#if i read a dark tower fic and there was a mordred in it who liked to play the hurdy-gurdy on a porch while watching the world move on

[duskoscrawl]

A break down of my 'The Voices Beneath' Series and Playlist

The entire playlist can be accessed on YouTube here and the series is on ao3 here and is summarised as following:

An exploration of the pervading influence of Dwendalian Nationalism over the Empire's citizens and how it seeps into their mentalities. Particularly through the life of Caleb Widogast.

The Playlist, Song by Song:

Mordred's Lullaby, Heather Dale: this is the song that the series title is drawn from. It draws from Arthurian myth and is pretty dark for a lullaby. The series premise draws from the lines 'And you won't understand the cause of your grief | but you'll always follow the voices beneath' which I think really feeds into the collective grief stricken nationalism of the Zemni Fields.

Eat Your Young, Hozier (Bekon's Choral Version): A lot of my work for this series is rooted in Irish literature - especially since my reading of the EGW suggests that the fields are mostly worked by tenant farmers - therefore I was thrilled when Hozier released a song based on Johnathan Swift's 'A Modest Proposal' which argued that as the English landlords had stolen so much from the Irish, why didn't they just eat the children too. It is this kind of energy that fuels the first half of Zemnian Days (fort, doch nicht vergessen), which is a bildungsroman of Una Ermendrud's life and explores day to day life in the fields.

The Worker's Song, Ben Robertson (Ed Pickford, arr. Dick Gaughan): this is a very good folk song about the systematic abuse of the working class. The lines 'and when the sky darkens | and the prospect is war | who's given a gun | and then pushed to the fore?' play into the Righteous Brand's recruitment of farmhands from the fields, seen throughout Zemnian Days.

Pleasant and Delightful, the Longest Johns: this is a folk song about love and grief and longing, perfect for the last section of Zemnian Days, where Una and Leofric fall in love, but Leofric signs up to the Righteous Brand to be able to financially support the child Una falls pregnant with.

Unbreakable, Keiino: this is one of my go-to songs for Caleb. It's based on the story of the Snow Queen and carries that fairytale vibe that Caleb delivers so well with Der Katzenprins and the Waldhexe. It is paired with Looking Out of the Window which is a fic in which Una watches her son grow up for sixteen years, and ends in fire and flame. When listening to the song, I often position Ikithon as the evil mother figure from the Snow Queen who is making Bren unbreakable

The Innocent, Aurora: this is where the thrumming beat of Rexxentrum starts to play. Where Bren gets his scholarship and meets the city with wonder and joy. The song slowly spirals into a kind of desperation, wherein you can imagine Ikithon taking power over the Blumendrei.

A Temporary High, Aurora: this is the song for the Blumendrei being each other's only comfort in the midst of Ikithon's torture. There's a running motif throughout the song about being cold and hoping that the love is not just a temporary high - which I think really plays into the whole story of their imprisonment in the Academy tower.

Wulf ond Eadwacer, Hanna Marti: this is my favourite Old English poem, excellently performed by Hanna Marti. It is spoken by an Anglo Saxon woman about her two lovers (historical debate and difficulty in translation makes this uncertain), but I have drawn from my favourite bits of translation to write Ungelīc is ūs (we are apart). This covers Astrid's story of the first month after Bren breaks and she is a fully fledged Vollstrucker. It is very intense about the level of control Ikithon has over her life.

The In-between (piano solo), Evanescence: this is a particularly haunting piece of music that encompasses the first part of Bren's imprisonment in the Vergessen Sanatarium. It pairs with the fic Hourglass of Ash, which is a free indirect discourse piece showing Bren's perspective of his time in Vergessen.

Me and the Devil, Soap&Skin: this covers the end of Hourglass of Ash where the man who will become Caleb Widogast comes to himself in Vergessen Sanatarium and begins to face the horror of what he has done.

The Tragedy of Widogast, Chase Noseworthy: this is a wonderful song, and in this playlist it bookmarks the birth of the man who is becoming Caleb Widogast. As a lot of this is covered in game, I have not written much for the next section of songs.

Feed the Machine, Poor Man's Poison: this song is another one about the systematic abuse of the working classes. It is my song for Nott and Caleb before they meet the Nein.

Give Me a Reason, Chase Noseworthy and Lilli Furfaro: this is a beautifully haunting song about Astrid and Caleb meeting in Rexxentrum. It keeps its context in this playlist.

Dine with the Puppetmaster, Chase Noseworthy: this song is about the dinner with Ikithon. It keeps its context in this series, and I very much enjoy the imagery that is used in the song.

This is Love, Air Traffic Controller: this song is my go-to song for Trent Ikithon. It has a relentless set of vocals that sing from the perspective of an abuser. There is also another voice that reminds me of Astrid. In this playlist, this song represents the final battle against Ikithon in the finale.

I Won't, AJR: courtesy of @leetlesapphiretiefling. This song directly pairs with the fic I do what you tell me to (and do it to death), which is a character study of Eadwulf. The fic is inspired both by the song and by a hedgerow in my village that I was walking along. It explores snippets of Wulf's childhood, paired with his survival technique during his years with Ikithon.

So Human of You, Shireen: this song is about deriding a person who bases their humanity in cruelty. It pairs with Inheritance of the Archmage, which is a fic about Astrid having Wulf, Caleb and some members of the Cobalt Soul helping her to clean out Ikithon's Candle, which she, as the new Archmage of Civil Influence, has inherited. It is about coming to terms with the cruelty that has made up the last 17 years of her life.

The Devil is Human, Aurora: this one is also related to Inheritance of the Archmage, as it carries a similar message about humanity and cruelty. It also refers to the singer and associates as becoming 'real human beings' which I tie into Astrid and Wulf being able to move out of living in survival mode and process what has happened - something that is explored in the fic by them finding a cache of genuine letters from their families that Ikithon had withheld from them.

Waldhexe, Chase Noseworthy and Ginny Di: this song directly inspired Waldhexe (spare us from your claws). This fic is a pov outsider piece from the perspective of the Ermendrud's neighbours, who see Caleb come to visit home as a ghost. It is about the collective grief in the Fields, as the War of Ash and Light (I think that's what it's called, Essek's war) had robbed the Ehlers of their three children, all of whom were called up to be soldiers. It works to reconcile the broad strokes of the campaign with the minutia of the thousands of inhabitants of the Empire and the Dynasty.

Lost Without You, Freya Ridings: this is the purest grief song on this entire playlist and it is dedicated to a goose called Peck Beck, who is the narrator for Find Familiar. This fic is about a goose who loves baby Astrid unconditionally and is then eaten when her family die, before being brought back as a familiar. I adore this fic. It was inspired by a trip round a lovely Welsh museum of culture (it's the kind of museum where they have lots of historical buildings on site and they had medieval farmhouses through to modern ones).

Gloria in Excelsis Dei, Vivaldi: I would have put the whole Gloria oratorio in here if I thought I could get away with it. This accompanies the fic Gloria, which details Essek viewing a graduation at the Soltryce Academy and exploring the role of pomp and ceremony in nationbuilding. It was inspired by watching my flatmate perform Gloria with a university choir in a particularly nice church.

Garden of Bones, Galdorcræft: this is a very dark sounding song about being in the garden and keeping on living. It pairs with my fic Bitter Meadowsweet, which deals with Caleb mourning the mundane aspects of his childhood, as well as the fact that he will never be able to learn skills and recipes off of his parents.

Earth Mother, Fáerhin: this is a fairly dark sounding ambient song that carries an ominous sense of peace. It is another one for Caleb's garden and the uneasy sense of peace you get when mingling the soft epilogues with the political uncertainty of Rexxentrum politics and Essek's situation.

Brave New World, Kalandra: this is a beautifully dystopian song. I associate it with Beau and Caleb beginning to uncover just how deep the Cerberus Assembly corruption goes, as well as trying to utilise Caleb's role in the Academy to curb wizard hubris. For that reason, it goes with the fic Control Flames, which is a pov outsider view of professor Widogast that I began writing in the wake of the finale.

A Good Song Never Dies, Saint Motel: this song has a very determined beat, and a very strong sense of purpose. It is a song I associate with Beau and Caleb working to take down the Assembly.

Death to Cerberus, Chase Noseworthy: this song is about taking down the Cerberus Assembly and the implications that might accompany it. It keeps its context in this playlist.

Hiraeth, Plu: this is a lovely song in Welsh that sounds almost hymnal. It is for this reason that it makes a good conclusion to the playlist and a good companion to No More Children On The Pyre, which is a love note to the impact that the Mighty Nein's ethos has had upon Wildemount, and Exandria.

All in all, I think that The Voices Beneath is the series that I'm most proud of.

#chill to reblog #critical role #campaign 2 #long post

[echthr0s]

now for a really out-there take: the concept of writing a character “OOC” is kind of alien to me, and I want to say “well except in the case of obvious examples like...” but then I stop because I can’t think of an obvious exception. people are fucking weird. I’m constantly surprising people by liking things they don’t expect me to like. your law-abiding grade-school teacher with the turtlenecks and long skirts probably used to be in a biker gang. your super-aloof Edgy McEdge friend probably watches The Notebook every weekend and cries. the most basic-seeming bland polo-shirt-wearing office-job-having person you know probably likes to record videos of themselves jizzing on anime figurines whilst wearing a Sailor Moon outfit.

the thing is that I understand why characters in [most] stories are less contradictory and confusing and dissonant than actual people are... but I don’t think it’s wrong when someone decides to subvert their tropes and write them differently. I think that’s a good purpose for transformative works, in fact, and it strikes me as backwards when people are like “you can’t write [x] character this way because [x] character only behaves [y] way in canon and that means they’d never do [z]”. like, you’re absolutely allowed to believe that and not read any fics where the character does [z], but I don’t get why it’s something the writer needs to fix

I guess I’m just all for characters being written less like characters and more like people, with all the weirdness that that entails

#singularity.txt #if i read a dark tower fic and there was a mordred in it who liked to play the hurdy-gurdy on a porch while watching the world move on #that'd be cool. or maybe there's a mordred who learns how to tap dance and refuses to eat people #or maybe there's a mordred who takes one look at the tower and goes ''wow no i just want to play animal crossing bye'' #or maybe-- i mean you get the point #those mordreds all have the right to exist just like sk's does and just like i do #okay now i actually AM going to bed. i need to charge my executive functions

[oohlook-thevoid]

Ranking Rating the Merlin ships

I’m bored and procrastinating doing more productive things plus I was already doing this in my head so I guess I’ll share and you can all tell me how wrong I am or whatever,,, jk please don't. Also to note these may not be all ships, they’re just ones I have seen on past perusals of ao3 or on here basically. 

Merthur

7/10 - this is like the main ship of the fandom and I get it, y’know they almost died for each other several times and so on but like, canonically, it really is not the best ship. Like, we’ve got to admit these two did not have the healthiest relationship - Merlin was basically obsessed with saving Arthur because of the prophecy and did so at the expense of helping magic eventually and then Arthur was just kind of a dick sometimes because he’s emotionally repressed and all that. But I mean it does still have a lot going for it, mainly the mass of great fics that make it all a bit more even and healthier, so it gets a 7. 

Arwen

7/10 - even though this is one of the only canon ships, I feel it’s a bit underappreciated in a way because of the merthur love out there. Anyway, arwen is an equally good ship and Arthur and Gwen were just really cute together; when I was watching s5 most of the scenes they were in (Edit: I’ve just remembered I specifically mean the scene when they’re de-mind-controlling Gwen at that lake cauldron thing or whatever, they were very cute there), I was just like they’re a really good couple, they work. I mean there are certainly downfalls which is largely the writing and treatment of Gwen in those later seasons but overall they really were a good couple who deserve better.

Merlance

9999999999/10 - PERFECTION. Like, Lancelot knew about Merlin’s magic and still cared about him greatly and this was the one relationship in which Merlin could be entirely honest and himself and Lancelot was just so so good about it. And also when Lancelot said “I look at you and wonder about myself, would I ever knowingly give my life for something.” and Merlin said “You have to have a reason. Something you care about. Something that’s more important than anything.” and then Lancelot sacrificed himself being the only one who knew Merlin was going to thus giving his life for Merlin. Just these were two amazing dudes who deserved better and by better I mean each other because they were in love your honour. 

Merwaine

10/10 - I mean come on first of all “help a friend” “Arthur’s lucky to have us” “not Arthur” like, Merlin understand that this beautiful chaotic man loves you. Like it is undeniable that Gwaine is brought into this all because of the fact he cares about Merlin, like that’s what brings him into all this. In fact it’s so undeniable that even when I’m reading merthur fics there’s a magic reveal and Arthur’s all like “begone foul demon” waving his sword about all threatening like whilst Gwaine is there like “wow I don’t give a shit because it’s Merlin and I love him end of discussion”. And sometimes it’s even like Arthur attacks Merlin and Gwaine stops him which like,,,,,, it is very clear that we can all see Gwaine is a fucking perfect man for Merlin and someone just needs to tell the dipstick warlock this so they can date. 

Perelyan

5/10 - tbh this could probably be higher but my awareness of Percival and Elyan is shamefully minimal. Like I’ve seen the show, they were there but I can’t say I remember that much. Still, from what  I do recall, they seem to have a good friendship going on so y’know if they ended up in a relationship I wouldn’t be opposed. Could be nice.

Perelyaine

6/10 - basically same as above but Gwaine’s here too now so I have to give an extra point.

Perwaine

6/10 - I mean the scene in Diamond of the Day where Morgana’s torturing Gwaine and he screams and then Percival just fucking hulks out from where he’s tied up and breaks free to get to Gwaine like,,,,, get you a man who can do that. 

Mergana

0/10 - Morgana is a lesbian. Thank you for coming to my TED talk. 

Merdred

-2/10 - I just simply do not vibe with this ship in the slightest. I mean firstly there’s the matter of Merlin just hating Mordred (wrongfully so imo but still). And then just, Merlin was like basically adult and Mordred was small child the first time they met so like I just can’t say I vibe with it. Mordred is the child of the group and he shouldn’t be dating anyone, that’s it basically. 

Freylin

6/10 - I can almost guarantee they’d score higher if someone had been allowed to live longer but alas the writer’s ain’t shit. They are the peak of deserved better though.

Morgwen

9/10 -  ah recall the earlier seasons when these two where just in love and everything was incredible. “Something to cheer you up, I know you’re not sleeping well” “You cheer me up.” That’s love bitch. Anyway these two could have had it all as shown by every early season interaction the had but no once again the writers had to fuck it up. So anyway thanks to them a point has had to be deducted off of perfection because it isn’t cool to torture and brainwash Gwen in the dark tower Morgana (also because of that stupid queen jealousy shit where Morgana was like Gwen can’t be on the throne like can it girl we know you you used to want to share that throne with her).  

Gwencelot

5/10 - I think what they had was sweet but I also think that, at the end of the day, they both at other people out there who they work better with than with each other. Still, I love them both and if they wanted to be happy together then I’m rooting for them. 

Mergwen

3/10 - but only if we’re talking romantically. Platonically their friendship is like  ∞/10. They deserved more screen-time together in later seasons but regardless earlier seasons tell us that their friendship is unmatched and I can live with that.

Merlin x Gwen x Arthur

8/10 - I don’t know the actual ship name for this but I know I’ve see it somewhere. Anyway, fuck love triangles, polyamory saves lives. (this sentiment can also go for any other love triangle or even love square on this show that you can think of)

Leon x anyone

-7/10 - yes, this isn’t a real specific ship. yes, I’m aware of that fact. But I had to say, given I’ve seen various ships with Leon, that overall no. Leon is long-suffering and tired of everyone’s bullshit. If Leon is going to date someone, it will be someone nice and sensible who he deserves and who doesn’t add to the chaos going on around him. 

On that note, I’m done, you’re welcome. 

#merthur #arwen #merlance #merwaine #perelyan #perelyaine #perwaine #mergana #merdred #freylin #morgwen #gwencelot #mergwen #merlin bbc