#Ain't that the most surprising choice ever lol | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

noaltbruh · 1 year

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hey! I saw requests were open, if it's not a problem. what would bucci gang think of a fem reader with short hair or a buzzcut?

Not me googling what a buzzcut is-

But sure! 😄 I'm...Very sorry this turned out so short, I must admit I had some troubles coming up with what to write. If you ever want to request something else, you're more than welcomed to ^^

Bucci gang with a S/O with a buzzcut.

Giorno 🐞

Can I just say Giorno admires you in a certain way?

He knows that it's not a very conventional "feminine" haircut, and that you may get bad looks from some... People, from time to time.

But he really approves the way you don't seem to worry about what others think in the slightest, it's something he finds really fascinating in a person.

He supports your look 100% and tells you how beautiful you are in his eyes any time he can.

I can see him buying you a lot of outfits to go with the rest of your appearance. He loves to spoil you and thinks it's a better way to prove he truly believes you look stunning.

His long hair and braid create a nice contrast to your own. He thinks it's nice how the two of you break the usual norms for female and male beauty.

Bruno 🤐

Bruno loves how much your haircut makes you stick out for the norm.

He encourages you to express yourself in any way it makes you feel comfortable, and if it's with a buzzcut, why not?

He'll be ready to send away just with a single look anyone who may have something to say about your appearance.

He'd invite you to ignore those who don't approve of your image and he'd constantly remind you that "long hair for women" is purely a convention. You don't have to conform to anything nor anyone.

I can see him wanting you to try on his little hairpins just because he thinks they'd look nice on you. If you don't want to though, it's alright and he wouldn't care to insist :)

Mista

Buddy I wouldn't be surprised if he had a buzzcut too if he ain't straight up bald lol

He thinks your short hair makes you look pretty badass, he likes to show off to the others how cool his girlfriend is.

He loves the way it makes you stand out from the ordinary and how you don't care about how people may judge you for your appearance.

The pistols probably like to sit on your head when they're tired, I'm sorry.

He gives you his hat to protect you from them, although he's kinda sad about covering your haircut.

Narancia 🍊

Narancia doesn't mind your look at all! He thinks it's so cool that you look pretty different from most girls he's met growing up.

Please let him put his headband on you, he thinks you'd look adorable with it.

He's probably considered getting a buzzcut too just to match with you. With enough convincing, you might actually get him to do it.

Forgive me for this, but he'd totally use your head as a drum whenever he's getting bored.

He'll stop as soon as you ask him though.

He can, and will stab anyone who says anything negative about your look. No one criticises his girlfriend and gets away with it.

Fugo 🍓

To be honest, Fugo never really thought much about your appearance until you pointed it out to him.

Not because you're ugly, of course. He simply thinks it's your body and you choose how to show yourself to others, it's a style choice like anything else.

But if you were to directly ask him what he thinks about it, he won't hesitate to show that he genuinely does love your look.

Probably kisses your head very often to make up for the time he appeared a bit disinterested at first. He doesn't mean to make you think he doesn't care about it, he just thinks you're beautiful in any case.

After some time though, even when you're sure he held no ill intentions, he just keeps on doing it because he loves kissing you in general.

Abbacchio ⏮️

Okay, Abbacchio probably thought from the very beginning that your look was quite astounding. He loved the slightly masculine vibe you gave off, in contrast with his long hair.

But is he going to say that out loud? No, or course not. He can't admit something, at least in his mind, so "cheesy", even if it's not really so bad.

When you directly ask him what he thinks about your appearance, he tries to avoid and change the subject as soon as possible, which most likely leads you to believe you look bad in his eyes.

Normally, you don't really care about what people have to say about it, but it hurts coming from your partner.

Nonetheless the man is not stupid, and he can see that his response hurt you.

So, albeit still reluctantly, he will try to show more appreciation for your haircut, just enough for you to realize he really means it.

Trish 🎙

Okay, I'll be honest with you: Trish probably didn't like your haircut a lot at first. It's just not really her style.

If you're part of the gang and met her while escorting her, she might even say it to your face at some point. If you met her later, she'll just keep it to herself.

Either way, once she starts to warm up to you, she'll apologize and ask you to forgive her for her rude comments, or even for just thinking that.

Being with you made her appreciate this new type of look more, she kind of likes the way it seems to to balance out her own quite feminine appearance.

She's a bit sad she can't try many haircuts on you, so she loves to do your make up to make it match with your overall vibe.

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blaiddfailcam · 9 months

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Yeah honestly I can understand why Blaidd and Maliketh were abandoned by Ranni and Marika

They had no choice,they both wanted to revolt against the Greater Will so keeping their Shadows mean keeping someone who's sure to kill them on any given day should they even have a thought of rebellion,so there was no choice to abandon them

What's more hurtful is that Blaidd and Maliketh are painfully aware of it,the mistresses they were born to serve have to give up on them bcuz they're literally the biggest adversities to who they seen as their most beloveds

(I still wonder if Ranni is still an Empyrean since she already killed off her original physical vessel, I think she's tied to the Two Fingers/Greater Will by flesh,not soul)

I like to think that Marika used to cuddle with Maliketh a lot cuz he was fluffy

In Blaidd's case, he doesn't appear to have been informed of his nature as a "bringer of bale," at least not until Iji trapped him in the evergaol. Speaking to him there, he expresses disbelief, insisting Iji must have simply gone senile. Even worse, if you attack him after setting him free, he whimpers and begs you to stop, before growling, "Fine. I am the blade of Ranni, whatever any of you might call me." As much as he hates to admit, he seems convinced that his friends have betrayed him. If you kill him there (though he'll simply resurrect), he laments, "Why... why am I bale to Ranni?" :(

Maliketh's history is a bit more, ahem, fuzzy. He was created for a more specialized purpose, to defeat the Gloam-Eyed Queen and seal Destined Death, thus establishing the Golden Order and allowing Marika to become an avatar for Eternity. Ever since, it's implied that Maliketh remained in Farum Azula alone with the Rune of Death in order to prevent it from sullying Order.

Although it's a very sad, lonely role to fill, he served Marika from a distance with his unshakeable faith. That is, until Ranni and Rykard managed to steal a fragment of the Rune of Death, leading to Marika's madness and her attempt to shatter the Elden Ring—a direct violation of the Greater Will. From what I gather, the red shard impaling Marika is a fragment of the Rune of Death as well, suggesting that Maliketh was forced to kill her as punishment for her transgression, much like Blaidd is designed to do. Whether this was Marika's intention or not is unclear, but she is said to have "betrayed" him. (I explore more on this plot in my analysis of Radagon and Marika as two wills.)

Of course... that isn't to say Marika and Maliketh weren't pals prior to their grand destiny to slay the Gloam-Eyed Queen. I'm sure Maliketh's adoration for her wasn't entirely preconceived by the Two Fingers. Ain't no way she didn't snuggle up in his mane at some point, or maybe even ride on his back across the lands of Numen. :)

While Ranni's flesh is the Empyrean body she discarded, I guess that doesn't entirely liberate her from the Two Fingers' decree, but it does keep them from "controlling" her any longer. Ever since her betrayal, she was hunted by the Baleful Shadows. She even expresses a bit of surprise that Blaidd remained loyal to her, perhaps indicating that he wasn't included or informed of her plot to begin with. It's fun to ponder just how much she really trusted him, even if she loved him.

The sad thing is, while I agree Ranni had no real choice but to turn on Blaidd, her ambition seems less so fueled by any desire to bring harmony to the world, but more so out of vanity. Clearly, she isn't opposed to sacrificing her family or loved ones so long as she can eventually realize her dream. That's... largely why I never complete her quest anymore, lol. I just feel so bad for Blaidd and Iji, even if they were foolish to follow Ranni down this path.

They're a neat cast of characters that resonate with the overarching theme in Miyazaki's stories that love and friendship are often destructive, but only so far as power casts a shadow over good intentions. It's all the more fitting that Ranni chooses to embody despair and darkness.

#elden ring #my ramblings #blaidd #maliketh #ranni #marika

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theowritesfiction · 1 year

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'The Crossroads of Destiny'

Aaah, here we go with the epic finale of Book 2, I have been waiting for this.

Azula ordering the Dai Li around like a queen... you know, I'm not even surprised that people watch the entire show and then are shocked to find out that she's 14. Which just makes her that much more amazing, obviously. What really makes this scene for me, though, is Ty Lee just cheerfully making tea for her girls nearby, enjoying Azula's speech and simping hard. And Mai is just loving it.

Aang lying to his friends about mastering the Avatar State... umm no I'm still salty about the previous episode and this ain't helping. 30 more Jerk Points.

Okay, Iroh using his fire breathing trick to escape Azula's trap was very neat. I love how Iroh facepalms when Zuko states that he's going to face Azula. And Azula just plays it so cool. 'You're so dramatic, Zuko.' lmao, he really is. <3 Agni Kai? lol, no thank u. I love this girl. <3

Iroh pleading with Gaang to help him save Zuko... I mean, on one hand I like that he's not proud enough to ask because he cares about Zuko that much. But on the other hand, I am still salty when he claims that there's good in Zuko, while unwilling to see anything but rot and evil in Azula.

I love the little scene when the Dai Li agent reports to Long Feng in his cell, the agent just can't stop going on about how great Azula is. Okay, guy, we get you, she really is that great.

The crystal catacombs scene with Katara and Zuko was pretty much a starting point for one of my early atla fanfics, so I've done my fair share thinking about this scene already. But it would be silly not to acknowledge how defining it is for a large part of the fanbase. I mean, this is the scene that pretty much kickstarted Zutara. And even if I no longer actively ship them, I have to admit, Katara and Zuko just have strong chemistry. Katara touching Zuko's scar, the looks they exchange when Katara leaves, it's all there if you want to look for it.

But I have to say... Katara claiming that she was saving the spirit oasis water for 'something important' when offering to heal Zuko's scar now just makes me think back of Lake Laogai and become angry. The writers did Jet dirty, and they also did Katara dirty by implying that she would let Jet die and not consider him important enough to save his life? Screw that. We all know that Katara would have stayed behind and saved Jet. This is a shameful plot hole.

And I do love the twist of Aang dying because Katara is unable to save him because she healed Jet or Zuko prior to Azula's lightning blast. I love it when a character as hopeful and pure is sent spiraling towards full emotional breakdown and descending into darkness, as I believe watching Aang die would do to Katara. It's a tempting scenario for me to explore.

Iroh's conversation with Aang as they make their way to the catacombs... Iroh validating Aang's terrible decision not to unlock the Avatar State, you don't know what you're talking about, old man, so stop flapping your gums. 40 Jerk Points for terrible advice.

I love the scene of Toph and Sokka trying to alert the Earth King. Azula is like... I'm not even going to lower myself to fighting those two. She just ends the fight by threatening Kuei. But I love how she lets the girls have a bit of fun with Toph and Sokka. I still love the Sokka/Ty Lee flirting. Sure Sokka, you're 'involved' with Suki. You've spent less time with Suki than you have with Ty Lee. The triple-cross of Long Feng is perhaps the most iconic Azula moment. I think it's very interesting that Azula invokes the divine right of rule as her political legitimacy, when I don't think that Zuko ever refers to it - even if it IS the only reason why he has any claim on the Fire Nation throne.

Zuko making his choice... I'm trying to see how it could come across as Azula manipulating him into making the 'wrong' choice, but... she really doesn't. This decision is all Zuko. Okay, when Azula promises Zuko that he will have his father's love, she is obviously saying what Zuko wants to hear. But at the same time, Azula has a very warped understanding of what their father's 'love' even is. She thinks she has it, but we know she doesn't, not really. It's all conditional, and Zuko coming back home as a fellow conqueror of Ba Sing Se fulfils these conditions so... it's not that Azula is even lying here. And unlike on my first watch of the show, I'm not even mad at Zuko for his betrayal. It's so understandable to me now that I can't even give him Jerk Points for it.

Okay these are some of the most iconic fight scenes in the show between the four kids. Zuko for once is able to put up a good fight against Aang. Azula fighting Katara means everything to me. <3 I had forgotten how well matched those two are and Katara almost gets the better of Azula. <3 Azula using her blue flame jets to completely destroy Aang. Zuko and Azula teaming up to overpower Katara... just amazing scenes. Zuko and Azula working together are so deadly. <3

The scene of Sokka and Toph liberating Bosco is so sweet and funny. Ty Lee trying to teach the bear how to hand walk <3 Mai not even bothering to put in any effort to defend a stupid bear. Yeah, she's soooo afraid of Azula punishing her, right?

Iroh turning traitor and allowing Katara to escape with Aang was a decision that has always fascinated me, because I think that Iroh is a more complex character with more complex motivations than to just decide 'well I've finally realized who the good guys are and so I'm going to go against my nephew and stand with them'. There are myriad of other explanations. The death of the Avatar would mean the loss of hope and likely collapse of all remaining resistance. Maybe Iroh simply did not wish something like that on Zuko's hands. Or maybe he's playing a long political game.

I think the final exchange between Azula and Zuko is almost wholesome? Azula has absolutely no reason to treat Zuko decently here if she didn't want to. I don't think Ozai ever ordered Azula to capture the Avatar, so she doesn't need Zuko as her fall guy for that, because that wasn't even her task. Wasn't her task to bring back the Fire Nation traitors, Zuko and Iroh? Task achieved. She did not necessarily have to bring them both back in chains. Capture of Ba Sing Se also wasn't Azula's goal. She just saw an opportunistic chance to do it and acted upon it. And now she has a massive success under her belt with which to further endear herself to Ozai. Again, why should she share this success with Zuko, unless she actually wants her brother back?

Anyway, I've rambled long enough. This was a great conclusion to Book 2, and I'm looking forward to Book 3! In the meantime, here are the final Jerk Point standings for Book 2, and we congratulate Iroh with a well deserved victory!

Jerk Points for Book 2:

Iroh - 600 Long Feng - 560 Aang - 320 Azulon - 300 Ursa, General Fong - 200 Zuko, Toph - 120 Ozai, King Kuei - 100 Sokka - 70 Bumi, Lao Beifong - 50 Pakku - 30

#my atla rewatch #atla book 2 #the crossroads of destiny

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after-nine-at-the-oasis · 1 year

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Ooh a previously 👀 :D

Ayy Morgan! So that'll come up 👀

Ohh okay so they didn't kiss lol, I was never quite sure, but Perez did see them o.o I thought he might've

Hi Shaun!

Hi Glassman :)

Chill a bit

Hmm idk 😬 I mean obviously it's his choice but-

OPE

SEE THAT'S WHY

Ohhh nooo 😭

It's not for sure yet but :'((

Hi Morgan :D!

Ooh yay!! That's great :D

:oo she gets to choose!

Well I mean yeah not right now but it's only like a day xD

Hey Jordan :D

Hi Asher :)!

Hey Perez!!

Lol y'all are betting on how much sleep you got XD

Oope xd

Hey Kalu :)!

Okay Asher chill xD

The tensionnn y'all lol

Didn't even think about the drama between these four lol

Hi Lim 🥰

Hey Andrews!

Oh dang o.o

That is NOT good xdd

Okay so it could be either, most likely those to anyway

Neither of you are, exactly xD

Why did you not already think of a test lol

Uh ohh none of this is going well

Ope hey guys!

O.O they're on it ig! Difficult task though xD

And there he goes 😬😬

Ope?

Jazz is the mom maybe? Ahh yeah

Awww :((( this poor guy, and poor baby

And poor Jazz 😭 they all goin through it xdd

OH NO that's not good DD:

It's a good thing he brought her :'))

Hmm disagreements already between Lim and Andrews 😬

None of these seem good xd

Hmm it's gonna end up with them disagreeing because of Lim's experiences ain't it - she gets it so she's gonna wanna do the best she can

Hi Park :))!!

Hmm what's up?

Okay okay- ope Shaun!

Why are y'all ever surprised anymore lol xD

Uh ohh 😬😬 I don't remember what that means but it doesn't seem good :((

Ohh right it's where something with the chromosomes isn't it? I think so

Oof yeah that's a lot of stuff to cover xd

Come on y'all we gotta work together lol

Okay yeah split up that's good :)

Still tough xd

Hi Jerome :D!!

Aww <333 hopefully she's okay :'((

Ahhh okay well at least we know a bit about her

Not much though :(

Aww 😭😭 Eden <3

#the good doctor #tgd #oasis's tgd chatter

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peach-coke · 4 years

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➤ Supernatural Hiatus Creations Week Seven || Favorite Relationship || Brothers that happen to be Soulmates

#SPNHiatusCreations #Supernatural #SPN Gifs #SPNEdit #Dean Winchester #Sam Winchester #Sam and Dean #Soulmates #Brothers that happen to be Soulmates #My Gifs #SPN 2.02 #SPN 8.19 #SPN 9.23 #SPN 10.09 #SPN 11.17 #SPN 14.12 #The Hollies - He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother #Ain't that the most surprising choice ever lol

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biteghost · 2 years

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Heya! Hope you're doing well! :D

I'm hopping into your inbox because my firnds and I decided to do a tabletop game! And I have been chosen to be the game master which is both very exciting and scary (first time doing it)

Do you have any advice on how to set up/ brainstorm your first session/ sesions? I could use some advice lol

That's all, have a wonderful day! And don't forget to drink water :]

Oh, this is exciting! Congrats, I hope you guys have fun!

I don't think anyone's ever asked me for advice about tabletop gaming, so I'm flattered you'd think of me!

FIRST: READ THE MANUAL FOR WHATEVER SYSTEM YOU ARE RUNNING. You, the GM, have to help your players know how to play the game, and are responsible for telling them what they have to roll if they don't know the rules. You don't have to know every rule, but you should have a pretty okay idea about what your system is capable of. Always assume your Players have not read the rulebook.

Core tenants I personally use for GMing:

Rules should not get in the way of fun or flow. If you have to keep stopping your game to look up rules? Boo. Un-fun. Just make up a roll and make a note of it. That's the rule now. (Congrats on your first homebrew!)

Make problems, not solutions. Solutions are for your players to figure out, and you the GM will roll with whatever they do (or don't do).

It is not GM VS Players. The GM is the team mom. You don't need to actively work to sabotage your players - the dice will do that for them.

Do not withhold information from Players. They need information in order to play the game and make choices. Even if they fail - give them information! Just, you know, flavor the way they get the information to be appropriate for their roll. If they fail, maybe they figure something out and then immediately stumble into the monster and lose the surprise round, lol.

"YES, AND..." No matter what my Players suggest - no matter how stupid, ridiculous, or silly - I will find a way to let them try to do it. Tabletops are a game of chance, and those chances can be increased or decreased by the GM. If the suggestion is unfeasible, let them roll for it, but give them penalties to make the chances slim. (That way if they succeed the whole table will explode and you'll be left with a very funny story!)

Some things to consider before you start writing: if you've played in games before, think about your experiences and try to analyze what part of games you've enjoyed the most. Did you like combat? roleplay? dungeons? puzzles? mysteries? Crafting a game that you will have fun running is important. If the GM isn't having fun ain't no one having fun.

Also, consider what your players are looking for out of a tabletop game. Some tables don't do roleplay, some tables only do roleplay, some tables are looking for a pen-and-paper version of Skyrim where they can just act as themselves and not actually play a character but will still be participating in the adventure. Knowing what your players are comfortable with will also help a game's longevity.

I think that good players can have fun in any system, but your system will also determine what kind of stories are best to tell! Dungeons and Dragons is different from Monster of the Week is different from Vampire the Masquerade. In my totally biased opinion (and if your table is open to trying games they've maybe never played) I think both World of Darkness: Hunter the Vigil and Powered By The Apocalypse's Monster of the Week are both great systems for a first-time GM. Their rules are either very simple or very loose. They focus on storytelling over rules, so they're great for improv and thinking on your feet! They also only require one kind of dice (d10s or d6s, respectively) which helps with the math part of tabletop games. (I am an artist. I do not like math.)

Consider what types of stories you want to tell! Is your game high-adventure based? horror? political intrigue?

I've only ever done set up for one long-running game (Blueshift), but I have run a bunch of little one-shots. The most important thing for me when preparing for a new game or new session is to answer the question: "Why should the player characters care about the story I'm trying to weave for them?" There is a certain level of buy-in that I try to provide for players to help their characters naturally want to move forward through the plot on their own!

A tried-and-true for me is to just have the player characters all end up in the same weird, unexplainable situation. They don't have to know each other before the game starts, they don't even have to know what to expect in the game - because no matter what they do, the story hook will find them and drag them in. Players give me their character ideas and tell me their backstories, and then I go "Cool, but now you're suddenly in a Hell dimension / a werewolf is hunting you / your plane has crashed. Also there are three other people who are in the same situation as you. Good luck!"

For long-running games, I try to weave the PC's backstories and motivations into the plot and into each other's backstories. Having the PCs learn that actually they're each after a similar thing or have similar motivations is a great way to naturally create cohesion in a party and keep characters invested in the future of the game and each other.

When I come up with scenarios or am trying to get ideas for sessions in general, a lot of it comes from finding a cool song I want to use as background music and crafting a conflict around it, haha. Music is a huge part of my session prep - in fact I'd say like, 50% of my prep is finding the right music. If the soundtrack ain't right then as the GM it throws me off (but this is a personal quirk of mine that I am working on, lol).

Ideas from sessions also come from basically everywhere for me, which I know is unhelpful. Music, art, video games, weird facts I learned in 2nd grade that have stuck with me, monster manuals, horror movies - whatever! If you're doing tabletops purely for hobby and for fun, I also don't see any harm in repurposing characters or stories you've seen done before. Go ahead and copy an anime antagonist you like, transplant a monster from that horror movie you think is cool, use the hook from a thriller film you recently watched. It's fine, it's for fun and pretend. It's okay. Take inspiration where you can get it! It will very quickly become something you didn't expect once you add in the Players.

You can peruse the RPGnet Forums for inspiration, too. There's tons of people there asking for advice or ideas for making a game work!

It might help to word the conflict you're thinking of in a single sentence, like:

"A werewolf has been sighted in the nearby forest, and the villagers are too scared of it to let the players in."

"A big business is using magic/monsters to scare the players out of their homes so they can seize the land they live on for nefarious capitalist reasons."

"A wizard is performing experiments in their dorm and it's making everyone nearby hallucinate - including the players."

"The players have been cursed and must seek a cure before it's too late."

Laying the hook of the session/story out like that can help you keep a clear line for the rest of your notes.

And if you're not confident that you can come up with a totally original story, that's okay! You can use pre-written campaigns to get your feet wet, if you're comfortable with that. Tabletop games are always unique because they rely on the whims of individuals and improv, so no matter what you do you'll probably end up having a fun and unique game, even if the module is pre-written.

Hope this was helpful, sorry it got long. If you have any other questions or more specific advice, I'd be happy to try and help! GMing is a skill that takes time and practice, so be patient with yourself. You also might find that literally everything I said here is not at all how you like to play or run games, and that's cool! Throw all of it out! This is stuff that works for me, personally, and every GM is different. I hope your game goes well!

#long post #tabletops #not art #asktime

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swimmingleo · 3 years

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Changes: or to take the higher ground before it's too late

I'm going to be real here folks, I cry ugly tears to this song. Bad.

Changes is a song on Cam's album "The Otherside". It's country, it's folk and it's an album a bit influenced by changes in Cam's life (a change of label, personal life). She collaborated with Harry on the song Changes, as she opened for him on a venue and was already working with Tyler Johnson.

From what I gathered: Harry sent her the demo of the song, implying he made most of the writing on this one. What I'm basing this claim on is her interview for Rolling Stones (read it here):

I heard [the demo] and was just like, “Oh, this ache to outgrow something that you don’t want to outgrow!” It felt so good. I normally don’t take outside songs [...]

‼️DISCLAIMER‼️when analysing this song, I'm gonna go from the idea of it being written with a queer mindset (how surprising of me). Cam rendered the song beautifully and it is very much her own, but I believe Harry's input is consequential. After all that's his lil whistle and cute fishsona in the MV.

Sad queer analysis ahead.

Let's analyse the lyrics first:

There is a town

Somewhere down a country road

The speaker describes the town to us, from memory, from experience. "There it is, down the road, can you picture it ?"

I see it now

I take it everywhere I go

The speaker doesn't currently live in the town, they're on the move (nice throwback to the coutry road). But despite all the travelling, they realize the sedentary smalltown never leaves them. It's part of them. It left a mark on them.

The river sways, I can almost hear it now

As if to say, "You're not the only one who wants a way out"

The town is so real to the speaker they can sense it, eyes and ears. But it gets a bit dark: the river sways like it's trying to leave its bed. The river is envious of the speaker who managed to leave. The town is so toxic even nature wants to get away from it. Or the speaker resents the town so bad that they project their own resentment on the river.

So, I go

'Cause I don't wanna feel like I don't know you anymore

I memorize those roads

This is the call for the speaker to leave for good. Their motive doesn't seem to be ambitious or anything grand. They leave because they apprehend a feeling. Apprehending a feeling, something that may not even happen, is the way of an anxious person. Anxiety is the motive of their departure. However, they still memorize the roads leading to the town, just in case. Perhaps one day they'll come back.

Somewhere out in the big wild country

Someone's fallin' in love in a backseat

Givin' it away

Like their hearts won't ever break

Suddenly it's about love ! Young love, one that is lived in the small compartment of a car, somewhere hidden and safe in the big wild country. As if the countryside was unexplored and threatening.

God bless the young hearts sippin' cheap wine

Gettin' drunk with their friends for the first time

Thinkin' nothing's gonna change

'Til everything changes

The speaker looks at the youth with tenderness, wishing them the best. But once again, they're not in the town in the present time, they don't see the youngsters fooling around, they can only guess from first-hand experience. And it's very specific: falling in love, getting drunk with friends and thinking everything's gonna be easy like that forever until it's not and heartbreak ensues.

From there I hop in with the raw queer theme of those lyrics. It started by falling in love and it ended up in a heartbreak. In between, the speaker got drunk for the first time with their friends, people they trusted enough to let go a little, but in the end everything changed. Why ? Alcohol makes you forget about code of conduct, how you're supposed to behave. It makes you say or do things you might not have done sober.

We can interprete this chorus as the beginning of the end for the speaker. It's the only part of the song evocating the past, and it's fun and easy, but it's also where things started to get bad the way they are in the present. Something might have happened that first time the speaker got drunk and it marked the end of innocence and careless childhood, and it probably has to do with love as no other factor is provided apart from falling in love and heartbreak.

They never leave

They're all havin' babies now

Watchin' daytime TV

Livin' off the gossip of a cruel small town

They. With Harry, it's always You, Me, and They. They are having babies, all of them, like it's not a very difficult thing to do, it's just natural. They have the leisure of the day, not a thing to worry about, if not gossip. It's not implied anymore, the small town is downright cruel. Gossip fuels it, but on behalf of someone else, and that someone is most definitely the speaker who left and who describes its inhabitants in the most mundane way, perhaps with a hint of contempt. The speaker seems bitter.

So, I go

'Cause I don't wanna feel like you don't know me anymore

Don't recognize my face

Reprise of the pre-chorus except now, the speaker provides another reason for their departure. Not only they feared they wouldn't know the town anymore, they also feared being seen as a stranger. It's not like the speaker actually changed physically: but it might as well feel like it. Again, apprehension, anguish. As implied in the chorus, things changed to the point where the speaker feels they would seem like a whole another person to the rest of the town, a stranger, a threat to the integrity of the conservatives. So they leave before this shift in perception can happen.

There ain't nothing here for me anymore

They say they don't hear from me anymore

And I don't wanna hear it anymore

The town is not outwardly hostile. It's still the town that saw the speaker as a kid. The town doesn't understand why the speaker left, but the speaker won't give in and get in touch. They want to be as far away as possible, until they don't hear the questions, the river, everything. It's almost like the speaker doesn't carry the town in their heart at all. They want to forget it all, and it hurts everytime the town tries to lure them back in. The way Cam sings it is painful to me man

Somewhere out in the big wild country

I was fallin' in love in a backseat

Givin' it away

Like my heart won't ever break

Had such a young heart sippin' cheap wine

Gettin' drunk with my friends for the first time

Thinkin' nothing's gonna change

'Til everything changes

Yeah, just the confirmation of the chorus being the speaker's experience. I went ahead and assumed it was already lol but it's like a plot twist effect. It's dramatic. It's a personal song to someone.

TO MAKE IT SHORT to me this song is intense and very in touch with the queer experience. Though it describes a specific situation, it is surprisingly not that detailed or full of metaphors the way Harry often writes: this town could be literally any smalltown in the countryside. The backseat could be the one of any car, cheap wine is something any teen can afford. I like to think Harry wrote it for himself but is also aware so many people went through the same thing, and still will. I have to admit I'm heavily biased writing this, as the experience of a queer kid struggling to find their place in a well settled smalltown is familiar.

GETTING DRUNK AND QUEER IDENTITY is an analogy Harry already used in Fine Line when he sang "We'll get the drinks in so I'll get to thinking of her". To drink is to let go, to unveil the most subconscious aspects of yourself you might not want to deal with otherwise. You don't care about judgement and you get to explore those parts freely. In Changes, this is the last memory they recall before stating the changes and their departure. Perhaps getting drunk for the first time would be when they realized they're queer. Or acted upon it, causing their little world to shake. They chose to leave before it eventually wouldn't feel like a choice anymore. There is no life for people like them in a cruel smalltown.

SMALLTOWN BOY

This song reminds me an awful lot of Smalltown Boy by Bronski Beat. The song is about a queer boy having to leave the smalltown where he grew up because of persecutions and no future prospects.

Mother will never understand why you had to leave, Smalltown Boy

They say they don't hear from me anymore, Changes

But the answers you seek will never be found at home, the love that you need will never be found at home

There is nothing here for me anymore

Other people not understanding why they leave. People who can't truly empathize even when they mean no harm. They would never understand the speaker's departure, because those people get to find love and have babies and live a peaceful life in the countryside.

You were the one that they'd talk about around town as they put you down

Livin' off the gossip of a cruel small town

Yeah yeah. I really struggle with just seeing this song as nostalgia when such harsh words are being used. I do believe there is a part of fondness for that town, that countryside setting and the early days. But it's not all tender memories.

CHANGES AND ERODA

Of couuuurse we all noticed the adorable purple fish with the pearl necklace. It represents Harry, no question, as it whistles Harry's part. And of couuuuurse we all made the link with the erodian fish, and some even noticed they formed the bluegreener pair when their colors are inverted.

It makes sense for those fishes to be connected with this interpretation of Changes. Both works are about a small town, lost in the nature, where the people are watching, aware of everything that isn't normal, that is peculiar. The early life of the peculiar boy is similar in every way to the early life of the speaker in Changes. The fish in Adore You grows too big for the island and has to leave, and though Eroda makes amends with the peculiar boy, he leaves as well because his future, his fulfilment, is somewhere else. So does the speaker in Changes.

IN CONCLUSION

The more I write posts like this, the more endeared I am by Harry's world. How Harry writes for himself, but also for other people with songs like this. How nature finds its way in all that he does. How grounded he is, how he doesn't seem to forget where he came from. It really is such a rare thing to see in a mainstream popstar's writing and art. How can someone say he sold his soul to LA is beyond me

#very dear to my heart this song #was in the drafts for quite a long time too #but hey i took louis' new song as a cue lol #they do have parallels #though i feel like louis' change is way more accepting #louis' way more at peace with the idea of time passing and leaving the town behind #not saying harry still struggles or not but the story told in changes is more pain than healing to me #anyway love their brains love them muahmuah #my analysis #song analysis #harry styles

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nightswithkookmin · 3 years

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JIKOOK MMA 2020- COMMENTARY

Disclaimer: This is a commentary, not an expert analysis. I am not a ballerina. LTRS.

Let's all agree right here, right now, that if ever a moment deserve to be immortalized for all eternity, that it is this moment right here: the moment Jungkook lifts Jimin off the ground- it is the most super iconic IT moment of the year as far as shipping goes. Damn, was it beautiful. Goddamn!

Personally, I had so many flashbacks of unchartered fantasies, hopes and dreams- the least delusional of which is JK saying with a deep voice, after lifting JM off the ground, 'would you marry me please' and Jimin, shook out of his wits would respond in Satoori, 'we are already married, you idiot. Now put me down!' Lol.

What? A girl can dream... Leave me alone. Lol

A lot has been said of this dance and so I won't rumble on for long. I'm just gonna focus on the moments that stood out for me:

The first of which would be the build up to that performance- BigHit, you sneaky conglomerate bastard! Lol.

Y'all saw what they did there right? For weeks I have been bombarded with questions about the seemingly 'tensions' between Jikook- everyone was slipping me the 'something is up with Jikook' pill but chilee, I look at them and all I could see was Jikook up in their shenanigans. Lol

I think I mentioned this in a previous post? Anywho. I think the thing that most of us was experiencing with Jikook was the unnecessary 'limited' interactions between them in the recent content we had been getting post Jimin's birthday but regardless, there were still moments of them 'giving themselves away' like in the Grammy reaction video when Jimin instinctively turned to JK in his moment of excitement.

His hesitation was worrying though, because normally he wouldn't- they wouldn't, hesitate to hug the person that they want to hug in their moments of emotional outbursts unless something was hindering them.

Ergo, I felt, if he was hesitating, then clearly it meant there was something holding him back or stressing their dynamic- I think I've definitely talked about this right? Instinctual reactions and all that jazz?

It didn't feel like he was having problems with Kook though, honestly. Because, in spite of all these little inconsistent moments of 'tensions' between them, Jimin for the most part has been giving me the vibe he is falling in love all over again with Kook- Dont ask me why. Lol. This is just gonna be one of those statements I make in passing. Take note of it though, I'll talk about it again soon.

But from the little I've seen post Jimin's birthday, that's the vibe I'm getting. If you believe Jimin is in love with Kook and you have an idea of when he started falling in love with Kook in their love Journey, then I think you'd catch the signs too? If not, never mind. Lol.

Every now and then, I see him go through this phase- in my opinion. I can't wait to talk about it. And yes, it is what I meant when I said Jikook's dynamics seem to have flipped again lately. Time to turn on the crazy. Lol.

These minimum interactions between Jikook however, to me, felt more as if they were being 'monitored' or asked to 'tone things down' by the company or something rather than that they were having actual issues in their relationship- know what I mean?

For the love of me, I couldn't figure out why the company would ask them to tone things down... Until the blackswan performance.

I feel somehow that the lack of content and moments between Jikook in recent times, coupled with the seemingly faux tensions between them prior to their performance at the MMAs, without question, contributed to the wow factor of their performance. In my opinion- but stay with me.

BigHit ain't slick. Lol.

It's so on brand for them though, isn't it? Demand and supply and all that jazz. Chilee. Scarcity inflates the value of a product. I mean we've seen JK lift and carry Jimin in their dance performances several times now yet we can't deny this came as a shock and surprise for us all because we had zero idea what was 'going on between Jikook' behind the cameras- straight up Jedi mind trick. Lol.

Not to say the performance itself wasn't spectacular in of its own. I'd be mad damn liar and a fool if I peddled that nonsense anywhere. Lol.

I just want to point out how BigHit utilizes and taps Jikook's brand and magic in their business model, as this provides a stark contrast against BTS's marketing strategy for their self produced Album Be.

I tried explaining in my LGO analysis, how that project was a personal project of BTS' as a group and how as a group they had their own perception of brand and what sells- or who sells amongst them, as such they weren't going to and didn't star Jikook in that project as front and center.

Contrasting that project to this project, which is more of a BigHit piloted project rather than a personal project of the group's, you can see how Jikook's brand stands out and how it is being highlighted or even exploited for maximum return.

This is what I mean when I say Jikook is a brand. A powerful brand at that and that BigHit has a stake in their brand.

Jikook once again, overshadowed and dare I say, over powered BTS's own brand in that Blackswan performance- chileee, that performance was so Jikookcentric I forgot the others were even there. Lol.

I mean I saw NamJin jump in the foreground somewhere... I'm gonna get canceled am I not? Lmho.

VHope were powerful too. But I couldn't help but notice how neither of those individuals could have sold it the way JK did, had they been in his shoes. V and Hobi both have stamina and presence, yet for some reason I just can't picture either of them lifting Jimin up and spinning him the way JK did and does- not that they can't...

It's just, they take the spotlight too. Jimin is captivating when he dances- or does anything quiet frankly. And usually, he shines under the spotlight when there is undivided attention on him.

When he is paired with Hobi, V or even Suga, very often they act as distractions as they tend to compete with him for the viewer's attention and as such they don't necessarily compliment him. In my opinion.

Often too, when he is paired with RM or Jin, he tends to outshine them and make them look like rookies- Namjin... bless their hearts. Lol.

Kookie is the only member in the group that I feel compliments Jimin- well. Not that he isn't a great dancer too like Hobi or V, it's just whenever he is paired with Jimin in a performance he has the tendency to waive his spotlight and cede it to Jimin by letting go off his own shine and spotlight as well as his competitive spirit so Jimin can be highlighted.

It's why he is the perfect partner for Jimin and the perfect choice for this role in their duet. I think. He pulled it off guys. He PULLED IT OFF-chef's kiss JK. Chef's fucking kiss! Lol.

JK often talks about how he prefers to 'be behind the cameras,' how he often films the members but doesn't like being filmed or being in the spotlight and you see this in his GCFs where he takes the back bench and allows Jimin or even the others to dally in front of the camera.

I don't know if he is aware he does this in his dance too- because for the longest time critics often commented on his stage presence or lack of it there off- their words not mine...

Frankly, I never saw it that way. Because, paired with any other member, he squares up. Chilee. Lmho.

It's one thing to look great next to your partner, it's another to look great together next to eachother and Jikook looked great together in that moment- just exquisite and outstandingly beautiful.

The point of the black swan dance as RM had said in their blackswan Film reaction video, is not to highlight all seven but one- Jimin and that is exactly what JK did on that stage.

Jimin I felt wasn't as intense as he often is in his solo performances. He is brutal in the way he captures attention when he performs alone on a stage. His aura is demanding and alluring and if you can tear your eyes away from him when he is in the height of his performances then- share your magic formula you lucky bastard. Free us all from Jimin's hold. HELP! Lol.

But for some reason, in this performance, he wasn't lost in himself in the moment. It took me a while to understand what was happening-he was equally relinquishing his shine so Kook could share the spotlight with him- please, leave me here to die.

They each compete against the members when they perform with them on a stage, but they never seem to compete against eachother. They move in awareness of eachother and lift eachother up. They enhance eachother's presence and when they collide it's harmonious. This is what we mean when we say Jikook compliment eachother- nobody is doing it like them.

They were both powerful in their strides, graceful in their descent. They did it. They killed it.

Signed,

GOLDY

#Jikook #goldy analysis #goldy blogs #jikooktheories #jikook analysis #jikook scenarios

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risingphoenix761 · 5 years

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Sooooooooooo.........

I've been looking for an excuse to do this for awhile, and @kitkat589 gave it to me! I'mma talk about my favorite Phantom of the Opera movies! (Sticking with the movies, but know that I can talk for days about any and all things Phantom)

I'm trying to be merciful, so let's hope this cut works...

2004 musical, AKA the Gerard Butler version

This one gets a bit of hate in certain parts of the fandom, but I love it. LOVE IT. Pure eye candy, as far as design goes, and I'm never going to complain about Gerard Butler and Patrick Wilson gracing my screen. LOL. Patrick is one of my favorite Raouls and I could fall asleep to sound of his voice. Don't think I've ever heard anyone gripe about him in the role, coz there ain't Jack shit to gripe about. He nailed it. Then there's Gerry... I've fought this war before and I'm braced for all the hate, but seriously: NO ACTOR HAS DONE MORE TO CAPTURE THE CHARACTER, PERIOD. He's an actor before he's a singer, and yeah, that shows, but whatever he doesn't have as far as vocal ability goes, he makes up for in performance. The allure. The madness. The loneliness. The sorrow. I'll have to reschedule this particular talk for a later post, because again, I can talk for DAYS about Gerry's Phantom. Reiterating the eye candy thing; the visuals are gorgeous. Emmy Rossum as Christine has a good dynamic with GB and PW and plays an interesting duality between innocence and sexual awakening. Yeah, she's not the most technically skilled in the role, but I still adore her. Her "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" will always be one of my faves.

1925 silent movie, AKA the Lon Chaney version

Ooh, do I ever love this one! If anyone has luck getting hands on the DVD, let me know. In the meantime, I'll stick with what I can find on YouTube, which is a surprising amount. The thing is, you never know which version you're going to find. The original film was destroyed in the 1940's, and all that's left are edits from archives. My favorite that I've run across so far is the 1996 edit with composer Carl Davis's score. Nice and eerie. The plot itself is a bit oversimplified in this version, but the horror genre was brand new, so I guess that's to be expected. As a whole, this one is the most faithful to Gaston Leroux's book (they even had a graveyard violin scene, which was later cut), EXCEPT for the ending. They filmed three endings, the first of which stuck to the book, with the Phantom releasing Christine and Raoul and dying ostensibly of a broken heart. (Does "I'm dying of love" ring any bells?) Test audiences didn't like that! They wanted something decisive! No redemption for villains! The ending you see in the movie was the only one that got the thumbs-up, and if you ask me, I'll tell you right away that I hate it. Lon Chaney as the Phantom, though, is a sight to behold. So nuanced. I love it.

1989 slasher, AKA the Robert Englund version

It's cheesy as hell, but it's got it's good points. Robert Englund being one of them. He got the best dialogue in the script, and he owns that shit. Another good point, the music! THE MUSIC! Misha Segal's score is to die for!

Third good point, the cinematography. The cemetery violin scene in particularly is lovely and just the right amount of spooky.

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This one kinda does its own thing with the story (well, almost all of the film adaptations do), but if you take it for what it is, it's pretty fun. Also a little gross in some parts. It's an 80s slasher flick, after all.

POTO at the Royal Albert Hall, AKA the 25th anniversary concert

It was a glorious time in the fandom when this went down. GLORIOUS. We followed all the news, from the casting choices to production details, and then the concert itself? WHOA. The performance was broadcast live to movie theaters, then PBS picked it up and ran it, then there was a DVD release... Why is this a big deal? Because for A LOT of people, this is as close to seeing the stage musical as they'll ever get. It's very nearly the same show down to the last detail, and for such a long-running, iconic, extravagant show, that's huge. The cast is on another level, if you're a theater nerd. You have Ramin Karimloo as the Phantom (one of the longest running in the role), Sierra Boggess as Christine (the original Christine from the Phantom In Vegas production), Hadley Fraser as Raoul (in what I think was his debut in any Phantom production, though Les Mis fans know him VERY well), and one of the best parts of watching this one is playing spot the cameo appearance. I admit, Ramin and Sierra aren't my faves, but they've played opposite each other long enough, they work well together, and he and Hadley have been besties for a long time, so this 👏 cast 👏 has 👏 chemistry 👏 dammit! I'll have to make another post for this one to break down all the best talking points, but ugh! THIS IS AMAZING!

Honorable Mentions

The Wishbone version

Yay! Wishbone! And it's on YouTube!

1943 adaptation, AKA the Claude Rains version

This one's good if you're into the Golden Age of Hollywood, with extravagant opera sequences, over-the-top designs, etc. There's not a whole hell of a lot about this one that's very Phantom, per se. It's more of an "in name only" kind of deal. But the ending of a particular subplot is one of the most satisfying I've ever seen, and the music is on point.

1998 adaptation, AKA the Dario Argento version

HAHA YEAH FUCKING RIGHT! No one in the fandom ever said that with a straight face and about one of the only things we all agree on is how fucking horrible this version is, but it led to the masterpiece that is this review. Watch the whole thing. It's so worth it.

And that's that! *throws confetti*

#phantom of the opera #pardon my enthusiasm #gerard butler #lon chaney #robert englund #25th anniversary #my faves

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