#and in the end the lyric i chose is from a different song entirely

[0310s]

seventeen and their crush making them a playlist 🎵

summary: friends-to-lovers!!! their reactions when you make a playlist for them. the premise is that you're friends with them and they have a crush on you!

word count: 856

jeonghan

౨ৎ when you send jeonghan a spotify link at 3am, he's puzzled at why you're still awake at such an atrocious hour. he sees the message hours later when he wakes up and finds out you've made him a playlist of japanese songs, comprised of mainly gentle indie and acoustic tracks.

"since you're learning japanese, i thought it would help to listen to music in the same language!" you declare through text. he's genuinely awed you remembered he was learning japanese even if he mentioned it only in passing, and even more touched that you thought of curating a playlist based on his own taste in music. it means that you paid attention to him and what he liked.

jeonghan uses your playlist to study the language diligently, translating lyrics and repeating them out loud multiple times as practice. the next time he sees you, he insists on buying you coffee for a week straight, and he's not accepting no for an answer. he also clings to you like a leech, demanding that you accept his help with literally everything, from studies to getting groceries. later in that week, he also vows to help you with your love life by asking you out on a date. and who are you if not helpless to jeonghan's whims to say no?

jihoon

౨ৎ "so what do you listen to while working out?" you ask jihoon. surprisingly, he listens to nothing. "so you just do chest or legs for an hour and a half straight without a soundtrack to keep you going? you monster, that sounds like literal hell!" you gasp in pure, unadulterated horror. jihoon doesn't think it's much of a problem until you send him a playlist titled "playlist to work out to". he sends you a laughing emoji, thinking it was just a joke based on your conversation from days ago, but when you tell him you made it specifically for him, his entire tune changes.

when jihoon checks the playlist, he notices how it's perfectly an hour and a half, enough time for his work out with minutes to spare for his cool down—now he has to listen to music while working out. you chose the perfect songs: heavy-bass, hard-hitting hip-hop at the start of the playlist to pump him up and relatively calmer songs along the end for when he winds down. he doesn't tell you he's listened to it while at the gym for weeks straight, so much that he's memorized the lyrics to all the tracks as well as the transitions from one song to the next. the rest of the guys at the gym wonder why he's suddenly wearing headphones, only to realize why when they see his phone.

when you mention the playlist to him in passing, jihoon pretends to be normal about it, but when you get all excited about how you based it off the playlists he had on his spotify page, he gets flustered and tongue-tied. he knows you're a kind person, but he falls deeper into you, knowing you'd take the time to do something as meaningful as this for him. still, he's busted when his friends pass by and tell you he's been listening your playlist at the gym for weeks on end. in the end, jihoon's embarrassment is worth it when you ask him out on a date yourself.

vernon

౨ৎ you and vernon listen to completely different genres of music. while you enjoy your daily dose of r&b, vernon's headphones are filled with sounds of pop punk and hyperpop. despite this, you and vernon share your current favorite tracks with each other, taking time to listen to each other's recommendations. you possess a mutual respect for both your preferences and don't feel like you necessarily need to have the same music taste to be friends.

however, vernon's in for a surprise when on his birthday, you hand him a mixtape in the form of a cd with a doodle of you and him on it. "vernon and (y/n)'s mixtape :)," it reads on the cd in loopy handwriting, complete with a smiley face. "hi, vernon," you cheerily say from his laptop speakers. he shivers at the sound of your dulcet voice (cute!!!!). "i hope you enjoy this little mixtape i made you. it's a bunch of songs i thought you'd like based on your music taste! enjoy and happy birthday," you end with a giggle.

on his first listen, he can't believe what he's hearing. you've compiled some of his favorite songs in this mixtape, alongside other pop punk and hyperpop tracks he loves but has never shared with you. there are some songs from the same genres he's never heard of, and he becomes immediately obsessed with them. on his third listen, he still can't believe how you knew exactly the type of songs he'd like. in return, he makes you a mixtape of r&b songs he thinks you'd like. at the end of the mixtape, he confesses to you and nervously asks you out on a date. vernon receives a call immediately from you: "i've been waiting this whole time for you to ask!"

౨ৎ 0310s © 2023 ౨ৎ

#seventeen fluff #seventeen imagines #seventeen scenarios #seventeen x reader #seventeen x you #svt fluff #svt imagines #svt scenarios #svt x reader #svt x y/n #vernon x reader #hansol x reader #vernon chwe x reader #jeonghan x reader #woozi x reader #jihoon x reader #jeonghan fluff #jeonghan imagines #woozi fluff #woozi imagines #woozi scenarios #woozi fic #vernon fic #jeonghan fic

[rorybluez]

The EU French dub of "How Bad Can I Be?" got me in a chokehold so here's a rant-review of it

This is a collab with @etsulovesonceler :3 Absolutely do read their analysis on the DANISH 'How Bad Can I Be?' dub, it's bloody amazing

'C'EST MAL MAIS TANT PIS' aka 'I know it's bad, but f*ck it'

French dub was the first one I listened to with legitimate fascination and interest, so naturally it became my fave. I love how ENERGETIC and upbeat it is. It has the same effect as the Eng "how b-A-A-A-A-d can i be": it's catchy, flows and rhymes nicely and is impossible not to sing along to. You could've told me French was THE original version and honestly I would have believed you with ease, simply because it's SO DAMN WELL DONE.

Singer is a 10/10 for great vocals (obviously) and his acting towards the end of the song: he nails Once-ler's gradual descent into an arrogant, daring, untrustworthy and prideful character. Well, a lot of dubs did brilliantly on this part, but French one's full awareness of what he's doing makes him unique in my eyes. The way he sings out "Et c'est tellement GRATIFIANT" with so much DELIGHT, like he's truly relishing in his success is TASTY. Not giving two shits about the "bad" part at all, but it's The Once-ler, so it's a given I suppose.

SPEAKING OF, LEMME TELL YOU, FRENCH TRANSLATORS ABSOLUTELY COOKED HERE. Whoever wrote the lyrics, they must've been related to the creation of "Biggering" somehow or at the very least were big fans. Premise of his entire song is "I know DAMN well it's bad, but I couldn't care less tbh" The whole perspective is different now and stays somewhat true to "Biggering"s message. Rather drastic change from the original: bolder, blunter, harsher, honest, more ruthless and got a hella serious tone. Sure, he triES to excuse himself with "I don't know what has come over me" and "This is the life the fate chose for me" lines but…yeah, they're of little help, if any.

Some may argue that Once realizing his wrongdoings so early on in the song takes away from the impact "The Last Tree" had on him in the end, but if anything, I believe it gives him complexity. It's all about big talk, justifications and seeming indifferent until he actually HAS to face the consequences of his major fuck-up. The "Well too bad, could be worse for all I care" to "well damn, i should've cared" pipeline is real, which ultimately prompts him to say "actually, DO care. Care a whole awful lot" to Ted as his final message.

This dub singlehandedly added several layers to Once-ler's character with THIS LYRICAL DECISION ALONE and it's one of the many reasons why I adore it so much.

Besides, c'mon guys French is hot. Once speaking french? Attractive, next question.

European French lyrics and translation: https://lyricstranslate.com/en/how-bad-can-i-be-quel-point-puis-je-etre-mauvai.html-0

#onceler #onceler fandom #the lorax #lorax 2012 #french dub #how bad can i be #how bad can i be multilanguage dubs #c'est mal mais tant pis #etsulovesonceler #the onceler #rory rants

[bonesandthebees]

Hey, just wanted to check in on you. I know a lot of your fics center around cwilbur/ctommy. I hope you’re doing ok with the news. I’m so proud of the community not tolerating this.

I feel kind of guilty though. I listened heavily to love joy as I related to it and it’s been helping me get through rough times. But now I’m sitting here wondering “does that make me a bad person?”. I stopped listening to Lovejoy YCMGA and MSR but am I a bad person for relating to those songs?

I can’t listen to them anymore without feeling sick, knowing something that once brought me so much comfort was created by a man doing the same thing I’m trying to escape from.

I still want to listen to them sometimes though, but I refuse to support a man like that. I’m also a little nervous about fics. Me and my brother would read your fics together as a way to bond even through long distance living. cwilbur was one of my brother’s favorite characters and he loves your fics.

I haven’t talked with him about it yet, though I probably should. I feel like all in all I just need time to plant my feet and get it back together.

But in the meantime I am so endlessly proud for seeing how everyone has been encouraging and supporting Shelby. I know how scary it is to speak up about what has been done to you and I’m so proud of her. I’m also proud of how the community has refused to support him at all.

Shutting down accounts, turning the Wilbur subreddit into a Wilbur Wright subreddit, I’m proud that so many people have taken action while the rest of us are still reeling

Thank you for letting me vent, I hope you are taking time and space to care for yourself during this as well

thank you anon, I spent the last week talking extensively with people in my inbox about the whole wilbur situation and it really helped me process a lot of my emotions at the time so I'm doing alright now. while I'm not taking any of my old fics down, I'm still figuring out what I'm going to do with my ongoing fics that center around c!wilbur, so we'll see where I end up landing with that

I'm also so incredibly proud of the community for not tolerating this. like, you gotta admit, this was one of the most cohesive ways I've ever seen a fanbase dissolve. sure there are still some freaks sticking around, but the vast majority of us got up and left.

now, don't ever feel like you're a bad person for relating to the lyrics wilbur wrote. although many of the songs feel different now with this new information about him as a person, he wrote about mental struggles in a way that MANY people connected with. there's nothing wrong with having those kinds of struggles. what's wrong is when someone dealing with those kinds of things is hurting other people, is made aware they're hurting other people, and then refuses to do anything to try and change for the better. wilbur refused to try and be a better person. he chose to keep abusing his partner and hurting the people around him. that's what makes a bad person.

I do think separation of art vs artist is possible, but it gets trickier when financial support comes in. that's why I suggest if you want to keep listening to lovejoy, piracy is always an option. the mp3 youtube downloader is your best friend there. MSR is a bit trickier though given that we know MSR was entirely written about wilbur's perspective of his and shelby's relationship, and now we know the truth of what that relationship was actually like. his own narrative that disregards the abuse is what makes up the album itself. personally, I don't think I could ever listen to MSR again without feeling gross.

that makes me really happy to hear you and your brother bonded while reading my fics. like man that's so sweet, I really hope you two will be able to keep enjoying the same things. whether you're both able to separate character from cc and continue reading c!wilbur content, or finding another interest to share in the future. take your time though. there's no rush to talk to him. let your feelings settle.

and yes I'm also incredibly proud of shubble as I'm sure we all are. coming forward like this is a terrifying thing to do but I'm so grateful she did, because now we all are aware and aren't unintentionally platforming a dangerous person like that. I'm so proud of this community. we really all came together in the end.

take care of yourself <3

#ask #anon #wilbur situation

[oddberryshortcake]

can you write something with the Megara oc?

You're in luck! My Megara inspired Yuu actually has lots of lore!

Here's an illustration of her dynamic with Idia Shroud provided by the lovely @cozymochi

My fic is under read more, but you can also read it on AO3!

“Why do you want me to talk to this boy so badly?” Katerina asked, reclining on her dormitory couch, long ponytail hanging off the end. 

Idia sat awkwardly at the seat across from her, all scrunched up yet still finding room to be baffled at her inquiry. 

“Look at me!” He gestured to himself as if it was obvious. 

When all he got was a raised eyebrow, he reiterated, “I’m not great with face-to-face confrontations. Last I talked to him, he threatened me with a baton. But, Kat, you have to see him. He’s an entirely different person once you get past the ‘scary guard’ thing.”

“You sure he’s not trying to lull you into a false sense of security so he can whack you with his baton?” Katerina teased sarcastically.

“No, but don’t put that in the universe!” Idia retorted, “I’m not asking for anything complicated. Just scope him out! Maybe you can get an online game account out of him; he says his dad plays.” 

“Send your brother to do it.” 

“Ortho is a good boy! And I don’t want to set him up for what is basically super personal info-gathering. It’d be too obvious if it was him anyway.” Idia snapped. 

Ortho was much more of the mischievous prying type than Idia seemed aware of, or at least wanted to acknowledge. Still, seeing him this perturbed over some boy she’s never heard of before must mean something. 

“I hooked you up with all of the lasted Twisted Wonderland consoles, visual novels, and anime. You owe me two grand in favors.” Idia got strangely threatening, pointing an accusatory finger in her direction. 

“Hey, you chose to do that!” Katerina snapped back at him, rising up from her lounging position. “You were begging me to check all those things out!”

“Doesn’t matter; you’ll change your mind when you see him. “He’s easy to find. Usually somewhere on campus, silver hair, beautiful eyes,” Idia replied. “I’ll throw in whatever extra perks you want. You want Pay-Per-Routes? You got it.”

“You just threatened me with that. Look, fine, I’ll meet this guy, but don’t expect the conversation to be very long.” Kat gave in, heaving herself up and throwing on her jacket from the side. 

“You’re a smooth-talker, much more endearing than I can manage. You’ll do fine.” Idia told her.

“By the way, I probably wouldn’t stay in that seat too long. As soon as Grim wakes up and sees you in his spot, he won’t shut up about it.” Kat warned, or rather teased, with a flip of her hair. 

It didn’t do much. Idia loved Grim just for being a cat, so chances were he would stick around until she finished her task. 

She wasn’t sure exactly how easy this person was to find. His description sounded more like lovestruck rambling than anything actually concrete. 

A quick walk across campus to the hall of mirrors was terrible when she was alone because when she didn’t have her friend at either side of her, people stared. 

Granted, they always stared, but they did so more noticeably when she was alone. 

They would turn their heads to look at her each time. They’d whip around and gawk in place. She was the only girl on campus, and they were both in awe and shocked by her being there, and she hated all of it. 

If this person hadn’t heard of her sudden arrival to this school, then they’d be just as surprised. She’d have to do the whole song and dance all over again. He would dumbly declare her as a girl, then be bothered by her mere presence or try to ask her out. 

A soft vocalization caught her ears, followed by the most tender lyrics. 

‘No way,’ Kat thought, ‘there’s no way that’s the guy.’

She followed the voice out of curiosity, and if she saw any of the vague physical description given to her, she would never question Idia’s weirdness ever again…Or rather, she wouldn’t question it too harshly. 

“I wonder, I wonder…I wonder why each little bird has a someone~” 

A boy with strikingly silver hair stretched his arms and legs with ease, seemingly going through some workout routine while singing gently. 

Perching on the tips of his fingers were small little blue birds. They twittered along with his melodic humming. It was unbelievable; she was literally at a loss for words. 

“To sing to, sweet things to…A gay little love melody~” he continued, bringing the hand with the birds closer to his face. 

Almost comedically, Kat stepped forward and conveniently broke a twig under her boot. A loud snap interrupted the boy’s song, and he quickly drew a baton out from under him and pointed it in her direction. 

She threw her hands up to show that she meant no harm, and the boy dropped his defenses immediately. 

“Oh, hello, I’m sorry about that. You startled me.” The boy apologized. 

“No problem. What, uh, what are you doing?” She asked, stepping closer. 

“I was about to train. I was doing some stretches first.” He explained 

“While singing to a bunch of birds?” She questioned bluntly, hands on her hips. 

The boy fell silent and looked blankly back at her. Apparently he was in thought because he gave her a half-hearted answer when he spoke up again. “Yes, I suppose so.” 

“You suppose so…” she repeated. 

‘Is this wonderboy for real?’ She thought to herself, ‘this has to be an act. No guy, especially at this school, sings to animals like he’s some kind of fairytale princess.’  

“You wouldn’t happen to be named Silver, would you?” 

“That is my name!” Silver exclaimed with innocent surprise, “What’s yours?”

“Katerina Vallis. My friends call me Kat, though.” She held her hand out to shake. 

Silver looked at it like he didn’t know what she was doing, so she met him halfway and grabbed his hand in a tight shake. 

“Would you prefer if I call you Kat, then?” He asked permission. 

His entire demeanor endlessly confused her, and she fought hard against herself to find it endearing. 

“Sure, wonderboy, knock yourself out.” 

The birds that fled when she surprised him flew back, handing on his shoulders and head. “I don’t believe I’ve met you before until now…Or,” Silver narrowed his eyes at her as if inspecting her all over, Katerina crossed her arms, “Have I?”

“We’ve never met,” Katerina explained, it seemed obvious, but somehow this was the strangest boy she’s come across so far. “A little bird told me about you.”

Silver looked inquisitively at his bird friends. He brought a hand out and the birds obediently landed on his wrist and fingers. “Have you, now?”

“Not a literal bird- Ah, whatever,” Katerina replied, “Do you play video games…Or something?”

“I do; I’m not very good at them though,” Silver answered. It was extremely easy, no strings attached. 

Silver didn’t seem to notice that Kat was very clearly an outsider at this school. Kat was beginning to think that he couldn’t even tell she was a ‘she.’ But it was a nice change of pace to talk without having to deal with the usual reactions and questions. 

“Mind exchanging account info? For the little bird?” She asked. 

“Of course, though, I don’t know if a bird would be very good at playing video games either.” Silver agreed, still misguided, but he had the spirit. “I only really play games with my father, and even then, I usually fall asleep before I can finish. Do you play games?”

“Yeah, I dabble,” Kat said. 

She lied. She was knee-deep in inter-dimensional visual novels that she’s never seen before until getting trapped here. Without her parents there to chide her for not focusing more on sports and photoshoots, she could indulge in all of her fantasies. She could become the girl who has friends and falls in love in all of these games Idia supplied her with. 

Those fantasies came with a cost. Now she had to act as a gopher. 

“If only I had a pen and paper…” Silver mused. 

“You can just tell me, and I’ll type it on my phone.” She offered. 

Suddenly, a little rabbit and squirrel hopped up to them, one holding a pen and one holding a paper. How the hell those animals even got those items that fast and how they knew exactly what Silver wanted? Katerina didn’t know. She had a hard time believing what she was seeing. 

“Thank you,” Silver patted their little heads and took their items. 

He wrote down his online name and handed it to her. He wrote in very neat cursive, “here you are.”

He had a very creative name…Silver515. 

“Thanks…” she said, and that was that, “I’ll see you around.” 

Silver yawned and covered his mouth with his hand before giving her a friendly goodbye. He pulled his baton back up and swung it around with clear precision. It reminded her of her fencing practice, where she would fight some invisible enemy with all of her might. 

She lingered there, silently wondering why she hadn’t left. Then, she spoke up. 

“Do you have a second baton?” She asked. 

“Oh, yes, actually. Sebek was here with me earlier, but he left to chase after our liege. Guard duties and all.” Silver explained, pulling out his spare baton hidden underneath a group of spectating animals.

He handed it to her, and she took it. She expected him to toss it, but it was a gentle handoff. 

“But not you?” Katerina questioned. 

“Malleus enjoys taking walks alone. I prefer to leave him be if he wants it.” Silver responded as a matter of fact. 

“That’s very considerate.” Katerina complemented before getting into position. 

The baton was shorter and stockier than the fencing sword she used, but he held it with as much grace as possible and prepared Silver for her first move, “En-garde!” 

Silver copied her motion as if he too had been fencing his whole life, and the two tried to jab each other’s chest. 

They had to get closer to each other to nail the hit. 

Katerina got an up-close look at Silver’s unique eyes. Idia was not kidding when he described them as beautiful. They were a mix of blue, purple, and pink, all swirled together like a sunrise. It was enough to distract her and leave her open, Silver jabbed the baton into her, and she staggered backward. 

It was a momentary stumble, however, as she leaped back up and returned the jab. By the rule of fencing, there was one turn left, and Katerina backed up to dodge the hits before trying to jab again. 

Silver overpowered her easily. It was enthralling to meet a match after years of her being used as her fencing team’s secret weapon back in her original dimension. His form was a lot more offensive than Katerina’s strategic one. 

If she didn’t know any better, she would’ve guessed he was trained to fight for real instead of for sport. 

Eventually, they both felt satisfied with their spar and dropped to the grass. Despite all the energy he displayed before, his head swayed, and his body lay slack with drowsiness against a tree beside her. 

“Your form is excellent. You have quite a talent.” Silver complimented, speech slow but sincere. 

“Thanks. I’ve been fencing since I was a kid, along with other imposed hobbies.” She replied. 

“That’s quite a coincidence because I’ve trained with the sword since I was a child too.” Silver added. “Would you be interested in training with me again?”

Katerina was about to say ‘yes’ when her phone buzzed. She pulled it out and took a quick look at the text. 

Idia: WHERE R U?? Did u find him? Sometimes he sleeps on the ground on campus, but that could be anywhere-

Katerina rolled her eyes and put the phone down. She’d get to him in a minute. 

“Yeah, I’d love- I mean-“ Katerina fumbled, but thankfully it wasn’t noticed at all. “Oh.”

In only a matter of seconds, Silver was fast asleep. 

All of the quirks that Idia had described to her were a reality. It was stranger than anything she had experienced so far in this strange world, and even stranger than befriending a talking cat monster, was this boy who came straight out of a fairytale. 

She had his gaming account info…So she could give him her answer there. 

Katerina left to her self-proclaimed master to report what she had found. She definitely found a lot more than what she expected to find. 

#twst #twisted wonderland #twst fic #twst silver #idia shroud #twst mc #Katerina Vallis #as you can tell I rly like mc X silver #rip to any typos I might've missed I will go back in and fix #twst yuu

[mariathechosen1]

Feminine rage and envy:

Inspired by ‘Brutus’ by The Buttress.

[Image description: A collage consisting of 10 different photographs and quotes, all related to feminine rage. All of the images are in various shades of red. From top to bottom and left to right:

A lyrics excerpt in red text on a dark cyan background: "My name is Brutus and my name means heavy."

The painting 'Judith Beheading Holofernes' by Caravaggio: It depicts Judith, a serious-looking woman, in the process of beheading Holofernes. She is wearing a white blouse and a red skirt. In one hand she's holding a sword, cutting into Holofernes's neck, in the other hand she's holding Holofernes's hair. Holofernes looks terrified and is lying naked and sprawled out over a white bed. Blood is spraying out of his neck.

A lyrics excerpt in red text on a dark cyan background: "So with a heavy heart I'll guide this dagger / Into the heart of my enemy."

An excerpt from 'Much Ado About Nothing' by William Shakespeare: "Oh God that I were a man! I would eat his heart in the market place."

The painting 'Love Slowly Kills' by Adrian Borda: It depicts a pomegranate lying on small plate, placed on a wooden table. The pomegranate, which has been been divided into several pieces, is pierced by an arrow and its shape vaguely resembles an anatomical heart. Bits of pomegranate and pomegranate seeds are scattered on the table. Behind the pomegranate there is an empty crystal wineglass and a clear glass bottle filled with clear liquid.

A lyrics excerpt in red text on a dark cyan background: "What's more wrong, that I too wish to be great? / Or my mother wished she'd had a son?"

A photograph of a pomegranate split into two halves. A butter knife, covered in bright red pomegranate juice, lies next to the halves and there is a bright red stain on the floor.

The painting 'Within the Tent of Brutus: Enter the Ghost of Caesar, Julius Caesar, Act IV, Scene III' by Edwin Austin Abbey. The painting depicts Brutus, clad in a bright red toga, cowering from the grey ghost of Julius Caesar. The ghost is splattered with blood stains.

A lyrics excerpt in red text on a dark cyan background: "Of humble and born of the cursed sex"

A lyrics excerpt spelled out with words cut out from paper: "My name is Brutus, but the people Will call me Rex". In contrary to the rest of the lyrics, the words 'Brutus' and 'Rex' are made up of individual letter cut outs instead of whole words, putting more emphasis on them. The background is the painting 'Still-life with bunches of grapes, figs and four pomegranates on a ledge' by Michelangelo Cerquozzi. The painting is dark and depicts fruits in different shades of red.

/end ID]

Sources and further explanation under the cut:

['Brutus' - The Buttress, 'Judith Beheading Holofernes' - Caravaggio, 'Much Ado About Nothing' - William Shakespeare, 'Love Slowly Kills' - Adrian Borda, 'Within the Tent of Brutus: Enter the Ghost of Caesar, Julius Caesar, Act IV, Scene III' - Edwin Austin Abbey, 'Still-life with bunches of grapes, figs and four pomegranates on a ledge' - Michelangelo Cerquozzi]

There's already a lot of 'female rage' web weaves on this website, but i figured why not do one myself? I think a lot of these web weaves either 1) tend to focus too much on biology (which is why I chose to say 'feminine' rage and tried to avoid a lot of cis female imagery. Fuck off TERFS) or 2) Choose photos or quotes taken sorta out of context? Especially when it comes to myths (like Persephone) and classical literature. I've sorta based this entire thing on 'Brutus' by The Buttress which is honestly such a fucking fantastic song, but the interesting thing about it is that it paints Brutus as, not only a female, but as someone driven by envy. I was really considering adding a quote or two from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, but in that play Brutus is specifically one of the only ones NOT driven by envy, his motives are pure. Idk, there's just something fascinating (in a positive way) about the fact that that envy appears the moment the character is female. I've also included a lot of small references that probably only I find interesting: I looked for paintings with figs as a reference to Livia Drusilla (augustus's wife who was rumored to have covered figs with poison to kill him), Beatrice from much ado because she's the best ever and I just absolutely love this rant of hers, and, of course, the pomegranates. I'm very aware that they often symbolize fertility (which goes agaist my whole 'no biology' principles), but idk I just love how bloody they look. They're a fruit. They're sweet, they're elegant, they're pretty to look at. They're blood red and they stain like hell if you're not careful. I just love how gore-y they look.

#web weaving #web weave #spilled thoughts #parallels #classic academia #dark academia #shakespeare #moodboard #feminine rage #mariacore #feminism #(I feel like ‘female rage’ can get a little terfy sometimes so I’m gonna avoid that tag) #much ado about nothing #tw blood #cw: gore #food cw #tw gore #tw violent imagery #tw violence #tw body horror #cw sexism #tw knife #cw misogyny #tw cannibalism #image described #let me know if i need to add any more warnings or tags! #this one is a bit more violent than the other #terfs do not touch

[bettyshoweduptotheparty]

My tears ricochet/ hoax / happiness parallels

My lovely moot @lyricstoojesus has asked me about My tears ricochet so I've dug out my pandemic notes on folklore and evermore and had some thoughts. I agree that it's a good contender for a lyrical analysis as it's entirely set in the wake/funeral imagery, but I'm afraid I have nothing to tell you that would offer a different interpretation than it being about SB, because that's what I also think. However, I have a few lyrical analysis points as to why that is, as you said you're not convinced. I will have to draw parallels to hoax and happiness to show what I mean.

First is the line 'if I'm on fire, you'll be made of ashes, too' from the first verse. This fire and ashes metaphor appears again in hoax where she says 'I am ash from your fire'. This person that burned her appears in multiple songs and in MTR and happiness it's very clear that this is someone she was once very close to, almost like a family member, and therefore burning her down is hurting them just as much ('you'll be made of ashes too'/ 'You had to kill me but it killed you just the same'). Even the title itself, the very concept of tears that ricochet is, that the sadness is backfiring at the person that's causing it. I think in the long pond session Taylor said something like 'The person that can hurt you the most is the one that was once your most trusted person, because they know what buttons to press'. Similarly, I interpret the line 'You wear the same jewels that I gave you as you bury me' to mean 'You used confidential information that I gave you when I trusted you, against me'. That sounds very much like a parental figure to me and that points me to SB.

I have to admit that I probably come to that conclusion first through hoax, because that has so relatively few words in every line that they are really packed with meaning and once I'd worked my way through that the fire and ashes line then translates into MTR. So, in hoax all these four line verses are very minimal, but I think they are perfectly crafted to say exactly what/who each one is about.

The first one is 'My only one...' so that's about a romantic partner (her one and only). The song starts and ends with that, but in between I'm fairly certain she talks about something else. And I think she confirmed that in the conversation with Aaron saying that you can talk about multiple situations in one song, one being a business relationship, and one being a romantic relationship. Not surprisingly, this is a reoccurring theme in folklore and evermore, considering this is Taylor in lockdown in March of 2020 writing this, 9 months after the masters heist, working through all the feelings associated with what happened in the summer of 2019. And without too much guess work, I think we can assume some of that was business-related and some of it was the effect that it had on her relationship. (Not to forget that following the masters heist, Taylor started dressing in all black in the middle of her pastel and rainbows Lover era, to express her grief. So, not surprising that she chose a wake/funeral image for the song about that very situation). But back to hoax, the lines that I think point to SB are:

My best laid plan -the planned coming out Your sleight of hand - masters being sold to the worst possible person without consulting her My barren land - I was left with nothing, masters gone and plans foiled I am ash from your fire - I trusted you once and you used that to hurt me

In summary: You knew about my carefully laid out plans and you took the ground from under my feet when you sold my life's work to my biggest bully and left me in the closet. You knew how much that would hurt me because I trusted you and you did it anyway. Bringing it back to MTR, in that light the line 'Cause when I'd fight, you used to tell me I was brave' really sounds like she's recalling times when he'd tell her she was brave for putting up with closeting for the sake of the success. And I really get older/parental figure vibes from this line, because isn't that what people of seniority often say to younger people when they are confronted with hardship that they don't want to tackle? 'Can't really do anything for you, but you are so brave...!'

Another lyrical aspect that I want to mention about MTR are the really strong parallels to happiness. Thematically, both are songs about a broken/past relationship, but MTR is the immediate aftermath, the grief of the moment, and happiness is the moving on, finding happiness and beauty in things that have ended. But the lyrics are really strong mirror images of each other, both highlighting that, despite the pain and betrayal, there was a lot to love and lose in this relationship, and some memories will always be cherished:

we line up, weepin' in a sunlit room -> In our history, across our great divide, there is a glorious sunrise

Showed you all of my hiding spots -> I can go anywhere I want, Anywhere I want, just not home

you're the hero flying around, saving face -> I can't make it go away by making you a villain

And you can aim for my heart, go for blood -> Past the blood and bruise

You know I didn't want to have to haunt you -> Haunted by the look in my eyes

My tears ricochet -> now my eyes leak acid rain on the pillow where you used to lay your head

Crossing out the good years -> seven years in heaven

I could go on, but I think you get the idea. These two are really similar and very much express the struggle of 'how do you move on from losing someone you were once so close to/looked up to'. Goes without saying at this point, that all three of these songs could easily also be read as breakup songs. But given the timing I would attribute them to SB, definitely a loss she'd have to work through in 2020.

That's all my notes on MTR, might come back to other folkmore songs, now that I've found my old notes. Let me know if it gave you any new insights ;)

#ts lyric analysis #my tears ricochet #hoax #happiness #folklore #evermore #taylor swift

[darkpoisonouslove]

Trivia Tuesday

Who says Trivia Tuesday is only for written works?

I have been putting this off for 3 months but I wanted to share this compilation of my favorite moments from my Daylight video for Griffin x Valtor and do some commentary on them, talk about the process behind this video.

*I chose to overlay the song from the beginning instead of making you listen to the different segments that go with the footage smashed together in a cacophony. Here's the full video if you want to reference which parts of the song correspond to the respective segments.

There is no reason for me to bring this up other than that in the og video the line "you and I drink the poison from the same vine" just so happens to play while this is going on. I swear that was not on purpose. I chose the vine attack against Valtor because of the dark green glow around the stem which looks like Griffin's magic in order to make this more convincing... and then I realized that this moment happened right as that lyric was playing.

This whole segment starting from Griffin and Faragonda and then switching to Valtor in his lonely tower before Griffin contacts him because she wants to talk to him too and can't tear herself away is just so wistful and nostalgic and the music (especially in the actual video) only adds to that vibe. They're both brooding - out of the daylight - because they despise their obsession with each other but still can't help it.

I especially love that he proceeds to break into Alfea to talk to her and she blasts him with a vortex of books because she sensed his presence (I just didn't include that part in this compilation because then I'd have to post the entire video). It is a headcanon that I've had for a while that because they were partners for so long and the Dragon Fire is the most powerful magic which created the whole universe, Griffin has learned to home in on his magical signature because she can distinguish it from anyone else's.

-- Join me. -- A horrible idea.

I find this moment utterly hilarious. I don't really have anything else to say about it but I guess I can share the process of picking the dialogue for the video. Valtor's lines were easier to pick because they mostly come from a couple of scenes but I had to scour the entire season 1 (aka every scene with Griffin) to figure out which of Griffin's lines can be useful and then I had to piece together actual conversations from them, the one above being my magnum opus.

I simply enjoy the way I made these two different scenes fit together into one to make it look like his whole "teleporting in your chair" shtick happens right in front of Griffin's and the viewer's eyes. This is why I love video editing!

This one! Oh, this was a legendary moment for me! A whole new step in my video making career. I feel like I unlocked a whole new part of my brain when I realized that I could use the mirror effect to showcase Griffin's spell creating her clone. I have never used the mirror effect before and finding such great application for it that adds to the story (because I wasn't sure my idea with the spell was coming through before I came up with this) was certainly a highlight of my video making process.

Kind of on the other end of the spectrum this is here because I wanted to explain that the vortex is the portal that Griffin opens to sneak back to her office and catch Valtor off guard while he's watching her clone. I wasn't sure all of that was clear but I was running out of ideas, mental energy and remaining seconds from the song so I kind of had to speedrun that if I wanted to fit everything in the video.

I thought Valtor deserved a taste of his own medicine (aka payback for the illusion spell he used on Griffin, Faragonda and Saladin at Light Rock lake). Is this scenario realistic? Mayhaps not. But! Griffin used to study under Lysslis with him so she could have picked up some very convincing illusion magic too!

I'm thinking that perhaps I would have been able to provide more insight into the video and my thoughts on it if I had written this back in January when I could still remember the process of making this but it is what it is. I got to talk about it again and rediscover some of the joys that this particular video brought to me which was fun! And now this post works as a throwback to refresh all our memory on my latest efforts in video making before we see where I go from here.

#winx club #griffin x valtor #winx griffin #winx valtor #covenshipping #my video #video #trivia tuesday

[fuck-you-upmusicbracket]

Hello World! (Blood Blockade Battlefront)

Now the world is brightly painted/With colours that I chose for it/But I wonder what the scars I didn't choose would even mean/Thinking I'm the only hero/The center of the world I know/But until the end, and without rest, up on the stage I'll be What can I do?/I can't even pretend that I'm empty

"A lot of the lyrics in this song talk about choosing to go on living life, and living life to the fullest. All the experiences you've gone through and how they've changed you, and how your own world can look so different after your perspective and mindset changes over time or after something impactful. For me, the very music and singing and the way it's sung gives me this feeling of someone bearing their soul for all to see, and it makes me quite emotional yet happy, as I connect very deeply to themes of chosing to live my own life and seeing the world differently over time. I also love the visuals for this opening of the anime, because it both articulates the song perfectly, as well as the story and vibe of the show!"

Love Like Ghosts (Lord Huron)

I don't feel it till it hurts sometimes/Oh, go on baby, hurt me tonight/I want ours to be an endless song/Baby, in my eyes, you do no wrong/I don't feel it till it hurts sometimes/So go on, baby, hurt me tonight/All the spirits that I know I saw/Do you see no ghost in me at all?

"The use of ghosts as a metaphor for ghosts is just. so good. The idea of being haunted by your pasts love/seeing yourself as a ghost because of love is such a fascinating idea like?? Referring to the concept of love with "what ain't living can never really die" is really interesting because the love was "never living" meaning....that the love wasn't real? that the love was one sided? that they were never in love at all? it could mean a thousand different things and the entire song is skewed from the perspective of the narrator. The character narrator's of LH songs are....notoriously unreliable to put it lightly, and this one could be viewed in the same way. The narrator is adamant that the person they're singing to doesn't truly love them, but doesn't want them to leave her, but we have no way to know that for certain. She implies that the person is lying to her and doesn't truly want her with the line "You don't want me baby, please don't lie" but again, we don't know if thats true. It leaves this song is such a weird state of leaving the listener guessing and walking away with their own meaning of the song."

Hello, World submitted by @puppet-limbo

Love Like Ghosts submitted by @danidoesathing

#fuck you up bracket #tournament #polls #blood blockade battlefront #lord huron

[presidenthades]

Once again, I am doing a series of my behind-the-scenes thoughts for The Golds while I do light edits for formatting, typos, and continuity. Here’s Chapter 9!

For this chapter’s title, I went with the final stanza of “The Song of the Seven” when the lyrics talk about all the gods, because the chapter ends with Jace and Aegon arriving for the anointment ceremony.

I kinda feel sorry for Jace and Aegon discovering the true hardships of parenthood (night feedings! Sleep deficit!), but they also have a castle full of servants to do all the chores. Raising a baby is hard, but at least they don’t have to worry about laundry or cooking. Can’t blame Jace for delegating diaper changes, though.

I have no idea how long a dragon’s gestation period is supposed to be. No reason it can’t be comparable to a human’s? They’re fictional anyway 😛. But I wanted Vermax’s gestation to align with Jace’s pregnancy to highlight that dragon/rider bond, since the show has cuts of Syrax reacting during Rhaenyra’s labor in Episode 10.

There’s a fandom theory that dragons seem to thrive more roaming freely on Dragonstone than chained in the Dragonpit. But one disadvantage of the Dragonmont is the Cannibal, who I imagine is quick to hint down new eggs and hatchlings. So when a claimed dragon is expected to lay eggs, I think the Dragonkeepers are very alert about when it happens. It might be harder to keep tabs on unclaimed dragons like Silverwing, who probably do their own thing without a rider to keep tabs on them. But otherwise the Dragonkeepers are trying their best to save the eggs from getting eaten.

There’s also probably a narrow window after Vermax lays eggs when she goes away to hunt or something, and that’s when humans are able to get the eggs. Otherwise Vermax might not be so happy about them taking her eggs, and Jace is in no shape to go up the mountain and tell her to calm down.

There’s some debate whether Sunfyre was a cradle egg or a dragon that Aegon claimed as a kid. The strong bond makes me want to say cradle egg, but Sunfyre seems a lot larger than most dragons his age if so, and there are lines in F&B which indicate that Aegon, Helaena, and Aemond might not have even received cradle eggs. There might not have been eggs available when the genre born, or maybe Viserys chose not to give them eggs because he was showing favor to Rhaenyra’s line. Daeron is the youngest so he’s a special case because of the timing; there might have been more eggs when he was born, or, in the book (where Daeron and Jacaerys are of similar ages), Viserys may have felt obligated to offer an egg to Daeron since he gave eggs to Rhaenyra’s kids.

I’m leaning toward Aegon claiming Sunfyre (who could have been a young dragon in the Dragonpit). In that case, it’s extra important to Aegon that he gets an egg for his son, especially if you go with the headcanon that Viserys deliberately didn’t give Aegon an egg. By personally choosing an egg and placing it in the cradle, this is another way Aegon can demonstrate his love and approval to his own son, which Viserys didn’t show to Aegon.

In the last chapter’s commentary, I mentioned that I made Aegon minimally affected by the glass candle since he’s not inclined toward magic. But Joff is very interested in magic and has actually used the candle, so it has a much greater effect on her. Kinda like how the One Ring in LOTR affects different people differently.

I think we can all agree that generally, it’s an asshole move to a) purposely create sudden loud noises around a newborn and b) shove a woman who just gave birth. Joff is not entirely herself and she shows remorse, so she gets some sympathy. At the same time, I think it’s clear why Aegon is so angry. From his perspective, Jace is bleeding on the floor and screaming for Joff to stop whatever she’s doing, and he catches Joff with her hands literally in the cradle. He believes he came just in time to stop something terrible from happening, and who knows what would’ve happened if Joff hadn’t snapped out of it? So Aegon is not going to immediately forgive Joff for hurting Jace/almost hurting the baby. And if it were anyone else (not Jace’s sister, not the person who just saved Jace and Cheeseball), he probably wouldn’t have forgiven them at all.

As for Jace, despite her own fear and pain, her first instinct is to try to protect Joff by lying for her, because that’s her sister and Aegon is pretty pissed. As usual, Jace sets her own needs and comfort aside in favor of her loved ones. But now Jace has a helpless baby to think about. She might still put her sisters above herself, but Cheeseball comes before her sisters now.

I allude to the glass candle in the Handbook, first when Daeron blabs about getting Joff something from Oldtown in Chapter 7, then in the final scene of the fic when Daemon catches the two of them examining the candle. The Citadel doesn’t officially acknowledge the existence of the candles (although it seems to be an open secret in Oldtown), so Daeron must’ve been very sneaky and creative to be able to “borrow” it.

“Joff won’t like it” is one of Daeron’s mantras when he decides what to do or not to do. He’s probably going to have to grow out of this eventually 😅.

“Joff is going to have to do a lot of things she doesn’t like. That’s life.” Aegon learned this life lesson a while ago, but he truly absorbs and embodies it in Chapter 10 when he steps into the game.

Vermax laid three eggs. The mysterious wet nurse said Aegon and his wife would have three children 🧐.

Jace dresses Cheeseball in Targaryen red knits for his first day of being paraded around the family!

Baela, Rhaena, and Helaena are basically the fairy godmothers from Sleeping Beauty. They’re even color-coded the same!

It’s revealed in Chapter 10 that Helaena has no interest in pregnancy/childbirth, but that doesn’t mean she’s opposed to children entirely. She just doesn’t want to carry them. Hence her and Rhaena’s little chat about Garmund, who would hypothetically be the medieval equivalent of a sperm donor while Rhaena and Helaena raise any kids. It’s also why they picked Daemion Velaryon as Helaena’s potential husband in the Handbook; Daemion is implied to be gay and he has no holdings to bequeath, so his wife doesn’t need to have kids, compared to, say, Kermit Tully.

It’s OK Baela, your gift to Cheeseball was your midwifery skills.

Aegon hovers a lot over Cheeseball right now because the birth was a very fraught experience, and the Joff incident didn’t help his nerves. Also he’s just in the “newborn dad” phase. When Cheeseball gets older and is a bit less fragile, I think Aegon will let Cheeseball run around and get in age-appropriate trouble.

Cheeseball is literally one day old but I couldn’t resist infusing some personality into him. He enjoys feminine attention, likes boobs, and instinctively thinks Aemond is kinda weird. Definitely Aegon’s son 😂.

Luce was about to say her kids are gonna be named after historical figures, because Aemond’s a history nerd 😢.

Aemond is trying to be cool and pretend he isn’t super interested in the baby, but this man spent a small fortune on that Valyrian steel dagger 😭.

“Aemma” is the magic word when it comes to Viserys. Although he shipped Luce and Aemond at the end of the Handbook, he’s putting on his king hat and doing what he thinks is necessary (but also Elenda invoked Aemma). Viserys wants to be a peacemaker (although he fails miserably in canon), and he wants people to like him (can't remember which episode, but he asks Lyonel or Otto if they think he'll be remembered as a good king). Breaking up Luce and Aemond is a price he's willing to pay. He doesn't care about Aemond's feelings, and while he does care about Luce's feelings, he doesn't think a young girl's romantic affections are worth destabilizing the Crown. And since there isn't any official arrangement between her and Aemond, Viserys thinks there isn't much shame for her in being jilted, since there's no betrothal to be jilted.

Borros Baratheon is gunning hard for power and a royal marriage. In F&B, he seizes every opportunity to advantageously betroth his daughters, and he tells his wife to name their unborn son Aegon after Aegon II. The Baratheons also claim Targ blood through Orys, a more recent infusion of Valyrian blood through Queen Alyssa, and kinship to Rhaenys (and Jace and her sisters by extension). If any great lord thinks he "deserves" a royal marriage, it has to be this guy.

In F&B, Elenda seems like a cunning woman who balances the desires of her daughters with the welfare of House Baratheon as a whole (considering how she dealt with Cassandra's marriage in the book). She is grieving for Floris, but she has three other living daughters to think about, and she's too smart/ambitious to let this opportunity slip by despite her grief.

Aegon has a very cynical view of Viserys, but honestly he's pretty close to the truth IMO. I always side-eye the show writers/actors when they say Viserys is a good person just trying his best because…uh…I don't think so 😅. There are already tons of blogs and opinions out there explaining why Viserys is kinda terrible so I won't parrot them. But ultimately, it seems Viserys is driven primarily by the prophecy (his desperation for a son, then him believing the PTWP will come from Rhaenyra's line) and by guilt about Aemma. So that taints my opinion of his love and affection for Rhaenyra, and her children in turn. Rhaenyra's kids are more important than Alicent's kids, but they aren't the most important thing either.

Aegon is also kinda right about hiding the info from Jace during the pregnancy. She probably would have stressed herself even more if she knew the truth, and that wouldn't be good for her health or the baby's. So the temporary information diet was probably the best call Aegon could have made in that situation.

When Rhaenyra arrives, she's frowning at Aegon who's freaking out in the corridor. He stays there like that until Alicent makes him get lunch for Jace.

Joff feels very guilty about last night, so she decides to remove herself from the situation out of fear of a repeat.

Even though Rhaenyra generally has a good relationship with her daughters, no mother-daughter relationship is perfect. Jace and Rhaenyra have pretty different personalities, and arguably different values, but Jace is a people-pleaser and Rhaenyra is on the chill side for a Westerosi mom, so they get along most of the time. But when they clash, they really clash (like that argument in Chapter 6 of the Handbook that Daemon slept through, about Jace's elopement to Aegon).

Jace thinking that she would throw herself off a tower if she'd been presented with her baby torn up is a reference to Helaena and Maelor

I honestly don't think Rhaenyra has really forgiven Viserys for Aemma's death. She just moved on, because what other choice was there? He's her father and the king.

Rhaenyra really didn't like Aegon growing up (for reasons already included in past commentaries), but she was more neutral about Aemond. There isn't the same baggage about Aegon claiming everyone's attention/replacing her, and Aemond was much better behaved. And I think Luce was spoiled more while Jace was the responsible one making sacrifices and doing her duty, so there is different treatment in that regard.

I was going to elaborate more in earlier drafts before I rewrote some subplots, but Alicent had perinatal depression during her pregnancy with Daeron. It got bad enough that even Viserys noticed, and after the maesters advised a respite from court might help, he decided this meant sending Alicent to Oldtown for the rest of the pregnancy—without her three older children 🙃. That’s why Alicent was away in Oldtown, and that’s why she can empathize with Jace’s current mess of emotions. If I ever write that Alicent & Rhaenyra POV fic of the kids’ childhood, this subplot is definitely going in there.

Rhaenyra ultimately resigned herself to Jace/Aegon for the sake of her child’s happiness, and Alicent did the same re: Luce/Aemond. Parallels!

“All your children will be precious to you, but it is your firstborn who changes you the most.” Of course Alicent is thinking about Aegon when she says that. She might not always like him very much, but that doesn’t make it any less true, and she loves him anyway. She just isn’t great at showing it, and she has hurt him physically and emotionally, and that’s left its mark on Aegon.

Just like in Chapter 5, Jace and Aegon reconcile quickly because they don’t like being at odds with each other. Again, Jace is a people-pleaser, and Aegon is a Jace-pleaser, which helps a lot when they need to be honest with each other about their mistakes.

Aegon’s joke about commissioning a giant gold statue for Joff is a reference to Aegon in F&B wanting to commission giant gold statues for his brothers.

Aemond 100% cares what other people think about him. He supposedly wears the eyepatch so his sapphire eye doesn’t scare ladies at court (even though it’s gorgeous??), and he gets triggered by Maris’s purported taunt about his balls in F&B. He has a lot of internal motivation to excel, but I think he wants external validation that he’s good enough (see: his whole “‘tis I who studies” speech). So even though he’s impulsive enough to suggest eloping (the Storm’s End chase was one big impulse in the show, the roast pig triggers him into making the Strong boys toast), he would care a lot about the gossip and his reputation afterward. And TBH Aemond is not a very emotionally stable guy, so I can totally see him lashing out against an easy target who doesn’t deserve it—like Luce. But hey, that’s what a character growth arc is for!

The Faith is supposed to be based on Catholicism, so I figured they have an in-world equivalent of a baptism. The religious lore is different so instead of water, they use oils; we see Aegon being anointed by oils during his coronation in Episode 9. And seven is THE lucky number in the Faith/Westeros, so babies are usually anointed at seven weeks old.

Typical Viserys forgot that Jace might have some trauma related to the Grand Sept 🙃.

At this rate the Dragonpit is going to become a symbol of Jace and Aegon’s marriage. And it’s a nice blend of Targaryen power as well as a nod of respect to the Faith. Jace is very conscious of the importance of the Faith’s support and the need to assimilate into Westerosi culture while retaining icons of Targaryen superiority.

“You’re thinking like a statesman.” Jace is right though, Aegon could be good at it if he tried…

Cheeseball was born on the small side since he came early (and stress during pregnancy can lead to smaller babies too), but he is definitely a chonker now.

A commenter once suggested that Aegon might have a lactation kink and now I can’t get it out of my head

Deep down Jace knows that Baela had feelings for her, but Jace tries not to think about it/pretends she doesn’t know. Jace prefers her sisterly relationship with Baela, and acknowledging non-platonic feelings would affect that. Also, Baela has more or less moved on (most likely?), so Jace thinks there’s no point acknowledging it anyway.

Is Aegon being extra when he uses dracarys on a dirty diaper? Probably yeah, but what else is he going to do with it?

I like to think the Garden girls are part of the crowd waving gold flags when they fly back to KL.

Aegon says he hates playing politics, but he puts on a show without thinking about it. He even gives the crowd a Lion King moment when he holds up the baby.

#my writing #meta #house of the dragon meta #hotd meta #fanfic meta #aegon ii targaryen #female jacaerys velaryon #the golds

[stuffymcstuffsworld]

A star is born

How exactly did you end up here again? You supposed it didn't really matter as you now stood on stage with hundreds of eyes watching you. But still, weren't you too old to be dressing up and singing pop songs?

The children seemed to be enjoying it, though, and joining in, so how could you just walk away. Twirling around in the flowy skirt you had been forced into and trying your best to keep balance in the heel boots, they had jammed onto your feet. You suppose you should feel grateful. Grateful they didn't try to put you in something more ridiculous or revealing than what you were currently wearing.

Eyeing Raim and Mar, who were watching you from backstage, you shuddered for a second, remembering how they all but dragged you here after listening to you humming a few bars of one of the newest akudols songs. The students, upon recognizing you, gave a loud cheer that seemed to shake the entire school, and well, how were you supposed to turn aware such support? So there you were, dancing and singing to all the most popular hits in the flashing lights, blowing kisses to the crowd.

But really, you wanted to share one song from your old life with them. It wouldn't hurt. It's not like anyone would find out. Raising a hand, you stopped the band and turned to the roaring crowd. "This next song is different. I don't think any of you have heard this one before, so please relax and enjoy a song that I have enjoyed many times." You softly said as you reached out and wrote some notes on the back of the bands sheet music.

"Can I get a spotlight?" You shouted up to the lighting crew that was quick to make the changes. Taking a deep breath you thought to yourself. 'Here goes nothing.' Planting your feet as the music started to climb to a peak.

☆Stagelights flashing... the feelings smashing, my heart and soul belong to you~☆

You loved the songs from robotech as a kid growing up. You had such few pleasures, so you wanted to be able to share at least one of them. Lynn minmei had captured your heart for music.

☆And I'm here now, singing, all bells are ringing. My dream has finally come true~☆

You spun quickly in time with the beat, making your way front and center. You hoped this would be well received by them. You wanted to keep having fun with the students of babyls.

☆Stage fright, go away.... this is my big day. This is my time to be a star~☆

You saw Kerori in the front row staring at you in shock, tears streaming down her face. You gave what you hopped was an encouraging wink and continued to belt out the lyrics.

☆And the thrill that I feel - it's really unreal. I can't believe I've come this far~ This is my time to be a star~☆

The lights cut out, and you stumbled off stage, exhausted. "No" You said before Mar could get a word in. You were not going to do this professionally. Your feet already hurt enough from this time. You pried off the killer shoes and was about to make your way to the dressing room to change when you heard. "Please teach me!"

You froze misstep. It was one of your kids. How could you possibly ignore a request? Especially when Kerori had never asked you for anything before. "I'm not a professional. Are you sure you want me to teach you?" You chose your words carefully so as not to break the look of determination she held.

"Yes! Please teach me!" She bowed before you, and honestly, your kids were just the cutest. "Okay, I'll teach you the best I can." The genuine excitement that oozed out of her was more than worth the exhausting feeling you would get later. After all, how could you not want to bond with all your kids. Each had different goals and interests, after all.

#mairimashita! iruma kun #reader #welcome to demon school iruma kun #crocell kerori #idol

[danceofthephilos]

Thus Fate Knocks at the Door - Adam, Eve, and Beethoven's 5th Symphony

SK8 as a series almost exclusively utilizes its (excellent) bespoke soundtrack for its music, but there are a few conspicuous exceptions, all to do with Adam. Specifically, there are two notable scenes in episodes 1 and 5 that make use of Beethoven's 5th Symphony—as music that he is, in-universe, listening and humming along to as he watches Langa skate for the first time, and as the score to the scene where he first declares Langa his "Eve."

This isn't an arbitrary choice of a famous piece of classical music, but representative of a consistent theme in Adam's characterization, especially in regards to his feelings toward Langa: his preoccupation with fate and the idea that they were destined to be together.

One doesn't have to look very far to draw a connection between this and Beethoven's 5th Symphony; there are a variety of unconfirmed stories about the origin of the famous four-note motif at the beginning of the piece, but the most famous comes from an account by Beethoven's secretary, Anton Schindler.

The composer himself provided the key to these depths when one day, in this author's presence, he pointed to the beginning of the first movement and expressed in these words the fundamental idea of his work: "Thus Fate knocks at the door!"

Schindler's writings on Beethoven after his death are... unreliable, to say the least, with many of his stories about the composer known to be outright fabricated, so it's very likely that this story is apocryphal. Nonetheless, it's one that's ingrained in public consciousness, and the influence of this particular account is especially obvious in Japan, where the whole symphony is known by the title "運命", or "Fate". It could even be said to be better known by this title than just its real name; if you search "交響曲第5番" on Youtube, Spotify, or even look at Japanese CD jackets, it is invariably referred to as 運命.

運命 is a word Adam himself uses in the show, in the preview at the end of episode 4, translated here as "destiny":

This concept of fate/destiny is one that permeates Adam's entire search for "Eve"—a desire to find someone "just for him", as he puts it in the flashback in episode 8.

The title for episode 8 itself refers to fate, albeit with the word 宿命 rather than 運命—with the title first being shown over the shot revealing the "fated tournament" in question being named "White Eden Wedding Beef".

There's a bit of nuance to 宿命 and 運命—strictly speaking, 運命 refers to fate that can change in one's lifetime, while 宿命 refers to fate set in stone before one is even born. Regardless, they're near-synonymous; the tournament named for the Garden of Eden, that Adam holds for the specific purpose of skating with Langa again, is called fated.

Both words for fate/destiny also appear in the lyrics to the Japanese version of Behind the Mask:

The boundary line of fate, an unseen answer To that unfulfilled love Gotta feel it, the never-ending thrill

Sparks spread high Let's go to the depths of the colored rainbow and speed Yes, now, dancing in the midst of destiny I devote my love

The first uses 宿命, while the second uses 運命 (though pronounced "sadame" rather than "unmei" as it usually is here; this is a common enough affectation in lyrics, though さだめ does typically have the same implication of totally fixed fate as 宿命.) The first chorus also has the same line about "dancing in the midst of destiny" in it, but I chose this one for the fact that the direct reference to the Zone ("the depths of the colored rainbow") makes clearest that this version of the song, presented as being sung by Adam, is also directed at Langa.

Even the Chill Out! manga, lighthearted as the comics are, zero in on this fixation on fate/destiny in two different comics showing Adam's inner thoughts.

There's Line∞6, where, in his daydreams, Adam imagines Langa saying "この気持ち… もしかして愛抱夢が… 俺の運命のアダム…?" ("This feeling... Could Adam be... my destined Adam...?", using katakana for the biblical Adam to distinguish from Adam's S name in kanji), as though Langa has been searching for "his Adam" in the same way:

And Line∞8, where Adam refers to himself as Langa's "運命の伴侶"—soulmate, or literally "destined partner":

So it's this throughline, specifically in regards to Langa, that's reflected in the choice of music in episodes 1 and 5. The very first time he lays eyes on Langa, and when his heart is really set on Langa being his Eve—his "destined partner"—Adam truly does believe it's fate that they met, and the crew chose a song with such a heavy link to fate to represent his state of mind.

#sk8 #sk8 the infinity #sk8 meta #adam sk8 #ainosuke shindo

[according2thelore]

1, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, and 15 for "He Lives For Me, Says He Lives For Me"

Sorry for sending yet another ask lol, I'm just so curious about the creation of this fic. It's so good and is such an interesting concept/version of events that I want to know what went on in your yalls brains while making this!

hihihi!

EEK! i'm SO excited you asked about this one! this one is one of the fics i'm proudest of (+ some of my favourite charlotte art!), but it didn't get as much traction as my other fics. so i am so excited to yap about it now!!!

1: What inspired you to write the fic this way?

one of my favourite samdean AUs is normallife!AU because yeah!! they are really weird like that! "weird about each other" means weird about each other in EVERY TIMELINE BABEY! it's also fun to see their dysfunction in an average environment, and how people react to two brothers who are Just Like That.

5: What part was hardest to write?

the hardest part to write was definitely the resolution post-meltdown. for sam and dean normally, they take incest pretty hard, lol. so to get these two brothers that have not lived at the fringes of "normative" society and resolve their emotions in a satisfying way was difficult. the blow-up (post-blowjob, haha) was pretty easy to write, but i had a hard time making the resolution of the story feel emotionally satisfying. because they had to dust themselves off and walk home after something completely life-shattering.

they deal with most things with a kind of bitter humour in the show, so i chose a dash of that with more emotional transparency, because they haven't been raised as rough/life-or-death as show sam and dean.

6: What makes this fic special or different from all your other fics?

i think the AU is the most different part about it! and while they're both teenagers, it's also my only underage fic (as of this moment) so i knew that would automatically disqualify it for a lot of folks, which i can understand. it operates pretty differently from my other samdean fics, because they aren't supposed to behave 1:1 like they would in the show, as their entire environment is different.

7: Where did the title come from?

the title came from "semi-charmed life" by third eye blind, which was released earlier in the year that the party takes place (February vs October '97). so conceivably, and given the subject matter of the song (a drug bender), it would be played at a high school party that year! i did a STUPID amount of song research for this fic, and i will revisit all of that in #13!

i chose it specifically because it talks about being obsessed with someone when you're young--in a predominantly physical, but also emotional, way. this lyric was VERY much codependent and obsessed, which i thought was pretty spot-on for sam and dean. i thought it was fitting!

9: Were there any alternate versions of this fic?

no, actually! this didn't change much from the conception to the finished product. for the october challenge, i actually plotted this one first because i was so excited about it. (i even wrote the blowjob scene first in my notes app bc a few lines of dialogue stuck in my head and i wanted to write them down before i could forget.) it was intended to be a little more light-hearted than it ended up being, but there's not really a way to write two brothers in a completely normal social situation deciding to commit incest and deal with it normally afterwards, lmao.

11: What do you like best about this fic?

i was most happy with their dynamic in this fic. it was challenging to write an AU!sam&dean and keep their obsession with each other in a way that felt natural, but i thought their background was fun! i think dean would develop sam-centric if he had even an ounce of the hero worship/responsibility that he gets in the show. i liked their family dynamic/history and their own dynamic/history in this fic! i enjoyed writing that the most, as well as the lead-up to the kiss. it's frantic and it's devoted and it's messy! overall: the emotion of this fic. i think i did a good job!

i also think it has a pretty decent blowjob scene? i LOVE either boy in lingerie, so i hope i did them justice!

13: What music did you listen to, if any, to get in the mood for writing this story? Or if you didn’t listen to anything, what do you think readers should listen to to accompany us while reading?

okay! this fic is very song-heavy, and i did a bit of research on songs that came out in the past 1-3 years before '97, because those songs would be the most popular at a high school party. so here are a few that i listened to or are mentioned in the fic:

around the world by daft punk

semi-charmed life by third eye blind

a significant portion of nimrod by green day, specifically worry rock (bc sam is a little alternative, and this song is VERY MUCH canon!samdean) (i even looked up the day of the week the album came out to make sure dean could take him on a school day)

tha crossroads by bone thugs-n-harmony (bc haha)

the monster mash by bobby "boris" pickett and the crypt-kickers & calling all the monsters by china anne mcclain (bc halloween, the latter of course being a more recent song and not in the fic)

wannabe by the spice girls

mmmbop by hanson

pony by genuwine (which was BIG summer '97)

15: What did you learn from writing this fic?

besides the billboard top-100 of '96-'97, i learned i need to work on interim action! i found myself really speeding through the party because i wanted dean in his eyeliner and skirt to walk in, and it felt very lop-sided and rushed while i was trying to establish characters/events at this party. i need to get better at pacing! i also learned i was way more into the way noise is muffled under a skirt/how emotionally intimate&vulnerable it is if you're under there than i thought. huh! i also really want to see sam with smeared lipstick. new things all over!

(send me one of my fics and i'll answer some questions!)

thank you for sending this one!!!!!! it's one of my faves for absolute sure. please send as many asks as you'd like! i always smile when i see you in our inbox! :)

-lizzy

#ask box #ask game #lizzy answers #animangalover15

[sakuraswordly]

Some spoilers from Analyze the characters: Ashes of Dreams:(Source Lyrics and Example: song) Spoiler from Tsofph Season 11 Season 10(Chapter2 Fake World) and High Five!! (Tsofph Concept)

No matter what happens don't blame yourself.

Sonic franchise story

Tails: Say Sonic. Am I a burden to you.....or do you even need me?

Sonic: Why are you asking me?

Tails: That's because I can't do anything only to give a burden to you! Even when the world is at stake and you nearly die! I always just watch...! You've always been there to save me, and all I can do is follow you around!

Sonic: That's not really true at all buddy. You don't know how much you saved my life.

Tails: But.....when you need someone to save you.....I can't be there for you.....it's just hurt me so much.....!!

Sonic: Tails......

Tails: Who will be there for you when you're all alone?!

In Tsofph season 6

Syaoran: Sonic.....I'm sorry I can't protect you as I promise....Am I a burden to you.....or do you even need me?

Sonic: Syaoran......

Syaoran: I....did break a tattoo.....because of that....I was causing you so much grief to you.

Sonic: It's not your fault.....it never be yours....

Syaoran: But......

Sonic: No matter what happens don't blame yourself.......

Syaoran: I promised I won't leave you behind or leave you alone.

Sonic: But Syaoran......each one of us is different. I'd be better than you in some ways, less than you in others....

Syaoran: Who will be there for you when you're alone? Who will be there when you need someone one day?

Sonic: What's wrong with living alone? I mean everyone has their own freedom even Tails....?

Syaoran: Sometimes we need someone even though you said you can walk alone. This is "love". "Love" can make you not want to lose half of your life just like me, Sakura, Chester-San, and Velvet-San. When that time comes, you will hurt just like me with you now.

Sonic: "Love".....huh.....I did understand about love from family and friends but I never felt like what you said at all.....so that's mean....I don't have a heart?

Syaoran: You did have a heart but you didn't understand "love".

Sonic: .......?

Syaoran: How about this then.....I'll protect you until you find your answer. Not only just what am I? But also this feeling that is hard like a rock even humans can't understand this "love" clearly.

Sonic: Then promise me then, Syaoran. Do not burden yourself.

Syaoran: ...............

Tsofph season 9(final judgement)

Sonic: "I told you before not to burden yourself" 

Syaoran: Sonic...?

Sonic: Syaoran....me too.....I really....really love you so much.....I never felt this love before......because of Punch....or maybe from myself.....but then...."love" can mean a lot of different things, can't it?

Syaoran: Sonic? You're acting weird? Is there something wrong?

Sonic: No matter what happened don't blame yourself and I'm so sorry.....if not because of "us", you shouldn't shoulder our problems, or maybe Tails have a normal life without me.

Syoaran: Sonic...! Don't......I chose this journey because of Sakura, not you.

Sonic: To not let that event happen again. Like what happened to Maria and Shadow....I need to protect you.....

Syaoran: No......!

.

Sonic: I didn't want any of my friends to die because of my power. But I also didn't want to live if it meant you would all die in my place.....But then I realized...I'd only think of myself the entire time. Amy was right all along...

Syaoran: I know you can walk your path alone and it must be hard sometimes. But I swear I'll be there with you. Until the very end. This time I'll never let you go, I'll always take your hand no matter whether we are gone or go on a new adventure.

Sonic: Thanks......no....thank you...it's such a strange feeling. I know that we've still got plenty of fighting up ahead. And it's for me and Punch.

Syaoran: You're worth fighting for. That's why I don't regret if this path is wrong.

Sonic: And as always, I believe in you, Syaoran.

In Tsofph season 7

Danny: Punch....Am I a burden to you.....or do you even need me?

Punch: Why are you asking me of all sudden?

Danny: That's because I can't do anything only to give a burden to you! Even when the world is at stake and you nearly die! I always just watch...! You've always been there to save me, and all I can do is follow you around! I fail as a hero duty just like before and before....all I can do is just....watch them die like ash.....

Punch: That's not true at all, Danny. You did help me.

Danny: I can't let you die.....

Punch: .................

Danny: I can't let you be alone......I can't... You're more than anyone else. You're special.....

In Tsofph Season 11(Chapter1 Secret Truth of the Past(Gilgamesh’s Journal)):

Gilgamesh: I'm sorry.....Humbaba....if you'd told me sooner.....if we....

Enkidu: Gil.......Am I a burden to you.....or do you even need me?

Gilgamesh: Why are you asking me of all sudden?

Enkidu: If not because of my error failure, both you nor Humbaba wouldn't end up like this.

Gilgaemsh: Don't say that nonsense! It's not your fault.....it's my---

Enkidu: I had made my decision to punish you as my design as a tool. You was alone, a creature neither god nor human. With the characteristics of both sides, your viewpoint ranged so wide and so far not even the gods could understand the things he saw. An excess of power lead to an excess of loneliness. Even so, you did not give up your place as king. Both You and Punch had chosen the path of abandoning the gods and hating humans. So Gil.....when you need someone to save you.....I can't be there for you.....it's just hurt me so much.....who will be there for you when you need the most?

Gilgamesh: That's.........!

Enkidu: You did have a heart.....you still be you.....my wish is the same as Peter...I want you to be you.....even if such is ordained fate, I could never bring myself to harm you.

Sonic franchise story

Sonic: Every time you save me....I did see my other self stand right before me. You remind me of "my brothers" so much. Two completely different but look exactly the same......but you're different. Your heart is different. You even not actually much like me too. But I'm glad you have been your own way.

Shadow: ........?

Sonic: I'm searching for you "my brothers". I want to meet you "my brothers".

Shadow: But......I'm right here, Sonic.

Sonic: I know.....what I mean is......I want to meet them.....I want to save them......I want to thank you them......"my brothers".

.

Punch: Hey, humans are always alone moving on in search for a companion your beautiful future has yet to start(I am alone but still I can't be alone.)

Tsubasa: The dream still live on but you...............

Gilgamesh: Rowing this lonely boat, along the bonfire that assembles grief. In this little haven of a world. Multitudes of ARIAs are resounding.

#Tsubasa of Phantasia #drafts #draft #sakuraswordly #tsofph #High Five! #will delete later #Relationship between Syaoran and Sonic #unbreakable bond #Relationship between Peter and Punch

[nodirectionhome-ao3]

Hiyaaa I'm soo in love with KSFM. Can you please share a snippet of ch 23?

Thank you!!! 😊 I’ll give you the first scene.

(Apologies in advance, it’s angsty! Also, it’s unedited.)

Snippet below the cut ⬇️⬇️⬇️

The sound of music filtered up from downstairs as Lily shut the door to the nursery. It wasn’t any song she recognized. The lyrics were incomprehensible to her, as though it was in a different language, which was…odd. They didn’t have any non-English records in their collection…not as far as Lily knew.

She sighed as she hurried down the stairs, her face breaking into a smile against her will as she rounded the corner to find James standing in the living room, swaying a little to the bouncing music. He grinned broadly as his eyes fell on her, making Lily’s heart flutter in its usual way. “I chose the wine,” he said, in a voice of feigned innocence, quirking his eyebrows as he held up two teeming glasses of red. He set them down carefully on the coffee table and stepped towards her.

“We have to turn the music down,” Lily complained, trying in vain to sound disapproving. “It’ll wake Harry. I just got him to sleep.”

James was right in front of her now, bending down a little so his face was dangerously close to hers. “He’ll be okay,” he said smoothly. “Happy Halloween, Lil.”

His arms circled around her, pulling her close until his breath ghosted across her lips, sending tingles down her spine. She stared hungrily into the eyes she’d fallen so disastrously for, her heart swelling in her chest at the deep wells of hazel that always brought her home.

James rested his forehead against hers, one of his hands sliding up to gently brush back her hair. Lily waited for him to close the distance, her eyes trailing down to look at his lips. But James just lingered there, breathing softly against her, and when Lily returned her gaze to his eyes…she felt something tighten inside her.

He looked…sad. His eyes had grown strangely misty, and as Lily stared into them…his million-Galleon smile began to fade.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly, his thumb brushing softly against her cheek. Slowly…consolingly. “I wish this was how this night went.”

Lily merely stared at him, unease prickling at the back of her neck. “What—”

“I’m sorry we didn’t get our happy ending.”

Lily swallowed, her heart suddenly beating very fast. “James,” she breathed. “I don’t—”

The music changed, growing louder and faster until it seemed to echo through the room, reverberating off the walls. James pulled away from her, and her waist felt cold when his arm disappeared.

“James—”

The music disappeared altogether, replaced at once by a horrible cacophony of laughter. A high-pitched noise that made the entire room shake and spin around her. The lights burned green out of nowhere, encasing the whole room in haunting shadows. And then…somewhere above the noise…Lily heard the sound of her baby crying.

She twisted around, panic squeezing at her heart, and found that the door was gone. She couldn’t leave the room…she couldn’t get to Harry…

She lunged forward, her hands pounding against the wall as Harry’s cries grew louder. But she couldn’t find an opening…she couldn’t help him…

“Lily…”

Lily turned, and the high-pitched laughter grew to an ear-splitting volume as her eyes landed on James. Standing in the middle of the room…his eyes wide as they stared at her.

“Lily…” he said again, his voice garbled and strained.

And then the light left his eyes…and Lily could do nothing but watch as they rolled back in his head…as he fell backwards towards the floor.

“No!” Lily screamed, rushing forward as her heart exploded. “No, James! JAMES!”

#kindly stopped for me #wip snippet #nightmare #my poor Lily I’m sorry #Jily…sort of

[princesssarisa]

Ariel for the character ask

I assume this means Ariel in Disney's The Little Mermaid, not Ariel in The Tempest. I hope I'm right.

Favorite thing about them: She's just an all-around likable heroine. Lively, warm, fun-loving, strong-willed, passionate, flawed in relatable ways, and sympathetic in her longing to explore a new world (which can be viewed through several different layers of applicability – from a teenager longing to enter the adult world, to a young woman seeking freedom from patriarchal oppression, to a young LGBT+ person seeking a life where they can be their authentic self, to an open-minded person defying their family's prejudice against another culture, and probably more), as well as her complex relationship with her loving yet controlling father. And of course her singing voice, courtesy of Jodi Benson, is outstanding.

Least favorite thing about them: Her deal with Ursula, not only because it's foolish and nearly results in Ursula taking over the sea kingdom (although I don't blame Ariel for not predicting that Ursula would use her to bait Triton into sacrificing himself), but because it's selfish – choosing to leave her father and her sisters forever without even saying goodbye. Now I don't hold it against her. She's an impulsive teen, she's in love, she's deeply hurt by her father destroying all her human treasures, and this is the only way she sees to be her true self and live a life of her own choosing. Nor do I find fault with her choice to become human, just the circumstances. But it's still a mistake, and while she does apologize to her father when he comes to save her from Ursula, it's brief and quickly overshadowed by Triton's self-sacrifice for her.

Three things I have in common with them:

*I tend not to fit in with the crowd.

*I enjoy collecting things.

*I like the ocean, but I don't want to live in it.

Three things I don't have in common with them:

*I don't have red hair.

*I don't have any sisters.

*I can't imagine myself ever trading my voice to a witch.

Favorite line: All the lyrics to "Part of Your World," both the original song and its reprise.

brOTP: Flounder, Scuttle, Sebastian, and her father when they resolve their differences.

OTP: Prince Eric.

nOTP: Her father or Ursula.

Random headcanon: She was the only single birth of Triton and Athena's daughters. Her sisters are all sets of twins or triplets. This explains why none of them are married yet or seem much older than she is, even though she's the youngest of seven.

Unpopular opinion: While I understand all the popular feminist criticism aimed at her, I can't bring myself to agree with it. I wish people would learn about Howard Ashman, and how much of himself he put into Ariel, before they label her a "whiny brat" who "sells her soul for a man" and who "should have died like Andersen's mermaid to show what happens when you sacrifice everything for lust." Knowing that the movie's lyricist was a gay man living in the middle of the AIDS crisis, which would claim his life two years later, and that he infused Ariel's character with his own feelings of alienation and longing for freedom to live and love as he chose (even her voice actress Jodi Benson has confirmed that Ariel is Ashman in many ways), really makes you view her in a new light. So does knowing that Andersen's original story has much the same subtext: Andersen was bisexual, and the tale was evidently inspired by his own "fish out of water" feelings and his unrequited love for another man. And just because Andersen, writing in the 19th century, viewed a self-sacrificial death and heavenly reward as the only possible "happy" ending for someone like him his mermaid, why shouldn't a modern adaptation offer more hope and give Ariel an earthly happy ending? Now of course Ariel isn't a gay man, she's a straight girl, and it is fair to question the message her story sends to girls, since any other message is only subtext. But it's still worthwhile to know the story's entire context, and question whether your critiques of her character seem to say "Misfits should suck it up and stay in their place" or not.

Song I associate with them: What else?

Favorite pictures of them:

#character ask #ariel #the little mermaid #disney #ask game #fictional characters #hans christian andersen #howard ashman #tw: homophobia #tw: aids

[mediocreauthor]

The Tale of Sweet Summer Children, through songs

for Nana Week Day 1 -  dreams / Ai shiteru (愛 してる, “I love you”)

I've prepared a playlist for the most bittersweet couple of the series. And I want to explain how this playlist is constructed while giving my two cents about Hachi and Nobu's relationship.

First of all, here is the playlist:

Act I - Sweetest Summer

I adore Hachi and Nobu individually and together. I keep calling them 'Sweet Summer Children' because... their romance gave me that taste. Somehow how I feel about their love perfectly aligns with what they think about it too.

To quote Todd from Bojack Horseman; "it was nice while it lasted."

But make no mistake, even though it was short-lived Hachi and Nobu didn't share a superficial, forgettable bond. They really had chemistry, genuinely liked one another. They wanted to live up to each other's perception, Nobu wished to be more courageous, Hachi craved the innocence Nobu saw in her. This doesn't mean that they didn't actually know each other. One take I don't agree with is 'Nobu didn't actually know Hachi.' Or 'Hachi wasn't her true self with him'; when you love someone, the desire to be seen as more than you are comes naturally.

Nobu did idealize Hachi but the traits he loved was still authentic to Hachi. Her wit, kindness and beauty, Nobu was taken by these and if he failed to perceive Hachi clearly due to being mesmerized, it doesn't make his love any less meaningful. This is every relationship at the beginning.

I share the same sentiment for Hachi, she wholeheartedly loved Nobu. I think if things didn't get out of control so fast, Nobu was going to be the relationship Hachi was going to put most effort into. Not like 'I have to make this work' but 'I will stand by your side despite the obstacles because that's where I want to be' kind of effort.

So the first act of this playlist opens with My Favourite Fish because... if you listen to it, you will see the melody is exactly how Nobu and Hachi's pining friendship felt to me. That sweet, giddy, airy energy, like eating watermelons after a long day at beach. THE VIBES WERE IMMACULATE

The First Taste to Champagne Coast is for their first night and some days before, when Hachi chose Nobu. And I think the lyrics of The First Taste perfectly describes their rush, how they were irresistible to the other.

Act - 1.2 - Doubt Comes In or It Never Really Left

I added Normal Girl because first of all I never got over CTRL but also for Hachi's inner turmoil and insecurities. Nobu was and will always be the epitome of 'The Right Guy' to her, the guy who'd treat her right, carry her grocery bags, take her on dates however Hachi constantly felt undeserving of that kind of love. Nobu developed an inferiority complex towards Takumi and buried that deep in his heart but these eventually became the doom of their relationship. Insecurity and doubt walk hand in hand and when a surprise pregnancy joins: cue Without You and When am I Gonna Lose You.

The first act ends with Say Something (thanks @komatsunana for the suggestion 💖) and I think... yall know what scene I'm referring to.

Neither Hachi nor Nobu acted wrong that night.

Things could've of course a million different way however their entire world was turned upside down, existing insecurities paralyzed their hearts and the love they nurtured so quickly slipped out of their hands.

Act II - Gray Winter

aaaand then they are left with raw wounds of different kinds. Betrayal, disappointment, confusion, anger, pain of losing someone and the pain of losing the version of yourself when you were with them.

I picked Why Didn't You Stop Me? and Goodbye, My Danish Sweetheart back to back to show... how different Nobu and Hachi's initial reactions were.

Nobu believed Hachi betrayed him, didn't 'choose' him, his feelings of confusion and anger were jumbled together. At Reira and Shin's birthday, even though Hachi explains she never cheated on her, it has no impact on him. He says: you still chose Takumi. You didn't stop me. The song is reproachful and confused, a perfect reflection of Nobu.

We move onto Goodbye, My Danish Sweetheart; showing utter acceptance. I am sorry I am not better, I don't know how to be else. I am sorry I'm not the way you saw me, I really liked that version. I hope you remember me well because to me, there is nobody better than you. I believe it worked out for the best because you were too good for me anyways. Doesn't make it hurt less though. Thank you.

I will continue with 'Glimpse of Us' and 'It Should've Been Me' for Asami and Nobu's... entanglement. Asami - although deserved to be much more, was merely a band-aid. A band-aid that can't serve its purpose because you can't put it on a wound that is actually in need of stitches and time to heal. Asami and Hachi are both social, good looking women exuding joy. Imo, it's very purposeful Nobu was drawn to opposite type of Hachi first but still ended up with Asami.

But with one difference, Nobu doesn't put Asami on a pedestal or perceive her as 'innocent' because of the stigma around sex workers. Just like how Takumi accepting Hachi's 'flaws' comforted her, Asami's 'flaws' being so visible did that to Nobu. He was also trying to prove he wasn't idealizing women or playing hero. Can't say he did a very good job at that.

'Be My Mistake' is for when Hachi and Nobu eventually gravitated back towards each other, after Ren's demise. The demon lord didn't grace them with a proper goodbye or closure, from a relationship they were hopeful about. Both had to bury every feeling, tragedies happening one after another therefore all the pent up pain, love and anger resurfaced at the slightest scratch.

But what could've been a closure only refreshed memories, they still couldn't get over each other. Because they don't want to. They loved loving each other and losing that feeling would've been unbearable.

Act III - Late Spring

The never ending reminiscing of Nobu and Hachi. It's different than the break up, when everything was felt vividly. This pain is muted down, both understanding- hell, even agreeing with one another. They aren't the same as that summer, doesn't necessarily want to return either. But there is yearning and there is friendship.

I tear up when I think of future Nobu and Hachi, still lending a shoulder to each other, cracking jokes and choosing to maintain a connection. I love Nobu asks about Ren, buys gifts for Satsuki.

I find their - i assume very worked on - friendship more precious than their love. Because you did it. You wanted put every effort to cherish this person and even though the life didn't allow you, you found a way. You fought for your friendship instead.

The Act III begins with the 1 and you can count this also as third part of relationships in NANA as Taylor Swift song series because that was the song i was gonna make.

Let's go thorough the lyrics.

I'm doing good, I'm on some new shit Been saying "yes" instead of "no" I thought I saw you at the bus stop, I didn't though I hit the ground running each night I hit the Sunday matinée You know the greatest films of all time were never made

I want to make things clear: Nobu and Hachi aren't unhappy with their life and all the sadness is for Nana. They are missing her and feel her absence. But as cliche as it is life goes on, even without their best friend.

I guess you never know, never know And if you wanted me, you really should've showed And if you never bleed, you're never gonna grow And it's alright now

miss taylor, you did it again. you've described an emotion from NANA perfectly. The second line applies to both and I bet they think exactly this. To Nobu, Hachi went to Takumi. To Hachi, he let her go by immediately assuming she was being unfaithful. A break up so forceful that it shook them to the core and who were seen as most childish ones among the characters became the voices of reason.

But we were something, don't you think so? Roaring 20s, tossing pennies in the pool And if my wishes came true It would've been you i tried to create the energy of this verse with the playlist. if they were the ones who got to live under the same roof, as a family, the life would contain so much more joy. But the life they built separately brought so many other amazing, irreplaceable things. Their love is nothing more than a 'what if' anymore but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

In my defense, I have none For never leaving well enough alone But it would've been fun If you would've been the one

While we can't estimate how things would've played out, if Hachi waited just a bit longer to be with Nobu... maybe some things could've been avoided. It's a big possibility that Hachi'd believe that but also... even getting that small amount time was precious.

I have this dream you're doing cool shit Having adventures on your own You'll meet some woman on the internet and take her home We never painted by the numbers, baby But we were making it count You know the greatest loves of all time are over now

Manga ended with Nobu about to clash with Asami. In the future panels we see no indication he is with someone. i'd like to state that I am single. I think Hachi'd wish love and joy for Nobu no matter how bittersweet it would be. But here, last line is where it hits me.

You know the greatest loves of all time are over now

Ren and Nana was THE couple for them. Their devotion, natural harmony, how they fall back to each other with ease. They were soulmates, meant to be and now their story is a tragedy. The aftermath damaged their life so harshly, everything was changed.

And they are mourning for Nana and Ren's love more than their own.

I, I, I persist and resist the temptation to ask you If one thing had been different Would everything be different today?

How can you not? How can you not go over the possibilities over and over again? I dedicate this more to Nobu because there is also the possibility Takumi is the father of his child. That can't be something easy to swallow, to watch some bastard having the family, the life you might've had.

We were something, don't you think so? Rosé flowing with your chosen family

they had so much fun. treasured so many memories together with BLAST. what made their love so unforgettable was that sweet joy of belonging to a family.

A bunch of people who are yours, on purpose.

And it would've been sweet If it could've been me In my defense, I have none For digging up the grave another time But it would've been fun If you would've been the one

I close the playlist with 'Can You Remember the Rain' so that we think of these scenes and cry:

#nana week #komatsu nana #terashima nobu #i was just going to publish the playlist but it turned into this #so.... yeah #happy nana week!