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leatherbookmark · 11 months

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nnnngh i'm repeating myself but also

while musically this trilogy has been Alright -- not the best, hi maison, but definitely Solid especially in the b-side department -- conceptually... yeah. the "save the earth before it's too late" concept is a good and interesting one -- let alone making a whole trilogy centered around it, let alone as a girl group! the n/f/t thing sort of ruined it for everyone a bit, but honestly whoever sincerely believes kpop groups and kpop companies are going to be serious about activism is an idealist, to be polite. they're here to make money and also music. BUT. it just felt so... idk, disjointed? not fully there?

the dystopia trilogy at least had the "tree of language" bit, the thing that started a tiny little story and let the audience know what the comebacks are going to be about. and it tied scream and odd eye neatly! sure, they didn't achieve bts levels of sincerity in their lyrics (LET THEM WRITE LYRICSSSSS GOD), but the general meaning was there, and the story surprisingly ended badly. things are bad -> things shouldn't be bad -> well, we tried to find the ideal world where things wouldn't be bad but we failed. it was something!

but i feel like the apocalypse trilogy just... dropped the ball on more than one front. it doesn't even live up to its name! even if you don't associate the word "apocalypse" with darker, heavier and more guitarry sound, the first album literally had together, cherry and playground on it -- they're poppy and cheerful! come on! vision was a turn in the right direction -- once again the lyrics talk about mobilizing yourself and picking up the fight, hell yeah!, and fairytale was absolutely stellar, but on the other hand the rap quality and the number of actual songs on the album dropped, which only made the obligatory mellow piano ballad more irritating. but hey, onwards to the final part...! and the final part is. a love song.

don't get me wrong, i love bon voyage with all my heart in its gorgeous melancholic-yet-full-of-energy glory. but it's a love song. someone said it's a song about leaving the person you love for the greater good? to do your duties and save the world? but like, man, i don't get this from the lyrics. it's a love song from the point of view of someone who tries to leave because they have scars, faults, bad experiences under their belt, but despite everything they still can't, and keep on imagining the future they could share with their loved one.

this... would be something, definitely, if there was at least some sort of introduction, if the previous two title tracks weren't manifesto-type songs to Everyone. if the mvs showed deukae not just as cool warriors with superpowers fighting (?) some kind of enemy (?), but also real people with feelings and attachments -- for example to each other! everyone and their grandma is doing lore, but for example bts and currently ateez have those little diary things where members(' characters) write down their adventures. we're trying to change the past! overthrow the oppressive regime! while having our own problems, fears, people we worry about! holy shit, what happened to yeosang! and it would've really worked well with deukae! i don't really care about lore that much myself, but perhaps it could keep the fans occupied between comebacks and render references actually meaningful rather than "oh hey, this is the same dance move/similar (something) as in (mv title)!".

but it's just not there, and instead the trilogy is just a mess. sure, you've got a fucking. furry cell mascot out of absolutely nowhere, and yoohyeon is on a horse, and sua is jumping real high to... grab a pigeon mid-flight? but how does it actually connect to the story? what's going on? back in vision, dami was doing Something, was she a spy? in this mv, gahyeon is doing Something to the barrier, will she succeed? we just don't know! and it's irritating. the mv is just a slideshow of unfairly pretty shots, but they're pretty for the sake of being pretty and nothing else. we've gone a Long way since chase me, and while the budget sure is bigger... yeah, chase me and other older title track mvs actually kept you watching, because you were wondering where it would all lead. there's some guy! that's creepy! horror imagery! this is vaguely disturbing! where are they going with this? now it's just... oh she's pretty. oh she's pretty. oh she's pretty. that's it. and honestly, it's not like this is bon voyage's invention, deukae mvs have been steadily losing plot elements for a good while, but this mv is like... the epitome. yoohyeon's on a horse.

IF they're not breaking the... well, it's only two albums, so you can't call it a "tradition", but if they're not going to break the barely-there-tradition of special mini albums between the eras, their next comeback will be one and i'm already wondering what it's going to be. especially considering it's probably going to come out in like... november, and that's already fair into the Dark Part Of The Year, spooky season etc, so if they want to give us a darker sister of BEcause, i'm all ears, eyes etc.

#(this is a semi-rant about deukae so non-kp*p followers don't have to click read more lol)#shrimp thoughts

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gorgosim · 3 years

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The Artist Tag by @morgynemberisagenderfluiddaddy

Rules: Show us a rendition of yourself in your own art! Can be anything! Sims render? Random stick figure? Picrew? Go nuts! (Just be sure to tag the artist if you use someone else’s picrew!!!!) Tag the blogs you want to know, and don’t be a dick that’s it! Also, feel free to answer as vague or in-depth as you want. And if you don’t want to answer a question for any reason just don’t vibe with it! Skip it if you wanna!

Thanks @bakersimmer for tagging me bb 💕

1. Do you prefer to be referred to by your name or blog name?

I really don't mind either. People call me lots of things (Mainly Divlly) so call me whatever you wish.

2. Where are you from?

USA, Utah.

3. Do you have pets? 👀

I have an English bulldog puppy.

4. Tell us about your “dream”.

My ultimate dream is to be an archeologist and travel the world with my future husband/wife and forcefully make my friends come along. (((:

However, because it would cost all of my organs and more to do that, my "reasonable" dream is to just have a career that I don't dread, a loving partner and (maybe???) family with a nice house and a studio or office for myself.

5. Aside from art, what are your hobbies?

Video games (obviously), Cooking, Paleontology and writing.

6. Does anyone irl know about your blog?

Nope.

7. Do you know anyone from your blog irl?

No, unfortunately.

8. What are some fun facts about you?

Other than what I've already stated about myself, I'm quite the collector. I have lots of figures and other small trinkets that I like to collect. Eventually, I want to have a big display case to display everything.

I love puzzles and working out my brain.

I'm an mmo addict degenerate.

9. What’s your day job?

Currently working towards becoming an Insurance CSR.

10. Do you have a celebrity look alike?

Nah.

11. What’s your aesthetic?

Goth, Punk, Fantasy, Metal, Snakes, Green. Idk, whatever that is put together lmao.

12. What kind of artist are you?

I mainly do traditional painting/drawing, but I dabble with digital when I want to challenge myself. Now, editing is something I'm starting to dabble into.

13. How did you get into your form of art?

I used to do avatar pictures for IMVU every once in awhile back in the day. Given, they were shit, but I still enjoyed doing so. Luckily, some of my techniques have stuck. Other than that, idk. I just do what I like.

14. What do you watch/listen/read/anything else while you create?

I mainly listen to music. The music depends on what type of piece I'm doing. Example, if I'm doing some editing on a sim, I listen to music that I think that sim would listen to. It helps me put together the overall aesthetic of the piece.

15. What is your favorite of your own creations so far?

Well I've only uploaded 1 thing so far, so I guess this.

16.) How would you describe your art style?

I don't think I could describe it. I like to attempt a lot of different styles but with my own taste.

17. What is more satisfying to you coloring or outlining?

Coloring 100%. Shading and coloring is my favorite part. Outlining can bite me. 🧛‍♀️

18.) What meme would you use to describe yourself?

youtube

19. What character from any media form do you most identify with?

Uh, I don't think I really relate to any character

20. If you were on the run, what would you change your name to?

Juniper Thorn

21. Have you ever or do you want to change blog names?

Many times. Not because I dislike it, but because it's taken on other platforms and I wanted to post things on instagram and things like that. I've tried changing it before, but nothing sticks like simdiv does.

22. God forbid Tumblr decides to pull a MySpace and lets us have page songs, what song would you choose?

Bitches Brew - ††† (Crosses)

23. Did you understand those references or did you have to look them up? (I’m fully aware I’m ancient, but are you?)

I understood them. Though I'm only 21, I had some older cousins and even a few younger friends my age that had it. My childhood best friends brother was MySpace famous. 😆 (I skipped the top 8 question)

25. One last question; why are you like that?

IDK MAN it's probably the trauma + me just not caring

I don't really know who to tag tbh so if you see this and like it, say I tagged you. 😘

#artist tag #tag #I don't like this edit #I couldn't figure out how to do what I wanted #So I did something different #WHATEVERRR #ts4 edit #ts4 #s4 edit #simself

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seulgiology · 4 years

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still with you ┃jeon jungkook

pairings: idol!jungkook x non-idol!reader

words: 2.6k

genre: fluff :)

synopsis: you miss jungkook while he’s away on tour, but he reminds you that he is still with you no matter what.

warnings: cute shit ahead, angst if you squint, might make you smile.

a/n: ahhh omg admin 2 is here to save the day. june has been a really shitty month for us when it comes to giving you guys some fics and we’re sorryyy. butttt here is some jk fluff inspired by his song still with you, bc omg it is so good and i listen to it like all the time lmao. when i listened to it, i got inspired to write a little oneshot ahaha. okay this is getting long lmao, love you all <3.

disclaimer: This is a work of fiction from our imagination. It is not intended that the plot, theme, original characters, idols, etc. portray any real-life events/people. Plagiarism is NOT tolerated on this blog. If you believe we have copied an existing authors’ work, please message us privately. thank you and enjoy :)

The low music playing is what motivates you to get out of bed. You walk over to the vinyl player in your room to turn it off and when you do, you slump against the dresser with a tired sigh and rub your eyes.

You can’t sleep.

That was the conclusion you came to after trying to fall asleep but failing, and here you are thirty minutes later. You had eaten dinner, took a hot shower, and even played a vinyl to help you sleep but even that rendered useless. You knew the cause of your restlessness was because your boyfriend wasn’t home and was overseas on tour still.

It was a hard transition at first, getting used to your boyfriend being out of the country for tours. Some would think that after years of being together, you would’ve gotten used to it but they don’t understand how had it is. Since you’re already used to Jungkook being apart of your everyday life, it is hard when suddenly he’s gone for sometimes months.

Even though at times you would fly out to wherever he was to attend a concert or see him. There are video calls whenever you two can and texting every day when he’s not busy. But, there was nothing like being in his presence. At times it was hard for you to fall asleep because he wasn’t there and you felt pathetic for needing him this much but you couldn’t help it.

You leave the room, the sound of your slippers being the only thing heard through the quiet house. You walk down the stairs and make your way to the kitchen, hoping some tea will help you relax some more. You fill the tea kettle with water before placing it on the stove and while you wait, you go back to your room to get your phone.

When unplugging it from the charger on your nightstand, you see two new messages from Jungkook from three minutes ago and you instinctively smile, unlocking your phone to see what he said.

jk <3: hey baby, we just got done performing and im exhausted but happy.

jk <3: i know you’re probably sleeping but i love you and we will call when you wake up, sweet dreams baby.

A sad smile falls across your lips when reading the messages and you call him without thinking twice about it. You sit at the end of your bed and wait for him to answer the facetime call. He said he was exhausted and it was only five minutes ago so he shouldn’t be sleeping yet.

When he answers, your breath hitches at the beautiful sight of him. He’s smiling wide at the camera ad pushes some hair away from his eyes delicately. “Y/N, hey!” Jungkook is practically shouting and you hear the boys in the back yelling their greeting to you as well and you can’t help but smile.

“Hi,” you greet back in a small voice and Jungkook doesn’t seem to notice how off you sound. You watch as he bustles around and then finally sits down, where there isn’t as much noise being heard. “I didn’t know you were still at the stadium, do you want to call when you get back to the hotel?” You suggest and Jungkook’s eyebrows furrow a bit at the tone of your voice. It sounded a bit shaky and he just knew something was wrong.

“No, no it’s fine we’re not leaving for another twenty minutes. Plus, I’m riding with Jimin so I have to wait until he’s ready,” Jungkook assures with a wave of his hand and pushes some hair out of his face again, causing you to smile again. “I thought you were sleeping though. Why are you still up?”

“I couldn’t sleep,” you admit sheepishly. You watch as Jungkook’s smile falls from his face and immediate worry crosses his features. “Ah, don’t worry Kook-ah, I just have trouble sleeping without you sometimes but I get over it.”

“Y/N…” Jungkook trails off sadly. Your eyes widen when you realize he started to worry anyways but before you could speak, he’s talking again. “We talked about this, yeah? Whenever you can’t sleep just call me, you know I’m not busy when you’re heading to sleep anyways. I always make time for you regardless,” he reminds you in a soft voice and the emotion that crashes into you makes you look down because your eyes started to tear up.

“I know, I just don’t want you to worry about me. I should have been gotten used to this,” you whisper more to yourself, feeling even more upset. “I’m sorry,” You whisper, tears close to falling and emotion thick in your voice.

“Y/N, hey, baby don’t cry,” Jungkook says in his soothing voice but you keep your head down, refusing to look at him. “I’m going to worry about you whenever I’m not by your side, that’s a given and that’s nothing you should be apologizing for. Don’t apologize for missing me, okay? Because I miss you too- so much,” Jungkook admits calmly and you can’t help but break down into tears.

Jungkook is glad he has his headphones with him because he wouldn’t want the boys to hear you crying, it hurting him just not being there to hold you. He knew you took it hard whenever he had to leave and it made him feel bad sometimes but he knew you understood.

“I don’t even know why I’m crying,” you say through your sobs, and Jungkook smiles sadly at you. You finally raise your face to wipe at some tears and Jungkook stays silent, waiting for you to speak.

“I think it’s the time we been apart, you know? This is the longest we’ve been apart and it hasn’t even been two months yet,” you laugh is painful to hear because he knows it isn’t one of humor. Your chest felt like it was caving in the more you speak and as you look at Jungkook, your heart aches knowing you can’t touch him or hear him in person. “I just really miss you,” you whisper finally.

“I know and I miss you too,” Jungkook whispers back and feels himself tearing up as well, always having been a bit more open with his feelings when it came to you. “Just another week, okay? And if you’re still up when I get to the hotel, I’ll sing you to sleep.”

“Really?” you ask in a hopeful voice and Jungkook grins at your eyes brightening a bit. He nods with a hum and you smile the tiniest but it’s enough for him.

“I love you,” he reminds you and your heart does that little skip it always does when he tells you he loves you. “I love you too, Jungkook,” you say back, the smile he gives in return enough to make you smile wider.

You two hang up shortly after and you shuffle back down the stairs with a heavy heart. You felt a bit better but you were still missing Jungkook. You were going to have to get used to this so this wouldn’t be a problem for him for future reference.

You turn the stove off once downstairs and push the kettle to the back because you weren’t in the mood for tea anymore. When you get back upstairs, you just lay in bed and scroll through twitter, watching little moments and fancams from the concert earlier and pride swells through you at how good Jungkook is and has gotten throughout the years.

In fifteen minutes, your phone is ringing again and Jungkook is singing you to sleep. And that night you get the best sleep you’ve gotten since he has been gone.

It was two days later and you were coming home from dinner with some friends of yours. You had stopped by the store on the way home to grab some snacks because you were running low. You close the door behind you after and kick your shoes off by the door, trading them for your house slippers.

You flip on the light and shuffle to the kitchen, turning that light on as well. It took you a few minutes to put the snacks away and after that, you got yourself a bottle of water from the fridge. As you walk upstairs, you text Jungkook letting him know you got home from dinner and you were going to watch a movie in a few.

When you get to the bedroom, you flip the light on and start to take off your clothes. You walk in you and Jungkook’s closet and turn to his side of the closet, picking out a pair of his sweats for yourself. Just as your finishing up, the doorbell is ringing.

You pull your hair out of Jungkook’s hoodie with a confused frown, wondering who could be at the door. You jog down the stairs while running a hand through your hair cause of how messy it looked after pulling on your boyfriend’s hoodie.

You open the door without thinking and who you see standing there knocks the breath out of you. You blink a few times to try to see if your vision is blurry but he is still standing there. Holding his camera bag and a suitcase by his feet, smiling shyly at you.

“Surprise?” Jungkook says in more of a question and your mouth opens, then shuts. You can’t speak because you’re feeling so much right now. The feeling of relief and happiness is spreading through you so fast it is becoming overwhelming. You open your mouth to speak again but quickly shut it when realizing you don’t know what to say.

Instead of speaking, you do the first thing that comes to mind. You take two steps towards him and wrap your arms around his middle, gently laying your head down on his chest and closing your eyes. Jungkook smiles from above you before hugging you back, kissing your forehead softly and swaying you two gently back and forth.

The two of you stay like that for what feels like forever before Jungkook pulls away, grabbing gently at your shoulders so he can see your face. A smile finds its way onto your face as Jungkook is already smiling down at you, tucking strands of your hair behind your left ear.

“Hi,” you finally greet and Jungkook can’t help but laugh in relief, swooping down and capturing your lips in a sweet kiss. You’re caught off guard but kiss him back anyways, squeezing your eyes shut tightly.

It’s a short but sweet kiss and you’re the one pulling away from it this time. You smack your lips together and smooth your hands up his chest, wrapping your arms around his neck. Jungkook is looking down at you so sweetly, your heart is starting to hurt.

“Let’s get inside,” you suggest, and Jungkook nods, gathering his stuff and walking into the house after you. “Have you eaten?” you ask after locking the door, while Jungkook takes his shoes off.

“No, I’m more tired than hungry,” Jungkook tells you while ruffling his fluffy hair. It makes you smile just knowing he is here with you again and a few days before he was supposed to be home anyways. Jungkook looks at you when noticing your silence and raises an eyebrow. This is when he really takes the time to realize what you’re wearing. “Are those my sweats?” he asks, amusement laced in his tone and you quickly heat up, arms wrapping around yourself.

“No!” you’re quick to say but Jungkook is already hugging you again, muttering about how cute you are. You shove him away slightly, grumbling under your breath and pulling the hood over your head. Jungkook kisses your forehead before grabbing his things and shuffling up the stairs.

“Come back down when you’re done!” you shout up after him and he makes a noise of agreement back. You walk to the kitchen and take out a bottle of water, sitting at the island and going to take your phone out of your pocket when realizing you left it upstairs. You stand up and make a move to go get it until your eyes catch sight of your backyard.

You walk towards the sliding doors and slide it open, stepping out into the clear night. There was a gentle breeze passing through the warm summer air and you pocket your hands in the pockets of the sweatpants that are way too big on you.

It was the stars that caught your attention from inside the kitchen. The way they were sparkling and glistening so brightly in the sky made you smile, and admire them. You weren’t sure how long you were standing there but when you felt a pair of arms wrap around your waist from behind you, you blinked out of your trance.

“What are you doing out here?” Jungkook whispers against your neck, pressing a light kiss there which sends shivers down your spine.

“The stars are beautiful,” you respond in a soft voice, and Jungkook hums. His chin rests on your shoulder and your hands lay over his. It’s a beautiful night and the breeze knocks Jungkook’s heavenly smell into you. Leaning back into his chest, Jungkook kisses both of your cheeks.

He then grabs at your waist gently and turns you around in his hold so he can see your face. You notice his change of clothes and any makeup that was left on his face is now off. Jungkook sways the two of you again but you take it upon yourself to start moving.

The two of you dance around your backyard with happy smiles on your faces and at one point Jungkook starts to sing. It’s soft and low but it’s enough, it’s enough for your eyes to tear up and for you to lean up and kiss him hard. The dancing slows but doesn’t stop as the kiss picks up, passionate, and filled with so many unspoken promises. You grip at his shoulders and he squeezes your hips, pulling you closer to him.

When the rain starts to pour, neither of you move. You hold onto each other tightly and Jungkook moves his head back, breaking the kiss. It’s a happy laugh that sounds through the air and your tears spill over when noticing he’s crying, even though the rain.

“I missed you,” Jungkook admits, his voice shaky and your heart fills. “And I love you, so much Y/N, I will never leave you, okay? It’s always me and you, forever. I’m still with you.”

His words echo in your head beautifully. His teary eyes look at you which such fondness and with so much love, you know he is being honest with you. You’re not sure where this is coming from but you don’t hesitate to kiss him again, but this time slower. You two move together perfectly and your trembling lips make you pull apart.

“I love you, Jungkook,” you say to him and Jungkook bites his trembling lip to keep from crying. The rain is starting to pour harder but neither of you care. “Always,” you assure with a small smile. The volume of your voice was a bit loud due to the heaviness of the rain but Jungkook heard you loud and clear.

After the heartfelt moment outside, you two scurry back inside and rid of your clothes immediately, dropping it at the laundry room and as you’re drying your hair, Jungkook speaks.

“You know we just kissed in the rain right?”

“And there goes the moment.”

#Jungkook oneshot #jungkook fluff #jungkook is so cute #gif isn't mine btw #jungkook scenarios #jeon jungkook #jungkook imagine #bts jungkook #this is so cute uwu #still with you by jk #theyre so in love its gross #hope you like it though :)#jungkook smut #jungkook drabble #bts oneshot #bts fluff #bts imagines #bts scenarios #bts drables

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saipng · 3 years

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re7 anon, im bad with horror in general so im progressing really slowly but i genuinely thought losing hands was a re8 thing and i felt quite bad for ethan when he lost his left hand like .. he got it back but also i wish he could keep his hands. also if you don't mind me asking, why is re8 a bad game? i dont know anything about this franchise i just jumped straight into the 7th game with 0 knowledge

man oh man how i WISH you hadn’t asked that, for both our sakes. cuz now it is 5 am the day after my birth and there is no way that i am not going to go into an overtly long rant that idk if anyone will care about. but hey, you brought this upon us, so.

without spoilers, why is re8 a bad, bad game?

well, you see. that is simply because it is not a game.

it is a part of a franchise.

listen. listen here. what the hell is that supposed to mean???

there are plenty of franchised games, right. just because a game is part of a franchise, or even a sequel to another game, obviously doesn’t make it automatically bad.

the reason re8 is bad, however, is because that’s all it’s meant to be. it is a sequel and a prequel to yet another sequel. it is not a game.

because, if you look at it from the point of view of a self contained game, it is bad.

the story is all over the place. absolutely nothing is answered or explained, and only more questions are created with the promise to be explored in future games. new characters are introduced only to be very obvious sequel baiting, and absolutely none of them are explored beyond the surfacest of surface levels.

moreover, the reason for things to happen simply isn’t there. the story is so bad, the characters in canon literally cannot explain it to you. the reason is ‘just cuz’. it feels like capcom threw all of their budget into rendering every follicle on dimitrescu’s tiddies as opposed to actually creating a cohesive narrative that doesn’t fall apart at the simplest probing.

see, the reason that re7 worked and re8 doesn’t was because re7 was a GAME. any person, even a person like you, who has never heard of anything resident evil before or even cared about the franchise, could jump in and enjoy their experience with it. the horror works, the story works, the characters work. the pacing is immaculate. i’m not saying it’s a perfect game obviously, but it WORKS and it is FUN. and, for those who DO know resident evil, you get the hints and implications and the lore and even a familiar face and eventually, the dlc. it was an AMAZING reboot to the franchise.

re8 though? re8 assumes you’ve played all of resident evil games before and you’ve enjoyed them immensely and you want more and you will play again and again and again.

im not saying that a game, especially a sequel, has to be completely free of references or call backs to previous games or work alone without any previous knowledge. i mean. that’s not how sequels work.

but in the end, they’re still supposed to make sense. a game is supposed to be that - a game. doesn’t matter if it’s the first or eighth or seventeenth.

re8 feels like a weird wobbly bridge that you got across before the other side is finished building. it is awkward. it feels incomplete, stitched together from different concepts and ideas. they brought back ethan winters only to have no idea what to do with him. they introduced the lords only to be short term hype generators. they shoehorned in chris redfield because he is chris redfield and it really doesn’t matter how much he doesn’t fit.

in my humble opinion, the game needs to be at least 5 hours longer for it to actually start making sense. at LEAST.

the characters, protagonists and antagonists alike, need to actually be explored, the pacing fixed, flimsy writing tied together, map expanded, puzzles actually added in. then, it would be a better game. i don’t know about good. but definitely better.

that being said, you may be thinking. why the HELL is everyone obsessed with this trainwreck????

well, because we’re all mentally ill, that’s why.

okay, serious answer - because the less the assholes give us, the more power it gives us to project and play around. they created these extremely fun concepts and didn’t bother developing them despite the enormous potential and that pissed us all off. well, me. it pissed me off.

and, as we all know, NOTHING motivates me more than spite at this point. so me and the other content creators basically ripped the lords and ethan and rose and all the others out of capcom’s undeserving hands and said ‘okay thanks ours now’.

because dammit, resident evil village could have been SUCH a good game. the idea of it is FUN and we all love it.

the execution? perfectly terrible.

and again, i’m not saying that you’ll hate it. i think you can, and should play it (or at least watch a playthrough). and moreover, i think you’ll enjoy it. i think you’ll have fun, still. i think you’ll like it a lot, as did many others.

none of that erases the fact that it is still very much a bad, bad game.

now, i could go more into how the horror elements greatly suffered because of capcom’s desperate need to rehash re4, or just how much of re4 they actually ripped off and shoved into this game; i could talk about how ethan winters (and mia, to an extent) is a terrible character in this game and reason he works in re7; i could talk at extent why the bakers were truly scary and the lords very much arent; i could even mention all the unnecessary mechanics and how much they truly contributed jack shit to the experience.

i could, but i’m not gonna. this is long enough as it is, and i hope it all made sense, at least somewhat. i tried to not include any spoilers (as much as was possible).

and i also really hope i didn’t dissuade you from giving re8 a try.

because, like i said, it’s still fun. capcom gave us steel beams and pieces of plastic and said ‘go wild’ and we built our own playground. it’s like that post that’s like ‘this amazing new restaurant everyone talks about and you finally go there and they serve white toast bread and everyone brought their own jam’. literally that.

but it can be so good, if that’s something that you can be into !!!

oh and. this is my own personal take on the game, of course. draw your own conclusions, yada yada. but if you’re bad with horror, you’ll find this game easier to digest for sure.

anyway. periodt.😩✌️

#resident evil village #resident evil 8 #re8 #if anyone starts any arguments i’m gonna lose it please don’t okay i’m not strong enough for that #long post #anyway #anonymous #answered

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atc74 · 4 years

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It’s Been Awhile

Warnings: Angst, breakup, unresolved conflict, slight fluff,

Summary: The reader leaves to follow her dreams, but it leaves them both with regrets.

Pairing: Rockstar!Jensen x Reader AU

Word Count: 1931

Written for: @waywardbeanie

Beta’d by: @flamencodiva, thank you!

A/N: I know it’s been a hot minute since I wrote anything, so I opened requests to a few select people and found some inspiration.Inspired by the prompt in bold, and the song “It’s Been Awhile” by Staind. I hope y’all enjoy it. Feedback is the fuel that keeps me running!

For the full fan expericene, check out Jensen’s scent? Buy it here from @scentsfromthebunker!

Y/N and Jensen had been best friends growing up in the suburbs of Dallas. She wanted to be an architect and he wanted to go into sports medicine. They spent all their free time together, and sang in the church choir on Sundays. Thick as thieves, people would say about the two of them whenever they were together. Jensen was her first friend, her first boyfriend, her first...everything.

They started college together at the University of Texas, and with the exception of their location, nothing changed. They remained in their own bubble which Jensen nerdly referred to as the Fortress of Solitude. The one place he could be himself, let his guard down, and figure out who he really was. He could do all that with Y/N, or because of her, he wasn’t entirely sure if there was even a difference anymore.

Their friendship, along with their love, was carefree, and wild. The day road trips turned into weekend escapes where they lost themselves in each other the open plains of their home state. Jensen would bring his guitar everywhere and each day provided new opportunities to be inspired by the landscape and her. When Jensen was with Y/N, he wanted for nothing. From road trips, to study sessions, to candle light frozen dinners. She was all he ever needed.

Just like time, life could stand still, then change in the blink of an eye. Y/N was offered a coveted two year internship. They stayed together, but long distance was hard, long distance relationships were harder. It wasn’t long before daily calls became weekly texts, until they dwindled off completely. Jensen convinced himself if she had wanted him, truly wanted him, she would have stayed to build a life with him.

Jensen spent most of his time in bars, masking his pain with booze and open mike nights at the college bars. He built walls around him in her absence, and only let himself think about her when he sang the songs she inspired. Despite the haze of alcohol in his system, he never felt more at peace or sober than when he sang of her.

After she left to pursue her dreams, he never expected to amount to much with Y/N to push him to pursue his own. A writing and recording contract was the last thing he thought he wanted, but maybe, just maybe he thought, this was his chance to get her out of his system by changing direction and abandoning all their plans. She did it when she left him, why couldn’t he?

A string of failed relationships plagued them both as they tried to move on, never finding a suitable match. Flawless memories of a first love set unreachable standards and no one, no matter their intentions, would never measure up. Booze, one night stands, and other methods of self sabotage, were the cornerstones of the walls Y/N and Jensen had constructed.

With each report of Jensen’s success, her walls fortified, terrified to let anything, or anyone in. She stayed away from social media and shut down anyone who dared mention his name to her.

In every city, state, and country he visited, Jensen could sense her. Her essence surrounded him everywhere he went. The beauty of the landscape, the laughter, it all brought him back to her. It didn’t matter what, or who, he did to block out the memories, she was there.

His guitar nestled under the crook of his arm was where he truly felt at home, at peace, with her memories flooding his senses. All his transgressions, his mistakes, all that shit disappeared when he escaped into the music with her. He took pen to paper and confessed his regrets to the ghost of her memory.

Y/N found herself back in Dallas unexpectedly when her grandfather passed away. She hadn’t been home in so long, following her dreams and improving housing around the world. It didn’t escape her attention when the mother tossed the morning paper in front of her, Jensen staring back at her in black and white, from the front page of the entertainment section. She didn’t believe in destiny, she made her own future, but she couldn't help but think this was her grandfather sending her a glaringly obvious sign from beyond the grave. Jensen was performing an acoustic show at the local theater the following night.

“Grandpa left this for you, baby,” her mother placed an envelope on top of the paper, hiding Jensen’s profile from her view. She carefully opened the crisp white linen envelope seeing her Grandfather’s neat block printing.

Enclosed with the note was a ticket to Jensen’s show and a backstage pass. She knew better than to question, her grandfather always did work in mysterious ways, and he had never let her down. She wasn’t about to let him down now, despite her trepidation over seeing the love of her life again, she owed it to her grandfather to follow his dying wish.

Jensen had requested darkness for his final song. He sat alone on the stage, surrounded only by a dozen candles, silhouetting him against the dark curtain behind him. He couldn’t see the faces of the people who had paid to see him, but he wasn’t there for them. He was there for her, and her alone, even if she wasn’t in the building, he was always there in his heart.

It's been awhile

Since I couldn't

Hold my head up high

And it's been awhile

Since I first saw you

And it's been awhile

Since I could stand

On my own two feet again

And it's been awhile

Since I could call you

And everything I can't remember

As fucked up as it all may seem

The consequences that are rendered

I stretch myself beyond my means

Time is a funny thing when you think about it. Days past slowly, while the year flies and in the blink of an eye, a decade has gone by and all Y/N can think of is how did she let it go this far? How did she let him get this far from her.

As she silently watched Jensen perform, tears streaming down her face, she couldn’t help but think, this wasn’t the man she remembered; this man was broken. And she blamed herself. If she hadn’t left, if she hadn’t put her dreams in front of their own, would he still be broken? Would she? She was responsible for both of them, for their regrets were driven by her actions. Despite the time that had passed, he still knew how to each nerve with her, all the while blaming himself, just like she blamed herself.

And it's been awhile

Since I could say

That I wasn't addicted

It's been awhile

Since I could say

I loved myself as well

And it's been awhile

Since I've gone and

Fucked things up

Just like I always do

And it's been awhile

But all that shit

Seems to disappear

When I'm with you

Her heart jumped in her chest, lodging itself in her throat and making it hard to breathe. Could he be singing about her? The possibility that he could still love her after all this time brought fresh tears to her eyes. She knew how she felt for him, although she denied her emotions on a daily basis, but if there was a minute chance, she knew she had to go for it.

And everything I can remember

As fucked up as it all may seem

The consequences that I have rendered

Have gone and fucked things up again

Why must I feel this way?

Just make this go away

Just one more peaceful day

It's been awhile

Since I couldn't

Look at myself straight

And it's been awhile

Since I said, "I'm sorry"

And it's been awhile

Since I've seen the way

The candles light your face

And it's been awhile

But I can still remember

Just the way you taste

And everything I can remember

As fucked up

As it all may seem to be

I know it's me

I cannot blame this on my father

He did the best he could for me

It's been awhile

Since I could

Hold my head up high

And it's been awhile

Since I said, "I'm sorry"

“Thank you.” Jensen murmured two short words before exiting the stage. He pushed through the throngs of people waiting for him backstage, needing the quiet solace of his dressing room before the short meet and greet. He needed a few moments to pull himself together, to collect his thoughts.

He had never performed that song in front of anyone before tonight. Not a soul on earth had heard that song, not even his band. He was overwhelmed with the emotion it pulled from him, even if he had written it. He wanted nothing more than to be able to play that for her, to express everything he felt, but couldn’t tell her for the last ten years.

He entered the meet and greet room after he felt calm enough to leave his dressing room. He silently thanked his manager and the venue for keeping the affair small, only allowing ten people in that night, he knew he wouldn’t be able to withstand more.

Jensen thanked everyone for coming as he scanned the small room. His heart slammed into his chest wall as his eyes locked on a face he thought he’d never see again. She looked every bit as beautiful as she had the last time he had seen her. He had to hold the bottle of water with two hands to keep from reaching for her. He had never felt time pass like it did when he was with her, even surrounded by other people. When his manager signaled the end, he breathed a sigh of relief, laced with regret. What if she left and he never saw her again? What if she stayed and wanted to speak to him? Sifting the emotions from the logic, he exchanged a few words with his manager before fleeing the room to his own space.

A soft knock at the door brought him back to the present and he calmly answered with his back to the door. “Come in.”

He caught her eyes in the mirror of his dressing room, tear tracks fresh on her flawless skin. He spun around before she could vanish. “I didn’t think you’d come.”

“I didn’t really have a choice.”

“There’s always a choice.”

“Not this time.”

“I never thought I would see you again, Y/N. What are you doing here?”

“Following my compass.”

“I won’t pretend to know what that means, but I’m going to assume it has something to do with your grandfather. I’m sorry for your loss, he was an incredible man,” Jensen offered.

“Yes, it does, and yes he was. He always liked you and told me I was an imbecile for leaving you the way I did, for not fighting for you, for us,” Y/N admitted. “That song…?”

“Are you asking if it has meaning? If it’s about you?”

Y/N took a tentative step forward, lessing the gap between them, the atmosphere in the room shifting. “Yes.”

“Yes. All of them are. You were always my inspiration, my muse,” Jensen confessed, inching closer to her.

“I’m sorry, Jensen,” Y/N sniffed.

“For what?”

“For leaving. For losing my compass.”

“You’re here now.”

Did you like it? The nicest thing you can do for a writer is reblog their work and tell them, and others, how much you like it!

The Whole Enchilada: @iwantthedean @dolphincliffs @mrswhozeewhatsis @flamencodiva @blacktithe7 @amanda-teaches @hannahindie @kickingitwithkirk @wi-deangirl77 @hobby27 @gh0stgurl @alleiradayne @idreamofplaid @manawhaat @crashdevlin @emoryhemsworth @fangirlxwritesx67 @winchesterprincessbride @waywardbeanie @jensengirl83 @anathewierdo @winchest09

The Dean’s List/Jensen’s Jamboree: @jerkbitchidjitassbutt @dean-winchesters-bacon @adoptdontshoppets @supernatural-jackles @fandom-princess-forevermore @akshi8278 @thing-you-do-with-that-thing @deanwanddamons @rockhoochie

#Jensen Ackles #Jensen Ackles x Reader #Rockstar!Jensen #Rockstar!Jensen x Reader #supernatural fanfiction #supernatural fanfic

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creepy-spooghetti · 3 years

Note

Hi! I'm new to your blog and I love your writing already! I was wondering (if you haven't already done so) can you write a scenario where your favorite creepypasta goes after a victim, but finds out the victim is immortal? I thought it'd be a fun scenario to play with, with the confusion of not being able to off the victim, the surprise of finding that they can't actually die, and the possible relatable feeling of being alive so long that the world blends together? I also say to use your favorite cp because I'd love to see who your favorite is and how you depict them in this scenario!

Oh wow, this is indeed an interesting scenario. I’m glad you like the blog, and I hope this meets your standards! Also, I decided to use Homicidal Liu for this because I haven’t written a lot about him yet and he’s pretty underrated I think. Plus he’s just a cool character ^^ Thanks for the request!

Liu peers through the window, gazing at the sleeping individual currently residing in their bed, blissfully unaware of the stitched-up teenager hovering just outside their room. Their chest rises and falls peacefully, a sight that Liu will, unfortunately, have to put an end to. It isn’t his fault he serves a faceless entity with a vengeance for mankind - if he ever tried to leave, he’d be wiped off the face of the earth.

He slides the window open, internally thanking them for leaving it unlocked the afternoon prior, as it makes it all the easier on him. Sure, he’s had to pick locks before and he generally doesn’t have a problem with it, but he’d rather just get in and get the job done without having any delays if at all possible.

Slinking through the now open window and silently stepping onto the floor below, he pulls his machete from the sheath hanging from his back and grips the handle as he draws closer to their sleeping frame. It’s fairly normal for Sully to come out during kills and take the lead, though it seems for tonight, Liu’s out of luck. He’ll have to do it by himself.

Slenderman didn’t say how to kill them, he just said, “Take them out and destroy any remaining evidence”, and he plans to do just that. Creeping to the bed, he raises his machete over his head, focusing on where their neck is sticking out from beneath the covers and readying himself for what he inevitably has to do.

After an encouraging breath, he brings the blade down onto their neck, one, two, three times, their blood splattering onto his face and across the surface of the machete. After the fourth time, their head comes clean off, and he stops, attempting to catch his breath from the exertion. His gaze travels down to the floor as he feels the warm liquid slowly trickle down his face, and he shakes his head disapprovingly. This is not the lifestyle he wanted to have, and in all reality, he’ll probably never get completely used to it.

He isn’t like his brother. He can’t just kill, and kill, and kill without a care in the world, no. He still has something that Jeff severely lacks; compassion. Empathy for other people, which is a rare thing to come across in the manor holding some of the deadliest killers in the world.

It’s one of the reasons he gets along with Jane so well. She doesn’t like what she does, either, and together they can find a common enemy; Jeff. He ruined both of their lives, and even though he is still his biological brother, he doesn’t really see him as his brother, anymore. He stopped having familial emotions for him the night that he tried to murder him in cold blood, all without batting an eye.

Liu is drawn, or more like, yanked harshly, out of his thoughts of self-reflection when the person he thought he beheaded just seconds ago suddenly sits up, rubbing at their neck and letting out a pained grown. Holy shit. Their head is still attached. But that’s impossible—how the hell are they still alive? He just murdered them, he saw it, he’s covered in the blood to prove it.

Their eyes avert up from their lap to the person looming over them, thick blood obscuring most of his features and the silver moon shining in through the windowpane making him look even more ominous. Bonus points for the menacing-looking machete still grasped tightly within his hand.

They flinch away, muscles tensing and eyes widening as they comprehend what just happened. They stare at each other for an uncomfortable amount of time, Liu trying to figure out how exactly it’s possible to come back alive after being clearly decapitated and Y\n merely observing him before they break the unsettling silence.

“Did...did you just try to kill me?” Instead of replying, Liu continues to gaze down at them with unsure green eyes before swiftly bringing his machete back down, this time slicing through their head, with as much strength as he can muster up. They let out a squeak, pain shooting through their skull and temporarily rendering them immobile.

Liu pulls the blade out of their head only to force it back down, this time much deeper than it was previously. He’ll be sure and kill them this time. Allowing the blood-spattered weapon to dangle at his side after he once again pulls it from the fresh, and undoubtedly fatal wound, he stares at the limp body sitting hunched over in front of him, completely unmoving.

Yes, he seems to have done it this time. Due to the dim lighting, he doesn’t notice how the inflicted area quickly seals itself back up, nor how the person whom he just presumed dead begins to breathe once more. Only when they stir and meet his gaze does he stumble back from surprise, nearly dropping his machete in the process.

They rub at their head, wincing at the aching currently taking place there and sending an annoyed glance at Liu. “Dude, again? Seriously?”

“H-how are you—“ he cuts himself off, shaking his head in disbelief and sucking in a breath in order to compose himself. Liu isn’t one to get surprised often, but when he does his reactions are more than notable.

“How am I...what?” They spin around and place their feet on the floor, tilting their head up at Liu in mild vexation, a knowing expression forming across their face. “Not dying? Yeah, quite a shocker, huh?”

He blinks, comprehending the situation and trying not to be too startled. He didn’t expect this, when you kill someone they’re actually supposed to, ya know, be dead and stay dead. They aren’t supposed to rise again, not once, but twice.

“This isn’t the first time someone’s tried to kill me.” Liu narrows his eyes at them incredulously, straightening his posture and collecting his bearings enough to form a coherent sentence.

“So you just...you just can’t die?”

“Nope!” they say, popping the ‘p’ and shaking their head, eyebrows furrowing. “Doesn’t mean it hurts any less when someone tries, though.”

“But...but how?” Had he known beforehand that the person he had been sent to eliminate couldn’t be eliminated then he wouldn’t have even gone, and he’s sure that if his boss would have had that information at hand then he wouldn’t have sent Liu in the first place.

But how wouldn’t he have known that? He’s the most powerful cryptid being that Liu has ever come across, it wouldn’t make sense for him to somehow not know of one of his workers’ victims to be...well, immortal.

They shrug, rubbing at their arms lightly as the chilly breeze blows in from the still-open window. “I’m not really sure, myself. Not even my family knows.” They glance up at him with questioning e\c eyes. “Why did you try to kill me?”

“I...uh...”

“Lemme guess. Someone sent you here?” Liu can’t do anything but hesitantly nod, shoulders loosening up slightly as he attempts to figure out what he’s supposed to do, now. “But you didn’t know that I couldn’t die?” Again, he nods. “And I’m guessing your boss or whatever didn’t, either.”

“You’re acting so casual about this,” he says, voice low as he tightens his grip on the deadly weapon still clutched in his palm.

“I mean, what else am I supposed to do? Run and scream for my life?” A bland chuckle exits their mouth and they shake their head thoughtfully. “You can hurt me all you want but inevitably, it does nothing.”

He blinks, wiping the blood from his machete off onto his jeans before slipping it back into its sheath. “So you’re not gonna tell anyone?”

“Well, why would I? It would do no good.” They shuffle a bit on the bed, attempting to get more comfortable as they run a hand through their hair. “So what’s your name, anyway?”

“I’m not disclosing that information,” is all he says, causing Y\n to let out a small laugh of amusement.

“Okay, I get it. But I’m sure you already know mine.”

“Maybe I do.”

“So what harm would it do in you telling me yours? You’re probably gonna kidnap me or somethin’ anyway, right?” Hmm...kidnapping isn’t too bad of an idea. Although, his boss told him to eliminate the subject, not kidnap them. To be fair though, he also didn’t tell him that the ‘subject’ in question couldn’t be killed so, he supposes that there are some exceptions to this...peculiar situation.

He releases a quiet sigh, sticking his hands deep inside the pockets of his leather jacket and ultimately deciding what the hell, why not. “...Liu. I’m Liu.”

“Nice name, ‘Liu’. I’m Y\n.” They lean backward, their arms supporting their weight as they tilt their head up at the brown-haired male. “Too bad we couldn’t be meeting under better circumstances.”

This person is so chill toward the guy who just tried to kill them—

“So are you gonna try to behead me again or what?” They brush their fingers over their neck and huff. “That didn’t feel very good, just so you know.”

“Well in my defense, you weren’t really supposed to be alive to feel it.”

“True, true. And for future reference, make the cut diagonal.” Liu raises an eyebrow. “You’ll slice the head off quicker that way. I mean, assuming you’re gonna try to kill, again.”

“Okay…why are you telling me this?” They shrug.

“Why wouldn’t I tell you this?”

He parts his lips to respond, though eventually just closes them back and shakes his head in defeat. “I...don’t know.”

“Alright, look dude, if you’re gonna do something else then just go ahead and do it. If not,” they release a yawn and begin to climb back underneath the covers of their bed, “then leave so I can go back to sleep.”

Liu isn’t sure what to do other than just stand there and watch them, thoughts swarming his mind. Should he leave them? They made it pretty clear that they weren’t intimidated by him, and he’s almost positive that they won’t blab about this encounter should he let them go. His boss might be mad, but oh well, he can always come back and kidnap them later. For now, he just needs to tell Slenderman that they legit can’t die, or even if they can, they seem to recover rather quickly and is always able to come back to life afterward.

Deciding that there isn’t a better option, he slowly starts walking backward, wiping some blood off of his face with the back of his hand and exiting through the window before softly shutting it behind him. This was a strange encounter, indeed. Maybe he can talk to Jack or Kagekao about being immortal and get some of his many questions answered since he himself can actually die so he doesn’t know what it’s like.

With a slightly confused sigh, he begins his trek back to the Manor. Just when I thought things couldn’t get any weirder...

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softlyjiminie · 4 years

Text

black swan [series teaser.]

⇢ pairing(s): professional dancer!park jimin x figure skater!reader.

⇢ rating: 16+, mature.

⇢ genre: angst, eventual smut, fluff, e2l, fake dating!au, corrupted idol!au, dancer!au, figure skater!au.

⇢ summary: a life of skating was all you’d ever known, your heart craving the feeling of ice beneath your feet and the light brush of cool air against your skin under thousands of sparkling lights... what a shame, if only you’d known that one night, one accident could rip you from the life you’d grown to love, leaving your career in the unsteady hands of the prince of ballet, park jimin.

⇢ warning(s): please read! heavy angst, jimin is a bit of a mess tbh, mentions of injuries, arguments, reader and jimin never get along, love...square?, emotinal distress, eventual smut. for future reference, i’ll tag each chapter with its own individual warnings!

⇢ author’s note(s): eeeeeeee!! my darlings i’m so excited to announce my first proper multichapter fic! black swan!! i’ve had this idea since around the time of map of the soul: seven’s release and have been planning and writing viciously since april !! im so excited to share this with you guys and hope you enjoy it. the first chapter will be released 18/07/2020! please let me know if you want to be added to the tag list ( by comment, ask or dm!) or you can add yourself here!

“c’mon now jimin...”

“shit, hoseok... you’re supposed to be helping me— not setting up for failure by partnering me with a skater who’ll ruin my fucking career!”

you frown, the word partner rising in the conversation for a second time. you whisper the offending word before you can even realise, saying it more so to yourself than anyone else— but when park jimin turns to you, cheeks red and contrasting with the blue of his hair, slender fingers raised to point at you accusingly— you realise you might have said it louder than you initially planned. you blink, body shuddering with nerves as if a cold sweep has engulfed your small body— but it’s an uncomfortable cold, nothing like the chill when you hit the ice for an early morning practice with taehyung, shavings from your skates against the smooth surface flying up and brushing against your lower legs.

it was nothing like that.

the dancer himself approaches you and there is no calm before the storm, you notice the vein in his neck bulging and the defensive way yoongi slightly steps in front of you. “you,” jimin seethes, brows pushed together handsomely...you hate how attractive he looks even when being completely pissed at you but you hate yourself more for even finding him attractive when he’s talking to you in such a way. the dancer turns to hoseok, letting a cool laugh slip from between his lips, to the point where it’s almost eerily chilly. “this, this is supposed to save my career? of fucking course.”

feeling your own anger rise up, you could tolerate him being mad about his own career, but doubting your talents was a completely different thing. especially since he had no clue of who you were. pushing the offended finger out of your face, you square your shoulders and push your chin up to broaden your stance, you may be small— but with many years of training around boys like jimin, you had developed your own way of intimidating them.

“firstly, jimin...” you say with a condescending tone, watching as his facial expression morphs into one shock. you manage to catch a glimpse of it before he goes back to sneering at you. “i’m a person, not a this or a that— don’t they teach you manners here is or is being rude just part of the job?” you bite, the corner of your lips twitching up into a subtle smile, knowing that you’ve snagged him there. the dancer shifts uncomfortably under your annoyed gaze. the other men in the room remain silent, but of course they’re eyes are still trained on you. “secondly, i never asked to be your partner, i didn’t even know i was going to be your partner— all i’m here for is some physical therapy which now, unfortunatley has to be along side your disrespectful ass!”

you can’t help but spit the last of your words, pushing him by the shoulder ever so slightly and making him wobble on his feet. you’re jet lagged, your leg is starting to get sore and all you want is to order yourself a load of room service and sleep the stress of flying off, but instead you’re stuck here in a fancy set of offices, scolding a grown man like he’s a teenager. the aforementioned male scans the room with honey brown eyes, scoffing when everyone is rendered silent before straightening his posture and giving you a look that would have sent you five feet under if it could.

⇢ author’s note(s): i hope you’re as excited as i am!! feedback is greatly appreciated and i hope to see you in a few weeks!!

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river--glass · 4 years

Text

Reylo Fic Recs Long Ass Fics pt 2: Alternate Universe

Someone asked for fic recs 100K or over, so here they are. See Pt. 1 for Canon Verse or Alternate Canon Verse fics. (I haven’t read all of these- my personal comments are in bold)

Equilibrium by AttackoftheDarkCurses & thebuildingsnotonfire. (modern, E, 479K)

When Rey works up the nerve to ask Grand Master Luke Skywalker to train her, she makes friends and finds something deep and wonderful in the martial art known as Taekwondo.

She never thought the choice would change her life.

Alternatively, a (long) story of love, family, and Martial Arts.

The Heartbreak Prince by diasterisms. (Harry Potter, E, WIP)

I swore I would never read Harry Potter AU’s or Works In Progress, but for this fic I broke both rules. This is, pun not intended, so magical in every way. It has me SHOOK and if somehow you haven’t heard of it yet, do yourself a favor and check it out!

In Living Memory by SpaceWaffleHouseTM. (multiple times, E, 221K)

Ben and Rey are rendered immortal after being struck by lightning at the precise same moment, and keep running into one another as the centuries drag on. Waffle’s stories are all amaaaaazing and you need to read ALL of them.

Hit Me With Your Best Shot by SageMcMae. (modern, E, 214k)

MMA fighter, Kylo Ren is suspended from the league and sentenced to community service at his uncle’s martial arts academy. There he meets Rey Niima, a recent graduate with a natural ability and incredible potential.

Soul Searching by OptimisticBeth. (AU, Modern, E, 205K)

A Soulmates AU in which Ben is horrified to find out he’s soulmates with his 16 year old student, ten years his junior. (no underage shenanigans) This fic fucked me up. The world building is so stunning. The story is rich with love and fluff, but oh the angst. Soooo much angst and emotional anguish and two people who are trying their best but just can't communicate for shit. The overall story is so beautiful and worth every heartbreaking moment. A happy ending WILL come!

Satan Wears a Rolex by AquaWolfGirl. (Modern, E, 205K)A Devil Wears Prada AU. Unfinished, but it’s fascinating and it ends well where it is.

Hiraeth by Ferasha. (1990′s, E, 204K)

An absolute angst and pain train of a historical war fic. This is not a comfort fic. It will fuck you up. But if you’re into that, the way they’ve woven canon plot in with the Yugoslav Wars is a masterpiece. It’s dark and gritty and will make you feel things.

Le Fin Du Fin by QueenOfCarrotFlowers @leofgyth. (Victorian, E, 196K) A Crimson Peak AU!!! This writer has never let me down.

A Proposal by Any Other Name by Lucidlucy. (Modern, E, 188) A Leap Year AU.

Salt in the Blood by Hagen. (9th century, E, 169K) Featuring pre-Norman invasion Ireland, selkies, love of the sea, and mythical creatures.

The Great Big No by dietplainlite. (1990′s, E, 165K)

Kylo Ren is third generation rock royalty, a reigning brat prince starting to feel the burn of the fame he reached for with both hands. Rey is an aspiring singer on the verge of a big break, provided her A&R guy still has a job by the time she reaches LA. Their paths have crossed briefly, disappointingly, before. What happens when they collide?

The Trail Bride by SecretReyloTrash. (AU, Wild West, E, 160K)

Rey Niima finds herself in a perilous situation when her husband dies at the start of their journey West. From the few bachelors on the trail in her party; she attaches herself to the best of her options- mysterious Banker Ben Solo. A really interesting, amazing piece. Lots of introspection, and a heart wrenchingly real look into abuse and recovery. I emotionally digested for days.

The Sacred Texts by Eskayrobot & Poaxath. (Modern, E, 159K)

Doing the Unstuck by slipgoingunder. (Modern, E, 158K) A When Harry Met Sally AU.

The Mating Service by AlbaStarGazer. (Modern A/B/O, E, 146K)

If Rey had known how quickly she would find her biological mate and alpha through the world wide mating service, 'Match,' she might have considered signing up years ago.

Unravel Me by UnderTheCancerMoon. (Modern, E, 145K)

Rey and Ben push and pull their way through their 20's, experiencing the love, success, loss, and challenges that make life rich.

Fire Away by Daisyflo. (Modern, E, 141K)

The Witch in the Wood by HarpiaHarpyja @thisgarbagepicker & Inmyownidiom. (Fantasy, E, 138K)

I cannot say enough good things about this fic. It’s serving you knight Kylo and witch Rey and so so many good feelings. Sure there’s some angst and dark magic and some struggles but mostly this is a lovely Ghibli-esque story about two people living in a treehouse and talking to animals and having a really good life! Everything HarpiaHarpyja writes is magic.

Snow Without Winter by neonheartbeat. (Renaissance, E, 138K)

If you’re into serious historical fics (this once features catholicism and Rome in 1492) this is for you.

Lemon-hot Summer by IshaRen & pr3tty_g1rl5. (Modern, E, 130K).

In which Ben is the horniest virgin alive and Rey is bored and looking for something (or someone) to do.

Stranger Than Fiction by daxcat79. (Modern, E, 127K). Grumpy writer Ben and sunshine muse Rey.

Like Red But Not Quite by @kylotrashforever. (Modern, E, 126K) KTF is a god-tier reylo writer and you need to do yourself a favor and go read everything they have ever written.

Dark Water by LinearA. (1950′s, E, 125K)

The North Shore by @strawberrycupcakehuckleberrypie. (Modern, E, 125K)

Notting Hill vibes. Actor Ben meets shop owner Rey, and both their lives are changed instantly. It’s mostly about them both being smitten and starting a really good life together!! Lovely!

Stars In My Pockets (Wear Daisies In My Hair) by LostInQueue. (Modern, E, 125K). A Reylogan fic.

we could plant a house, we could build a tree by like_a_dove. (Modern, E, 124K).

An absolute classic. It’s about growing pains and growing feelings - the transition from childhood into adulthood and all the messy bits in between. God, it will hurt you. Badly. But it’ll be so, so worth it.

go i know not whither and fetch i know not what by voicedimplosives. (1990′s, E, 118K)

Russian Mafia AU!! A truly beautiful piece of work. Great plot,great smut, great Bendemption arc. It’s an emotional rollercoaster that’s fully worth the ride.

Souviens-toi de moi by Maniable. (Modern/historical, E, 117K)

Disconnect by Weatherbug02. (Modern, E, 115K)

Candyleg by 5cents. (1950′s, E, 115K)

The girl was too young, but old enough to have a hustler’s-eye view of her own bleak future. The boys were paying her to do a snow job on a candyleg, but she was beginning to love her work and love Solo, and she decided to stick with him till death did them part...

Baby, It’s Just Biology by polkadotdotdot. (Modern A/B/O, E, 112K)

Only If You Want To by Violetwilson. (Modern, M, 111K)

Personal security expert (and occasional under-the-table hitman) Kylo Ren has a strong feeling about the cute dive bar waitress with the strange bruises and the vicious wit. She's either a victim or the weirdest criminal he's ever met. Possibly both.

Ileenium Manor by WaterlilyRose. (AU, victorian, E, 109K)

Leia’s maid Rey instantly hates Lord Ben when he comes to take over the household. She can’t hate him for too long as he starts to pursue her. If you’re in the mood for a sweet but angsty Lord/Maid fic, this is for you.

Kohelet 3:16 (Call Me A Cab) by LinearA. (Modern, E, 108K)

Ruby Woo Red by HeartSabers. (Modern, E, 107K) Featuring makeup artist Rey and TV star Kylo.

Sixth Year by witheyesclosed. (Harry Potter, M, 107K)

The one where Ravenclaw Rey gets paired with Slytherin Ben in Potions and ohmygod he’s hot now

Lockjaw by bitterbones. (zombie apocalypse, M, 106K)

A Song of Trash and Fire: Ben and Rey Make a Porno by HarpiaHarpyja & sunshineflying. (Modern, E, 106K)

With the help of rich Unca Wanwo, flagrant misuse of Ben's creative writing degree, and copious amounts of coffee, Ben and Rey put together the porno of the century, starring themselves and their friends . . . with interesting results.

The Hypnotist by Pandora_Spocks. (Modern, E, 104K)

From a galaxy far, far away, soulmates Ben and Rey have been reincarnated on Earth to resolve their karma. Dr. Ben Solo is a charismatic hypnotist to whom present day Reychelle Lumen has been referred to for help with her nightmares.

Score by SpaceWaffleHouseTM. (Modern, E, 104K)

Ben's friends convince him to take the Rice Purity Test, but when he and Rey are revealed to have the highest scores of their friends, they quickly form a pact to beat Poe's out by the end of the semester. I loved this! Its so so sweet and funny and all from Ben’s POV. Sweet, sweet pining Ben.

The World Shifts (And I Am Better Here) by lachesisgrimm. (Fantasy, E, 102K)

Once upon a time there was a beggar girl whose parents sold her to a thief, and she was very unhappy.--In which prophecy is used with malicious intent, and the universe exerts itself to correct the problem.

for @scarletvizhlovers

#reylo fic recs #reylo fic rec #reylo fanfiction #rey/ben solo fanfics #reylo

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simtrospective · 4 years

Photo

SCRAPPED STORY CHALLENGE by @bugsims

01. Post a few screenshots from a scrapped scene / edit / story! 02. Share why you scrapped this specific thing. 03. Tag five friends, and watch the fun play out!

Thank you to @gilded-ghosts for the tag.

Because I wrote so much that you might prefer to skip, let me do 03. outside the cut. I tag...

@ladykendalsims - @jet-plane-sims - @boogey-studios - @pinkmonsimblr - @dynastiasimss

The above pictures (plus the related tray files) are all I have left of an idea that was half-formed to begin with and which never got off the ground at all.

01.

Depending on if you’re a follower of mine + how long you’ve been following me, you may have seen a few of these shots before but I’ll explain them anyway:

Set 1: The characters Charlie, Hick, and Craig, in their original states on the left and their enhanced, final states on the right;

Set 2: A few WIP pictures of the performance space/club/thing I built;

Set 3: A bunch of test shots I took to see how the characters looked interacting, what they did naturally, and how they looked when I ~directed them. I used these pics to try and find my editing style for the story. I didn’t find the style I wanted. Clearly.

02.

I scrapped this idea because it never came together; I didn’t connect with the characters; I didn’t care about the storyline; I’m not done with my new save so I couldn’t ~comfortably start telling this story when the rest of the world was/is disordered; and on and on. The point is, I wasn’t feeling any of this. Oh! And I hate the whole vibe and time period and aesthetic irl; what on earth was I thinking writing about it?!

So. What was this going to be?

[[Under the cut because this is... so, so long. So long.]]

Charlie, Hick, and Craig were

going

to live in Del Sol Valley in my new save, in the Pinnacles neighborhood, which I was

going

to turn into a Laurel Canyon-style neighborhood. An entire community of would-be songwriters/musicians were

going

to live in the two smaller lots and commune with one another and be the New Guard colliding with the Old Guard; the huge mansion lot was

going

to house an aging former film-current soap actor confronting his mortality and also hating the living shit out of these hippies whose existence he took as a personal affront--I digress. Back to the “story.”

Charlie, Hick, and Craig met after each arrived in DSV separately and they vibed and they moved in together, all in a matter of, like, a week’s time. Charlie and Hick vibed especially. So much in common! Such poor little rich [kids]! Both came from pampered environments in which their family money and respective fathers’ connections allowed them to skate through life and to play at being musicians because--despite crying oppression at the hands of upper class WASP-dom--they'll always have safety nets to ensure they’ll always be okay. Charlotte Grant graduated from her all-girls prep school and put on a floppy hat and became Charlie Grant; Richard Hickey (lololol) ripped up his acceptance letter to Britechester and grew his hair out and hitchhiked and told people to call him “Hick.” They’ve lived parallel lives and “recognize” one another as soon as they meet. They have an electric connection, but neither will verbalize that. Above all, they... really want to sleep together.

Craig grew up working class and has no safety net; he just wants a little adventure before he gets a real job/grows up/gets married (his gf back home is off to college; they’re long-distance; it’s... not going to work). He’s a good guitar player and he’s a good songwriter and that’s it but maybe it’ll be more? What do they say about the lottery? Can’t win if you don’t play? Charlie and Hick want to be famous ~rule the world. Hick plays guitar well and tries to write songs but they’re shitty. Charlie is passively learning the keyboard and writes songs that are not... bad...? Some are... good?

Charlie and Hick--can you tell they eclipse Craig, yet?--have weird sexual chemistry and tension: they tease, they flirt, they taunt, they enjoy one another’s attention but they never so much as hug. They both have cruel streaks as only disconnected, spoiled, emotionally stunted bluebloods can: the torture of their relationship/non-relationship gets them off more than anything else could and that thrill drives much of their behaviors: bringing wanton strangers home for one night stands, each hoping the other is watching/overhearing, fighting about little things, acting like inappropriately close siblings, acting like strangers. Craig suffers their whims; Charlie and Hick aren’t just united in their toxicity and their dreams of fame, but in how they make Craig into a third wheel or a--well, punching bag is too strong a term. Charlie and Hick think they’re teasing their bff but you know how it is to be teased allllll the tiiiiiiime and how it can make your head spin when people who can’t get along with one another join forces--without even having to discuss it--to turn on you. Their relationship gets patched up, you’re hurting, they insist it’s not a big deal and even that you even liked it. We’re all friends. We’re all best friends omg.

But sometimes they have fun together. They have a lot of fun together. Sometimes it all is everything each dreamed it would be. DSV is a wonderland and their careers are happening and life is happening and they’re best friends. They’re soulmates for life.

The three work on music, perform at clubs. Craig is starting to come into his own as a man. I hate the term coming-of-age but in the background of the Charlie & Hick Show, Craig is maturing. He has to, because C&H are fuck-ups. They jeopardize scheduled performances. They don’t know how to talk to club owners. They’re not interested in paying their dues. They are unable (or unwilling) to promote themselves without being obnoxious attention whores. They don’t practice or help write songs. They don’t take care of the house. Hick is late with his rent. Charlie thinks she can flirt her way out of everything. Craig is also the only one of them who works; he has a day job at a print shop, gives guitar lessons on the side, and makes sure the three get gigs and don’t get evicted. The only thing C&H put consistent effort toward is making the social scene or finding a party or scoring drugs or getting laid. As the group’s local star(s) rise, their fates start to change course which increases the interpersonal tension. Hick’s fun-loving nature is starting to turn into a legit substance abuse problem and he’s picking fights with the wrong people and socially devolving, his arrogance and issues and general laziness rendering him unable to relate to others; Charlie is getting a lot of attention from older men In the Business, who have the money and connections to make her a solo star, which she is shrewdly considering; and Craig’s resentment toward his “friends” and disillusionment with the superficiality of DSV is making him rethink his motivation for coming west in the first place.

Oh, and Charlie and Hick--again, as their paths change and as their weird tension remains unresolved--continue to take their bullshit out on Craig and now it’s not funny anymore, it’s not cute, it’s not exciting, and neither is it when Hick ruins a show by being too stoned to perform and neither is it when Charlie brings unsavory characters home who trash the three’s equipment and neither is it when C&H steal Craig’s songs and perform without him at a gig they didn’t tell him about.

What I intended was that the story would at first seem to be The Charlie and Hick Show, all about them, as if we’re supposed to root for them, but ideally, through my ~deft hand 🙄 the reader 🙄🙄 was supposed to be like, Um... hold on-- until it eventually was quite obvious that these two--though human; though in situations we could understand and empathize with--were captured at a point in their lives when they were Super Toxic Assholes, and what you were watching all along was Craig as Hero.

So I had ideas, but I didn’t know how to fit them together and I didn’t want a really long story and I couldn’t--I just couldn’t figure it out. I do know that the end was going to be Craig screwing them like they’d been screwing him, a final middle finger with consequences. I know that he and Hick were going to have words and Hick was going to try and fight him (such a loser) and Charlie was going to throw a Hail Mary of like... trying to seduce (lol) Craig into staying omg I always had a thing for you/we’d be such a great team/I always thought we could ~be something ~together uwu bullshit like that. Was this true? Was this true in her own mind? I think I was going to set the story up so that if you reread, yeah, it could be true, but she’s so flirty and manipulative and socially savvy and used to getting what she wants that who knows what her real feelings ever are? Ultimately that would’ve been irrelevant bc Craig never looked at her that way and hates her and Hick now; good going guys. It’s worth noting, I guess, that when I put the group on a test lot, Charlie was super into Craig immediately, went right to him, stood close to him, was eager to make romantic overtures; she went 0 to 60 in an instant and as so far as is possible in this game they had chemistry, but Craig was not feeling the romance. And no one was feeling Hick.

Anyway, Craig was going to move on with his life and Charlie and Hick were going to learn nothing and blame him, ~the end.

And then, as I continued to play my save and maybe tell more stories, there would be Easter eggs, references to Charlie, Hick, and Craig older/in the future and where they went in life in the background of other, unrelated stories: Hick’s substance abuse problems and rehab stints and going by Richard again and his eventual moderate fame and eventual sobriety and attempted comeback and his bad relationships with his exes and children; Charlie’s legit fame + marriage to a producer + eventual fade away + moderate comeback + solid second or third marriage and bff relationship with her children 🙄🙄🙄 and her palatial house on the coast and now she exclusively wears white and ivory and pampers her dogs and eats raw (but drinks wine) because it “cured” her undiagnosed, unnamed “autoimmune disorder,” which she wrote a book about resulting in a semi-comeback but as a Famous Person and not a musician. Craig going to college and becoming a high school English teacher who plays in a local band on the weekends and who has a good marriage (not to the long distance gf) and nice kids, one of whom would eventually have her own story where she pursued musicianship with her dad, which got him back into his first passion but it was a qt father-daughter project and not An Attempt to Be Famous.

So. Idk. That’s what this all would’ve been. But it wasn’t, and it won’t be!

#sims 4 #ts4 #scrapped story challenge

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aion-rsa · 3 years

Text

Back to the Future: The Real Johnny B. Goode Rocked Long Before Marty McFly

https://ift.tt/2QFxici

Back to the Future is a classic comedy, one of the most popular films in motion picture history. Almost every laugh line lands with a perfectly executed punch. Every skateboard flip is a motion picture wonder. It’s one of those films which is broadly silly yet still has heart, and it’s a treasure of commercial cinema. But when Michael J. Fox’s Marty McFly straps on a cherry red Gibson ES-345 he plunders the golden oldies right out of the fingers of the true original. Ignore the bit where “Marvin Berry” calls his cousin on the phone. Chuck Berry didn’t just write “Johnny B. Goode,” he was Johnny B. Goode.

The song about the country boy who could play guitar like ringing a bell could have referred to any number of musicians, from Buddy Holly to Bo Diddley or Ricky Nelson. But the singer-songwriting guitarist who penned the line was born at 2520 Goode Avenue, in St. Louis.

Berry had already made his concession to white commercialism by changing the line “that little colored boy could play” to “that little country boy.” Oh my. But then for years, the Father of Rock and Roll watched the self-styled King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley, put his stamp on Berry’s signature. The royalties were sweet though for Berry, and the respect was mutual.

But the backhanded homage in the time-traveling 1985 comedy is really a cheap gag, and the joke is at the expense of Berry’s legacy.

“Long Distance information? Get Me Memphis, Tennesse”

“Chuck! Chuck, it’s Marvin, your cousin, Marvin Berry. You know that new sound you’re looking for?” the fictional bandleader yells into a pay phone at the 1955 Enchantment Under the Sea dance in Hill Valley, California. “Listen to this!”

We then hear the subtle sound of casual racial invalidation. Not only does the line denigrate Berry’s contribution to the architecture of rock and roll; it completely sidelines guitarist Carl Hogan who initiated the opening guitar phrasing on Louis Jordan’s 1946 pre-rock and roll song “Ain’t That Just Like a Woman.” Think, McFly. Think!

Michael J. Fox already has a perfectly winning comic ending to the now-iconic scene: when his fingers stretch back to the future, and he channels Eddie Van Halen on the guitar, even the kids at the 1950s dance think he should act his age. So why does director and co-screenwriter Robert Zemeckis feel the need to shit on Chuck Berry with such a disposable throw-away gag? It is even more insulting when you take into consideration who Berry had to sue over the course of his career for stealing his riffs.

Indicative of a long-standing music industry tradition, the two biggest names in white rock and roll, the Beatles and the Beach Boys, had to cough up to the pioneering artist after infringing on his copyrights. Berry sued to get his name on the Beach Boys’ hit “Surfin’ USA” while John Lennon agreed to cover two songs owned by Berry’s publisher in exchange for copping lines from “You Can’t Catch Me” for the song “Come Together.”

But Lennon still declared “If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it ‘Chuck Berry,’” when he introduced him on The Mike Douglas Show in 1972. “In the 1950s, a whole generation worshipped his music, and when you see him today, past and present all come together, and the message is Hail, Hail Rock and Roll.’”

He Could Play a Guitar Just Like a-Ringin’ a Bell

Berry was the first-ever Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, and in the same class as James Brown, Ray Charles, Fats Domino, the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Presley. With songs like “Maybellene,” “Roll Over Beethoven,” “Little Queenie,” “Havana Moon,” “Wee Wee Hours,” “Rock and Roll Music,” and “Sweet Little 16,” Berry scored the soundtrack to the 1950s.

Berry didn’t invent rock and roll. Ike Turner is credited with that for his 1951 song, “Rocket 88.” Berry recorded his first hit “Maybellene” in 1955 at Chicago’s Chess Studios, the home of the blues. Berry sped up the blues to a country thump and let his fingers do to guitar strings what lips did to horns.

Berry made rock and roll fun, funny, and subtly rebellious. The teenager in “You Can’t Catch Me” is motorvating away from the cops. His “Brown Eyed Handsome Man” hit a home run with color coded racial pride. The artist who was glad, so glad, he was “living in the U.S.A.” (in the song “Back in the U.S.A.”) was barred from many of the things he found so wondrous in this country to sing about.

Almost Grown

Charles Edward Anderson Berry was born on Oct. 18, 1926. His St. Louis neighborhood, “The Ville,” was segregated. His great-grandparents were slaves. In 1944, Berry was arrested for driving along in an automobile he carjacked at gunpoint after robbing three stores in Kansas City. He did a three-year stint in reform school.

Berry began playing music professionally when he was in his mid-20s, sitting in with local bands like piano player Johnnie Johnson’s group, Sir John’s Trio. Blues icon Muddy Waters suggested Berry bring his songs to Chess Records where Howlin’ Wolf, the Moonglows, and Big Bill Broonzy were recording sides. Label owner Leonard Chess had a good feeling about the song “Ida Red.”

Movies

The History of Back to the Future Began With a High School Yearbook

By Chris Cummins

Movies

The United States vs. Billie Holiday: The Federal Bureau of Narcotics Was Formed to Kill Jazz

By Tony Sokol

Berry renamed the song “Maybellene” when he recorded it on May 21, 1955. It was Berry’s first nationwide hit. He was 28. Willie Dixon was on bass, Johnnie Johnson played piano, Jerome Green shook maracas, and Ebby Hardy beat the drums. Alan Freed and Russ Fratto didn’t do anything for the song, but their names are on the credits as co-songwriters. They effectively collected royalties for teaching Berry a valuable lesson.

Chuck Berry wrote all the songs on his first album, After School Session, which was released in May 1957. It was the same for his next two albums. Berry didn’t include any covers on his albums at all until his fourth album, Rockin’ at the Hops, released in July 1960. Berry starred in some of Alan Freed’s jukebox movies like Rock Rock Rock!, Mister Rock and Roll, and Go, Johnny, Go! He also appeared in Jazz on a Summer’s Day, a 1959 documentary about the Newport Jazz Festival.

“No Need to Be Complainin’, My Objections Overruled”

Berry was arrested in St. Louis, Missouri, in December 1959 for transporting Janice Norine Escalan, a 14-year-old hatcheck girl at Club Bandstand in Juarez, Mexico, across state lines for “immoral purposes.” He was charged under the Mann Act. Berry argued he was offering legitimate employment. An all-male, all-white jury found him guilty on March 11, 1960. Berry appealed, but the conviction was upheld at a 1961 trial. Berry was sentenced to three years. He served 18 months and was released from prison in 1964.

Berry’s career never quite took off again. He had some hits in 1964 and 1965, “Nadine,” “No Particular Place to Go,” “You Never Can Tell,” and “Promised Land.” He was one of the artists in the 1964 concert film The TAMI Show. Berry’s last number 1 hit, “My Ding-a-Ling,” was recorded live in London in 1972 for The London Chuck Berry Sessions album.

Berry never stopped playing live. He traveled with only his guitar and a briefcase for his money, and would grab local bar bands to back him when he hit town. Everyone knew Chuck Berry songs. Simple, three-chord pangs to teenage love, cars and safety belts. Bandleaders like Bruce Springsteen and Steve Miller eagerly lent their fingers and bands to the light traveling guitar player. Most groups were thrilled to get the chance to play for a legend when they weren’t harangued for bending a string too far on an intro. Not even Keith Richards got away with that, just watch the rehearsal portion of the 1987 documentary Hail! Rock ‘n’ Roll.

The Rolling Stones’ guitarist had already been brought in as a surprise backing player for a 1972 Los Angeles show where he was kicked off the stage for setting his amp too loud. Berry would also give Richards a black eye for touching his guitar after a New York City show a decade later. Richards’ early guitar work is modeled on Berry’s style. The Stones covered “Carol,” “Around and Around” and “You Can’t Catch Me.” Richards inducted Berry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.

Back to the Future is really just a light, inoffensive, time-bending screwball comedy, and Berry has been the butt of far worse jokes. Spy magazine alleged Berry secretly filmed women in bathrooms. In January 1990, High Society claimed to be “the only magazine with the balls to show Chuck’s berries,” when it published photos of him posing nude with different women.

So when you read an article about Berry recalling the incident where the white kid played “Johnny B. Goode,” remember: it ran in The Onion. Chuck Berry could be accused of a lot of things, but he was an original.

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dustedmagazine · 4 years

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Dust Volume 6, Number 6

Whatever happens, Bobby Conn will always be fabulous

Greetings from the never-ending sameness! It must be Friday since we’re doing a Dust, but we are not exactly sure which Friday and, indeed, which day of the week comes after that. We have not had a haircut in a while, and we’re wearing the most comfortable, least fashionable things we own, but we have not quite given up, because, you see, we’re still listening to music. Here are short missives from our respective quarantines, covering experimental psych, fey orchestral pop, slow rolling sine waves, disco-glittering satire, solitary black metal and assorted other musical manifestations. Contributors included Bill Meyer, Andrew Forell, Jennifer Kelly, Jonathan Shaw and Michael Rosenstein.

Eric Arn & Jasmine Pender — Hydromancy (Feeding Tube)

hydromancy by eric arn & jasmine pender

Hydromancy is the ancient practice of divining the gods’ intentions by staring for long periods into a pool of water. Eric Arn, an American guitarist who has been based in Austria for the last decade and a half, seems to have picked up at least one message from the cosmos, and he is acting upon it. Feeding Tube Records is his home. Hydromancy is his third release on the label, and like its two predecessors, it carves out a unique zone within a large and ever-spreading field of inquiry. Arn’s spent time playing psychedelic rock, free improvisation and solo acoustic explorations, and worked with players from Texas, New England and Vienna. This time he’s partnered with an English cellist, Jasmine Pender, on two side-long ponderances of resonance. The title is apt; the musicians seem to be regarding the surface of their sound, first letting ripples and reflections guide them, but ultimately peering beneath the surface into darker, persistent currents.

Bill Meyer

ARTHUR — Hair of the Dog (Honeymoon)

youtube

On his sophomore album, Philadelphia songwriter ARTHUR disguises ruminations on addiction, anxiety, pain and paranoia in summery cloaks of experimental pop. The combination of whimsy and woe is nothing new, but it’s a fine balance. In Hair of the Dog, complex arrangements surround naïve-sounding melodies, hinting at inner turmoil.

The album incorporates whispers of disco in “No Tengo,” a low key Caleb Giles rap interlude on “Something Sweet,” swinging 1960s horns on “William Penn Island” and a choir of children on “You Are Mine.” The magpie eclecticism holds together beneath a voice that can err on the side of mannered. It is most effective when direct and unadorned as on “Simple Song” where a woozy waltz and detuned guitar bridge underline the poignancy of the lyrics: “In a couple of years/You lose a couple of friends/You lose yourself and you start over again/I don’t have patience/All that I know is addiction.” There is a lot to like here even if at times ARTHUR treads too hard on the path of whimsy.

Andrew Forell

Gaudenz Badrutt — Ganglions (Aussenraum)

Ganglions by Gaudenz Badrutt

“Connect” is the not the first words that 2020 is going to wear out, but it’s in the running. Veteran Swiss electronic musician Gudenz Badrutt could not have foreseen the present situation when he was making this LP, but it speaks to at least one aspect of it. Perhaps the barrages of commercials dropping the word “connect” by corporations interested in currying your subconscious good will has you pondering the networks by which that state is accomplished and sustained. Badrutt’s music is assembled from sine waves and feedback systems, which he layers and interrupts to make sound that flickers and surges like an audio rendering of your nervous system in various states of load-carrying and overload. Listen closely, and you can ponder your place within the system. But if you’re sick of thinking, feeling, and awareness, turn this shit up and it will blot out whatever offends you.

Bill Meyer

Nat Baldwin — Autonomia I: Body Without Organs (Shinkoyo)

AUTONOMIA I: Body Without Organs by Nat Baldwin

Nat Baldwin is a published novelist as well as a singer and double bassist with several solo records and a long-time stint is a member of the Dirty Projectors on his cv. His versatility does not come at the expense of focus; indeed, Autonomia I (so named because there’s a second, cassette-only volume) show that he knows how to get a lot out of a particular idea. This LP was inspired by a broken bow, which he employs (sometimes in concert with an intact one) on five of the LP’s seven tracks. When one of your tools is unreliable, you have to be ready to scramble, and there are moments when it sounds like he’s trying to recover from or get ahead of his implement’s waywardness. But those also sound like moments of opportunity; whether he’s exploring rattle of a loose part against his bass’s body or using that bow to obtain non-prescribed tensions from his strings, he organizes his instrument’s unusual sounds into quick-moving, provocatively shaped constellations of sound.

Bill Meyer

Bonifrate—Mundo Encoberto (Self-released)

Mundo Encoberto by Bonifrate

Pedro Bonifrate is one-half of the Brazilian psych outfit Guaxe, this solo album (according to Google translate “overcast world”) springs from the same trippy, laid-back but multi-instrumented roots. Lush like the rainforest that surrounds him, playful and full of bright colors, this eight-part composition unfolds in the manner of a particularly vivid dream. “Parte 1” mutates freely over its 11 minute duration, stirring to life in a rush of strings, slipping into beach-y mildly hallucinogenic balladry, trying on a bit of Syd Barret-ish whimsy, crescendoing in clangorous guitar overload. Hard to say if Bonifrate played all the instruments, but the album has an idiosyncratic euphoria, as if it were lifted in one piece from the vivid contours of one person’s mushroom trip.

Jennifer Kelly

Bobby Conn — Recovery (Tapete)

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“It’s a disaster, the one we’ve been waiting for for years, and now we get to see how this thing ends,” croons the one-and-only Bobby Conn in his glam-shuddering, disco-sleek tenor, and sure, 2020 in a nutshell, got it in one, congrats! Who’d have thought that Conn’s arch, satiric performance art could be a form of comfort here at the end of the world? Who’s have supposed his stylized excesses would seem not an iota too much? Conn, as ever, is sharp and topical, pondering all the oppressed sub-groups left out of the “Good Old Days,” (against a swaggering Phil Spector beat), mourning the xxx-rated theaters put out of business by Pornhub in “Bijou,” skewering big data’s intrusions in the synth-operatic glories of “Disposable Future.” But what’s always separated Conn from mere satirists is the elaborate, over-the-top quality of the music he makes. “Recovery” with its scatted bassline, its frenetic syncopation, its funk precision—it all works as music way before you start to chuckle at the lyrics. Conn is as much a character in the long-running graphic novel that plays in his head as a bandleader, but don’t underestimate the bandleader. There’s art underneath all that eyeliner.

Jennifer Kelly

Curanderos — Raven’s Head (Null Zøne)

Raven's Head by Curanderos

If you’re looking for something to cure what ails you in these uncertain times, Raven’s Head might be your balm. You won’t need a prescription, since the tradition of shamanistic healing precedes the AMA, and the particular configuration of healers here — John and Michael Gibbons of Bardo Pond + Scott Verrastro of Kohoutek — models a cooperative approach that more conventional leadership would do well to emulate. The combination of personalities also tips you off to what to expect. Verrastro is a colorist, using the metal parts of his drum kit to keep the listener aware of the dimensions surrounding the listening space, but he also provides just enough forward momentum to keep the music moving at a fogbank-rolling pace. The Gibbons match liquid lead and coarse riff with practiced ease; they’ve spent a lot of time in such cloudy spaces, and they breathe deeply of the inspirational atmosphere.

Bill Meyer

Discovery Zone — Remote Control (Mansions and Millions)

Remote Control by Discovery Zone

“Sophia Again” is a sci-fi mini-story, presenting the conversation between an AI creature and her creator, talking about the self, the meaning of life and the joy of connection, as bubbling arcs of synthesizer sounds jet off into the ether. It is, perhaps, the most literally futuristic of the cuts on this gleaming, synth-centric album, though the whole thing is polished to an other worldly, not quite natural glow. JJ Weihl, the artist behind Discovery Zone, also works in Fenster, a Berlin-based psychedelic pop band of a similarly polished, dance-referring (but not dance) aesthetic. Here, she works solo in luminous abstractions of crystal clear sound. The pleasure comes in the purity and beauty of voices, synths, drum beats, which sound like Sophia might have made them while learning to be human; they are a little too perfect to be wholly man-made.

Jennifer Kelly

Esoctrilihum — Eternity of Shaog (I, Voidhanger)

Eternity Of Shaog by ESOCTRILIHUM

An epic of esoteric demonology from Ashtâghul’s one-man black metal project Esoctrilihum, Eternity of Shaog presents as ten songs, most of which bear titles like “Exh-Enî Söph (First Passage: Exiled from Sanity)” and “Amenthlys (5th Passage: Through the Yth-Whtu Seal).” One gets the sense that there is a cosmology being built—but even Google has a tough time tracking the references to the many, many Eastern mythic systems in the repertoire. The provisionally good news is that Eternity of Shaog is a bit less musically spastic than its predecessor, The Telluric Ashes of the Ö Vrth Immemorial Gods, an even longer record released just last year. Say what you will, Ashtâghul is prolific. On this new record, you get his signature combination of black metal speed and snarl and an ambitiously (that’s the kind word) proggy compositional sense. The transitions this time around are less violent, the riffs are pretty good and plentiful synths build out to lush soundscapes. The musical textures are rich, but the bad vibes dominate. It’s hard to say what malign presences you’ll be summoning into your home if you play this stuff as loud as seems intended. Maybe keep some holy water handy.

Jonathan Shaw

Fire-Toolz — Rainbow Bridge (Hausu Mountain)

Rainbow Bridge by Fire-Toolz

As Fire-Toolz composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist, Angel Marcloid conjures mosaics from such disparate elements that one wonders how the music hangs together. Yet what at first seems like a chaotic, fractured farrago coalesces into a cohesive picture of her world that simultaneously bewilders and awes. Catholic in source and meticulous in construction Rainbow Bridge is an uncompromising and often stunning dash through Marcloid’s mind. Treated vocals that evoke death metal or JG Thirwell at his most outré, passages of twinkling synth and arena guitar, elements of 1980s Japanese ambient music, fusion jazz and Chiptune slot together like Jenga blocks that wobble but never quite collapse.

Marcloid’s project of musical excavation, reclamation and transformation perhaps mirrors her experience as a non-binary transgender person and the atomization of many tracks on Rainbow Bridge read as a meditation on the contingency of identity and the struggle for place within/outside social constructs that define acceptability and “taste”. On the other hand, sit back, push play and prepare to drift along with the ambient flow then be jolted from reverie by glitch and noise. Much like the world really.

Andrew Forell

Jacaszek — Music for Film (Ghostly)

Music for Film by Jacaszek

Music for Film collects the Polish composer Jacaszek’s scores for three movies — the 2019 documentary He Dreams of Giants, the 2008 project Golgota wrocławska and the 2017 film November. Haunted, evocative, disquieting and gorgeous, these ten soundscapes infuse the sounds of electronics, strings and samples with dread. “The Iron Bridge” turns sampled voices and slow throbs of cello into dance with death and memory, while “Liina” picks up eerie vibrations just out of focus, like a camera accidentally recording a ghost. “Dance” hurls electric bolts of tremulous sound—they sizzle with aftertones—then picks out a morose melody in plucked strings. All is dark, subdued, ominous but velvety, sensually smooth. Not having seen the films, I can’t guess the subject matter, but let’s assume there’s no laugh track.

Jennifer Kelly

Kontrabassduo Studer-Frey — Zeit (Leo)

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Double bassists Peter K Frey and Daniel Studer has spent the better part of the 21st century performing as a duo, but they don’t seem to have felt pressured to rush out a recording documenting their music. This CD includes selections from 2004, 2007, and 2018 that were made at home, in concert, and in the studio. But despite the variety of sources and occasions, this album feels quite cohesive, which is a testament to integrity of their partnership. They rarely play similarly at any given moment, but their contrasting techniques and frequency ranges evince a balance makes even the tracks with contributions by clarinetist Jürg Frey and cellist Alfred Zimmerlin feel like the work of one massive, multi-bodied bass.

Bill Meyer

Marlin’s Dreaming — Quotidian (Self-Released)

Quotidian by Marlin's Dreaming

The trick of putting soft, flickery voices in front of raging guitars is not a new one, but it’s still worth trying, especially as well as Marlin’s Dreaming does on “Outward Crying.” This sweeping, soaring, but fundamentally introspective tune blasts and blares in a sensitive way, the guitar noise parting like drapes for the singer’s disconsolate confession that he’s leaving this town. The town in question is Auckland, New Zealand, and you can certainly make connections to antipodal fuzz icons, especially the Verlaines. Yet there’s a bit of romantic swoon here in cuts like “Sink or Swim,” which links Marlin’s Dreaming’s diffident lo-fi pop with the baroque gestures of Roxy Music. This is the band’s second album and rather poised given their short history. Marlin’s Dreaming out loud in soft colors and blistering fuzz, and it’s a good one.

Jennifer Kelly

Christian Rønn & Aram Shelton—Multiring (Astral Spirits)

Multiring by Christian Rønn & Aram Shelton

Some musicians stake their claim within a particular locale, and others tour the world. Alto saxophonist Aram Shelton’s done a bit of both. You could say he’s a serial resident; over the past couple decades he’s been based in Chicago, Oakland, Copenhagen, and now, Budapest. But his recording history lags behind him. His latest release is a cassette recorded in April 2018, and it stands apart from anything he’s done to date. Credit for that lies partly with his choice of partner, Danish keyboardist Christian Rønn. Rønn’s instrument here is a Wurlitzer electric piano, augmented with effects that play up its reverberant qualities, but played without much reference to the way people used to play the thing when it was omnipresent in the 1960s and 1970s. Instead of nailing down a groove, Rønn posts reverberant signposts that Shelton can snake through or lays out undulating surfaces that the saxophonist can sail over. Either way, Shelton plays with a darker and softer tone than has been his wont in the past, casting a pall of eerie foreboding over this gradually evolving music.

Bill Meyer

Snekkestad / Guy / Fernandez — The Swiftest Traveller (Trost)

The Swiftest Traveler by Snekkestad / Guy / Fernandez

Englishman double bassist Barry Guy (b. 1947) has been shuttling between free and composed musical zones for over half a century, longer than the similarly versatile Scandinavian reeds and brass multi-threat Torben Snekkestad (b. 1973) has been alive. Catalan pianist Agusti Fernández (b. 1954) traverses similar terrain. And all three shift fluidly between conventional virtuosity and astutely applied extended techniques. The trio’s rapport is so strong that one supposes that however the album got its title, it wasn’t the result of some musical contest. They’re builders, not destroyers. Still, the rapidity with which these three musicians move from event to event is undeniable. Sparse stasis morphs into quick runs up and down the keyboard; a dense, high-velocity onslaught transforms into intricate, three-part counterpoint. The quickness with which the music changes and the completeness that it expresses from moment to moment make this a very satisfying performance.

Bill Meyer

Various Artists — Quilted Flowers: 1940s Albanian & Epirot Recordings from the Balkan Label (Canary Recordings)

Quilted Flowers: 1940s Albanian & Epirot Recordings from the Balkan Label by Canary Records

The word “Balkanized” has the dubious distinction of having acquired extra-regional meaning, to the point where it now signifies a whole divided into smaller, mutually hostile regions. But some of the Balkan musicians who moved to New York City pulled together to play on each other’s gigs and recordings. The Albanian multi-instrumentalist, Ajdan Asllan, who ran the Balkan record label, partnered with musicians from Greece and Bulgaria on both a musical and business level, and kept the company running into the LP age. This collection pulls 11 sides of instrumental and vocal music that originated on his home turf, but if your ears have previously pricked up in response to rural music from Greece or Anatolia, you will want to hear this stuff. A pair of clarinets or a violin usually carry the melodies, sometimes chased by sharp-pitched vocals that spread out in ragged but lusty unison, and always carried by unevenly accented rhythms articulated by vigorously strummed stringed instruments.

Bill Meyer

Otomo Yoshihide & Chris Pitsiokos — Live in Florence (Astral Spirits)

Live in Florence by Otomo Yoshihide & Chris Pitsiokos

Live in Florence documents a meeting between Otomo Yoshihide on guitar and turntables and Chris Pitsiokos on alto sax and electronics at the Tempo Reale Festival in Florence, Italy. This was the final date of a six-day European tour by the duo, and they’re primed from the first crackled sputters and blasts. The two thrive on these sorts of boundary-crushing forays and their seven short improvisations careen along with frenetic, brawny energy. The two deploy jump-cut pacing and shredded attacks from piercing overtones and feedback to frayed overblown sax and turntable crackle to manically angular reed lines and searing electronic bursts to chafed sax amplifications and thundering rumbles. Even on pieces where they start things out a bit more subdued, the two quickly ratchet up the intensity with torrid, barely-controlled vigor. There’s a slight respite on the sixth piece, with Otomo’s chiming guitar harmonics laying a resonant field for Pitsiokos’s breathy chirps and bent tones but even here, they arc to waves of feedback and skirling reed fusillades by the end. The final piece starts with shattered electronics and spitting reeds and mounts into bellowing din, exploding to the finish of the exhilarating 37-minute set.

Michael Rosenstein

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thesmalltowngal · 5 years

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Snowbaz 13- For Real This Time

Otp Prompt #13: Baz and Simon keep fake proposing to each other in restaurants to get free food, but when Baz finally proposes for real, Simon doesn’t get it.

Honestly, I was pretty exhausted when I wrote this, but I’m hoping it’s at least half decent. Enjoy!

27 days and counting that Simon and I have been doing this. We’ve discovered (by watching other couples do it) that of all the bloody things, proposing at restaurants gets you free food. We decided to test this theory out by doing a fake proposal at a Normal restaurant called ‘Chuck-E-Cheese’. (I wouldn’t recommend it- the fake animals seemed to be spelled to play music and follow you around with their eyes). We went to the dollar store (Crowley, the dollar store. Normals are so cheap) and bought a bag of fake rings. Simon popped down on one knee and said some total fucking shit like ‘Man, I’ve loved ya’ forever’ and I said yes with feigned surprise. He slipped the fake ring on my finger (which later stained green) and kissed me.

Some restaurants’ standards are so bloody low it’s ridiculous. Once I just popped down on one knee and said ‘will you be my bro forever?’ and the waiters went fucking wild. I’m fairly certain we used a ring pop that time. But every time, no matter how either simple or extravagant the proposal, my heart glows. I don’t know about Simon, but around the twentieth time he proposed, it started feeling real. We’ve not been doing it quite as much anymore.

But now, I’m sure of what I want. After everything went down with the fucking Humdrum (we never refer to him as just the ‘Humdrum’; it’s always the fucking Humdrum or the bloody Humdrum. Sometimes the ‘rat bastard Humdrum’) and The Mage and everything, I took Simon out on a real date. Not a ‘We’re-dying-in-a-forest-so-kiss-me’ date. Not a ‘We’re-surrounded-by-vampires-that-want-to-kill-us-but-I-would-still-gladly-fuck-you’ date. A proper date at a restaurant. After everything Simon went through, it felt a little silly going to a Normal restaurant for dinner. (Plus, I feel as though he was still a bit thrown by the fact that he was snogging and dating his mortal enemy). (He’s since gotten over that). But after that night, he thanked me profusely… and it was then that he told me he loved me. I’ll never forget it.

It was absolutely pouring out, and Simon and I were trying to run to my car from inside the Italian restaurant (something the Normals call ‘Old Spaghetti Factory’. Superb). I couldn’t find my keys and we were caught in the rain like in that one movie… The Notebook or some bloody shit like that. (Simon made Penny and I watch it. He cried. Penny teared up. I laughed). I was cursing, running my hands through my increasingly soaked hair. My suit (Gucci- I couldn’t believe it was getting ruined) was nearly all the way soaked through and Simon’s t-shirt was clinging to his torso. (Which only distracted me more from finding the keys).

I heard something loud beside be, and I turned my head to see Simon doubled over in laughter. The rain roared around us and I couldn’t hear anything but splattering on the ground and Simon’s laugh. “What in the bloody hell is so funny, Snow?” (I only called him Simon when we were alone together and being soft) (I don’t know when the fuck I started saying things like ‘being soft’- it just happened). He gained his composure (as much as was possible for Simon, anyway) and wiped away a falling tear as he walked toward me.

He wrapped his arms around me, and I let myself melt under his touch. “Oh, Baz. This is perfect!”

“Perfect? What about this is perfect?” He looked up at me, eyes glinting in the street lights. He was still the sun… but it no longer felt like I was going to get burned.

“Because it’s us, Baz. Of course it would start pouring at the end of our date. And of course we would lose our keys and get stuck in the rain. It’s just…” He shook his head and sighed. He leaned in, giving me the slowest (and quite honestly most arousing) kiss we had ever shared. He leaned back, only our noses touching and looked me right in the eyes. It was like looking into my future. “I love you.” My heart swelled and I couldn’t help the complete fucking grin that spread across all of my futures.

“I love you too, Simon.”

We’ve been together for two years now. I know we’re young, but I have wanted Simon Snow since we were children. And now that I have him (and he wants me; sometimes I still can’t believe it), I will never let him go. It’s not just that I don’t want to let him go- it’s that I simply won’t. Because if Simon Snow ever left me, I would die. But anyway, my point is that I want to marry him. I want to marry Simon Snow, and I have everything all planned out. We’re going to the restaurant where he told me he loved me for the first time tonight (we haven’t been back since). I have the ring (a real one this time) and a full speech (not just ‘please marry me bro’) and reservations.

Right now he’s sitting in my lap while I read (just an hour before the reservations) and he watches a movie. He absentmindedly plays with my hair (he had me grow it even longer just for his pleasure) and I can’t help but feel my stomach flip while I look up at him. He’s just… amazing. If you would have told 16 year old Baz that Simon Snow (whom past Baz suppressed his emotions for every waking day) would one day love him back, he would have laughed in your face. And then spit on you. And then probably would have punched you.

I place a gentle kiss on the back of his neck (he smiles like he’s trying not to) and I try to maneuver him out of my lap without getting slapped with his wings or tail (which are fucking hot, by the way). I go to get dressed, and five minutes later, we’re both ready and in the car driving for restaurant.

When we arrive, the waitress finds our name on the list and shows us to our table. I feel the weight of the ring box in my jacket pocket like a weight. Simon smiles brightly at me as he proceeds to order virtually everything on the menu. (He really breaks the bank- one thing he definitely didn’t lose after losing his magic was his appetite). I just have a salad.

Halfway through dinner, I take his hand and begin my speech. “Simon Snow…”

“Tyrannus Basilton Grimm-Pitch…” He laughs and squeezes my hand lightly. (I’m so nervous. And I never get nervous). (Only around Simon fucking Snow).

“I love you so much. I have loved you since the day I laid eyes on you when the Crucible cast us together. Simon Snow, I have never believed in fate. None of that destiny bullshit or ‘meant to be.’” I pause, looking at him. A small smile still plays on his lips, but he doesn’t say anything. “But Simon… meeting you was fate. It was destiny, and it most certainly was meant to be. When we were first cast together, I thought it was a curse. A curse that I had to room with the one person that I was destined to love, and destined to kill. But really, Snow… it was a blessing. A blessing that for seven and a half years, I got to watch you grow on your own. A blessing that of all the people at Watford, I was cast together with you. Because before you, I thought I would never love. That I never deserved love.” He squeezes my hand tightly, and his eyes are watering. I just love him so much it hurts. “But then, you let me open up. You let me be vulnerable. I learned to love, and what it felt like to be loved. And for that, I can never thank you enough. It was here that you first told me that you loved me- it was here that my life started. Every day that you stay and love me feels like a day that the sun shines a little brighter. Because when I was younger, I thought that love was foolish. It just made you blind. But now, Simon, I realize that’s anything but true. Being with you makes colors brighter, sounds louder and sights even more beautiful. I want to feel like that every day of my entire life, Simon Snow.”

I get up from my seat and get on one knee, getting the ring box and opening it for him to see. (I feel like a proper bloody fool, getting my trousers dirty on the floor) (I would do it again for him. I would do anything for him). “Simon Snow… will you marry me?” All around us are quiet gasps, but I’m focused on only one person. His face is flushed and he seems rendered speechless- but he nods his head vigorously and snatches the ring out of my hands to slip it on his finger before I get the chance to do anything. He leaps up out of the chair and kisses me with as much passion as he did all those years ago, cupping my face while I run my hands through his hair. There are cheers all around us and the waiters come over to tell us that dinner is on them (no surprise there).

When we sit back down, Simon finally says something. “Holy shit, Baz! Where in the bloody hell did you get this ring?! It looks so real!” Oh fuck. He doesn’t know that this isn’t another fake proposal. God fucking damnit, fuck me in the bloody ass. I should have known better than to propose him at a restaurant. Before I can interrupt him, he continues on. “This is the coolest proposal we’ve pulled off! And when you were talking, I thought you were serious for a second! Crowley, but did you really mean everything you said anyway?”

Before he can keep talking, I nod my head and try to clarify. I get up out of my seat, squatting down in front of Simon. “Simon, it was real. That’s a real ring, and this was a real proposal. And I meant every word.” He looks at me for a long moment, thinking, before he finally responds, a ghost of a smile still dancing on his features.

“Okay, good one, Baz. You don’t have to keep pretending- we got free food! But Aleister Crowley, where did you get this ring? We should use this kind more often.” It’s taking everything (and I mean everything) in me to not yell at him or storm out of the restaurant.

“Simon, I’m serious. I want you to marry me. A real wedding. Like legally married. I got that ring at a jeweler. This isn’t fake- everything I’m saying, everything I’m feeling… it’s real, Snow.” I hesitate to get up as he keeps thinking. (Crowley, how much fucking thinking does he need to do? I think this is the most he’s actively thought for in his life).

“It’s really real?” He whispers it so quietly that the only reason I can hear it is because I’m a vampire. I nod my head slowly. He looks at me and I move to go back to my seat, head falling.

But before I can make it even an inch, he’s grabbed my suit collar and pulled my forward, smashing my mouth into his. It’s sloppy and slobbery, but it might just be the best feeling in the world. He pulls away and we’re both breathing too fast to care about the people staring around us.

“I would love to marry you, Basilton Grimm-Pitch.” He smiles again before he pulls me back in.

I have never been happier in my entire life- all because of my fiance (I could get used to that)...

Simon Snow.

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kob131 · 5 years

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The Failures of FMF: Volume 5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgdqeLSnvwg

So, who wants to see just HOW MUCH FMF fails?

This only goes up to the 11:44.

So his first minute consists of him entirely failing to understand Weiss’ arc from Volume 4 and in fact the whole series. No, seriously. He says that Weiss’ arc is about her not being an entitled spoiled brat, emphasizing this in Volumes 3 and 4 were she avoids her father and talks back to him. All while claiming she’s just as bad as the woman who bad mouthed the fall of beacon as well as claiming that she wanted to get special treatment from her father. … Weiss’ arc, ever since Volume 1, was that she came from an abusive household that justified her attitude since she was a victim of abuse. Jacques in Volume 4 outright says and does shit from Parental Abuse 101 like locking her away, keeping her close by and managing her life. It also long since put down the idea that Weiss was a sheltered princess (heiress!) and the woman from Volume 4 Episode 7 had acted far worse than Weiss ever did.

This is blatant story telling. This is shit you learn about when you first begin analyzing media. He’s been doing this for 5 years while claiming he’s better than the writers the whole time. One minute in and it shows that even if Miles and Kerry don’t know what they’re doing most of the time, they know more than FMF.

The next three and a half minutes consist of him wasting our time pretending that he approves of the Weiss and Yang talking scene in Volume 5 episode 8. To cut down on the fake positivity: he pretends that the episode is referencing Volume 1 Episode 15 + 16 despite the talk referencing the events of the Fall of Beacon as well as their overall time together, blames the show when he doesn’t pay attention/is being willfully ignorant, he treats the Volumes as separate stories as he says that Volume 3 never shows Blake letting her metaphorical walls down despite showcasing that in Volume 2 (and Volume 3 Episode 8 ironically enough) thus implying that he sees them as not affecting the future installments, says that Yang being angry at her mother for insulting her father and uncle a ‘temper tantrum’ (somebody link Dudeblade that moment, it’s at 3:57) and acts as though Yang doesn't fight defensively in the bandit fight while cutting out the beginning where she defends herself. So we have FMF being willfully ignorant, being disingenuous,, blaming the show for his mistakes, treating parts of a continuous story as separate entities and misrepresenting moments. All in three and a half minutes.

Also he ends this with the basic ‘smash cut to black while the writer pretends they fucked up’ then proceeds to ruin the joke by providing visual aids to clearly indicate he doesn’t mean this. One of the simplest Youtubers jokes, can’t even do it properly.

Then we lose yet another two and a half minutes when he tries pretending he knows anything about the Illa Vs. Blake fight. He tries talking about how Illa knew that her whip’s range would allow her to push back Blake...in a blade clash...by creating sparks from her weapon...which has nothing to do with her weapon. He makes a point about Blake freezing Illa’s weapon with ice bullets...but then ruins it by saying that ‘Blake threw it half way across the room’ even though we never see where it lands in his review with the only assurance being his edit where he says where it SHOULD be. This after he’s shown to manipulate his audience to make a point. Also he complains about Illa standing around doing nothing even though in the show, it’s because she’s deciding what she’s gonna do.

So we can add ‘removes context’ to the list of critical failures. Right next to ‘pandering to the base’ with his ‘but we need something to keep the Bumbleby shippers invested’ line. (The one where he panders to the rabid anti-bumblebee part of his fanbase.)

Next: he drops any pretense that he’s trying to be at all trustworthy by trying to say the writers are bad at their jobs because ‘they said that Yang was trying to keep her emotions under control but LOOK, she’s NOT doing that!’ while showing scenes from two different episodes so we know this isn’t directly ripped from the commentary and for all we know, he edited out context to make a point. You know, like he did before. Funny how being a manipulative little bitch ends up making you look worse and worse. Oh and reminder, the ten minute mark of this nearly two hour review isn’t here yet.

(’they don’t have any self awareness’ he says as his intro directly references Kerry calling the writing silly and he shows no awareness to his lying nature.)

‘Hurr durr, the story the writers are trying to tell is tangential to the actual story because Kerry said that Yang was brushing Shady off when she punched him’ even though THIS directly happened before:

‘Shady Man: Are you telling me you're too young to drink? You look like a regular Huntress. And a beauty at that. Yang: I'm good. Thanks, pal. Shady Man: (approaching Yang undeterred) Seriously. Not too bulky. Not too lean. You're... Yang: Just right. Yup. Like I said, I'm good.’

But yes FMF, keep talking like you’re a big boy critic.

Oh look, apparently inspiration means ‘must be EXACTLY the same’ because they have different shooting styles, never mind how in the clip of the Book Of Eli, the main character and Yang are MOVING THE SAME WAY. Guess someone never learned what ‘plagerism’ was eh?

Ah yes, someone violating your personal space after repeatedly showing that you want nothing to do with them is ‘picking a fight’. Oh wait, you CUT that part out didn’t you? Hm, it’s almost like you’re not trustworthy in the slightest...

‘Jump cuts happen too much!’

*cites FloofArtist*

OOoooooh! A dishonest shitbag is quoting ANOTHER dishonest shitbag! It’s bullshit squared, like CNN citing Buzzfeed.

‘Not that that’s an acceptable excuse-’

*brandishes everything above*

Still more than you’ll ever have.

Yes, yang is TOTALLY the same as she was before. Having emotional breakdowns, not smiling at all, constantly moody-that’s Yang from the Yellow Trailer right? Oh no, wait. That’s the exact opposite...Hm...why does it seem like every word coming out of your mouth sound like constant farting?

Also: FMF directly said earlier that Yang’s arc was about her becoming her previous self before. Ignoring how wrong he is- Suddenly it’s a bad thing when he was praising it before. This is the same guy complaining about continuity errors when he can’t keep himself straight for three minutes.

Oh man, lightening round-

‘No fights’ Yeah, one punch is not a fight scene.

‘Yang was avoiding confrontation’ - Yeah, mind showing me the UNEDITED scene where that was said in Episode 4?

‘Yanag doesn’t beat people up anymore’ Uh oh, look’s like FMF got into the wacky tobaccy.

‘Or did she leave her bike there-’ Show shows that she brought her bike back in Episode 6 and she was walking towards it after the fight. And no, they don’t have to show it. FMF read ‘context clues’ earlier so he doesn’t get a free pass here.

‘Stair joke better than slapstick and cringe humor!’ Dunno, sounds kind of stupid eh FMF? Almost like...cringe humor?

‘Crazy Thursday-’ ‘HURR DURR, THEY SAID THOR’S DAY!’

Yes, keep going Mr. Fat-tastic!

Unfortunately I’m gonna have to duck out. Pretty sure this is getting repetitive. But hey, within the span of twelve minutes, FMF has basically rendered himself unable to be taken seriously. In twelve minutes, he failed, at best, thirty times. At best since I cut out some of his shit. Most of it having NO EXCUSE as it's intellectually dishonest, basic critical thinking failure, contradicts what he said earlier or a combination.

Not much else I can say aside from- He failed more times in the first twelve minutes of his review of Volume 5 than the entirety of Volume 5.

And I can’t help but take a sadistic glee in that.

#rwby #rwby6 #fatmanfalling

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maiji · 6 years

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Process and wip images for A House That Holds Long Limbs (Part 8)

Previous process and wip documentation: Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Parts 6 and 7

Read the pages here: Part 8 (full complete version will be linked from YYH North Bound master post)

I personally love exploring character dynamics and character interaction! It's definitely what I tend to focus on in comics and stories. Plus you get to draw lots of closeups of people's faces and have a lot of fun with expressions. And that's what Part 8 is full of.

IN THIS EDITION, after the usual script and thumbnails, I'll take a bit of time to talk about expressions and characterization (my thoughts on Raizen and Hokushin specifically, but also some general thoughts on how I approach writing characters and character interactions). More details of some of the panels from part 8 so you can see the faces better!

Script and thumbnails

(If you look closely at the top of pg 2, you can see the page behind was where I started drawing my random dream sequence hahahah)

It’s always kind of funny to look back at the script and see my rushed typing (or texting on my phone, since I’m often doing this on mobile...) - odd typos and dangling/incomplete thoughts like ”my blodd” (lol).

Part 8 was one of the first sequences conceived in the development of this story. As a result, the script and the thumbnails both line up very closely to the final, because I’d already been thinking about it for so long and playing the scene out repeatedly in my head. I had a very concrete sense of how I wanted to direct it, unlike many of the action sequences from previous parts. The main areas I struggled with were historical details (the karaginu was originally labelled “tarp” in the script as a placeholder until I decided what it would be), and the biggest pagination change was probably moving Raizen’s “Maybe you just didn’t take enough off lol!” to the previous page so that Hokushin’s (literal) punchline would be at the beginning of the next.

Expressions

I have a huuuuge soft spot for subtle expressions - the kind where just a bit of extra line or texture around the eyes or the mouth, plus the dialogue or context of the scene, adds nuance to an expression. Especially ones that otherwise can read as relatively neutral. Even a very simple expression that’s just dots for eyes and straight lines for the upper/lower lids and eyebrows can have a lot of variation in how you interpret them, simply based on context and slight adjustments. Here are some examples with Raizen, where his face is super basic:

A: pretending nothing is wrong, calmly answering question

B: pleased with self for being smart - clearly a happer expression than A

C: similar to A, chillaxing and answering question

D: no big smiling mouth so he looks more like he’s focused on intensely sniffing the air

E: same as B basically, but a bigger smile of “everything’s fine!” (when you read the text)

F: extra thickness for his upper lid gives the sense that he’s in the middle of his casual sexy/chivalrous how ya doin’ expression

G: ... which changes in this panel to be more a realization (“oh shit I’m on fire”)

Actually, Raizen and Hokushin are both pretty difficult face types for me, being more “mature” looking male faces with stronger features/jawlines and narrower eyes. Hokushin especially has been challenging because his design has really low eyebrows which result in a default glare. Togashi still manages to make him fairly expressive and not look like he's glowering all the time. With my more limited art skill and lack of confidence, I tend to soften his expressions by really laying on the top line of his eye (this sounds like I'm putting mascara on him or something lmao), and also adjusting the size of his pupils (within reason or it starts to look even less like how I draw him normally, which is a big problem since his shaved head is a defining aspect of his series character design so he already looks pretty different). Here are some comparisons of his face - bearing in mind I had to keep his eyes wide open because of the seals in the story:

A: crying/relief

B: this one here is supposed to be a bit miserable/self-loathing because he really didn’t think Raizen was going to look for him

C: shock, unexpected

D: thinking + “ugh plan B”

E: worried/apologetic and then “OOF/URK”

F and G: a progression to show the differences in rendering the eye. First is a bit angry because he’s realizing where all the blood for the seals came from, then he notices Raizen’s hands, and G is that example of softened expression (more lines on the top eye, larger pupil) to show how bad he feels about Raizen’s injury.

One last thought on expressions. They can easily lose their nuance when inking (the slightest shift to a line can change the expression completely), and especially for someone like me who has unsteady hands it can be a bit of a nightmare. The nice thing about ballpoints is that they can retain a bit of the pencil sketch quality, which helped me freak out less when inking the last page with Hokushin’s glare. Here’s a comparison of the progress:

Though this particular expression isn’t that subtle, you can still see some differences as the drawing gets built up. When the pencil lines are gone and the drawing gets rendered in bw only, a lot of shading is lost. The messy lines can be interpreted more flexibly by your brain since they’re less defined and you haven’t “committed”, so the final version looks and feels less expressive. (This is why a lot of artists prefer their sketches to the finished piece, myself included...) Characterization This will get very specific to this comic, obviously, but hopefully my approach (and biases haha) will come through. With something like a fancomic, there are obviously existing expectations around the characters, but the benefit of working with these guys is that they’re not as prominent in the story or the fandom, so I feel more comfortable playing around and filling in the gaps. (This is probably why I like minor characters so much.)

In the case of Raizen and Hokushin, we know these two have a close relationship and history only through assumption and insinuation. We never see them interacting directly in the series at all. Actually, we don't see Raizen interact with anyone except Yusuke in non-flashback sequences (aside from the kudakusushi. In the anime, more scenes were added with his estranged friends, mostly their fond memories of him beating them up lmao). But it's very clear that they're extremely important to each other. Hokushin obviously speaks of his king in an exceedingly respectful fashion. Meanwhile, Hokushin is actually the last name Raizen says before he dies - his second last line, to Yusuke, is "Take care of Hokushin and the others" - or in my Taiwanese edition, "I leave Hokushin and the others to you". (Lol “the others”. Also I need to draw a comic about this at some point.) Despite this zero actual interaction, it's still extremely easy to imagine it because their characters are so clearly defined. In fact, they're both such consistent archetypes with enough particular quirks that they practically write themselves. So it wasn't difficult to extrapolate and imagine much younger versions of them, and how they may have interacted if they had only just met, which is the foundation of North Bound. Archetypes and stereotypes walk a fine line together, but they do serve as really useful building blocks for sketching characters quickly. This is why I really enjoy symbolic systems like astrology (or some of the the modern incarnations - personality assessment frameworks) because of all the character sketching it helps you do really quickly. Astrology in particular because, without even caring about birth dates or charts or whether astrology is "real" or not, the basic idea of a sign and its bucket of traits and symbols is simply a great resource when you want fleshed out character archetypes to build off of. I talked a bit about this in my Lenormand post, but I think of zodiac signs as one of the many games humans have developed in our attempts to categorize our world into recognizable patterns, and since we've been at it for thousands of years, there's a wealth of reference material, scenarios, analyses not only of the individual archetypes, but for all sorts of combinations and relationships. Some of it very well-thought out, and some of it just lots of fun to read. For my purposes, applying this to North Bound, Raizen is basically a Leo. He's dramatic, positive, powerful, passionate, a straight-shooter. Not only does he embody its main traits, he's literally a king (or eventually one in this story, I guess). And he even has a mane, for crying out loud. Meanwhile, Hokushin is a solid depiction of a quintessential Virgo - hardworking, practical, analytical, stoic, kind - and literally the loyal servant that typifies the Virgo paradigm. The Leo/Virgo duo is a classic partnership, and at the point where we meet them in the series, the relationship we can see has stabilized to exactly that. At the same time, there's tons of potential for a hilarious dynamic as well, especially imagining how they got to that point. (If you wanna have a laugh, look up some analyses of Leo and Virgo relationships and you'll see what I mean.) His freakouts next to Raizen's "hahhaa everything's fine!" carry most of the humour (similar to how his freakout at Yusuke's vandalism of the rurimaru stones carried a ton of the humour in that episode lol). Obviously there are other things that further finetune their characters so that they're more than bland cookie cutter personalities (Raizen's deep thinking about the future of the Demon World, for example, and Hokushin's sense of humour and appreciation/enjoyment of fighting), but in broad brushstrokes, these archetypes work incredibly well, and make it so easy to come up with scenarios and write interaction to the point that I'm now ridiculously behind in actually turning them into comics ahhhhh...

#yu yu hakusho #raizen #hokushin #comics #fanart #process #wip #swearing #profanity #character analysis #character thoughts #expressions #art by Maiji/Mary Huang

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linkspooky · 7 years

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I think that you mentioned how that this third faction is about re-creating the status quo, and I am definitely getting the idea that we are seeing this. In a literary sense, maintaining the status quo is undercut by where its brought Urie in the latest chapter. Literally in the exact same circumstances when Shirazu died. Matsuri coming back with that emotionless face like that only serves to solidify the theme in my opinion.

:Re for the majority of the manga has been about shallow returns and soft resets. After all the manga itself starts out with Kaneki being given a so called “second chance” that he’s totally fine with in the form of Haise.

the first two arcs of :Re show anything though, it’s how fragile Haise’s state of being was when it was entirely based on lies. As much as he wanted to, Kaneki could not simply reset again and live as if nothing had happened.

Haise has all the power of a ghoul and wants to use that power to protect the qs but at the same time he does not want to be a ghoul and wants to be treated as a human. Haise knows there were good people in his past life and he wants to protect them, but at the same time doesn’t want to accept the bad things he’s done or the bad parts about his life. What happens then is simple indecision, it’s stalling.

Kaneki simply cannot choose, so he attempts to have both at once. To mentor the Q’s, while at the same time capturing the ghoul friends from his former life and putting them in cages for their safekeeping. At the end of the Tsukiyama arc though, Shuu points out how idiotic it is to think that he would want that. Even though he still cares about Kaneki and wants to be a part of his life, he doesn’t want it to come at the cost of his own agency.

Though of course it’s slightly different for Shuu, Shuu who was raised by a loving family, he has the love of his family and their direct actions in protecting him to know that he has more self worth than to simply sit in a jail cell rotting for Sasaki’s sake. No matter how much the temptation was strong in him as well to return to those happy days when he was by Kaneki’s side. Chie even asks him as much, “Would you be willing to die just for the sake of ingredients” and his immediate thought returns to his family as a reason for him not to die.

However, the fate of Hinami shoul be just enough of an illustration to show how much Kaneki’s own indecision cost the others around him. He was perfectly content to sit on her for upwards of six months and let her wait in the cell until finally deciding what to do.

Despite how sympathetic Kaneki’s longing for a reset was, Hinami shows the consequences of his actions on other people. You can’t simply force people to cooperate with your idea of the past, it renders them essentially as props. HInami is given no choice but to wait in a cell until kaneki comes to save her, but only so she can be used again as somebody to mourn his heroic final suicide. Kaneki is far too wrapped up in his own feelings to ever spare a thought for somebody besides himself.

Even when Kaneki finally moved it was another reset, an attempt to die by Arima’s hand and fix the mistake that went wrong the first time in the Anteiku raid, his suicide by Arima’s hand that was thwarted by his own miraculous survival.

When Kaneki lives through that, rather than moving forward as he said he would in his resolve against Arima we see him once again clinging to another reset. One that pretty much requires all the ghouls around him to simply forget the time he was an investigator and be perfectly fine with the fact that he was content killing ghouls to secure his own happiness and stability of home.

A reset that requires Naki to forgive Kaneki instantly, Tsukiyama to forgive him for the death of Karren, and of course the presence of doves wielding quinques to instantly be forgotten. It’s a reset that once again has about as much stability as the Haise reset, and also requires that everyone around Kaneki simply go along with his wishes and his ideal view of the world. Ayato even says so, that Kaneki has essentially made everyone dependant on him by taking his title as the one eyed king, and that problem only accelerates when they get to the 24th ward and start accepting refugees into Goat’s membership.

Just as with Haise though, Kaneki does not even fully commit to this soft return to the past. As there’s still things he wants from the CCG, that he refuses to commit to. Part of him still longs for the days of the Q’s, and because he does not acknowledge this part of himself he can basically do nothing to address the one Q that does show up on his doorstep.

Kaneki depends on soft resets and returns to the past because Kaneki himself can never truly come to terms and move on. Even when thinking of his own happy possible future with Touka, Kaneki is still hung up on the past and past losses. It is something he continually dwells in and has yet to come to terms with.

Kaneki is not the only character who clings to his own idealized image of the past though. There’s Amon, who spends three years but the only concrete thing he can do is rewrite the one action of the past where Seidou did not let him heroically stand back and fight Tatara alone so that he could escape.

He blatantly denies the reality that Seidou has become a ghoul who eats humans and calls him a ghoul investigator in order to justify that Seidou can be saved.

Akira and Amon both save Seidou it seems for the sake of their own past regrets of not being able to save him at the time. Akira for not stopping him, and Amon for Seidou not running away when he told him to leave him behind with Tatara.

Nevermind that the choice to go look for Amon for Akira’s sake, and the choice to stay fighting with Amon rather than leaving him behind were choices that Seidou made on his own that had nothing to do with Akira and Amon. Their dedication too, to saving Seidou seems to disappear the moment they’ve finally resolved their regrets of the past. When Akira and Amon both wake up, they do not even bother to ask where Seidou’s current whereabouts are.

Which makes it clear it’s not so much about care for the well being for the current Seidou as an individual, but their own regrets over the past Seidou, the person he was. When Amon and Akira get together, once again the past is specifically brought up and mentioned.

Touka and Kaneki’s talk itself actually addresses nothing about the way Kaneki currently is acting as King and how he doesn’t really seem to be living it out to its fullest, but instead focuses almost entirely on past experiences from three years ago.

Mutsuki’s main motivation is to restore the house to the way it used to be before Shirazu and Sasaki both left. Nevermind that even if Sasaki comes back Shirazu will be gone.

Mutsuki’s own actions are of course a dark foil to Kaneki’s. Can you really call Mutsuki’s desire to simply stab Kaneki until he’s immobile and drag him home, somehow different from Kaneki being perfectly content to let Hinami sit in a cell in a hellish prison for six months until Kaneki felt like rescuing her. In both cases the other is willingly sapping away the agency of a person and letting them exist as props for the sake of their own emotions and catharsis.

Kaneki cannot confront Mutsuki right now, because he is Mutsuki.

Saiko cries for Sasaki’s survival even though Sasaki is gone and no longer a part of the CCG. She still refers to him as Maman even though he willingly vacated that role long before he defected.

Urie himself while trying to protect what he currently has clings also to an idealized version of the past. In both Mutsuki and Shirazu, Urie refuses to see the consequences of current Mutsuki’s actions because he’s caught on an idealized version of Mutsuki in his head.

He says let’s go home the same way that Mutsuki says the only thing he desires it for all of them to return to that home together. Urie also does this for Shirazu, imagining a reality where if Shirazu lived him and Shirazu would work together in perfect cooperation and Shirazu would always reassure him.

Nevermind the fact that when Shirazu was alive, Urie constantly tried to undermine him and treated him like total shit the whole time. As for if Urie’s changed since then, he did the same exact thing for Aura where Aura was new to the squad and depednant on Urie. This was after Urie had lost Shirazu and grown since then.

Surprisingly, people leave Urie even when they don’t die when he constantly bullies and belittles them then refuses to acknowledge that aspect of his behavior and change it. Because it’s easier for Urie to see the world as an outside force that constantly takes people away from him, rather than admit that there are reasons he himself loses people or more acurately drives them away.

Then we have Marude of course who makes the bold claim that he’s going to take back the CCG.

Of course one has to wonder, what exactly would Marude’s version of the CCG even look like. What exactly does he disagree with in V’s tactics? Marude seems to have a grudge against the Washuu, but Furuta slaughtered them wholesale for him. Is it that Furuta is using the Ghoul Countermeasures laws to execute humans? Those laws were always in place though, and Marude was aware of them when he loyally served the CCG. He was fine with both the wholesale slaughter of ghouls, and the culture that raised investigators from orphaned homes in order to turn them into weapons against ghouls.

What Furuta is doing right now is not even that far of an offshoot from what the CCG has always done. If Hajime were not made an oggai, and were just simply given a gun when he was 19 instead of 11 and told to point it at ghouls would that somehow be better?

Marude and Amon both seem to disapprove of Furuta’s current actions while also not acknowledging that their own original goal was to also wipe out all of the ghouls. As if there would be some ethical version of this entirely bleak endgame. Marude’s problem seems to be with V, and the fact that V leads good investigators to their deaths.

Marude seems to be also reeling with the fact that the past he had built all of his faith on with a lie, but rather than seeking the truth of the matter he instead tries to recreate his own version of the past. A CCG who exists to protect ghouls from humanity, controlled entirely by humans.

These characters all essentially, in being hung up on the past or only trying to make right by it, clouds their minds to the better future which is a possibility for all of them.

So that’s why in the latest chapter we see Urie reliving the same nightmare scenario again. Somebody dying in his arms, and the only two people around have absolutely no comfort for him. He’s met with coldness from Marude, and Matsuri’s blank stare.

Of course nothing really changes for these characters, because they’re not fighting for that change. All Urie wants is to simply preserve and keep things the way they are. Therefore he gets exactly what he wants, he loses Iwao exactly the same way he did Shirazu. Beating the ghoul in front of him, but unable to save Iwao’s life in time.

#metasks #Anonymous

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