#it adds a human element that's sometimes missing in his character
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I came across the realisation that Nikolai's motivation to kill Fyodor, as we understand it now, isn't compelling. I think that's my biggest issue with him. There are all these fanfics about it, and yet the one I've read where Fyodor's death is compelling, Nikolai hasn't ever even thought of killing him and doesn't want him to die (and yes, I'm including my fics with Fyodor's death in the "not compelling" category).
So, I tried to reframe it, taking some of my current experiences and what I know about Gogol, and I think I may have figured something out: Nikolai's core motivation right now could be to escape from reality.
This could be foreshadowed earlier on with things like a distaste for factually accurate (read: dull) stories, a love for acting and exaggerated impressions, and an aversion to talking issues out in his personal relationships.
But now it's worse, and has grown to an extent where he can't stand anything--he just wants to escape everything, but he can't. (This change would be brought about by some sort of terrible or tragic event--something that makes all his flawed coping mechanisms collapse entirely in a way they never have before. In my story, it's Fyodor disappearing and Nikolai finally giving up hope that he still lived. Anything awful enough would probably work, but I think a lot of care needs to be put into exactly what is the thing that pushes Nikolai over the edge--it says a lot about what he values.)
I visualise his wanting to escape reality with Stanzcyk (the Polish painting). Nikolai is the jester, but desperately wishes he could be carefree like the celebrating nobles in the background. But he can't. No matter what, no matter how he tries, he can't escape reality, and so he does the next best thing: he does the unthinkable. He becomes what any normal person can't even fathom, does what any sane man couldn't, and desperately tries to lose himself in it. (In my story, this is a worse version of what's already occurred: a few years ago, Nikolai became an actor in hopes of losing his misery to the stage, but when that failed and he became suicidal, Fyodor helped him pull through. Now, Nikolai tries to lose himself in a much more involved and self-destructive way (notably still through acting), and Fyodor, though much more negatively now, is still the force that's keeping him alive.)
At first, he may have even deluded himself into thinking he'd somewhat succeeded in losing himself, but then Fyodor makes his "in opposition to God" comment, and Nikolai is at once violently dragged back into himself. It's a wonderful feeling to be understood, yet terrible, because as long as such an anchor exists, he can never escape (bonus points if in a backstory fic, Fyodor being Nikolai's anchor to reality was a positive in their relationship, creating a contrast here).
And so now, every time he thinks about wanting to share a thought or idea with Fyodor, the only person with whom he can genuinely converse, he first gets a nice feeling at the thought, then falls into despair at the thought of losing that connection (Fyodor is constantly putting himself in mortal danger, and as much as Nikolai believes in him, it also makes sense to me that he'd be worried out of his mind at times), anger that his emotions still control him, and this reinforces his feelings of needing to escape. It's a constant merry-go-round of love and misery, and he just wants to be on stable ground, essentially.
And I think if I do that, it starts to be compelling. It's not quite there, let alone polished, but it's a lot farther than I've gotten before. And 'Arcane' story analyses are really helping me with contrast, callbacks and foreshadowing.
#as I'm terrified of losing the one person who understands me I've come to understand that part of him a lot more#it's a truly awful feeling--indescribable#but that's why it's so compelling#and I think it being his love for Fyodor that drags him down. but also pulls him up is a lovely idea#it adds a human element that's sometimes missing in his character#BSD#BSD Nikolai Gogol#BSD Nikolai#BSD Gogol#BSD Gogol Nikolai#BSD Nikolai Analysis#BSD Gogol Analysis#BSD Analysis
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Ok. My prev reblog got me thinking more about Anastasia and samael and they are just so fascinating. A few thoughts below:
Character names are important in the locked tomb series — that’s been well established from the end of gtn, when Muir literally holds our hand and points that out to us. They indicate themes, plot points, relationships. Significantly, we don’t get another naming explanation in ntn and there’s nothing but pronunciations for Anastasia and Samael for htn, leaving us to fill in the blanks. I think that the gtn appendix about names was more than just a fun add-on; it was Muir telling us how to piece the plot together. I’m going to build from some theories I r seen circulating/respond to them with a close reading of the names.
Now, on to the og ninth pair. (I know samael might not have been ninth because it wasn’t definitively founded until his death, but you know what I mean.)
Anastasia: first thing that comes to mind is the Russian princess. I’ve seen theories that Anastasia is the bones in the corner of Alecto’s tomb, which I find convincing. I’ve heard theories that she’s done something like Pal and might be coming back.
Anastasia, missing Russian princess, subject to countless theories and myths and animated movies about her possible return. Only to have her bones finally discovered in a basement. (It’s not confirmed which ones were hers out of her and her sisters’ remains, but all of them are accounted for.)
I don’t know if Anastasia is coming back. But frankly, I doubt it. She is gone. Anyone claiming to be her in Alecto is more likely to be an imposter.
Now, Samael. The first thing that stands out about is name is that it’s one of those -ael angel names. Not surprising, given the impact of Christianity/Catholicism both implicit in the text and, after Nona, now known to explicitly be something influencing the thoughts and actions and persons of many of Jod’s crew (especially Cristabel and Jod himself tbh).
Now, initially that was all I knew. I may have been raised Christian and been, unfortunately, a theology geek, but I do not have a encyclopedic knowledge of all angels ever. Knowing stuff about angels other than, like, Michael and Gabriel always seemed vaguely heretical probably due to boring American Protestantism conditioning, idk. But, I am expecting some deep theological cut with the name so I go to look it up. And boy oh boy was I not disappointed.
So Samael is an archangel who mostly shows up in Jewish texts and lore, not Christian/Catholic stuff. He’s 1) an ambiguous figure, sometimes a fallen angel and sometimes not; 2) often called the angel of death; 3) sometimes associated with Rome/Christianity as the embodiment of sin/danger/god’s wrath against Israel; and 4) in most depictions responsible for Eve taking the fruit, having ridden the serpent “like a camel” and convinced her to do so (because he doesn’t like humanity? To spite heaven? To give them knowledge? Idk how many of those are actual traditions of interpretation.) I unfortunately do not know enough about Judaism to unpack that in full, and I hope that I am not completely misinterpreting something, but it’s fascinating that the “angel of death” is linked to the same place where the “death of god” is laid to rest. Then, there’s the link with Rome/Christianity and how much the necromantic empire reflects those things. The thing that is making me so excited though is his association with the temptation of Eve, the Serpent, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Now. That’s interesting. There’s a character named Angel, or something that translates to that. And she has a dog named noodle. And another fascinating element of tlt it’s use of memes. Several others have pointed out the baffling and one-off connection between snakes (some even suggested the the biblical serpent just from that) and Noodle, with the literal quote “Noodle. Danger” from the Angel, and how it seems to reference the meme-form way of referring to snakes as “danger noodles.” We also know that the Angel is passing down something, possibly the implant, that is an important message. (Angels are, of course, messengers of god).
I think that what they are passing down is Samael, in some form. The Blood of Eden himself. The angel of death. The messenger. The serpent’s companion, the maybe-fallen. And I think that he is going to return in Alecto, as we encounter the death of god.
I always wondered why Anastasia wanted Jod there when she attempted lyctorhood, if that was the truth, how she could have discovered a potentially successful mode of true lyctorhood and not have suspicions about him. I think that “doing the ritual more slowly” wasn’t all she did. I think she potentially found a way to transfer Samael’s consciousness, let him piggyback like Gideon or Pyrrah in htn. I think she got him safe, or at least partially so, when Jod killed him. She wanted to trick Jod into thinking he’s gone or something maybe? I have no idea how the Blood of Eden would have gotten involved, but based on their goddamn name invoking Eden they are definitely linked to him.
If any of the original lyctors or cavaliers are revealed to still exist in Alecto the ninth, it will not be Anastasia, the red herring, the dead bones in a basement finally discovered and proven dead after so much speculation. It will be Samael, the angel of death, the temptation within Eden, the companion to the danger noodle serpent.
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INTERVIEWS ETC 2023
I sometimes talk to people! Going back over the last year, I had some nice conversations with some very cool people. I like doing interviews, but they definitely stress me out a little bit. I suppose it's good to get out of your comfort zone from time to time, though ... So yeah, here are a few of those interviews, in case you missed 'em the first time around.
HEAD VOICE (James Jackson Toth, Ben Chasny, Donovan Quinn)
Donovan Quinn: There’s one aspect of process which is like a user manual. You know, turning on a machine, how you control the bass or whatever. But then there’s a part of process which is more of our terrain, where it’s kind of a story. An artist or a group of artists is interacting with all these elements — each other, gear, inspiration. With each of our pieces in Head Voice, we’re getting little bits of that story.
ILYAS AHMED
With my record, I’ve seen people reference Loren Connors, which is great — I’m a huge fan of Loren Connors. But I’m always comparing it to something like Bill Fay, maybe in an emotional sense. Or like, Neil Young — how do I make “Cortez The Killer” … but not just copy it. One of my favorite Coltrane tunes is “Alabama.” Those eternal favorites you always come back to. How can I make something that feels like that without just doing that, right? I’m not interested in copying it, I’m interested in transmuting it, making it fit into my weird perspective of the world.
WILL HERMES
As an artist, [Lou] was a “transformer,” and everybody has their own version of who he was. What they want him to be, what aspect of his character they wanted to take in. I tried to show them all. I don’t know if they all morph into a single, intelligible human being. But maybe that is part of what was endlessly fascinating about him. He was all of these things simultaneously and they didn’t all necessarily add up.
M. SAGE
I think it’s radical to have fun. And to be silly. It’s not meant as escapism or denial, but the world is dark and weird. And it keeps getting darker and weirder. It’s radical for an artist to afford an audience joy or pleasure. I mean, I love a lot of that solemn, serious, foreboding electro-acoustic music. There’s incredible stuff, obviously. But I wanted to make something that felt fun. And accessible! That’s radical, too, I think.
HORSE LORDS
Andrew Bernstein: We’re trying to make things that sound interesting to us, first and foremost. But we’re also hoping that the music and the way we operate spurs the listener to think differently. Every act is political, and our decisions might make someone reconsider how they make music or how they go about their lives.
BRENDA SAUTER
“The Obedient Atom” at White Eagle Hall was really special. That was one of the original Willies songs and it never got recorded. It was one of those songs that was always left behind for one reason or another. To finally play it out just felt incredible … and then the fire alarm went off and everyone had to evacuate [laughter]. There’s something about that song! Surreal. The atom wasn’t so obedient that night.
Further reading: Bill Million on the Feelies' live tribute to an Underground legend
GUIDING LIGHT: A TOM VERLAINE APPRECIATION
Alasdair MacLean: I also think of some of Stephan Mallarme’s phrases – “the musician of empty nothingness.” Verlaine seemed to be working in parallel: “Watching the corners turn corners;” “Lightning struck itself.” The language turns in on itself, like the guitar solos. He obviously knew those poets back to front. I imagine lots of other people have tried to do this since, but all of them have made fools of themselves. Verlaine never did.
Further reading: Tom Verlaine - 20 Great Tracks
SPIRAL STAIRS
When we first started talking about rehearsing, I was like, “We’re probably going to be playing the same 20 songs. Let’s just pick another 15 songs that we know we can bust out.” Eventually, we finally came to that point…but then in rehearsals we ended up playing probably like 60 songs [laughs]. I’m like, “Oh my god!” That was just for the two Primavera shows, so it was like “Come on!” It took a while to re-learn all of that stuff.
#pavement#television#m. sage#the feelies#lou reed#will hermes#ilyas ahmed#the wild carnation#the velvet underground#tom verlaine#horse lords#six organs of admittance#donovan quinn#aquarium drunkard#james jackson toth#head voice
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the best part of any adaptation isn’t the voice acting or the animation but rather the soundtrack and sound design. a kinda messy ramble.
first off i have no skin in the game. i’m not like a music major or anything so we’re not getting technical here. i did do band for 8 years however so there’s that.
now it doesn’t matter what the media is- movies and shows sound empty without their soundtracks. it adds an element to them that invokes emotions even if we don’t recognize it at first.
this is mainly because music is something universal that transcends language barriers. music is a universal experience. since before recorded history people have been using music to tell and enhance stories no matter the culture music is inherent in our lives.
and when you’re watching a show it’s no different. music plays a big role in our subconscious understanding and processing of the media. scenes without any music in them sound empty. as if they’re missing something. (because they are) and when there are scenes without music they are usually used for effect or emphasis to show the depth of a situation further.
one of my favorite recent examples of this is how after sukuna defeats mahoraga there’s not any music played again (until specialz) but the rest of the episode was full of the OST. just emphasizing how much that fucked up yuji which is another thing music does well with invoking emotionality. most any time i hear malevolent shrines theme- I literally get chills just from the whole way it’s orchestrated. (if you haven’t listened to it by itself i highly recommend it)
but it’s not just the soundtracks that do that. pairing it with the animation add just another sense of dread and urgency to the whole thing. like we know this is a bad scenario already. but the music layers onto that sensation even more. soundtracks change the way we see shows. watch a scene without the sound on and then watch it again with the sound on and there’s a big difference. or read the same scene. the soundtracks add depth.
often times as well, soundtracks tell their own story. sometimes characters have a very specific motif that is tied to them and it can be found repeatedly across the songs. sometimes they’re even respondent to the characters themselves.
my favorite example here is in trigun stampedes ost. knives’s piano will always overtake a song while vash’s themes tend to be more subtle and let the other themes shine above his own. and the twins are like that too. vash wants to coexist with humans- knives believed it’s impossible. the stampede ost also has its own story to it. as it progresses it gets further away from that “westerny” sound and starts to get more orchestral and cinematic
and that’s because music tells a story. this isn’t just evident in anime either. the hunger games soundtrack is very brass and drum heavy- sounds that are typically associated best with military strength and revolution and in thg they overthrow the government. despite it not having the same composers throughout the series- harry potters soundtrack gets darker throughout to reflect the tone of the series as a whole as it gets darker and more deadly. jurassic parks classic theme is very awestriking and instills a sense of wonder in a person- they cloned dinosaurs. that is a very awe inspiring thing to see. there are more examples but you get it.
of course. soundtracks aren’t the only thing that add depth to media- that’s what sound design is for. a gunslinging show wouldn’t be the same if there wasn’t a rumbling sound whenever there was a gunshot. the eagle screech is actually from a red-tailed hawk. these elements are often overlooked as well, since they stimulate our subconscious enjoyment of media without us really processing them because that’s what they’re there to do. enhance the experience of the show itself and make it feel more realistic
if someone’s wearing heels and walking on a tile floor and it’s clearly shown- you’ll hear a clacking sound because that’s what heels SOUND like on tile irl. it wouldn’t be silent. these are things our brains have learned to just process but not call big attention to, which leads people to often times just pass up the enhancements sound design adds to a series. but without those it would be empty and feel wrong. like something was missing. because it is.
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The Narrator: An Analysis
I have recently decided to check out The Stanley Parable and it's DLC since related videos have been popping up in my recommended, and it was a very entertaining game! One thing that caught my attention was the Narrator, and I've caught up on some things from his dialogue. I've analyzed those things, and decided "Hey, why not share this? I've always wanted to talk about the stuff I like in public posts!"
I must give a warning. I have not interacted with any information outside of the game. I have not seen any fans, their posts, I haven't even checked the wiki. Please take everything I say with a grain of salt, this is all my interpretation and perspective on his character. I could be wrong or be missing some things. Without further ado, let's get on with the analysis!
Who is the Narrator?
Ever since the game begins, the Narrator voices over the current events taking place and says what Stanley does (which is also a way to give the player instructions on what to do). While this is expected of a narrator, there is evidence that he is more than just that. For example, if you were to disobey his every order, you end up at a part of the map that the Narrator says he "couldn't finish because you weren't supposed to be here", along with many instances with him saying that this is his story. He is not only the narrator, but also the in-universe game developer and author. Although, in the DLC, the Narrator mentions "game developers" other than himself, this could be because that, in-universe, there were multiple developers working on the DLC, not just the Narrator. It is also implied that the Narrator is not just a disembodied voice, but instead a human, with there being instances of him making noises such as clapping or shuffling papers.
The Narrator's personality.
The Narrator is a very colorful character, from his emotional voice to how he reacts to things, he is far from bland when it comes to his personality. As shown throughout the entire game and it's DLC, the Narrator is very passionate about his creative work. He doesn't usually narrate in a simpleartistIfnstead he uses descriptive, long, and even unfamiliar words to describe the current situation, even sometimes using said words to push a certain mood. Because of this, he is very antsy whenever the player doesn't follow his orders. One very good example of this is the "Broom Closet Ending", where if you stay in the closet long enough, the Narrator starts insulting Stanley by saying things such as "Stanley is very fat and ugly." Another example of him being passionate about his work even to the point of anger is in the DLC. The Narrator is shown to have a "secret place" which contains elements from the base game, including reviews from all over the web. When he sees that some people have left negative reviews (most importantly commenting on how they didn't like the Narrator), he decides to create a skip button to appease to these negative reviews. After enough skips, the player can listen to the Narrator angrily ranting about how his distaste towards the negative reviews. The Narrator is surprisingly sadistic, having said on more than one occasion that he finds joy out of the player's/Stanley's suffering. An example being when the player manages to noclip out of the window, the Narrator asks if Stanley is "tired of the gag". When answered yes, the Narrator purposefully attempts to make the experience "as painful as possible" while also saying that he's going to enjoy it. Another great example is shown in the "Countdown Ending", where pressing the "On" button actually activates a self-destruction sequence. During the countdown, the Narrator says that he's enjoying the player's futile attempts to stop the detonation, so much that he adds extra time. The Narrator cares about what people think of his work, at least to an extent. On multiple instances he seems to be affected by the feedback given to him. One example is when the player continually disobeys the Narrator and goes through the blue doors, where the Narrator tries to change the game to the player's wants by adding a third door and a leaderboard, and asking their thoughts on the additions -- even asking for honest and critical opinions --. While he doesn't pay much mind about the rating on the leaderboard, his reaction differs depending on the rating given to the third door. If given a rating of 1, the Narrator is insulted by the low rating, saying that while he would understand that if there were some criticisms, he is shocked that it was given the lowest possible rating. Although, on the same ending, the Narrator soon grows tired of trying to make the player happy, showing that (especially when it comes to individual people rather than the masses) he wouldn't want to spend all his energy on people who are dissatisfied with his work. The Narrator is shown to be cocksure and conceited on multiple occasions. One example is when the player continually disobeys the Narrator and he tries to make the game "more enjoyable", he says that when he makes these additions to the game, he says that he thinks that "[he's] knocked it out of the park". On the same path, the Narrator shows you another game he's been working on, where you have to press a button multiple times to keep a baby alive. Despite the game being unenjoyable, the Narrator says that the game is a thoughtful and creative commentary on how hard parenthood can be. There are many other examples of him believing that his efforts are of high quality, even when that isn't the case. There are many other instances where the Narrator views himself highly, and is surprised when people do not see him or his work the same way he does. If the player attempts to use cheat codes, it is revealed by the Narrator himself that he "generally doesn't understand human emotion", which explains quite a bit.
The Narrator's relationship with Stanley.
You might have noticed that I was mainly saying "the player" instead of "Stanley", and there's a reason for that! Although the Narrator usually refers to you as Stanley, it's implied it's because he didn't know that you aren't really Stanley in a certain ending (other than the Broom Closet one). When you unplug the telephone, the Narrator is surprised that Stanley was able to do that. When going through the script, he soon finds out that the reason Stanley has been disobeying him is because it wasn't Stanley he was talking to, it was a real person, you. In this ending, the Narrator describes Stanley as obedient and responsible, as opposed to the rebellious player. In the "Escape Ending", a female takes over when Stanley is first crushed to death. After exploring the area talking about the game development, the voice then talks about how the Narrator and Stanley need each other. I see where she's coming from. The Narrator is Stanley's creator, he himself has stated that Stanley needs him because "he needs someone to make sense of the chaos and the fear and the confusion", and he has also said that the game was all the Narrator had. The creator needs the creation just as much the creation needs the creator. Depending on how the player behaves, the Narrator could have a more negative or positive opinion on Stanley, but I think overall, as his creator, the Narrator needs him to tell his story. That's what I think the female voice meant.
Closing thoughts.
Personally, I really like the Narrator! He's a very amusing character and a fundamental part of The Stanley Parable. This may be an unpopular opinion, but I find the Narrator's sadism and anger charming, as it led to scenes that I loved, and he's surprisingly relatable as a creative soul and an artist. While this is more of a headcanon more than anything, I like to think he's a bit of a shut-in with the way he behaves. I have to say that he's a huge reason why I loved The Stanley Parable so much. This was my personal take on the Narrator.
Thank you so much for reading! Wow that was pretty long. This was my first analysis, so it may not be the best, but I had a lot of fun writing it! Hopefully I wasn't TOO off the mark. I hope you have a great day.
#I have no idea how to tag this because IDK any TSP tags but I'm gonna rely on the Tumblr popular tags and hope it works#Tsp#The stanley parable#Tsp narrator#Character analysis
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What do you think about the 2019 staged concert?
Just watched it for the first time recently…
Why on earth did they cut Gavroche’s death d’ya reckon?!?!
Tho the image of him dying in Grantaire’s arms does haunt and interest me too…
Generally love when adaptions give him a significant relationship or moment with an amis…
Who do ya think it’d be most realistic he’d be close to?
Got any Gav + Amis head-canons ??
I have NOT seen the 2019 staged concert so I did NOT know they cut Gavroche's death, what the heckity heck ?!? What..what do they do about that part? Do they skip from like BHH to Final Battle or like..what. What even happens.
Obviously the best option for who he'd be close to is Bahorel , Adaptations Stop Being Cowards Challenge, but that is like. Ten other posts, I will never shut up
With that not an option:
I think if the musical is going to be a coward and not have Bahorel as character (because they are cowards), the next best option for a character to have an ongoing relationship with Gavroche is Courfeyrac. 2012 went with that and it was a very good call! Courfeyrac's warm, revolutiony, and fun, in a way that matches better with Gavroche's attitude than any of the stage-existing Amis. And it would put back a major element of Courfeyrac's character that's otherwise missing from the show, his ability to bring people in to his circle.
(also side note: Gavroche at least having a pretty good, if worn, set of clothes in the movie works amazingly well with him having known Courfeyrac for a bit? gdgkf I guess that's a 2012 specific headcanon for you, Gavroche has known Courfeyrac and the Amis for like three-six weeks and they're working on getting him a more settled situation, one that is (a) NOT living with a revolutionary who is very likely to vanish any hour and (b) NOT going to have him climbing out a window in 3 minutes to go back to the elephant, Courfeyrac's going tchtchtch at this stray cat of a kid, ANYWAY)
Other Options in rapidly descending order of preference:
Next choice would be Feuilly; again, warm and outgoing, if not exactly a funster. And again, it would bring in a key element for his character that's otherwise lost , his generous heart and adopting-the-people approach to life (and I know there's no room for the momes in the musical and honestly: fair, but gah *I* would know about the momes and it would punch me in the heart to see another orphan looking out for Gavroche the way he looks out for them aah)
Joly and Legle : again, fun, sociable characters, canonically both prone to looking-after-people mode, and them working as a team on this would be an easy way to bring out a certain aspect of their characters. Gavroche WOULD run circles around them but it would be a friendly chill situation
Combeferre: ...honestly I just. Want to give him more to do in the stage version. Kind and concerned with the humanity of the revolution; not the worst option by a long shot. This would give him stress ulcers in five seconds. Sorry Combeferre.
Prouvaire: see : Combeferre, but without the ulcers
Enjolras: honestly as much as I love the dynamic between Enjolras and Gavroche in the book , Enjolras on-stage just has So Much to Do already, but like. It's still a fun dynamic? Mutual respect under a layer of mutual harassment, very sibling-y, I love them and it could give Enjolras a few warmer moments
Marius- I would not trust Book!Marius with a stray cat , much less a stray kid, but Stage!Marius is a more Present character all around, and I've seen other adaptations make him and Gavroche buddies with sometimes very good results. Unfortunately Marius also has a ton to do already and I don't know that it would really add anything to his character as-is (beyond maybe implying a stronger friendship with Eponine?) but it would be ok?
I'm mentioning Grantaire here only to say that I don't think he has any place being in this list at all, I love Grantaire but this isn't his thing, that's another post though
...I was gonna try to put more headcanons but Woe, Sleep Be Upon Me and this post is nine miles long so I think I'm leaving it here , but thank you for the ask, Nonny!
#Gavroche talk#he is always a Best Character#there are adaptations that drop him and they are Wrong#hey nonny nonny#long post
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Petthri 1, 12, 14, 16 and 17
(also technically 3, but I need too know if someone ever called him petri dish or joked about it, like it is for Lahpp)
Hi anon thank you for the questions!! Sorry for the wait I had to go sleep like the second I saw the ask notification pop up :D
1. What was the first element of your OC that you remember considering (name, appearance, backstory, etc.)?
So there's this mouse villager in Animal Crossing New Horizons called Petri (yes like the petri dish, she's got a labcoat and all) and I looked at her and thought "oh that's a cute name wouldn't it be funny if I had an Asura wh-"
And this is my PB in "stupid idea to actual creation" speedrun. This man was set up for disaster from the start.
IT IS ALL YOUR FAULT
This pretty much answers 3) already I suppose?
But about your extra question: I haven't really thought about it happening (my comment on Lahpp's name was more about out-of-character jokes too rather than in-character) but I won't deny it never happened (more likely for Petthri; Lahpp's mostly referred to with his System ID number in most situations). I think Petthri would find the coincidence funny actually. Like in a "isn't it cool!" kinda way.
12. What have you found to be most difficult about creating art for your OC (any form of art: writing, drawing, edits, etc.)?
His face can be hell to draw. I've lamented this in the past but because his eyes sit relatively high and he has a (by Asura standards) more or less narrow face he falls into the looks-too-human uncanny valley super fast. And when it happens I have the hardest time fixing it. It's a rollercoaster with him.
Somehow, that too fits his character.
14. If you had to narrow it down to 2 things that you MUST keep in mind while working with your OC, what would those things be?
1) This man has more energy than I can ever even dream to possess. Like, physically, mentally, this dude's just everything everywhere all the time.
2) Keep him at least somewhat charismatic despite the chaos that surrounds him, otherwise the whole "he used to be really popular with everyone" doesn't really add up. Unless there's an inexplicable aura to him.
16. What is something about your OC can make you cry?
I've not hit the big official angst arc for him yet but he must miss his family back in Rata Sum. Sometimes he wonders for how long they've been looking for him before they gave up. Or on worse days, he wonders if they ever bothered to find him at all. He was told the Inquest made sure he's considered officially dead, so he doesn't blame anyone for not coming to try and free him.... does he?
Probably tried talking about it to Lahpp but didn't find much understanding. Maybe one day.
17. Is there some element you regret adding to your OC or their story?
None I can think of! If there was something I didn't like I must have scrapped it and forgotten about it but honestly... this guy is 90% random anecdotes of stupid shit he did, there isn't much to go wrong with.
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The Magnificence of Doctor Octopus: A Character Analysis and Marvel's Misuse
Introduction:
Doctor Octopus, one of Spider-Man's most formidable adversaries, has captivated audiences with his unique blend of intellect, ambition, and complexity. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, Doctor Octopus, also known as Otto Octavius, first appeared in "The Amazing Spider-Man" comic in 1963. Over the years, this multifaceted character has undergone various transformations, making him an iconic figure within the Marvel universe. In this essay, we will explore the brilliance of Doctor Octopus as a character and discuss some instances where Marvel might have fallen short in utilizing his full potential.
The Greatness of Doctor Octopus:
Intellectual Genius: Doctor Octopus is a scientific genius whose brilliance rivals that of Tony Stark or Bruce Banner. His expertise in engineering, physics, and robotics is unmatched. With his four mechanical arms, he exhibits incredible dexterity and control, further amplifying his intelligence. This combination of intellectual prowess and unique abilities makes him a formidable adversary for Spider-Man.
Complex Motivations: What sets Doctor Octopus apart from typical villains is his multifaceted nature. His transformation from a respected scientist to a villain is fueled by a desire for recognition, power, and control. His initial intentions are often noble, seeking to gain recognition for his inventions and contributions to science. However, his desire for validation spirals into a lust for power, leading him down a dark path. This complexity adds depth to his character, making him more than just a one-dimensional villain.
Emotional Turmoil: Beneath the cold and calculated exterior, Doctor Octopus grapples with emotional turmoil. His strained relationships with family and colleagues, coupled with the constant failures in his villainous pursuits, create a sense of sympathy for the character. This emotional vulnerability contrasts with his often brutal actions, making him a tragic antagonist with elements of relatability.
Marvel's Misuse of Doctor Octopus:
Repetitive Redemption Arcs: In some instances, Marvel has utilized Doctor Octopus in repetitive redemption arcs. While a redemption arc can be compelling, overusing this narrative diminishes the impact and novelty of the character's development. Marvel should explore fresh storylines and character growth rather than resorting to familiar patterns.
Lack of Solo Spotlight: Doctor Octopus has primarily been used as a recurring villain in Spider-Man's storyline, leaving little room for exploring his character in a solo capacity. Given his complexity and depth, a standalone comic series or a dedicated arc could provide a deeper insight into his psyche and motivations.
Missed Opportunities for Exploration: Marvel's focus on other high-profile villains has sometimes sidelined Doctor Octopus. Instead of fully exploring the potential of this character, he is occasionally relegated to secondary roles or henchmen status, limiting the scope of his impact on the Marvel universe.
Conclusion:
Doctor Octopus is an exceptional character within the Marvel universe, admired for his intellectual genius, complex motivations, and emotional depth. His evolution from a respected scientist to a formidable adversary reflects the intricacies of human nature. However, Marvel's misuse of this compelling character has at times hindered his growth and potential. To fully harness the greatness of Doctor Octopus, Marvel should delve into uncharted territory, providing him with solo storylines and fresh arcs that showcase the full extent of his brilliance and complexity. Only then can Doctor Octopus be truly appreciated as the remarkable character he is.
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Which dramas or film have accurate costuming based on the time period/era?
Hi, thanks for the question. I will make a list of period dramas I find accurate or have heard good reviews about. I will be going in reverse chronological order of the time setting. Just to clarify, the accuracy of costuming has nothing to do with whether a drama/film is good or bad, I’m just being pedantic.
Feel free to add to this list!
In the Mood for Love (2000) 花样年华
Movie | dir. Wong Kar-wai, costume design Zhang Shuping
Set in 1962 Hong Kong. In this classic Wong Kai-wai movie, Maggie Cheung wears a whole wardrobe of 60s Hong Kong cheongsam that are both accurate and stunning. I could find very few problems with the costuming in this movie.
Everlasting Regret (2005) 长恨歌
Movie | dir. Stanley Kwan, costume design Zhang Shuping
Traces the story of the female protagonist through multiple decades, from the end of the 1940s to the 1980s. The 1940s costumes in this movie are SO GOOD they restored my faith in humanity. It shows that Zhang is actually capable of pulling off very accurate and beautiful designs, and he really doesn’t shy away from elements of the period that might appear outrageous to us today, like the shoulder pads and thoroughly curled hair. The cut, fabrics and details of clothes are all very well considered. This is a great example of costuming that does not rely on the guzhuang tradition whatsoever. The costumes for the later decades are unfortunately more of a hit and miss, likely because of widespread misconceptions about Mao era fashion.
Lust, Caution (2007) 色，戒
Movie | dir. Ang Lee, costume design Lai Pan
Set in 1937-42. Display of late 30s and early 40s cheongsam on actress Tang Wei. The costuming in this movie is not without its problems (especially with accessories) but overall it's pretty solid.
My review of In the Mood for Love and Lust, Caution.
Center Stage (1991) 阮玲玉
Movie | dir. Stanley Kwan, costume design Lai Pan
Set in the early 30s. Story about the life and death of iconic 30s silent movie actress Ruan Lingyu, featuring Maggie Cheung in cheongsam that were mostly accurate to the time and Ruan's personal style.
My review of Center Stage
The Great Magician (2011) 大魔术师
Movie | dir. Derek Yee, costume design Yee Chung-man, Jessie Dai
Set in the 1910s, one of the only and most accurate portrayals of that decade. The women’s aoqun costumes are true to the era, nicely tailored and aesthetically coherent. The hairstyles and accessories are great too. I’m not an expert on military uniforms but I find it very commendable that they attempted to recreate actual pre-WWI style European dress uniforms for the male characters instead of using stereotypical “Republican era” uniforms which are a staple in guzhuang.
Story of Yanxi Palace (2018) 延禧攻略
Drama | dir. Hui Kaidong & Wen Deguang
Set in the 1740s, also known as the 1850s, in the Qing Dynasty. The costume design got the era entirely wrong and recreated the mid 19th century instead, but if you pretend that the story is set in the mid 19th century it would be very accurate. Because the story takes place in the court, most of the costumes are Manchu court dress with occasional elements of Han fashion thrown in (sometimes incorrectly). Still infinitely better than most other Qing court dramas that dress their court ladies in Republican era Manchu fashion :3 The materials and fabrics used for the costumes are also very cool and realistic looking. From a tv history point of view, this was the first Qing drama and second overall drama (after Imperial Doctress) to put effort and money into accuracy and got somewhere, so I think it deserves a place in the cdrama costuming hall of fame.
My review of Story of Yanxi Palace
Dreaming Back to the Qing Dynasty (2019) 梦回
Drama | dir. Lee Kwok Lap
Legitimately the best Qing costuming you will ever see, I do not care that the plot is trash. Set in 1706, the Manchu costumes tend to drift toward the later parts of the 18th century, though overall the costuming in this drama reached ground breaking levels of accuracy. The attention to details, like season appropriate fabrics and patterns, differences between Manchu and Han dress and the construction of the clothing is simply *chef’s kiss* perfection. Because the plot and production were so bad, this drama did not generate much clout, which is a serious shame considering how fabulous the costuming was. This was a product of the post-Yanxi Palace climate of Qing costuming, where producers became aware that accurate costuming was appreciated and profitable. Despite all its problems, this is definitely the drama I would recommend for everyone interested in 18th century Chinese fashion. I honestly experienced historical costumer euphoria watching this.
My review for Dreaming Back to the Qing Dynasty
Song of Youth (2021) 玉楼春
Drama | dir. Gao Han
Set in the Longqing era (1567-72) in the late Ming Dynasty. The costuming here does have a ton of problems, but it’s still the best Ming Dynasty costuming I’ve seen in a long time, perhaps since forever. At least you can tell that it’s the Ming Dynasty, I’m not asking for more. I have to mention that the creator/writer for both this drama and The Story of Yanxi Palace are Yu Zheng, who is infamous for using costuming to promote his shows. While the fact that he is paying more attention to costuming in recent years is great, the way he markets the costuming is highly questionable and ignorant. He made bots or something pretending to be Koreans making claims on social media about Ming Dynasty clothing "plagiarizing” Korea (which is a bogus and Orientalist idea) so he could get back at them to gain publicity. Please do not fall for this kind of marketing gimmick.
My review of Song of Youth
The Imperial Doctress (2016) 女医明妃传
Drama | dir. Steve Cheng, Lee Kwok Lap
You might be wondering why I added this tacky drama from five years ago into this otherwise aesthetic list, this was actually the OG cdrama with historically accurate costuming. I’m including it for narrative purposes and to pay respect. Prior to this show, nobody in Chinese television had entertained the idea that they could try to make historically accurate costuming for period dramas and use that as a selling point (or maybe some did but failed to make anything remotely legitimate).The costume designers for this show actually looked for fashion history resources and recreated historical looks, with varying degrees of success. Set in the Zhengtong era (1435-49), it featured costumes sourced from all over the Ming Dynasty and even the Qing Dynasty and was an all round mess (which became a recurring problem in recent years). The reason why the costuming in this drama was so revolutionary in its day was because it finally showed a way for drama costuming to break free from guzhuang and take influence from fashion history and popular hanfu styles instead (Ming style hanfu rose to prominence around this time). While many of the costumes in this drama now look badly made, tacky or obsolete, this show was iconic and left a positive legacy. We were only able to get Yanxi Palace, Serenade of Peaceful Joy and Longest Day in Chang-an because of this show.
Serenade of Peaceful Joy (2020) 清平乐
Drama | dir. Zhang Kaizhou
Set in the Renzong era (1022-63) in the Song Dynasty. Apparently the plot isn’t great, but the costumes are relatively solid. In fact, the costuming is pretty groundbreaking in terms of historical accuracy, especially the menswear. For once the costumes actually attempt to resemble the Song Dynasty. The womenswear seems like a miss though. I’m not an expert on anything before the Ming Dynasty so I can’t comment on exactly how accurate the costumes in this drama are but they sure look satisfying.
Longest Day in Chang’an (2019) 长安十二时辰
Drama | dir. Cao Dun
Set in the Xuanzong era (713-56) in the Tang Dynasty. I read that the costumes are more accurate to a different era within the Tang Dynasty but overall the materials, patterns and cut look very authentic and beat 99% of Tang Dynasty dramas that came before it. I, for one, really enjoyed the Central Asian patterns and men’s headwear representation. This was, to my knowledge, the first Tang drama that made breakthroughs in historical accuracy, so we have to acknowledge its historical importance too. The show itself is also very well written and entertaining in my opinion so I will highly recommend this drama.
Court Lady (2021) 骊歌行
Drama | dir. Hui Kaidong, Wen Deguang
Set in the Taizong period (626-49) of the Tang Dynasty. Apparently the costumes are pretty good, though probably also accurate to a different period within the Tang (why is time travelling within a dynasty a recurring issues??).
#chinese drama#chinese film#historic fashion#vintage fashion#republican era#qing dynasty#ming dynasty#song dynasty#tang dynasty
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Top 10 works of fiction ask? 👉🏻👈🏻
fuck this is hard for me
without any order, it would probably have to be
WTC Series - Ryukishi07: kinda obvious considering my blog. It covers all my favorite genres and it has relatable characters (i already know what you're gonna say.) (still need to start ciconia but i keep not finishing other things so i need to finish those first)
Madoka Magica - Gen Urobuchi: lesbians, time loops and tragedy. honestly what more can you ask for. homura best girl (love them all tho)
Neon Genesis Evangelion - Hideaki Anno: with my current list so far and including this i couldn't even lie about being mentally stable (not that anyone would believe a yasu is). eva is a series i hold really close to my heart. its focus on more introspective things rather than on the actual robot fights themselves led to me realizing and accepting some things about myself and for that i will always love it.
K-On - Kakifly: not all my favorites are dark and emotionally driven, sometimes i just need a simple comedy to enjoy and laugh at. what can i even say about k-on other than haha funny light music club go brrrrrr.
Spider-Man - Marvel: i have my fair share of issues with everything modern when it comes to superhero shit but everything pre 2006 of spider-man i still adore. compared to all the heroes on the level of gods and idols theres something special about an ordinary guy who got his powers by chance and still has to deal with the same struggles regular people face.
Girls Last Tour - tkmiz: pretty simple series of a pair of girls and their lives at the end of the world. made me laugh. made me cry. truly wonderful series. (tkmiz's shimeji simulation will probably join this list but i wanna see where it goes further first. still deserves a mention tho.)
Shin Godzilla - Hideaki Anno: i love this kaiju to death so ofc i had to put the greatest godzilla movie on this list. with a return to godzilla as a destructive force of nature as opposed to a semi hero type figure the american films have been trying and a new take with a constantly evolving monster, shin godzilla mixes new and old for a spectacle that can be taken both at face value and a little deeper.
Devilman Crybaby - Masaaki Yuasa: (never read the devilman manga so idk if im missing out on anything) truly a beautiful series that says a lot about human nature and discrimination of people for being "different." would recommend to anyone
Serial Experiments Lain - Yasuyuki Ueda: why yes i do have a thing for weird thought provoking shows. they're just so good. lain probably is the weirdest one i have on here but that adds to the intriguing nature of it. its hard for me to really talk about it without going too much into weird spoilery shit but funky internet girl.
Chainsaw Man - Tatsuki Fujimoto: epic action series with devils and some horror elements and characters to get way too attached to. check out the manga or the anime later this year idk. its mappa so i expect it to be good.
in conclusion im a huge weeb who likes things that make me think
#when they cry#umineko#higurashi#umineko when they cry#higurashi when they cry#madoka magica#neon genesis evangelion#evangelion#k on#k-on#spider man#spider-man#spiderman#girls last tour#tkmiz#godzilla#shin godzilla#gojira#devilman#devilman crybaby#serial experiments lain#lain#chainsaw man
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Dorohedoro
Q Hayashida (2010-2019)
Synopsis: The setting for Dorohedoro takes place sometime in a post-apocalyptic future, were life is divided across three ‘realms’. Our main protagonist Caiman, lives in the dreary human realm ‘Hole’. Life is miserable in hole, as people are constantly under attack from magic users crossing over from the sorcerer’s realm. These sorcerers see humans as nothing but cannon fodder for their magic experiments. Caiman is one of these magic experiment victims. Someone has transformed his head into that of a lizard, and he has lost all knowledge of his true identity. Together with his best friend Nikaidō, the owner of the local dumpling restaurant, they track down magic users in the hopes of solving the mystery of Caiman’s existence, and to enact their revenge.
Review: This manga is more of a horror comedy or ‘splatter comedy’ than something traditionally scary, but it definitely doesn’t disappoint in the gore department. Hayashida somehow manages to make the fun and whimsical mixed in with the extreme violence seem tonally consistent. The actual plot was an enjoyable ride that kept me guessing. The fantastical and almost absurdist elements probably contributed to this, as you can never tell what is coming next. You will never underestimate a mushroom again. Another reason why this Manga is super popular is that every single character is enjoyable. Even within the villain group I truly loved every character. Also, you don’t come across many Manga’s that have complex female characters, and buff ladies as well! (although there is still some sexualised fan service).
Art: Super interesting and unique art style with an aggressive and scratchy aesthetic. I would say it’s a lot less ‘clean’ looking than typical manga style and more detailed too. I still enjoyed it though, and was actually disappointed that the Anime developed from the Manga wasn’t able to fully replicate the art style.
Recommend: Yes, one of my favorites. It might be one to miss if you are gore sensitive or prefer fully serious horror.
Spoilers Below----------------------------------------------------------------------
I really loved that there were no ‘true’ villains in the Manga, or really a clear divide in ‘morality’ between the two groups. The way the story would change the way you felt about the villain characters by slowly feeding you new revelations as the story moved along was super fun and interesting to me. I started thinking about how the main reason we view Caiman’s actions as justified was only because we were seeing things from his point of view. It kind of made you question what is actually right and wrong in the context of the story.
I liked that the characters all had flaws and there was no true hero, yet the story was still felt sincere. It manages to avoid the cringe, 'the main hero is cool because he’s edgy’ tropes you can sometimes get with similarly themed stories.
I guess maybe Chidaruma could be argued to be the true ‘villain’ of the story, but he was still an enjoyable character.
I also liked how the romance plots were more background implications in the story. Any ‘romantic chemistry’ between characters was just enough to keep things interesting without overshadowing the main plot. It felt more natural to me because they didn’t follow too many typical romance tropes.
The only thing that really lets this manga down for me is the obvious fan service scenes with the female characters. I was so happy to have found a manga that has even one good female protagonist that actually contributes to the action of the story and is badass in their own right, and this manga has more than one. Unfortunately, there were some sexualised nudity scenes that were just kind of add ons with no real plot relevance except, ‘look a naked girl with boobs’. Luckily, these scenes are not constantly barraging you throughout the story like other similar Manga’s I have read.
If anyone else loves this manga, let me know what you think. I would love to know who your favourite character was and why.
#dorohedoro#horror manga#horror review#manga review#q hayashida#manga art#horror art#horror comedy#gore & disturbing
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captain puffy lore q&a!
notes taken while listening to her stream tonight (july 14 stream, “[DreamSMP] Lore School and Lore Q&A!”) feel free to add on if i missed anything - i probably zoned out a bit and missed some questions!
- she stressed multiple times throughout the q&a segment that her character was never intended to play a parental role. while she’s happy with a sort of guardian/protector role, she isn’t as much a fan of her character being a parent. the reason she’s not a huge fan of c!dream (or other characters besides c!foolish) being c!puffy’s child is because people then get angry about c!puffy making chaotic decisions because they view her in a purely responsible/parental role. she likes for her character to be there as a mentor for the younger characters, but still wants the freedom to make chaotic decisions for her character without being criticized for it!
- she doesn’t like when anything her character does is immediately related to other people’s characters. an example she offered is that if she were to blow something up, people would say “that’s not something a good parent figure would do.”
- if she were to have take a different direction with her character, she would’ve done a “chaotic girlboss” character type.
- when asked whether she prefers unplanned lore or big lore streams, she says she enjoys both. she finds semi-lore very fun because she loves interacting with chat and likes how community-focused unplanned and improv lore can be. big lore is fun for her too, but because of the high expectations and having to be zoned in to the story, she doesn’t get to interact with the chat.
- thinks of her chat as if they’re “looking down on” the dream smp universe rather than a physical being within it. referred to it as celestial beings and the dream smp being “the universe that we control” - chat is the stars that the captain navigates by.
- puffychu - “i don’t know. we’ll have to find out about that.” she says puffy and niki’s characters have ended up on completely different sides, so now they are trying to figure that out.
- her character’s skin has something more to its design than just being half sheep, half human. she says there’s an element that has more to do with her character’s “personal struggle” than with her species.
- she gave a hint about the next c!puffy lore stream: “it relates in a way to a billie eilish song. i can’t say which one because it would give too much away!”
- something in lore is going to greatly affect c!puffy eventually. “she’s going to have a switch sometime soon”
- quite a bit of c!puffy’s personality is influenced by cc!puffy’s personality. the character is evidently based quite a bit on how cc!puffy grew up as a child, which we will see more in later lore!
- c!puffy’s character flaws are that they’re a perfectionist and doesn’t want to disappoint people, and in turn ends up not being able to do things for themselves. they also have lots of patience until she’s pushed too far and then will snap.
- she would like to be more involved with the las nevadas lore!
- she was asked about tommy’s therapy and whether it has been happening “off-screen” as tommy has implied, but she said she was going to save the question for another day.
- c!puffy doesn’t necessarily agree with being an anarchist. they aren’t big on titles or labels, but they do respect order. they’ve taken on titles not because they want to but because it’s necessary to keep the peace of things.
- c!puffy uses any pronouns, but usually she/her mostly because so far no one has referred to her otherwise in lore.
- c!puffy’s alignment is chaotic good!
- c!puffy, c!ant, and c!bad have made up since the red banquet and there are few hard feelings between them. c!puffy felt less hurt by c!hannah since she was a new member to the smp and they hadn’t had any chance to form a relationship.
- when asked which character’s development surprised her the most, she answered that she really likes tommy and tubbo’s arcs, but bad’s caught her the most off-guard because of how different c!bad’s arc has turned out from how cc!bad is.
- she says tubbo’s character has gone through just as much as tommy even though people tend to focus more on tommy, and c!tubbo is one of her favorite lore characters.
- her favorite character dynamics are puffy and bad (she finds it fun how they go from a fun friendship duo as ccs into polar opposites in lore), tubbo and ranboo (she likes the very different dynamic they have from tubbo and tommy, saying tubbo didn’t replace tommy with ranboo but rather has a different kind of relationship to explore his character in), and tommy and techno (she likes how techno is a big and powerful anarchist and still was protective of tommy).
- her favorite canon character is c!dream. she says while his character arc always involves manipulation and dark aspects, they’re very clever and there’s always an interesting reason to be found behind what they do.
- as for her character’s thoughts on c!dream, c!puffy feels more disappointed in dream than guilty about his actions. puffy says she’s “always seen the underlying good” in dream and so is disappointed in him for what he’s done.
- she says sam’s character is very difficult. he tries to do what in his mind is the lawfully correct thing to do, even if it’s a bad thing to do or might hurt someone else.
- her favorite build is foolish’s summer home area!
- she thinks c!wilbur has been the best villain so far.
(( there might be more q&a later as she’s still streaming, but this is all i’ve got tonight! i’m off to bed, i’ll skim the rest of the vod tomorrow for any other tidbits i missed! ))
#dsmp#dream smp#mcyt#captain puffy#captainpuffy#live-blogging#apologies if this is a little disjointed#i was just typing things down as quickly as i could and then tried to make it coherent later skfjskdk
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Part 2 - Basic Concepts of Miraculous Ladybug: Kwami
Kwamis are a fun concept and one of the main draws of the series. They make sense story-wise because, firstly, our characters need some support system. And since a lot of conflicts are centred around secret identities, characters should be able to discuss their double life with someone. As magical beings they could also be used to expand the lore, introduce new concepts and drive forward both the plot and character development. It doesn't always happen but Kwamis are a good idea. Some people who write AU's think that Kwamis are redundant, but I have to disagree.
Origins and nature
Where do Kwamis come from? What are they? It's never explained. Oh wait, it was explained in a comic people can accidentally find. You decide to explain the origins and nature of magical beings who are one of the key elements in your magic system and worldbuilding IN A SIDE COMIC, which has zero effect on your main story. Sounds legit.
Here it is.
So, Kwamis are abstract creatures. They can become tangible and interact with the world because of the miraculous jewels. Essentially, each Miraculous acts as an anchor to the material world for Kwami. They existed since the beginning of time and were invisible observers of the universe. Until they settled on Earth and observed how humanity came to be. This is where things get interesting.
Kwamis are the embodiment of abstract concepts. But, some abstract concepts were created by people (like everything mentioned in the comic: beauty, math, love, etc).
Kwamis wanted to help humans. And then, a human, who couldn't see, hear or touch a Kwami creates miraculous jewels. And now these beings can interact with the world, use their powers and grant them to humans. Yet, they are completely under control of their holder. I'll discuss it later, but why did Kwamis accept this deal? They are practically enslaved. At the same time they care about people and generally love humanity.
According to the wiki Kwamis grant powers because of "the privilege of having the ability to be perceived by mortals". What? Did I read that right? Kwamis agreed to be enslaved and used as a power source, because they wanted to interact with material world. That's it, guys, end of the story.
We also know these things about nature and abilities of Kwamis from the show:
1) need food, but only to provide the power for the holder;
2) can't phase through precious metals (Chloe's bracelet in "Rogercop"), their own miraculous and humans;
3) they can control if they phase through things or not – meaning that if they want to, they can (this way Tikki can stay in Marinette’s purse without much trouble and Plagg sleeps on Adrien’s pillow);
4) they can perform magic without a holder but they don’t control it very well, there are certain types of things that they can’t do without a holder;
5) they are immortal but can get sick for some reason, a non-magical reason mind you;
6) technology can't detect them in any way, you can't film, photograph or record their voices (writers establish this many times, but promptly forget all about their own rules in "Optigami", where Marinette talks with Kwamis over the phone without any problems).
If I missed something important, then let me know.
Look, the questions related to origins and motivations of Kwamis might not be very prominent in your story right now, but you must answer them in case you might need to involve these facts in the plot down the line. It's important to avoid contradictions in the serialised story with liquid plot, that can't be set in stone. It's a made up world for the sake of everything sacred! You can make up explanations and rules, of course as long as they don't contradict common sense.
Plausible ideas for origins and nature of Kwamis:
1) Kwamis are immortal spirits, whom humans accidentally summoned and bound with spells to Miraculous stones. They remember their existence before this. This version doesn't really explain their desire to serve people and love for humanity, however. It would be more logical for Kwamis to resent people for enslaving them. It doesn't explain how humans could create those spells and Miraculous stones either.
2) Kwamis are physical manifestations of abstract concepts who existed simply as fragments of matter for a very long time without sentience, until they were accidentally summoned through the Miraculous stones and bound by humans to serve them. Kwamis do not remember their existence before Miraculous. In this version Kwamis serve humans and love them because they have never known a different kind of existence. Unfortunately, it doesn't provide any explanation on the creation of Miraculous and spells.
3) Kwamis are gods, who created the universe with all its elements and concepts including humanity (similar to Valar and Maiar in Tolkien's Legendarium). They wanted to help their creations but discovered that their power was too wild and unpredictable for that. So, Kwamis decided to give up their free will and magical independence to help humanity. Together they created Miraculous stones for humans to use and sealed themselves inside. Kwamis as gods were abstract concepts, who didn't have a body. The act of sealing their power in the Miraculous gave them an opportunity to interact with outside world (an anchor) and each Kwami chose an small animal form (because humans easily formed bonds with animals, had animal companions (pets), small animals look non-threatening and familiar). Kwamis intentionally choose certain animal forms to suit the human symbolism. Humans later used magic that Kwamis discovered for them to place spells upon small gods (spells related to identity protection and so on). This version answers most questions, but if Kwamis are gods then powers they grant to people seem to be rather small.
Feel free to add more. I would be interested to hear your ideas.
Identity Protection
In "Origins" we learn that Wayzz can sense the aura of Butterfly Miraculous, a negative aura of activated Butterfly Miraculous, to be more precise. And yet, Tikki and Plagg are genuinely surprised to discover the identities of their holders in "Dark Owl". There are several things wrong with that.
Can Kwamis sense each other's presence? They shouldn't be able to do this to protect the identities of their holders. On the other hand, they are ancient spirits. So, their inability to sense each other seems weird. Unless it's the same situation as with the spell that does not allow them to speak the name of their holder aloud.
But if they can sense each other like Wayzz did, then it means that Plagg and Nooroo were living in the same house for over a year and nothing happened. I mean, Plagg could have just come upstairs, take off the brooch from Gabriel, while he is asleep and return it back to Fu.
This question lies right here, on the surface. And that's only one massive and very obvious plothole. How to fix it? Establish that Kwami can't sense each other for identity protection. In "Origins" Fu meditates on his balcony and Wayzz sees a charged Akuma flying by. That's how they discover that Butterfly is in Paris and the Miraculous is in the wrong hands. Perhaps, Gabriel akumatizes someone for the first time to survey the surroundings and general public is not aware of this. This works better in the narrative, giving Fu time to select holders for Ladybug and Black Cat. It also establishes whether Hawkmoth can remove the Akuma from someone without Ladybug and discharge it. Maybe it depends on the circumstances (sometimes he can, but if this person was akumatized many times or their emotions are too strong and their mind doesn't want to let Akuma go then Hawkmoth can't pull the butterfly out with his magic). This scenario allows for Volpina to happen on "Heroes' Day". Silly recurring Akumas like Gigantitan and Mr. Pigeon could still happen. In this case Gabriel didn't want to akumatize the guy more than 70 times on purpose. It just keeps happening against his better judgement because evil butterflies are automatically attracted to Mr. Ramier. This way repeated attacks of Mr. Pigeon annoy Hawkmoth just as much as they do the heroic duo of Paris (I did not sign up for this Nathalie!).
Let's come back to the spell mentioned earlier for a moment. Kwamis can't say the name of their current holder out loud, but apparently, they can exploit a loophole in the spell by confirming the identity of their holder in another way. The spell doesn't work with other holders. Kwami can say the names of other holders if they know their identity. That being said, can the holder order the Kwami to tell them the identities of other heroes if they know them?
Kwamis know how each Miraculous looks with or without camouflage. Can the holder order the Kwami to tell them how each Miraculous looks in disguise (I liked that Grimoire doesn't have pictures of camouflage for identity protection)? Guardians can recognise Miraculous in any mode (Su Han). Did Fu teach Marinette this? Does she know how each Miraculous looks like unactivated?
Oh! Since we are discussing camouflage, let's take a moment to appreciate the Mother Of All Plotholes. Plagg didn't recognise Peacock because of the plot.
Relationship with Holder
I absolutely loved the idea that Kwamis must obey their holder introduced in "Sandboy". This concept opens tons of plot opportunities. It's such a great idea that makes sense, has potential, can create conflict. Why, oh, why didn't writers develop it more?
Like, it was so good. It can be a great push for character development. This concept resolves so many existing inconsistencies within the plot. It's mind-blowing.
Why can't Nooroo simply leave Gabriel, so that he wouldn't be able to transform? Because Gabriel bound him with Miraculous to always stay near.
In "Sandboy" Tikki asks Marinette's permission before going to the meeting. Plagg lies to Adrien instead. This implies that usually Plagg's holders weren't kind to him or feared his power (Su Han's remark in "Furious Fu"). Perhaps, his holders were taught to keep the Kwami of destruction under constant control. So, Plagg in turn has learned not to ask, because if he doesn't ask permission then his holder can't deny him freedom with magic.
Can Kwami lie to their holder? Maybe they can't lie to their holder about their nature, origins and powers and other Miraculous (but Kwamis can't reveal the location of Miracle Box, Guardian's identity and can't confirm identities of other holders known to them in any way). Kwami would be forced to speak even if they don't want to. That's why Nooroo told Gabriel everything about the abilities of the Butterfly Miraculous and the wish secret of Ladybug and Black Cat.
But Kwamis can lie to their holder according to Plagg in "Sandboy". If Kwamis can lie about everything (including powers) then Nooroo didn't have any reason to be honest with Gabriel way back in "Origins".
Speaking of Gabriel and Nooroo. Can Kwamis harm their holder? Maybe doing so would harm the Kwami as well. Can they do it only when the holder is not wearing the Miraculous? Can Kwami take their Miraculous from their holder? Will they disappear if they try to do so? It seems like Kwami disappears only when the holder takes off the Miraculous with the intention of renouncing power, the words "I renounce you" are not necessary.
Other Kwamis can take the Miraculous from people if it's not their own (Wayzz in "Feast"). But what if it wasn't possible. Imagine what could happen if it's not possible to take the Miraculous by force from the transformed or untransformed hero. Just like Lady WiFi couldn't remove Ladybug's mask. A person has to willingly give up the Miraculous. Only in this case, it's possible to take it. For example, somewhere around the middle of season 3 Hawkmoth could have trapped Ladybug and Chat Noir and cut off any escape routes. His Akuma tries to take both Miraculous, but they don't budge. Then afterwards, every Akuma tries to manipulate the heroes using hostages, illusions or mind control. It's hard to say whether this version will be better than canon, but it's a fascinating theory.
You can use the idea of obedience to create more situations contrasting the relationship of Plagg and Adrien, Gabriel and Nooroo. I liked how canon created a storyline about Plagg learning to control his powers without a holder and Adrien helping him. However, why would you stop here? Give us some flashbacks about Plagg's previous holders, tell us what kind of people they were. Expand the lore and add some character development for Plagg and Adrien. The same thing goes for Marinette. What kind of battles did they have in the past? What kind of people past holders were? Did Ladybug and Black Cat heroes always get along well? Were they allies or enemies? Were they always lovers?
Give us more information about Butterfly and Peacock holders. Perhaps Nooroo has dreams about his past holders who were good people. Show us what kind of things a Butterfly holder with good intentions can do. Tell us more about Duusu and her past holders, sprinkle in a few bits of info about Emilie and Duusu's relationship, just a few vague hints to preserve the mystery. You have a lot of screentime each season and instead of doing filler episodes dedicated to love drama, you can use them for developing minor characters, relationships between them and lore.
#miraculous ladybug#ml#miraculous analysis#miraculous meta#ml meta#ml analysis#miraculous transformations#miraculous critical#miraculous ladybug critical#miraculoustalesofladybugandcatnoir#kwami#miraculous kwamis#miraculous holders
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This isn't a criticism of yours or any other writers work but I don't get reader inserts at all. Like " He runs his fingers through your long blonde hair " [looks in mirror and sees shaved head]... ya know? It's never as immersive of a story for me as writers think it is? Or am I just missing something here? Genuinely asking for your thoughts and again not trying to insult anyones preferences.
I think you make a lot of valid points, Anon, and there are certainly lots of folks out there who really don’t enjoy second person stories at all. It might surprise you to learn that I’m actually part of that group as a general rule, even though I have written a heck of a lot of them for this blog!
A lot of the issues with second person being jarring to read come from exactly what you’ve said; they’re too specific. It can also be because second person by its very nature is limiting for an author.
When writing a second person story, the author’s own experiences and (often unknown) biases are undoubtedly going to seep through, almost without exception. This happens through dialogue, plot, choice of setting, characters, and descriptions. It’s something I’m not sure you can ever really completely avoid as a writer, and I certainly don’t manage it in mine, even though I aim for neutrality and/or variety. If any one of those elements is ‘off’ then it can put a reader of a second person story right off because it’s fundamentally unrelatable.
Second person stories also require the reader’s imagination to be a little more active than third or first person ones do. Unless you commissioned that story from an author, specifically about you, with lots of extensive discussion about circumstances and details, then it’s not a story about you at all. It is a story which asks you to step into someone else’s shoes, and imagine that the action is taking place around you, to you, as one of the dramatis personae if you like, but not as yourself as you exist in the world, reading that story. You have to pretend; you have to take part actively in the storytelling. This is one of the reasons people enjoy it as a voice. They can be someone else for a while, but still experience the events of the story on a personal level.
For some people, that imaginative leap is an ask too far though, and they find themselves disconnected from the story, and do not want to engage with it. Their preferences lie in reading the stories of other people and living through it more as an observer than a participant. Both preferences are valid, and people may want to read stories in different voices depending on their mood at the time. None of them is ‘better’ than the other. They just require a different state of mind, I think.
Things I’ve learned from writing almost exclusively second person for this blog over the last few years include:
don’t talk about the reader’s hair colour, length or texture in any real detail
same for the colour, shape, and size of eyes, and details about the skin
if you want your 'reader’ to be embarrassed, avoid saying that their cheeks turned red or that they blushed. You could say flushed, I suppose, because that (to me anyway) implies temperature, rather than colour
talk about their height relative to the other characters’ stature but not in isolation - for me it’s easier I realise since I write about monsters who often have distinctive ‘categories’ when it comes to height and size. A minotaur or orc, for example, will pretty much always tower over most humans, even the really tall ones, while a faun, goblin, or other smaller being might well be shorter. It’s not a hard and fast rule that works all the time, but you can definitely be vaguer about heights if you want to be more inclusive with second person
be vague on background details like family. Not everyone is best friends with their mother, or has siblings, but sometimes it might be necessary to the plot to include references to family, so keep it pretty vague and the reader can gloss over those details if they don’t relate personally. I’m an only child, for instance, but I don’t object to a ‘reader’ with a sibling. I can just pretend, but for other people, that might break their immersion.
I hope that helps explain a bit about why some folks enjoy second person stories. Part of it depends on the way it’s written, and part of it depends on the reader themselves.
If you want to add anything to this, folks, feel free! It’s getting late in the day here and my brain is running out of thoughts!
#second person pov#writing advice#writing#writers on tumblr#writing stories#anon ask#writing second person#writing reader inserts#reader insert#reader inserts
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Obey Me: The Brothers Accidentally Trigger an Abused MC (Asmodeus) (5/7)
Disclaimer: I’m not an expert on abuse or mental health. I’m not portraying how one should respond to these situations, only how I think the characters might. Abuse and trauma in particular are very complex topics, and people respond in all sorts of ways to them, and sometimes it gets really bad on all sides.
I can only draw from my personal experiences as well as those of people who have shared their stories or who I’m close with. There’s no one narrative of abuse and how it affects someone, so what I’m familiar with might not be what you’re familiar with. Let’s try and all be respectful of each other.
Content Warnings: Heated arguments, reference to past abuse, parental abuse, trauma response, breaking down in tears, this is quintessential hurt/comfort y’all, buckle up, mentions of alcoholism and abuse of alcohol as well as child neglect
I know abuse is never an easy or light subject, but this also has the added issue of addiction and alcoholism, so I’d like to add a second disclaimer here: addicts are not inherently abusive. If you or someone you know struggles with an addiction to anything, that doesn’t make you a monster or a bad person. I want to make it as clear as possible the problem here is neglect, and MC’s personal triggers related to alcohol, not a grand statement about addiction.
Now then... HERE IT IS! The long awaited fifth entry in this very angsty series. I’d say, “Don’t worry, things will pick up from here!” but uh... I don’t know what to do for the twins, sooooo... I’m not gonna make any promises about timing, but it Is Coming.
Lucifer (X) Mammon (X), Leviathan (X), Satan (X), Asmodeus (you are here), Beelzebub (X), Belphegor (X)
The flashing lights. The sea of sweaty, stumbling bodies. Music that pounds in their ears and shakes their bones. The miasma of a thousand perfumes and colognes failing to cover up the smell of drunken debauchery and things MC doesn’t want to think about. For the first time during their stay in the Devildom, it really feels like Hell.
But this is where Asmodeus thrives. MC sees him on the dance floor now, a gaggle of admirers all but clawing at each other to get closer to him. His cheeks are flushed, from exertion or alcohol no one can say, all sinuous movements and fluttering eyelashes. A demon- a concubus maybe? - is stroking along his upper pair of wings and saying something that makes him grin lavisciously in response. He looks at home here. In his element. Happy.
No sudden drops in energy followed by artificial cheerfulness to disguise the slip-up. No befuddled stares when he thinks they’re not looking. No boring plans with MC to worry about cancelling again.
They should be used to this. They’ve always been a bother to everyone around them, not even their own parents wanted to spend any more time with them than absolutely necessary. More nights than not, they’d carry home the stench of the bar back with them, and MC knew they’d be paying their bus fare with the change from recycled bottles once again.
Ugh, why did they let him talk them into this? They’re so stupid, this is how it goes every single time, they can’t go anywhere fun, all because of that smell-
Someone calls their name, enthusiastic but slurred. MC turns around on their barstool and comes face to face with Asmodeus, in all his lipstick-smeared glory.
“MC!” he repeats, drawing out the syllables in their name. “What are you doing all the way over here? Come dance with me, silly!”
He paws at where he thinks their shoulder is, missing and settling for the front of their shirt instead. He tugs them off their seat and they stumble into his arms. His hands wander and the lights are flashing and he smells like perfume and cologne and that damn smell of alcohol-
MC shoves the Avatar of Lust as far away as they can, yelling, “Get OFF of me!”
On any other day, Asmo would have a) not been phased by the panicked shove of a mere human, and b) recognized the distant look in MC’s eyes as they glared through him. But tonight his blood is more Demonus than anything else so he goes flying back into the crowd. They absorb and push him back onto his feet as one, the membrane of a world he can no longer return to.
All he can think is he came here with MC, because of MC, because they make him feel something exhilarating and terrifying all at once and he’s scared. (Scared he’s too much, scared he’ll push them off, scared he’ll hurt them, scared they’ll hurt him, he wants them close, so close too close please don’t leave-)
He just wants to have a good time, he thinks. That’s all it is. That’s all they are. Except now they’re looking at him like that and he wants to help, wants to forget, too close too close too-
“Fine,” he spits, adjusting the roses on his top as he struggles to remain standing. “I can have more fun without you anyway. Go back to the House of Lamentation if you’re gonna be such a stick in the mud.”
He wishes they’d curse at him. Keep yelling, shove him again. Tell him to fuck off and never speak to them again.
Instead their eyes well up with tears and they run past him into the crowd until they reach the exit of The Fall.
###
MC: Is anyone awake?
Mammon: I am now! Why’re ya texting at 3AM?! Some of us are trying to sleep!
Satan: You’d have an easier time sleeping if you didn’t leave your ringer on whenever MC is outside the House.
Mammon: >:O
Mammon: I DO NOT!!!
Leviathan: what are you normies doing spamming the groupchat
Leviathan: im trying to watch My Demon Boyfriend Can’t Articulate His Emotions Properly So He Compensates By Acting Like A Total Jerk But I Still Love Him?
Leviathan: but i keep getting interrupted by these notifs!!!!
MC: I’m outside The Fall.
Mammon: ALONE?!
Satan: No, Asmo has to be with them.
Leviathan: lol mammon’s simping so hard rn
MC: He’s not...
Mammon: HE LEFT YA A L O N W ?!
Mammon: IM CMOIGNCONEESC
Satan: ...I will go with.
Satan: Expect us there soon MC. Stay safe.
Leviathan: text me when you find them!
Leviathan: Guys?
Leviathan: …
Leviathan: stupid normies…
###
It’s Mammon who stays with MC. Satan quickly checks in with them, making sure they aren’t physically hurt, but seeing their bloodshot eyes and shaking hands spikes his already flaring temper. He apologises and promises he will return shortly, before storming into The Fall, magical flames licking at his silhouette.
MC is curled up on the steps to the club, hugging their knees. Without a word, Mammon takes off his jacket and drapes it over their shoulders. They start at the feel of the soft leather and look up at him in confusion.
“Why are you doing this?” they ask.
Mammon blinks at them owlishly. He gestures to their current position, opening and closing his mouth as he tries to figure out how to start his sentence, before saying, “You- I- He just- You said you were out here alone! A-and then we come find you, and you’re crying in the cold! What’d ya think we were gonna do, drag you home and dump you in your room?” He blushes fiercely as he scoffs.
MC doesn’t meet his eyes as they mumble, “Kinda… S’what everyone else does…”
If it weren’t for the muffled sounds of fireballs and curses being thrown around in the club, Mammon would say he temporarily became the Avatar of Wrath right then.
“Well then those people are a bunch of scumbags!” He taps MC’s chin so they look into his eyes. “You don’t deserve that, MC. I don’t know what my stupid brother said to you or did to you that made you this upset, but I’ll be…” He pauses. “...even more damned than usual if I let you think you deserve whatever he did.”
MC sniffles as their eyes well up again, this time for a different reason. Mammon’s ears burn. He blinks back what are most certainly not tears, and holds out a hand to MC-
Just as the doors to The Fall open and two familiar faces are thrown out by a very large and very annoyed looking demon.
Satan wastes no time. “Apologize. Now,” he demands from the floor, tail thrashing as he rights himself.
Asmodeus, charred, bloodied, and disheveled as he is, can barely get his hands under him, let alone upright. He glares up at the Avatar of Wrath, something vicious and ugly dancing in his eyes. He spits at his brother, blood staining his lips red. Satan lunges at him, claws extended, but Mammon is faster.
He separates the younger demons with ease and stands between them, arms outstretched. “Enough! I don’t care what you do later, but right now we’re taking MC home!” His tone leaves no room for debate.
The walk to the House of Lamentation is silent.
MC wakes up to the pinging of their D.D.D.
###
Asmodeus: please come to my room
Asmodeus: i would go2u
Asmodeus: but I think if i get up now i wilk not make it to ur room
Asmodeus: evertyhign is so bright
Asmodeus: imcsorry
###
He’s typing more, but MC decides they’ve seen enough.
They pad over to Asmo’s room, still in pajamas and comfortable slippers. They don’t even have to flick the lights on to know something is wrong. His normally pristine bedroom is a mess. Clothes and bedsheets are strewn about as though a miniature tornado blew through his closets, and in the middle of it all sits Asmo himself, cocooned in a blanket, identifiable only by a shock of peachy curls.
MC calls his name and he springs to life, jumping up to greet them before unceremoniously falling off his bed in a tangle of fabric. They almost smile at the sight, but remember why they came here and stay in the doorframe.
“You actually came,” Asmo says in a scratchy whisper. He looks up at them and MC sees last night’s partially removed makeup smeared all over his face. His bloodshot eyes water.
“You look awful,” they reply and curse themself internally. What a way to start fixing things, MC.
To their surprise Asmo laughs, an uncharacteristically cynical edge to it. They giggle too, and it’s not long before the pair are both howling on the floor. The tension almost dissipates, until Asmo’s voice hitches and suddenly he’s crying again.
“It’s only fair, right?” he says, voice wavering. “I-It should m-match the inside, no?”
“Asmo…”
“Don’t!” he cries, shushing MC with a finger. “There is no excuse for what I said last night!”
“You were very drunk…”
“I shouldn’t have been!” He processes what he just said. “I shouldn’t have- I was supposed to watch over you! You were all alone in there and I just-”
“I shouldn’t need a babysitter. It’s not your fault I’m such-”
MC doesn’t get to finish their sentence on account of a bruising hug from a still-blanketed Asmodeus.
“Shut up,” he says, and it’s their turn to start blubbering as he continues, “I don’t know who made you start thinking like that, but you are not a bother, or a burden, o-or boring, or anything like that!” He loosens his grip on them so he’s just holding their arms. “MC, what I said yesterday was completely untrue and totally uncalled for. I… I can’t take it back, but I’ll do anything in my power to make it up to you, I promise.”
MC doesn’t meet his eyes for a long moment.
“Tell me what’s been bothering you,” they ask.
“Huh?”
“Don’t pretend with me anymore, Asmo. Something’s been bothering you the past couple of weeks. Tell me what it is, and I’ll see if I can forgive you.”
“...Only if you tell me what got you so upset before… you know…”
“...Deal.”
They leave him on read and refuse to speak to him. At first he’s pleading, apologetic, chasing them down at RAD or in the halls of the House of Lamentation when his brothers aren’t around. They finally give in on a deceptively warm afternoon in the courtyard outside RAD.
“What do you want?” MC snaps, half turned away from the demon in question even as they stop speed walking.
“Please, can we ta-”
“I think you’ve said enough, no?” They rattle off a list on their fingers, “I’m boring, I’m whiny, a prude, a stick in the mud, I need to get over myself… Do I need to keep going or have I gotten through that thick skull of yours?”
Asmo says nothing.
“I’ve done this before, Asmodeus. I get it. I’m easy to take advantage of. That’s why you put up with me for so long, right?”
“That’s not-”
“Save it. I saw the looks on your face when we were together. You were humoring me. Honestly, if it wasn’t for that night at The Fall, I probably would have let you do it even longer.” They take a deep breath. “But- I can’t… I’m not your priority. That’s fine. But I made a promise to not let this happen again. So… Stop chasing me down. I’m not interested.”
It takes him over a week to accept that MC isn’t budging, and another to convince himself that they’re just being stubborn.
Who wouldn’t want to spend time with him? He’s the darling of the Devildom, the Avatar of Lust, the jewel of Heaven - or at least, he was- he’s irresistible! So one human threw a fit out of nowhere at The Fall, whatever.
They’re not worth his time.
That’s why he’s out clubbing so much now. It’s a better use of his time.
A less painful use of his time.
If he can’t remember the nights they’re not with him, do they even count?
#obey me#obey me asmodeus#obey me! asmodeus#obey me shall we date#obey me: shall we date#mine#my writing#asmodeus
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How Aaron Dessner and Taylor Swift Stripped Down Her Sound on ‘Folklore’
By: Jon Blistein for Rolling Stone
Date: July 24th 2020
At the beginning of March, the National’s Aaron Dessner traveled back to the United States from Paris, where he’d been living with his family, to shack up at Sonic Ranch Studio in Tornillo, Texas to work on the next Big Red Machine album with Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon. Those plans - obviously - soon shifted, as the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic set in. Dessner and his family were able to relocate to their home in upstate New York as lockdown orders went into effect, and the musician soon settled into a groove of homeschooling his kids and able to focus fully on music in a way he hadn’t in a while, due to the National’s regularly rigorous touring schedule.
In the middle of what Dessner describes as one of the most productive moments of his career, Taylor Swift called. A longtime and avowed fan of the National, Swift asked if Dessner wanted to try collaborating on a few songs remotely. He said of course, and asked if she was looking for anything in particular. He noted that he had plenty of material at the ready, but acknowledged he’d been in a more experimental mood, due to the Big Red Machine sessions; not to mention, Dessner added, he’d never really ventured into the pop world Swift has dominated for well over a decade. She told him to send everything he had.
“I think she was interested in the emotions that she feels in some of the music that I’ve made,” Dessner tells Rolling Stone.” So I just sent her a folder of things I’d done recently and was excited about. Hours after, she sent back a fully written version of ‘Cardigan.’ It was like a lightning bolt struck the house.”
Over the next few months, Dessner and Swift crafted the bulk of Swift’s eighth studio album, Folklore. Dessner spoke with Rolling Stone about working with Swift, their instant chemistry, how the album developed under a thick cloud of secrecy and more.
When Taylor first reached out, did she have a specific vision in mind for the album?
She was a bit cryptic. I didn’t know that we were actually working on a record for quite a while. It just seemed that she was seeking me out to collaborate. And then we were both feeling very inspired by it. Once there were six or seven songs that we had written over a couple of weeks, she said, “Hey can we talk?” Then she said, ‘This is what I’m imagining,’ and started to tell me about the concept of Folklore. Then she mentioned that she’d written some songs at an earlier stage with Jack [Antonoff], and they felt like they really fit together with what we were doing. It was a very inspiring, exhilarating collaborative process that was almost entirely remote. Very sort of warp speed, but also something about it felt like we were going toe-to-toe and in a good pocket.
After “Cardigan,” how did these songs develop and do you think she pushed you in any new directions as a songwriter?
When you’re working with someone new, it takes a second to understand their instincts and range. It’s not really conscious. She wrote “Cardigan,” and then “Seven,” then “Peace.” They kind of set a road map, because “Cardigan” was this kind of experimental ballad, the closest thing to a pop song on the record, but it’s not really. It’s this emotional thing, but it has some strange sounds in it. “Seven” is this kind of nostalgic, emotional folk song. Even before she sang to it, I felt this nostalgia, wistful feeling in it, and I think that’s what she gravitated towards. And “Peace,” that just showed me the incredible versatility that she had. That song is just three harmonized bass lines and a pulse. I love to play bass like that - play one line then harmonize another, and another, which is a behavior I stole from Justin Vernon, because he’s done that on other things we’ve done together. And actually, that’s his pulse, he sent me that pulse and said, “Do something with this.” But when she wrote that song, which kind of reminds me of a Joni Mitchell song over a harmonized bassline and a pulse, that was kind of like, “Woah, anything can happen here.” That’s not easy to do.
So, in the morning I would wake up and try to be productive. “Mad Woman” is one I wrote shortly after that, in terms of sound world, felt very related to “Cardigan” and “Seven.” I do have a way of playing piano where it’s very melodic and emotional, but then often it’s great if whoever’s singing doesn’t sing exactly what’s in the piano melody, but maybe it’s connected in some way. There was just some chemistry happening with her and how she was relating to those ideas.
“Epiphany” was something she had an idea for, and then I imagined these glacial, Icelandic sounds with distended chords and this almost classical feeling. That was another one where we wrote it and conceived it together. She just has a very instinctive and sharp musical mind, and she was able to compose so closely to what I was presenting. What I was doing was clicking for her. It was exhilarating for us, and it was surreal - we were shocked by it, to be honest [Laughs]. I think the warmth, humanity and raw energy of her vocals, and her writing on this record, from the very first voice memos - it was all there.
Do you think that chemistry might’ve had something to do with her being a National fan, and you being a fan of her music?
We met Taylor at Saturday Night Live in 2014, or whenever that was that we played and Lena Dunham was hosting. We got to meet her, and that was our first brush with a bona fide pop star. But then she came to see us play in Brooklyn last summer and was there in a crazy rainstorm, like torrential downpour, and watched the whole show and stayed for a long time afterwards, talking to me and my brother. She was incredibly charming and humble. That’s the nice thing about her, and a lot of people I’ve met that have that kind of celebrity. It’s great when you can just tune it out and be normal people and chat, and that’s how that felt. So, we knew that she was a big fan, and we really got into the 1989 album. Our Icelandic collaborator, Ragnar Kjartansson, is a crazy Swiftie. So we’ve kind of lived vicariously through him. I’ve always been astonished by how masterful she is in her craft. I’ve always listened to her albums and put them in this rarefied category, like, “How did she do that? How does anybody do that? How do you make ‘Blank Space?’” There was an element that was intimidating at first, where it just took me a second to be like… Not because I think her music is better than what we’ve done, but it’s just a different world.
Were there particular songs, albums or artists the two of you discussed as reference points for this album?
“Betty,” which is a song she wrote with William Bowery, she was interested in sort of early Bob Dylan, like Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, I think. “Epiphany,” early on, felt like some weird Kate Bush-meets-Peter Gabriel thing. I think we talked a little about those things, but not a lot. Actually, I think she really trusted me as far as my instincts to where the music would ultimately go, and also the mixing process. We really wanted to keep her voice as human, and kind of the opposite of plastic, as possible. That was a bit of a battle. Because everything in pop music tends to be very carved out, a smiley face, and as pushed as possible so that it translates to the radio or wherever you hear it. That can also happen with a National song - like if you changed how these things are mixed, they wouldn’t feel like the same song. And she was really trusting and heard it herself. She would make those calls herself, also.
You mentioned William Bowery - who is he?
He’s a songwriter, and actually because of social distancing, I’ve never met him. He actually wrote the original idea for “Exile,” and then Taylor took it and ran with it. I don’t actually know to be totally honest.
We’ve been trying to track him down, he doesn’t have much of an internet presence.
Yeah, I don’t fully know him, other than he wrote “Betty” and “Exile” with her. But you know she’s a very collaborative person, so it was probably some songwriter.
So it’s not an alias for anyone?
No, no, no. I mean, I don’t know - she didn’t tell me there was a “Cardigan” video until literally it came out, and I wrote the song with her [laughs]. So I don’t know. But I’m pretty sure he’s an actual songwriter. She enjoys little mysteries.
With the National, you and your brother write the music, Matt Berninger adds the lyrics, and then you fuse it - was it a similar process on Folklore?
Taylor is very collaborative in that sense that, whenever she sent a voice memo, she would send all the lyrics and then ask me what I thought. And sometimes we would debate certain lines, although generally she’s obviously a strong writer. So she would ask me if I liked one line, and she would give me alternate lines and I would give her my opinion. And then when she was actually tracking vocals, I would sometimes suggest things or miss things, but she definitely has a lot of respect for the collaborative process and wants whoever she’s writing with to feel deeply included in that process. It was nice, and was a back and forth, for sure. And she would sometimes have ideas about the production if she didn’t like something, especially. She would, in a tactful way, bring that up. I appreciated that, too, since I wanted to try to turn over every leaf, take risks and sometimes get it wrong. That always takes a second, to get over and then you start again.
You mentioned earlier that once you had six, seven songs, she was able to describe a concept behind the album. I’m curious what that conversation was like.
She would always explain what each song was about to me, even before she articulated the Folklore concept. And I could tell early on that they were these narrative songs, often told from a different… not in the first person. So there are different characters in the songs that appear in others. You may have a character in “Betty” that’s also related to one in “Cardigan,” for example. And I think that was, in her mind, very, very important. It doesn’t seem like, for this record at least, that she was inspired to write something until she really knew what it was about. And I think I’m used to a more - at least lately - impressionistic and experimental world of making stuff without really knowing what it is. But this was more direct, in that sense. That was really helpful, to know what it was about and it would guide some of the choices we were making.
Every time she would send something, she would narrate a little bit, like how it fit, or what it was about. And then when she told me about Folklore as a concept, it made so much sense. Like “The Last Great American Dynasty,” for example, this kind of narrative song that then becomes personal at the end - it flips and she enters the song. These are kind of these folkloric, almost mythical tales that are woven in of childhood, lost love, and different sentiments across the record. It was binding it all together and I think it’s personal, but also through the guise of other people, friends and loved ones.
You were working in secret - how did that affect the process? Was that a difficult burden?
It was. I was humbled and honored and grateful for the opportunity and for the crazy sort of alchemy we were having. But it was hard not to be able to talk openly with my usual collaborators, even my brother at first. I didn’t know if I could really tell him, because we normally… Ultimately, he helped me quite a bit, he orchestrated songs. But we always help each other. But eventually, we figured out how to do it. Towards the end of the process, I said to Taylor, ‘I really feel that I need to try a few experiment and try to elevate a few moments on the record because we have time, and we’ve really done a ton of work here, and it all sounds great, but I think we can go even further.’ And then she said, ‘Well what does that mean?’ And I explained how that would work, and the way that we work. Our process is very community-oriented, and we have long-time collaborators that we have a good understanding with. So I was able to say, to my friends, ‘This is a song I’m working on, I can’t send it to you with the vocals, and I can’t tell you what it is, but I can explain what I’m imagining.’ And the same with my brother, he knows my music so well that that was very easy for him to just take things that we were working on, add to that, and do his kind of work. So it was all remote and everyone was in their corner and we were shipping things around. It was incredibly fast because of that, because you didn’t have eight people needing to come to the studio. You had eight people working simultaneously - one in France and one in L.A. and one in Brooklyn. This is how it went, and it was fun. We got there.
When were you able to tell everyone who contributed that this was the Taylor Swift record, what was their reaction?
You can imagine. I think they realized it was something big because [of] the confidentiality, and they were like, ‘It could only be a few things.’ I couldn’t tell them until, basically, when she announced it. Just in the moments after she announced it, I basically told everyone. I was like, ‘By the way…’ And they were thrilled. Everyone’s thrilled. Nobody seemed mad, everyone was thrilled and honored. Even Justin Vernon had not heard anything else except “Exile,” even though the pulse of that song “Peace,” he gave that song to me. It was important to have it be a surprise, and you know how it can be with someone in her position, with all the speculation, and she’s always under a lot of pressure like that. So it was really important to the creative freedom she was feeling that this remained a secret, so she could just do what we were doing.
Being such longtime friends and collaborators with Justin, what was it like hearing “Exile” for the first time? His voice and Taylor’s together?
He’s so versatile and has such a crazy range, and puts so much emotion… Every time he sings when I’m in his presence, my head just kind of hits the back of the wall. That’s the same on this song. William Bowery and Taylor wrote that song together, got it to a certain point, then I sort of interpreted it and developed a recording of it, and then Taylor tracked both the male and female parts. And then we sent it to Justin and he re-did obviously the male parts and changed a few things and also added his own: He wrote the “step right out” part of the bridge, and Taylor re-sang to that. You feel like, in a weird way, you’re watching two of the greatest songwriters and vocalists of our generation collaborating. I was facilitating it and making it happen, and playing all the music. But it was definitely a “Wow.” I was just a fan at that point, seeing it happen.
Are there any moments that really stick out to you as particularly pivotal in shaping the sound of this record?
The initial response. When we first connected, and I sent a folder of music and Taylor wrote “Cardigan,” and she said, “This is abnormal. Why do you have all these songs that are so emotional and so moving to me? This feels fated.” And then she just dove into it and embraced this emotional current. And I hope that’s what people take out of it: The humanity in her writing and melodies. It’s a different side to her. She could have been every bit as successful just making these kinds of songs, but it’s so great that she’s also made everything that she’s ever made, and this is a really interesting shift, and an emotional one. It also opens other doors, because now it’s kind of like she can go wherever she wants, creatively. The pressure to make a certain kind of… bop - or whatever you want to call it - is not there really anymore. And I think that’s really liberating, and I hope her fans and the world are excited by that because I am. It’s really special.
#Aaron Dessner#interview#about taylor#taylor swift#Rolling Stone magazine#folklore album#folklore era#songwriter#coronavirus#release week
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