#ellie's song analysis

[chaotic-theatrical-weaver]

An analysis of David Kushner’s “Daylight” music video:

Under a cut for being long, detailed, and self-indulgent:

The video starts with David chopping up wood, which brings to mind the idea of displacing anger at himself.

He sets the chopped wood back onto the tree stump. This could probably already be showing us that he wants to undo some kind of damage that he knows he cannot.

He is then seen walking into a church with a young boy, evoking imagery of a father bringing his son, perhaps.

He starts to sing and taps his chest with an open hand. Could this be a reference to the hand movements Catholics make during the Penitential Act at “through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault”? A bit of a stretch considering that movement is closed-handed, but considering the lyrical themes, not that far off.

We see the boy’s face, and it’s partially blurred out.

He looks up at David with something like disappointment. This could be a son disappointed in his father’s misdeeds (which I personally believe the lyrics to read as a sexual one, but it can be anything). More likely, however, it’s his younger self disappointed in the person he’s become; the lyrics don’t indicate that anyone other than the speaker, the person he’s wronged, and God know what he’s done.

The other members of the congregation have blurred faces as well.

We don’t know who these people are, but the one we get a closeup of is an old man, who seems disapproving or judgmental. This might have been the point of the blurring--it doesn’t matter if these people are loved ones or strangers; there’s a terror that they might know your wrongdoings and see you differently.

David pulls out a dagger as the camera moves up from his torso. There seems to be a focus on his neck, evoking perhaps the idea of him causing his own violent death. Nothing like that happens, but considering the song’s themes of the self-destructive sin nature, it’s not that much of a stretch. It could also reference the idea of dying to self and becoming a living sacrifice, where his consideration of dying violently misses the point--Rick Warren says that as living sacrifices, we have the tendency to “crawl off the altar.”

A large, dark shape appears during the prechorus before the line “There’s darkness in the distance” plays.

David’s expression is unclear; it looks ambivalent, worried, or even a bit frustrated.

He finally reaches out to this darkness.

The scene changes to the church again, which is darkened and empty. He’s in what appears to be specifically one of the back pews and adopts a stereotypical pose associated with prayer while crying out. 

Back to the forest, where his axe is notably lodged in the tree stump. Perhaps his destruction is lodged within him in a similar manner, doing harm that he wishes to undo but knows he cannot? I could be reading too much into it, but whatever.

We’re at the church again, and now he sits at the altar with a more downcast, resigned expression. Perhaps the juxtaposition of pew/altar and stereotypical prayer/stereotypical resignation is saying he cries out for God when he feels farther from Him, but doesn’t know how to handle being closer because he then becomes more aware of how wrong his sin is. What’s also interesting is that there is light coming into the church in the wideshot of David at the altar, and it even seems to hit just outside where the altar is, but it doesn’t reach him and he’s not coming towards it either. God and His light are so close, but the speaker can neither come to terms with that nor confront his sin.

Again with the hands on chest thing, with a more intense movement this time. Perhaps if this is a reference to the Catholic Penitential Rite, then the reason his hands are open is because he doesn’t feel or doesn’t want to feel the weight of his sin at full force.

The second verse begins, and two men are seen dragging David into some secluded room--something like a torture chamber.

They become more visible and drop him. Interestingly, their postures at this screenshot suggest storming out during an altercation, even though in context, they’re supposed to be more cruel and cold and harsh due to separation and indifference. Perhaps it’s both--perhaps they’re meant to represent warring self-states that hate him personally sometimes and feel disconnected from him at other times. They can feel both ways at once, too; people can be complicated like that.

Back at the church, he’s in the back pew. There’s less of a crying out than in the chorus, but it’s still written on his expression. Some light goes past him and even onto him, but he is mostly in the shadows. He might be almost hoping for forgiveness and salvation but denying himself that hope out of fear that it isn’t true for him.

People with blurred faces start beating him up and throwing some spiky ball-like objects at him. As with the similarly blurred-out congregation, we don’t know who these people are or whether or not they’re close to him. Are they even real people or are they representations of other states of self? We just know that they’re causing him harm and distress. Perhaps the spiky ball-like objects are meant to be similar to morning star weapons, which look like that but are attached to the ends of chains and sticks. Wikipedia says he’s being stoned, which also makes sense.

The person who gets the most focus is noticeably wearing a cross necklace. This could be what David imagines to be God’s judgment, judgment by a religious hypocrite, or his own judgment.

There’s a shot of what seems to be David outside when it’s raining...

but it’s revealed that the rain is inside his own home. He’s drowning in shame and, as his poorly-postured position on the couch (a stereotypical way of showing indolence or indifference) suggests, his unwillingness to act on it exacerbates the problem. What’s interesting is that, like in the shots from church in the chorus, he has a lamp on and the light even reaches him. Here, God is there, waiting for him in his own home, but he does not accept.

We return to David, now with noticeably bleeding hands, in the torture chamber. It’s likely that he’s been fighting the others, as his knuckles are the injured part. However, it also seems to bring to mind the image of punching a wall (or in this case, more likely the floor) in frustration or to cause oneself pain. This might be a stretch, but to me, it also calls back to the opening with him chopping the wood as a displacement of anger. In that case, he thinks of his hands as instruments of only destruction and might be punishing himself for it. This isn’t as likely as the other interpretations because the torture chamber scene depicts him as the victim, but then again, he’s also a victim of his own behavior and the other people might be other self-states, so it’s still plausible.

The shot continues to show us that he has a cross tattooed on his hand, which was visible in the previous one but less clear. This can have plenty of different interpretations depending on which of the above contexts we’re going with. If he’s been fighting the others and they’re “[persecuting him] for righteousness’ sake” or for trying to become better, maybe having the cross with him strengthens him. It could also remind him of his failure to overcome them, though, which seems a bit more likely because this song does not have a triumphant arc. If he’s caused his own hand to get hurt, then having the cross there reminds him that his self-destruction is harming his relationship with God. If he thinks of his hands as only destructive, perhaps the cross reminds him that he has the potential to be better and use them for good--perhaps the cross is even being used as a force to destroy his sin. It might also be destructive to him in a different way if he thinks, as Martin Luther once put it, of Christ as “the jailer and hangman of [his] poor soul.” However it goes, there’s clearly some significance to showing it to the audience.

He gets up somewhat and the others prepare to fight him again.

In what appears to be a home library, a burning man reaches out to David. The part of focus is the burning man, who would realistically be in pain from the burning, but we don’t know what his expression is. His reaching seems pretty calm and restrained, though, almost beckoning. The burning man seems to represent the speaker’s sin itself, and his seeming lack of pain might indicate a seared conscience or a pretense of indifference (the speaker’s sin affects his soul greatly and fills him with fear; perhaps he pretends he doesn’t care when he’s about to do it). A point of interest aside from the burning man is the setting: why specifically a home library? To me, it evokes imagery of a learned man sitting in his study, someone like a theologian or philosopher. Maybe the speaker theoretically knows everything in these books, or at least a good amount of what’s in them, but yet, he cannot apply what he’s read to help himself.

David has a conflicted expression when considering whether he should take the burning man’s hand, similarly to how he approached the darkness in the first prechorus.

He sings the chorus while sitting on the church altar again in the same resigned position. There’s a bit more light than the first chorus had, and it extends across the altar now, but it’s not reaching him. God continues to extend mercy that the speaker won’t take.

He finally takes the burning man’s hand, and he is set on fire himself, symbolizing his choice to sin again. The library is also ablaze, which brings to mind imagery relating to hell. Going back to the symbolism of a library, he may have read the books and known what they said, but his inability to apply that has made him forget his knowledge--this is similar to C.S. Lewis saying “The more often he feels without acting, the less he will be able ever to act, and, in the long run, the less he will be able to feel.”

We go back to David in the torture chamber, and his forehead is bleeding now. This might be a reference to Jesus’ crown of thorns, in which case, David links their suffering in the battle against sin.

He is seen striking at his chest with a closed hand, which now confirms the reference to the Penitential Rite and uses the proper hand shape--considering his open hand before might have suggested an unwillingness or inability to feel his sin at full force, the closed hand now feels it completely. 

David’s mouth has also been injured in the shot where his forehead was hurt, but it’s not that visible without looking closely, so here’s a closer shot. I’m not entirely sure what it means that his mouth specifically was injured, but my guess is that Jesus is often described as the Word and the Holy Spirit as a breath or wind, with the Father being, of course, the one who speaks. Spoken word and breath are literally inseparable, but a mouth injury might impair David’s capacity to speak. Perhaps this might mean that David does not feel God is within him; he cannot understand the speaker if he has neither breath nor words to speak. As a tangent, it’s often a symptom of anxiety to feel short of breath, and our narrator is definitely anxious over the state of his soul. He might also feel out of breath from fighting.

One of the last shots has him in the back church pew with some light reaching him. Considering that this is the back pew and not the altar, this demonstrates his feelings of distance from God. David is no longer crying out as he was when we last saw him in the pew. While this could be read as a seared conscience, it’s not the best reading because the closed hand as opposed to an open one about two shots ago shows him understanding and feeling his sin at full force. It’s more likely that he’s not crying out because he’s expended his energy on this battle. Interestingly, the light is actually touching him now, which might suggest that he’s on the brink of readiness to accept grace. Sure, the final shot shows him in the torture chamber (I’ve already shown it to you, so I see no point in putting it here again), but he could be at the bottom and realizing that he only has one option if he wants to survive.

Well, that’s it, I hope someone reads and likes this because I should have been working on a Spanish project in the time it took me to make this but this hit my massive Enneagram 1 self too much to not do this LOL.

#david kushner #daylight david kushner #ellie's song analysis

[mdawgswizzleinthehizzle]

i had all and then most of you…

some and now none of you…

take me back to the night we met…

i don’t know what i’m supposed to do…

haunted by the ghost of you…

take me back to the night we met…

The Night We Met ~ Lord Huron

#the last of us #joel miller #pedro pascal #ellie williams #hbo the last of us #the last of us hbo #bella ramsey #joel tlou #ellie and joel #tlou #tlou analysis #tlou angst #tlou fluff #tlou game #tlou spoilers #tlou 2 #tlou edit #lyric edit #song lyrics #lyric quotes #lord huron #the night we met #tlou hbo #tlou part 2 #ellie tlou #the last of us game

[everythingisconfetti]

what is the best love song ever written and why is it Fair by The Amazing Devil?

#i could write essays on the interplay between prose and mundanity that's chatacteristic of so many tad songs #but i do think fair is the most perfectly executed. it's grounded poetry and it's beautiful #like #'this life that we've created inundated with the fated thought of you' #gets me every goddamn time #'i was born to press my head between your shoulder blades at night when light is fading' #the IMAGERY! the TENDERNESS #and then let's through a 'that's what she said' joke in there too #the intricacy of weaving humour and intimacy and hope and everything that makes up a relationship into one song #yeah. yeah #the amazing devil #tad #joey batey #madeleine hyland #music #music analysis #shut up ellie

[creativestalkerrs]

american psycho: in the lens of a queer woman and the relevancy today

I posted this on my Substack blog as well, subscribe to that for more content. Apart of creativestalkerr’s book reviews.

TW: talks of violence, homophobia, racism, mental health issue, sexism, SA,  (all is to a less extreme then in the book), slight spoilers to American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis. 

what american psycho means in my own world view and why i think it’s relevant today: a book review.

At face value, American Psycho, written by Bret Easton Ellis, and eventually adapted into a film, directed by Mary Harron and starring a young Christian Bale, might just appear to be a serial killer slasher with barely any meaning to it, however, there is much more to go into than just that. It’s a satire on the materialistic lifestyles of the upper class and a commentary on a capitalistic society. Ideas of homophobia, misogyny (including violence against women), racism, and these types of men being awful. The conversation about both the book and the movie have been mostly of men (from what I have seen) and I wanted to give my thoughts on the story through the lens of a queer woman and how it has more impact in today's society than we might see.

American Psycho is from the perspective of a charismatic investment banker, Patrick Bateman who lives a life of wealth in Manhattan. Every day is the same for our character, watches the same television programs, goes to work, listens to his music, kills a few people, goes to lunch with the same group of people, and gets drinks at a new restaurant. The same thing, over and over again. And yes, I said killing people is in this routine, often women. Ellis paints a picture of someone who is stuck in the same routine, that no matter how handsome or wealthy you are, it often feels the same, that murder, or for Batemen at least, is the only thing that makes him feel anything, that he’ll somehow have an impact in this world for the crimes he commits, to have someone, anyone truly cares.

In the video essay created by the content creator, Moon and his video titled “American Psycho: A Warning For Men”, although it focuses on the movie but still holds true with the novel, he states that an important reason why American Psycho taps in the mind of men all around the world is that with today’s world where conveniences and pleasures are at your fingertips, men often feel bored and numb as even the things that brought them happiness no longer satisfy them. This remains true in the story as we see Patrick Bateman, who is wealthy and has modern-day pleasures, become bored and numb to these parts that the only thing to satisfy him is bloodlust. More men in today’s society deal with mental health issues, especially depression and there is no doubt about it that Patrick Bateman is a visual representation of what most men might feel because, in the conversation of mental health, men can often be ignored.

Moon goes on and states how due to this factor, men feel like they lack purpose. I found this interesting in the realm of American Psycho as Patrick Bateman has expressed how he ‘wants to fit in’ and how much people mistake him for others, that he doesn’t have a purpose, and by the crimes he has committed, whether he did them or not, it’s a cry for help but it���s mostly a cry for someone to fucking care about who he is, that someone takes notice of him.

Thus the character of, Detective Donald Kimball. The character and his connection with Bateman I found to be important. He is one of the first people to take an interest in Patrick and his potential crimes and we can see in his monolog on how Patrick feels about this, that he is willing to help Kimball with the disappearance of Paul Owen (Paul Allen in the 2000’s adaption). Despite him being cool and calm, Kimball does notice him to be nervous and Batemen states that “the air seems fake, recycled,” (page 271) This particular chapter shows how Kimball takes interest in him and because of that, we see the mask that Bateman has put on to crack.

How does this connect to the lens of a queer woman and why does it matter now? I already touched on why it’s relevant today, on how the mental health of men has increased, and how Patrick Bateman is a visual representation of how all these men might feel, despite them ignoring the commentary and the satire that Ellis has stated, they believe that the story of American Psycho is for them. It’s not. In fact, I could argue that it’s for no one but as a reference point of how men can and have been, how mental health and lack of purpose is the true enemy in all this. Not women, not LGBT people, not minorities but their own self. Within a capitalistic society, as more people have more convince in the palm of their hand, the more the mask slip.

As a queer woman, I see the treatment of both women and gay people in the novel, using slurs in casual conversation and degrading women and stripping them down to only objects. Viewing WLW relationships as a sexual fantasy solely for men's enjoyment and we see the violence of these women at the end. Now although this was set in the late 1980s, it still holds up today as the sexualization of lesbians and bi women is still an issue we see today, as a threat to women and overall LGBTQ people. This type of language in the book is a byproduct of Bateman’s colleagues and surroundings, what he talks about, and what he views, due to the fact there are no personal connections between him and the people around him, including the relationships that are supposed to be personal. The only way to connect with these people is to “fit in”.

Now, although we see in the book and even in the movie of Patrick talking about social justice, these are just words he says, as he’ll continuously use slurs, treat people, mostly homeless people like shit, sexually assault women, and of course, kill people, you often wonder why he says the things he does about social justice. Is it an act? If so is it for himself or the people around him? Especially when another scene with the same people he turns a hand and talks about how women are just to have sex with, that they don’t have personalities. It makes me, personally, question why Bateman does this.

Although I could go into every small detail and relate it back to today’s society, I won’t, as I believe that American Psycho can be such a universal story that anyone can have their own ideas on and I encourage people to read the novel and dissect their own ideas on it, how they see Ellis’ writing in their own lens. We can all agree, however, that capitalism can lead to the destruction of the mind and even a generation of not only men but the groups that are often targeted by Bateman’s crimes. That no matter how much you make, you will often feel purposeless and unnoticed in today’s society especially now that everything is becoming more and more instant.

The last thing I want to say is; don’t idolize Patrick Bateman.

A word from the author: Sorry I’ve been gone, new writing lessons and other writing content in the New Year. I have been reading a lot more and want to do mini essays like this. Hope you enjoy and I hope you have an awesome 2023!

#writing #screenwriting #writers block #creative writing #Writing tips #dialogue prompt #writing process #writing practice #writing prompt #song prompt #Book Recommendations #book review #american psycho #christian bale #patrick bateman #character #character analysis #character development #character sheet #bret easton ellis

[booksandpaperss]

With all the playlistgate stuff going on, I decided to do a re-listen to Mike’s basement beats and BRO

WE DO NOT TALK ENOUGH ABOUT HOW THIS SONG IS ON MIKE’S PLAYLIST.

I know there are sooo many posts about songs that are byler or Mike or Will coded, but I implore you to stay with me on this one, it’s worth it—

For reference, here are the very starting lyrics:

My love and I, we work well together

But we’re often apart

Absence makes the heart lose wager

Til love breaks down, love breaks down

Now what couple in the show does that sound like? Hmmmm hint it’s mileven

And then right after that set of lyrics we have:

Oh my, oh my, have you seen the weather?

The sweet September rain

Rain on me like no other

Until I drown, Until I drown

Rain? RAIN??? Man, I *wonder* what moment this could be referencing…

Oh but the chorus is *by far* the best part:

When love breaks down

The things you do

To stop the truth from hurting you

When love breaks down

The lies we tell,

They only serve to fool ourselves

Every single analysis on s3 and 4 Mike summarized in only 6 lines of song lyrics.

And for me, a very specific s4 scene comes to mind:

Like were these lyrics not near exactly what this conversation was about??

“Sometimes.. it’s hard to open up like that. To say how you really feel. Because… what if they don’t like the truth?”

“When love breaks down, the things you do, to stop the truth from hurting you”

Same line, different words. Which, if we’re really analyzing these song lyrics here, would lead me to believe that the junkyard scene was about more than just one or even two secrets. This song lyric doubles as being about lying to someone you care about to stop the truth from hurting them, AND being about lying to yourself to avoid the truth that is already hurting you.

Ergo, it’s safe to assume that the same goes for the byler conversation in the junkyard. There’s already visual cinimatic proof that we’re meant to understand that conversation was about more than one thing: it’s clearly Will talking about his feelings for Mike, but Mike nods, he agrees with Will’s sentiment. The scene is already meant to be more than what we see at face value, I see no reason it cannot be even more multi-faceted. It is;

1). About Will hiding his feelings for Mike,

2). About Mike hiding his truth from El, and

3). About Mike finally *concluding* his denial arc of his own feelings for Will (per the song).

Again, this set of lyrics can honestly apply to the whole of Mike’s s4 arc and even parts of his s3 arc, it’s just that the junkyard scene in particular really feels like a direct reference to the chorus.

And deep dive analysis of lyrics aside, it is undeniable that this song is meant to be about lying to yourself, in whatever capacity you decide to take it. Just even more confirmation of how absolutely right we are that Mike has been lying to himself, otherwise why would this even be on his playlist??

Anyways stream Mike’s Basement Beats bc there is so much good stuff on there and I will forever stan it 😎😌

Tagging my fellow Mike’s Basement Beats Stan @yuriberryva and my #1 bestie @significant-ace-nnoyance bc Ik u guys will probably wanna see this 👀

#every byler should listen to it tbh #right of passage #byler #Spotify #byler songs #mike wheeler #byler analysis #mike wheeler analysis #mikes bassment beats #byler s4 #mike wheeler i know what you are #mike and will #byler endgame #byler proof #playlistgate #elli talks mike wheeler

[phoneuserhana333]

neighbor!abby au — critters roaming around the neighborhood

thank u so much for 100 followers :D i felt like doing a small character analysis for the neighbor!abby au, since i don’t feel very confident about the whole neighbor abby au. hope you enjoy :)

contains: ellie, dina, jesse

• ellie williams is known for her whacky and modern art, usually exhibited in queer showrooms located in hell’s kitchen. she’s dina and jesse’s high school best friend, and a huuuuuge fan of y/n’s work. has been following y/n since the beginning of her career and admires her so much, though she has developed a small parasocial relationship with the producer. ellie knows all the artists y/n has worked with, she’s listened to all of the songs with her name in the credits and follows her on all social media platforms. attending one of her parties was a dream come true. finding out that she’s dating that one ER nurse that she had beef with in college broke her.

• dina, on the other hand, works at the same label that y/n works at, she currently manages a few big names and jesse, an up-and-coming rapper, who also happens to be her ex boyfriend. she’s smart and sneaky, works well under pressure and always gives great advice. she introduced ellie to y/n after ellie begged her to come as her plus one. regular at y/n’s parties and a bit wary of abby; dina knows how hard it is to date when you’re semi-famous and doesn’t want y/n to make any mistakes. ends up really liking abby after y/n told her about their christmas escapades.

• jesse, jesse, jesse. also known as rapisnotjesse (stylized: RAPISNOTJESSE!). extremely talented and good at writing, loves attending parties and dresses weird- which is why he’s friends with out protagonist, y/n. he’s known for a meme song that went viral and his career has been going up since. jesse still has a small crush on dina, but he acts ‘cool’ about it. very silly, very wholesome. spoiler alert: he becomes a very famous asian-american rapper. good for him!

#ellie williams #abby anderson #dina woodward #jesse tlou #dina tlou #abby anderson x reader #tlou #ellie williams x reader #too lazy to tag the rest💔 #dina woodward x reader #dina x reader

[1moreff-creator]

Happy Birthday Charles Cuevas!

I haven’t talked much about this guy in my short time on Tumblr, but I’ve always loved this dork. Clearly academically gifted, but still a bumbling idiot at heart. He’s always a joy to have on screen!

Anyways, as usual, I’ll make a half hearted analysis on his character, alongside dumping in a bunch of fun facts from any sources I can find (mostly QnAs and the series itself), then mention a few songs that remind me of him!

-Charles originally held a very elitist attitude towards everyone else’s talents, arrogantly dismissing any he didn’t consider useful. 

-However, he’s quickly humbled by quite a few things. He had evidently lived a relatively sheltered life prior to the killing game, as he didn’t know how to perform basic tasks like using a washing machine or cooking, and Whit always poked fun at him for that and other reasons.

-But in particular, it was his debilitating fear of blood, hemophobia, which ended up fully humbling him. After seeing Teruko’s body post Xander-stab, he became unable to speak until after the end of the first trial. 

-In fact, Charles is the only person (aside from Xander for obvious reasons) who didn’t participate in the CH 1 Scrum Debate. He doesn’t even show up in the animation. Also, his sprite has him with his back to the group for the vast majority of the trial.

-After everyone saw him like that, Charles felt they started pitying him, which he absolutely loathed. He’s claimed he likes hanging out with Teruko specifically because she didn’t start treating him any differently after that fiasco.

-And of course, he also started enjoying Whit’s company. The matchmaker helped him during the trial, and then they became close friends. 

-This is despite the fact that Charles got very annoyed by and even genuinely angry at Whit making fun of him in the laundry room scene, as we see in their FTE.

-Veronika believes Charles’ hemophobia comes from repressed childhood memories, which seems likely given his secret: “Your older brother died, but you don’t remember him at all.” Hearing about it for the first time shocked Charles quite badly, but he later composed himself and overall handled his secret well. 

-His older brother’s name was Elliot (nickname Ellie), as revealed in the most recent QnA. He was 11-13 years older than Charles, and apparently looked very similar to how Chares looks now. All we know about Elliot otherwise is that his favorite food is pancakes and his favorite animals are dogs.

-In the same QnA, it was revealed the scar on Charles’ right arm is from a dog bite, but Charles thinks it’s a birthmark; he doesn’t remember getting it. This suggests this is related to his brother’s death, which when combined with the fact that Charles’ profile  states he dislikes dogs… really makes it sound like Elliot was mauled by dogs ngl. His favorite animal too.

-We know Charles usually writes in cursive, and given the fact his custom weapon isn’t listed in the list Whit showed everyone on the first trial, it’s likely it was written by him. 

Note the paper looks similar to the notepad Charles usually carries around. Also, the pen he always has on him and likes to chew on has black ink, if anyone cares. 

-Though the fact his strychnine is omitted from this list sort of means he and Teruko may very well be the only people in the killing game who know he has that weapon…

My guy’s getting poisoned isn’t he.

-Anyways, his profile also states he likes coffee ice cream, and this was reconfirmed in the recent QnA. He can also apparently brew good coffee, but not in the killing game since he doesn’t have the right materials (see: FTE).

-His secret quote is “If you forgot it, then it probably wasn’t important to begin with. None of those memories should ever be kept, anyway.” It’s possible it’s just talking about his brother, but if this follows the same logic as Arei’s and Min’s (as in, a phrase Charles actually says out loud), it will be interesting to see in what context he says it. Has he regained some of the memories of his brother’s death perhaps? He’s speaking of amnesia with quite the authority. But that’s just speculation.

-The quote on the Mai Akasaki profile attached to him is “A girl who loves her family.” Because he doesn’t remember his brother, but Mai loves her family apparently. I find it sorta hilarious that this is one of the only solid pieces of information we have about Mai’s backstory.

-Recap Foil Theory by gleamingtempest assigns Teruko as a narrative foil to Charles, which we’ve already seen come into play. They’ve essentially gone in opposite character arcs so far, with Charles opening up and starting to rely on others just as Teruko begun distrusting everyone and distancing herself from the rest. Other ways they foil include their attitudes towards the past; Charles considers his life very ordinary, all things considered, as he’s completely forgotten the worst part of his past. Meanwhile, Teruko hardly remembers all the things which she’s been through because of the sheer amount of bullshit she’s been through. Her luck has basically made her quite experienced in the situations Charles is most incapable in, anything with corpses and blood being the main thing. Among other thematic and narrative connections.

Charles obviously has very interesting thematic connections to a lot of other characters, but if I get into everything I’ll be here forever.

-He has numeral III in the David MV, a number which doesn’t seem to have any applicable symbolism on its own.

The phrase it’s connected to is “if you doubt brittle things are broken”, which refers to the preconceived notion he’s an only child (and his scar being a birthmark) being destroyed by questioning them, as he expresses in this scene:

Charles: Things you had accepted as truth your whole life begin to reveal themselves as lies. And once all the pieces are in place, you realize you were a fool for never seeing the whole story before.

There’s also background text, a famous passage from “The Little Prince”:

“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

“The essential” here is likely meant to be Charles’ memories or relationships.

-Color Theory by accirax assigns him plum, which includes the following words:

*change! X2: He went through a pretty fast character arc, so “change” makes sense.

*like that: This one makes sense with the context of the scene, but that will take too long to explain and it’s not too important.

*the o in original: Not getting into this one either, but in context it probably is just another reference to his change of heart. What? What do you mean that’s not what I’ve ever said in relation to this word? Don’t worry about it.

*a cup of poison: Strychnine stays winning.

Alright, now some more useless fun facts!

-His birthday, September 5th, doesn’t seem to have special meaning to him, but it does land on the International Day of Charity, National Cheese Pizza Day, as well as…

National “Act Dumb” Day, and National Be Late For Something Day.

…

Who the fuck comes up with these?!

-He dismisses the concept of a favorite color pointless, but his favorite color is cerulean (sorta blue like his gloves). His least favorite color is dark red because of blood, so yes, the characters see it as red.

-He likes “nostalgic food” that reminds him of his childhood. Hey, remember how he really wanted to eat pancakes in the FTE? And remember how Elliot liked pancakes? I’m sad now.

-He’s good with computers and technology in general (see: his talk about CDs vs DVDs), and apparently uses machine learning for chemistry purposes.

-He smells like laundry detergent. Presumably because he’s cleanly as a chemist, but I like to think he just spilt a fuckton of it on himself trying to wash his clothes.

-He’s right-handed and American, like practically everyone in the cast. Though he is ethnically hispanic/latino.

-He likes his hair length and doesn’t like the idea of cutting it short. Also, his hair color’s natural.

-He doesn’t need to wear those goggles all the time, but he’s stubborn. And his lab coat is slightly oversized, but he won’t admit it.

-In the FTE, Whit flexes quite a few nicknames for him. Charlie, Ceci, “Cha-ro-shi”… I think this is funny.

And finally, a few songs that I think fit him! Though my music taste doesn’t really align well here, so I had to reach a bit for a few of these. You have to understand, the extent of my research for this part always just extends to me scrolling down my playlists and seeing which songs I think work with the character.

+Toxic by Britney Spears. I am only slightly sorry.

+She Blinded Me With Science by Thomas Dolby. You decide what Charles ship this goes with.

+Uncanny by Ghost & Pals. It’s about someone struggling to understand and accept their own feelings and experiences (memories), so it fits.

+Amygdala’s Ragdoll by Ghost & Pals. Amnesia song.

+Aura by Ghost & Pals. A song about confronting past and present horrors.

+Lost One’s Weeping by Neru. “Science, math I like. But I’m terrible at English, so I despise”. He dislikes acknowledging his weaknesses and prefers to focus on the things he’s good at.

+Meltdown by iroha(sasaki). A song about change with a nuclear reactor as a metaphor. Perfect.

+Hyperdontia by Ghost & Pals and CreepP. “Pull them out and wash them off, the memories”.

+Candle Queen by Ghost & Pals. Sorta fits pre-arc Charles.

+Aishite by Kikuo. Trust me bro. He gives me these kind of vibes of a “golden child”, you know what I mean?

+SIU (Suck It Up) by Maretu. If you ignore what the lyrics are actually about, the vibe works quite well.

+Nobody Makes Sense by PinnochioP. I cannot explain to you why I think this fits so well, but in my mind it does.

+In iolite by Ghost & Pals. Hopeful and lowkey. I just really like this song, and I think it sorta fits.

+Those Who Carried On by guess who, Ghost & Pals again. I think the vibe fits decently, and if Charles is one of “those who carried on” I think it kinda works? Idk.

+100 Digits of Pi by AsapSCIENCE. You can’t tell me he can’t sing this front to back and then continue for like fifty more digits.

+The Periodic Table Song by AsapSCIENCE. Obviously.

And finally:

Happy Birthday! Though he’s going to be extremely embarrassed the entire time it plays.

(Also this is apparently my 100th post so pog)

#drdt #danganronpa despair time #fanganronpa #charles cuevas #i think i’m getting better at these #though my music taste keeps being pervasive #i am going to turn anyone who reads these in ghost fans #drdt spoilers #character birthday

[tessa-liam]

Smoke and Mirrors - I Will Fight For You Chapter 2

Smoke and Mirrors 

Chapter 2: I Will Fight for You 

Book: The Royal Romance Finale AU 

Series premise: Hidden in the shadows, poised to challenge the status quo are enemies of the state. The loyalties and honesty of family, and of friends, will be tested. ‘Keep your friends close, your enemies closer.’ 

Main Pairing: Liam Rys x F!MC Riley Brooks-Rys, OTP ‘LiRi’ 

2nd Pairings: Leo Rys x Amalas, (past, Olivia Nevrakis x Amalas)    Drake Walker x F!OC Delaney Leigh 

All characters belong to Pixelberry, except Delaney Leigh, Interpol Director Ryerson, Criminal Intelligence Officer Cossoy 

Rating: M *Warnings: sexual innuendo, adult language/swears 

Category: Alternate Universe/on-going series/angst/fluff 

Words: 1968, Read: 8 minutes 

Chapter Summary: Olivia starts her fight to remain in Amalas’ life. Bastien may have lost credibility with his King, but his truth will be the start of a new reality for Cordonia.  

Chapter 2: I Will Fight for You 

Music Inspiration: Fight Song by Rachel Platten 

AN1: My submission for @choicesflashfics, Week # 16 Prompt #1. “All I ever wanted is right here in front of me”. 

Previous chapter: Old Habits Die Hard 

*** 

Royal Guard Palace Security Offices 

Bastien was watching with trepidation as the Interpol agents gathered more physical evidence from the tampered jail cell. The cell door locking mechanism was removed along with the corresponding digital touchpad installed at the entryway to the bank of holding cells. The computer analyst had already electronically uploaded data from the Cordonian computer systems to the Interpol police servers, early this morning, during his interview with Officer Cossoy. 

Going over in his mind the questions he was asked by the criminal intelligence officer, he was fairly confident that his answers that he gave were acceptable and not incriminating. The analysis from the confiscated iPhone didn’t have any circumstantial evidence of his involvement in any way. 

That he was sure of, after personally reviewing the data. 

There shouldn’t be any surprises this afternoon. Right? 

He felt prepared for his meeting with King Liam this afternoon. However, he was anxious and reconsidered every detail in his mind of the answers he gave to Interpol. 

What conclusions will Interpol discuss with the King? 

What will he his reaction to those conclusions? 

He woke up that morning feeling hopeful, but now, the guilt he always felt was now consuming him.  

*** 

King Liam’s Study, Cordonian Royal Offices 

Liam stood in front of the large bay window in his study, re-living the moment it registered in his mind that Riley was having twins.  

“...and this baby is the twin of another baby right next to it, here.” 

His smile grew wide thinking about having two more children in his family and what that will look like. 

Will they be boys? Girls? Or one of each?  

Ellie will have siblings! 

Riley was making another dream a reality for him, and he was ecstatic. 

When he heard the knock on the door, he redirected his thoughts to focus on the task at hand.  

A potential security breach.  

Turning at the sound of the guards voice, he regarded Leo as he walked into his study.  

Liam greeted his brother, “Leo, hey, thank you for coming to this briefing early.” 

“No problem, Li, how was the doctor’s appointment this morning? is everything okay with Riley?” 

Moving to stand behind his desk, Liam grinned, “well, I...”, he paused shaking his head and smiling. 

Leo tentatively returned the smile to his brother, raising an eyebrow, “what gives?” 

Liam couldn’t get the words out fast enough. 

“Riley is having twins!”  

“Woah! Geez, man...congratulations! Two babies on one shot! 

Impressive, little brother!”  

“Only you would think of that, Leo!” Liam chuckled. 

Leo walked over to his brother pulling him in for a one arm hug. 

Laughing, Liam shook his head, “thank you!” 

*** 

Monterisso Royal Offices 

Amalas sat back on her office chair, waiting for the Interpol file to upload. She was working with her security forces to identify a person of interest requesting citizenship in Monterisso. Normally, her team would vet all new migrants, however when Interpol contacted her directly about this person, her interest was piqued, and she wanted to investigate further personally.  

The analysis of the confiscated iPhone of the escaped prisoner uncovered decrypted information that pointed to a connection in her country. A drone manufacturer here in Monterisso. 

Amalas sat back on her chair, reclining back to relieve the tension in her neck. 

It was not a surprise that the ‘Spy Queen’ was personally asked by the Director for her expertise.  

Amalas had developed drone software, as well, as set up ultramodern drone hardware manufacturing companies in Monterisso.  

Interpol had previously acquired several models of surveillance drones and software for worldwide operations from Monterisso. 

But the surprise came from Leo Rys; who mentioned that this person of interest had evaded the Cordonian Royal guard, and that King Liam had called Interpol.  

The fugitive made a statement at the time of her arrest that she is a Monterrisan resident and was employed as a drone program analyst. In her search to identify this woman, being that they had no evidence of residency, or immigration papers, Amalas had found driver licensing documentation. 

Her name is listed as Lena Eleanor Runarsdotti, formally from the country of Vallenheim. 

She sat back up checking her phone on her desk that just pinged with a message. 

*** 

 King Liam’s Study, Cordonian Royal Offices 

Discussing the revelation that Dr. Ramirez gave at Riley’s appointment, Liam conveyed his anger and distrust of the investigation into the death of his mother. 

Leo was stunned, to say the least.  

“Our father would have known about this pregnancy! My God, Li, is there no end to the fucking bullshit that he was hiding?” 

“Why wouldn’t he tell me at some point that? Why would he not let me grieve for my unborn brother or sister? Did he grieve?” 

“Maybe she wasn’t pregnant when she died. She was away often from the palace, especially before she passed.” 

“Leo, what are you suggesting?” Liam was agitated at his comment. 

 “Li, something doesn’t add up…there’re missing pieces to this puzzle.” 

Liam sighs in frustration, “I have instructed Interpol to analyze and re-open the murder investigation of my mother and now her pregnancy as well.” 

That is another reason why I need you here in Cordonia.” 

Liam could feel his stress level rising, his jaw clenching, he walked over to his bar cart. Picking up two crystal tumblers and a bottle of scotch, he returned to his desk. 

“Anything you need Li, I will stay here for as long as you need me.” 

After Liam handed his brother a drink, once again, the royal guard knocked announcing the arrival of the Interpol Director. 

*** 

King’s Royal Chambers, Cordonian Palace 

Sitting on the terrace, Riley sipped her orange juice while checking messages on her laptop. 

There were several messages concerning Valtoria that she flagged for follow-up with her personal secretary. For the time being, Riley would work remotely with her key duchy council members, at Liam’s insistence. 

Liam was determined to have his queen step back from her duties as duchess temporarily in Valtoria; not wanting her to travel long distances without him.  

Riley sighed and shook her head. 

He was going into ‘protective Daddy mode’, and to help facilitate that, he tasked Olivia with overseeing her duchy along with Lythokis. 

Riley chuckled at the memory of Liam’s pleading look of concern as he successfully sold the idea to his wife. 

“Excuse me, your majesty.” Mara, Riley’s personal guard, interrupted Riley’s thoughts. 

“Duchess Olivia is here requesting an audience.” 

“Thank you, Mara, please show her here to the terrace.” 

Riley was not surprised that Liam had already arranged for Olivia to meet with her. 

Olivia appeared at the doorway, grinning at her longtime friend. “Twin babies! Riley, I am so delighted for you!” 

“Yes, it was a shock to say the least! 

Thank you for coming to see me. Liv, please come sit.” 

*** 

King Liam’s Study, Cordonian Royal Offices 

Interpol Director Ryerson and Criminal Intelligence Officer Cossoy entered Liam’s Study. They both bowed to Liam and then shook Leo’s hand before sitting down at the boardroom table. 

After pleasantries were exchanged, Director Ryerson wasted no time in stating their preliminary findings and suggested three plans of action. 

“Firstly, to facilitate the installation and implementation of the proposed enhanced security protocols, I would like to imbed Officer Cossoy with your Royal guard.” 

“Is there a perceived threat to my Kingdom, Director? A threat that the Royal Guard is not adequately equipped to ensure the protection of the Royal Family?” Liam questioned emphatically. 

“Not at this time, your majesty. Your family is secure.” 

“We do believe, however, that Bastien Lykel is a compromised asset, placed close to the royal family, during the time of King Constantine’s reign, by a yet undetermined element.  

By staying in close proximity to the operations of your Royal guard, we can watch first hand Mr. Lykel.  

“Bastien needs to be removed at once, especially now with Queen Riley’s pregnancy,” Leo exclaimed. 

“With all due respect, Queen Riley will be safer with the increased presence of Interpol.” 

“Does this ‘increased presence’ include added Interpol officers to her personal guard?” Liam responds. 

“Yes, your majesty, Officer Cossoy has select, vetted guards to imbed to the Queen’s guard.  

Director Ryerson continues, “The former Duke of Karlington, who is currently incarcerated, is also a point of interest here. 

We need your approval to seek his extradition, Your Majesty, to our headquarters in Lyon, France.” 

Liam at once answers, “whatever supports you need, of course. As well, I will assume you have evidence of Bastien’s complicity.” 

The Director continues, “we have reason to believe Mr. Lykel has previously undisclosed information on the death of Queen consort Eleanor Rys and of Jackson Walker, as well.” 

Even though Liam asked for a further investigation into his mother’s death, he was stunned at these revelations. 

“Lastly, we have identified the true identity of the woman apprehended by the Royal Guard, that was later released by Bastien Lykel. 

Her name is Lena Eleanor Rys. She is currently living in Monterisso, formally of Vallenheim. She was the ward of Queen Sigrid Runarsdottir, deceased.” 

*** 

The sun was just setting, when Drake slung into his Ford F-150 truck. He was exhausted.  

Tonight’s council meeting was complex. When Liam joined in with the Interpol officers, his world was flipped over with the new revelations. 

His mind was still reeling from the intense meeting and the last thing he wanted to do was to go home to a lonely cabin.  

Texting Delaney, he let her know that he would be stopping by tonight, hoping he could crash at her place. 

When he finally pulled into Delaney’s driveway, he smiled wide when she greeted him at the door. 

Upon receiving Drakes’s text, Delaney started to prepare a light, late meal for him, complete with home baked apple pie with ice cream for dessert. 

Drake sat back, after his feast, content and relaxed. 

“You were hungry!” 

“This meal.... was perfect. Thank you...You really know how to spoil a guy! 

“You’re welcome baby, anytime!” Delaney winks. 

Drake smiles, “Laney, come over here.” 

Moving to him, she straddles his lap.

“All I ever wanted is right here in front of me.” 

Placing his hands on her hips, Drake doesn’t waste any time, pressing his lips to hers, then deepens the kiss. After a few moments Drake pauses, then cupping her cheeks with his hands. Gazing into her eyes, he confesses,

“Then stay with me tonight.” Delaney whispers. 

@txemrn @bebepac @ao719 @peonierose @phoenixrising0308 @queenmiarys @703cowbarn @mom2000aggie @malblk21 @queenrileyrose @indiana-jr @winkyluxhumanoid @rubiwalker @harleybeaumont @kingliam2019 @marietrinmimi @imashybish @angelasscribbles @isha26 @sfb123 @cordonianredruby @hopelessromanticmonie @tinkie1973 @belencha77 @honey358luv @jared2612 @urfaveaesthetic101 @xpandass420x @kyra75 @late-to-the-fandom @sammiiieeevaaans @levdw-blog @blueaster-blog1 @imjusthereforliam @dcbbw @lovingchoices14 @queen-arabella-of-cordonia @miss-america-erica @princess-geek @karahalloway @cathx91 @walkerdrakewalker @squid-princess-teach-swallow @thesvnsins @surrenderronnie1 @delmissesryan @iaminlovewithtrr @choicesficwriterscreations

Please let me know if you want to be added or removed from tags

TRR: @busywoman

Leo & Amalas: @twinkleallnight

#the royal romance #liam rys #trr liam x mc #riley brooks #trr #always liam and riley #drake walker #leo rys #trf au #king liam rys #king liam #smoke and mirrors #tessa-liam

[fireflys-locket]

This month was very unpredictable. Lots of ups and downs. Emotions all over the place. Nearly always exhausted. And yet I've also been very motivated and productive. Writing is going well. And these favorites have been inspiring me.

Zero Escape: Now that I've finally gotten through all of the games, I've been watching a lot of analysis videos on this mind-bending series I love!

Palia: The new update is here, and I am still loving this game. It's also on Steam now! Yes, this game is unfinished. Yes, it has bugs. But this world and these characters feel like home to me. Please consider giving it a chance if it sounds interesting to you. It's free, and it's only going to get better and better. I'm excited to see what's to come!

Sims 2: I've been incorporating more storytelling in my usual gameplay posts, and I've been loving it. Simblr has been a big part of my creative inspiration lately. Over the last six months or so, it has really helped me get back in touch with my desire to create.

Music Favs: Underneath (Rosi Golan), Secret (Chelsea Lankes), Cold Front (Laura Welsh), More Alive Than Dead (Joseph), Classic (The Knocks & Powers), Oh My What a Fine Day (Behind Sapphire), The Writer (Ellie Goulding), Still in Love Song (The Stills), Dots (Woodes), Streetlight (Data Romance).

#monthly favorites #zero escape #palia #the sims 2 #Instagram

[theinfinitedivides]

listening to the PS:2 soundtrack again in an attempt to bite the bullet and psyche myself up to watch both films back to back in August(? that's the goal at least, if i get to watch it earlier even better) and i have been stuck on Veera Raja Veera for an hour and a half. i have also figured out my personal ranking for all versions of the song at last and it went about as well as i would have expected. it started to get too long for the f*cking tags tho so i decided to put in this post, we'll see how it goes from here—list is in order from least liked to most liked btw

5. going to start this off by saying i'm so so sorry to Gulzar but it's something about the rhythm for me. the lyrics are lovely but the way they are lining up with the music in the Hindi version,,,,,,, or failing to in certain parts,,,,,, it's not it. it's not it. it does well in the first minute or so and then heads downhill from there, and tbh it's not his fault i think it's just the sheer amount of syllables that they have to fit in compared to the original? and with that in mind it's not going to sound the same, obviously, but what salvages it from being a complete disappointment is the way we got both Shreya Ghoshal and Kavita Krishnamurthy as a duet in this year of our Lord 2023. Kavita, who still sounds the same as she did on the Dil Se soundtrack singing Satrangi Re and the Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam soundtrack and the Devdas soundtrack and the Yaara Dildaara soundtrack and the K3G soundtrack with Bole Chudiyan and Shreya Ghoshal who is a pleasure to listen to on practically everything she touches (Bajirao Mastani and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and that aalap just before her verse with Kavita here i'm looking at you) and— *inhales* *exhales* ok. do appreciate them letting Kavita take the 'चुन चुन चुन चुन / जाली रे जाली चिंगारी' portion in the Hindi translation bc she sounded beautiful there. (she always reminded me of Lata in that regard i think, and for some inexplicable reason i've by extension connected the two of them to Zohra Sehgal in some of her roles)

favorite line — 'दुश्मन पे टूटे जब | बिजलियों का वीर' / 'dushman pe toote jab | bijilyon ka vaar'. this is one of those times where the rhythm works in their favor and works well, and it leads perfectly into the rest of the verse imo. also @ that one guy going 'योद्धा~~' / 'yodhaa~~' at the very end of the song ty for your service

3. in contrast to the rhythm problems of the Hindi the Kannada recording is very smooth? i don't know if that makes sense as someone who doesn't speak the language but it's like water. like water in a stream just one after another going over the stones in the riverbed as it passes or the waves lapping against the side of the ship or the gentle sound wind chimes make when they hit against each other in the lightest breeze—the phrasing doesn't feel forced (ty Jayant Kaikini sir) and the syllables match the music as well as the original. ofc Rakshita Suresh and Sivasri Skandaprasad have a part to play with their solos in this sounding as good as it does, despite its ranking on my list (which will be explained in the next entry), and while i expected nothing less from Rakshita after Kirunage, this is the first i'm hearing from Sivasri and she blew me away. i had to listen to it several times to be able to tell them apart, and i might still be wrong bc their voice color is very, very similar, but they took what Rahman gave them and made it their own. (is it Rakshita that starts and Sivasri that continues? i'm thinking that it alternates between them with Sivasri ending that portion)

favorite line — 'ಮಳೆಗರೆವಾಗ ಬಾಣ | ಅಡಗಳು ಎಲ್ಲಿ ತಾಣಾ' / 'malegarevaaga baana | adagalu elli thaana'. this is where the river analysis stands out to me bc this feels like putting pebbles said river into a tumbler and rolling them over and over until they come out smooth and polished and just. right. (i am using the word smooth a lot to talk about the Kannada version sksksksk but can you blame me)

3. technically Malayalam and Kannada tie for third place on here (there is no fourth place. there is 4.75th place rounded up to fifth place and that belongs to the Hindi entry as previously stated) but Malayalam has the slightest edge for me. in terms of sound/pronunciation it's the closest to the original—i know most scholars believe that Malayalam descended from Tamil and split early on, so that might have something to do with it, but it sounds like a perfect cross between the flow of Kannada and the strength of the Tamil and ugh. pair that with Srinivas featuring and Shweta Mohan taking on that solo (by herself!!! and eating that sh*t like it was a duet!!!) and Rafeeq Ahamed as the lyricist and i play it almost as often as i play the original. (i was almost half expecting to hear the extension at the end in this version, that's how good it was)

favorite line — 'കടലിൽ ചുഴലി പോലെ | തവ നൗക കളിരമ്പി' / 'kadalil chuzhali pole | thava noukakalirambi'. i am in love with what Shweta does here, especially with the latter half of the line ('... നൗക കളിരമ്പി' / 'noukakalirambi') since she just heads straight into the 'വൻകടൽ...' and for some reason that is so auditorily pleasing to me. i don't have any rational thoughts behind that that's just how it is. her aalap before her verse is also breathier/softer than Shreya's if that makes sense but it fits her perfectly

2. Telugu. holy f*ck, Telugu. you put Shankar Mahadevan (i don't think i've ever heard him sing a bad song. ever. at least not what i've heard) and Chinmayi (Tere Bina???? Mayya Mayya???? Titli???? i'm still not over any of them from her????) in the same song you make every f*cking verse rhyme almost exactly courtesy of Chandrabose if Kannada is the sound of water then Telugu is pure silk and honey and the feel of something melting in your mouth and you expect me to stay alive? the actual f*ck? admittedly i may be biased bc one of my OCs is Telugu and i have been putting Telugu covers from my Bollywood playlist on loop for inspo but uh Rahman what the f*ck. what the f*ck am i supposed to do with that kind of genius

favorite line(s) — 'సమరం శ్రుతించైరా శిఖరం స్పృశించైర' / 'samaram shruthinchaira shikharam spushinchaira' & 'విధిగా తెగించైర | విధినే వదించైర | విలయం దరించైర | విజయం వరించైర' / 'vidhigaa thegincheyraa | vidhine vadhincheyraa | vilayam dharincheyraa | vijayam varincheyraa'. the f*cking alliteration? hello? also the 'veera raja veera' at the end of this version in particular gives me full body chills bc there is someone going up with the harmonization every time there's a new line. i don't know who it is but he's (they're? could be multiple vocals) going up and i am crying shaking throwing up on the floor having a spiritual experience etc etc

and finally 1. the top spot. the place where everything has been leading through this long ass piece that i have put you to suffer through

and ykw Tamil is pretty much self-explanatory i think: we bring Shankar back as we should but this time K.S Chithra (Asoka!!! Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon!!! Bombay and Thoda Thoda from Indira/Priyanka and the live version of Jiya Jale that Rahman did in Dubai!!!) and Harini (also sang for Indira/Priyanka and featured on Varayo Thozhi from Jeans) are with him and Ilango Krishnan's lyrics take over and flatline me on the f*cking operating table. before it flatlines me however i break into goosebumps every time i hear it start, bc lbh it is impossible not to when you have the f*cking vocals coming in like 'காணீரோ? நீர் காண் | சோழ வெற்றி வாள் ஒன்றை காணீரோ? | ஓ அழகிய பூவே! செல்லுதியோ | மலரிடு போ சகி!' if you stay sane during that opening you are a liar get off my feed unfollow and block i don't want you anywhere near me for the next six years or however long it takes Mani Ratnam to make his next masterpiece. no coherent thoughts head empty MV playing on loop he and Rahman own me now they have the copyrights

favorite line (had to split everything into two blocks bc Tumblr was tryin to f*ck up my sh*t) — 'எம் தமிழ் வாழ்க வாழ்க! | வீர சோழம் வாழ்க! | நற்றமிழ் வாழ்க வாழ்க! | நல்லோர் தேசம் வாழ்க!' / 'em thamizh vaazhga vaazhga! | veera sozham vaazhga! | natramizh vaazhga vaazhga! | nallor thesam vaazhga!'. technically this isn't my favorite favorite line bc i have to do a seperate ranking for that below + it's exclusive to the Tamil version and i am trying to make this a wholistic review but. it's f*cking up there let's just say that. i think i mentioned in the tags of a different post of how i've been doing genealogy research and (in the process) tentatively confirmed the possibility of there being some South Asian descent from my dad's side, specifically Tamil or Telugu based on the stories/timeline of French occupation in the Caribbean and portions of the Indian subcontinent, and there's something in me that shifts every time we get down to the last twenty or so seconds and this hits. i don't know what it is, truly—maybe the remnants of the genes of my ancestors and their pride for their land, their language—but it's there and it's loud and if it's the right day at the right time i will start crying btw. full on sobbing like a little bitch. you didn't ask but i told you anyway

after all of *motions* that, i am also offering a bonus ranking of the section of VRV that makes me rewind every f*cking time it comes on in every language, bc it featured heavily in creating my eventual rankings and i would be remiss to not mention it. so here have this additional dive into my thought process during these trying times of hyperfixation rip

'आंधी से तेज़ | तूफ़ान से तेज़ | चुन चुन चुन चुन | जाली रे जाली चिंगारी | अंग अंग अंग अंग | लागे रे लागे अंगारे' / 'aandhi se tez | toofaan se tez | chun chun chun chun | jaali re jaali chingaari | ang ang ang ang | laagey re laagey angaare', Hindi — still at the bottom of the list here, but the inflection during the repetition ('chun chun chun chun' and 'ang ang ang ang') salvages it somewhat. nothing else to say it about it otherwise, since i already addressed Kavita's voice here earlier

'വാക്കാകെ നീ കാറ്റാക നീ | ശര ശര ശര ശരമേയ്ക | വേൽമഴ നെയ്തിട് | റ പറ പറ പറ വിറകൊൾക | പായട്ടെ പായ്വഞ്ചികൾ' / 'vaakkaaka nee kaattaaka nee | shara shara shara sharameyka | velmazha neythidu | para para para para virakolka | paayatte paayvanchikal', Malayalam — taking that third place as always, but its tied partner in the general rankings is higher up in this list for a change. i think the very last part ('പായട്ടെ പായ്വഞ്ചികൾ' / 'paayatte paayvanchikal') is what throws me off tho bc of the way they distributed the line, since on the first listen i was expecting them to go 'paayatte paayvan-chi-kal' and they chose 'paayatte pa-ay-van-chikal' instead. it's not like it decreases the overall quality of the song or anything it's just a very specific hang up i have. who knows maybe my preferred pronunciation would have f*cked with the meaning and we do not want that

'సుడిగాడ్పులా అడుగేయరా | సర సర సర సర | శరమే తనువే తాకగా | చర చర చర చర | చెలరేగాలి వేగంగా' / 'sudi gaadpulaa adugeyyaraa | sara sara sara sara | sharame thanuve thaakagaa | chara chara chara chara | chelaraegaali vegangaa', Telugu — this ties with Malayalam for third place and, much like it, my quirk is specfically with the last part ('చెలరేగాలి వేగంగా' / 'chelaregaali vegangaa'). my preferred is 'chelare-gaali ve-gan-gaa', they gave me 'chelare-gaa-li ve-gan-gaa'. again, not an issue, this is just me, i'm sure they knew what they were doing otherwise they wouldn't have recorded it like that in the first place

'ನೀ ಜ್ವಾಲೆಯು ನೀ ಗಾಳಿಯೂ | ಸರ ಸರ ಸುರಿವ | ಮಳೆಯಂತೆ ಶೂಲಗಳು | ಭರ ಭರ ಭರ ಭರನೆ | ಭೋರ್ಗರೆವ ಪಂಜುಗಳು' / 'nee jwaaleyu nee gaaliyuu | sara sara suriva | maleyanthe shoolagalu | bhara bhara bhara bharane | bhorgareva panjugalu', Kannada — there are at least two portions here that sound eerily similar to the original and that is why this version has moved up to spot two. it takes that water comparison i made and uses it to its advantage so much and it rotates in my mind like a rotisserie chicken at just at the right angle and it's just!!!! it's just!!!! God pls keep me from putting this in my mouth and biting it's too good

'கூற்றாகிச் செல்... | காற்றாகிச் செல்... | சர சர சர சரவெனவே | மழை தான் பெய்திட | பர பர பர பரவென | பாயட்டும் பாய்மரம்' / 'kootraagi sel... | kaatraagi sel... | sara sara sara saravena | velmazhai thaan peidhida | para para para paravena | paayattum paaimaram', Tamil — when this hits i blank out and come to at random intervals. cannot pinpoint the time the place etc but it happens and when it does i go f*cking feral. this one i am indeed putting in my mouth and biting bc the entire thing from 'para para...' onwards??? more alliteration more alliteration more f*cking alliteration. i remember someone making a post on here that said that certain parts of VRV sound like pearls bouncing off of the floor (was it @mizutaama? i apologize for the tag but i think that was you) and i think this is what they were referring to but my ears are that f*cking floor. i thank God every day for that

anyway mutuals (and non-mutuals who are just as obsessed about PS as i am) i'm sorry for clogging your feed with my opinions on a film i haven't even watched properly, pls feel free to roast me about my ranking choices. or agree but it doesn't really matter at this point bc even tho i could be talking out of my ass in terms of actually speaking said languages (i,,,,, do not unfortunately) i've said what i needed to say sksksksk

#film: ponniyin selvan ii #ponniyin selvan ii #ponniyin selvan: ii #ps:2 #ponniyin selvan #veera raja veera #jayam ravi #sobhita dhulipala #mani ratnam #a.r. rahman #kollywood #tl:dr: local gay takes that specific 'கூற்றாகிச் செல்... / காற்றாகிச் செல்...' section of Veera Raja Veera #and uses it as the base for their personal ranking of all five versions solely based on how it is translated and sung #writes an essay about it chooses their favorite lines from said versions that are not That One and posts it to tumblr.com .txt #look!!! i actually dragged myself away from streaming Shinee long enough to complete this thing that i've had #sitting in my drafts for weeks (the language analysis that is)!!! #it is f*cking hilarious at this point simply bc this is nowhere near the order of the rankings for Ponni Nadhi #like the list for that is upside down. dare i say inverted almost #i might do something for it as well in this same format idk but #doing this for VRV made me realize that every other language (except Hindi bc they have a diff version of the line) #pronounces 'soora' as 'shoora'. i think Malayalam's 'shoora' is the least pronounced and is almost ambiguous. almost not quite #you could mistake it for 'soora' but there's just enough aspiration(?) there to tell you that it's not. Telugu's 'shoora' too #the aspiration almost completely disappears when listening on Spotify it's much more prominent on Youtube #this feels like i should have posted it on my studyblr but i think i'll just reblog it there instead

[ahleidreams]

Motivic development in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)???

noticed this interesting similarity while transcribing music from Hunchback.

from the song "Out There":

as appears in the official songbook, IT'S MY ANALYSIS AND WE NOTATE SUSPENSIONS THE WAY I SAY

from "Kyrie Eleison" in the stage musical (idk which version i have) which corresponds to the film cue called "Sanctuary!" on the soundtrack (around the 1:50 mark):

analyzed using the harmony as audible on the soundtrack (though the choir voicing appears to be different? it's hard to make out, i think the line is buried in the altos or something) also this stage version is down a whole step so i moved it back up, also if you have the score to the film version i need it

i've listened to this music for almost 30 years now, and i'd never noticed this similarity. I only noticed it when looking at it on the page, and that fact (to me) actually makes it more likely that this is intentional.

the context adds to my case: the song "Out There" obviously is about Quasimodo wanting to be free, and the text "Libera me Domine" from the requiem mass means "free me, Lord" and this moment in the score is when he is freeing himself, breaking the literal chains that Frollo imprisoned him with (imprisoned in a building thought to be the house of god, which is interesting).

also i low-key have a grudge against Lindsay Ellis for being so negative about this film over the years and i want her to pay for my therapy bills

#the hunchback of notre dame #alan menken #musicals #music theory #music analysis

[chaotic-theatrical-weaver]

The “July” duet with Leon Bridges tells a different story than the original and it hurts. In this version, Leon’s speaker gets to sing verse 2 and has a rewritten chorus: “Find someone who gives you all of the things I couldn’t, I know—‘cause I keep fighting all the ways I let you down so I can stay.” When Noah's speaker comes in for "if you want me to leave, then tell me to leave, and baby, I'll go," he sings the "and baby, I'll go" with her, then repeats it on his own.

Why do these changes matter? While the original clearly depicts the speaker as suffering in an abusive relationship, this version paints a picture of two troubled people who can’t communicate and thus recontextualizes some lines in verse 1:

Perhaps “something you said” was simply Leon’s speaker pushing Noah’s away instead of a(n entirely) willful effort at being hurtful. (It also could have been something she misread as hurtful, causing her to withdraw and him to feel inadequate, but the first interpretation is deeper and sadder.)

Him “throwing back beers” may be him trying and failing to cope with his problems (that could be the case in the original, but it's more likely here).

Even the animated music video adds credence to this interpretation:

As she cries, she turns around in shock to see him in the field (she had been looking in a mirror and saw him in the reflection).

He stands in front of her with something like resignation or even disappointment/anger directed at himself in his expression, and then smiles at her briefly before returning to the resigned, disappointed, angry look.

At the end, he does manage to comfort her somewhat, but still seems to retain his sense of shame at his missteps.

What a beautiful form of storytelling--the redistribution of verse 2 and the lyric changes craft a whole new narrative, and I am here for it.

#noah cyrus #leon bridges #july noah cyrus #ellie's song analysis

[mdawgswizzleinthehizzle]

sometimes i wake up by the door…

that heart you caught must be waiting for you…

even now when we’re already over…

i can’t help myself from looking for you…

Set Fire to the Rain ~ Adele

#the last of us #pedro pascal #joel miller #hbo the last of us #ellie williams #bella ramsey #ellie and joel #tlou angst #tlou analysis #tlou fluff #tlou spoilers #tlou gif #tlou game #tlou edit #tlou part 2 #song lyrics #lyric edit #lyric quotes #adele #set fire to the rain

[spaceorphan18]

Glee Musical Retrospective: What It Feels Like for a Girl (Power of Madonna)

Sung by: New Directions Boys Original Artist(s): Madonna

Glee is a little dubious when it comes to conversations about women - but I do think this episode handles it (possibly) better than most of the time. I still have slightly conflicting feelings about this one -- in that it is going to kick off an uncomfortable trend where the show tries to have men use women's music to explain women's issues -- but, this one is more so about teaching the boys a lesson, and I feel much better about it than, say, how they're going to just botch it up two seasons from now...

Story Analysis

At the beginning of this - Will gives this long speech about how the boys are treating all the girls like crap. A lot of the time - they do, but it's funny, other than the Artie/Tina story line - where he's just terrible to her, and Puck being his usual brand of misogynistic, the guys (as a group) didn't necessarily need the lesson. However - the show is going out of its way to support women and empowerment this episode, so sure, why not.

Girls can wear jeans And cut their hair short Wear shirts and boots 'Cause it's okay to be a boy But for a boy to look like a girl is degrading 'Cause you think that being a girl is degrading

Finn and Artie say these lines at the beginning. I do appreciate the sentiment the song is trying to share -- that there is a double standard and that even in a modern age, women are still considered second class citizens. I like that Artie seems to get it (as this lesson is main for him) and that he starts to understand as he sings.

Now, I really don't think this song is going to magically change any minds (the lyrics are just too thin) and while there's some attempt to put yourself in someone else's shoes - I think it takes more than singing a pop song once to really internalize the lesson. But Artie does walk away understanding that he's been a jerk at least. And Finn is at least trying when Puck throws a hissy fit after the song.

But secretly You'd love to know what it's like, wouldn't you? What it feels like for a girl?

These are the lines that Kurt speaks and, oof, do I have some thoughts. Ryan Murphy wrote this episode -- and he's admitted through interviews that Madonna was something sacred to him when he was growing up. This feels so, so much like something Murphy probably internalized -- and thus gave it Kurt to speak.

Because, honestly, I'm going to push back here -- and say that there's a difference between sexuality and gender. Sure, Kurt's more effeminate in his mannerisms (especially S1 Kurt) but as he's going to say in a few episodes - he's still a guy. Kurt doesn't really have any issues with gender.

I will concede though he does feel more at home with the girls, and wishes, like a girl, he could have a boy interested in him. I'll also say that sometimes sexuality and gender can blur a little bit -- and this is why I think this line is so Ryan Murphy - because I do think he's struggled with those lines.

So, yes, I get it, and get why Kurt says it, I still roll my eyes though...

Lastly, I'll at least give Will a little bit of credit for trying. I'm glad that he didn't try to fix the girls and their attitudes, but did try to help the boys. Will's not great, himself, when it comes to women. But at least he's attempting to be a better role model here.

Technical Thoughts

Not sure if anyone else notices these things but -- did you notice the drum beat and all the synth going on? In order to say that it wasn't coming from the ether, they put a black box on the piano and Brad Ellis is playing the mini synth/electric piano/whatever it - to simulate the sound as accompaniment. I'm curious as to when they're going to stop implying that there's 'real' music to accompany the singing.

So - the boys sound really good on this. Their voices mesh really well, and since there aren't any huge leaps, and the range of the song is pretty simple, they can focus on having some great harmonization. I don't know who is really singing - I can definitely here Will, Artie, Finn and Puck. I'm not sure if I hear Kurt or not, and I kind of doubt Mike and Matt are actually singing (but I could be totally wrong). But anyway, my point is the arrangement of this great and vocally they really kill this one.

I like a lot of the acting choices, too. Kurt's looking adoringly at Finn. Puck is just over it and does not care about the 'lesson'. Mike is just having the best time because he's just that guy. And Will just gets into it - nice to know he just gets taken away by all the music.

vs. The Studio Version: There's a second verse! Led by Artie! Poor Artie - so much of his singing gets relegated to the second verse of the studio version. We also get a reprise of the chorus. There's a good two minutes added on to the song. I also kind of wonder if they're doubling tracks again - it almost feels like there's a full choir added in there.

vs. The Original Version: When doing research for the song (yes - I do research for all of them!) I found that there were two different versions. The one I linked is the softer, radio edit, that's a lot more like the Glee version. Again, Glee keeps pretty close to the original -- only adding in harmonies since it was sung by multiple people. They also toned down the synth sound so it can feel more HS-ish (though I'd argue keeping the synth sound still makes it sound produced...).

Just as an fyi, I didn't link the official video -- which is more a techno, clubbing version. The video is dark and very violent. Kind of Madonna wanting to be edgy to say that girls can be hyper violent, too, I guess. Anyway, just wanted to throw on that TW in case you seek that one out.

#the great glee rewatch #so's musical retrospective #glee #glee music #Youtube

[sotvtaughtmehowtofeel]

What's currently fucking me up (it's always TLOU):

At the end of ep3, Joel and Ellie drive away listening to Linda Ronstadt. But the PART of this SONG: an analysis

We start with: "And I think it's gonna hurt me for a long, long time" - a pretty clear reference to Sarah's death for Joel "Wait for the day/you'll go away" -playing while they have their sweet moment bonding over Linda; obviously a reference to Joel's greatest fear, but also probably foreshadowing TLOU2 (KILL ME) "Knowing that you warned me" (Joel looks at Ellie) "of the price I'd have to pay" -we all know Joel is terrified of losing Ellie like he lost Sarah. I think this line alone informs how much he fights his love for Ellie for the next few episodes "And life's full of flaws/ who knows the cause" - fucked up world, all the stuff they have to do to survive, I feel like this line works as a really gracious acceptance of what Joel's done and does and where we end up at the end of the season (Joel Miller did nothing wrong) "Living in the memory of a love that never was" - this always confused me because this is where we cut back to Bill and Frank's window. It COULD be a reference to their lost years, but I don't think that's it, because they had a good long time together and their love definitely WAS. I think it's more likely meant to refer to Joel and Sarah's lost years (and again, maybe a VICIOUS foreshadowing of Joel and Ellie's lost future days) (FUCK everything) "Cause I've done everything I know/ to try and change your mind/ and I think I'm gonna love you for a long, long time" - I think this one is Ellie. She has been and continues to spend the next couple episodes trying to bond with Joel. She does change his mind (it never actually needed changing) And they love each other for a long, long time.

#forever actually #because tlou2 doesn't happen #K THX BYE #this is truly fucking me up rn #obviously this song wasn't written for this show but like wasn't it???? #help me im dying #the last of us #tlou #tlou2 spoilers #tlou spoilers #joel miller #ellie williams

[0pheleschimera0]

get to know 9 people ask game

tagged by: @aecholapis

last song listened to: Snakes by PVRIS

currently reading: American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

sweet/spicy/savory: Spicy

obsession: character and literary analysis + character design

relationship status: Single

last thing i googled: nick roche's drift art

currently working on: god you dont want to know but biggest projects rn massive pharma character analysis, compilation of character quotes, personal tf continuity/au story.

Tagging: uhh @deadlysoupy @kell-eramis @dywgh @jellyloveru @patchworkpoison @robofaggy @thegendercollector @am1ca @cybertronian-menace

#txt #thank youu for the tag