#they're really living out my escapist dreams

[yourstruly9489]

What is your OC passionate about?

I've seen stuff to help develop characters that's asking questions about them, eg. What do they want more than anything? What is their greatest fear? What are their dreams? etc. I've always had trouble with these for some reason. Possibly because they seem so impersonal to me, despite being directed at a person. But I discovered something the other day. I love crossover fics, and I sometimes imagine my own OCs going into a fandom I like. Because of this, and my recent interest in Ride The Cyclone, I found a way that works better for me.

Ride The Cyclone is a musical about six teens who died in a tragic roller coaster accident. A mystical fortune-telling robot, whose name is Karnak, somehow has the ability to bring one person back to life. He takes the six teens, Ocean, Constance, Ricky, Noel, Mischa, and Jane Doe, to a sort of purgatory. In this purgatory they are to decide which one of them comes back to life. Each character, excluding Karnak himself, sings a song about themselves so that they can judge amongst themselves who should be brought back to life. But they don't exactly sing about their actual lives, instead they sing about their passions. In the words of Karnak, "Tonight I wish to give them the chance to express not what they were perceived to be, but what they dreamt they were."

Ocean sings about what she's passionate about first: Wanting to be on top, first place, the best. She sings how she's better than everyone else. She sings how the world needs more of her, and less of others.

Noel is next. He sings about the art movement Romanticism, he is the most romantic boy in town after all. He sings about wanting to be a female hooker in post-war France. He sings how he wants to live a life of sin, to burn himself with cigarettes, to die in an alley. He wants to experience a tragic life, not just the good, but the bad.

The next to sing is Mischa. A boy from Ukraine who lost his mother to radiation poisoning. He starts by singing about his facade, a gangsta. He raps about how everything is awesome. How he's awesome. But then he breaks out of that character and sings about his true love. Of which is his fiance, Talia. He devotes himself to her wholly, singing with passion.

Next is Ricky. A boy who was mute and physically disabled his entire life. He was often avoided in life, with his parents and cats being the sole exceptions. He sings about an escapist fantasy. He sings about himself in a sci-fi world, sent to help the race of the cat people of Zolar. How he helps save their world from extinction, and becomes famous in history. He sings about being known and loved.

Then there's Jane Doe. The one unidentified victim of the Cyclone accident, she lost her head and no one knows who she was in life. She sings about how she doesn't understand. Why she couldn't remember her family, her friends, her name? Why can't anyone remember who she is. How she'll be eternally forgotten and how everything will eventually join her in death. She sings about not understanding why.

Finally is Constance. No one really knew her well, she was only known as nice. She sings how she used to think that her life sucked, and howit only got her down. Then she goes into how wonderful she realizes life is now that she's lost it. She sings about loving the life she used ashamed of.

All of them sing about their true passions. Without the fear of being judged, they're all dead anyways, no point in being self-conscious. Then imagining my own OCs in that situation, with no consequences for expressing themselves, really helps me deep-dive into their characters. Reframing the question "What are they passionate about?" Into what would they be like in this specific situation I'm familiar with?

So I think of my OCs and what they would sing about. For specifics, I have three OCs I've been working on recently.

Left to right they are: Henry Robinson, Victor Shelley, and Mary Robert. Their story is very much about wacky mad science and creating life where there was none. Definitely inspired by the idea/story of Frankenstein.

When I imagine what they would sing about in a situation with no consequences, just a chance to truly express themselves, I understand them far more than I would with just generic questions.

I imagine Henry would sing about his triumph in creating artificial life, he'd sing about how he's going to be known all across medical history as the man to prevent death. He'd sing about how betrayed he felt when Victor abandoned him. He'd sing about how he deserves more. Victor would sing about his grief. He would sing about how stricken he is at Henry's blatant ignorance of the laws of life and death. He'd sing mourning the lives lost in this pursuit of life. He'd sing about his care for others. Mary would sing about her lack of understanding. How she was brought into a world, not through love, but through science. How she woke up in a lab with only Henry there to help her, a man who is only using her for his own gain. How she doesn't understand why she couldn't have stayed resting in a grave. She'd sing about her confusion.

With just the question, "What are they passionate about?" I think that Henry's passionate about science, Victor's passionate about his disregard for Henry's actions, and I wouldn't even know about Mary. But with the question, "What would they do/sing about if there was no fear of consequences?" I come up with so much more.

And so, I ask you, dear reader. What would your character rant about, if only there were no fear of being judged?

(watch Ride The Cyclone, it's great)

#original character #oc #my oc art #creative writing #writing community #writers #writerscommunity #character writing #writblr #writer community #writer things #writer stuff #writers community #writing advice #writing #writing help #writing ideas #writing inspiration #writing inspo #writing problems #writing process #writing tips #writeblr #ocs #oc art #my ocs #drawing #writing prompt #writing stuff #writing prompts

[clockwork-carstairs]

“He smelled of night air, of sweat and cologne and blood. You are all I have. Hold the darkness back. Hold the memories back. Hold me.”

– through blood, chain of thorns | cordelia carstairs and matthew fairchild

#chain of thorns #chot #chain of thorns spoilers #cordelia carstairs #matthew fairchild #they're really living out my escapist dreams #leaving it all behind to escape in the city of love? yeah count me in #ik most people didn't like (even hated) them together but their scenes fucking melted me i couldn't help it. this bit especially ruined me #YES I'M A CLOWN OK??? I KNOW #but he was so TORTURED and she was so miserable in london and they were both so broken and tired at this point and it just #they needed each other and an escape and the possibility of this blissful fantasy even if just for a moment #and even if doomed it was beautiful in its own way #fairstairs #fairstairs chain of thorns

[isfjmel-phleg]

Why I like it: Psmith in the City

After I read and enjoyed Mike and Psmith, I interlibrary-loaned the rest of the series and read them in rapid succession.

And honestly, my greatest appreciation for this book came during rereads and the need to overanalyze the text for annotations and conversations with a very longsuffering Allie.

Mike and Psmith's friendship comes about in the first book, and we get to see how much Psmith is willing to sacrifice for his friend, but their connection really comes to the forefront during Psmith in the City.

There's something delightfully escapist about these two friends rooming in Psmith's luxurious flat, braving the drudgeries of their shared misfortune of working at the bank by day, and living it up in Edwardian London by night. It's a setting that feels very real--and it was! Wodehouse peppers the narrative with real locations, and when I was in London, I was able, using this information, to take a little private walking tour of Psmith's part of town and experience it. Even with the reality of the locations, though, there's a certain glamorization. Thanks to Psmith's father's money, the boys are able to afford an experience of young adulthood and a first job that isn't available to most people, either then or now. And perhaps there's some glamorization of the friendship too.

Because it isn't easy to be Psmith's friend, and this starts to be evident. Psmith is a jerk in a lot of ways in this book, more so than in the others--even in his interactions with Mike. But these moments are easily brushed aside, and the friendship never really suffers. This is a Wodehouse novel, so we can be confident that when things get really bad, Psmith will come through as the good friend that he really is, and he'll find a way to save the day for Mike. The worst of his behavior vanishes by the last part of the book, never to be seen again in how he treats his best friend. Not especially realistic, but it is compelling. A real-life Psmith would be absolutely dreadful to put up with; the page, however, allows us a distance that assures us that despite it all, his intentions are good and he himself is good at heart.

And on the whole, he is. We know this because he really does care about Mike, because he's capable of dropping the flippant mask to show compassion when the situation requires. He's just...a complicated mess here. He's under a lot of stress that he hides most of the time. He's angry at his father and taking that out on his awful boss. He's an arrogant rich kid with more money than is good for him. He has one (1) and only one friend whom he's clinging to like the only thing keeping him afloat in life. (Psmith's got attachment issues, I'm starting to realize. That may be another post.) He's a very complex character, not just the comic relief or the trickster archetype, and because of that, he goes beyond hilarity to being interesting, even if he's not always easy to like.

Mike is still the everyman, perhaps even more so because his story is such a relatable portrait of what it's like to be eighteen, fresh out of school, and having to take on for the first time an adult world that you're unequipped for. Mike's classical education and cricket skills aren't particularly useful now that he has to make a living. The former class clown and jock is now an awkward mess of social anxiety. Wodehouse pokes as much fun at Mike as he does anyone else in the story, but he also takes Mike's struggles and pain seriously--because much of it was probably his own. Mike's grief at losing the glorious future he was promised, his increasing frustration and despair at being trapped in a dead-end job that stifles his talents and personality--they're very real, and poignant.

Mike and Psmith may inhabit a glittering dream world in their version of London and maintain a desirably close friendship that would have probably fallen apart eventually if it existed in the real world. Their shenanigans are sheer comedy with no grounding in reality. But the heart of the story is two eighteen-year-olds on their own in the adult world for the first time, with no support system but each other, trying to figure out life and often failing--and this is what makes the story resonate, because we've all been there.

And sure, their ending is a fairy tale, down to the final lines in which Mike imagines his future as pretty much perfect from now on (which will not turn out to be the case!), but...well, when you're a twenty-something in your first non-college job, taking the bus, feeling incompetent, dealing with difficult coworkers...a fairy-tale ending alongside a true friend is pretty appealing.

#Psmith Pseptember #I RP'd Mike on another social media site for a few years and the City plot was mostly the same year I worked in a public library #and maybe it was silly but playing that character helped get me through that year #I loved having another life to imagine in obsessive detail

[pixel-mess]

I really am feeling will wood core right now like

(long post, lyrics under the cut)

I live deliberately, I'm a quitter And a winner anyway 'Cause I never agreed to participate in this game

Please consider “I'd rather be normal, yes, oh normal. I suggest that we keep this informal, 'Cause a normal human being wouldn't need, To pretend to be normal, to be normal. Well, I guess that's the least that I owe ya. To be normal in a way I couldn't be, yeah. C'mon, c'mon, and love me normally.”

And also “Is it courageous or escapist to leave the quarantine when you're contagious? It may just be a cold, And besides I don't wanna get old, yeah.”

And also “Leave you wondering when they might go back to normal. Leave you wondering why they can’t have just been normal”

And also 

“But I still move my feet

To slip out of this groove, I’m free

Now to row, row, row my boat over the falls

And maybe wake up from but a dream, yeah”

And also

“For what? For what? For what it’s worth

If it was going to kill you, boy, it would have by now

For what? For what? For what it’s worth

There’s no more looking back, it’s looking up or looking down”

And also

“Why to thine own self be true when it is you who are the problem

Not the things you do but something sick inside”

And also

“Offer up your innocence, please ignore the side effects

You’ve lost your mind and almost lost your life before, so you’ll be fine”

And

“At most a couple generations will remember the ways in which

Your life never mattered

So, who cares if it's a waste?”

AND ON TOP OF THAT!! PLEASE CONSIDER THE PURE INTENSE FEELING OF THE BRINK OF INSANITY WITH THESE LINES!!!!

Jam that square peg in the round hole in their heart

I want you to tell 'em that you love the way

That they don't stick out like sore middle fingers

That they crawl their way up the side of the bell curve

Stick their flag in the peak, and slide their way back down

I want you to tell them that you love the way that they're not maladaptive

Not malcontent, not malignant or maleficent, but rather that you love them

Exactly the way that everybody else is!

Is there nothing to fear?

'Cause shit's getting weird

It’s only culture, it’s only culture

It’s only culture, sulfur, smoke, and soot

You learned to torture house cats like vultures

You cocked and sucked your lack of empathy, pulled the trigger with your foot to prove you’ve got

 you got a better idea? It’s about the best we could come up with. What, you think ideas spread because they’re good? No, they spread because people like them. So here we are once again. Holding, as it were, a mirror up to your mirror

I guess it’s just something people do

That everything and everyone goes with the passage of time

#will wood #wilbur wood #lyrics #silly #this is not neg #this is just #idk im feelin things and seeign the world in a different way #the most important thing in life #love me normally #tw #tw? #i do not know but its a long post #long post

[lovesongbracket]

Reminder: Vote based on the song, not the artist or specific recording! The tracks referenced are the original artist, aside from a few rare cases where a cover is the most widely known.

Lyrics, videos, info, and notable covers under the cut. (Spotify playlist available in pinned post)

Love, Me Normally

Written By: Will Wood

Artist: Will Wood

Released: 2020

A smooth and jazzy ballad about feeling like an outlier. Posted in 2016, Will Wood was a guest on WPTV-6, performing this song for the episode. The studio recording of this single was created in 2018, but unreleased until May of 2020.

[Verse 1] In lipstick on the mirror are the lyrics to my obituary In iambic pentameter, followed parameter, cross my eyes, dot my T's I was delivered holding scissors, I live deliberately, I’m a quitter And a winner anyway, cause I never agreed to participate in this game Won't follow my dreams, 'cause they all got me waking up screaming I can’t let them go for me, after all, there is no “I” in team [Chorus] And I'd rather be normal, yes, so normal I suggest that we keep this informal 'Cause a normal human being wouldn't need To pretend to be normal, to be normal Well I guess that's the least that I owe ya To be normal in a way I couldn’t be C’mon, c’mon, and love me normally [Verse 2] If I could live in third person, well, I don’t think life would be much worse than it is In the current tense, presently, this sentence ending in question marks or dot, dot, dot Is it courageous or escapist to leave the quarantine when you’re contagious? It may just be a cold, and besides I don’t wanna get old, yeah I drank myself to death to be the afterlife of the party When the afterparty came, I was rolling in my grave [Chorus] And I'd rather be normal, yes, so normal I suggest that we keep this informal 'Cause a normal human being wouldn't need To pretend to be normal, to be normal Well I guess that's the least that I owe ya To be normal in a way I couldn’t be C’mon, c’mon, and love me normally [Bridge 1, spoken] Now this is the part of the song where I like to talk to my audience I like to tell 'em there's something I want from you hep cats tonight I want you to look to your left, look to your right, your 12 o'clock, three o'clock, six o'clock, nine o'clock, rock around the clock tonight And I want you to find those points of no return, those singularities, those burning rings of fire in the beautiful pupils and the beautiful eyes of the beautiful boy, girl, neither, both, or in-between that you brought with you tonight, and I want you to tell 'em how you really feel I want you to love the way they so seamlessly, like-a-dream-fully, so beautifully, oh-so-dutifully jam that square peg in the round hole in their hearts I want you to tell 'em that you love the way that they don't stick out like sore middle fingers That they crawl their way up the side of the bell curve, stick their flag in the peak, and slide their way back down I want you to tell them that you love the way that they're not maladaptive, not malcontent, not malignant or maleficent, but rather that you love them exactly the way that everybody else is [Bridge 2] I was nothing before, so I couldn’t have asked to be born I'll be nothing again, so what am I between now and then? Is there nothing to fear? Cause shit's getting weird So to God who made this man, you better have one hell of a plan [Chorus] And I'd rather be normal, yes, so normal I suggest that we keep this informal 'Cause a normal human being wouldn't need, no To pretend to be normal, to be normal Well, I guess that's the least that I owe ya To be normal in a way I could never be C’mon, c’mon, yeah, I said c’mon, yeah C’mon, c’mon, yeah, I said c’mon, yeah C’mon, c’mon, and love me normally C'mon, c'mon and love me normally

Do I Wanna Know?

Written By: Alex Turner

Artist: Arctic Monkeys

Released: 2013

Cover included: Hozier, 2014

“Do I Wanna Know” is the second single from AM, premiered live at the Ventura Theatre, CA on May 22, 2013. In it, Alex portrays himself as an obsessive lover that is paranoid about the state of his relationship.

[Verse 1] Have you got colour in your cheeks? Do you ever get that fear that you can't shift the tide That sticks around like summat in your teeth? Are there some aces up your sleeve? Have you no idea that you're in deep? I've dreamt about you nearly every night this week How many secrets can you keep? 'Cause there's this tune I found That makes me think of you somehow an' I play it on repeat Until I fall asleep, spillin' drinks on my settee [Pre-Chorus] (Do I wanna know?) If this feelin' flows both ways? (Sad to see you go) Was sorta hopin' that you'd stay (Baby, we both know) That the nights were mainly made For sayin' things that you can't say tomorrow day [Chorus] Crawlin' back to you Ever thought of callin' when You've had a few? 'Cause I always do Maybe I'm too Busy bein' yours To fall for somebody new Now, I've thought it through Crawlin' back to you [Verse 2] So have you got the guts? Been wonderin' if your heart's still open And if so, I wanna know what time it shuts Simmer down an' pucker up, I'm sorry to interrupt It's just I'm constantly on the cusp of tryin' to kiss you But I don't know if you feel the same as I do But we could be together if you wanted to [Pre-Chorus] (Do I wanna know?) If this feelin' flows both ways? (Sad to see you go) Was sorta hopin' that you'd stay (Baby, we both know) That the nights were mainly made For sayin' things that you can't say tomorrow day [Chorus] Crawlin' back to you (Crawlin' back to you) Ever thought of callin' when You've had a few? (Had a few) 'Cause I always do ('Cause I always do) Maybe I'm too (Maybe I'm too busy) Busy bein' yours (Bein' yours) To fall for somebody new Now, I've thought it through Crawlin' back to you [Outro] (Do I wanna know?) If this feelin' flows both ways? (Sad to see you go) Was sorta hopin' that you'd stay (Baby, we both know) That the nights were mainly made For sayin' things that you can't say tomorrow day (Do I wanna know?) Too busy bein' yours to fall (Sad to see you go) Ever thought of callin', darlin'? (Do I wanna know?) Do you want me crawlin' back to you?

#will wood #love me normally #do i wanna know? #arctic monkeys #hozier #polls #poll tournament #poll bracket #tournament #bracket #lovesongbracket #round2 #Youtube

[amorphousprimordia]

I was gonna sing this and put it to misic and stuff, but I don't wanna, so without further ado, here's Love, Me Abnormally by Won't Wouldn't!

(Long post ahead)

In lipbalm on the window

Are the vowels to my birth certificate

In trochaic rhythm, ignored parameter

Crossed my T's, dot my eyes

I was delivered holding knifes,

I live undeliberately, I'm no quitter

And a loser anyway

Cause I completely agreed to participate in this game

Will follow my dreams

Yeah, they don't got me waking up screaming

I can't let them go from me

After all there's an "I" in enemies!

And I'd rather be abnormal. Yes, abnormal

I suggest that we keep this quite formal

Cause abnormal humans being would need

To pretend to be abnormal, be abnormal

Well I guess at the most I don't owe ya

To be abnormal in a way I could be

C'mon, c'mon, and love me abnormally

If I could live in first person

Well I do think life would be much better than it is

In the future tense, eventually

This sentence ending without question marks nor dot dot dot

It is courageous not escapist

To enter quarantine when you're noncontagious

It may not be a cold

And besides I just wanna get old, yeah

I drank myself to life to be the past death of the party

When the before party came, I wasn’t rolling in my grave

And I'd rather be abnormal. Yes, abnormal

I suggest that we keep this quite formal

Cause abnormal humans being wouldn need

To pretend to be abnormal be abnormal

Well I guess at the most I don't owe ya

To be abnormal in a way I could be

C'mon, c'mon, and love me abnormally

Now this is the part of the song where I hate to talk to my audience

I like to tell 'em there's nothing I want from you hep dogs today

I want you to look to your left, look to your right

Your nine o'clock, twelve o'clock, three o'clock, six o'clock, rock away from the clock tonight

And I want you to find those points of all return, those multilarities

Those freezing rings of ice in the disgusting pupils of the horrible eyes of the revolting

Girl, boy, both, neither, or in-between that you left behind tonight

And I don't want you to tell 'em how you really feel

I want you to tell 'em that you hate the way they unseamlessly, nightmare-illy

Not beautifully, Oh no dutifully

Jam that round peg in the square hole in their heart

I want you to tell 'em that you hate the way

That they stick out like fine middle fingers

That they crawl their way down the side of the bell curve

Leave their flag from the peak, and climb their way back up

I want you to tell them that you hate the way that they're so maladaptive

So malcontent, So malignant and maleficent, but rather that you hate them

Not in the way that nobody else is

I was everything before so I could have asked to be born

I'll be everything again, so what am I after now and then

Is there something to fear? Cause shit's staying weird

So to Devil who made this man, you better not have any plans

I'd rather be abnormal. Yes, abnormal

I suggest that we keep this quite formal

Cause abnormal humans being would need

To pretend to be abnormal to be abnormal

Well I guess that's the most that I don't owe ya

To be abnormal in a way I could be

C'mon, c'mon, no, please don't c'mon, no

C'mon, c'mon, no, please don't c'mon, no

C'mon, c'mon, and love me abnormall

#won't wouldn't #won't wouldn't and the ringworms #wwatrw #will wood #will wood and the tapeworms #wwattw #long post #if anyone wants to preform this be my guest

[thatbendyfan]

In lipstick on the mirror Are the lyrics to my obituary In iambic pentameter, followed parameter Crossing my eyes, dot my T's I was delivered holding scissors I live deliberately, I'm a quitter And a winner anyway Cause I never agreed to participate in this game Won't follow my dreams No, they've all got me waking up screaming I can let them go from me After all there is no "I" in team

And I'd rather be normal. Yes, so normal I suggest that we keep this informal Cause a normal human being wouldn't need To pretend to be normal to be normal Well I guess that's the least that I owe ya To be normal in a way I couldn't be C'mon, c'mon, and love me normally

If I could live in third person Well I don't think life would be much worse than it is In the current tense, presently This sentence ending with question marks or dot dot dot Is it courageous or escapist To leave the quarantine when you're contagious It may just be a cold And besides I don't wanna get old I drank myself to death to be the afterlife of the party When the afterparty came, I was rolling in my grave

And I'd rather be normal. Yes, so normal I suggest that we keep this informal Cause a normal human being wouldn't need To pretend to be normal to be normal Well I guess that's the least that I owe ya To be normal in a way I couldn't be C'mon, c'mon, and love me normally

Now this is the part of the song where I like to talk to my audience I like to tell 'em there's something I want from you hep cats tonight I want you to look to your left, look to your right Your 12 o'clock, three o'clock, six o'clock, nine o'clock, rock around the clock tonight And I want you to find those points of no return, those singularities Those burning rings of fire in the beautiful pupils of the beautiful eyes of the beautiful Boy, girl, neither, both, or in-between that you brought with you tonight And I want you to tell 'em how you really feel I want you to tell 'em that you love the way they so seamlessly, like a dreamfully So beautifully, oh so dutifully Jam that square peg in the round hole in their heart I want you to tell 'em that you love the way That they don't stick out like sore middle fingers That they crawl their way up the side of the bell curve Stick their flag in the peak, and slide their way back down I want you to tell them that you love the way that they're not maladaptive Not malcontent, not malignant or maleficent, but rather that you love them Exactly the way that everybody else is

I was nothing before so I couldn't have asked to be born I'll be nothing again, so what am I between now and then Is there nothing to fear? Cause shit's getting weird So to God who made this man, you better have one hell of a plan

I'd rather be normal. Yes, so normal I suggest that we keep this informal Cause a normal human being wouldn't need. No To pretend to be normal to be normal Well I guess that's the least that I owe ya To be normal in a way I could never be C'mon, c'mon, yeah, I said c'mon, yeah C'mon, c'mon, yeah, I said c'mon, yeah C'mon, c'mon, and love me normally

i was about to go to sleep. thanks crisis averted

[normal-album-daily]

HI I AM very very interested in your abnormal album and i store every tidbit of it you mention in my bed (love me abnormally, all of that) please share some lyrics you have made that is the opposite of the actual lyrics ??

— @incaseimakeit-daily

Okay so I created Won't Wouldn't when I first got in to the WW fandom in like, 2022, I made some silly images but I lost them :< But here's the full lyrics to Love, Me Abnormally that I do still have!!

In lipbalm on the window

Are the vowels to my birth certificate

In trochaic rhythm, ignored parameter

Crossed my T's, dot my eyes

I was delivered holding knifes,

I live undeliberately, I'm no quitter

And a loser anyway

Cause I completely agreed to participate in this game

Will follow my dreams

Yeah, they don't got me waking up screaming

I can't let them go from me

After all there's an "I" in enemies!

And I'd rather be abnormal. Yes, abnormal

I suggest that we keep this quite formal

Cause abnormal humans being would need

To pretend to be abnormal, be abnormal

Well I guess at the most I don't owe ya

To be abnormal in a way I could be

C'mon, c'mon, and love me abnormally

If I could live in first person

Well I do think life would be much better than it is

In the future tense, eventually

This sentence ending without question marks nor dot dot dot

It is courageous not escapist

To enter quarantine when you're noncontagious

It may not be a cold

And besides I just wanna get old, yeah

I drank myself to life to be the past death of the party

When the before party came, I wasn’t rolling in my grave

And I'd rather be abnormal. Yes, abnormal

I suggest that we keep this quite formal

Cause abnormal humans being wouldn need

To pretend to be abnormal be abnormal

Well I guess at the most I don't owe ya

To be abnormal in a way I could be

C'mon, c'mon, and love me abnormally

Now this is the part of the song where I hate to talk to my audience

I like to tell 'em there's nothing I want from you hep dogs today

I want you to look to your left, look to your right

Your nine o'clock, twelve o'clock, three o'clock, six o'clock, rock away from the clock tonight

And I want you to find those points of all return, those multilarities

Those freezing rings of ice in the disgusting pupils of the horrible eyes of the revolting

Girl, boy, both, neither, or in-between that you left behind tonight

And I don't want you to tell 'em how you really feel

I want you to tell 'em that you hate the way they unseamlessly, nightmare-illy

Not beautifully, Oh no dutifully

Jam that round peg in the square hole in their heart

I want you to tell 'em that you hate the way

That they stick out like fine middle fingers

That they crawl their way down the side of the bell curve

Leave their flag from the peak, and climb their way back up

I want you to tell them that you hate the way that they're so maladaptive

So malcontent, So malignant and maleficent, but rather that you hate them

Not in the way that nobody else is

I was everything before so I could have asked to be born

I'll be everything again, so what am I after now and then

Is there something to fear? Cause shit's staying weird

So to Devil who made this man, you better not have any plans

I'd rather be abnormal. Yes, abnormal

I suggest that we keep this quite formal

Cause abnormal humans being would need

To pretend to be abnormal to be abnormal

Well I guess that's the most that I don't owe ya

To be abnormal in a way I could be

C'mon, c'mon, no, please don't c'mon, no

C'mon, c'mon, no, please don't c'mon, no

C'mon, c'mon, and love me abnormally

#normal post #abnormal post #won't wouldn't

[sekhithefops]

Boopin' Heck...

So, this week I've seen Blizzcon's announcements which:

Included the next THREE WoW expansions and the announcement of The Worldsoul Saga, along with the return of Chris Metzen being Chris Metzen as hard as he can Metzen.

The reveal of Earthen as an allied race which totally changed my planned ending of the Dragonflight story arc for one of my characters in Adventures in Azeroth (try to guess which one!)

And the overarching story sent me on such a crazy idea splurge I now have two brand new characters I'm working on.

At the same time on Monday...

Nick Calandra, former Editor in Chief of the Escapist... well, became the former EiC as he was unceremoniously booted from the website by it's new owners, the GAMURS Group, for 'not meeting projected goals.' What goals? Well Nick and the others would have liked to know that.

In response to his termination, and several others, basically everyone involved with the animation side of The Escapist walked out on them... INCLUDING BEN "YAHTZEE" CROSHAW OF ZERO PUNCTUATION. With his departure, the Escapist is effectively dead, at least on the video side of matters.

Within a day however they announced they were banding together to form a new independent studio, Second Wind, of which I'm now a Patreon of and watching every ounce of news I get with bated breath as I hope against hope that they can save Adventure is Nigh, which is their own Critical Roll-esque D&D campaign. They're trying to get the rights to the IP, but whether or not they will is the question.

THE VERY NEXT DAY...

Guardians of the Dream went live and I was able to dive in headfirst into the new storyline, got a ton of cool shit for my druid, and even came up with the idea of having her shapeshift forms be a THEME based on seasons just by noticing that this was a thing I could pull off.

I have a ton of new writing ideas and am almost ready to continue writing Adventures in Azeroth now and begin a huge finale for Dragonflight for my characters.

THEN TODAY...

Nick and Yahtzee hosted a stream where they discussed the future for Second Wind. Zero Punctuation is dead, long live Fully Ramblonic! Yahtzee will continue with his own brand, leaving ZP to rot uselessly as without him its essentially a dead show anyways.

They announced that even if they can't get Adventure is Nigh back that Jack Packard came with them and there will be something D&D related... but given I really loved the story for two of the characters (Grinderbin and Dabarella if you know the show) I'll still be really upset.

They also announced a bunch of their newer shows like Design Delve, Cold Take, and the like were able to be saved and that Yahtzee will be continuing his "Extra Punctuation" series under the new title, "Semi Ramblonic."

It will NEVER be more appropriate to use the following image:

#second wind group #the escapist #world of warcraft #dragonflight #guardians of the dream #seriously what a fucking week

[moonlarked]

Sophie Foster + Love Me, Normally by Will Wood

“In lipstick on the mirror

Are the lyrics to my obituary

In iambic pentameter, followed parameter

Crossing my eyes, dot my T's

I was delivered holding scissors

I live deliberately, I'm a quitter

And a winner anyway

Cause I never agreed to participate in this game

Won't follow my dreams

No, they've all got me waking up screaming

I can let them go from me

After all there is no "I" in team

And I'd rather be normal. Yes, so normal

I suggest that we keep this informal

Cause a normal human being wouldn't need

To pretend to be normal to be normal

Well I guess that's the least that I owe ya

To be normal in a way I couldn't be

C'mon, c'mon, and love me normally

If I could live in third person

Well I don't think life would be much worse than it is

In the current tense, presently

This sentence ending with question marks or dot dot dot

Is it courageous or escapist

To leave the quarantine when you're contagious

It may just be a cold

And besides I don't wanna get old

I drank myself to death to be the afterlife of the party

When the afterparty came, I was rolling in my grave

And I'd rather be normal. Yes, so normal

I suggest that we keep this informal

Cause a normal human being wouldn't need

To pretend to be normal to be normal

Well I guess that's the least that I owe ya

To be normal in a way I couldn't be

C'mon, c'mon, and love me normally

Now this is the part of the song where I like to talk to my audience

I like to tell 'em there's something I want from you hep cats tonight

I want you to look to your left, look to your right

Your 12 o'clock, three o'clock, six o'clock, nine o'clock, rock around the clock tonight

And I want you to find those points of no return, those singularities

Those burning rings of fire in the beautiful pupils of the beautiful eyes of the beautiful

Boy, girl, neither, both, or in-between that you brought with you tonight

And I want you to tell 'em how you really feel

I want you to tell 'em that you love the way they so seamlessly, like a dreamfully

So beautifully, oh so dutifully

Jam that square peg in the round hole in their heart

I want you to tell 'em that you love the way

That they don't stick out like sore middle fingers

That they crawl their way up the side of the bell curve

Stick their flag in the peak, and slide their way back down

I want you to tell them that you love the way that they're not maladaptive

Not malcontent, not malignant or maleficent, but rather that you love them

Exactly the way that everybody else is

I was nothing before so I couldn't have asked to be born

I'll be nothing again, so what am I between now and then

Is there nothing to fear? Cause shit's getting weird

So to God who made this man, you better have one hell of a plan

I'd rather be normal. Yes, so normal

I suggest that we keep this informal

Cause a normal human being wouldn't need. No

To pretend to be normal to be normal

Well I guess that's the least that I owe ya

To be normal in a way I could never be

C'mon, c'mon, yeah, I said c'mon, yeah

C'mon, c'mon, yeah, I said c'mon, yeah

C'mon, c'mon, and love me normally”

#kotlc #keeper of the lost cities #sophie foster #sophie elizabeth foster #kotlc sophie #kotlc soundtrack

[rosesastrology]

I’d be very interested to hear anything else you have to say a sag moons! Two of my closest friends are sag moons and I feel like it’s a placement that doesn’t get talked about a whole lot- I am a virgo moon btw and I always click with sag moons

You're at the right address!

Personally, I never related to the whole description of 'you're a social butterfly who will travel the whole world and are an escapist' description. Here's what I notice from myself & other people in my life with Sag Moons:

Sagittarius Moon:

Not as extrovert as we get credit for. At first I attributed it to having a lot of water in my chart, but even the people I know with multiple Sag positions in their chart are not really extroverted. I know there are extroverted Sags out there, and I see y'all, but usually this doesn't come from the Sag influence (alone). And if it does, it tends to be a late Sag (beyond 25°) and often with Gemini Sun.

Sagittarius Moons are very curious. About very random things, but particularly about philosophy, religion, ethics, foreign culture, language, publishing, research, fame, literature, self-discovery, guidance, wisdom, dreams, divination, mysticism, beliefs, etc. Anything to do with deep questions and higher learning, anything that's bigger than themselves will interest them. Never forget that they're signified by the Crotus—put in the sky by Zeus for his diligence.

They're quite funny. I suppose it's the influence of Jupiter coming through.

While often associated with luck, and at times truthfully so, I think the real luck of Sag Moons is their ability to get through things emotionally and come out better in the end—somehow they always come out better, no matter how low they were. Things tend to work themselves out.

In my experience it's not true that Sag Moons only see the silver lining, it's more that Sag Moons clasp onto their beliefs—and whatever works for them works. At times that is positivity. People call them open-minded because of the associations with travel and boundlessness, but actually they can be quite rigid when it comes to their beliefs and what they were taught. You'll often find them say they're open-minded though, but don't be surprised if you'll also find them say they're opinionated in the same sentence💀

Pick up new things quickly.

At times it's difficult for Sag Moons to actually deal with their emotions without some form of escapism, it depends on the rest of the chart, but I can't think of a single person with Sag Moon where this doesn't come through at least a little bit. Also, beware: daydreaming counts, boos :)

When mixed with earth and/or air placements, they can have a hard time feeling the emotions and will instead spend time making up plans or analyzing the emotions.

Now, if it's a lot fire—whoo, boy. These emotions rise up quickly and die out quickly. But very intensily. Beware of grudges. Though tbh at times they're deserved.

Perfect person to talk to late at night. Will talk to you about anything, really.

Can be impulsive if they feel like the feeling is 'right', quite likely to go with their gut, but will (usually) still consider the facts.

Idk why but they tend to like drama to a certain extent simply because it's interesting and novel—it's not that they like to be present in the drama, but they like to know about it.

If they demand freedom anywhere, it's definitely in terms of their emotions. They're extremely independent when it comes to what they shoulder, how and when.

Somewhat easily reactive/irritable.

Their lives tend to be intense as in, some big event that impacts them a lot happens every 1-2 years or so.

Really they just want places that feel safe, and for some that includes new places. They tend to have some place where they can unwind.

"Maybe I should run away and change my name and start over..." thoughts.

Bold: yes. Extroverted? Usually not as much as you'd think.

#sagittarius moon #sagittarius

[radgranny]

I want to move away and start over but I literally have no idea where I'd go. I spent all my time focusing on graduating college that I lost everyone and myself in the shuffle. I'm not interested in hobbies anymore they just feel like chores. I tried dating apps just to meet people bc Covid but they're so, boring? How do people know where to go? Everyday I feel like I'm rotting in place just, waiting. I do like kayaking though

The first time I just went anywhere. I used the school as an excuse to move out of state. I didn't even apply to the school with the intention of actually going. I just threw in one out-of-state school at random, not really thinking about where it was, or having ever even visited the school, let alone been to the state.

The second time I moved I used a job as an excuse to move where I did, but it was really just because it's where my boyfriend was living. And I love this city but hate that I moved here for him, so it doesn't even feel like home.

I don't know how people know where to go. Honestly, the escapist fantasy probably isn't the best way to cope, I feel like you have to go with intention--"i moved for my career," "I moved to follow my dreams," "I moved because I can do xxxx hobby here" otherwise, you're kind of just wandering from place to place, avoiding the core problem, and probably just repeating the cycle of feeling like you're rotting away.

If kayaking still sparks some joy in your life, I'd say pick where you want to move based on where there are great kayaking spots. Just be sure to consider things like whether you can deal with the climate, support yourself financially, has jobs in the job you work in/want to get into, etc.

#answered

[manycoloredkingdom]

I was originally going to post about books that I'm reading for Changeling. But, in the process, I realized that there was something that interested me far more.

Bad storytelling.

I was involved in a changeling game a while back that was being run by, probably, the worst storyteller I ever had.

Or maybe that isn't really fair.

They wanted an escapist fantasy rather than a story of Gothic horror and latched onto the brightly colored pages of Changeling. And, I will admit, it is hard to remember that the focus is meant to be on loss.

Loss of home.

Loss of standing.

Loss of faith.

Loss of hope.

The colors are fading and Winter is coming (oh yes... I did that. I went there.).

Granted that I think the World of Darkness is difficult for many people to run well. We have a tendency to shy away from the ugly, hurtful things.

The theme of loss is thrown stark relief while you play the game. Your character can't really fit in with humanity but they can't go home to Arcadia as they are. Going into the Far and Deep Dreaming causes your footsteps to blacken the ground because of the Banality a changeling carries with them.

There's nothing wrong with running a game how you want to. I'm not saying that. At the end of the day it's all make believe. I'm not going to push the darkness of the setting, given how young the kids are.

But, what is wrong, and something that really hurt my enjoyment of the game:

Creative snobbery.

I had and still have a difficult time understanding how Chimerical senses work in the mundane world. It's a little funky and not well explained. That's kind of on the storyteller.

My storyteller? They just gave a condescending smile and said that I just didn't get it.

Firstly, no. I didn't get it. Games like Mage, Wraith, and Changeling take a little time to wrap your head around the mechanics for something as simple as how you see the world. So, like many new players, I didn't get it.

But for a Storyteller to behave that way? I disengaged almost immediately.

It turns out that telling someone that they "just don't get it" implies that they won't get it if you tried to explain it. Top it off with the fact that there are ways to explain it.

For example: I run it sensually.

Not like that. Get your head out of the gutter.

I like to use the smells of seasons. A smell of fresh turned soil, blooms, sounds of birdsong, a feeling of safety or excitement, a sense of living pervades low Banality areas in my world. The higher ones might smell straddle or empty, like a pantry at the hardest point of winter. A sense of desperation, misery, and need would pervade a very high Banality area.

Since Chimera and other creatures of dream can't abuse these places, there's not much need to get into what they're like there. But I let the location decide what chimera there are in an area.

A mental asylum isn't likely to have happy dream bugs, or talking bunnies (for instance). Moving shadows and whispery voices? Totally. Delusions in white coats with syringes full of venom? Absolutely. And will that Dr Delusion (I am so using that name) speak in bizarre gibberish with a posh British accent? You bet.

But I think the thing to remember is that storytelling is about half improvisation and when you improvise the answer is never, ever "no".

The answer should always be "yes, and". Or "yes, but". A yes is an open door to more interaction. A no slams that same door shut.

Open doors for your players. Don't close them.

#Books #Nerd #changeling the dreaming #Recommended reading #adhd