#Time for some tag falsetto voice that I also want to include but don't want to upset the punchiness of the first two paragraphs | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

artbyblastweave · 2 years

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I’ve tried and failed to get my thoughts out the door on this a bunch of times, but one thing about Worm is that I feel that it isn’t particularly didactic when it comes to its themes of decisive strongwoman authoritarianism vs ossified-but-marginally-more-accountable institutions, it doesn’t have a specific answer, the utility and glaringly obvious failure modes of both dynamics are on display throughout the book and often right on each other’s heels, Taylor’s decisive actions are frequently obviously the correct moral choice given the options available to her but are downstream of the poor decisions she made to get into a bind where she has to act alone, many of the Protectorate’s policies are obviously sound precepts to maintain from, like, a rule-utilitarianism standpoint but don’t survive contact with reality, the capstone of the book is an act of stunning unaccountability that worked but also wasn’t necessarily the only thing that could have worked.

The book doesn’t, to my mind, provide a clear resolution to this question (because there isn’t one) and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that fandom morality debates down this channel are some of the most genuinely heated and aggressive that I’ve seen. My Big Discourse Nightmare Scenario for Worm getting big has never so much been the representational stuff, because I suspect a lot of that would get sniped in the edit now that people’ve been complaining about it for 10 years. It’s the idea of the book catching the attention of people who feel like stories are obligated to answer these questions (and in a specific way!) instead of just raising them or exploring them.

#Time for some tag falsetto voice that I also want to include but don't want to upset the punchiness of the first two paragraphs #One thing I don't really like to do is generalize about dark matter fandom-#which is the term I use for when people assume that there's a seething unseen mass of hypothetical fans #who MIGHT #be behaving in an irritating way #or reading the work incorrectly #it's the group-level version of Making Up A Guy To Be Mad At #and it often belies a sense of intellectual superiority/assumed lack of interiority that I don't like to see on myself in the mirror #that said #I feel reasonably confident that this would be a thing #based on that recent spate of Breaking Bad posts #showcasing people taking pride in their refusal to engage with what the show was saying and doing #in favor of the sanitized wholesome version that lives in their heads #wormfic #to an extent #already demonstrates trends in this direction through the tendency to flatten/woobify/run defense for everyone #instead of engaging with how fucked up everyone is #that's flavored by the spacebattles/reddit approach but it's a similar impulse I think #in the end I don't think I'm wrong per se #to imagine a hypothetical subset of worm readers who Fundamentally Do Not Get It in the way I'm describing were the book to get big #because it's a numbers game #But!#It also feels senselessly uncharitable to dwell on their hypothetical existence too much #and sometimes hypothesizing them in the first place feels like it's toeing that line #so feel free to jump in if you feel like I'm #you know #doin the thing #worm #wildbow #parahumans

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shinwhoohoo · 1 year

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sorry if you've answered this before, but top 5 bipo performances? (anything goes: ot3/ot5, concerts, music shows, variety shows, solo stages, etc) (brought to you by me going back to their immortal songs performance from good timing era and thinking god, they're so FUN)

Ugh gosh there is just so many good performances of theirs-- they are really just such a magnetic, talented group whether it be as 5 or 3. But anyways, I wound up selecting 10 lol (hope you don't mind) that I really like, because I also wanted to include some solo stages in there as well! So just in chronological order:

Gongchan Solo, Smile from B1A4 Amazing Store, 201308: I think Gongchan has always been overlooked on his vocals. And I’ll make it clear, he certainly isn’t anywhere near Sandeul’s level. BUT, he has a very nice tone, and can actually be quite stable and powerful. You can tell as he begins singing the first verse he is nervous, but as he get’s through the first chorus he stabilizes and you can actually appreciate his vocals! And to think this was from so long ago, and he still struggled so much for years afterwards about his confidence. Ugh, such a shame but I’m glad he’s gotten more confident over the last couple years.

What's Going On? from KMF 20131231: This is such a fun rendition of this song, love the rock vibe, the stage outfits, CNU’s ENTIRE VIBE UGH (also Baro somehow pulled off the fuzzy coat as well-- so props for that)

Road, from The Class Concert, 201402: yes shocking, my favorite song of theirs from my favorite album from my favorite concert makes an appearance on this list. I mean, how much more can I gush about this song than I already have over the last 10 years lol. It’s emotional, it’s nostalgic, it’s beautiful. And them being in tears during this rendition just makes it all the more important to me.

This Time is Over, from Listen to the B1A4 Concert 201404: Such an angsty song, and this rendition in particular with that extended opening and Sandeul’s vocals makes it even MORE emo lol. I love basically all of their performances of this song, but this has to be my favorite. The instrumental arrangement is also terrific and don’t even get me started on the fire balls that erupt from the stage during the climax lmao

Sandeul Solo, Emergency Room from King of Masked Singer 20150412: I think this song just... idk, encapsulates all his strengths as a singer? It shows is range, is ability to be both breathy and powerful, his runs at the end OMG THE END *chefs kiss* just so fucking good. He is just SO good.

Jinyoung Solo, Nothing Better from Sketchbook 20161022: If you go back far enough or search Sketchbook in my tags lol you’ll see I’ve already raved about this cover-- the fact that Jinyoung’s favorite solo stage of mine just happened by chance of Sandeul getting sick and Jinyoung filling in at the last minute just adds to it. I love the rawness, the fact that it isn’t obviously rehearsed, the raspiness to his voice. And like I’ve also mentioned before, Jinyoung’s strength is definitely softness and his falsetto’s, both which are aplenty in this performance.

Last Christmas, from the Show Music Core 20161224: Lmao ok, so more of a light hearted and fun one, but!! I still go back and listen to it every year around the holidays! (aka I’ve already started this week lol). They sound great, their pronunciation is pretty good, and they just seem like they had such a fun time performing it

Lonely from their Live Space Concert 201702: I love this song in every performance, but I appreciate this one particularly because the focus is completely on them singing-- not the dancing or stage outfits, just them. Also it’s one of the best examples of how amazing BANAs are with their fanchants (or in this case, literally just shouting out every lyric lol)

Jinyoung & CNU Duet, Too Much from their Live Space Concert 201702: Shinyoung is dead in a ditch but apparently I’m still a slut for them because this performance is one I still watch with such heart eyes. They both sound fantastic, their voices blend very well together, and them just slowly getting closer as the song progresses ;;;

Starlight’s Song, from The Kolor 20201022: Ok, so I actually love all the performances from The Kolor video as A3, but my favorite performance from this appearance is definitely Starlight’s Song. It’s my second favorite b-side, and I think they do an excellent job here performing it, Gongchan especially filling in Baro’s parts. And Sandeul’s powerful belt during the last chorus is always love~.

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oh-my-otome · 7 years

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If you don't mind, what is the first thing you think the lords will do if they woke up as a ghost? I know most of them will silently watch over their loved ones, but just the first fun thing they'll do?

I can’t do it as a ghost, but how about if we make them invisible (clothes included), instead?

Nobunaga: gleefully runs through the street petting and playing with every dog he can find. Comes home absolutely filthy, but satisfied.

Ranmaru: skips off to town in search of some fun. He’s used to being cooped up with a bunch of stuffy old men, and now it’s his turn to see what people his own age do. He finds the nearest group of peers and tags along.

Mitsuhide: waits for Nobunaga to have his daily bowl full of konpeito and kicks it right over as Nobu reaches to take one from the top.

Yukimura: training as usual– but in the nude. He heard that it’s very freeing. When he’s finished with that experience, he tries messing around with Saizō, wanting him to know what it feels like to be snuck up on. He giggles too loud at just the thought of it, so he keeps giving himself away.

Nobuyuki: pulls pranks all day like pants-ing Saizō, tripping Yukimura as he does his footwork, and pulling his father’s beard.

Sasuke: inserts himself into the first game he finds children playing. Careful not to reveal himself, he helps whichever team is losing.

Saizō: sneaks smooches from MC, who assumes that he’s just having his usual fun of kiss-and-dash, not realizing that he’s been standing there the whole time.

Hotaru: is alarmed that no one can see him and dives for his Onii-chan, clinging for all he’s worth. He’s relieved when Saizō lets him tag along for the day, as he trains Sasuke. When Sasuke asks why sensei keeps saying “good job, both of you,” Hotaru shares a secret smile with his brother.

Kotarō: frets and tells MC immediately, because he remembers how she was frantically looking for him when he wasn’t there, for just a day. He sits with MC in the garden, his head in her lap, as she talks about herself and her hobbies, and all of the little things she likes. When someone asks what she’s doing, she says she’s just talking to herself.

Masamune: yanks off his eye patch and tries to get the jump on Shigezane for all of the pranks he’s pulled on him. But Masamune’s idea of a practical joke is making him taiyaki with tsubuan instead of koshian.

Shigezane: outs himself right away when he can’t hold back his laughter, right in the middle of drawing on Kojuro and Masamune’s sleeping faces. They swat at him, trying to follow him by sound, but Shigezane just dances out of the way, cackling even harder.

Kojirō: follows his brother around all day, careful to hold on to his sleeve very lightly. When he gets hungry, he forgets that picking up food makes it look like it’s hovering in the air, and now Kojuro is writing a letter to his sister, asking if there’s anything in the shed for poltergeists.

Kojuro: crosses out Masamune’s official seal and writes in ‘Bontenmaru’ on every last paper that gets sent out that day.

Hideyoshi: systematically going down the table, every time someone lifts a carafe to their cup. Rather than pouring the tea into the cup, he tilts his head above it, so that it pours into his mouth, instead.

Hanbei: cheats by moving the pieces around on his and Mitsunari’s pick-up game of Go. He’s trying not to go into a coughing fit from laughing, every time Mitsunari sees the board and screams.

Toshiie: Walks beside MC as she goes shopping in town, purposefully bumping aside any men who get too close.

Keiji: while everyone else is busy talking, he sneaks food by eating it right off their chopsticks, before they can bring it to their mouths.

Ieyasu: tries to make Tadatsugu think that he’s losing his touch in his old age, by speaking right into his ear all day. Ieyasu has to cover his mouth with both hands to keep from laughing.

Tadakatsu: harasses Ieyasu all day, just to hear “whoever keeps pushing me, I’m going to make you pay!”

Toramatsu: takes the strawberries out of Ieyasu’s daifuku and replaces them with umeboshi.

Yasumasa: sneaks into Toramatsu’s room and hides all of his fundoshi.

Hanzo: beside himself with joy that he finally gets a day off. Also horrified because he now has a day off, and doesn’t know what to do with himself.

Mitsunari: leaves a trail of notes for MC with little tidbits about how she makes him feel or what he likes about her, and at the bottom of each is a clue for where to find the next note. The final one says to stand under a flowering tree at the edge of the garden and to close her eyes. When she does, he gives her a lingering smooch.

Sakon: sneaks into Mitsunari’s room to find out where he hides his Lover’s Guide. In picking up the book, he knocks some others off of the shelf and now Mitsunari is suspicious. Unfortunately for Sakon, the book case is in the middle of the wall, next to both the closed window and the closed door, and Mitsunari is facing him, so he can’t get out without notice.

Kenshin: steady frolicking through a meadow somewhere, with an armful of “special” rocks, a twig he tripped over, and some wildflowers, searching for more treasures to bring back with him. Some farmers happened to be out in the fields and saw these things being carried mid-air, by nothing, and now there’s rumors of a forest fairy.

Kanetsugu: goes straight into the treasury and organizes it. In the middle of the room, he leaves a giant box full of “junk” labeled ‘APPROVED TO THROW OUT,’ with Kenshin’s signature forged underneath.

Yoshichi: karate chops every stack of paper that he sees someone carrying.

Kageie: bats at Kenshin all day long, amused at his lord’s ability to sense and deflect an attack. When the fun wears off, he messes with Kagetsugu by flicking him in the forehead.

Kagetsugu: goes around taking people’s sandals, but only the left ones.

Kagekatsu: waits for a war council to be called, then gets up on the dais and dances for his life.

Shingen: didn’t realize that he was invisible and climbed onto Kurokumo for her daily exercise. It wasn’t until his men rushed out to calm his “runaway” horse that he realized what was up. Instead of giving himself away, Shingen fashions his voice into a falsetto and pretends that it’s Kurokumo who is speaking.

Kansuke: slaps Shingen in the back of the head every time he pushes himself too far.

Bonus:

MC: makes funny faces and gestures at everyone. Taps people on the shoulder to get them to turn in the wrong direction, and tweaks people’s noses.

Yahiko: always wanted to give the girl he likes a present, but even with invisibility he’s still too shy. He picks some flowers and leaves them on her doorstep.

Yoshihime: Whenever Masamune gets a minute to himself, she pats his head quickly. When he takes a short nap, she eases him onto her shoulder, making it look like he’s just leaning against the wall.

Oichi: stealth’s her way back from the kitchen with a plate of snacks by running as fast as she can when no one is looking, and quickly setting the plate down if someone is, waiting for them to continue past her.

Saki: waits for her mother to go to sleep and tidies up her rooms. She makes manju from scratch, and leaves it out for her. When her mother wakes up, she sits next to her as she reads and goes about her day, quietly feeling closer than before.

#q&a #samurai love ballad party

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