#this section includes my favorite bit of dialogue!

[magentagalaxies]

Kids in the Archive: Episode 10

welcome back to kids in the archive! to celebrate my college graduation + KITA's 10th installment + finally honor the request i received from @oliviaskithworld multiple months ago (thank you for your patience!) today i'm going to be showcasing the classic s1e3 sketch "Citizen Kane"

even if there are other sketches that i would choose as my personal favorite, i respect "citizen kane" so much as a feat of comedic timing. the premise and dialogue are funny enough, but what puts them over the top is the perfect rhythm kevin and dave establish - fast-paced dialogue that's occasionally repetitive in its text but each repetition leads to escalation in the performance.

Citizen Kane: June 3rd 1989

I actually have two copies of the script for Citizen Kane: both dated 06/03/89, and nearly identical, to each other and to the version of the sketch that aired. There really aren't many differences to point out: some sentences are shorter or longer for the purpose of timing, and there is one specific line missing from the "white" pages that's present in the "pink" pages

i assume the version i have may not be a first draft - this was likely a scene performed at the rivoli for years before making it to the screen. or perhaps this scene was mostly created via improv, so the first time on paper was less an act of creation and more documenting what already existed. the only "big" changes are removing a section of brief physical comedy before picking up the newspaper (which was not being held by another customer).

honestly, as much as i wish i could've honored this request in a timely manner, the wait has allowed this episode to be so much better. this could have been it. i would have had to stretch these tiny differences into 3 bullet points because i just couldn't show you how the sketch evolved. except, as i write this on december 21st 2024, now i can. but we have to push a bit further...

Citizen Kane: ~2002

the kids in the hall tour-film "tour of duty" was unavailable to stream for most of this year before finally being reuploaded by a fan in november. i've previously put out a full essay with general thoughts on tour of duty, but let's examine the show's version of citizen kane.

tour of duty's "citizen kane" barely changes, especially compared to some of the other sketches in this show. sure, the words don't always line up exactly and the rhythm is a bit slower (a product of enunciating for a large theater vs recording a sketch for television), but most changes are physical. in the original sketch, a fake-arm was made for dave foley for the purposes of stabbing his hand. in this one, a prop-knife was used for the effect, freeing up both hands for motioning. most notably, this version ends with dave falling out of his chair and flipping 360 degrees before landing on the floor.

immediately following the sketch is a transitional scene with bruce and mark, where they essentially replicate the "citizen kane" bit of forgetting a name and refusing to admit you're wrong, only this time they're trying to remember the name of the sketch they just watched. it's cute.

Citizen Kane: November 25th 2024

so that's all well and good, but still not a lot of differences to parse through. what would it take for them to take citizen kane in a completely different direction?

well, what if 22 years later the kids in the hall reunited to put on a show in support of paul bellini's medical expenses, but dave foley wasn't able to attend due to pneumonia and the other kids barely had time to rehearse?

a high-quality version of the full show will be available in the new year, but recently i found a fan's uploads of a few iconic sketches from the november 2024 show, including the perfect finale to my citizen kane post, because oh boy did they go off-script. for starters, the original "citizen kane" as uploaded onto youtube is 4 minutes and 16 seconds. the "tour of duty" version (not counting bruce and mark's tag) is just under 6 minutes long. the november 2024 version is NEARLY TEN MINUTES LONG

and uniquely i am actually in a position to explain how these changes happened: scott was chosen to take over dave's part in the sketch the day of the show. they added mark walking on as "constable bobby" as a way to acknowledge dave's absence (and i was actually riffing with mark, kevin, and scott when they decided the character's name. in rehearsal, mark improvised a bit about his character going undercover as a teenager). but scott responding to kevin's "was it citizen kane?" with "yes"? bruce walking on as another officer? kevin kissing scott's forehead when scott apologized for forgetting his line? that was all truly improvised, and i was standing backstage watching it happen.

prior to the show, citizen kane was one of the sketches scott was the most nervous about since it's actually quite difficult to memorize: so much of the comedy relies on repetition and timing. i've probably watched the sketch more times in the past year than he has and even i wouldn't get it word-for-word. but once you're out there onstage, you can't beat yourself up over forgetting a line. you make that part of the gag, and suddenly the sketch becomes citizen kane on top of citizen kane: a sketch about someone forgetting something and ignoring their friend's corrections becomes about scott forgetting his lines and ignoring kevin's corrections.

there's no way the kids in the hall could've replicated everything about citizen kane on the evening of november 25th 2024: the sketch was at least 35 years old, it was being performed with minimal sets and costumes in a 1500-seat theater, and the person whose comedic voice it most represented wasn't around. but in my opinion, citizen kane 2.0 reflects exactly what a live version of a pre-existing kids in the hall sketch should be: using the well-known framework as a basis for improv while still being grounded to the important beats. this attitude carried over into the night's other sketches, even ones which didn't feature dave at all like "salty ham." it gives fans new and old something new to appreciate, and allows the KITH to focus on making each other laugh. after scott got off the stage, he wasn't upset for flubbing citizen kane. he was smiling ear-to-ear, whispering to me "i forgot how fun this was". i would take this over "tour of duty" any day

or maybe i'm just saying that because i now own 2024 citizen kane's prop-knife

oh, and don't think i've forgotten the one line that changed between my two scripts, both dated 06/03/89.

"that's a hayley mills vehicle, that's not even close"

and because of scott's role in the 2024 show, i now know that's the one line HE contributed, leading me to believe the "white" pages were just kevin and dave's writing, and the "pink" pages were after the input of the other KITH on the same day.

god, i love how things become full-circle.

...

PREVIOUS KIDS IN THE ARCHIVE EPISODES:

Episode 1 - armada finale ("do we make it?") Episode 2 - fran & gordon: the vacation Episode 3 - comfortable Episode 4 - cathy & kathi: is he? Episode 5 - danny husk: kidnapped! Episode 6 - trappers Episode 7 - sizzlers & the bank Episode 8 - darcy & francesca Episode 9 - show within a show

thanks for reading!

[adhdream1409]

Into Playtime's Hands

This is a flashback sequence I wrote for my Poppy Playtime AU: the "Stray Souls AU". The AU itself is gonna involve multiple fandoms including but not limited to FNAF, Marvel, BATIM, and Undertale/Underverse. But until I get the chance to write up some proper bios and get a few of the beginning chapters written (maybe a few one-shots to sum up some backstory stuff), I will probably only post small sections that involve minimal OC interaction. This passage is Jack's fateful visit to the Playtime Factory. It's written from his POV so there is going to be TW: depictions of child death and drowning, so please be aware of that if you choose to read it. (If I should add that to the tags on this post please let me know, I'm still new to Tumblr and the tagging system). My AU will be doing some small retcons but as far as this section goes, it should be cannon-compliant (with small headcannons/speculation on things not specifically mentioned or explained in-game). Anyway...Enjoy the angst!

(Italics indicate internal dialogue or thoughts of the POV character, unless it is specified to be someone else's thoughts.)

Jack’s eyes were filled with wonder as he followed his parents through the playtime factory. From the moment they pulled into the lot and saw the colorful building’s exterior, he was buzzing with excitement! As they entered the colorful lobby, Jack could see the entrance to the factory itself just behind the turnstiles. In front of the entrance was a small waiting area filled with other tourists. He could hardly contain his excitement watching his parents hand over their tickets to the woman at the front desk.

Taking his mom’s hand and practically dragging her through the turnstiles, they joined the waiting crowd. A youngish looking guy, maybe an older teen, wearing a Playtime polo stood by the doors looking at the large crowd. He looked a bit worried for some reason, but Jack was far too busy taking in every inch of the building to notice.

“Welcome, friends, to the Playtime Co. Factory! I am Brendan, and I will be your tour guide for today! Now, before we go in, we have a few rules to make sure–”

Jack’s attention wandered to the murals on the walls and the colorful pattern of tiles on the floor. How did they make it look so random but organized? He wished HE knew how to do that. If he could do that to his room, then maybe he wouldn’t have to clean up so much. His attention snapped back to the Tour guide as he said,

“To stay safe…Now follow me!” He swiped a card on his belt in a scanner to the side of the door which opened to reveal a long hallway. The end of the hall opened into a large round room with a domed glass ceiling. In the center of the room stood a giant statue of one of playtime’s most popular mascots, Huggy Wuggy. He was super tall! More than twice the height of Jack’s Dad!

Wow! I wonder if they have giant statues of all their mascots! He would love it if they did! Then he could see giant smiling critters, a giant PJ Pugipillar, or best of all, a GIANT Doey the Doughman!

Doey had been Jack’s favorite character as long as he could remember! He loved watching his show. Usually there were kids who were bored or who had a problem they didn’t know how to fix, but Doey would always show up and help them with whatever was wrong. 

“I can be anything you KNEAD!” he would chuckle. Sometimes, when Jack had a problem he couldn't fix, like the time his kite got stuck in a tree, or when he had forgotten his homework at school, he would imagine Doey coming to the rescue! 

“If you’ll follow me this way we can enter some of the production facilities.” Brendan led the group through a set of doors and down a long hallway. Jack let go of his mom’s hand and squeezed his Doey doll with both arms, so excited he could barely contain himself.

“Jack, you need to hold my hand while we’re in here…I don’t want you wandering off and getting lost.” his mom chided.

“Aw…mom…I won’t wander off! I promise!”

She sighed and shook her head, “Alright, just stay close to me…I don’t want you getting hurt.”

`~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Before long they were entering the catwalks in the area Jack had most looked forward to, the room where they made Doey Dough. The room had a large mural of Doey on the wall, and the walkways were suspended over giant tube-shaped machines churning the bubbling dough. There were so many colors! It was so incredible! 

Brendan was saying something about when Doey Dough was first invented, but Jack was busy peering over the railing at the machines below. His mom shouted at him from a few yards ahead of him not to wander off, but he wasn’t wandering. He was just looking. Everyone was still right there. He didn’t understand what she was so worried about.

“He’s not listening to a thing I say, is he?” his mom muttered, turning to her husband a bit further ahead.

“Not even a little bit.” his dad replied. Which wasn’t entirely fair, since he WASN’T wandering, and she hadn’t asked him anything. He just wanted to see how the machines worked.

He leaned against the railing, mesmerized by the process. He watched the machine’s mixing arm going round and round…he had never seen so much dough all at once in his life!

There’s so much I could swim in it!

Not that he’d want to, the dough bubbled like the soups his mom would make when the weather got cold. She always made warm soup for Jack since she knew how much he hated the cold. Maybe she could make some tonight when they got home. He turned his head to look at the group further ahead when he felt a slight movement and heard a low creaking. He looked back to the railing he was leaning on. 

Has that bend always been there? Maybe I should stand a little further awa–

The rail suddenly gave out and Jack felt himself tip forward as he yelled in alarm. He tried to grab onto the walkway, but the surface was slick and slippery. He heard his mother scream, and heard dozens of footsteps rushing towards him.

His heart was pounding as he hung suspended over the bubbling vat. He heard an alarm blaring as his mother shouted,

“GRAB HIM! SOMEBODY! GRAB HIM!”

His mom was right there, she reached towards him, his dad holding her other hand so she wouldn’t lose her balance. Jack let go with one hand to reach for hers…

And he slipped…

Down…down…down he fell…He watched his mother’s face morph from worry into horror as he fell further and further from her outstretched hand. Did he fall for minutes? Hours? Maybe it was only a second or two…he couldn’t really tell.

There was a searing pain as he dropped into the viscous material, feeling it close over his head with a “blorp” sound. 

There was still yelling, but the dough muffled it and he couldn’t tell what was being said. He reached up as high as he could, feeling his hand stick out of the gooey blue material that clung to him. He tried kicking his legs like he was swimming, but the material wasn’t like water…he could barely move in it. As he tried to reach his other hand out so someone could pull him free, the metal mixing bar swung around and hit him, pushing him further under the dough than before. 

His thoughts became more and more confusing and he felt more and more anxious as he fought desperately to get to the surface! He needed to breathe! He couldn’t breathe! His body tried to pull in a breath but his mouth and lungs filled with the hot sticky dough. He tried to cough it out but he COULDN’T!...he couldn’t…

…so…hot…can’t…breathe…Mommy! Daddy! I wanna go home! Help me! Please! Somebody help me!

[tamsiblings]

Simon Tam Fic Recs

Because I am me, I felt the need to compile some of my favorite Simon-centric fics and talk about them. I may try to make a list of broader focus at some point, but I was interested in making a Simon-focused list because I am kind of particular about Simon characterization. Or rather: I don’t necessarily need to agree with all of his characterization (there are some character notes/background details in some of these I can see and appreciate but don’t line up with exactly my view). But I need him to have more texture than “awkward helpless doctor who puts his foot in his mouth and can’t fight”. There are elements of truth to that, but that is not and has never been the whole truth of Simon, and I wanted a list that reflects that.

Including a warnings section only for the fics I think have very obvious warnings that should be noted, but please be sure check the tags and warnings etc on any fics if you’re worried, as it’s always possible I’ve missed something. Also, most of these are oneshots. I included a note for the multi-chapter.

Also notes on some thoughts about what I liked. Tried not to go TOO hard into spoiler-territory but read at your own risk.

This is not a long list, nor do I mean to suggest, by any stretch of the imagination, that these are the only Simon-centric fics worth reading. They’re just ones that I am familiar with and have come back to more than once because something in them resonated a lot with me. My Firefly fic reading experience has only developed recently and I imagine I will find more to share. I would like, at some point, to make a more - comprehensive isn’t the right word, but a more expansive rec list. But for now, here is this.

Tagging a few people who have expressed interest but if you want your handle taken off, let me know! Likewise if I do more rec lists in the future and you want to be tagged feel free to lmk <3

@letruinendhere @wateronagreasefire @superpowerednerds @thewarriorandthethief

Black and Blue by 221Browncoat

Summary: Simon gets into a bar fight. It doesn't go well. Mal helps.

Notes: *chanting* Simon whump! Simon whump! I love this. The dialogue feels very much in tune with the characters’ voices. I like the balance between Simon being kind of combative when confronted and getting a few punches in, but also ultimately still not a fighter. Focus on Mal & Simon and Mal being a bit protective/consoling (maybe despite himself, lmao.) Favorite detail is Simon not really wanting to drink the whiskey but still getting annoyed when the guy confronting him does, just on the principle of the thing. Feels very Simon to me. Simon has a miserable time in this one, but hey, sometimes that’s fun.

Warnings: Nothing incredibly graphic but obvious warning for physical violence and resulting aftereffects, though nothing too atypical of canon. (Probably worse than the Jaynestown beating, though.)

Cryptography by copacet

Summary: When River is six, she writes her brother an encrypted message.

Notes: Baby!Tams being cute and sweet. River being a brat (affectionate). Simon indulging her. Feels very true to what their childhood dynamic would have been like. Intriguing concept with some implied gets-us-caught-up-to-show tragedy at the end there.

It is with fear you must trifle by Hekatares on ao3

Summary: River returns to the ship. Simon doesn't.

Notes: Probably the single most depressing fic on this list, but a well-written examination of what would happen if River was recaptured after the events of the film. Has a bit of Simon/Kaylee AND a bit of Simon/Mal. How requited either is, I would say, is up in the air.

Warnings: Major Character Death. Technically suicide. Seriously, this one’s rough, emotionally.

Right by sffan

Summary: How far will Simon go to protect River?

Notes: Very short, angsty examination of exactly what that takes. <3 Possibly the best part is how numb Simon seems about it.

Safe in the Difference by alianora on ao3

Summary: They stay, oddly enough.

Notes: Canon-Divergent ficlet of Simon and River staying in Jianying. Simple and maybe bittersweet.

Scissors Can’t Be Trusted by Lenore on ao3

Summary: Simon protects his sister. Mal protects his crew.

Warnings: Features non-explicit, fade-to-black noncon (not between any major characters). While the non-con itself is not explicit, some very demeaning language and set up is used, so please tread carefully. <3

Notes: Good if you’re in the mood for angst feat. protective!Mal and found family vibes. Simon reads as stunningly in-character to me, both protective over River and worryingly self-sacrificial while a little (metaphorically) punchy and combative when he feels out of control. Marked Mal/Simon, though it’s very easily read platonically. It’s difficult to say that any one fic on this list is my favorite, but this far and away is the one I’ve come back to the most.

Traditions by LikeMuh_Fashnik

Summary: Simon worries his way into, and then out of, a mini relationship crisis.

Notes: If that doesn’t convince you, I don’t know what will lol. Feat. Overthinking!Simon, differences in cultural practices surroundinng marriage. Short, sweet, and a little funny. Simon/Kaylee, though we mostly see him interacting with a few other members if the crew.

This be the ‘Verse by shiva_goddessof

Summary: Doc is everything a rich boy from the Core should be, and yet he just won't lie down and be that boy, keeps throwing himself against the world like one day he'll win.

Simon and Kaylee get careless, and Simon tries to figure out who the hell he is when all the family he has in the 'verse is aboard Serenity.

Warnings: Pregnancy. The option of abortion comes up, though that’s not the route they decide to take. A few explicit sex scenes.

Notes: Multi-chapter! By far the longest fic on the list. Also (while, again, it’s hard to pick; I clearly love all of them) one of my favorites. Features multiple POVS and a focus on Simon/Kaylee but is fundamentally about Simon. I was hesitant going into it because (SPOILER) I’m generally hesitant about babies-ever-after. But so is the author, I think, based on what they’ve said, and that’s not really what this is; this fic grapples with a lot of tough but rewarding questions and explores Simon’s complicated feelings about becoming a father, especially given his own alienation from his parents. Everyone feels perfectly like themselves here. I was also so in love with the description of Simon in the summary because it’s so him to a T that it made the risk (in terms of my personal preferences) feel worth it, and it absolutely was.

[blueisquitetired]

When you got time, do you have any tips on writing Ingo and Emmets dialogue? I really like how you write them but I can't seem to get their speech down. It's mainly Ingos which is annoying since he canonical has more dialogue than Emmet.

Oh thank you!! I’m glad you enjoy- writing these boys dialogue is one of my favorite parts of writing and has made me seriously consider how I write speech for every character I do. It’s been great practice!

Okay, actual advice time lol.

HOW TO WRITE INGO AND EMMET

(According to me, Blue)

(Now, keep in mind that there isn’t one true way to write the boys, and this is just how I personally write them. Take this with a grain of salt)

When you’re first starting out writing the boys I recommend writing dialogue in your own voice and then submasifying it.

For example, let’s take this dialogue and transform it:

“Sorry I’m late for work! My dog chewed through my nice pants so I had to find some new ones! It’s been a bit of a rough day today, not gonna lie.”

So starting with Ingo-

Ingo talks extremely formally and is super long winded. When writing dialogue for him, try to imagine a fancy British butler who uses long words and long sentences. Replace normal words with more “fancy” ones and use more words then you really need to. (A thesaurus can be extremely useful for this)

“My sincerest apologies for my tardy arrival!”

Then, pepper in train terms as much as possible. If he goes three sentences without saying something train related, find a way to stick one in. If you’re stuck, look up a list of train words and take inspiration (I’ll include a list of train expressions I commonly pull from at the bottom of the post) (Make sure to use “Bravo!” and “All aboard!” whenever applicable as well)

“I awoke to the unpleasant surprise of joltik holes in my trousers this morning- which delayed my cab significantly as I was forced to find an undamaged pair!”

I personally strive to use consonants (stuff like I’d, we’ll, don’t) as little as possible with the boys. For Emmet it’s to add to the choppiness of his dialogue and for Ingo it’s because that man would rather use fifty words when one will do. (It also makes them sound more professional!)

“Honestly, after a morning like this one, I pray that the remainder of today’s tracks prove to be much smoother.”

Another thing to keep in mind is that Ingo is extremely polite while Emmet is a bit more blunt. Try to use titles like “sir” and “miss” when writing Ingo- and then just don’t bother with Emmet.

Next up is Emmet, who I personally find much harder then Ingo! Unlike Ingo who’s dialogue you need to add words to, Emmet you need to subtract and simplify! This is the post I originally read to kinda get the jive of things, but here’s my pointers!

First off, figure out what concepts the are being expressed in your sentence, and split those apart.

“Sorry I’m late for work!” has two parts- an apology and an acknowledgment that the person is late. For Emmet we would want to split this single sentence into two.

“I am Emmet! I am late! Sorry!”

Next is vocal ticks! Emmet has several, and they should ideally be sprinkled in sparingly through his dialogue. (You can see that I used ‘I am Emmet’ in the previous section)

‘I am Emmet’ should be used when he is joining a conversation or when he’s about to say something about himself. It CAN be used more then once in a single conversation- but try not to overdo it.

‘Verrrrrrrry’ is another one! Other submas authors have him roll the r on other words as well, but I stick with verrrrrry. This one is easy to use- just extend the word very with extra Rs and use very whenever naturally applicable.

‘Yup’ is one as well- and one I admittedly don’t use often. It rarely jives with the way I write Emmet so I usually don’t bother- but you should definitely keep it in mind!

And of course, train terms! Less often then Ingo of course (since he says less words in general) but if you can find a way to fit it in, go for it.

“The joltiks chewed holes in my pants! Verrrrry naughty. Had to find new pants. Holey pants do not pass safety checks! Yup!”

Finally, the man likes his patterns! When writing Emmet it’s a good idea to have his Blubapedia page open nearby so you can just steal chunks of his script from that. (You can, and should do this for Ingo too!)

“Bad morning. Oh well. Follow the schedule! Everybody smile! All aboard!”

Of course, the man is perfectly capable of speaking longer sentences- but when and where he does so is up to the author.

All that being said, it’s important to remember that you’ll likely have to attempt their dialogue a few times before getting a sentence to flow right. Even for these examples I had to do a couple takes until I found one that really worked!

Here’s a couple of other notes for writing Pokémon characters in general:

Watch out for expressions and words that use animals. (like beeline or ‘in the dog house’) Try to replace those words with their Pokémon counterparts- (such as combeeline [which I’ve typed so many times I’ve started using internally in my day to day life]) or something that sounds close enough (like if your censoring f***, ducklett doesn’t work nearly as good as duck. So try muk instead!)

Do your best to replace religious swears with Pokémon religion! Instead of heavens, or the big G word, use words like, ‘Dragons!’ Or ‘Sweet Swords of Justice!’ (Of course, these are Unovan swears. For Hisui you should be using things like ‘Sinnoh’ and ‘great Time!’. Other regions have their own legendaries as well)

And finally, my list of train terms I pull from regularly!

Cab (or car): To refer to one’s body

“I am afraid my cab is in need of repairs.”

Tracks: A plan or intended route

“Very well! I will follow the tracks you have set!”

Destination: The goal or like, the actual destination

“Bravo! Your talent has brought you to the destination called victory!”

Station (or terminal): A location

“Very well! Let us set our tracks to the Pearl Clan’s station!”

Two Car Train (or three or four or whatever number you need): Friends or a team

“Emmet and I are a two car train!”

Couple (opposite being uncoupled): To join together

“I must ask that you couple your car to mine as we make our way through here. It can get quite dangerous!”

Engine: Another term for your body, but more specifically in regards to energy or drive

“I’m afraid I must rest my engine.”

Refuel: Eat.

“It is getting quite late- let us take a break to refuel.”

Conducting: Guiding

“I look forward to conducting you on this endeavor!”

Derailment (or collision, wreck, trainwreck): Something that has gone wrong.

“Apologies. It appears I have been derailed.”

Unscheduled (opposite being scheduled): Something unexpected

“Ah! A cave in! It appears we must make an unscheduled stop.”

Passenger: Person (or Pokémon)

“It appears we have picked up some unexpected passengers!”

Conductor: Ingo sometimes uses this to refer to himself (works especially well in Hisui)

“Passenger, please refrain from stabbing the conductor”

Delay: Something happening later then scheduled

“Apologies for the delay! Let us begin!”

Sidetracked: put off course

“Ah, but now I have sidetracked us with this talk.”

All aboard!: Good conversation ender 💙

“ALL ABOARD!!!”

[thecoleopterawithana]

Eras: The Beatles | Episode 6 - Now and Then

In the final episode of Eras: The Beatles, we hear the story behind The Beatles' final single Now and Then, including new interviews with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. Narrated by Martin Freeman, the episode also features insight on the new track from Sean Ono Lennon, Olivia Harrison and Peter Jackson.

.

[This episode features more complete audio from the soundbites included in the 'Now and Then' short film/documentary. Under the cut are transcriptions of some of my favorite sections. Including Paul's interpretation of the meaning of 'Now and Then' (bonus points if you guess his answer!)]

PAUL: And then 'Now and Then' just kind of languished in a cupboard and we didn't do anything with it. I kept saying, "You know, maybe we should do something with this, seems a bit—" "Hm, I don't know..." There wasn't a great desire to do anything with it. So it hung around for a while. Years! And every so often, I'd kind of go to the cupboard and think, "There's a new song in there! We should do it! We gotta do it!" But it'd go back in the cupboard.

[...]

PAUL: Peter [Jackson] had sent me a text while he was doing the 'Get Back' thing. He said, "Here's a piece of dialogue of John's that I'd like to use, but George is rehearsing in the background," and you could hear George's guitar and you couldn't really make out quite what John was saying because it was distracting. He said, "But we've got this new technology: Machine Assisted Learning. M.A.L., so we're calling it MAL." Which was like— that was really cool! Because our old road manager and dear friend was Mal [Evans].

[...]

PETER JACKSON: I'd had this idea for two or three years about him [Paul] singing a duet with John. And the fact that we'd developed this software now allows us to separate the voices and the music meant that I could take a song that John and Paul were singing on, just separate John's vocal only, and Paul could have that for playing on stage. And then his band and himself could do the vocals and the playing for the rest of the song. So he could do a duet with John. He didn't even blink, he just said, "That's a fantastic idea, I love it! Let's do it!" And so we quickly turned that around and got that underway. So Paul was now touring with a John Lennon duet on 'I Got a Feeling'.

[...]

PETER JACKSON: I got a phone call from Paul saying, "Is it possible to use that technology for another project I've been thinking about? [...] Would it be possible to take John's vocal and clean it up and get rid of everything else? Because that would allow us to finish this Beatles song." And absolutely, it didn't take me more than about a second to get back to him and say, "Of course we can do it!"

[...]

PETER JACKSON: We assumed that the copy of 'Now and Then' that they were working to in the studio in 1995, where the vocals were coming from, was probably not a first-generation copy. [...] So we though, well this is probably a third generation [tape copy]. [...] And so we contacted Sean Lennon and he was very helpful. And sure enough, we got a digital copy of the original. Which is the same demo, same performance, but two generations better.

[...]

RINGO: I'm sitting there thinking, "I don't remember George doing that solo?" It was just like practicing, maybe. Cus it sounds like George! Then Paul said, "No, it's me." [laughs] But Paul did a great job. I mean, he's very good, you know, Paul. He's a very good musician.

[...]

RINGO: Giles [Martin] had to fly out to LA one day to listen to a four-hour string session that Paul wanted, and then fly back to England! [laughs] There's no string sections in England!

[...]

PAUL: Eventually, when we got to mix number 7 it was, "Wow, this is it! Now it's a Beatle record!" And we played it to various people, some of whom cried. Some of whom said, "Jesus Christ! It's a Beatles record!" But the reaction was very favorable.

[...]

RINGO: The difference from the two tracks of John, the old track of John— you know, we have to thank Sean as well, because he found the original tape. So that's the one you can really hear John, not the copy-copy-copies. And... it's like John's there, you know. It's far out. It's so clear now you know it's him. Cus on the original one we were working to I couldn't tell if it was Paul or John singing half the time. But now you know it's John! [chuckles]

[...]

PAUL: I think it just means 'now and then'. "Now and then, I have a cup of tea". I'm not sure it means an awful lot more than that. But, looking at it from today's perspective, now and then. Then you can start to get all sorts of meanings in. The modern-day, the historical past of the Beatles. It lines up with all of that. But we were always very happy to let people make their own minds up. "Here it is, it's a song. Now, the minute we deliver it to you, it's up to you. You can do anything you want with it." And people do!

[...]

RINGO: And that was what it was like for the three of us when we started this role in the 90s. We had to pretend— it always makes me laugh when I think of it— we had to pretend that he'd gone for a cup of tea or his lunch. But that he was still around. Because it was very strange when we started there's only three of us, after all those years, and all that life, that there were four of us. And I still miss him, man!

[...]

SEAN LENNON: It feels very synchronous that the lyric speaks about time and that it's taken so much time. That it sort of fuses the past and the present. It's like a time capsule. And it all feels very meant to be — or fated, or something — in the nicest sense.

[...]

PAUL: When I remember the Beatles, I remember the joy, the talent, the humor, the love. And I think, if people remembered us for that — for those things — I'd be very happy.

[sonnet009games]

Just read chapter 3, and it was my favorite so far! It's getting better and better each time and I can't wait for more!

Ilyana was a truly terrifying opponent, and it was interesting for me to see the whole thing unfold, including its aftermath. I was actually wondering before how would Flea act if MC got seriously hurt at some point and... well I guess the answer to that came faster than I thought! Though it seems poor Flea himself really can't take a break - something happens to him in each chapter!

I also enjoyed the scenes with Ted by the end. Since I'm on a "only friend" playthrough, it was so fun to see him having a field day trying to tease my MC, who was just rolling his eyes and enduring it because what else can you do. It's sweet to see how much Ted cares too. Funnily enough, even if I don't know the guy that well, I actually expected him to be sort of relieved when meeting Flea, even if he doesn't truly get what the relationship is at this point. My MC is the "neat" kind - and with the whole clinical looking and sterile home, I can't help but think Ted must be relieved at any "life" brought into it, be it Tabby or Flea. It's like bringing more life to MC's actual life?

Anyway, that aside, there was one scene that I think sort of felt like a continuity issue. It's actually not something the character creation recap asked for, so I'm assuming the scene is the same no matter what, but it felt a little bit strange on my playthrough so I prefer to mention it: when talking about Ilyana, Flea mentions how "If Ilyana really is a succubus, and if she's really that comfortable with killing, then she'll be the first truly dangerous demon you've ever tangled with". The MC corrects this by thinking she'd be the second because of the one that killed their family. But I was wondering if this wouldn't warrant a different line from Flea with a MC who told him about their family? It seemed a bit strange to me Flea wouldn't act/speak at least a bit differently here if he knows, basically. It's not a big issue though, and who knows, it may even be intentional from him, but I guess better safe and sorry, I just prefer to mention it and be sure.

I think that's it! And now I'll just replay it for a second time because I need more! It was amazing!

Re: the issue you raised--I see your point. My thinking was that Flea means "tangling with" in the sense of deliberately seeking out danger, and thus isn't counting the red-eyed demon from your childhood. But I can understand that it might feel a little off. I'll put a little note in my records so that, if I ever update Chapter 3, I'll take another look at that section and see if I should tweak the dialogue a bit.

Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed this chapter! And that you liked the stuff with Ted. He is definitely surprised, amused, and, yeah, relieved to see the detective making out with some weird dude at the door to their apartment--he's never known them to have any kind of connection to another person who isn't him.

I'm also glad you liked Ilyana as a villain. She's lived in my head for so long, it's kind of sad that she's gone so soon.

[jules-has-notes]

Oogie Boogie's Song — VoicePlay music video

It wouldn't be spooky season for VoicePlay without an elaborate production involving costumes, makeup, and character voices, so they dipped into the soundtrack from The Nightmare Before Christmas once again. After portraying the hero and denizens of Halloween Town over the previous two years, the boys turned to the villain of the piece. And since they'd been kidnapped a couple times themselves during that time, it seemed only fair that the boys got to turn the tables for once.

They'd included an excerpt of this song in their "Aca Top 10 – Disney Villains" countdown earlier in the year, the fans had clamored for a full version, and VoicePlay definitely delivered.

Details:

title: Oogie Boogie's Song

original song / performer: Ken Page as Oogie Boogie in The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

written by: Danny Elfman

arranged by: Layne Stein

release date: 18 October 2019

My favorite bits:

their closet cosplay versions of the characters, complete with dramatic high-contrast makeup

that high, taunting "Oooh, I'm really scared!"

Layne's shuffling percussion line that keeps the tempo feeling unhurried

the moments of double-tracked Geoff doing his usual non-lyric bass stuff to give the sound more depth and menace

J.None, Earl, and Eli repeating ♫ "Ha!" ♫ in their harmony lines to really rub it in

everyone's distinct character voices that they somehow maintain while singing and speaking on pitch

Layne's giving adorable finger guns on beat in the first chorus

the fun syncopation from the trio on ♫ "This may be your last song" ♫

Geoff jumping up two full octaves for that first big belt of ♫ "I'm the Oogie Boogie man!" ♫

J's bouncy gallop as they sing ♫ "roly poly Santa Claus" ♫ 🎅

that funky descending arpeggio from Geoff after Layne's "to add a little spice"

the eerie, ghostlike ♫"oooh"s ♫ in the backing vocal behind Santa's "please come to your senses"

those cool raver mouth lights in the blackout breakdown section

the crunchy harmonies for ♫ "shut this fella up" ♫

the jittery audio panning on ♫ "drowning in my tears" ♫ (Listen with headphones if you can.)

Eli's plaintive descending riff behind "I'm going to do my stuff."

the playful tone of "Imma do the best I can."

Layne's descending tom line to transition into the key change

those light, rounded arpeggios behind "Release me fast…"

the meta humor of Geoff addressing his actual brother-in-law as "Oh, brother…"

Earl putting a little extra grit on "You haven't got a prayer."

Eli's wavy hand motions as the whole group creeps toward Santa

that long belt on ♫ "No-WHEEERE" ♫ followed by going even higher

Geoff spelunking down three and a half octaves in about ten seconds, good grief

the captions (accurately) describing his final subharmonic note as "subterranean"

that deep, gravelly chuckle under the rest of the group's laughter

Trivia:

This is the third of four consecutive Nightmare Before Christmas videos VoicePlay created as their Halloween offerings.

It was filmed at the REBL HQ studio at Full Sail University, with production assistance from several of the film students there, and set design by the studio's production design instructor.

Their costumes represent characters from the movie. Geoff is, of course, the titular Oogie Boogie, as he was two years earlier for their version of "What's This?". Eli, Earl, and J.None are his minions: Lock, Shock, and Barrel, respectively. And Layne cast himself as Jack Skellington's ghost dog, Zero.

To achieve those looks, the guys once again called on stylist Tanya Buzu, who had previously dressed them for the "Beautiful Low" and "Shape of You / No Diggity" mashup videos.

The character appearances were made complete with makeup from their frequent collaborator, Rick Underwood.

The performer in the Santa costume is Kathy Castellucci's brother, Pasquale Palazzolo, who had known most of the guys since they were in high school together.

Santa's dialogue, however, was provided by Eli, who lends his voice acting talents to many of their guest characters.

For their "Kidnap the Sandy Claws" video the following year, Eli and J.None reprised their roles as Lock and Barrel, but everyone else was recast.

Geoff's original final note was an E2 (already fairly low), but Layne asked if he could take it down the octave for a more dramatic ending. He gave it his best shot, and the E1 that reliably shocks YouTube reactors was born. He quickly got good enough at it to consistently perform the song in their live shows starting that holiday season.

The funky bass-guitar-sounding descending arpeggio at 1:20 was created by layering two different takes of Geoff singing the notes in two different octaves, then applying a filter in post-production.

The Facebook upload hit a million views in less than three weeks.

The YouTube version quickly caught up and surpassed that total, with another recent surge of views bringing it over 13 million after the passing of Oogie Boogie voice actor Ken Page in late September 2024.

A fan's daughter was inspired to draw her mom some adorable chibi-fied versions of some of the characters.

digital drawings posted by @/tra23581191 on Twitter

[ebonysplendor]

A Date with Death 💀💻💬

TL;DR: What's totally hot is that we are chatting with this major edge lord who is cosplaying as the Grim Reaper. What's even hotter is that this major edge lord actually is the Grim Reaper...pfft, yeah right.

Game Link: https://twoandahalfstudios.itch.io/a-date-with-death

Notable Features: Customizable MC (pronouns, appearance, name, etc.), Customizable bedroom, Internet romance, Supernatural LI Spiciness: 2/5 -- It can get a little suggestive, but nothing unholy...unfortunately T_T LI Red Flags: 0.5/5 -- The guy's trying to kill us but I mean...it's kinda his job so...? Also! This isn't even a yandere LI so, just a heads up! We're changing gears a bit

Wanna know more? I didn't see a rating on it, but I wouldn't suggest anyone under 16 play this. But if you are over 16 or simply don't give a rat's ass about my warning, I can't effectively police ya, so let's get into it!

(Unrelated, but peep the additions and new section marker...thingies. Ahhhh~! <3 Okay anyways...)

I found it. I finally found it.

I found a game that has me raving harder than Perfect Love, and those of you that read that review (or even some of my follow up posts) know how much I absolutely loved that game!

Even still, so far, Perfect Love is still my favorite visual novel with a yandere LI; in this one, the LI isn't a yandere. Admittedly, this was a totally foreign experience to me, because I honestly (and clearly) gravitate towards the yandere stories, not to mention just simply favoring and have a preference for them. Like I've mentioned in other reviews, it is just something about a man with an ungodly obsession for me that just draws me in...

Anyways, that's not featured in this game, but it was still just as good! I loved this! The story, the dialogue, the art, the little quirky features, the customization!! Gods, the customization. I loved that! The customization didn't even hugely matter, but it was just the fact that it was included and that I knew that that was what the MC looked like.

As a POC, it is so refreshing to know that my love interest "knows" that I have dark skin. Like, ahhhhh, my heart. Representation really does make a difference, even in adulthood. I love the games with the custom pronouns, or just straight gender neutral language, or even when they draw the character to be bald, grey, and faceless so it represents everyone. I honestly love it so much, and I do feel included, not gonna lie, and it's exciting that others can, too.

Anyways, I'll rant and rave and rant some more during the review. I've really gotta get into the amazingness that is this game, and I'm definitely going to keep the spoilers extremely light (like always) to ensure that you can play with a vague idea of what's going on but not knowing exactly what's going down.

So, oh my Gods, boom.

The game kicks off with a little exposition on how we're pretty much living life final destination style. Some way, some how, death seems to always linger around us, but it just never seems to connect. Just picture a situation where we 112% should've died, but we somehow come out damn-near unscathed. No injuries, no long term scaring, no broken bones, nothing. Like...we're Gucci, and just straight up living our best life.

So, we're chilling at home one day when our laptop keeps going off. Consistently and incessantly. It gets pretty annoying pretty fast, because:

Who the hell is trying to get ahold of us that damn bad?

What app do we even have on our computer that's making all of that ruckus?

So, naturally, we go investigate, and it's this weird ass messaging app on there. Never seen it before, never used it, and have no idea where it came from because we didn't download it. Delete. Immediately delete. Only issue is that, when we delete it, it comes right back, and we can't delete it anymore. Okay...what the hell?

Not having much of a choice, and just out of curiosity, we click on this app, and we just see a wall of text from what is likely either a bot or a scammer.

Having nothing better to do, we confront this scammer bot, and we go back and forth with this totally not a scammer bot...thing...for a hot second. Basically the whole of it was that this basement creep was trying to convince us that he was the Grim Reaper and that he was after our soul. No, like, no lie. I have receipts. This man deadass said that he was the Grim Reaper and that he was coming for our soul.

See? I wasn't joking.

We continue to go back and forth with this weirdo about how all of this is fake and ask him is this a cry for help, and he gets all pissy and says that we have a small and smooth brain and all of that jazz before it finally gets to a head. Mr. Edgy over here finally decides that he's had enough of our shit, and he sends us a request for a video chat. Still having nothing better to do, we enter the call, and well....

....okay, definitely not how I'd imagine some incel living in his parents' basement that reeks of constant rejection and a middle school boys' locker room to look like. He do be kinda fine. Fake as hell and a major edge lord, but kinda fine. Hella fine, actually. Deathly fine, amiright? Ha, ha....haaaaaa. Okay, moving on...

So, now that we're in this call, admittedly, we're a little taken aback because, well for one, he's actually pretty damned attractive, and for two, he is still insisting that he's the Grim Reaper. Like, yeah, okay...

It gets to a point where we finally cave and start to play along, and we're just like "Okay, if you're really the Grim Reaper, then you should have no issue with reaping my soul before the week is up right? If you can get it, you can have it. No questions asked."

Upon hearing this, he is clearly intrigued, and he arrogantly says "Lmao I only need an hour" and we're like "Lmao then why haven't you already taken it?"

Silence. Exactly what I thought, "Grimmy".

Anyways, he agrees to being "honour bound" to the bet or whatever the hell his edgy ass said. Before the bet gets solidified, though, we establish what our winnings would be should we win, and you already know that we asked for...

THAT MAN'S HAND IN MARRIAGE.

I mean, come on: his own house, stable work, hot as hell -- this man is the full package. Fuck a soul, I'm trying to fuck him.

I mean, he...didn't really, like...agree to that, so we opted for his soul instead. Fair is fair, but apparently our soul is on the line so we can't screw this up. Oh noes! The big scawy weaper is gwonna come gwet mwe! Lol.

Unless...

...this is a very real bet with very real consequences, and we made a very stupid mistake.

Where do I even begin?!

I loved this game! It made me laugh, it made me cry (not joking, it really did), it made me feel things.

Like, holy shit, I'm so used to the yandere games where you're essentially like "This man is hot, but he is fucking nuts, and I need to get away from him", that it really starstruck me when I was like "...I want to marry this man and live happily ever after". Like...there was nothing toxic this time around it and it was...huh? Kindness? Positivity? Boundaries? What is this?

It was deadass like being in a string of toxic relationships and finally finding the one. Not even just the one, but a legitimate healthy relationship. Like, I have no idea how to react to this, but it's such a fuzzy feeling. Grim literally got me over here giggling and kickin' my feet and shit.

Anyways, this visual novel was really, really good and an absolute chef's kiss. The pacing, the story, the humour, the customization, the art, the UI, the everything! Everything was so good! Like, if you couldn't tell, my favorite thing was by far the customizations. Let me show you what I mean:

Like, how cool is that? The screenshots doesn't do it full justice, but from looking at the characters that I made, you can tell that you can customize quite a bit. Granted, it doesn't play a huge role, and there's not side sprite or CGs with the character that you customized, but I still like that there was an option so that it's like "Fuck yeah, he knows I'm Black" ya know? Not to mention, you can also customize...

...your room and your household companion! You can even have a snake as your pet, if you choose to do so!

I'm sorry, I was just absolutely geeked about the customization options. Honestly, the overall art in the game was just absolutely stunning; however, I did wish that there were more CGs, but that's more of a personal thing versus a flaw of the game. I just wanted to see more of this sleek ass art, because, as I've mention, I am an absolute slut for CGs.

Anyways, much like the Perfect Love game, I could definitely ramble on and on and on and on some more about this game, but I'm going to demand -- not ask but politely, yet forcefully demand -- that you play this game and enjoy it so that you can see how edgy yet sweet this man can be. And like I said, the dialogue is so funny. Admittedly, my humour is kind've broken, so I laugh at just about anything, but I think the dialogue was legit funny this time around. And again, the way that it just switches over from being a total meme to something kind've serious to super sentimental and sweet and it's...like what? The transition was just so damned smooth. Like, the dev(s) absolutely killed that shit. No debate, and don't at me because outside opinions that oppose this idea will be ignored.

That being said, I cannot stress enough how much this game needs to be played. It's so good. It's so funny. It's so sweet. It's so sleek. It's so everything. Like, just play it. You'd be doing yourself a disservice if you didn't. Okay, okay, but that's enough gushing and rambling. Here's a link for when -- not if when, because I demanded it, remember? -- you play the game for yourself, and drop those supportive words of "This game is fire as fuck, dude" and maybe some monetary support if you can.

Anywho, I'm not the dev(s), so my transition to the end won't be as smooth, but I'm going to go ahead and end it here!

As always: Don't forget to drink water, don't be dumb, and hope to see you around~!

A Date with Death

[nostradamus0]

17-18-19 pls! :D

oooh thank you! :)

these ones are a bit tricky since i've only actually posted one fic (and it's woefully unfinished) this year, because i've been super busy writing things that i never finish, so i'm going to interpret this liberally and include things i haven't technically finished yet, but are at least 50% written.

my favorite opening line that i've written this year! oof, i have no idea. after some pondering, i think it might be:

It has always been that 108 Mifflin Street is Henry’s home, and never truly felt like hers until he was there with her, scattering his toys across the living room and the plastic baby plates and bowls across the counter. Filling the bookshelves with board games and comic books, and covering the walls with the first photographs Regina had ever owned or taken. She learned to use a camera to capture his smile.

but i'm also incredibly fond of the first line in a very in-progress follow-up to a oneshot i wrote for supercorptober like, 2 years ago lol

Lena meets her son in the middle of the night on the last day of August, with flowers growing from her palms and the smell of house-fire smoke hanging heavy in the air. He’s four years old and terribly alone, and there’s drywall dust and white ash clinging to his hair like snow.

favorite ending line might be even harder, oh no. a lot of my favorite "ending" lines are technically the end of a fic, but they end sections or chapters, so they're kinda-but-not-totally ending lines if that makes sense? hmmmmmmm.

i really like this line that ends the first section of desire as round as peaches bloom in me all night:

(And if she’s fallen a little in love with Meredith, somewhere along the telephone wires between Seattle and L.A., well. It hardly matters now.)

but also this line from the sequel/alt. pov fic i've been writing to your voice is the splinter inside me:

This is the moment she knows there are memories she has lost. It feels like only moments ago that she watched that horrible yellow bug drive across the town line with the only people in the world who gave a damn about her, who trusted and believed there was something good in her heart. Purple smoke, crackling with magic, had swallowed the sky, and they were gone. After that, Regina can remember nothing but crushing grief.

for my favorite piece of dialogue, i almost chose a line from my recent meddison fic that i really like, but instead i have to go with this scene from the yvitsim sequel:

Regina hates that she cannot remember changing. But she knows she has, if only because Snow shows up, unannounced and uninvited, and rather than incinerate her on the spot, Regina puts the kettle on the stove and doesn’t insult her god-awful pastel sweater. She busies herself with readying two mugs while Snow sits at the counter and taps her fingers on the marble.  Eventually, Snow sighs, and after taking a long sip of the tea Regina offers her, she asks: “Do you think it’s odd that Emma and Henry are staying at Granny’s? There’s plenty of room at the loft.” There is not plenty of room at the loft, Regina thinks, but does not say. It has also occurred to her as odd, that Emma would prefer a sub-par bed and breakfast over her parents house, but felt it was none of her business, and kept her mouth shut. But now she looks at Snow, at the large swell of her belly and the hand she always seems to have resting there, and it doesn’t seem so odd anymore. Regina sighs. “Give her time, Snow,” she says simply, leaning against the counter. “She’s adjusting.” “Adjusting to what?” Snow asks, looking confused, and gods, Regina thinks. How can a fully cognizant adult be so oblivious? “You’re eight months pregnant, Snow,” she deadpans. Snow’s shoulders drop, and the expression on her face turns heavy and sad. For a moment, Regina fears Snow will start crying, and that she’ll have to do something truly horrifying like comfort her. Undo it undo it undo it her brain shouts at her, almost panicky.  “He kicks. In his sleep, Henry kicks,” she blurts out rather awkwardly. “Emma’s probably trying to avoid sharing a bed with him at the loft.” Snow smiles sadly at her, like she doesn’t believe a word of it, but appreciates the gesture nonetheless. Regina, suddenly incredibly uncomfortable, skin crawling with old, unwanted instincts to lash out, clears her throat and busies her hands with mixing her cup of tea.

this was VERY difficult, but very fun. thank you for the ask! :)

[lesbiansanemi]

Hello! I have a question but it’s more so just a curiosity thing. I was wondering how you format or structure your outlines. I remember you talking about writing an outline for a league of villains story and following an outline for wind-blown lilies. Are they similar to the outlines we were taught in school? For example, having a layout of what the essay is about, what each paragraph is going to be, what evidence will be used for that paragraph, etc. Or do you have another way of outlining like some type of script? I’ve only ever written academic essays or formal lab reports so whenever I see someone talk about following/writing their story outline I just think of the structure of my lab reports.

HAHA um, so.... my outlining process is very unofficial and definitely not something I would ever do for academic pieces (especially if turning in an outline is part of the process). Not even strictly for nonfiction, but just in my general writing classes, I was much more strict with how I outlined

But now, how I outline my fics (and tbh original projects as well) is much more haphazard and vague. Basically, I just create a chapter section, and do bullet-point esque statements beneath. Well, most of the time, some of the outlines are a bit different.

I feel like examples would probably make more sense than what I'm describing haha so

Here's bits from my siren AU outline, the Renkaza-centric installment of the roleswap AU, as well as the league of villains fic outline. While they are technically formatted a bit differently, they're very similar. For me, outlines tend to just be for keeping track of the order of things, and sometimes a timeline. I want to work out scene details as I'm writing prose. Because outlining is connected to plotting for me, and when focusing on that, you don't want to get too caught up in little details. You can figure that out later as you're actually writing the prose. So the outlines tend to be very short and to the point, "this happens, then this happens, then this happens" type beat

The being said, occasionally I'll have a project that gets a MUCH more detailed outline. This generally happens for MASSIVE projects because I'm worried about forgetting more things, or forgetting more things because I'm not actively working on them, or both. It's still not often that these end up with minute details or bits of prose written however. They are honestly even messier, and are basically just gigantic walls of text that are essentially stream of consciousness about the project getting typed out. Ex. of that one is my komainu AU. It quite literally sounds as if I'm talking to someone rather than outlining

Those are pretty much the only two ways that I outline though. So I suppose it could technically be similar to academic outlining, though swap paragraph topics for what happens chapter by chapter, but still much less professional, and either far more sparse, or way, way too wordy and discombobulated

Like I said, I essentially just use them as rough guidelines. To me, their purpose is to prevent me from writing myself into a plot hole or impossible situation (which can happen if you just go straight into prose without having the whole project plotted out), as well as keeping timelines straight. Details, dialogue, description, character introspection, all of that comes later as I write out each chapter (because I don't skip around when I write, I write beginning to end in that exact order with only the rarest of deviations)

Anyways, this got a bit wordy, sorry about that, but I hope that answers your question and quells any curiosity! Tbh I love the outlining process, plotting is probably my favorite aspect of writing, so even though they may seem barely put together, I do put a lot of thought into my outlines and what needs to be included in them to be cohesive and coherent and keep me on track

[inkblackorchid]

Discounting anything in Embers so there’s no worry about spoilers, what would you say was your favorite duel to write, and why? And you can include things around the duel as an explanation- like I would count Crow teasing Yusei about giving Aki Stardust or Yusei just giving a shit eating grin to Team Unicorn as great moments that are still part of the duel even if they don’t involve the actual duelists.

Tried to think about this a bit, but even now as I'm looking at the ask again, I'm honestly not sure I have one definite favourite. I'm pretty proud of my finished duels in general—largely on account of the effort that goes into them—and there's always something immensely satisfying about making plot and cardplay work together.

That said, let me try and give a proper answer. I can narrow my "favourite" duels down to three, I think. One would be the Aki VS Divine duel in To Bloom or To Wilt, the first duel I ever wrote. I like this one a lot because I'm proud that I actually gave duel scripting a shot instead of chickening out and because I love the narrative tension this specific duel has going on. So I guess you could say my love for it partially stems from nostalgia, but also from the specific stakes and character interactions that duel had. The second one would, depending on whether you count that as one, two, or three duels in quick succession, be the Team Unicorn duel rewrite in Snapping Jaws and Piercing Horns—specifically the section where Aki plays against Breo. The main reason why I like this one so much is very simple: I have seldom had as much fun writing a duel as I did when I let Aki sass Breo to hell and back. Generally, the sense of stumping Team Unicorn instead of letting Aki play into their hands that I was able to play with because of that duel was a continuous source of joy and amusement. The third duel would be Aki VS Misty in Be Careful What You Wish For, on account of the sheer amount of emotional tension in that duel. I went all-out on the heavy dialogue in that duel and still look back at it with a sense of pride because those emotions run deep and I'm glad I could capture that while also entangling the cardplay in the action.

If I had to pick a favourite out of these three, specifically, and thus out of all my fics right now, on the spot, I think I'd actually choose Aki VS Misty in Be Careful. It was the culmination of several duels that came before it and I like what I did with it. There are a bunch of callbacks in there, both to canon and to my own fics, the cards really worked to give me the escalating tension I wanted, and though the duel is technically short in terms of the number of turns, it perfectly accomplished exactly what I needed. Misty's Reptilianne deck was also fun, in a way, even though I know her cards aren't great in the TCG. And the dialogue, often tied to certain cardplays, came from a very raw, emotional place and I like the feel of it, especially once the tension breaks during the grand finale. I was playing with the readers' perception VS Aki's perception a lot in that duel, too (in regards to Aki's monsters) and enjoy how that turned out. (Though I realise it's probably my most dialogue-heavy duel so far. Make of that what you will.)

Aki VS Breo is a very close second place, though, because writing Aki's sass in that one gave me life. ^^

[cosmicjoke]

Hey cosmic! So you often talk about Levi and manga things that didn’t get animated. What are some of your favorite Levi moments from the manga that didn’t make it to the anime? Like internal dialogues or random panel?

Hi there!

Well, there's a few. Obviously, the sections with Levi that they trimmed down the most were from the Uprising arc. The entire sequence between Levi and Dimo Reeves, as well as his speech to the 104th about the need to act when the time came, about not knowing if what they have today, they would still have tomorrow, etc... I wish they had kept all of that in. We get a lot of insight into Levi in these scenes, so it's a shame they cut so much of it. I still think you can tell what kind of character Levi is, even without those scene, despite what some people claim, but they're still important moments for Levi. Also, they shortened Levi's conversation with Erwin, right after Erwin loses his arm, by quite a bit, just cut a lot out, and I wish they had also kept all of that in. I also wish they had been able to animate a lot of scenes from "No Regrets" that they left out, including when Levi saves that one scout from impaling himself on the titan dummy, and if I remember correctly, they also cut the whole scene with Hange, when they come up to Levi, Furlan and Isabel in the old, abandoned castle.

Anyway, I'm sure I could think of more, but just off the top of my head, those are the ones that jump to mind.

[simplyclary]

Red, White and Royal Blue: A Royal Obsession

(Photo credits: Entertainment Weekly)

This is honestly a long overdue [personal] review of one of my most favorite book to movie adaptations EVER, considering it came out last August 11, 2023, and I wrote this entire thing on October 11, 2023 (Wow, on the 2nd month anniversary of the movie's release! How ironic!). But hey, what's important is it's here and it's here for you to read.

To be quite honest with you all, I have no particular format for this review, but I will be reviewing the storyline, the characters, the dialogue and what's in the book but not in the movie and vice versa.

I will also discuss the perfection that is the CASTING!! Like I can't imagine anybody else as Alex and Henry than who was casted, and you should know their names by now even though I'm gonna state their names a little later, so stay tuned.

Feel free to keep reading even though you haven't watched the movie or read the book, I'll leave it to your discretion but there is a section where I discuss the differences between the movie and the book so skip that if you wish ;)

So with that, I'll go ahead and jump into the movie and book review.

RED, WHITE AND ROYAL BLUE MOVIE AND BOOK REVIEW

Let's talk about the storyline first.

The storyline is not one for your typical romantic comedy. To be honest, this is the first romantic comedy storyline of its kind that I have ever seen in my life, like its not set in like high school or whatsoever where stakes are low. This is sort of high stakes (though not fantasy level high stakes), considering that the lives of the main characters Alex and Henry are forever altered with what happens in the story. This is also a story with an enemies/rivals-to-lovers trope, which I personally love, like I'm such a fan for any story with that trope.

The story has plot and it's a good one. It's one of those plots that are sort of unforgettable and you really need to watch until the end to find out what happens. The storyline of this balances the comedy to the romance and the drama. Like I love that so much, it's everything I want in a romantic comedy story.

Also, there are certain changes between the movie and the book but I'll discuss that in a bit.

Now, let's talk about the dialogue.

With regards to the dialogue, I wouldn't call it cringe because some of the lines are just the wittiest and hit lines that I have ever heard and read. The banter between characters is so fun to read and the way the actors delivered the dialogue is just worth remembering. Like there are certain scenes that I can never unhear from my brain, even while I was reading the book. I would also like to point out that the dialogue are not those cringy one-liners that other rom-coms have and so, it was one aspect that set it apart from your typical rom-com.

One thing that I would like to point out is the conversations between Alex and Henry through text and emails. Now, this was an aspect in the movie that I loved, like the way they executed their conversations in the emails and texts by having text bubbles show up is just cool. Their emails were longer in the book, with some poetry involved but I didn't mind how it turned out in the movie.

I'll now talk about the characters and the utter PERFECTION that is the CASTING.

This story does not have an overload of characters, which makes it easy to remember almost everybody in the story. There were some characters who were not included in the movie or was changed in the movie but kind of had the same vibe with the original character in the book. The titular characters of this story are Alex Claremont-Diaz and Prince Henry. Notable side characters include June Claremont-Diaz, Nora Holleran, Princess Beatrice, Zahra Bankston, President Ellen Claremont, Oscar Diaz, Shaan Srivastava (Henry's equerry), Rafael Luna, Percy "Pez" Okonjo, Duchess Catherine of Edinburgh, Queen Mary and Henry's pet beagle David.

Casting wise, I have nothing to say except that the characters were casted perfectly. Having Taylor Zakhar Perez as Alex and Nicholas Galitzine as Henry was nothing but PERFECT! Like, their chemistry was off the charts and emanating through the screen as I was watching the movie. The banter that flowed between them is so natural and so fun to watch. They did have to be close immediately because of the intimacy of the story, and I love how easily they got along considering that Nick was casted first and they had to find someone who can easily bond with him and I'm happy they found Taylor because their friendship is a gem to be treasured.

Even when I read the book after watching the movie (I know, it's a sin. PEACE!), I heard their voices in my mind as I was reading their characters' dialogues. As for the supporting characters, Uma Thurman as President Ellen Claremont was a force of nature, her speech toward the end of the movie was something else, Sarah Shahi was hilarious and iconic as Zahra, Rachel Hilson as Nora is the best friend you want in your life, and Ellie Bamber as Princess Beatrice is the sweetest and supportive sister you want with you during tough times.

Honestly, I have nothing but praise for the casting of this movie. Other casting directors should learn from this (just kidding, but lowkey, yes, they should!).

Moving on to the twists and differences from book to screen.

Similar to every other book to screen adaptation, not every element from the book gets adapted on screen and this movie is no different. Certain characters were also not adapted and changed and certain scenes were not included.

Let's talk about the differences in characters first.

One of the characters that I really wanted to see in the movie (this is after reading the book already) was June Claremont-Diaz. June is Alex's older sister and the First Daughter of the US. She was not included in the movie, which kinda made me sad because her banter with Alex and Nora is one of my favorites in the book. Also, she just provides that sisterly vibe to Alex similar to what Beatrice provides to Henry. I would've also loved to see the Claremont-Diaz siblings banter on screen but sadly, that is not the case. I would also like to mention that one of my favorite actresses Emeraude Toubia was the fancast for June and simply imagining her with Taylor just makes me giddy and happy.

Another character that was not there but mentioned multiple times in the movie was Henry's mother Duchess Catherine of Edinburgh. She was present in the book but not in the movie so that's another character that I would've loved to see on screen.

For the characters that were changed, a few notable ones were Rafael Luna. Rafael's character became Miguel in the movie, and believe me when I tell you that Miguel irritates me in the movie, especially when he is around Alex, which is always! Another notable character change was the royal ruler of England. In the book, it was Queen Mary but in the movie, the character became King James so it was a transition from a queen to a king which I don't mind.

So far, those are the only ones that really come to mind. The other side characters like Zahra, Nora, Shaan, and Percy were maintained. I would also like to add that it's a smart move when they decided to have the author of the book Casey Mcquiston appear in the movie! That's a slay, honestly.

As for the differences in the storyline and dialogue...

Storyline-wise, the movie stayed pretty true to the book, which is honestly good because I am not the biggest fan of when they put too much twists in a book to screen adaptation that sometimes it already strays away from the original plot. Some iconic scenes from the book that did not make it to the movie (the Cornetto scene, for example, but it was released later on) and some minor changes to places were made like in the book, Alex and Henry first met in the Rio Olympics while in the movie, they first met at the Melbourne Climate Conference.

Dialogue-wise, it is pretty much the same thing. Some dialogue was just made more dramatic in the movie (Zahra saying "I will Brexit your head right off your body" to Henry in the movie is one of my favorites), but most of it was taken from the book itself which honestly, slay because the book basically gives you your script so if changes were to be made, it would be minor and not super major.

More deleted scenes could possibly be coming, so keep manifesting for their release, you guys!

Before I end, let's talk intimacy, smut and spice

This story is definitely not YA, and it has spice and smut within. Honestly, I would rate the spice 3/5 chili peppers because it's not like a full-blown "frack me boneless" or something but it still has hooking up and making love scenes that are essential to show the growing romance between Alex and Henry. To be fair, since I watched the movie before reading the book, I was surprised by the speed of the spice but I was also enchanted by the tenderness of when they made love in their room in Paris. Like that scene was beautifully executed and I was speechless after that.

The intimacy level of the story is one of the main reasons (if not the main reason) why Nick and Taylor had to be close so fast because the level of trust that needs to be established in order to execute the intimate scenes is necessary between two actors. Their dedication to their craft just leaves me in awe every time I think of the care and work they, along with the entire cast and crew, put into this movie.

Now, to conclude,

To end, I do not regret watching Red, White and Royal Blue. It's one of those feel-good movies that I could never get tired of no matter how many times I have already seen the movie, read bits of the book and heard the dialogue. It's just that good. The movie easily became a comfort movie for me and the book is one of my 5-star reads for the year.

History, huh? This movie definitely made some.

[antspaul]

♡ SMALL THINGS: pick a fic and I’ll tell you my favorite minor detail from it! + unhappening 💕

FIC ASK GAME + unhappening

this section probably:

Lando had heard about it, when Charles presented omega. It happened when Lando was first starting to stand out in karting circles, when his competition started to become more and more continental. Charles was known to him vaguely, not much more than other karters excelling in the advanced classes, but enough that Lando knew who to picture when a group of lads he was sort of mates with told him the rumour. “Guess what, Lands, you have company soon,” one of them said, cackling with a malevolence accessible only to supervillains and eleven-year-old boys. “My mum said his whole family was gobsmacked when it happened,” said another. “That’s the thing, innit? No one will be one in the whole family back to your great-great-great-great-great grandad, and then one day boom, there you are, leaking out of your bum.” Lando cringed down to his toes. “That’s fucking minging,” he said.

Firstly this dialogue was fun to write! I miss the really really stylized dialogue of footy rpf hahaha. It's such a specific, intentional culture of expression with very specific, very obvious class and gender markers. There's been discussions recently about the British drivers and their accents and the kind of class that each of them are trying to put on. Lando is definitely the kind of person to make his speech more common, for lack of a better word, in order to fit in with his less privileged peers. That's how I envision this bit of dialogue!

More importantly, what this scene is trying to convey (aside from Lando's own feelings about being an omega, and the way that everyone around him growing up expected him to present omega) is the general public expectation, including for Charles himself, that Charles would present alpha.

In this version of omegaverse, secondary gender is basically inheritable - I think about the genetics of it as a set of very, very common complementary intersex variations. Charles's parents were an alpha and a beta, and Lorenzo is an alpha, and Charles looks like society imagines a young, healthy alpha to look. Growing up, presenting omega wasn't remotely on his radar. Until suddenly, he was in heat, and everything he'd expected his future to hold shifted.

Essentially, Charles experiences presenting omega as a loss in status.

This is a critical detail of his character background as I imagined it, but because the fic is told from a very self-centered Lando POV, this is the closest place where that specific detail comes to the suface of the narration.

thank you for the ask daniel!!!

[calunalilly]

Questions for Writers

Haven't done one of these ever so... here we go :D Thanks for the tag @riversofmars

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

128

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

1,815,281

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Last Tango in Halifax

Doctor Who

Happy Valley

Collateral

As long as we have Nicola Walker and/or Sarah Lancashire I'm there!

Some of the others include:

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

These Are The Days Of Our Lives - a series of Last Tango in Halifax fics based on prompts from Tumblr, these were meant to be one shots but found myself weaving it all together int oa bigger story!

The Story - my canon companion to Last Tango - weaving things around the canon with no divergence to make it a love story - this was bloody hard!!!

More Time, More Life, More Feeling - another Last Tango, and probably one of my favourites - I still read this fairly often like a little comfort blanket haha.

The Big L.  - my very first outing with Last Tango. I still love this story even though I look back at it and cringe a little giving it was the first thing I ever wrote, but it means a lot to me.

Fall On Me  - a collab that I did with @question-of-perception that explores things from a different perspective for Last Tango!

I've actually written far more for DW than LTIH but you wouldn't know it!

5. Do you respond to comments?

Of course! Each and every one, it's so lovely when I get them and I get so excited!!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I'm definitely a happy endings girl and I can't stand it when things don't work out, so this is hard... Maybe

Between the Eyes  because it wasn't an immediate resolution?

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Hahah all of them have happy endings! I would probably have to say

New Day Coming  for DW, perhaps, although love the one for What Christmas Means To Me  as well. In terms of Last Tango in Halifax, probably The Big L.  because I was so determined to give them their happy ending, its fluffy mcfluff.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Thankfully no, I would definitely cry hahah.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Um. Yes. Probably too much, but its a public service, right? RIGHT?!

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Yes, all the time! My maddest one is probably Call It Dreaming which is a crossover between DW/Last Tango/Happy Valley/Collateral and also has some Stranger Things elements... That was madness, haha.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of! Hope it stays that way...

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I feel like I'm some kind of co-writing slut, hahaha. Yes. With @riversofmars, @question-of-perception, @mrskeeleyhawes, @meluisart, @pocketofpencils and also with some of the folks over at the Hebden Bridge Discord Server. I really enjoy it!

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

It's a close toss up between Caroline Mckenzie Dawson/Gillian Greenwood and Liv Chenka/Helen Sinclair <3

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Hmm... I've got a lot of ideas for different things that I make notes on and a few WIPS, but I'm sure I will come back to them eventually!!

16. What are your writing strengths?

Maybe dialogue? To be honest I don't really know, I just go for it and hope for the best hahaha.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I feel that sometimes I fall back on the same language/phrasing for things and I annoy myself, and always think it's super noticeable in my writing!

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I have the odd bit where there is a point but otherwise CBA. I don't speak any other languages haha.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Last Tango in Halifax.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Whyyyyy do I have to choose just one?! I love More Time, More Life, More Feeling for Last Tango, Interstellar for DW (the middle section is probably, in my head, one of the better bits of writing I've done), Danger Zone because Top Gun AU makes me die, and also Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost  with @riversofmars because Lord of the Rings was the first fic that I ever read way back when I was an angsty teen fangirl. Hah.

Tagging some people I think might be interested but anyone who sees this and fancies it, please fell free! @katiedingo @meluisart @ultramassivecollectorcupcakeblr @pocketofpencils @darkbloomiana

[birlwrites]

do you have any recommendations for fics or other writers/artists that make Regulus-centric stuff that isn't jegulus?

I DO YES - i don't really know anything in the realm of fanart but if anyone does feel free to hop on!

first of all, some good places to look are in the ao3 collections for regulus black fest (it's a different collection every year). you can find a lot of info on the tumblr blog which i am not going to tag because i feel like their notifications are probably hellish but it's https://regulusblackfest.tumblr.com/ - the url is just regulusblackfest

and they also have artwork! so that's a good source for that as well if you haven't already looked

of course, there will undoubtedly be jegulus in there, but it won't ONLY be jegulus

as for my personal recommendations:

rosewater:

if you're looking for regulus/evan, i have a bookmark collection on ao3 of my favorites. it's a bit on the small side, and they're all one-shots right now, but i do check the tag pretty religiously (we're talking 5+ times per day) so i will add more new favorites as i find them!

and here is a link to xslytherclawx's works on ao3 (@xslytherclawx-writes on tumblr), already filtered down to just the works featuring regulus, of which there are QUITE a few

no romance:

these are some of my ABSOLUTE FAVES for regulus-centric fics! here goes:

leave no stone unturned (a series of standalones) by thedivinecomedian has a lot of great stuff - i haven't read the whole series, but i love blackpool, styx, and sabotage! please do mind the content warnings on all of those. (as the title of the series suggests, they're all standalone fics)

bindings, bindings by quietlemonhush isn't SOLELY regulus-centric - it focuses on regulus, sirius, remus, james, and lily - but regulus is one of the main characters, he has a pov, and i just love the fic in general agslhgjskdf. once again mind the warnings but it's less intense than, like, blackpool

through a glass, blackly by wheresmejumper is one that i just read fairly recently and became an INSTANT fave. it's just so well done GAHHHHHH my jaw was on the fLOOR when i got to the end, highly highly recommend, yet again do mind the warnings

some more no romance fics i found in my older bookmarks:

birthright and brotherhood - one-shot, regulus pov of sirius running away

to blow a gasket - one-shot, regulus using notable muggle inventions like duct tape and explosives to steal the horcrux

miscellaneous pairings:

smoke slow: a spy!regulus au - regulus/remus series, regulus is The Spy who ends up with the hogwarts teaching job. he's a runes professor, one of my favorite takes on the 'regulus was dumbledore's spy' premise, and regulus himself is just *chefs kiss* he's punched dumbledore in the face multiple times and i live in the hope of him getting another one in. the dialogue is EXCELLENT

midnight hues - bartylus one-shot, emotional hurt/comfort i guess? it's soft (it's in a series, but the series is more a collection of regulus fics than anything requiring continuity)

kindness blooms - regulus/petunia series, which is a WILD pairing but the author totally sold me on it - 'good petunia dursley' is a prominent tag in the series, it becomes more harry-centric as the series progresses but there's still a lot of regulus!

AND FINALLY........

technically this fic should go in the no romance section but it's just so glorious that i felt the need to give it its own section

regulus black and the way things changed: a not!fic - another take on regulus becoming a hogwarts professor, told in humorous bullet point style, and it's just delightfully unhinged the whole way through. regulus competes with gilderoy lockhart re: who is the most fabulous dresser at hogwarts. snuffles gets HEAVILY involved. it's absolutely wild. also they kill voldemort and whatnot

okay that's what i've got right now - if anyone else wants to add on more, including art, go for it!!