

The music was louder than you anticipated for a photo shoot. Behind the scenes, it was chaotic and nerve-wracking, but with Jackson at your side, you felt you could handle the pressure. Watching the stylist go about his business, you stood waiting as patiently, yet nervously, as you could for him to give you some sort of direction.

The day Jackson Alexander hired you to be his assistant had been the best day of your life, even though you know how hard the work would be. He’d become an icon in his field so quickly, that there were thousands of people eager to jump at the chance to be his assistant. Somehow, he chose you. Now, standing amid the craziness of the job, you were wondering if its something you could handle.

“Y/N!” Jackson shouted over the music, “Here, please!”

You ran over right away, and he shoved a bolt of fabric into your waiting arms.

“Drop this over there and grab me the Gucci gown from the racks. This one just looks like trash and I am not afraid to tell Vera that exact thing!” Jackson huffed as you nodded with wide eyes in his direction.

Running across the warehouse floor, you nearly slid into the table before dropping the dress on it. Pawing through the rack, you quickly found the garment he requested and delivered it.

“Thanks, babe,” Jackson said, throwing you a wink as he did.

The model before him stood motionless as Jackson fitted the dress to her willowy figure. Her face wore a blank expression as he twisted and turned her, making sure that every little detail was perfect. You watched him work, in awe of his dedicated and concentration.

Jackson Alexander was the best in the city if not the country, at what he did, and you felt more pride in being his assistant than in any other job you’d been a part of. As he finished fitting the model, you smiled and pushed your shoulders back while he continued to check her hair and makeup.

“No, no…. NO! Go back to Michelle and tell her I said to wipe that hideous color from your lips. It was fine for the Wang, but not the Gucci.”

Sighing the model did as commanded and Jackson crossed his arms over his chest. “One thing you have to learn about this business hun is that they,” he motioned towards the model walking away, “need to be constantly checked and rechecked. If they get in front of that lens—”

“Jackson! Who are you bossing around now?”

You whipped around ready to defend your boss, but when the smile spread across his face, you realized the woman approaching was a welcomed sight.

“Jules!” Jackson squealed and nearly jumped on her. “What on Earth are you doing here? I thought you and Paddy Jr., were off on some second honeymoon or something disgustingly sweet.”

“We were, but you know him. A case came up and here we are. I stopped by the bar to give you your gift, but Luke said you were already at work, so here I am,” she threw her arms open wide and her head back, causing Jackson to become near giddy with laughter.

“A gift?! Oh, show me!”

“Impatient much? You really are the brat Luke claims you to be,” she said and winked at you. “Besides, you going to introduce me to your friend, or did you forget all the manners Aileen has smacked into you already?”

“Girl, you want to start talking manners? I caught a glimpse of what you and Paddy were doing in the bar the last time you were there,” Jackson wagged his finger playfully at her, “what would mom think about that?”

“Shut up, Jackson, no worse than you and Luke—”

“Right!” Jackson clapped his hands together loudly, desperate to change the subject. “So, this here is my new assistant, Y/N. This beautiful woman before you, Y/N is my soon to be sister-in-law, Julia O’Neill. She is the ever-patient and incredibly sassy wife of Luke’s brother.”

“Nice to meet you, Julia,” you said and offered your hand to her.

“And you, Y/N. I have to ask though, what in the world made you think being his assistant would be a good thing?” Jules asked while placing an arm on Jackson’s shoulder. “I mean, he must drive you crazy!”

“Not even a little!” you said a bit too quickly, causing them both to spiral into a fit of laughter.

“Oh, girl, you are such a liar,” Jackson scolded jokingly, “but, she’s so good at being my right hand, I am not even a little mad.”

You could feel your face blushing bright red, but with what Jackson said you couldn’t help but smile.

“Well, it isn’t easy, but I wouldn’t want any other job in the world.”

“Then you are a bigger fool than he is,” another voice chimed in from behind Jackson.

Looking past Jackson and Julia, you saw Ginny Monroe standing there. Hands placed firmly on her hips, an expression of annoyance permanently fixed to her face.

“Seriously… how old are you? Twelve? Did you even finish school?” she cackled as she moved in closer to your conversation, sauntering through as if she oversaw everything.

“Ginny, what an unpleasant surprise,” Jackson groaned and gave Julia a knowing look from the corner of his eyes. “Whatever are you doing here, dear?”

“Apparently reading and attention to detail is not your strong suit Jackson. Read the mock-up for the day. I am here to replace Giselle as she had a prior engagement.” Bringing her attention from Jackson to you, her eyes narrowed down on you with a menacing dare, “Now, girl, go fetch me the Gucci off the rack so I can bring it to one of the proper stylists.”

“Excuse me?” you said with a tinge of attitude. “I don’t work for you.”

“Honey,” she said, taking a step closer to you, her expression of annoyance was developing into something much nastier, “I am the star here today, so you do work for me.”

Ginny Monroe was more than well known for her tantrums and diva-like behavior. Working in fashion for any period of time, you were warned about it nearly from the start. But now that she was here, and in your face, you couldn’t believe anyone would stand for it.

“Now, hold on a minute Ginny,” Jackson warned before stepping between the two of you. “First of all, she works for me and she will not be fetching you anything. Secondly, the Gucci is out already. Vera’s latest… creation… is on the rack and should fit your frame perfectly.”

There was an insult hiding in that last part that you couldn’t help but snicker at. Jackson caught sight of you and stifled his own smile, which clearly infuriated the model more. Looking over to Julia, she wore a satisfied expression and you could tell this was not her first encounter with Ginny.

“Once again, Jackson, you’ve screwed up royally. That Gucci was sent here specifically for me, not some third-class waif. I am wearing it. Now, send your worthless little protég�� to retrieve it before I get Laura on the phone and—”

“I’m sorry, what did you call me?”

Jackson looked at you over his shoulder, and though his expression told you that you should stop talking, you couldn’t help but continue.

“No, seriously… I didn’t hear you. The music…” you pointed above towards the speakers, knowing fully well she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from continuing the insult.

“I said, you are a worthless little protégé to an even bigger worthless… man. If you can even call him that,” she snorted through her nose, her smug smile quickly fading as Julia stepped into her view.

“Oh bitch, you did not insult my brother like that,” Julia growled as she took another step towards Ginny.

You could see Jackson’s body tense, and his face was starting to show signs of stress. Knowing you had to intervene, you lightly touched Julia’s arm and caught her gaze.

“Julia, could you do me a favor? Jackson needs to check on a few things in the makeup room, would you mind going with him? I’ll take care of Ms. Monroe and what she needs. No reason to get off track because she can’t seem to grasp the concept of shutting the fuck up.”

Jackson couldn’t hide his laugh that time and was about to retort when Julia linked her arm through his.

“Of course, hun. Good idea. Besides, I still have to give you your gift baby,” Julia said to Jackson but winked at you as she pulled him, very reluctantly, away.

“But, Jules…” his protests faded away under the pitch of the music pumping from the speakers ahead.

Turning back to Ginny, you plastered on your fakest smile and tried to deal with the monster in front of you.

“Now, what can I do for you, Ms. Monroe?”

“Are you serious right now? You just basically told me to shut the fuck up and insulted me. If you think for a second I would let you touch anything I put on my body, you are just as delusional as that two-bit hack you work for.”

“Look, I am trying to be as professional as possible, but, if you insult me or my very talented, and well-respected boss again, I will lay your botox-infested face out. Right here, right now.”

Ginny snapped her head back as though you had already smacked her and you relished in the satisfaction you felt from it. Her mouth hung open, unsure of how to respond but you just waited patiently as you shifted the oversized planner resting in your arms.

“To be fair though, Ms. Monroe, I can look up the rundown in Mr. Alexander’s work for the day, and clearly see that you, in fact, were not marked for the Gucci…” you flipped it open and pulled out the list Laura had emailed over to Jackson a few days earlier.

Ginny snorted annoyance and tore the page from the planner. When she saw her name was not near the dress she wanted, she crumbled it and tossed it over your shoulder.

“And I give a fuck what that says,” Ginny’s face steamed with anger causing little wrinkles along her brow.

“Oh, honey, that’s not good for you,” you said pointing them out, “you keep making faces like that, you will have to find yourself a much better plastic surgeon. I mean with the amount of silicone you have pumped into your face each week, lines like that shouldn’t be forming.”

“You little bitch,” she growled, her lips pulling into a tight line.

“Problem here?” Jackson said as he quickly approached you, Julia nipping at his heels.

“Sorry Y/N, I tried, but he insisted…” Julia shrugged and flashed a look at Ginny.

“Everything’s fine,” you smiled and closed the planner. “I was just correcting Ms. Monroe on what she was wearing. As you can see, she isn’t pleased.”

“Clearly,” Jackson said, bringing the back of his hand to his mouth to try and hide the grin forming. “I am sure I have something for you, Ginny. If not the Vera than… hmmm.”

Jackson seemed to contemplate what he could offer her, but Ginny immediately waved him off.

“I don’t want whatever rags you are going to throw me in Jackson. Besides, you wouldn’t know how to dress me properly, or anyone for that matter. I honest to God have no idea how you are even still working in this town. With all your bullshit and drama. The only reason I can see is because of who’s dick you suck every night.”

“Alright. I’ve had it,” you growled.

In one quick motion, you turned and shoved the planner into Julia’s hands. Balling up your fist and pulling back, you swung forward and felt a huge wave of satisfaction in the hurt of your knuckles connecting with her jaw.

As if in slow motion, Jackson and Julia both jumped back in surprise, and Ginny’s eyes immediately filled with tears as your punch knocked her on her ass. Shaking off the swell of pain in your hand, you turned to Jackson and shrugged.

“Sorry, boss. Fire me if you need to, but where I come from, we don’t let the trash talk back. Especially when its insulting those we care about.”

Jackson’s mouth was still hung open in surprise, but Julia’s laughter brought his attention back to you. “Oh, honey. I don’t want to fire you, I am giving you a raise.”

“I am going to sue you for that you bitch!” Ginny cried from the floor below as she tried to get back on her feet.

You laughed and turned to Julia, “Your husband is a lawyer, right?”

“Damn straight. A good one too,” she said with pride.

“Good. Consider him hired then,” you said without taking your eyes off the model who was finally back on her feet. “And, Ms. Monroe? Feel free to sue me. But I will reiterate my previous statement. If you continue to insult me and my employer, I won’t just beat your ass, I will have my new lawyer slap a Defamation of Character suit against you faster than you can say nose job. You got that?”

Ginny’s eyes flashed with fear. She swallowed thickly, tossing her hair back out of her face and straightened her shoulders. Without saying another word, the model stormed off and didn’t bother with hair and makeup.

Jackson and Julia were snickering as the three of you watched her walk right out of the shoot, leaving all her belongings behind.

“Damn girl,” Julia said, playfully smacking your shoulder.

“Seriously. Best. Assistant. Ever!” Jackson squealed and embraced you. “This calls for drinks! As soon as this beast of a shoot is done, drinks at the bar, ok? Besides, I think you would fit right in with this bunch.” He jerked a thumb towards Julia who was nodding enthusiastically.

“I would love that,” you said through the huge grin spreading across your face. “I just hope what I did doesn’t cause you more problems Mr. Alexander.”

“Oh my god, girl. Stop with that Mr. Alexander shit. Jackson… okay?”

“Ok, Jackson.”

“Good. Now, don’t worry about her. She’ll go hide, lick her wounds like the vermin she is, and reemerge with a brand new set of eyes and a tummy tuck to make her feel better. The next shoot we work with her, she won’t even look your way. Trust me. I think you scared the bitch pretty good.”

“Well, then. I have done my job.”

“And then some!” Julia laughed.

“Alright, we need to get back to work! Come on, Y/N, these ladies will not dress themselves.”

“Yes, Mr… I mean, you got it, Jackson,” you said with a mock salute.

Jackson threw his arm around your shoulders as the two of you walked towards the set, Julia following closely behind.

“Seriously. Best assistant ever,” he laughed and planted a big wet kiss on your cheek.

Tags: @srj1990 @aquivercactus @redm81 @sorenmarie87​

[queermediastudies]

The Tolerance Trap Is Not All Right

The Kids Are All Right is a 2010 movie starring Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, and Mark Ruffalo. Most Hollywood movies tend to shy away from the idea of including LGBT characters in the movies and if they do include them, they are more often than not, the supporting characters to the straight characters. This was not the case for The Kids Are All Right but it did play into a whole other group of stereotypical roles and finding a tolerance for the characters.  This movie overall, was cheesy and full of stereotypical clichés that the cinematic movies like to play when there are gay couples involved: One is the butch character and the other is the over feminized one. This movie also played into the fact that the family was in need of fixing with a man in the family which basically is the tolerance trap even though there was not much need of fixing except in the romance area.

Before the kids involve the biological father into the family, Nic and Jules try to play the supporting characters as seen above by handing out hugs whenever the kids are leaving the house. This GIF was taken out of the scene where Laser is under the microscope of his mothers because they believe that he is gay for Clay and did not want to come out to his mothers because he wanted to portray the more masculine character. 

Spoiler Alert: Laser is not gay. That I know of. 

While on the outside, Nic and Jules has the picture-perfect family however, their children are more often than not. Laser is into doing more drugs such as cocaine and more macho behaviors with his overly macho friend, Clay and Joni, the older sister stressed out due to moving away for college. Both children are from the same sperm donor, the character that Mark Ruffalo plays. Laser, the youngest at 15 and only boy in the family seeks out his sister’s, Joni, help to reach out the biological father. Being in finding the father figure mindset, the kids are pro-parental with Mark Ruffalo’s character, Paul.  Ruffalo’s character is considerably very free-spirited such as riding motorcycles, getting any woman to pay attention to him, and even getting involved with Laser and Clay’s antics such as skating off of rooftops.

Paul was trying to play off the silence on his end of the phone when Joni has gotten in touch with him to meet up with her brother and herself and was explaining to Paul about herself - like the fact that she has two moms and they both used Paul’s sperm to have both Laser and Joni. His response was:

“Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Hollywood began to amend its Production Code and allow more ‘adult’ topics to reach the screen. In 1961, the Code Administration agreed to allow the onscreen treatment of homosexuality as long as it was done with ‘care, discretion, and restraint.’” (Bernshoff & Griffin, 2004, pg. 8) This movie in general played into stereotypical roles that the cinematic crowd eventually needs to rid of. We rely so heavily on it and it is portrayed to the full extent with Nic as more of the butch character. While she is a nurse but she states the rules and the chores that the children need to get doing such as writing thank you cards and banning the ‘fun’ things in life and Jules, the more feminine actress relies on Nic’s income while starting up her landscaping company. However, as the movie continues on – The lack of sex tension lies in the air between Jules and Nic. There was one, ONE scene where they tried to initiate sex and it did not turn out so hot. It was very unsexy but that was not the only time where the picture of sex happened. Due to the lack of it, Jules finds it with the children’s biological father. This then starts to break the picture-perfect family.

In the cinematic world, the LGBT community does not have a lot of groundbreaking movies with scenes or parts that involve same-sex sex scenes. The only thing that stays in place are the chaste kisses between the same-sex couples but having heteronormative scenes to be crazy and ‘sexy’ if that is what Jules and Paul’s relationship was.  The Kids Are All Right feeds into the trope of stereotypes and tolerance whether we want to understand it or not. They do not have the power as much as we want to feed into that trope. While there are the movies and it shows that we have finally ‘completed’ the idea of inclusion for everything and everyone, it falls far beneath the lines of completion. “By declaring the end just in sight, we prevent ourself from crossing the finish line and achieving real integration and inclusion. The framework of ‘tolerance’, a framework that has come to dominate public discussion about gay and lesbian rights, enables this fantasy of completion...we imagine we have reach the pinnacle before we’ve even really started climbing the mountain. Tolerance allows bigotry to stay in place...” (Walters, 2004, pg. 10). 

This movie overall lays into the tolerance trap that Walters (2015) introduces in the course readings. The tolerance trap is the idea that there is something that needs to be fixed and you are able to withstand the thing that needs to be tolerated. Although, LGBT characters in shows do not really needs to be tolerated. . “To say you ‘tolerate’ homosexuality is to imply that homosexuality is bad or immoral o even just benignly icky, like that exotic food you just can’t bring yourself to try.” (Walters, 2015, pg. 2). The reason that I believed this to play a concept in this movie is because of the fact when the kids went to finally meet Mark Ruffalo’s character, Ruffalo’s character was rather in awe and kind of shocked when the kids told him that they had two moms. Paul did try to rub off the surprised look. Later on, in the movie, he tries even harder to break apart Nic and Jules’s family by trying to push Nic away from the picture and even calls up Jules when the kids find out about Jules and Paul knocking boots.  He then proceeds to say in summary to run away with him and they can start a different life together. Jules then proceeds to hang up on him after she adamantly states that she is a lesbian. This to me played into the tolerance trap due to the fact that he thought there was something ‘wrong’ or needs to be fixed since he was not involved in the relationship with Jules and the children. He tolerated the relationship that Nic and Jules portrayed until he was found out by Nic that he was having sex with her wife.

These are just a few problems with the fact that it installs ideals as to how all gay/lesbian relationships are like. This is not potentially a problem, it is the problem in all LGBT movies. There are no happy endings and this is what brought me dislike the movie.

The ending is what made me even more angry in the end. There was no closure for the characters. This movie tried to play the happily-ever-after theme with the wind blowing everyone’s hair and holding hands. This all came to a conclusion when Laser says to his moms:

He wants his family to stay together and he voices it. Giving this as the ending to the movie as they drive down the road, holding hands and away from Joni. The feeling of being away from Paul lifted an unseeingly weight off of their shoulders - At least to me, that is how it was seen.

As a straight person, this movie critically does engage the viewers with comedic stances and overall happy endings. Movies that give me the happy ending are always the best however, this movie gave me a sense of incompletion with the characters - There were a lot of unanswered questions to this viewing of The Kids Are All Right. Happy endings are my favorite. I cannot deny that and while the movie’s ending gave me that sense of it, it was not the ending that it should have been. It was open-ended. To me, I did not even have the tolerance trap stuck in my head until I watched this movie. Paul, the sperm donor will always make me angry with the fact that he tried to insert himself into the family by being the macho man and a ‘parental’ figure as well as having sex with Jules animallistically. 

Again, this movie gave me the happy ending and I cannot complain about that but overall, it could have been more fulfilling. 

References

Benhoff, H., and Griffin, S. (2004). Queer cinema, the film reader. Routledge. Retrieved from course readings.

Gilbert, G. (Producer). Cholodenko, L. (Director). 2010. The Kids Are All Right. United States of America.

Walters. (2015). Introduction: That’s so gay. (Or is it?). Retrieved from course readings. 

[konnl]

Edward Willett expands the Worldshaper universe with his new novel, Master of The World

For September’s guest author we have Edward Willett, who is a writer and performer from Regina, Saskatchewan. He has authored more than 50 books of various types. He is well known for writing in the science fiction and fantasy genres. Some of his work has been published by DAW Books in New York, such as the novels Lost in Translationand 2009 Aurora Award-winning novel Marseguro. He has also been published with Bundoran Press. Let’s welcome him to the blog.

Hi Edward Willett, thank you for joining us. Can you introduce yourself to the readers?

Hi, readers! As the introduction says, I’m a multiply published author—I’ve actually lost count of exactly how many books I’ve had published. They run the gamut from non-fiction (local history, science books, biographies, and computer books) to my first love, science fiction and fantasy. There’s even one book of poetry! I’ve written for children, young adults, and adults.

I started my career as a newspaper reporter at the weekly Weyburn (Saskatchewan) Review. (Weyburn was the town where I grew up.) At the ripe old age of 24r, I became news editor there. Then, in my late 20s, I became communications officer for the then-fledgling Saskatchewan Science Centre, which is what brought me from Weyburn to Regina, where I’ve lived ever since. After five years at the science centre, I quit my job and became a fulltime freelance writer, which I’ve now been for 26 years.

In addition to writing (and some editing), I’ve done quite a bit of acting and singing, both professionally and just for fun. I’m married to a telecommunications engineer and have one daughter, who is currently enrolled at the University of Toronto. Oh, and we have a black Siberian cat, Shadowpaw—can’t forget him, since I used his name on my own little publishing company, Shadowpaw Press.

Tell us about your latest release, Master of The World.

Master of the World is the second book in the Worldshapers series, published by DAW Books, which began with Worldshaper last year. In Worldshaper, the main character, Shawna Keys, has a pleasant, low-key life: she’s just opened a pottery studio in a small city in Montana, she has a great boyfriend, she has a wonderful best friend. But then everything changes in an instant. Black-clad gunmen storm the coffee shop where she’s having lunch with her friend. Her friend is killed. She’s about to be killed. She refuses to believe it’s happening…and just like that, it isn’t. It hasn’t. The gunmen are gone. The coffeeshop is undamaged…but her friend, Aesha, isn’t there, and no one remembers that she ever existed.

A mysterious stranger, Karl Yatsar, shows up and explains to Shawna that her world, which she thought was the only world, is in fact a Shaped world—and that she Shaped it exactly the way she wanted it when she was thrust into it ten years before. Not only that, it’s only one of a plentitude of Shaped worlds in a vast extra-dimensional Labyrinth. And now, she’s about to lose control of it. The Adversary, the leader of the gunmen, who touched her forehead before threatening to kill her, has stolen her knowledge of the world and is already turning it against her. They have to flee her world entirely…not just to save her life, but because Karl believes she is a powerful enough Shaper—even though, much to his shock and bewilderment, she didn’t remember being one—to travel through all the worlds of the Labyrinth, gathering the knowledge of each, and taking it to the mysterious Ygrair, the one who gave all the Shapers, who originally came from the First World—our world—their own worlds to Shape. Ygrair has been wounded and weakened, and needs someone to bring her the knowledge of as many worlds as possible so that she can save the Labyrinth and all its myriad worlds from the depredations of The Adversary, who wants to enslave and then destroy them all.

In Worldshaper, Shawna and Karl embark on a hazardous cross-country journey, trying to stay one step ahead of The Adversary, to find the only place where a Portal can be opened into the next world, where Shawna can begin the quest she’s been saddled with

 In Master of the World, Shawna finds herself in that next world over, but without her guide and mentor—Karl was left behind. In her first two hours, she’s rescued from a disintegrating island by an improbable flying machine she recognizes from Jules Verne’s Robur the Conqueror, then seized from it by raiders flying tiny personal helicopters, and finally taken to a submarine that bears a strong resemblance to Captain Nemo’s Nautilus. Oh, and accused of being both a spy and a witch.

Shawna expects—hopes!—Karl Yatsar will eventually follow her into this new steampunk realm, but exactly where and when he’ll show up, she hasn’t a clue.

In the meantime, she has to navigate a world where two factions fanatically devoted to their respective leaders are locked in perpetual combat, figure out who the Shaper of the world is, find him or her, and obtain the secret knowledge of this world’s Shaping. Then she has to somehow reconnect with Karl Yatsar, and escape to the next Shaped world in the Labyrinth…through a Portal she has no idea how to open.

Master of The World is part of the Worldshaper storyline, how many novels do you estimate to have in the series?

The series is open-ended: the concept allows me to tell any kind of story in any kind of world. Potentially, it could have any number of novels (although I know how it ends, there’s no rush getting there). I’m currently writing Book 3, which takes place in a world with werewolves and vampires!

You’ve done a lot of writing, as mentioned on your website, over 50 books. When and what did you first start writing about?

I’ve always been drawn to science fiction and fantasy. I have two older brothers, both of whom read it, so the books were around the house. My very first complete short story, written when I was eleven, was called “Kastra Glazz: Hypership Test Pilot.” My mother typed it up for me and I showed it to my Grade 7 English teacher, Tony Tunbridge, who did me the honor of taking it seriously and providing some actual criticism—criticism which, rather than prompting me to give up, instead prompted me to try to make the next thing I wrote better. (I dedicated my recent stand-alone science-fiction novel The Cityborn to Tony by way of thanking him.) I went on to write three science fiction and fantasy novels in high school, so my course was set early on.

Edward, you are a performer too. Care to elaborate more about this aspect of your life?

I’ve always sung—my father was a choral director—and I got the acting bug at age 11 when I played Petruchio in a one-act adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew. I carried on acting and singing, whenever I got the chance. In Weyburn, while I was at the newspaper, I was a founding member of Crocus 80 Theatre, a new community-theatre group, and had leading roles in many plays, and also directed twice. When I moved to Regina, I immediately gravitated to Regina Lyric Light Opera (now Regina Lyric Musical Theatre), a community theatre group that did musicals (it was in a production of The Music Man that I first met my future wife.) I did a lot of shows with Lyric, Regina Little Theatre, and Regina Summer Stage.

When I went full-time freelance, in addition to writing, for three years I performed with a professional opera company, Prairie Opera, which did six-week tours of Saskatchewan schools, typically two shows a day. That made a nice addition to my fledgling freelance income. A few years later I was hired by Regina’s professional theatre company, Globe Theatre, for a production of On Golden Pond (I played the boyfriend from California). As a result of that, I became a member of Canadian Actors’ Equity. I’ve continued to perform every chance I get, both professionally and (more often) just for fun. I’ve been in dozens of plays, musicals, and operas. I’ve also sung with many choirs, including the Canadian Chamber Choir, an auditioned group made up of singers from across the country.

I’ve combined my writing and performing sides a few times in shows I’ve written and directed. Two I’ve done for Regina Lyric Musical Theatre had fantastical elements. In 2013 I wrote and directed As Time Goes By: A Love Story with Music and Ghosts, which did indeed have ghosts in it, and this past year I wrote and directed The Music Shoppe, which might not sound fantastical, but in fact took place in a mystical music store with an ageless proprietor and a mysterious mechanical pianist with magical abilities. Both were hits with audiences.

What was your most challenging novel to write to date?

Worldshaper was challenging because it’s designed to set up an open-ended series. My editor at DAW Books, Hugo Award-winner Sheila E. Gilbert, and I spent a lot of time trying to make sure that everything that was needed to enable the series to work going forward was built into the first book. It was also a bit challenging to write because it’s an interesting mix of first-person (the main character, Shawna Keys) and third-person (her guide and mentor, Karl Yatsar, and her enemy, The Adversary) viewpoints.

Now that Master of the World is released, do you have other novels in the works?

In addition to Book 3 of the Worldshapers series, I’ve got a middle-grade fantasy, Fire Boy, in circulation to publishers; I’m finishing the editing of a young adult science fiction novel, Star Song, which I’ll be bringing out myself through Shadowpaw Press; and I’ll be writing another young-adult story, a dark fantasy called Changers (involving shapeshifters) for ChiZine Publications. I have some other books I want to bring out through Shadowpaw in the not-too-distant future, novels I’ve never found a home for that I think deserve a chance to see the light of day, but I have to fit those in around other work so they won’t be for a while yet.

And I have ideas for many more…

Is your writing and performance inspiration intertwined or are these parts of your life entirely separate?

It’s all one thing. I find there’s a great overlap between being and actor and director and being an author. Actors pretend to be other people; writers do the same. Directors move actors around on stage and guide them in their interactions with each other in order to best tell the story being presented. So do writers. I’ve always felt, when I’m acting, even though I’m bringing some other author’s characters to life, that I’m using many of the same mental muscles as I do when I’m trying to make my own characters live and breathe on the page.

Also, in Worldshapers, I’m able to make lots of musical -theatre jokes, so there’s that.

Any final thoughts you’d like to share with the readers and aspiring writers?

I urge both readers and aspiring writers to check out my podcast, The Worldshapers. It features hour-long conversations with some of the biggest names in science fiction and fantasy writing, with a focus on their creative process, from the generation of ideas to the planning process, the writing process, and the editing process. I also ask them about their philosophy of writing: why they do it, why they think anyone does it, and what impact they hope it has on readers. The interviews are all fascinating and offer great insights into the writing process. You can find it www.theworldshapers.com.

I particularly like the episode where E.C. Blake (the pseudonym under which I wrote a fantasy trilogy called The Masks of Aygrima) interviews me…

Thank you Edward Willett for joining us!

You can find Edward through the following links below.

Website: edwardwillett.com

Amazon: amazon.com/Edward-Willett/e/B001IR1LL6/

Goodreads: goodreads.com/author/show/22635.Edward_Willett

[karen-carlisle-off-the-artboard]

The Dark Side of Steampunk

https://karenjcarlisle.com/2018/10/07/the-dark-side-of-steampunk/

Welcome to my guest blogger this week, Bryce Raffle, editor of the  dreadpunk anthology, Deadsteam, which contains my penny dreadful inspired short story, The Case of the Murderous Migraine. 

Bryce is also a fellow steampunk and long-time member of Scribblers Den (an international steampunk writers forum). Take it away, Bryce.

The Dark Side of Steampunk

Initially, when I came up with the concept for the DeadSteam anthology, I had it in mind that I wanted to showcase the dark, supernatural side of steampunk.

Steampunk is a reimagining of the Victorian era from a modern day perspective, with a lens squarely pointed at the technology: the brass and copper, the engines running on coal and steam. But while the technology of Queen Victoria’s era fascinated me, I began to see other inspiration in that time period beyond the technology. Victorian literature was one source of inspiration. In particular, I began looking at the Victorian penny dreadful.

The cheap, sensational literature of the era, known as penny dreadfuls, were sold for a penny per issue. The stories were released in weekly parts, and often portrayed supernatural entities, such as ghosts, ghouls, and, of course, vampires.

A Feast of Blood, or Varney the Vampire, by James Malcolm Rymer (and/or Thomas Preskett Prest—penny dreadfuls were often written anonymously, and Varney was variously attributed to both Prest and Rymer), was a perennial favourite, running at a whopping total length of nearly 667,000 words. Varney introduced many of the common vampire tropes still common today, most notably the sharpened fangs now associated with the undead creatures.

“The figure turns half round, and the light falls upon its face. It is perfectly white—perfectly bloodless. The eyes look like polished tin; the lips are drawn back, and the principal feature next to those dreadful eyes is the teeth—the fearful looking teeth—projecting like those of some wild animal, hideously, glaringly white, and fang-like. It approaches the bed with a strange, gliding movement. It clashes together the long nails that literally appear to hang from the finger ends. No sound comes from its lips.” – James Malcolm Rymer, Thomas Preskett Prest Varney the Vampire

Penny Dreadfuls, otherwise known as penny bloods, also portrayed the deeds of criminals, such as the Resurrection Man portrayed in The Mysteries of London.

The stories often drew from gothic literature for their inspiration, and were often reprints of popular gothic novels, such as The Castle of Otranto. The dark and stormy nights, therefore, were not far where penny dreadfuls were concerned.

I began to see in penny dreadfuls an inspiration for a steampunk anthology with more of those dark, supernatural elements that you’d expect in a penny dreadful but not necessarily in your average steampunk story. I wanted to show a bit less of the science and gadgets and machinery and a lot more of the Victorian Gothic.

This was before I stumbled across dreadpunk.

What is dreadpunk?

Dreadpunk is an emerging genre founded by Derek “The Dreadpope” Tatum, who on his website dreadpunk.com, describes the genre as the “‘costume drama’ of the macabre.”

“I coined the term ‘dreadpunk’ in early 2015. At the time, there appeared to be a resurgence of interest in the Gothic; most notably, Penny Dreadful was on Showtime and Guillermo del Toro’s Crimson Peak was scheduled for release later that year.” – Derek Tatum, (dreadpunk.com)

I reached out to Tatum for further info on the dreadpunk movement, and he was kind enough to get back to me, describing the movement as “gothic horror with modern storytelling techniques.” Hammer Horror, he said, makes a good comparison, “since that was an attempt to bring ‘period’ horror up to the era it was made.”

Besides Hammer, he also referenced Corman’s Poe flicks, Burton’s Sleepy Hollow, Ravenloft, Coppola’s Dracula, Castlevania, and of course (Showtime’s) Penny Dreadful.

Exactly the sort of thing I had in mind for the DeadSteam anthology.

I began to envision DeadSteam as a dreadpunk anthology, although I did encourage steampunk authors to submit their stories, with the caveat that they should be more in the vein of Edgar Allan Poe and Mary Shelley and less in the realm of Jules Verne and HG Wells. In other words, less science fiction and more of the trappings of gothic horror and penny dreadfuls.

Thus emerged DeadSteam.

Each of the stories owes some credit to the writers of penny dreadfuls, who introduced us to fang-bearing vampires like Sir Francis Varney, resurrection men who dredge the dead up from their rest to sell to anatomists, and ghosts haunting the halls of gothic manors on dark, foggy nights.

Pre-orders are available now in hardcover, paperback, and ebook.

Thank you, Bryce, for introducing us to dreadpunk.

Photos supplied by Bryce Raffle.