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belle-keys · 3 years

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parts of some classic lit that hit different for me

“Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault. Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. For these there is hope. They are the elect to whom beautiful things mean only Beauty. There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all.”

- the iconic piece on books and morality from The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

You are part of my existence, part of myself. You have been in every line I have ever read, since I first came here, the rough common boy whose poor heart you wounded even then. You have been in every prospect I have ever seen since – on the river, on the sails of the ships, on the marshes, in the clouds, in the light, in the darkness, in the wind, in the woods, in the sea, in the streets. You have been the embodiment of every graceful fancy that my mind has ever become acquainted with. The stones of which the strongest London buildings are made, are not more real, or more impossible to displace with your hands, than your presence and influence have been to me, there and everywhere, and will be. Estella, to the last hour of my life, you cannot choose but remain part of my character, part of the little good in me, part of the evil. But, in this separation I associate you only with the good, and I will faithfully hold you to that always, for you must have done me far more good than harm, let me feel now what sharp distress I may. O God bless you, God forgive you!

- the “you are in every line I have ever read” tyrade in Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta. She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock. She was Lola in slacks. She was Dolly at school. She was Dolores on the dotted line. But in my arms she was always Lolita. Did she have a precursor? She did, indeed she did. In point of fact, there might have been no Lolita at all had I not loved, one summer, an initial girl-child. In a princedom by the sea. Oh when? About as many years before Lolita was born as my age was that summer. You can always count on a murderer for a fancy prose style. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, exhibit number one is what the seraphs, the misinformed, simple, noble-winged seraphs, envied. Look at this tangle of thorns.

- the whole opening of Lolita by Vladimir Nabakov

My great miseries in this world have been Heathcliff's miseries, and I watched and felt each from the beginning: my great thought in living is himself. If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger: I should not seem a part of it. My love for Linton is like the foliage in the woods: time will change it, I'm well aware, as winter changes the trees. My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath: a source of little visible delight, but necessary. Nelly, I am Heathcliff! He's always, always in my mind: not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself, but as my own being.

- Catherine’s confession about Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

I have been a selfish being all my life, in practice, though not in principle. As a child I was taught what was right, but I was not taught to correct my temper. I was given good principles, but left to follow them in pride and conceit. Unfortunately an only son (for many years an only child), I was spoilt by my parents, who, though good themselves (my father, particularly, all that was benevolent and amiable), allowed, encouraged, almost taught me to be selfish and overbearing; to care for none beyond my own family circle; to think meanly of all the rest of the world; to wish at least to think meanly of their sense and worth compared with my own. Such I was, from eight to eight and twenty; and such I might still have been but for you, dearest, loveliest Elizabeth! What do I not owe you! You taught me a lesson, hard indeed at first, but most advantageous. By you, I was properly humbled. I came to you without a doubt of my reception. You showed me how insufficient were all my pretensions to please a woman worthy of being pleased.

- Darcy admitting the big truth to Lizzy in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

I see a beautiful city and a brilliant people rising from this abyss. I see the lives for which I lay down my life, peaceful, useful, prosperous and happy. I see that I hold a sanctuary in their hearts, and in the hearts of their descendants, generations hence. It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.

- Sydney Carton’s last words (*crying*) in A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

You cling so tightly to your purity, my lad! How terrified you are of sullying your hands. Well, go ahead then, stay pure! What good will it do, and why even bother coming here among us? Purity is a concept of fakirs and friars. But you, the intellectuals, the bourgeois anarchists, you invoke purity as your rationalization for doing nothing. Do nothing, don’t move, wrap your arms tight around your body, put on your gloves. As for myself, my hands are dirty. I have plunged my arms up to the elbows in excrement and blood. And what else should one do? Do you suppose that it is possible to govern innocently?

- Hoederer being a realistic bad bitch, that’s what, in Les Mains Sales by Jean-Paul Sartre

I couldn’t forgive him or like him, but I saw that what he had done was, to him, entirely justified. It was all very careless and confused. They were careless people, Tom and Daisy—they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made.

The “they were careless people” realization in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

‘Hateful day when I received life!' I exclaimed in agony. 'Accursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust? God, in pity, made man beautiful and alluring, after his own image; but my form is a filthy type of yours, more horrid even from the very resemlance. Satan had his companions, fellow-devils, to admire and encourage him; but I am solitary and abhorred.'

Frankenstein’s monster’s teenage angst in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

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luimagines · 2 years

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I was thinking about a Human!reader from our world of course and them having an interest in History. Like they have the knowledge of the world. One day, maybe Sky or Wind or Hyrule ask to know about their world.(•‿•)

Could you imagine their reactions to the amount of wars and stuff we have been through? Or the way medicine has adapted overtime? Fun fact: A man named John Hunter innoculated someone (some believe himself) with two STD's so he could understand if they were the same thing. Mad lad. Or the way our weapons have become stronger? And the way humans adapted and evolved through time? Our bodies have physically changed so much as well. (((;ꏿ_ꏿ;)))

(Do recommend people have a look at medical history, among one of the most interesting studies I've ever looked at (✿^‿^) )

And then then the fact that the Human race is over 200,000 years old. We are not weak, we are among the strongest units out there. We outlived other versions of humans (Neanderthals) .

Compared to us, Hylians actually seem very weak. Since their magic is fading overtime, it seems they're becoming weaker. Only the Princesses and Heroes, as well as a select few of other Hylians are able to weild magic.

The Heroes all then have a new found respect for humans because holy moly, Napoleon, King Henry 8th, Cleopatra, Boudicca, Joan d'arc etc. I'd feel like they'd be in awe of some of the people from our world.

Could you imagine them learning about Henry 8th, like they'd all be like "Ew".

Just a world history appreciation post. Have a good day ＼(^o^)／

I think this would be a very interesting concept for them as well because of the fact that humans are the dominant species on our planet. Assuming that this particular human is from our timeline.

That being said, while I'm not much a history nerd myself, I think it would traumatize them to say the least. For all of Hyrule's turbulence I don't think it's come as close to the destruction or death toll that our world has.

And another thing... that's kinda off topic but it made me think of it, is that Hylians don't exist here. So imagine a human reader where they meet the chain and like.... your ears are fake right?

And with time they all get used to each other and whatever, and it comes into the conversation that hylians- guess what- only exist in Hyrule. They're not some lesser race or going extinct. They straight up aren't' around.

I would be curious to explore that idea for them to have been told their whole lives that humans are lesser only to learn that not only are they out skilled, out survived, and out numbered, but I wonder how it would be to see them faced with that idea of how isolated their people are.

But this isn't what that was about, I just felt like sharing.

Either way, I think Wild, Legend and Wind would be the most interested to hear about the history and how the domino effect takes over, hitting even the more secluded places that had no business in the decision making process to begin with.

I don't Sky would take gruesome information well. And Hyrule would feel a bit put off by it but for a different reason than the other suspect.

Time and Twilight would hear it and listen but make no comment nor would they go out of their way to learn more. Like cool.... anyway... sort of deal. They're not exactly history buffs.

Four and Warrior are on the boat that thinks it's interesting but also don't know what they would be getting into if they asked for reader to continue. They listen with the same interest as someone who is listening to a soap opera... but through the wall. Sometimes it's ignored other times they have the rapt attention with the occasional snacks. They talk amongst each other about how they would have gone a certain instead... They haven't fully processed that these were real people once upon a time, but honestly.. Some of us don't either. So it's fine.

#pinky replies #this is honestly a very interesting topic to me #even if others don't like it so much #and i mean that in terms of writing them to not like people with round ears #it's stupid to see it #but i want to talk about how would be possible for them of over come their biases and such #i don't know #maybe im weird

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popculturebuffet · 2 years

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Animal Crossing: The Movie aka Gekijoban Dobutsu No Mori: Digging up a Lost Treasure (Comissioned by Emma Fici)

Hello all you happy villagers and islanders out there! We’re almost at the end of the year. For those of you just joining the blog, i’m Jake I review comics and animation. And as we approach the new year, I have a special treat for all of ya’s to commemorate one year of me playing new horizons and finally discovering the magic of Animal Crossing. (A few days off but I had christmas stuff to finish). Since I had an open comission slot, my friend Emma decided to have me take a look at one of the franchises’ only adaptations and to date one of the only major non nintendo pokemon movies: Gekijoban Dobtusu No Mori, known as Animal Crossing the Movie by translators.

And I say translators because weirdly this movie has NEVER been dubbed. You’d think Nintendo would smell the license to print money or, with the film being reaired on tv in japan to celebrate New Horizons, see that a blu ray would be a big money maker, especially with New Horizons having only ratched up the series popularity to new heights. But so far the movie hasn’t gone past a dvd release over a decade ago. Still it’s fairly easy to find subbed online, so we all can still enjoy it till Nintendo gets their head out of their ass... and since that happens like once a year it’s probably the only way we’re going to get this flim for some time. So what kind of movie magic results when one of Nintendo’s Premiere franchises hits the big screen? Find out under the cut!

Unlike most films I review, I won’t be going through the whole plot beat by beat as the film, like the games, is a relaxed slice of life of piece. As such there’s some ongoing plot threads, running gags with the villagers and mayor, but the stakes are fairly low as they are in the games. And that.. is easily the film’s charm. By not trying to shoehorn some plot about say , Redd trying to close down the local rec center or beat Tortimer for mayor and turn it from Animal Villiage to Animal Condominiums or something, the film NAILS the feeling of the games perfectly: just a peaceful stroll through life, hanging with certain villagers if you want, barely knowing others if you want, and doing what you feel like. Things sure do happen but they happen slowly, over weeks and certain days, starting around spring or fall and ending in Winter, with the credits filling in the gaps till the epilogue one year after the story began. It nails things perfectly down to having the same number of villagers you can in Wild World, 8, with a boy and girl human to fill in for the player characters since this was back when people thought “Gender really is binary!”. There are touches here and there from the games with the bugs being lifted and what liberties are taken are purely for the sake of making a good narrative, i.e. having a giant underwater cavern our heroes explore in two scenes and the local pengy fisherman pulling out various sight gags over the film. Things like the villagers changing costumes for events, the villagers changing close period, the little star’s over buired objects, i’ts all there man it’s great.

So since there’s only a handful of ongoing plots i’m going to tackle each one by one: Starting off we have our main plot thread, the one which our main character Ai’s character arc rests on.

As for who Ai is she’s a little girl who for some reason is moving to a village of what seems to be grown adults and a few children alone. That’d be weird if this weren’t animal crossing where anyone from 5 to 100 can move to a new town or island and start over and stuff their island with alligators. Well three isn’t quite stuffed but it is notable you gotta give me that.

Ai has two arcs in fact. The smaller one is that while on deliveres for Tom Nook, who sold her her house then put her to work because he has no concept of child labor laws. Then again the fact the general store is taken over in later games by his young wards should’ve been a tipoff there. Anyways while at her forced labor, Ai accidently falls in some roses and after getting shouted at by a mole...

Finds out their the roses of the Neighbor she was delivering to who wasn’t home, Apollo, who the devs clearly love as he was not only in this film but on the offical poster for New Horizons. Why? I have no idea, there are far better old men style villagers. I’d say “cranky” but their less cranky and more “lovable old coot”. Just call them Coot’s nintendo. You’ve added an entire pokemon type and banished Donkey Kong Jr to the void between worlds you can change one word.

The resolution to this.. is she feels awkard around him, it’s abrubtly brought up after the climax. What a waste of loveable old man. Should’ve gone with Rasher. I know he wasn’t in Wild World but he also would’ve had a better subplot. Maybe he motorcyle jumps over the mayor’s house I don’t know.

The main plot though is Ai’s friendship with Margie, an adorable elephant. Another point of accuracy: All these villagers come directly from the games and aside from one champ, all have carried over to New Horizons. I even sold one of them a vacation home and saw Margie at the resort in the DLC! So you can still get most of them right now if your lucky enough. I was not but i’m familiar enough with the types. Like my faviorite villager Gale, Margie is a normal type, becoming a big sister to Ai. They also have a third friend in their group, an excitable cat named Rosie, who Emma once had as a villager. Lucky. They spend the first half of the film hanging out, having fun shenanigans such as a beach visit, a picnic and visting the fireworks festival, which was a weekly thing in the original game and wild world but somehow NOT new horizons.

Margie soon finds she has a talent and dream to be a designer, inspiring Ai to find her own. She does so by planting Cherry Trees, thinking about making a pie and planting pine trees because aliens asked her too.

We’ll crop circle back to that. Point is the two have an adorable sister-sister relationship. But given Margie has other ambitions and Villagers can say, LEAVE if they choose to.. you probably see where this goes. And since his is pre new horizons, instead of running into Margie with a squiggle over her head and begging her not to leave Ai wakes up one morning to find Margie left, even had a good bye party and didn’t say goodbye. It’s a devistating scene, not helped by Rosie blaming the poor girl for it. We also get a great bit where the poor child just walks into a pit and isn’t phased by it. It’s good stuff. The best part of it though is her going into the Roost afterword, at her lowest and most depressed and getting comforted by Whitney, aka the only villager here i’ve interacted with as I built her a vacation home. Earlier standoffish and a bit teasy thanks to being a snooty villager here she consoles the girl by asking her to think if Margie is hearing the same song they are right now. It’s a great scene, as Ai thinks of that and slowly gets better. It’s good stuff. She also reconciles with the cat because of course she does.

The Margie thing ends up cleared up twice over: Margie didn’t tell Ai not out of callousness but because she couldn’t stand hurting the girl and knew if she did tell her, she might not go through with leaving, which Margie needed to for her career. It’s a great way to use how villagers leave for storytelling and easily the highlight of the film. I was puzzled as to why a new villager didn’t move in after that.. until the climax where Margie returns. HORAY LESSON UNLEARNED! Still it’s the core of the movie and for good reason, taking the more melancholy possibliteis of animal crosisng and using them to great effect.

The other major running characters in the piece are are comic relief duo: Yu, a boy who wears various full costume sets, a fun way to show those off, and his sidekick and best friend Alfonso. Alfonso is an alligator and as I have three of those, he’s easily my second faviorite part of the film despite just sorta being there. It helps his catchphrase is itsame. And the subs, and presumibly the film itself, did keep that trait from the games.

And the itsame is 100% intentional as Alphonso wore a mario tee for most of the games, only switching to a red hoodie in new horizons for some reason. Sadly he was not given the mario costume when that update dropped

The two mostly just get into antics and wear silly costumes for the entire film. I’d also like to take this moment to say the Human Deisgns.. don’t work for me. I get they wanted the kids to come off smaller, so they’d be telegraphed as children since the regular villager is specifically designed so it can be projected to be whatever age the player is. But the resulting designs just.. don’t fit with the animal crossing art style that well. Look i’ll show you here’s Ai, our heroine

And here’s Margie

I really don’t get why they didn’t just shrink the villager designs for these characters instead of slapping a kawaii polly pocket in there and hopping it’d work. Otherwise Yu is just kind of there with most of his bits not being all that funny. The one exception is him and Al digging a bunch of holes for fossils. The funny part is that, like in the games, buried things have that star shape to tell you there’s something there. I checked with Emma as I didn’t know if this wasn’t a thing at first or not. It always has been. So it makes the gag into a nice subtle one as their just digging with abandon despite it being horribly obvious when there’s a fossil. Also Ressetti yells at them because apparently all he can do is yell at children...and is RIGHT to yell at Children in this case as seriously they could just fill those holes behind them, it’s not that hard. Good job child yellin Mr. R.

Their main goal is to get a fossil for blathers. They nearly find one in an awesome underground cave while wearing pirate costumes, because of course, finding an in tact skeleton, but cause a cave in. Can relate given I just finished Radiant Pearl on Christmas Eve. They later find it again in the climax and Yu nearly dies. Which brings me to the drawback of the costume thing: it kinda.. kills the drama in most of his scnees. Even when the kids being sincere, he’s always wearing some sort of goofy costume wether it’s a ninja, a pirate or for the climax rabbit pajamas that make him look like Ralphie Parker, just you know without looking like he’s dying inside every minute. It wrecks the drama when his best friend is shouting for him to come back while also wearing a bunny suit because reasons. Yu overall feels like an uncessary part of the thing, like one of the other villagers could’ve had his roll.

So with the main plots out of the way, i’ll be saving said climax for last don’t you worry, let’s talk about the rest of the villagers we haven’t gotten to yet. The other four are far less relevant and just there more for running gags or what not but there probably someone’s faviorite so first we have those two guys, Cyrano, an ant eater pretty standard though I like AC ant eaters fluffy peacock like tails, their cute, and ... Ceaser. Dear god Ceaser. Okay brace yourself if you’ve never seen this villager before.

I don’t know WHY the character designers chose to make this

Look like Waluigi and Donkey Kong’s long lost son they handed to Tom Nook and said “it’s your problem now bitch” and then drove off, but it’s certainly.. A Choice.

The two of them mostly bicker and get stuck in pits. That’s the result of their characters.

Next we have Champ who WEIRDLY is NOT in New Horizons and is in fact the ONLY villager in this film who never made the jump. The reason that baffles me is simple: there are 413 villagers avaliable in game, not counting the sanrio ones, out of 486 over all of them. For Champ whose merley an adorable tiny chimp to get removed just.. boggles the mind. You have so many characters, why didn’t you add this one? he’s a chimp! Who dosent love chimps?! LOOK AT HIM YOU HEARTLESS BASTARDS

LOOK AT HIMMMMM

Anyways he’s a jock who runs around a lot. He doesn’t do much in this movie but still when you have THIS MANY VILLAGERS, not programming yet another one whose this simple boggles the mind. I ask you.

Finally we have my boy Hopper. Hopper is a penguin who looks like this

And spends the whole flim fishing and pulling out hliarious thngs that aren’t fish from a bike to a moai. Naturally the payoff is he gets a runt. Being a fat fellow who also fishes all the time in animal crossing and who already loves penguins, I love this fucking guy.

So that wraps up the villagers but what about the NPC’s what about them? Out of them only Tortimer really gets a sizeable roll, along with his assitant Pelly, a pretty pelican lady I have no prior experince with because her and her sister Phyllis are not in New Horizons in any way shape or form that I have avaliable to me. Still she’s nice, the isabelle before isabelle as it were. Tortimer’s gag is he’s running for mayor.. and he DOES have a bitching poster that sadly isn’t anywhere on the internet. He’s running for relection against no one with everyone forgetting to vote

It’s harmless though.

The rest of the NPC”s though.. get about a major scene a piece and feel kinda wasted. Tom Nook especially is jarring for me as he goes from the driving force of the game I played, New Horizons.. to a guy who does one thing very early on and mostly shows up to help lead crowds after that. I get he wasn’t basically mayor in all but name yet but still. It feels off given he’s the series mascot. It’s like if they had a pokemon movie where Pikachu just waved in the background while ash and his other pokemon did stuff.

But yes yes, most of the cast are reduced to just one scene. My beloved able sisters get no devleopment, a shame given Sable has an arc that’s in every game: being shy at first btu slowly opening up to the player as they talk to her. it was one of my faviorite parts of new horizon and it seems weird to omit here. It would’ve been nice to give HER Whitney’s roll instead or have her also comfort AI instead of just.. smilling and stuff. It’s a waste of one of my faviorite characters.

The other ones who get at least one scene though do make something of it: Kappn’s his usual charming self as he drives Ai to the villager and Pascal gets one of the funniest scnes of the movie as he randomly shows up, says some things while clearly on something and then dives back into the sea from wence he came, aka what he always does but funnier here because it confuses the hell out of tortimer. Redd also gets a scene ripping of Yu. There’s also a walrus character i’d never heard of before who just.. shows up. I thought he was a new villager at first. He apparently sold patterns. LIke most phased out characters he’s sadly just.. vanished. Hopefully he gets a cameo in a future game or something. God bless you Wendell. Why he’s not in New Horizons selling something else.. I have no idea. The staff really needs to get better at repurposing older characters, even with the update only a handful returned.

Blathers gets a decent amount of time at least, my boy. Though he weridly sounds like he’s.. 20. He strikes me as 40 or 50 like his coffee boyfriend. Otherwise his personaities in tact though weirdly not only does Celeste hang around the museum (as she was apparently part of it in wild world, go fig) but hse’s drawn and va’d as a child. Despite being heavily implied to be an adult, simply a younger one than her brother. It’s werid and throws me off a lot. And it’s not like her design’s changed or anything. She’s always been drawn to be youthful but like, still an adult. And she runs a part of a buisness. This is all just.. werid to me. I don’t get this decision at all but let’s be fair here: if the weirdest a movie gets in adapting a game is just “this character’s suddenly younger”... it’s clear this adaptatoin dosen’t have THAT MANY problems.

Then there’s KK. He’s used well, singing a song which hilarously has to be subtitled because it’s still sung like he always does.. and had to be DOUBLE subtitlted since those subtitles were in japanese. There’s also the fact he looks like this.

I don’t know who decided “distractingly handsome with a chisled jaw” was the right call for re-designing guitar snoopy but I can’t say I mind.

So we have one more.. who just so happens to bring us our climax. At the Winter Festival, where someone wins a trophy for.. some reason, Guillver crashes out of the sky in his UFO.

Yeah for those less familiar with Guillver Pre-New Horizons for some reason, for Wild World and the next few games... he was an astronaut instead of a sailor.. though he still wore the hat underneath his helmet. I knew this going in so it wasn’t too suprising for me but still. And they use him well, having the search for his parts so he can go back up be the climax, as our main friend group find them in the cave and Yu nearly died. The saddest part of that is the nearly. Margie returns and slides on ice it all works, being dramatic, but not too overdrmatic> Also Ai finds Yu cute once she finally see shis face without a mask or something on it.

So then we get..... the finale. In which a cgi alien descends from AN ENTIRE STARSHIP FLEET WORTH OF SHIPS THAT ARRIVED THANKS TO AI’S STAR PATTERN TREES GULLIVER HAD HER PLANT AND THE ALIEN TAKES THE SHAPE OF HER FACE. Then they fly off, leave some stars in tehs hape of her face and that’s the end of the main plot.. oh and the roses thing. Can’t forget the roses thing after an INTERSTELLAR FLEET SHOWS UP NO SIREEE BOB. I swear to god i’m half convinced I halluicnated the whole thing. We also get an ending montage and Ai sending a letter to her mom.. with some of those nice “your island or village is super cool now bro” flowers growing.

Overall ACTM is pretty damn good. While it’s nothing groundbreaking or truly amazing, it’s still a fun, beauitfully animated, wonderfull to watch adaptaion. With the bad rap Video Game Movies get, if not unearned, it’s easy to forget just how many gems are out there like this one. A film that gets the tone of a game, only changes things for good reason (aside from the aliens thing seriously what the actual fuck was that. Send me an ask if you can answer that. ), and clearly loves and respects the source material. Hopefully nintendo will open their hearts and let some other people make some movies.

I said people not Satan on the orders of some exec at illumination. That said still want to see this oddly enough, if nothing else than for Charlie Day as Luigi. Same reason I want to see Sing 2. Weird coincidence.

Thanks for Reading

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disneylanddilettante · 3 years

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The Disney Renaissance Killed the Disneyland Star

This post has been brewing and stewing in my brain for some time.

We here in the Disney theme park fandom are prone to lament the modern attraction design philosophy that says everything must be based on a movie. Aside from spectacularly clueless comments about “a random mountain in India or whatever” and misuse of the term “barrier to entry,” the reason behind it seems to boil down to: That’s what guests want. On the one hand, this is very clearly an excuse to do what Marketing wants (because film IPs are proprietary in a way that broad concepts are not, and can be merchandised accordingly), but on the other hand…it seems to be…kind of…true? The vast majority of the public, in my experience, does think of Disneyland (which I am going to use as synecdoche for all Disney parks, because it’s the one I grew up with, it’s easy to say, and because I can) as a place where you see Disney characters walking around as if they were real, and go on rides based on Disney movies, and anything else there is just to, idk, fill space until they can think of a cool movie makeover for it.

I have spoken to people online who quite enjoy Disneyland, but also think the Enchanted Tiki Room should become a Moana attraction, Tom Sawyer Island should be something to do with The Princess and the Frog, and the Matterhorn should be turned into Frozen. When I challenged them as to why, they didn’t seem to understand the question—what did I mean, “why?” Isn’t it self-evident? A couple years ago, one of the Super Carlin Brothers (I don’t remember which one; anyway I couldn’t tell them apart if you put a gun to my head) made a video expressing bafflement over the use of Figment as a mascot in Epcot because “He’s not from anything.” As if a ride in that very parkwere nothing.

So there is something to the assertion that film IP tie-ins are what regular guests expect and want. But the question remains as to why they want that—after all, it didn’t used to be that way. Costumed characters and rides based on movies have always been part of Disneyland, of course, but in past decades, the most elaborate and promoted attractions were the ones based on unique concepts that had nothing to do with the movies. The reasons to love Disneyland were things like the Haunted Mansion and the Mark Twain and Space Mountain…not so much the chance to meet Mickey Mouse. So what gave the public the idea that it was all about movies and characters? I’m sure there are several reasons, but I’m going to focus on one that I don’t see brought up that often.

I’m going to blame the Disney Renaissance.

Let me give you some personal background. I’m a young Gen-Xer, born in 1977. I was a child of the 80s…and in the 80s, Disney wasn’t doing so hot. Feature Animation had dropped to a cinematic release about once every four years, the live-action division was even less productive, and the corporate raiders were pawing at the door. In those days, when I saw a Disney movie in theaters, probably four times out of five it was a re-release of an older classic. (Anyone else remember when that was a thing?) There wasn’t much new at Disneyland either. The biggest thing to happen in the first half of the decade was the remodel of Fantasyland, which added one new ride—based on Pinocchio, a 43-year-old film—and otherwise just rearranged and refined what had always been there. On the other hand, the big Imagineering projects of the 60s and 70s were mostly still going strong.

The upshot is that if you were a Disney fan in those days (there weren’t many of us, even in my age cohort), you were a fan of the older movies and/or the parks. And for all its genuine quality, that stuff was showing its age. It was made in decades past, and there was a corniness and a quaintness to much of it. Most of the kids my age considered Disney “baby stuff” and were eager to put it behind them. It seems to have been a widespread phenomenon, because I don’t remember the park being very crowded when I was a young kid. Queues for even the roller coasters tended to top out around 45 minutes and it was very rare that we didn’t have time to do everything we wanted on a given visit.

And then, the year I turned 12—the year my age bracket hit puberty and could definitively be said to have outgrown cartoons altogether (except for the weirdos like me)—The Little Mermaid hit theaters.

Two years later, we got Beauty and the Beast.

And the hits kept coming. Suddenly, Disney was the hottest thing in entertainment again. Not just kids—by this time the generation that would come to be known as Millennials—but their parents watched these movies and went wow, this is really good. Disney is better than I thought. Maybe we should rent some of those older movies that I remember from when I was a kid. Maybe we should go to Disneyland… Unlike in the past, when families went to Disneyland because it was advertised and known as a family destination, families went to Disneyland because the kids were going gaga over the new Disney movies and the parents wanted to make them happy.

So a whole new generation of fans flocked to the parks, most probably never having been before, or not recently. They didn’t know what to expect. They just knew they loved these new movies with their endearing lead characters (so much more full of personality than Snow White or Alice or Pinocchio) and their big bombastic Broadway-style musical numbers (so much more in line with current musical tastes than the Tin Pan Alley ditties from Cinderella or Peter Pan or The Jungle Book). That’s what they wanted from Disney, whether they were paying six bucks a head plus popcorn, or fifty bucks a head plus lodging.

And that would have been fine but for the fact that endearing characters and big bombastic musical numbers are really hard to build traditional dark rides around. What you can do, though, for people who want to meet their favorite characters, is build dedicated character meet-and-greet spots. What you can do for people who want to sing along with Academy Award-winning songs is create huge colorful parades and stage shows that feature those songs. Best of all, if you are certain people who shall go unnamed, these sorts of things are much cheaper to create and operate than rides. Corporate was more than happy to meet, rather than try to exceed, the expectations of this new wave of fans.

The newer guests got used to seeing more-or-less verbatim (condensed) film content in the form of these shows and parades. The classic dark rides began to look decidedly odd to them—why are the movie events out of order? Why doesn’t the main character show up more? Why don’t we get to hear all the songs? And no one was there to explain it to them, because the older generations of fans had largely drifted away and the internet wasn’t quite a household staple yet. Rides that weren’t even based on a movie seemed even odder—what does a Wild West roller coaster have to do with Disney? What does a submarine ride have to do with Disney? I thought this park was supposed to be for kids, but my kids don’t recognize this stuff! They should build a Lion King ride! They should build a Toy Story ride! That Snow White ride isn’t suitable for kids; they should do something about that! I didn’t pay all this money to stand in line for an hour and a half and go on a ride that my kids don’t get!

The pattern was set. IP tie-ins were what the people wanted, and they closer they hewed to their source material, the more guest approval they got, simply because people didn’t know any different. And it has snowballed from there. The Disney Renaissance was amazing for the art of animation, but I think it was a net negative for the art of theme parks.

Tl;dr The Disney Renaissance changed guest expectations for Disney entertainment products in ways that were incompatible with classic Imagineering principles.

#disneyland #disney theme parks #walt disney world #disney #disney renaissance #theme parks

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lochtayboatsong · 3 years

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The Jesus Christ Superstar essay absolutely no one asked for.

Last weekend, I watched the pro-shot of the 2012 arena tour of Jesus Christ Superstar starring Ben Forster, Tim Minchin, and Melanie C, because it was Easter and it was up on YT for the weekend. I never managed to do my annual listen-through of Leonard Bernstein’s Mass this year, as is my usual Easter tradition, so I figured “Why not watch/listen to this instead?” It was my first time seeing and hearing JCS in full, and Y’ALL, it has been living rent-free in my brain ever since. I have a mighty need to get my thoughts out, so here they are, in chronological order by song.

1) Prologue: I love the way JCS 2012 makes use of the arena video screen. The production design and concept clearly took a lot of inspiration from the “Occupy ______” movement, which makes it feel a bit dated now. But every single production of JCS is a product of its time period, so this is a feature and not a bug.

2) Heaven On Their Minds: This is a straight-up rock song. It wouldn’t be out of place on any rock and roll album released between 1970 and 2021, and it boggles my mind that Webber and Rice were both in their early twenties when they wrote it. Also, the lyric “You’ve begun to matter more than the things you say” hits hard no matter the year.

3) What’s the Buzz: A+ use of the arena screens again, this time bringing in social media to set the tone. Also, this song establishes right from the outset that Jesus is burnt out and T I R E D by this point in the story. Seriously, can we just let this man have a nap?

4) Strange Thing Mystifying: Judas publicly calls out Mary and Jesus claps back. Folx, get you a partner who will defend your honor the way Jesus defends MM in this scene. Also Jesus loses his shoes and is mostly barefoot for the remainder of the show.

5) Everything’s Alright: Okay, this is one of the songs I have A LOT to say about. First, it’s important to know that I was a church musician throughout all of my adolescence and into my early adulthood. The pianist at the services I usually played at was a top-notch jazz pianist, and also my piano teacher for about six years while I as in high school and undergrad. (Incidentally, I had a HUGE crush on his son, who was/is a jazz saxophonist and clarinetist and also played in the church band, but that’s a story for another day.) One of the hymns we played a few times a year was called “Sing of the Lord’s Goodness,” which is notable for being in 5/4 time. Whenever this hymn was on the schedule, it was usually the recessional, or the last song played as the clergy processed out and the congregation got ready to leave, so we were able to have some fun with it. After a couple verses the piano player and his son would usually morph it into “Take Five,” a famous jazz standard by Dave Brubeck which is also in 5/4 time. Anyway, the first time I listened to this song in full, it got to Judas’s line “People who are hungry, people who are starving,” and I sat bolt upright and went “HOLY SHIT THIS IS ‘SING OF THE LORD’S GOODNESS/TAKE FIVE.’” And I was ricocheted back in time to being fourteen and trying to keep up with this father/son duo in a cavernous Catholic church while simultaneously making heart-eyes at the son. Final note: This is the only song in the musical to feature all three leads (Jesus, Judas, and Mary Magdalene) and is mostly Jesus and MM being soft with each other in between bouts of Jesus and Judas snarling at one another.

6) This Jesus Must Die: I LOVE that all the villains in this production are in tailored suits. LOVE IT. Also, Caiaphas and Annas are a comedy duo akin to “the thin guy and the fat guy,” except in this case it’s “the low basso profundo and the high tenor.” Excellent use of the arena video screen again, this time as CCTV.

7) Hosanna: My background as a church musician strikes back again. It honestly took me two or three listens to catch it, but then I had another moment of sitting bolt upright and going “HOLY SHIT THIS IS A PSALM.” Psalms sung in church usually take the form of call-and-response, with a cantor singing the verses and the congregation joining in for the chorus. If I close my eyes during this song, I have no trouble imagining Jesus as a church cantor singing the verses and then bringing the congregation in for the “Ho-sanna, Hey-sanna” chorus.

8) Simon Zealotes: This is part “Gloria In Excelsis” and part over-the-top Gospel song. Honestly it’s not my favorite, but it marks an important mood change in the show. The end of “Hosanna” is probably Jesus at his happiest in the entire show, and then Simon comes in and sours the mood by trying to tip the triumphant moment into a violent one. Jesus is not truly happy again from this moment on.

9) Poor Jerusalem: Also not my fave. It kinda reads like Webber and Rice realized that Jesus didn’t have a solo aria in Act I, so they came up with this. But it has the distinction of containing the lyric, “To conquer death you only have to die,” which is the biggest overarching theme of the story.

10) Pilate’s Dream: Pontius Pilate might be the most underrated role in this entire show, and I love that this production has him singing this song while being dressed in judge’s robes.

11) The Temple: The first half of this is one of the campiest numbers in Act I, at least in this production, and it’s awesome. The second half is one of the saddest, as Jesus tries to heal the sick but finds there are too many of them. Also the whole scene is almost entirely in 7/8 time, which I think is just cool.

12) I Don’t Know How To Love Him: Mary Magdalene’s big aria, and one of the songs I knew prior to seeing the full-length show. This production has MM taking off her heavy lipstick and eye makeup onstage, mid-song, which is kind of cool. Melanie C says in a BTS interview that MM’s makeup is her armor, so this is a Big Symbolic Moment.

13) Damned For All Time: The scene transition into this song is played entirely in pantomime, and I love it. The solo guitarist gets to be onstage for a bit, A+ use of the video screen again to show Judas on CCTV, etc. Love it. And then this song is Judas frantically rationalizing what he’s doing, and what he’s about to do, with Caiphas and Annas just reacting with raised eyebrows and knowing looks.

14) Blood Money: This is where the tone of the show really takes a turn for the dark. I think this might be one of Tim Minchin’s finest moments as Judas, because his facial expressions and microexpressions throughout this scene speak absolute volumes. And the offstage chorus quietly singing “Well done Judas” as he picks up the money is a positively chilling way to end Act I.

15) The Last Supper: Act II begins with major “Drink With Me” vibes. (Except JCS came WAY before Les Miz, so it’s probably more accurate to say that “Drink With Me” has major “The Last Supper” vibes.) Jesus and Judas have their knock-down, drag-out fight, and it’s honestly heartbreaking, thanks again to Tim Minchin’s facial expressions. A well-done production of JCS will really convey that Jesus and Judas were once closer than brothers, even though their relationship is at breaking point when Act I begins.

16) Gethsemane: This is Jesus’s major showpiece and one of my faves. Jesus knows he has less than 24 hours to live, he knows he’s going to suffer, and worst of all, he doesn’t know whether it’s going to be worth it. It’s an emotional rollercoaster to watch and to perform, and it goes on for ages: something like 6 or 7 minutes. Fun fact: the famous G5 is not written in the score. Ian Gillan, who played Jesus on the original concept album, just sang it that way, so most subsequent Jesuses have also done it that way. Lindsay Ellis has a great supercut of this on YT. John Legend notably sang the line as written during the 2018 concert.

17) The Arrest: Judas’s Betrayer’s Kiss is played differently across different productions. The 2012 version is pretty tame - I’ve seen clips and gifs of other productions, including the 2000 direct-to-video version, where they kiss fully on the mouth and have to be dragged apart by the guards and it is THE MOST TENDER THING. Then the 7/8 riff from “The Temple” comes back and the 2012 version lets the video screen do its thing again as Jesus is swarmed by reporters.

18) Peter’s Denial: Not much to say about this one, as it’s basically a scene transition. But it’s a significant moment in the Passion story, so I’m glad they included it.

19) Pilate and Christ: The 2012 production continues with the theme of Caiaphas, Annas, and Pilate all being bougie af, since Pilate intentionally looks like he just came from tennis practice during this scene. Also he does pilates...hehehe.

20) King Herod’s Song: Tim Minchin says in a BTS interview that JCS works best when Jesus and Judas are played seriously and the rest of the production is allowed to be completely camp and wild and bizarre all around them, and he is bloody well CORRECT about that. Case in point: King Herod. There is not a single production of JCS that I know of where Herod is played “straight.” He’s been played by everyone from Alice Cooper to Jack Black, and everyone puts a different zany spin on him. In JCS 2012 he’s a chat show host in a red crushed velvet suit, who is clearly having the time of his LIFE.

21) Could We Start Again Please: This is another of my faves. Just a quiet moment where MM, Peter, and the disciples try to grapple with the fact that Jesus is arrested and things are going very, very badly. This is also my favorite Melanie C moment of the 2012 show. Her grief is very real, and the little moment she has with Peter at the end is very real.

22) Death of Judas: This is basically Tim Minchin screaming for about five minutes, and incredibly harrowing to watch on first viewing.

23) Trial Before Pilate: Possibly my single favorite scene in the entire 2012 production. This is another harrowing watch, but there’s so much to take in. The “set” that the entire show takes place on is essentially just a massive staircase, and the people with power are almost always positioned above the people without power. In this scene, the crowd shouting “Crucify Him!” is positioned above Pilate, which is a very telling clue to Pilate’s psychology during this scene. Jesus is at the very bottom of the stairs, of course. Excellent use of the video screen once again during the 39 Lashes, to show the lash marks building and building until the entire screen is a wash of red. Pilate’s counting also gets more and more frantic, especially starting around “20.” And all the while the guitar riff from “Heaven On Their Minds” is playing. Jesus’s line “Everything is fixed and you can’t change it” is played quite differently in different productions - here it’s defiant, but elsewhere (in JCS 2000 for example) it’s almost tender, like Jesus is absolving Pilate for his part in the trial. But it always ends the same - with Pilate almost screaming as he passes the sentence and “washes his hands” of the whole sorry business.

24) Superstar: The most over-the-top number in the show. Judas, who died two scenes ago, comes back to sing this. There are soul singers. There are girls in skimpy angel costumes. The parkour guys from the prologue are back. Judas pulls a tambourine out of hammerspace midway through the song. And Jesus is silently screaming and crying as he gets hoisted onto a lighting beam while all this is going on.

25) The Crucifixion: More of a spoken-word piece than a song, it’s Jesus’s final words on the cross over eerie piano music, and another harrowing watch.

26) John 19:41: An instrumental piece in which Jesus is taken from the cross and carried, at last, to the top of the stairs, before being lowered out of sight as the video screen turns into a memorial wall and everything fades to black.

So. I know I’m anywhere from three to fifty-one years late to this particular party, but I am on the JCS bandwagon now and I’m thoroughly enjoying myself. :)

#jesus christ superstar #jcs 2012 #jcs is all i have been thinking about all week sorry not sorry #ben forster #tim minchin #melanie c #andrew lloyd webber #tim rice

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palbabor-writes · 3 years

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I have, uh, thoughts...

M’kay, I know this has likely been harped on until nothing is left but little bits and pieces, but after reading this latest chapter, I realized what’s been bothering me about this current arc. It’s the imbalance of violence and aggression that is heaped onto Shigaraki.

I don’t know if this is Horikoshi’s intention, and I’m likely looking wayyy too into this, but I’d argue you don’t have your characters say things for no reason. So, if you’ve got a minute, let’s see if I can sort through these nagging emotions of mine.

warnings: manga spoilers 220 - 285, basically, no touch if you don’t want to see the current arc

Ok. Let’s roll the clock back and look at something Shigaraki told us at the USJ.

Now, while he has changed a lot from these early arcs, that core motivation he carries here is the same. He wants society to see just how fragile and how ridiculous their reliance on a hero state of justice really is. And, I would say that he’s absolutely right in this assessment.

The idea of heroes and villains needs a foundation of violence. They need that evil, almost as much as they need the concept of justice. It’s the age old right and wrong theory. It doesn’t leave space for grey, for nuance, for differences in ideology or upbringing.

However, heroes like to ignore what they can’t fix. Like anyone, they’re human and humans don’t often take pleasure in looking at the uncomfortable. I’d argue that’s why Gran Tourino doesn’t check back in on Kotaro. Yes, he made a vow, but those memories of that crying child being placed with a trusted friend, and not his mother, not Nana, have stuck with him. Nana wouldn’t be any wiser, or any less dead, if he checked in on her son. In chapter 281, we finally, FINALLY see Gran reflecting on that choice both he and Nana made

If he had checked in, Kotaro might have known a different memory of his mother, or he might have at least been able to see the threads of aggression and abuse that were riddling Tenko’s life. He might have seen AFO, manipulating and watching. Might, might, might. No matter how you shake it, everything changes when there’s some kind of monitoring, of looking out for your fellow man.

With that in mind, BNHA’s world state, which is based on hero work, would need a strong set of checks and balances to function properly, to catch those falling into the cracks & I’d argue we don’t see much push for that from the everyday populace.

Which is wild. Because society itself is practically Quirkless. Sure, 80% have a quirk, but in Japan you cannot use your quirk in public. If you do, you run the risk of arrest or classification as a villain.

That is why we see moments like these

Izuku is likely one of the only people in this massive crowd who really has no quirk. There is a horde of people standing there and no one is lifting a finger. It’s kinda a “bread and circuses,” mentality. They look fucking entertained and no one is freaking out except for Izuku, who knows what it feels like inside that goop thing. Instead, they’re all waiting, watching for the next hero, or for All Might to show up. But wait, aren’t there heroes there? It’s a city and this is a massive attack, it’s brought foot traffic to a standstill, surely a hero will get there and save this boy who is literally dying.

Oh. They’re there. But they’re waiting too

They are all “managing,” the situation and hoping Bakugo will survive long enough for someone with the right quirk to come along. Not polling the masses of people to see if any of them could possibly assist in the meantime, no, all these civilians get to watch this miscarriage of “justice.” Don’t worry. If the kids strong enough, he’ll make it.

So far, Shigaraki’s underlying motivation calling for a more rigorous, critical, take on heroes doesn’t feel too far fetched. Looking at chapter 1 alone, the current way things are isn’t right and it’s not fair.

Now, Shigaraki isn’t going about asking for it the “right,” way, but I bet he’d see a similar response even if he wasn’t hurting and maiming people as he goes.

The latter would let him be swept aside just as easily as the former. We see this happen with Stain. The news isn’t talking about the Nomu, or the countless people who were terrorized and hurt. No, they’re talking about the Hero Killer, because just like in our real society, that’s what get the clicks, the likes and the attention. Again, people don’t like to look at things that make them uncomfortable.

Yet, even with this horrifying fact, that Stain could go down in history books as a villain, as someone who gleefully killed others, people, both good and bad, sat up and took notice. Many even identified with his ideals: That heroes are corrupt and they are only in the field for the fame and money. Only All Might was the perfect specimen to Stain. Because this is an idea that people can get behind, to me, that means that others know things are stacked against the underbelly, the downtrodden. But they can’t be bothered to call for change.

On the flip side, Shigaraki, who has a better grasp on the true ills and neglect of hero society is often told he has no “real,” ideology, no real conviction, and this is a theme that’s repeated over and over and over.

Like most things in BNHA, it begins with All Might

Then it’s carried to Stain, Dr. Ujiko, an ally and long time supporter of AFO, to Re-Destro, and, most recently, to Endeavor. They all can’t see what Shigaraki is wanting, what he’s calling for.

It’s easier to name him a monster, a freak, scum, then to listen or to absorb any of what he’s saying.

But, as he says, he’s got convictions. He’s got his father’s, he’s got AFO’s ideas on the ethics and morals of hero society, AFO’s drive to crush OFA, once and for all, and his own deep seeded resentment and neglect toward a broken hero society. Honestly, he’s got more motivation than almost any other character.

And how is he treated? How does Horikoshi show us the “heroes” response? He gives up a heaping of violence. From chapter 270 to 285, Tomura Shigaraki is hit, punched, burned and beat around a whopping 36 times. And, for most of this fight, he is effectively quirkless.

How many hits does he get in? A grand total of 6.

And his first reaction is never to maim, in these moments, instead it’s to talk, to rattle, and to question

He only goes for Endeavor after he’s been burned, likely, without his regeneration abilities, to the point of death. These heroes aren’t aiming to subdue, they’re going in for the kill. And yes, he has just decayed an entire hospital and the surrounding area, the heroes are warranted in their anger and their frustration. After all, they’re the ones who dropped the ball here. This was a “planned” raid and they should have been the only ones in any real danger. They’re heroes, so I’d argue that it’s their job, their life’s mission to save, no matter the cost.

Besides, if they can spare AFO, not once, but twice, they should be trying to spare Shigaraki just as hard.

This has been a long and drawn out arc, with many, many ups and downs, but the one thing I don’t wanna see is the heroes getting a pass. This society has pitfalls and it’s got big ones. People are treated as lesser if they don’t have quirks, or if they have the wrong ones, the ones that don’t make them look normal. People are pressed to the side when they don’t conform and a hero, the current number one, has gotten away with mentally, and physically, scarring his family for over 20 years.

Right now, there are no checks. There is no: who watches the watcher in this world and I’d argue society has suffered for it.

Yet how are we shown how to treat those who don’t agree with us? With anger, untapped rage and physical violence, of course. And this is true of BOTH sides.

At the end of the day, as he said back at the USJ: violence only breeds more violence and while I don’t like predicting future chapters or arcs, I’m hoping that thread won’t be dropped. It’s one of the things that drew me into BNHA and I hope we get to see more, not less, of that grey morality.

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olderthannetfic · 3 years

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Living in latin america and seeing all the mostly usa & european people who dont get that in things like copyright the Most Important Factor isn't if it's illegal but if it is Enforced and if it is, if it'll get you in real trouble or you'll just get told to stop is wild?? And that Legal isn't Good or Fair or whatever

Like equating what's legal to what's "allowed" (bc you can get away with it) is weird. There's tons of bootleg shit here though, pirating stuff is commonplace, and people straight up sell disney merch (t-shirts, hoodies, etc) with no consequence, and everyone knows this is illegal! It's not suddenly more legal to make money this way just because you're in Latin America! but we also know disney doesn't perceive us as a threat and would only go after you if you were a big company trying to do this, so who cares

The Law and how it's applied not being "fair" is just a given? Of course all paid fanwork can get you in legal trouble, even if you can argue that technically it's not illegal, it's a very grey legal arena. It's on an individual level that you've got to research precedent and decide how far you're willing to risk it. Like, of course it's not fair that fanart can be profitted from a lot easier and with less potential legal issues than fic, but the people telling you straight up admitting you're doing fic commissions is a bad idea aren't being unfair or devaluing writers, they just know ips are more likely to hunt you down for it (and potentially cause the hosting site to decide they're not dealing with this bullshit and taking down unrelated fanworks)

(Also seen the "ao3 is being so mean and unfair not allowing you to profit off fic" argument which. ??? They're certain they can defend fanworks as long as they're free, and not if they're paid. I dont get how a pragmatic policy that protects all their fanworks with 99% certainity is unfair. If they tried defending paid fanwork and failed, as they'd likely would, it could cause a fuckton of legal trouble even for the free stuff??)

Yes. When someone asks me about the law and doesn't specify, I generally assume they're from the US because we're the worst about thinking you don't need to say... But I've also seen too many fans from elsewhere listing off US legal concepts like fair use, which don't even exist in their countries. It all depends!

And like you say, enforcement is the real issue. Offline? Online? Website mostly in English? In Spanish? Malay? Hosted on whose servers? etc. etc.

I laugh at the idea that writing is so oppressed. Do people understand just how many fandom writers go on to sell trashy romance novels? Yeah, sure, you have to do a find and replace on the names, but some of the stuff I've read on Kindle Unlimited is only that. The better stuff was original or fully rewritten, but man is there a lot where the serial numbers have barely been filed.

You know what's really not fair? I and many other people have this visceral reaction where fan art is either good enough to feel semi-pro or it's a squick. Meanwhile, writing can be anywhere on a sliding scale from awful to awesome, and if it hits our kinks we'll put up with a lot. There's no hard line of uncanny valley/squick. So, sure, you have to change the character names on that a/b/o fanfic, but as long as you do, you can sell it even if you can barely string a sentence together.

I'm not trying to be mean to newbie artists. I just have this binary on/off switch when it comes to visuals. Good Enough or... not.

I've seen at least as much wank about this double standard as about the monetization one. So really, people need to just accept that different mediums are different and get on with their lives. Writing is extremely easy to monetize as long as you do it right.

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tothemeadow · 3 years

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@oozyhxney asked:

Okay hear me out...AU where the pillars are the fem!reader's sugar parents. Doesnt have to be spicy but can be if you want to I just want to see how they act as a sugar mommy/daddy. And can the reader call them mommy/daddy??? Thank you!

Alright, so I love this concept so much that I’m turning it into a series? Hello smut and nine people spoiling you 😎

~*ᑭᖇOᒪOGᑌE*~

warnings: alcohol consumption, use of tobacco

words: 3.5k

It’s a chilly, brisk night, the lights lining the streets casting a golden glow; it’s almost pretty, mysterious in a tantalizing way, but it’s nothing compared to the ornate building you stare up at. The architecture tells you that this building is obviously old, the stone arches beautifully molded and hinting at years gone past. The building itself is secluded from the rest of the city, lined by an iron wrought fence and massive gates. Wealth bleeds from this place, taunts everyone who passes in their cars.

Why you’re even here, you don’t know. Your best friend Daki insisted you tag along for this so-called “gathering,” but you know it’s much more than that. It will be fun, she said. She even dressed you up in some of her clothes; wrapped in a fitted silk skirt, a mesh shirt, and a faux fur coat, you are not dressed like you usually do. Although, you have to admit – blush looks really good on you.

You feel stiff in the expensive clothes – all of them straight from the runway, yikes – as you maneuver out of the car, your heels clacking against the concrete sidewalk. Daki is dressed in a similar fashion, a slinky black gown adorning her curves and a faux fur coat hanging from her shoulders as well. Her painted lips curve into a smile as she looks to you.

“See, darling?” she says, her eyes doing another onceover at you, “you’d fit into the luxurious lifestyle perfectly.”

Behind her, a tall, dark-skinned man emerges from the car, his teeth a pearly white and his eyes a beautiful gold. Even though you’ve met him numerous times, the sight of Daki’s sugar daddy still makes you weak in the knees. He’s insanely gorgeous – not to mention intelligent – and positively dripping with wealth. It’s this “gathering” he was invited to attend in the first place; obviously, he wanted to bring Daki along, but he was also nice enough to let her bring you along whenever he was busy talking to friends and potential clients.

“Are you ladies ready?” he says, buttoning his jacket closed. Daki clings onto his arm, looking almost tiny against his broad frame. He turns his dazingly smile to you, an encouraging look in his eyes. How Daki managed to find a sugar daddy who was so nice, you have no idea. You’re almost jealous of her. Almost.

Daki’s free hand intertwines with yours, and the three of you set towards the front entrance. Your chauffeur drives off, the sweet purr of the Rolls Royce echoing in the night air. An entourage of staff greet you at the entrance, asking for your bags and coats and handing you tickets in return. It happens so fast that you’re left reeling at the attention, but the other two seem perfectly fine with the whole situation.

Soon enough, you’re whisked into a large room, a sea of people filling the entirety of the space. A small orchestra sits on the far side of the room, their instruments pristinely polished as they provide tonight’s entertainment. Tables line the walls, covered with white tablecloths and French pastries. Your mouth waters at the sight, your eyes drawn to the silver platters covered with macarons; you are so going to spoil yourself tonight. A man in waistcoat and black tie stops in front of you three, gently urging you to take a flute of champagne. You sheepishly accept a glass, glancing over to Daki.

“Is it always this… rushed?” you ask her. “It feels like so much is going on at once.”

Separating herself from Idris – her sugar daddy – she merely shrugs a shoulder. “You get used to it, darling. Now, enjoy yourself. You deserve to be treated like royalty once in a while, and I’ll be damned if you don’t.” She gestures to the drink in your hand. “Drink up.”

With a slight sigh, you do as told; the champagne is surprisingly sweet, almost feathery light as it slides down your throat. You’ve never had anything like this before. It’s almost… delicious? Is that the proper word to use here? If anything, it tastes expensive.

As if sensing your inner turmoil, Idris is quick to speak up. “It’s a Shinazugawa special. What’d they call it, babe?” he asks, turning to Daki.

“La Libellule,” Daki responds. “It’s delectable, isn’t it? I’ve always loved the brand.”

You nearly drop the glass. Shinazugawa? Like, the Shinazugawa? One of the most expensive alcohol companies on Earth? Shit, a bottle of their wine is more expensive than your monthly rent – maybe even a couple.

“Yeah,” you say, albeit shakily, “it’s great.”

Idris hums, his expression thoughtful. “I can introduce you to the owner, if you want.” He acts so nonchalant, casually sipping on his champagne as you and Daki drop your mouths.

“Wait, seriously?” Daki chirps. “Please, Daddy? That’d be incredible!”

“Of course, babe,” Idris says, swiftly planting a kiss to Daki’s temple. “If you ladies would follow me…”

Your mind switches to autopilot as you follow after Idris through the crowd, struggling to keep up with his long strides. Delicate perfume and rich cologne fill your senses as you pass by CEOs, celebrities, you name it. It seems almost if everybody who’s anybody is here. Still, Daki keeps a hand in yours, providing you both with support and comfort. She wants you to have fun, after all. She wants you to have a taste as to what her life is like.

As you draw further away from the crowd, you’re led down a hallway with only a couple of stragglers mill about. The music from the main room drifts down the hall, the shiny floors and beige-and-gold walls putting you in mind of royalty. Idris leads you to a solid oak door and stops right in front of it. Glancing over his shoulder, he sends the two of you a teasing smile.

“You might want to prepare yourselves, ladies.” With those words, he twists the brass doorknob open.

Immediately, you’re hit with a rich, thick cloud of tobacco. Spices and citrus mix with the cloud, along with hints of florally perfume. Glancing inside, you’re met with the sight of leather couches and a billiards table. A mahogany bar sits on the other side of the room, its shelves filled to the brim with name-brand drinks and mixers.

A small group of people loiter in the room; your heart drops to your stomach as you quickly come to realize that you recognize all of them. A few men are gathered around the billiards table, watching as one with a head of wild hair takes aim at a ball. Shinazugawa Sanemi – owner and CEO of a liquor company that people pay top dollar for.

Your hand tightens around Daki’s. Is this seriously happening right now? You’re in a room full of influential people, and you feel smaller than a goddamn ant.

There’s a loud clack as Sanemi takes his shot, the balls bouncing off each other and one flying into a pocket. One of the other men standing by the side – Rengoku Kyojuro, an A-list actor – claps his hands, his expression impressed.

“Hey, Shinazugawa-san!” Idris calls out. The entire group turns to look at you three, their conversations coming to a halt. Idris either takes no notice or care as he crosses to the billiards table, his hand reaching out and shaking the group’s hands.

Daki looks to you, excitement glittering in her eyes. “Oh my god,” she whispers, “do you see who’s in here? Daddy is the best!”

At that, you have to agree. How Idris knows so many people like this, you have no clue. You figure it’s part of the life, being friends with the 1%, but it is impressive. Either way, you’re shaking like nobody’s business. You’re not part of the life, and you’re just barely skimming the surface. How does one even act around these types of people? You’re not in a crowd, so you can’t hide away and gorge yourself on macarons and bubbly.

A tall man with silver hair barks a laugh; dressed in a fine suit with rings on his fingers, you notice that it’s Uzui Tengen, a famous producer. The songs he writes are mostly number one hits, some of them even earning platinum records. The thing is, though, is that his music can be primarily found in somebody’s sex playlist. “Idris, you son of a bitch! How are you?” he exclaims, the hand not holding onto a cue clapping down on Idris’ shoulder.

“I’m well,” Idris says with a chuckle. “But I’d like to introduce you to some very lovely people.” Turning around, he beckons you and Daki over. Daki pulls you along, a bright smile forming on her pretty face. “This is my darling, Daki. And this is her friend, (y/n).”

“Well, well, well,” Tengen begins, his voice smoother than silk. Placing his cue down, he pulls his cigarette out of his mouth and quickly takes Daki’s hand in his and places a kiss to her knuckles. She giggles at the attention, her long eyelashes fluttering. Tengen then moves to you, a smirk on his handsome face as he then takes your hand. Your heart nearly stops in your chest, warmth running through your veins as he places his soft lips to the back of your hand. “It’s nice to meet you,” he purrs.

“Oi, didn’t you hear the man?” Sanemi barks. “He’s here for me, you idiot. Get your head out of your ass.” Brushing Tengen to the side, he comes to stand before you and Daki. “So. Idris wanted to introduce you girls to me.”

The fact that he sounds disinterested – even annoyed, damn – makes your heart thud in disappointment. Granted, he’s probably used to meeting people who want to fawn all over him, but can’t he be… You know… Nicer?

“What, am I not allowed to say how much I enjoy your products?” Daki says, her lips pursing into a pout.

Sanemi scoffs as he crosses his arms over his chest. You can’t help but stare at the exposed skin, the first couple buttons of his shirt undone. A simple silver chain hangs around his neck, a small pendant attached. You have to admit that he’s incredibly attractive, even if his personality begs to differ. “Can’t say that it’s the first time somebody’s tried to use that on me.”

“Shinazugawa-san, play nice,” Idris tells him.

Daki holds a hand up to stop him. “No, no, it’s fine. I’ll even tell him that a virgin to your products absolutely loves your champagne.” She nudges your shoulder with her own. “Isn’t that right, (y/n)?”

Sanemi’s steely gaze switches to you. He almost looks amused. “Oh, really now? You’ve never tried my drinks? I’m actually surprised.”

You have half the mind to tell him off, that you aren’t a part of this crowd, but the words die on your tongue. There’s no point in starting an argument with this guy. Sanemi merely jerks his head towards the bar, an inviting glint in his eyes.

“Here, lemme show you what a real drink tastes like.”

You absentmindedly follow him over the bar, passing by Tengen in the process. He merely smirks down at you, the look in his eyes unreadable. Taking a seat at the bar, you watch Sanemi makes his way behind the counter and starts to make up some concoction. Idris sets to talking with the men surrounding the billiards table, going on about some upcoming vacations and the like. Rich people problems, you guess.

Daki comes over and takes the stool next to yours, an expectant look on her face. “Well? What do you think so far?”

“Like I said – rushed. We’ve barely been here for twenty minutes and I feel like I’m going to pass out.”

“It might be shock,” a new voice says. Looking to your right, you see a pretty woman with fair skin and dark hair taking the seat next to you. She holds out a dainty hand in greeting. “Kochu Shinobu. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

Kocho Shinobu. The name rolls around in your head as you try to catch up with the fact that you’re sitting next to a renowned brain surgeon. Taking her hand in yours, you politely give it a shake as you provide her with your own name. Her face is pleasant, the light dusting of eyeshadow on her lids making her large eyes pop. Honestly, if you didn’t know any better, you’d say that she was a model rather than a certified genius.

“Sanemi-san,” she says, her voice dainty, just like the rest of her, “be a dear and pour me a glass of barbera.”

“Doctor Kocho,” you begin, but Shinobu quickly shoots a hand up.

“Please, call me Shinobu. I only like to be called doctor when I’m at work. And, as you can tell,” she says, gesturing to the room with a wide sweep of her arms, “I’m not at work.”

Daki taps on your shoulder with a manicured finger. “Hey, (y/n), do you remember me telling you about my friend Mitsuri?” Turning fully to her, you look over her shoulder at a busty pink-haired female. She flashes you a dazzling smile as your eyes meet hers.

“Hi!” she chirps, waggling her fingers in greeting. With a giggle, she points to your outfit. “I see that somebody has some taste.”

Glancing down your clothes, you suddenly feel very self-conscious about the mesh shirt and the lacy bra it covers. It’s a beautiful shirt, yes, with its scattered silver stones inlaid towards the neckline. The silk skirt you wear flows down to your ankles, leaving your strappy heels on display. It’s an outfit Daki picked out, so you can’t take credit for how utterly great you look.

Daki sends you a knowing look. “Those clothes are from Mitsuri’s fashion line. I say, you look dashing in them.”

You gawk at your friend. “Wait, seriously? I didn’t know these were hers…”

Mitsuri graces you with another giggle. “Don’t worry, sweetie. I agree with Daki – you look incredible.”

“Blah, blah, blah, we get it. (y/n) looks pretty,” Sanemi interrupts. He sets glasses in front of each of you girls, all of them specially made (besides Shinobu’s glass of wine). “Come on, drink up. Once you had a sip of that, you won’t want another drink from anyone else ever again.”

The drink in front of you sits in a tall, pretty glass, its caramel color beckoning for you to try a sip. Hesitantly, you rise the glass to your lips, Sanemi’s focused gaze watching your every move. The alcohol is smooth, sweet; it burns your throat in a pleasant way, leaving you surprised. It’s delicious. Sanemi must notice the expression on your face since a cocky one forms on his own.

“What’d I tell you?”

You nod at him. “It’s amazing. What’s in it?”

Sanemi snickers. “That’s for me to know and for you to find out.” You honestly think your mind is playing tricks on you whenever he sends you a wink.

“Here, (y/n), follow me,” Mitsuri suddenly says. You give Sanemi your thanks before you quickly hop off the stool, leaving Daki to talk with the other two. “I’ll introduce you to everyone else, okay?”

She takes you over to one of the leather couches, two men with dark hair sitting side by side while another sits in a separate armchair. You instantly recognize the large one as Himejima Gyomei, a well-known sculptor; his works are nothing but beautiful, and it’s even more amazing knowing that he’s blind. His hands are truly gifted, and you’ve been following after his work for years.

“Oh, wow,” you breathe. “Uh, Himejima-san?” He perks up at your voice, the hand holding his Scotch lowering. “I just… I’m a huge fan of your works, sir.” You try to ignore the heat rising up your neck, the shaking of the drink in your hand.

And, much to your surprise, Gyomei starts crying.

Mitsuri places a hand on your shoulder. “Don’t worry – he does that a lot.” She sends you a reassuring smile. “Anyway, these two are Tomioka Giyuu and Tokito Muichiro.”

The other two men nod their heads in greeting. Unlike the others, they don’t seem the talkative type, but they’re breathtakingly gorgeous. You know Muichiro’s a dancer, having been in numerous shows; his lithe body tells you as such. He almost looks like a doll, with delicate features and crystalline eyes. He wears his long hair loose, the strands of it pushed behind his ears and revealing little silver hoops.

Giyuu, unlike Muichiro, is not in the entertainment business, but a CEO of a company, just like Sanemi. You know that his company deals with water technology, striving to clean up the Earth’s supply while providing others who need it. It’s admirable work, really, and you’re in awe to see him up close.

Mitsuri directs your attention away, pointing at the other person you have yet hear to talk – Iguro Obanai. Again, a successful businessman, except that he owns a ridiculously popular tattoo parlor. People always gush on social media about how cool he is, how incredible his artwork is, how amazing it is to have their ink done by him. To be touched by him is to be touched by a god. He’s just that good.

“You’ll the chance to talk to all of us, surely,” Mitsuri tells you. “It’s always nice to meet new faces.” Pulling you over to the couch, she ushers the other two to move aside so you have a place to sit.

The leather practically sucks you into a world of comfort as you sink down onto its plush cushions. You run your hand over the smooth material, subconsciously wondering just how much this thing is even worth. Your apartment would look great with this couch in it.

“Are you… enjoying yourself?” Giyuu questions you, voice low. He clears his throat. “Sorry. You just seem uncomfortable.”

Your eyebrows shoot up your forehead. Is it that obvious that you’re new to this whole thing? You’re actually impressed that he picked up on that so easily. “Actually, Tomioka-san, this is my first time at a uh, gathering like this.”

A shiver travels down your spine as Giyuu turns his piercing gaze on you. “Oh. So you’re not here with Idris?”

You shake your head no. “I’m only here since Daki wanted me to be. She said I had to experience new things.” With a shrug, you take another sip of your drink; you don’t know why you’re practically spilling your guts to someone you’ve barely met, but something about Giyuu is… comforting, to say the least.

“Wait – does that mean you’re not with anybody?” Mitsuri speaks up.

Looking to her, a weird feeling blooms in your chest. What is that supposed to mean, anyway? “Uh… no?” you say slowly.

“(y/n), come on, let’s go,” Daki suddenly says. She’s standing by Gyomei’s chair, her hands resting on her hips. “I’m hungry and I know you were staring at those macarons earlier.”

You can feel your entire body heat up with embarrassment. True, while you love Daki with every fiber in your body, but she can be an utter brat sometimes. What she wants, she gets. It’s no wonder she became a sugar baby in the first place. You shoot the others sitting around you an apologetic glance as you stand up. Idris is already waiting by the door, seemingly sharing some last words with Kyojuro. Setting your glass down, you say a quick goodbye to everyone as Daki grabs you by the arm and pulls you over to the door.

“I gotta say, Idris, you’ll have to swing around some time for drinks,” Kyojuro is saying, his large hand shaking Idris’. He glances over to you as you and Daki wander over. “Oh, and you should bring your girls along.”

Idris waves a dismissive hand. “The only girl I need is Daki, Kyojuro. I don’t have that type of relationship with (y/n).”

“Oh, is that so?” Kyojuro drawls. His abnormal eyes scan over your body, an appreciate hum rumbling in his chest. He flashes you a brilliant smile; it makes you go weak in the knees since that’s the smile he uses on the red carpet. He’s even more handsome up close and in person. His tailored suit fits him so perfectly, and your imagination is already flying. A lot of the movies he stars in aren’t kid friendly, so you may or may not know what he looks like underneath the suit…

Coughing awkwardly, you attempt to smile at him in return.

“We’ll have to go out for drinks sometime,” Kyojuro tells you. “I’d like to get to know more about you.” The suggestive tone in his voice isn’t lost on you; in fact, it makes you excited. An extremely hot actor flirting with you? Yes please.

“She’ll think about it later,” Daki says for you. “It was nice meeting you, though!” You manage to send a quick wave to everyone in the room before Daki promptly pulls you out, making a beeline towards the main room and the delectable desserts on display.

Well… That was interesting.

#kny #kimetsu no yaiba #demon slayer #kny x reader #kimetsu no yaiba x reader #demon slayer x reader #kny pillars #kny pillars x reader #kny hashira #kny hashira x reader #diamonds are a girl's best friend series

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your-localfriendandboy · 3 years

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Hey y’all get ready I’m about to write a whole thing about why I love barbarians and y’all are gonna deal with it.

So like mechanically I love barbarians because I love playing tanks in rpgs to begin with. The high armor, massive hp pool and simple game mechanics means that I can just charge in an do my job even if I can’t big brain strategize on the spot and even if I don’t have the aim and reflexes of a sharpshooter. I pick the biggest threat and hit it till it stops moving. Simple and fun. Narratively Barbarians are usually given the role of “stupid beef man who only know fight and can’t read beyond a third grade level”. Like I love Grog but he’s treated as the standard of what every Barbarian should be. I, on the other hand, see Barbarians as having a large well of untapped story potential.

At their core Barbarians are characters who are driven by strong emotion. The ability itself is called rage but the emotion at the core of your Barbarian doesn’t have to be anger. Grogs Rage was more like a battle frenzy, a feral exaltation of the joy that Grog takes in violence. Yasha’s rage is more an expression of grief and pain and a desire to protect her family. But rage can be any number of things. You could have a barbarian driven completely by passionate love who has hearts in their eyes and a great axe in their hand. You could have a barbarian who’s rage mode is triggered by fear and they’re essentially having a huge panic attack. You can play with how your barbarian feels about their rage. One of my Barbarians is a robot who’s lost his memory and is essentially a giant toddler. His rage is flavored as his old programming taking over and turning him into a singleminded killing machine. He hates his rage and is terrified of the thing he becomes under it’s influence. Another barbarian might find joy in embracing their rage such as a concept I had of a zealot barbarian serving Dionysus and seeing the rage as a ritualistic madness and a way of communing with their god. You could have a character who rages like real world berserkers by ingesting herbs that drive them into a battle madness. The Hulk is the literally personification of Bruce Banners rage and negative emotions which he repressed after his dad killed his mom and now that imaginary friend can take over his body and wreck house. The possibilities are endless and fun and not just “me angry and hit thing hard”

Playing a barbarian hero is interesting for several reasons. It asks you questions about your opinions on violence and anger as well as what makes a person “civilized” as well as whether being “civilized” is even something to aspire to in the first place. It helps you come to terms with you’re own strong emotions. Barbarians are the enemies of repression. They usually are either completely not repressed to start, or learn to make peace with their emotions rather than fighting them over time. I also am always a fan of the gentle giant character who has the power to slaughter armies but instead chooses to make flower crowns and be the designated giver of hugs.

Personally though, I love barbarians because they are simple enough to cut through all the bullshit that “smart” and “civilized” people have put up to help themselves justify not doing the right thing. Barbarians don’t deal in “the big picture”, “acceptable losses”, or “Necessary evils”. Barbarians don’t agonize over the philosophical minutia of “what does good mean?” And never actually get around to doing anything. When the world tries to tell them that evil is unstoppable or worse necessary they say “ACTUALLY NO IT’S NOT! FUCK YOU! IM GOING TO SAVE EVERYONE AND THEN SHOVE A GREATSWORD DOWN THAT LYING THROAT OF YOURS”. They are a wild card that breaks through the systems that hold evil in place. They never accept that the fight is lost. They run towards danger with a smile on their face and a fire in their heart.

“Rage. Rage against the dying of the light!”

They are exactly the kind of courageous, confident, kind people that I wish I could be. I don’t have the confidence to be. I am often too scared to take a stand for what I believe in. I’m terrified of making the wrong choice and accidentally hurting people. This makes me passive more than I care to admit. There are angry men in my life and I don’t want to be like them. But I know that anger is a part of who I am and is not a wholly bad thing.

I love barbarians because often I ask myself the same thing Travis McElroy once asked: “what if you could cut out all the bullshit and just do good recklessly?”

#critical role #critrole #cr #dnd #dungeons and dragons #d&d #barbarian #barbarians #local rambles #dnd 5th edition #please forgive my typos I wrote this on a phone and don’t have the patience to proofread #I’m a barbarian #spelling aint easy

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guide-to-the-groove · 2 years

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Livestreamer By Day, Rock Artist By Night: The Story of Vinesauce and Red Vox

People like watching other people play video games. It can be comforting when you don't have the time or patience to play a game, or maybe the personality playing the game makes it a more enjoyable experience. Either way, it is a favored pasttime of a great many of those who dwell in the virtual.

Livestreaming is a relatively recent invention of the contemporary internet, and being able to watch someone do something live on the computer has created communities and careers for the viewer and streamer alike. In the beginning, however, it was the wild west: people would simply hit 'record' and see what sticks. On websites like justin.tv (now Twitch.tv), random, faceless chat members rallied around these streamers, building them up to what they are today. And, squarely at the beginning of this phenomenon, was Vinesauce.

Vinesauce, hosted by Vinny (who has scarcely, if ever, told his last name to the internet--probably for the better) was created in February 2010, where Vinny uploaded amateur gaming videos and and personal recordings. Soon after, he took to livestreaming. Pre-dating Twitch, streaming was a new concept. Vinny took on the name Vine, and simply added "sauce" for fun. He recounts this in a Q&A session:

"It all started in a basement a number of years ago. A group of friends were gathered around a television playing one of the GameCube Mario Party games. The mini game in which vines grow out of the ground and into the sky appeared on screen. A random member of the committee was said to have uttered "Doesn't it look like those vines are growing out of an asshole?" Many jokes and laughs later, "Vinny" became "Vine." At least, that's how the rumor goes. Oh, and for the record, sauce is just a fun word.”

The following year, in 2011, Vinny launched the Vinesauce website. The stream was born, and other fledgling streamer were recruited to the Vinesauce banner, creating a network of streamers--gamers, friends, even people from across the world. From then on, Vinny has comfortably enjoyed a modest audience while he plays whatever game strikes his fancy. His streams could be considered "chill" in the highest capacity.

Of course, we aren't here to talk video games and livestreamers. We want music, and who am I to deny? Vinny was not only proficient at playing video games: the man had a passion for the guitar. Mentioned various times throughout his streams and conversations with chat members, Vinny made clear his love of music, and the particular artists that influenced him. Thus, together with long time college friend "Jabroni" Mike, in 2015 the Staten Island indie rock band Red Vox was formed. The name came to Vinny in a dream, and the music certainly reflects that. Each album inherits its own genre, and while some call the music "psychedelic", and the influences are there, it is not exclusive to Red Vox's theme.

Prior to Vinesauce, Vinny had played in other bands with Mike and friends, and had some experience playing in a group setting. Working with Joe Pecora of "Happy Anarchy", the first feature length album was recorded. Calling upon the myriad musical influences of Radiohead, Pixies, Bowie, Pink Floyd, Tame Impala...you can see what kind of music this might be. In fact, Vinny cites Tame Impala as a major contributing factor to the starting of Red Vox, and for me personally, Vinny was what fully introduced me to Kevin Parker, who has become one of my favorite artists today.

The first album to be released under the Red Vox name, What Could Go Wrong was described as a "loose concept" and applied to the band as well as the music. Dropping in March of 2016, each song in the album is connected by a theme of something going wrong; this concept could have been sourced from a feeling of nervousness or anxiety in releasing a fully produced album for the first time. Despite this, only some minor amateur shortcomings appear. Vinny and Mike are naturally talented musicians, and What Could Go Wrong was simply them finding their voice as Red Vox. AltWire described the album as, "...excellent in concept and execution. The musical pieces fall together neatly in place on this album, heralded by the fantastic musicianship of Vinny and Mike, where each song is gifted with a lovely suite of cool guitar-and-drum tunes, accompanied with strong and earthly vocals from Vinny."

That same year Red Vox would release Blood Bagel, a parody album that was really not intended to be anything too provacative or even, really, good. Described by Red Vox themselves in their description of the album: "For our next album, we wanted to strive for more depth and experimentation. This is not that album. This is Blood Bagel. Fuck you."

On a more serious note, the following year would see the release of Another Light, and two years later, in 2019, Kerosene. Each album improved and builds upon the last, and their latest album, Realign, is certainly one of my favorites for this very reason. The music is superb, with heavy usage of synthesizers being the key to Realign. Inspiration is drawn from MGMT and Tame Impala, and each track carries a distinct groove. A following was created behind Red Vox at this point, and Realign was eagerly awaited. As Haley Kennis of Afterglow writes, "Fans have been waiting since 2017’s Another Light for more music from Red Vox...But much like everything else in the world, the album was delayed at the last minute due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, it was released on the evening of June 9 with a celebratory premiere of the album on the band’s Twitch page. But the question remained: Would Realign be everything we hoped it would? In short, Realign didn’t just live up to its high expectations — it blew them out of the water." Vinny is confident and his writing is on point, each song with a story to tell. Mike on drums carries the energy of the album and drives each beat home. Guest members Joe and Bill work the synths and everything blends together to create a smash hit.

The album art of Realign is notable in that it was based on an AI-generated image uncovered by Vinny in one of his streams. The art perfectly encapsulates a psychedelic sort of feeling of uncertainty, and illustrates the intersection of Vinny the streamer and Vinny the rock star.

Vinny Vinesauce and Vinny Red Vox are two sides of the same coin, and more than likely appeal to the same person. If you watch a Vinesauce stream, its like watching a close friend just chill and play some video games. If you've watched Vinesauce as long as I have (since around 2014), its comforting to hear Vinny's voice come through his music. If you listen to Red Vox first, the Vinesauce streams almost act as an inside look into the lifestyle of an indie rock guitarist. As you'll find, it is generally quite lax.

Today the band is working on their next album, with a single being dropped here and there. I eagerly await what next lies in store for Red Vox, as even aside from the Vinesauce brand, they have built a solid foundation for some of the most underrated indie music in the business.

Thanks for reading.

-G

Sources: https://www.highlandernews.org/37953/the-engrossing-sounds-of-red-voxs-ozymandias-and-a-discussion-with-the-bands-lead-vocalist/ https://youtube.fandom.com/wiki/Vinesauce https://vinesauce.fandom.com/wiki/Red_Vox https://www.afterglowatx.com/blog/2020/8/6/album-review-red-vox-soars-to-new-heights-on-realign https://www.altwire.net/2016/04/01/album-review-red-vox-go-wrong/

#vinesauce #vinny #jabroni mike #red vox #what could go wrong #realign #twitch #streaming #Spotify

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blushie14 · 4 years

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Drawn To You [Skephalo]

Soulmate AU? …You know what? Heck yeah! Soulmate AU! This will be fun! For this AU, whatever you write/draw on yourself appears on your soulmate. Let’s go!

Growing up, Zak has never communicated with his soulmate by writing on himself. In fact, he felt indifferent about the concept of soulmates for most of his life.

He’s seen a few people who got lucky and actually met up with their soulmate. It’s pretty rare to find your soulmate while you’re young. Most people however can’t find their soulmate that easily, or choose not to write to their soulmate for whatever personal reason.

Now this didn’t mean that he wasn’t interested in finding his soulmate. It’s not like he didn’t care. He never really had anything to say. Besides, whoever his soulmate was never contacted him either.

Zak simply has never felt the need to interact. Not until recently that is. He has been wondering what would happen if he actually tried to write to them.

Some of his friends have shared stories of how they got their soulmate’s number or how their soulmate reached out to them first. It has got him thinking about it a bit.

If he wanted to write on himself to contact his soulmate, what would he even do? Would his soulmate even write anything back? What were they even like? This person who is supposedly destined to have a deep connection with him is probably a complete stranger right now.

So Zak questioned himself, what should he do to capture his soulmate’s attention?

Then Zak had this… crazy idea one day when he was bored. He grabbed a couple of sharpies, went to the bathroom, looked into the mirror, and removed the sharpie cap.

It was a normal Tuesday afternoon. Darryl was going to do a late night stream, but he decided to stream a little early this time with face cam. It was a chill stream on the idiots smp, even if he was the only one online right now. It was pretty nice so far.

“Okay, VanessaTheMuffin! Fifty dollars is too much! Thank you for the dono, but no! Stap it!” He restates the donation out loud. “Do I know if Skeppy is going to get on the smp today? Well um..” He thinks for a moment while scratching the upper part of his lip.

“I am 95% sure that he’s going to join me later on? He might be doing something else at the moment… I wonder what he’s doing.” He hummed to himself before having an idea. “Ooh! Do you think I can build a little Skeppy statue right here?”

He was about to look at the chat before another donation appeared. When the donation was read out loud, he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

Lovemepls donated 5 dollars: Yo homie what is on your face lol

“What? What do you mean?” He looked at his chat which was moving surprisingly fast. Trying to read some of the comments, it seems everyone has been saying similar things.

SilverGalaxy: Uhhh you got a little.. somethin… Maddyisadork: A wild mustache appeared! DeezVibez: MUSTACHE LMAO

“Mustache?” He took a moment to open his stream on another tab and was bewildered at the sight. A mustache was messily drawn on him with sharpie above his upper lip. “The fudge?! What is this?!”

Darryl covered his mouth in confusion. “How in the world did- ..Where did this come from?!” Puzzled, Darryl couldn’t connect the dots on how this mustache suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

He felt this strange itching sensation around his left eye, similar to the sensation he glossed over earlier above his upper lip.

Rubbing his left eye, he looked at his facecam again. “AH! Oh my goodness!” Darryl freaked out when a drawing of a monocle around his eye faded in right before his very eyes. “What is going on?!”

Tumbling Croissant: OMG AHAHAHA ADoseOfLove: Wow your soulmate has great taste! Memesnotfound: Aww your soulmate is drawing on you lol

That’s when it clicked… His soulmate.

“My soulmate is.. oh my goodness.” Darryl didn’t even know what to say or think. He has never heard anything from his soulmate before. Then the one time they decided to reach out to him, they decided to draw on his face?!

“Is my own soulmate seriously pranking me!? They even had to do it while I was streaming out of all the muffiny times!” He sighed. “I’m so done.”

Darryl chuckled a bit after the shock and confusion faded. It’s true that he was a little annoyed, but he would be lying if he said he didn’t find this even a little funny.

AwesomePeter23 donated 10 dollars: Your soulmate is something special lol. I already love them and I wanna see them draw more.

“No they- Don’t say that! This is unacceptable!” Darryl crossed his arms and pouted. “I’ve never met my soulmate before, but whoever they are I hereby declare them a complete raggamuffin!” He shouted out and suddenly felt the tip of his nose itch.

“I swear if they added something new..” Once again he looked at his facecam and found a red dot drawn on his nose. “Oh come on! Are you flipping serious?!”

Pyro_Plays: CLOWNBOYHALO!!! OwOStawws: PFFFT ComradeinArms: WRITE THEM BACK PLEASE I BEG

“You know what? I’m grabbing a pen.”

Zak was staring at the mirror laughing at himself a little. “This is so stupid. I look so stupid! Why am I doing this?!” Despite questioning his life decisions, he thought about what he should draw next.

He reached for a marker in order to make himself look more clownlike until he felt his left hand itch. As he was scratching his palm he found writing on his hand.

“WHY!? >:0”

Zak couldn’t help but burst out laughing at this. The fact that they decided to draw a little emoticon just made this even funnier. “Oh my god what have I done?!” He grabbed the sharpie and giggled while writing out his response.

Meanwhile, Darryl was still streaming, looking at his left palm. A message appeared on his arm and he read it outloud.

“Because I wanna make you look pretty?! What kind of excuse is that?! I- This little rapscallion! I can’t believe them!”

King Kitty donated 5 dollars: You lookin fabulous there bad!

“You are all muffin heads..” Darryl grumbled. He wrote a little angry emoticon on himself in response to his soulmate. To his surprise he didn’t get a response back, but Zak suddenly texted him that he was going on teamspeak right now.

“Oh great. Guys, guess who decided to show up?” Darryl smiled and covered his face. “Is this even a good time or not? I don’t even know!” As soon as he moved Zak into his teamspeak, he could hear him giggling far from his mic. “Hey Skeppy. I’m streaming right now, and you aren’t going to believe what happened to me!”

“Bad I did something stupid.” Zak said quickly as his giggles died down.

“Oh wow, what else is new?” He laughed a bit. “Okay sorry Skeppy, I was just joking.”

“Wooow, okay. I was gonna ask you for help but now I’m-”

“Nonono Skeppy you know I’m just kidding please don’t leave.”

“I know! I know, but Baaaaad I think they’re mad at meeee.”

“Who’s mad at you? What did you do?” Laughter poured out from Zak before he responded. “What did you do Skeppy?!”

“Can you help me make them not mad? I actually don’t know what to say next all they did was send me a dumb emoticon thingy.”

“Yes. I can help Skeppy. Can you just tell me what happened?”

“Okay So- You know how I said that I’ve never written to my soulmate before?”

“Uhuh? Wait..” Darryl gasped. “Did you?”

“Yes and I did what was probably the stupidest thing I could’ve done.”

“Oh my goodness, what did you do? I mean, it can’t be as silly as what my soulmate did.”

Zak’s eyes widened in surprise. “You heard from your soulmate already?!”

“Uhh.” Darryl looked at his face again and just laughed a little. “Yeah, they recently did. What did you even say to them anyways?”

“Oh I didn’t really say anything to them at first. I kinda… I kinda drew on their face.” He nervously laughed.

…Wait a minute.

“You.. You what?” Darryl’s casual light hearted voice suddenly turned soft and serious as a look of disbelief was on his face.

“I drew some things on my face and then they got mad at me. I said something else afterwards but-”

“Waitwaitwait.” Darryl’s heart was starting to race, but he needed to confirm this before he got his hopes up even further. “What did you draw on them? I need to know.”

Zak got confused for a moment before answering. “Uhhh well I made them look like they had a mustache. And then I drew the monocle to go with it. After that I just drew a teeny little red dot on the nose… I was running out of ideas.”

Everything went silent as Darryl stared at his screen, red in the face. He was looking at the chat and surely enough it had exploded as everyone was losing their minds.

“Bad? …Are you there?”

Mashyapotatoes: OH MY GOD NO WAY! NO WAY!!!!! Disoriented Vine: Well shit this is actually happening?! Amber: WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!

There was almost too much for Darryl to process. His soulmate drew on his face live on stream. His soulmate unknowingly revealed himself to him AND thousands of fans. His soulmate has no idea why he’s suddenly so silent.

His soulmate… is Zak.

The situation was so unbelievably ridiculous. Darryl, being overwhelmed with shock and delight he just.. broke down into silent laughter, leaning forward as he covered his face with both hands.

Zak, still being confused and oblivious to the situation, got concerned. “The heck? Bad?…Are you okay?! What happened?! I actually can’t tell if you’re laughing or crying!”

Darryl couldn’t really tell either. He sat up for a moment and tried to speak, but to no avail as he started laughing again, facing down on his desk with a thud.

“Oh my god.” Zak laughed a little. “Seriously, what happened?! Are you okay?!”

Darryl eventually calmed down enough to barely speak. “Skeppy, look at my stream!”

“Okay? Why?”

“Take ONE good look at my face! ..And then you’ll see why!” He shouted out.

That was when the realization hit Zak as he felt his face warming up “No… There is no way that-..” He has never searched anything up so fast in his entire life.

When he saw Darryl’s facecam, Zak burst into hysterics when he saw the same thing drawn on Darryl’s face.

“Look at what you did to me Skeppy! Look at what you did!” Darryl shrieked, laughing and facing down on his desk with a thud once again.

“NO- DUDE- NO FUCKING WAY!”

Darryl, being in hysterics as well, barely muttered out a “language.”

“AND THE ENTIRE STREAM JUST- OH MY GOD NOHOHOOO!!”

“Skeppy whyyy!! …I look ridiculous Skeppyyyy!!”

It was complete hysteria for 2 minutes straight until both of them finally started to calm down, taking deep breaths.

“Oh my god, dude I-” Zak spoke out. “I don’t even know where to begin.. you’re my soulmate! What do you even think of it!?”

Darryl sheepishly smiled. “Actually I.. I’ve always kind of secretly hoped that it would be you.”

“..Really?” Zak asked in a soft tone, feeling his heart skip a beat.

“Yes! I-” Darryl looked at his stream. “Hang on a second. Sorry guys, I’m gonna to stop streaming right here. Maybe I’ll stream again later and if not, tomorrow. I hope you all understand.”

ImForeverScreeching: Awwwww nooooooo PenguinRaven: Awww! Yeah we understand! <3 Lemon_Lime49: I just got back, why does bad look like that?

“Byeeee!” Darryl ended the stream.

“Dude, everyone on every social media is going to explode. What have I done?!”

“Oh my goodness you muffin head. I’m already silencing my Twitter notifications temporarily.”

The both of them chuckled and stayed silent for a moment. Zak was letting it fully sink in that Darryl is his soulmate. “I’m.. finding it really hard to believe that it’s you..”

“Why? ..Are you not happy about it?”

“Wh- NO! Nononono, I’m happy I’m VERY happy about it.” Zak quickly made that clear. “I just never thought that it would be you! I’m really happy that it’s you though. I cannot think of anyone more perfect..”

“Awww Geppy!” Darryl smiled. “I’m really happy about it too. Like, you have no idea how happy I am. You may have been such a muffin head, but you’re always my muffin head..”

Zak giggled a bit. “I really really want to see you now..”

“Me too.. Wanna plan to meet up ASAP?”

Two weeks have passed since it’s been revealed that the two were soulmates, and it was pretty wild. As they predicted, the information spread like wildfire in the fandom. Skephalo shippers definitely had a field day with that too.

Zak and Darryl took a break from making content only for a few days, but were talking to each other even more often. They slowly went back to making content and started telling their fans they were finally meeting up.

After planning everything out, Zak got on a flight to meet up and stay with Bad for a week. As soon as he departed from the plane, he felt a little nervous but extremely excited.

He roamed around the airport looking for Darryl. A few minutes went by until Zak felt a familiar itch on his left palm and looked to find a message.

“Hi <3”

Zak quickly looked around him until he saw Darryl smiling and waving in front of him. He smiled wide and started to run excitingly towards him. Darryl was surprised for a moment before raising his arms, bracing for impact.

“Skeppy!” Zak almost tackled him as he wrapped his arms around him as Darryl laughed and hugged back.

Skeppy giggled. “Did you really bring a pen with you just so you can write hi as soon as you see me?!”

“Hey, I thought it was fitting okay? You muffin head…” Darryl pouted.

Zak didn’t move away from the hug. He melts into the embrace, hugging Darryl closer as he spoke out softly. “Well.. hi..”

Darryl smiled and stared at Zak as a warm and comforting feeling washed over them. He didn’t want to let go and just wanted to keep him in his arms forever. “Oh my goodness, you just got here and I already don’t want you to leave in seven days..”

“Nooo, don’t think about that right now! I’m just happy to be here now..”

“Yeah..” Darryl wrapped his arms around Zak even more. “Me too.”

[End]

#skephalo #badboyhalo #skeppy #fanfiction #my writing #soulmate au

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twiststreet · 2 years

Photo

I bought some kind of goozgash or another last year sometime, and they gave me a year of Apple TV free with it. I mostly haven’t watched it but I’m watching two Apple shows now-- my show Servant (which I think is boffo) and I just started watching After Party (which is okay btw-- it’s a Miller-Lord thing and the always hit a certain level of quality-- it’s just comedy feels dead right now generally and nothing in it is changing my mind on that overall sentiment aka it’s entertaining but I’m not laughing much).

I’m king of fascinated anytime I go over there, though, how ... Apple’s lineup of original programming is completely uninspiring-- they don’t really have a big hit show-- but it’s all kind of tasteful. It’s all kind of aimed at an audience I’m not sure exists in large numbers, of like NPR listeners who want to watch TV shows they could hear about on NPR...? Like, and granted, Servant’s nutty. I hear the Morning Show is pretty nutty in the second season. But the basic thing is like... big stars, tasteful concepts, this atmosphere that everything on there is trying to do something that “sounds like a quality program.”

Or Apple’s like an entire TV network, if the network were trying to make Nurse Betty. Maybe too old of a reference but. No one went into a Blockbuster video wanting to rent Nurse Betty, but sometimes you’d be there on a Friday night, and it’d be like “well there’s Nurse Betty-- it’s got Chris Rock and Morgan Freeman and Renee Zelwegger-- I know who they are, I guess.” Everyone who ever rented Nurse Betty just kind of did so a little accidentally, I think.

Or it’s like... a TV network that hopes someday to do something as good as Matt Damon’s The Martian...? It’s like a bizarro planet anti-Tubi...

I kind of admire how you can see the executives just being like “what if we only tried to bet on things that we think are good”-- screenwriters are always like “oh why don’t they just do that” because writers are dipshits-- but you can kind of see why that doesn’t actually work, in practice...? I admire that they have a particular eye way more than I’m at all okay with Netflix, who’ll put on any old hatemongering piece of shit and tell its own employees to go fuck themselves if they don’t like it. But Netflix’s wild gambles pay off a lot of the times-- they find a Squid Game or a “Money Heist”-- Apple’s whole approach just doesn’t seem to work as well-- the only hit they have that I’m aware of is Ted Lasso...? I find that part kind of interesting, just in that... If you ask comic fans or movie fans or TV fans, what would you do if you were in charge, they all have these answers that are like “Oh I’d do the good stuff instead of the bad stuff.” And Apple feels like they got some of those people in charge! And... the result is... Rose Byrne in Physical...? Is that a good show? Who even knows besides TV critics...

#All I Ever Write About on this blog is Television...

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jj-ktae · 3 years

Text

Note II - Aldehydes

Moodboard : Courtesy of the lovely Jacqueline @jaebeomsmullet ! Thank you for helping and hyping and just being here whenever I need it.

› Title : Fragrances › Genre : Angst, Fluff, Romance, Composer!Jungkook x Perfume Maker!Reader › Pairing : Jeon Jungkook x Female Reader › Warning : Mentions of Suicide, heavy subjects, depression (none of these are used with the idea of glamourising mental illness), strong language, smut in later chapters probably. Do not read if any of these trigger you.

› Author’s note : This is another version of the story I wrote a few years ago for GOT7. Some of the events will be different, others will not change just like some paragraphs will be the same and others won’t. Informations, definitions and words are taken from here and here.

› Summary : In the world of Perfume making, it is believed that everyone has their own natural fragrance. It is also believed that everyone has that one scent capable of making them feel a thousand things. You find yours in the form of a composer on the verge of breaking, right when you have to face one of the biggest challenge in your life.

Masterlist | Note I - Ionones |

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Note II: Aldehydes

An aroma chemical that contains a functional group consisting of a carbon, a hydrogen, and an oxygen atom. Aldehydes can be derived from natural or synthetic materials. There are different types of scents associated with this chemical function but the most commonly referred to when profiling a scent as “aldehydic” is a sharp, metallic, crisp, slightly fatty impression often associated with the smell of clean textile or hot iron. One of the first “aldehydic” fragrances is the famous N°5 created by Perfumer Ernest Beaux in 1920 and launched by Gabrielle Chanel in 1921.

Your second day is worse than the first one. Jimin is all over the place, mixing essences and sniffing everything he can. You’re glad though, it makes him go silent whenever he concentrates on something, and you have time for focus. It doesn’t help because you’re still frustrated if not more, but at least you can overburden yourself in peace.

The only light in all that shadow comes from the memory of Jungkook’s scent, precise yet unknown. You try to create something similar, but it’s everything and nothing at the same time and no matter the amount or variety of scent you use, you can’t even get close to it

His scent is a mystery.

It adds to your misery, like a voice mocking you for not being able to recognise a scent while another one forces you to crave for more. It feels like chasing a ghost.

The sound of your head against your office takes Jimin out of his momentum. “What’s happening?” He inquires. He gets up from his own working area to stand next to your powerless soul.

“When is the meeting?” You try because it is potentially the only hope for today. That powerful lady came in early to inform you about an upcoming meeting with the marketing team. The project seems big, because Jimin started to work as soon as she flew out of the laboratory. It’s been one day and he is so open about himself that you can already read his body language.

“3 p.m. I was thinking about a brainstorming. Let’s think about a concept.” He offers because this is going nowhere. You’re about to give up at any minute, and he needs you to be into it.

“What concept? I’m running in circles.”

“Sexy? Provocateur? Romantic? Angsty? Bucolic?”

“All of these have already been worked on so many times...I don’t think they want to go for something as...forthright. I’m quite sure they won’t be satisfied with a mere sexy perfume.” It’s what you understood - if your sudden creative freedom is anything to go by.

Jimin understands, his eyes now wide. He has no idea how to achieve that, but he still thinks you’re brilliant for thinking out of the box. He picks his notepad and starts writing everything you said, his brows furrowed.

“We want to be unique. The concept needs to be appealing to the greatest number without being too cliché. We are free to use what we want.” He notes things down and you find yourself peeking at the words, meaningful yet complex.

“So we need to mix a little bit of everything.” Jimin stops for a minute before a whine escapes his thick lips, “I’m lost, help me.”

“We can’t work this way.” You raise your head slowly, ruffling your wild locks in a nonchalant way. “We have to find a scent and put a concept over it. We can’t force the scent based on an imaginary idea.” This only works when a brand has specific goals but here you have nothing. You can’t possibly force an idea into your head.

Jimin looks pitiful as he puts the notepad away. “It’s going to be harder than I thought.”

And just like the day started, the meeting followed. You were not expecting much of it and you were right. The marketing project came and explained you were free to do anything you wanted. Their main objective was to follow you on whatever you wanted to create, and it’s infuriating.

How many times do you have to repeat that you can’t do it before they start to believe you?

Jimin, who was stressed before the meeting is now dejected and it almost breaks your heart because you feel responsible. You send him home earlier and decide to work on your own. Two hours later you leave the lab with Orchid oil all over your bag and the urge to cry.

There is only one way to make you feel better. You feel ashamed, like you’re addicted to something but you have to admit it.

Jeon Jungkook’s scent is the only thing worth smelling.

When you come back from work, there is no trace of him. His backpack is gone, the bed looks neat, and even the towel he probably didn’t use is dry. There’s still his smell, fresh in the air and it makes you run back outside to find the bridge where you had found him the night before.

He is not there.

You were exhausted, but you’re suddenly on fire. This situation is stressing you more than it should be when you don’t see him. It’s like you won’t ever see him again. You look around all the bridges you can find close to your place. Jungkook is nowhere to be seen.

You open the door of your apartment with a heavy heart. It’s like you lost something precious and it’s making you angry. What the hell is happening to you?

But you open the door and it hits again, like a whirlpool of long lost feelings and dried memories.

Jeon Jungkook is in your living-room, and his delectable scent pounds in the deepest zones of your brain. He is sitting on the floor by the small table, right hand dancing over bright white paper and guitar on his lap so you only see his back, but it’s the biggest relief you had in years.

He doesn’t turn around when you let your bag fall on the floor, he doesn’t move when you stop next to him. He looks absorbed, entranced. His knee is shaking to an unknown beat, mimicking his left hand which is drumming on the soft brown wood of the instrument he is holding.

“God. I thought- I’m so stupid.” You don’t want to share your worries with him, but the thought of him throwing himself off a bridge is still fresh. It stings more than it should, more than the pain you’re supposed to feel when confronted with a stranger’s despair.

“Hmm?” Jungkook doesn’t move toward you at first, but eventually his hand stops, and he glances up at your pallid features and tensed body “What’s wrong?”

“I came back home and you were not here. I thought...I thought you did something stupid.” You let your body fall on the couch. It’s like blood is circulating again into your veins, your skin going back its initial colour.

Jungkook is puzzled, like he doesn’t understand why it would be so dramatic for you. “I went around town after I grabbed some stuff from my place.” It’s crazy but he feels sorry for you. “I’m sorry for worrying you” he trails off, scanning your face some more. He has no idea how to react to a stranger panicking over his disappearance. His own family doesn’t panic when he doesn’t show up. He is lost as to why you would be so affected by anything related to him when no one else barely does.

You snort, not mad at him. You’re high on his smell and it’s all that counts. “It’s okay.” Your eyes find his, and his tilted head looks like it’s searching for any sign of discomfort. He only stares back, with eyes way too shiny for someone as dark as him. He looks candid, like he has everything to discover and it’s a mystery how he turned out thinking about the worst. You have no idea what he might be thinking - excepted that you’re probably out of your mind for reacting like this but he doesn’t question your intentions, for whatever reasons. You finally notice the papers and decide to move on before it gets too disturbing to deal with. “What are you doing?” you nod toward the torn pieces of paper and point a finger at the pile stacking up next to his crossed legs.

He swiftly puts it under his leg. “Nothing. Did you just come back from work?” He tries to change the subject. His voice gets higher and you instantly decipher his anxiety. He isn’t good with facing his own problems and it’s way too early to go into deep talks about lyrics and melodies. He might have agreed to a crazy proposition, but that doesn’t mean he is going to open to you. At least not now.

“I looked for you all over the place.” You admit because it’s a normal thing to do when somebody is in distress. Jungkook is dumbfounded.

“Why would you do this?” The situation in itself is already crazy enough as it is. He doesn’t mind you being friendly with him, even though he is pretty sure he doesn’t need it, but to the point of being dead worried for him?

“You were about to throw yourself off a bridge. I don’t know what kind of life you’ve been living but it’s pretty normal to freak out when something like that happens.” Your outburst shocks him. He doesn’t understand the impact of his actions over his surroundings. He has always thought he was just a detail in everyone else’s lives.

It has always been this way. He writes in the shadow for people to shine. Him not being here shouldn’t matter to anyone.

“It’s my business. I’m staying here because I have nothing left and it’s easier than staying in my empty apartment and facing my failures. It doesn’t mean we have to care about each other.” Jungkook doesn’t want to sound mean but he has to make it clear to you. His distress is by no mean a way to ask for anyone’s pity. He refused to add anyone into that mess, let alone a stranger.

It’s obvious, in a way. You know it’s stupid but this scent, it’s making you go wild. You can’t let it pass until you know what it is.

So you agree, taking the same tone and hoping your voice isn’t wavering. “I’m not here for you, I’m worried about another human being wanting to end his life. If it gives you the illusion that I care, I’m sorry about that.” You get up and you sound mad, something Jungkook notices as soon as you close the door a bit too violently.

No matter how mesmerising his scent is, he is apparently not that friendly. You’re not hurt by his words, because you don’t care enough personally to be affected. You’re being selfish, only thinking about your own benefit and what his scent could bring into your life. Jeon Jungkook himself doesn’t pull you in at all. He is someone you barely know anyways.

He doesn’t move from his spot in the living-room until later that night. He suddenly has too many things to write and too little time on his hands. He decides to stop when his wrist starts to hurt and his body hits the mattress of his new bedroom like a bag of sand hits the ground.

He feels at ease in the small room. Wood is covering the floor, and it is the same colour as the tiny office by the window. The view is peaceful, with buildings popping up from the floor like mushrooms and lights festooning the city in tiny dots. The bed is large and thick with soft bedding. The scent of the washing powder turns Jungkook into a nostalgic boy when he rolls into the bed, stretching his sore limbs. He feels even more stupid for feeling comfort in a seemingly empty room.

He falls asleep right away, exactly 10 seconds after you do. You’re both too exhausted to care about each other, but you both know you’re no strangers to your own common serenity.

And just like you understand the importance of his presence for your brain to function, he notices he needs your place to exist in his creative yet tortured mind. As stupid and as hard to believe as it is.

When you get up the day after, you see him by the kitchen’s table. He is sipping on orange juice that is not yours, and munching on toasts you definitely didn’t buy.

You go to the coffee machine, your head too cloudy to deal with his strong presence.

He speaks first “Want some juice?”. He is trying to make it up to you for his cold behaviour. He just isn’t used to being around you yet. He isn’t used being around anyone yet.

Also, he is the worst when he composes. He needs absolute concentration.

You sip on the hot liquid and nod his way. He hands you a glass with an unreadable face.

“Have a nice day.” He doesn’t know why he says it. He tries to be nice, because there’s nothing much to say to someone you met two days ago. Maybe his pride spoke for him yesterday, or maybe he decided to accept the hand of a stranger, because it’s less burdening than accepting his failures to his entourage.

You drink the fresh juice fast and walk away. “Thank you.” It is too hard to be rational right now, because the smell seems even stronger now. You probably come off as rude when you don’t reciprocate his words but you don’t dwell on it; that boy isn’t going to accept any sort of compassion anyways.

You enter the bathroom and get hit by the scent of his shower gel. Not that scent either.

You get ready at the same time as you build your resolve. Motivation is the key so maybe if you believe in you and your assistant, things might work out. Jimin is already here when you arrive, his citrus smell filling you from the first floor to the lab. He is joyful, like he found something awesome.

“Boss! Have a sit, come come!” His thin hand adds a tiny pressure to your back, leading you to your office.

“What’s happening?” You barely have the time to comprehend; he is already putting a sample in front of your noise.

You freeze.

“Wh-where did you find t- t- this ?” You utter, immediately thrown off by the odour.

“I was looking through essences this morning, and I thought we could start with a base, just to see what we could make of it. It’s...”

“Winter fir and Balsam*.” You conclude. Everything in this base is satisfying but the most important detail is that you remember this base. You smelled it this morning when you entered the kitchen.

You smell the very distinct feelings of comfort, warmth and softness which invades you whenever you’re close to Jungkook.

Jimin added a little twist to it, tho. “You added Cottage Herb Garden**”. The latter grins at you, visibly proud of himself for coming up with such a smart idea. He too gives off that feeling of freshness that is found in that herb. It is serene and woody and gives off feelings of sweetness and sensuality. Cottage Herb Garden fragrances are made using Aldehydes synthetic scents.

“I didn’t add much, but I thought it would go well because they both make great seasonal fragrances. I only put 8% though, how did you find out?” he looks shocked but not surprised, like he was half-expecting you to guess it yet still thought it would go unnoticed.

“The herb comes last. The earthy smell that lingers in your nose, it’s this one. Smell it again.” You tell him and he takes his time filling his nose. He closes his eyes and thinks for a moment before opening them again.

“This is Cottage Herb Garden.” You confirm and his mouth is now wide opened. He can’t believe he is working with such a talented person.

“So, do you think we could try? I feel like we’re using a lot of Aldehydes but at the same time it feels like a soft base note…” Jimin trails off, his fingers playing with the bottles.

You acquiesce, mind already elsewhere. It feels like the first step to Jungkook’s identity and it is energising. You take a sharp breath, startling Jimin who laughs at you because it’s like you found life again.

“You sound satisfied.” He offers the sample along with a genuine smile and for the first time, you smile back at him, thankful.

“You did great. I wonder why they hired me when you’re doing great on your own.” It’s true. Jimin came up with extremely complex scents and came up with a base note you would have never found on your own.

Jimin rolls his eyes and decides not to answer. If only he could have a quarter of your talent. He opens his notebook and starts writing, his eyes now shiny with glee

Base notes: Aldehydes (Synthetic) = Winter Fir / Cottage Herb Garden.

You put the sample in front of you and stare at it. So that was it. You smile to yourself, in a way, it’s like you can almost smell Jungkook.

You spent the rest of your day looking for another element to add to your base and when nothing comes to your mind you feel frustrated, but it’s the best you can do for now. Jimin is exhausted and snoring in a corner of the lab, his petite body squeezed between two cabinets. You shake him to wake his sleepy body and tell him to go home when you give up for the day.

It’s been so long since the last time Jungkook felt this satisfied. He didn’t go out, too engrossed into his lyrics to care about the light of the sun peeking through the opened blinds. It’s leaking off his pen, like he can’t stop the flood of ideas and he feels like a mad scientist, crazy and ecstatic. He takes a break around dinner time and when his stomach starts creating its own music.

He takes out noodles from the food he bought the day before. Living with you meant sharing a flat, but he wanted to provide his own necessities. Participating in daily life matters is only natural, after all.

His phone rings, and the caller ID makes him sigh. He is too hungry to face what is about to come, and his spent brain is screaming for rest.

He coughs, keeping his voice steady “Yes.” His tone is disillusioned. Jungkook barely gets any call nowadays, and except from work, he only knows one person who can annoy the hell out of him so much.

“You remember me? I thought depression AND amnesia hit you at once.” He wants to hang up when he hears the throaty voice. It’s heavy with judgement but then again, when is it not?

“And you wonder why I don’t call you, Yoongi-hyung.” Jungkook finishes the sentence in a sigh. Yoongi is awesome at being a nagging mother.

“You’re too busy being away I guess. Artists are such a handful.” He hears steps and after a while, Yoongi speaks again. “Where are you? I’ve been waiting in front of your flat.”

“I moved out.” Jungkook looks fine with the revelation. It’s like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

“What? Where? Why didn’t you tell me?” he hears Yoongi’s car and supposes the latter is already going back to his place.

“It’s been two days. I’m living with a girl.” He blows hair on the steaming bowl of noodles, ignoring his friend’s deep shriek.

Yoongi doesn’t know what’s happening anymore. Jungkook leaving on an inspiration crusade is common, it’s something he does whenever he gets overwhelmed by his feelings. Never once did he actually move out to live with someone else, let alone a girl.

He doesn’t even remember when was the last time Jungkook even dated someone. “Living together as in...romantically?” he tries, suddenly wary because he expected a lot of answers, but not this one.

“I couldn’t write anymore. I’m renting a room in her apartment.” He swallows the food like he has been starving for days. There is not the slightest hint of discomfort in his voice.

Yoongi laughs after a while “You’re living with your landlord. God, Jungkook, I know you people need some sort of inspiration to exist, but to the point of living with some old lady for the sake of music...”

“She’s not old.” Jungkook has no idea why it’s the only part of the sentence he reacted to, but all of a sudden he doesn’t want anyone to make fun of the person who took him in, not when he wrote ten songs in the span of two days. Not when he feels like no one can hurt him in your quiet kitchen.

“Anyways. Lunch with me tomorrow, how does that sound? Shall I check on that woman you’re living with ? How much is she charging you ? Aren’t you being scammed?”

“I can’t.” Jungkook sighs, ignoring the numerous questions because this is so typical of Yoongi to make sure no one is messing with him. “I have to eat with my parents, don’t tell them that I moved out.”

“You have always been doing everything you wanted anyways, what would it change if he was to know?”

Because he is going to crush me down like fine dust.

It has always been the same, and no matter how successful he was at some point, his father was never satisfied. Not when music is not a certain source of income, not when reputation comes before everything else.

“I’m hanging up.” He announces once panic overtakes him and hears his friend objects, telling him he will meet with him no matter what.

It’s not like he doesn’t want to see him. It’s just complicated. Jungkook has always been different from others. He was raised with Yoongi and they had the same nanny when they were young. The age difference rapidly made Yoongi turn into the older brother as time passed, and while he was the one introducing Jungkook to music making, he quickly stopped to take over his family’s business. He never explained to him how he drifted from music, but he is now all about business. Their respective parents were and still are too busy to deal with education, and while Yoongi grew up like the sharks his father works with, he took after a quieter side, the one that tells him to do what he wants instead of chasing money.

Yoongi often tells him he is a fool, that he doesn’t need anything else if he can have a bright future with his father’s company. He often answers that he doesn’t want to work without a purpose, and Yoongi always tells him to stop being a hypocrite and rely on his father’s money if he was to spit on it.

It’s true, Jungkook doesn’t know struggling. He was born in a rich family with a lot of possibilities. He was able to become a lyricist after a lot of failures, and his parents never gave up on him financially. This is probably why he is so affected when he can’t write. He doesn’t know how to deal with difficulties, he who lived with all the good things of the world.

He hears the door opening and your sore body appears before him, surprised to see him home. It’s like you were expecting him to run away, again. You don’t speak when you see him, mouth full of noodles and wearing the same clothes you left him in this morning. The silence is thick, oxygen heavy with uneasiness. Jungkook blinks, slurping on the noodles before wiping his mouth hastily.

“Want some noodles?” It’s hard to catch on the words, but he moves the bowl in front of him, and you understand.

You nod.

No matter how strong the smell of seafood is, his scent always wins over everything else. You decide to stay close because you’re slowly deciphering his smell, and you need more time to know where you’re going.

He goes to the cupboard like he has been living here for years and fills another bowl before sitting back. You’re surprised by his sudden gentleness but brush the worries off. You’re supposed to feel weirded by the fact that an unknown man is now living with you, but none of you are freaked out.

Jungkook is too happy to be productive again. You’re too drawn into your memories to stop everything.

You sit in front of him and after a couple of minutes, he speaks. It takes you out of the now soggy food.

“What’s your job?” Jungkook sounds interested, but you know he is only trying to ease the mood.

“I’m a perfume composer.” You decide not to dig further into the matter. It’s a peculiar world, something that only a few people can relate to. Most people think you mix synthetic molecules into expensive glass bottles, wrapped in glitters and hidden into luxury boxes with frills and furbelows.

And you get offended, knowing fully well that it’s exactly what you think you’re doing.

Jungkook doesn’t sound impressed, you’re not surprised by that.

“Sounds complex.” It is. It truly is, and even more when he is entering your every pore. You don’t know if you’ll ever get used to it.

“It’s not.” you lie, “How about you?” His face lits subtly, and he seems shy all of a sudden. You don’t know this side of him yet, and you wonder where his emo behaviour went.

He coughs, putting the bowl down. “I’m a lyricist. I write lyrics and sometimes I compose, but I mostly write.”

“That sounds complex.” You muse. Jungkook is a tormented artist, then. It explains why he keeps on dreaming on bridges like he is filming a music video.

“Sometimes it’s complex, sometimes it’s a matter of course. I’ve been having a blackout recently.” It’s a confession, and he doesn’t know why he is sharing such a deep problem with you, a stranger.

You forget about the food “That’s why you were surrounded by torn papers.”

He chuckles. “Exactly. I’m getting there, though.”

It feels different to deal with such an open Jungkook. He chats like you’re close, smiles sometimes, he is almost glowing.

That evening you learn that he uses a pen name to write lyrics. He doesn’t want to tell you, but you know too little about the music industry and he finally spills the beans.

JK.

It sounds like some mysterious pen name used by thriller writers but you don’t tell him that. Instead, you decide to go to bed. No matter how comfortable you both seem, you’re not ready to share the part about you being addicted to his scent. He goes to his spot near the small table in your living-room and his hand goes back to a wild dance, covering the blank paper with ink. He is inspired.

He goes to bed right when you get up the day after and wakes up late for his lunch with his parents.

It’s not like he is eager to meet with them.

Plants. Plants plants plants. You look through the samples with haste. You know it has something to do with nature. The base note has to be about something else.

“What are you doing?” You smell Jimin the minute he opens the door, but you don’t let yourself be interrupted. You know you sound like a stalker, but you might or might not have smelled Jungkook’s jacket this morning, and you are sure of a thing: there is only one element left to create a frank base.

You don’t know when you switched from creating a perfume to reproduce his scent, but it doesn’t matter.

“All the samples are here, right?” The organ is huge and cabinets full, but it’s not enough for you. Jimin throws his vest on one of the chairs and approaches you, stifling a yawn.

“Yes. I think that’s quite a lot, actually.” He peeks from behind your shoulder, and sees your hands going through the numerous bottles, unsatisfied.

“No. No. These are generic scents. You don’t have any rare roots names, you forgot a lot of exotic fruits and most importantly, you don’t have anything uncommon.”

Jimin makes a face. He is not lost, he is adrift. “I’m afraid I don’t understand...”

“Tobacco abs, myrrh, resinoid, Balkans...” You talk but it sounds like a whole new language even for your assistant.

“Well, we have listed a lot of names. Most of them were used by previous composers, but we added more. I didn’t think it needed that much to be completed.” He knows about perfumes, he has a lot of knowledge, but you’re suddenly on a whole new level and can’t be reached.

You’re suddenly talking about tobacco odours and it freaks him out.

“I have a lot of these at home.” This could seriously help you. You barely use these, and most of them were sent by your father and collected on the internet. It’s the first time you can actually put them to good use because you know they could help, but you can’t bring them here.

Also, you think about how much easier it would be to just move work to an environment bathed by that scent which makes you crazy. How stimulating would it be ?

Jimin is expectant, but you don’t say more. He finally waves a worried hand in front of your face and you snap to meet his blinking eyelids.

“Let’s work from my place. This is what I often did.” Your offer makes him take a step back. He is not used to you being so devoted to this project.

“Are you sure? I don’t think the boss would object. We’ve had a few composers with weird demands before.” He doesn’t know what’s on your mind, but you’re a genius to his eyes and the mere idea of him seeing the place where you created such amazing products is electrifying. He can’t wait to know more about your ways.

“Good.” You glance around the room, “I don’t like this atmosphere.” You don’t mind if Jimin sees your place. At some point, you’re pretty much sure you could go with anything as long as you find the missing pieces of this conundrum.

You’re aware that you’re turning into an obsessional mess, but it feels pleasant to have a goal. This goes beyond everything you experienced, it gives you a fuel you didn’t know you could have.

You take the day to gather some samples and ask Jimin to let the boss know about your change of plans. At the end of the day, he helps you carry the numerous samples home. You’re a happy mind, torn between apprehension and excitement.

You open the door and Jungkook sees two huge boxes enter the living-room. He is rubbing a towel against his wet hair but he catches your box before you can let it crash to the ground. Jimin lets his own fall with a soft thud and you’re startled when you hear a dismayed squeal, along with Jimin’s shocked face, his finger pointing at a puzzled Jungkook.

“JK?!”

-------

* Winter Fir and Balsam : This redolent mixture of refreshing natural pine mingled with a sweet, peppery, delicately refined and soft base note of balsam has a soothing and warm character. It evokes particular feelings of warmth and comfort. The mind’s eye (and nose) recalls Christmas trees and sleigh rides and happy times by a fireside or even in a small apartment among special friends or family.

** Cottage Herb Garden : Sparkling blue waters, gentle summer winds and cozy brick cottages nestled in the lush, serene English countryside characterised this green floral scent. Enticing notes of sweet, earthy, star anise, fresh basil, grassy parsley, aromatic wild flowers, fresh garden greens and a woodsy, sensual musk base note comprise this complex aroma.

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ghostmartyr · 4 years

Text

SnK 133 Thoughts

They’re trying to stop the apocalypse but they’re dummy traumatized and the clap of their sins keeps alerting the glow tree.

Kids, just remember: Body count doesn’t matter, it’s how you feel while producing that body count. If you’ve killed people to stop genocide, you are not immune to being party to genocide. ⭑⭒⋆

I’m being reductive because I’m not too eager to go over how not all murder is created equal again.

Going by a good faith read, I do think what the narrative is attempting to establish is that these characters all know what it’s like to be backed into a corner and do desperate things they’re horrified by.

Putting aside the extra psychological difficulties of his childhood preceding the choice to knock down the wall, Reiner believes he’s saving humanity. There’s an island full of devils, and he’s attacking them. He, Bertolt, and Annie are dumb kids who do what they’re told. Because they think it’s right, or because they want to go home, or just because they are dumb kids.

Armin’s killed plenty of people with the power of the Colossus. He can’t plead innocence; he attacks Liberio’s port intentionally, knowing exactly what terror the people on the ground will be going through.

Connie kills the friends he’s trained with for years, when the worst thing about Reiner and Bertolt revealing themselves is feeling betrayed by comrades he loves.

None of this is directly equivalent. Dumb children at war are trying their best. Always, this conflict has been orchestrated above their pay grade. RAB get abandoned behind enemy lines and are told to make the best of it. Armin destroys Marley’s port because Marley will not stop going after Paradis, and Eren has forced a renewed conflict that they need to move against fast. Connie betrays his friends because they’re okay with letting the rest of the world die.

No one on this ship has enjoyed any of this. They have consistently been doing their best with the information given to them while people with more power drag them into fights that never should have happened.

Shiganshina falls because Marley chooses to murder Paradis.

Liberio falls because Eren turns himself into Paradis’ only hope and puts himself into a situation he can’t win alone.

In the crudest way of putting it, these people are grunts. They’re not the ones who picked the game being played. They’re the ones being manipulated into war after war.

That’s why they look at each other without counting the bodies. It isn’t the scale of their actions that hits at this moment, it’s the decisions they’ve made to be part of it. They choose to keep fighting. When it creates an outcome they hate, what can they say? ‘Look what you made me do’?

Whatever their reasons, and whoever set up the board, they are the ones who participate. In this case, pure moral imperative is the driving force. Daz and Samuel die because they’re willing to let genocide go uncontested. That’s on them.

Guilt doesn’t work like that, though. Daz and Samuel die because they are killed. Connie kills them. He betrays their trust.

All of this is to say that the people on the ship truly do understand each other perfectly, even despite the difference in scale. It’s a bit on the nose, but I don’t think anything they’re going through is at odds with the people they are.

Applying that feeling to Eren is a feat of misguided grace that... hell, I don’t know.

As a human person, I like grace as a concept and want more of it. I don’t want the world to burn, I want the burning to stop, and for everyone to be okay in the end even if they don’t deserve it. A world where we all get precisely what we deserve seems an incredibly dark place to me. That doesn’t leave room for mercy or kindness. You get what you earn, and nothing more.

The more time we spend on this portion of the story, the more I’m inclined to think that the themes agree with me. Our heroes at this point aren’t full of the rage they’re entitled to. Every inch of them is tired, and they’re not here for more death. They’re willing to keep going, but even the thought of killing Eren, when he’s massacred thousands, makes them all hesitate.

Everyone wants to go home and have the fighting stop.

That’s all.

Whatever happened, and whose fault it is -- forget all of it, just give them a place to rest and have it be over.

Thematically, yay. I approve. Beautiful. We start out with a series that makes a name for itself almost entirely on the back of the spectacle of violence, and after years of participating in that violence, the main cast wants nothing to do with it anymore. Love it.

Within the plot, I am not in the mood to have Eren’s traumatized friends apologize for not understanding him.

I get it.

I get why they all feel this way.

I do not like reading it.

They’re projecting their own guilt on someone who has shown a reckless disregard for their lives and sanity.

They’re trying to reach Eren as a human being and friend when he’s done his absolute best to make himself unreachable.

That’s sort of the point Reiner thinks is being made. Eren has intentionally set them up as his adversary so that if he has to be doing all of this, maybe there’s still a chance someone can stop him.

Okay, fine.

It falls short for the same reason all of Eren’s stuff is falling short.

We don’t actually know what the fuck is going on with him. We’re guessing.

You know those picture puzzles you do as a kid? Draw a line from bubble 1 to bubble 2 to bubble 3, and eventually you will make a bunny. Or a dog, or flowers, or something that looks like a picture in the sloppy mess of numbers.

Eren’s general portrayal matches that of a toddler who doesn’t yet know his numbers, and understands the instructions to be that he’s trying to get to the last bubble by scribbling lines through all the other bubbles.

Look, it’s a bunny.

And Eren’s friends are all like, oh wow, that’s such a good job! We’re going to put it on the fridge!

Then people come over and are like, why is there a constellation of a deer jumping through a house on the fridge, but they hear the child did it and immediately are like, oh yeah, that’s the best bunny I’ve ever seen, I can’t draw like that.

The child, being a child, is like, ‘Damn right. I’m going to be in bunny museums.’

Meanwhile, I’m just going to come out and say it.

It’s not a fucking bunny.

What it is, I don’t know, but it is not a bunny, stop calling it a bunny, it is actively erasing the knowledge of what a bunny looks like in my mind.

So ends this skit on what Eren’s portrayal has been like.

Eren has decided that this is all necessary. He doesn’t like it, and wants someone to stop him, but he is totally going to do it, and he knows he’s going to do it because future vision told him so and he’s really sad about that even though he’s emotionally in a place where genocide sounds like the only way out but that is wrong.

I think I’ve said before that Eren getting to this place mentally isn’t too off the rails. His sanity has been deteriorating with each mission, and he’s nineteen. Snapping like this could arguably be expected.

But the last we see of Eren’s thoughts, we still have this back and forth of how he refuses to yield the future to fate, but he already feels condemned by that future because he chooses to cause it.

Eren is clearly trapped by this web of contradictions, but his motivational core is so obstructed that it’s hard to actually connect to. It is easier to say that Eren’s gone off the deep end than it is to spend any amount of time asking how Point A became Point 3.

That’s frustrating, as a reader. I don’t want to be told a story, I want to experience it.

Eren’s experiences are not universal.

I need some hand-holding here. There needs to be a few more clear indications of Eren The Person, and how the individual we know wrapped around to making these choices.

Hooray, he’s not taking away their powers.

The guy he let run his cult still nearly killed all of them.

Hooray, he’s protecting his island.

He just actively courted an international incident so everyone wants the island dead.

Yes, Eren thinks that hope is lost before he makes these choices. That’s how moving forward drags him to this place; he doesn’t have the vision to imagine a world where this isn’t happening.

If you don’t fight, you can’t win, and Eren’s still fighting. But he’s forgotten what winning looks like. All he knows is the dreary march forward.

I would like for that to be explicit, not me extrapolating. Because even as I’m typing all of that, and feeling like it makes sense, it has the confidence of tissue paper, and I know my numbers, but half the numbers making this bunny were missing, and I’m not an artist.

The story I’m digging around here for is one I could like, but I don’t trust that it’s actually the one being told, because too much feels unexplained and weird. You can’t just make your main character nuts and use that as an excuse for anything.

Well, okay, you can.

You shouldn’t.

Please don’t do that.

Which I guess leads us to Eren and OG Ymir doing a Shining twins thing.

Here is my wild speculation.

The Attack Titan is the only Titan capable of resisting the Founder. It cannot be controlled, it simply continues forward, fighting for freedom.

When Eren talks to Ymir, her eyes losing their shadows are the cue for him taking full control of the Founder.

Now we’re back here, and her eyes are shadowed again, with Eren’s joining the ride.

I think that where we’re going to end up is that Eren’s mental fragility made him incredibly susceptible to the Attack Titan’s core nature, and enough of that nature aligned with Eren’s that everything except pursuing a way forward fell away. The Attack Titan is Ymir’s furious will, and she’s had it suppressed for 2000 years. I don’t think either one is emotionally capable of surfacing and deciding to resist the urge to march forward and destroy this world that has cursed them so.

Making my theory that yeah, okay, Eren’s lost it, but he lost it with the help of ancient plot magic, which we are now seeing the full extent of.

Does that have any basis in anything?

Who the fuck knows.

But one thing is very clear: Eren’s not free.

“In order to gain my own freedom... I will take freedom away from the world. [...] You are all free.”

The Attack Titan “has always moved ahead, seeking freedom. It has fought on for freedom.”

Eren, embodiment of the Attack Titan, is the first one to hear Ymir in 2000 years. Going with the vaguely logical theory that Titans are all pieces of Ymir herself, the Attack Titan is the part that rebels against every indignity she bows to in life.

Zeke frees the Founder from its promise of peace. Eren frees Ymir from the chains tying her to the royal family’s will.

All that’s left is 2000 years of trauma, and the ability and will, for the first time, to lash out.

It’s not what you’d call surprising.

It’s the getting here that I take issue with. Now that we’re here, yeah, got it. But I really don’t feel like Eren’s journey here has been done well enough to capture the emotional rawness that is trying to be accessed. His friends are shouting for someone who is effectively dead, for all the presence he’s showing.

Then you’ve got Annie and Kiyomi sad.

ON A BOAT.

While Falco wants to be a Titan with WIIIIIIIIIIINGS.

Kiddos, you’re very cute, and I support you not wanting to sit still and do nothing while the world is ending, but I can’t begin to express how little I care.

Except that your families are alive and you two and Annie deserve to be reunited.

SO FINE, OKAY, FALCO CAN HAVE HIS WINGS AND SAY HI TO HIS PARENTS AND GABI CAN SAY HI TO HER PARENTS AND ANNIE CAN SAY HI TO HER DAD AND IT’LL ALL BE FINE DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT THE FUCK WE’RE GOING TO DO ABOUT EREN?

BECAUSE YEAH, I’M SURE THE AIRSHIPS ARE JUST GOING TO SPLODE HIM AND END ALL OF THIS AND EVERYONE WILL HOLD HANDS AND SING SONGS THAT THE EVIL HAS BEEN DEFEATED AND THAT WILL BE THE END OF IT.

Conversation: FAILED

Attack: probably FAILED

GO AHEAD, MANGA. SHOW ME THE DEUS EX MACHINA. I’M NOT GOING TO LIKE IT, BUT I AM PREPARED FOR IT.

inb4 yeah they just are going to bomb Eren with Armin that’s how we end this.

133 status: Still Looking For A Win Condition (This Ain’t It Chief)

#Shingeki no Kyojin #SnK 133 #shingeki no spoilers #SnK spoilers #Survey Corps #tl;dr #chapter post

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