#<- says a tumblr user in 2023... no one is surprised

[otrtbs]

my love language is gift giving,,,or idk buying things. like i would rather die b4 i try 2 express how i feel about u but i will give u my last dollar. u don't even have to ask. u like that coat? i'll buy it for you. you want this thing? here. have it. it's yours and i love youuuu <3

[shiny-jr]

VERY IMPORTANT!

THE INTERACTION.

This announcement pertains to the recent plagiarism incident that I've been dealing with behind the scenes. This announcement will contain the explanation in the form of a timeline, along with evidence (as much as I can provide given that Tumblr has an image limit) of the plagiarism and interactions, as well as what you can do to help. This post will be the interaction post, and you can find the other post of the evidence here:

Evidence post.

If you choose to help, thank you, and please make sure you read the entirety of the two posts for all the information and as I'd like to set some boundaries.

Before I explain the timeline, I would like to make it clear that it was my full intention to solve this privately and quickly. It was what I wanted since the beginning, but that has been made harder and harder, and now it is practically impossible. I did not want to go public, but I was compelled to do so.

Here is the rough timeline to understand the situation.

DECEMBER EIGHTH. I receive a message in my inbox notifying me that my work has been plagiarized. I check it out promptly, despite being busy. Sure enough, I find a story on Quotev that has multiple scenes that are far too similar to mine, with some words even being the same, but of course slightly adjusted probably to go under the radar. What I found even more preposterous, is the user followed me and still had this story posted.

I took some time to skim through the story, comparing scenes with mine. I have different tabs open, looking at each line and recognizing some lines and scenarios. After a bit of comparison, I came to the conclusion that it was indeed plagiarism. This was entirely new territory for me, as I don't remember if I had ever dealt with something like this before. Which is why I took this issue to a small server of writer mutuals where I received advice and feedback.

My main objective was to end the situation as quickly as possible, without any major drama or harsh words. There were no direct messages available on Quotev, so I had to resort to the comment section. I leave a comment on the copied story, detailing an explanation with dates provided and one of many examples being used to further my point. At the end of the comment, I ask them to delete the story.

Unfortunately, I did not think to take a screenshot of the comment I made, but I do have a copy of it from when I was typing it out in my notes. My comment on the copied story went something like this:

"Hello. I really did want did to be a private conversation, but due to the fact that Quotev has disabled private messages, this is the only way my message could get across. My username, as you can see right above this comment, is ShinyJr. My story is Damnation, a Twisted Wonderland yandere series that bears a striking resemblance to yours. I would say it's a coincidence, but I really don't think it is based of the fact alone that you published this series in June of 2023 while I first published scenes of my story in December of 2022 from Tumblr then officially posted it on Quotev in January of 2023. It's an ongoing series of mine, which makes it more disheartening when I find a story such as this one that have blatantly copied both the premise and a vast majority of the scenes. Not only this, but I also noticed several instances of potentially copied scenes from a mutual of mine and their own story, who I won't name as I don't speak for them. This just further proves that you deliberately copied others. If you need more proof of this, I will gladly provide it, as I gathered plenty of side by side comparisons. Just in case though, here are some comparisons I found: 1. MC is trying to think of how to manipulate the story. Up to this point, there are a lot of uncanny similarities, such as the MC waking up as the chieftain of the hyenas, Ruggie being the first one to greet them, climbing a cliffside and being surprising by Leona, the prince of the kingdom. But there's one line in the thought process which particularly caught my eye. My version: The plot was moving forward. Leona needed the hyenas, he couldn’t complete the coup all on his own. So either way, with or without your approval, he would win the majority of the hyena-folk by his false good-will. You could reveal to Ruggie and the others that you weren’t who they thought you were, but that didn’t work before. Even if it did work this time, what then? Would they turn on you? Would they accept you but lower your standing in the ranks? Or would you be banished, die stranded in a hot desert where the vultures would peck at your remains? . . . Your version: The plot was moving forward. Leona needed the hyenas, he couldn’t complete the coup all on his own. So either way, with or without your approval, he would win the majority of the hyena-folk by his false good-will. You could reveal to Ruggie and the others that you weren’t who they thought you were, but that didn’t work before. Even if it did work this time, what then? Would they turn on you? Would they accept you but lower your standing in the ranks? Or would you be banished, die stranded in a hot desert where the vultures would peck at your remains? This is just one example of the many I found. I ask that you please take down the story. Next time, if and when you decide to continue writing, do not copy. It's not a big request, it's just basic decency."

A few hours pass when I get word from a mutual that my comment was gone, and eventually, the user had disabled the entire comment section, leaving no evidence of my message and no way to speak to them. Meaning my comment was never responded to, and the user was trying to avoid responsibility.

With no other choice left, I report the story for plagiarism.

A few hours later, the story is gone completely but the account remained. I do not know if this happened by choice of the user as in they deleted it willingly or the report worked, but the story was gone. This was completely fine with me. I was content, as I thought that it was the end of things. Oh, I was so wrong.

DECEMBER NINTH. A mutual informs me that they found the same exact story under a new profile. Same cover, same notes, same everything. Looking into things, I discover that the user created an entirely new account just to avoid being caught, and put the story back up. Not only that, but they added notes on their account and the story that were clearly meant to be jabs at me. So you can probably understand the stress this was creating.

Here is the note that was found on the second version of the copied story. The username of the other writer is blacked out because I have not spoken to them and I do not want to involve them in drama they may want no part of.

Additionally, here is the second profile the user made just to post the story again. Take note of the words on their profile and how long the account was active, as well as how long ago the story had been posted.

This time, again, I had little choice but to report both the story and the new account. I did not want to comment on anything again in case I would be reported for harassment, so this was the safest option.

At this point, I considering going public with the information, but I really want to avoid this as it just makes the issue that much bigger and problematic. So, ultimately I push the idea aside.

A few hours later, the original account, the secondary account, and the copied story are again, gone. Gone entirely. Again, whether the reports worked or the user decided to call it quits, I have not a single clue. But surely, that must be the end of it, right? You would think so.

That same day, I was informed that this same copied story was on another site. Wattpad. I investigate, and sure enough, there it is. The same user, same story. This version had been up for a while and seemed relatively low activity.

This version is still up. Now, before anyone does anything, I ask you to please finish reading for all the details.

After discovering the profile, I decide to comment directly on the user's profile. This is one I do have screenshots to. My comment was very similar to the one I left on Quotev, but with some changes.

My comment:

Their reply:

My response:

Their answer:

Notice how there is no reply after that? That is because they blocked me before I could say anything else. They also chose to go to my profile on Wattpad and comment on a post I made two years ago. This comment was likely made sometime around the time they blocked me.

This is currently where things stand. Despite the report I have attempted to make, I am unable to do anything more because of the rules of Wattpad.

This is the part where I would ask you, my followers and readers, for help. If you have fully read both this evidence post and interaction post, and you are wondering if there is a way to help, yes, there is.

However, I want to remind everyone that I do not want anyone to spam or send outright hate. That is not what I want nor will it be useful.

If you would like to help, then please report the story and comment discouragement. Especially comment on the story, as I feel that this would be the most efficient method. If you wish to reblog, you may. Again, I stress this, DO NOT send any hate or spam! I am entirely serious on this point. I will block any users I find that are clearly hating or spamming the user on my behalf.

All I want is this to end as quickly as possible, so I can just get back to writing in peace. Please, and thank you for your time.

Where can you find the story and user: Wattpad

The user: kristynaka1

The story: In The Right Time

[chryblsm24]

Jikook Introduction to New Army

Hello to whoever reads my post. Still new user to Tumblr and figuring things out. This turned out to be a longer post than I anticipated. 

I am new Army (late 2023) and still learning about BTS music and them. I joined Tumblr after watching AYS and wanted to join a community to learn more about Jikook. :) 

Just wanted to share my BTS and interconnected Jikook introduction to give an insight on how people are fed algorithms after being interested in BTS. My first BTS videos on my Instagram (which I joined to follow my son's sports teams!!) were of RM live where Jimin sweetly interrupts him, clips of Hobi's JITB party, Taekook dancing together, Jikook giggling away. I thought JK and Tae looked so cute dancing, Hobi and NJ looked so handsome, Yoongi was so pretty and Jin looked like a model. But once I saw Jimin in a BTS live performance (I think it was Idol), he was my favorite. His voice sounds like crystal bells to me: don't know how else to put it. And the more I found out about him: his dancing, his personality, his jokes, his silliness, his kindness, his attitude he was my bias. My favorite songs of his are Letter, Lie, and Serendipity.

I am older so I do view him more as a cute and super-talented marshmallow rather than an idol to look up to. :) I like all the BTS members and their music which surprised me since their solo work was so different. I enjoyed their albums and songs very much. My first song to binge listen to was "The Astronaut". Love Jin's voice. Everyone’s voice really, and Jimin’s feels ethereal. 

Anyways, my point is as soon as I saw a few clips of BTS clips on IG, I started getting tkk content. A deluge of it! No Jikook content mind you. I was a Taekook believer really (I didn’t know idol shipping was a thing) but with a strong Jimin bias. Ha! I saw the same few clips over and over in my feed. I was happy for Tae and JK and utterly believed the edited tkk clips because why would anyone lie about real people! :) I did eventually see early BTS content and my heart broke for Jimin seeing how much he liked JK and was rejected (or so I thought). He was so young, clumsy, loud, cute but above all earnest and sensitive. Oof, some of the clips are hard to watch. 

What I am trying to say is that somehow tkker reals target new BTS almost immediately, as soon as you show interest in the group. For someone who doesn’t delve any deeper, this becomes the reality and why not: V and JK are friends and interact plenty with each other! Cut and paste works wonders and not everyone will have the time and patience to watch original videos.

I was few months into the BTS fandom and then we had news of the youngest four’s enlistment, Jikook going as companions. That sparked my curiosity about Jikook and after reading some of the comments on some early BTS videos where people were mentioning RB and GCFTokyo, I watched some of original content (slowly). One comment from a tkk account said “The fact that Jimin and JK enlisted together proves that they are not together.” That was so ridiculous and made me do a double take. Because why would you say that? Why so defensive? Why are Jimin and JK going to the military together? Why isn’t JK doing a buddy program with his boyfriend Tae? Could it be that Jikook are closer than the tkk acknowledge?

Watching original content and some Jikook compilations, I was primarily ecstatic for Jimin. Jungkook, the young and shy boy appreciates and loves Jimin. I still have doubts about the true nature of their relationship, because we don’t know them personally. AYS, GCFT and GCFSaipan all seem to indicate something so strong that it's clear whatever the nature of their relationship, they love, value and trust each other the most out of all the members. Having Tae on AYS actually proved to me that there is nothing romantic between JK and him. Tae seems more attached to Jimin than JK. Anyways, these are just my opinions. Nothing more!

I have liked and loved reading all of the Jikook and BTS posts. Thank you! Hope the boys all come back safe and are welcomed back with love (esp. Yoongi) with a more mature fan base. Some of the toxicity in the fandom puts me off but I just don’t engage in those spaces. Kudos to the warriors who fight for decency and common sense!

[empressofthewind]

Hey there, Meronia fan! Do you mind if I ask for Meronia fics recs? And, do you have any fav ships (from any fandom) that the dynamics remind you of Mello/Near?

You can't imagine, how excited I am to find your blog. Let's just say in my older anime/manga group who love Death Note mostly ship Lawlight & Matt/Mello, anti Meronia and are Near haters. So when I said I love Meronia, some blocked me and said I was the weird one. So, I never said it again. But now, after I got out from that group I feel better. Then finding your blog with amazing Mello and Near's metas, I'm so happy! Thanks for your blog...

Thank you very much!!! I'm so happy to hear this :-) in my experience most people on Tumblr are pretty normal about Meronia, and it's SO easy to block/filter users who aren't.

Unfortunately re: ships with similar dynamics, I can't think of any off the top of my head, but I'll put this post in the ship tag; I'm sure someone else will have an answer!! In terms of fic recs, I've actually set up my bookmarks page on AO3 to function like a rec list. I have 36 fics there each with a little blurb and I'm constantly updating it, so hopefully a decent amount that you haven't read! I'll pick 10 of them to link here for easy access (ordered by rating in case you can't/don't want to read the mature ones):

the roof by @lightningblade | 3692 words | Rated T

This is a college AU focused on the development of Mello and Near's relationship through a series of encounters on a rooftop. The writing is GORGEOUS, the progression is masterfully done, and it removes the element of the rivalry without removing the core of what makes Meronia such a great ship! There's also a companion piece up as of yesterday which I'm still recovering from (very very positive).

Dear Mello by @tzviaariella | 4158 words | Rated T

This fic is written during the canon timeline through a series of emails. It's an AU where Mello survives, originally written for the 2023 Meronia Zine but also posted on AO3 (which is what I've linked here). The format is really creative and I'm OBSESSED with the way Mello and Near's dynamic is written. The petty back-and-forth is very entertaining and in-character, and there's a certain familiarity and fondness underlying it that I adore. There are also a few artworks throughout which is a nice treat!!

How to Get Any Guy to Fall in Love with You by Sick_head_Sweet_heart | 7025 words | Rated T

This one has such a late-2000s fandom classic feel to it that I'm surprised it's only a few years old??? It's set at Wammy's House, in which Matt gives Near advice on how to make Mello fall in love with him. The dynamic is insanely cute and I'm obsessed with the way Matt and Near's friendship is characterised here. Them scheming together is something I need more of in fics!!

The Mihael Factor by spiritcrimson | 16 chapters | Rated T

One of the longest completed works I've ever read for Meronia and I have been DYING to find something like this ever since. It's a talent agent x singer AU, and it's literally everything I could have asked for in a longfic. A unique idea, compelling progression and a fun antagonistic dynamic that blossoms into a really sweet romance. It's a slowburn but it doesn't drag on at all, and the ending is SO well worth the wait.

3 + 1 by @squidish | 2423 words | Rated T

x + 1 fics are a favourite trope of mine, as is the general concept of Mello and Near behaving inappropriately in the workplace, and this one combines both of those perfectly. The premise is 3 times Mello and Near got walked in on by one of the SPK members, and 1 time they were caught by the whole group. The writing is SO delightful and there are several lines in this that are permanently lodged in my brain. I find humour in writing immensely difficult to pull off so I'm always in awe of authors who can integrate it naturally, and squidish's writing is a great example of that! (Worth noting that this one is slightly more mature than the other T-rated fics here, so I've put it closer to the M & E section; however the smut scenes are not explicit)

it's friday, i'm in love by @neallo | 2676 words | Rated M

You could read literally anything by neallo and it's guaranteed to be good, but to keep this list short, I've included one angsty fic and one lighthearted fic so you can pick the vibe. This one is more lighthearted, and it depicts a very tender moment in which Mello shows up at Near's door drunk and dances with him in the kitchen. This is a prequel to a bigger AU focusing on a casual relationship between them, but it also holds up as a standalone fic! It's unbearably sweet and there are many lines in there that made me audibly laugh.

Speculation on Demisexual Sex Drive by SayHiDestery | 4069 words | Rated M

The smut scene in this fic is so intimate and perfect, I'm melting just thinking about it. It's an established relationship fic in which Near has PTSD and has certain struggles with intimacy, and Mello guides him through it. It's quite slow-paced and takes its time to linger on the small details, which I absolutely adore, and the writing itself is vivid and beautiful. It also features demisexual Near!!

Winning the Game by clearmain | 4134 words | Rated E

This one is a PWP set mid-canon, immediately after the raid on the SPK. I'm a huge sucker for bold & bratty Near and that's EXACTLY what this fic serves. The way this introduces elements of rivalry and competition into their relationship is excellent and makes this fic feel faithful to their canon dynamic. It's a compelling push-pull with an open but hopeful ending that very succinctly captures the complexities of their relationship.

A Certain Hush by BlueberryAsh | 5434 words | Rated E

One of the first fanfics I read for Meronia and I'm not exaggerating when I say it changed my life. This fic has had SUCH a massive influence on the way I view and write the ship. It's a little glimpse into Mello and Near's relationship immediately after getting together. It's really cute and sweet in a way that feels authentic to the characters, and I'm incredibly impressed by the way it manages to give just enough backstory for their relationship to make sense without getting caught up in the details. Genuinely a masterpiece!

i want to hold you (hostage) by @neallo | 4 chapters | Rated E

The aforementioned angsty neallo fic! This one is an exes AU set during the canon timeline, and it is, as you can imagine, a very fraught dynamic done SO incredibly well. The tension is absolutely delicious and there are earnest moments littered throughout that are guaranteed to have you tearing up. Brilliant setup, brilliant writing, brilliant dynamic; just an absolutely stellar fic on all counts!!

[fernsnailz]

January 2024 Review Roundup

hello everypony‼️ something i want to do through 2024 is a mini review series where i recap some of the media i watched/played/read at the end of every month. this was inspired by tumblr user ponett’s 2023 media wrap-up, it's a great collection of quick reviews so go check it out!

i’m doing this partially as writing/analysis practice, but mostly because my memory is really bad and i want to keep track of what i've seen this year. with that said, my thoughts on everything i finished in january 2024 is under the cut :]

Portal 1 + 2

yyyup i beat Portal and it only took me (checks watch) 13 years

the first time i played Portal 2 was at a friend’s house when i was in middle school, and i had a fuckin blast. but after all that time... it still holds up! i don’t think anything i have to say about Portal will be particularly new since people have been praising this series since it came out. the writing, the level design, even the controls feel tight and engaging the whole way through. i played on switch and expected a bit of jank, but i was pleasantly surprised at how smooth it felt to play. the only part that dragged for me were the levels through the old aperture labs, but i think i would like them a lot more on a second replay. Portal 2 is fantastic and one of my new favorite games, the artistry behind it is truly incredible and i’m really glad i finally finished it. while i was playing Portal 2, i described Glados and Wheatly to a friend and said “they’re like if a ceiling fan could be passive aggressive and if Fozzie Bear was an evil golf ball”

I Think You Should Leave

finally. i can truly understand and appreciate Subspace Dubbed Over

i think one of my favorite things about I Think You Should Leave is how it utilizes horror. beyond sitting slack-jawed in disbelief at the crazy events unfolding before my eyes, a number of the sketches dipped into bits that genuinely kinda scared me. like the one sketch that circulates on here where the guy (pig?) in a mask crawls through a dog door, which is. genuinely terrifying. but so many of the other sketches have slow, nerve-racking pacing leading to crazy shit that would be perfect in a horror film were the context different. idk i like dissecting how horror and comedy are essentially the same thing and I Think You Should Leave was very good at enabling that <3 favorite sketches are probably “then let my wife eat the damn receipt” and “55 BURGERS 55 HOTDOGS 100 FRIES 100 TATER TOTS”

Sonic Prime Season 3

man. ohhhh man. i didn’t go into this with high expectations and i still feel let down. Sonic Prime Season 3 was definitely my least favorite “season” of the batch - abysmal pacing, very few character moments i actually enjoyed, and the things i praised about the show felt very underutilized through these episodes. Nine is the shining star of Sonic Prime and i was looking forward to seeing his more villainous side, but his character took such a sharp turn into pure evil and it felt like he spent the entire season repeating the same three lines. and as much as i praise Shadow’s writing in Prime, it doesn’t really matter when he spends half of the season trapped in a hole that he just… runs out of later.

lastly, i cannot stop thinking about how bad the pacing of this season is. three episodes for a repetitive final battle feels like such a waste of time when you see just how much they rush the emotional resolutions in the last episode. however, there is one thing i truly love about Sonic Prime Season 3 - i love the Sails and Mangey fakeout death. it's so fucking funny. like you really expect me to believe that two cartoon animals in this Y-7 rated show EXPLODED?????? absolute comedy gold.

overall, i just… don’t really know what to think of Sonic Prime. anything i enjoyed in the show was often fleeting, and much of it felt like its only purpose was to waste my time. also Rouge i can’t believe they did you so dirty oh my god

Ghost Trick

i was so proud that i figured out the secret behind Sissel’s memory loss like halfway through the game. however i also kept getting caught during the prison escape sequence like an idiot

Ghost Trick is in a similar situation as Portal where 1. it’s incredible and one of my new favorite games, and 2. there’s nothing i can really say about it that hasn’t already been said or just. shouldn’t be said. Ghost Trick is a fantastic mystery game, and because of that i think it’s best to go into its story as blind as possible. the narrative unfolds in such fascinating ways - even though the actual object manipulation gameplay isn’t directly about solving the mystery (like in Ace Attorney or other mystery games), it still ties wonderfully into the story in some incredibly unique ways.

i also really love the artstyle of Ghost Trick - i love 2D character artwork with that sharp lineweight, it reminded me a lot of Sonic Battle (another game with an artstyle i love). i was also really impressed by the 3D character models and animation - despite the limitations of the camera, you get a wonderful sense of everyone’s personality from the limited body language expressed in the overworld (even though the models lack much facial expression which. i guess they don’t really need? idk that was the only thing that threw me off). anyways yeah everyone should play Ghost Trick so Ghost Trick fans can be freed from their curse and talk about it without having to tag like 10 different spoiler tags. and for Missile

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off

ok bear with me. i went into Scott Pilgrim Takes Off without reading the comics first. and i fuckin loved it

my understanding of Scott Pilgrim before SPTO was mostly from the movie (I KNOW I’M SORRY), but even with my base understanding of the series i really enjoyed this show for what it was. i found myself appreciating the time they dedicated to further develop every single character in the show - especially Ramona. she’s fantastic as the lead, i really loved watching her reconcile with her exes and seeing all of them grow instead of exploding into coins. my favorite episode was probably the one with her and Roxie - not only did i adore the movie-jumping set pieces, but you really understand the weight of Ramona’s mistakes in their past relationship and how much it hurt Roxie. despite the big climactic fight, the flashbacks are quiet, subtle, heartbreaking. Ramona’s apology is genuine, and it feels so wonderful to watch her confront her past throughout the show. also i think it’s really funny that for all these characters to become the best versions of themselves, they had to kill off Scott for most of the story

and holy shit the artstyle and animation. oh my god. i love watching something that makes me immediately go “i need to see the storyboards for this RIGHT NOW.” SPTO is such a visual delight to watch, it elevates the artstyle of the comics while also keeping what makes that style so appealing - i love the line weight on the characters, i love how much forward energy the animation has, i love the fucking. virtual boy section. as soon as i found out Science Saru was also behind Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken, everything made immediate sense. i was destined to love this show.

another worry i had going into SPTO (besides the fact that i hadn’t read the comics lol) is that the original cast from the movie was returning. i think the movie cast is fine, but i wasn’t sure how some of them would fare with voice acting for animation. however, i thought they all did a good job - i think the whole cast loves these characters and would be able to fit into them fairly easily no matter what form their performance takes, and they definitely had a good voice director in the studio with them. the only thing that felt off about the voice performances to me was that sometimes it sounded like some of their mics kept peaking?? idk some of these episodes i watched high as balls and i felt like i could hear and see every single sound and frame of the show. so that might have just been me.

god i did not. expect to have this much to say about Scott Pilgrim. i really loved this show and i’m currently reading the comics to fully catch up on the general Scott Pilgrim experience - i think reading the comics AFTER Takes Off is making me appreciate even more of the character work that went into the show. like they do so much with Mathew Patel in SPTO, a character that was. not originally around for a long time from what i’ve gathered? also i like the funny little robot. oh my GOD i cannot talk about this show anymore whatever it’s good get me out of here

Sword AF Season 1

i put on the Smosh cast’s D&D series to play in the background while i was drawing. i did not expect to think much of it. instead, i had one of the most enjoyable D&D podcast experiences since i listened to The Adventure Zone Balance???

i haven’t really enjoyed other D&D podcasts since i dropped off of The Adventure Zone, and i wasn’t expecting much from Sword AF of all things. then i saw that Shayne was playing as a druid warforged made of plants and his name was fucking Fernie and i sat my ass down and LISTENED. while i think Sword AF is currently lacking in its world and larger story, those things just. aren’t really what Sword AF is really trying to provide at the moment. it’s main focus is comedy, and the players are genuinely such a delight to watch play together and build off of each other. they mostly focus on bits and goofs for the sake of she show's comedic tone, but i still found it thoroughly enjoyable because every player embodies and performs their characters really well. idk Sword AF was an unexpected hit for me this month, i thought it was fun. and i love Fernie so much

Plastic Death - Glass Beach

so originally i wasn’t going to include music reviews in these roundups at all, but then i was entirely surprised by a new Glass Beach album and oh my god. holy shit. oh my fucking god jesus christ. holy shit. its preddy good

Plastic Death gets the low point of the album out of the way immediately. it starts with the “phone call/conversation audio” trope that i don’t particularly enjoy - HOWEVER despite me disliking this opening, 1. it sets up the overall themes of Plastic Death very quickly, and 2. the rest of the album blows this 40 second opening completely out of the water. from there, the album grows into something beautiful and uncontained, and i just. i really like it

Plastic Death captures the beauty of the temporary, asks what it means to be created for a cause you can’t fulfill, questions if you can reclaim yourself from cycles and constraints designed to destroy you. and is also about being transgender. the lyrics are abstract in a way that requires a conversation with the listener, many of the vocals obscured and smooth like waves - this album is definitely one that needs to be listened to a few times. i wasn’t sure how i felt about the vocal style at first before realizing the vocals were the main reason i was relistening to this album, allowing myself to find even more that i loved about it. the instrumentation is also incredible, i love the use of marimba in a number of songs - distant, eerie, almost skeletal. and the fucking. 8-bit section?? which kinda rules???? and that’s the only point in the album it ever shows up??????? incredible. a fleeting, somewhat silly moment that i love every time.

this album left my heart aching, in part from my connection to it and in part from the pure love and joy emanating from this music. i can feel just how much fun this music was to perform and create, a cohesion of time and sound that just clicked for me. Plastic Death made me miss playing music, which is something i haven’t felt in years. all from an album that starts with a conversation about CrankGameplay’s dead youtube channel. good lord

i like this album a normal amount. go listen to it a few times. my favorite tracks are cul-de-sac and commatose

Wish

i watched Wish with a couple of friends and knew i probably wasn't going to like it. with that in mind, i gave myself a challenge: i wanted to find one thing about this movie that i genuinely really loved. it could be anything, and loving it for ironic reasons was allowed.

here's the complete list of things i loved about Disney's Wish (2023):

i love the one shot where King Magnifico stirs an evil caldron evily. i thought it was hilarious. what was he cooking

i loved that the end credits included a reference to Dinosaur 2001 at all, and i loved that they paid homage to Big Hero 6 by showing the forgettable villain of that movie instead of their Baymax cashcow for some reason. my friends and i saw him show up in the credits and were like "who's the trenchcoat guy??"

you may notice that this list is very short and 50% of it is about the movie's credits. so yeah this movie is not very good

Wish is an empty husk of a movie. everything about it feels so, so hollow - lifeless town squares, uninspired character designs (to quote a friend: "i have all of these characters' hairstyles in The Sims"), characters whose existence is only justified to fill empty space or an overused archetype, and an "evil" villain who lacks charisma and spine in a futile effort to remind the audience of previous disney villains with actual character. even the artstyle lacks any sort of sauce, the watercolor effect they were trying to go for only makes the backgrounds and character textures run together, and the dull lighting makes things look even more faded. it's like disney was scared of making a movie that made its audience feel... anything. all to celebrate 100 years of Disney slop, baby!!!

Some YouTube videos I liked in January: 💥 An Exhaustive Look at Pokemon Brilliant Diamond 💥 TomSka's Guide to Plagiarism 💥 Paradise Bombed (this video is a great piece of journalism and i’m definitely not doing it justice by throwing it into the youtube vid list) 💥 Surprising Our Friends with Zoo Animals 💥 Did FNAF Ever Have a Good Story?

thanks for reading! next month’s roundup will be wild because i’ll likely be reviewing House of Leaves and Hazbin Hotel. can you guess which cursed house gives me a worse headache? WHO KNOWS! (hint: it's Hazbin Hotel)

[dweemeister]

2024 Movie Odyssey Award for Best Original Song (preliminary round)

Long ago, tumblr disabled completely the ability to make indented bullet points. I apologize in advance for how ugly most of this post looks. And now I've been having trouble with traditional user tagging, too. Apologies.

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OPEN invites to (or at least people who are committed to the final, but would like access to the prelim): @derricklogan2, @inmyworldblr, @memetoilet, @metamatar, @myluckyerror, @noelevangilinecarson, @phendranaedge, @plus-low-overthrow, @qteeclown, @shadesofhappy, and @the-lilac-grove. Some of you have participated in past MOABOS editions, some of you are longtime followers I've not really spoken to, but have interacted with quite a few of my posts... if you are interested, please let me know. I'll assign you a group or I'll put you into the final.

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Hello everybody,

The mercury drops, the days shorten, and the sound of cinephiles drawing up their "best of" lists for the current year fill the air. But in addition to my sort-of "best of" list, there's this tradition I've got.

If you were tagged here, that is because you graciously accepted my invitation to help out with this year's edition of the Movie Odyssey Award for Best Original Song (MOABOS). I welcome you to the twelfth edition of MOABOS (MOABOS XII) and the eleventh edition with outside help from family, friends, and followers on tumblr. When I first opened this up to other folks in 2014 (MOABOS II), I believed that this would last but only a few years, at most. And every time the year is new, I have no clue whether or not there will be another edition of MOABOS.

But here we are yet again. The Movie Odyssey Award for Best Original Song is not possible without all of your help.

For newcomers near and far: This is a classic film blog (concentration: pre-1980s Hollywood, but I have various specialties outside of that and watch plenty of newer films). That blog's primary purpose is to host my nearly 800 film write-ups tagged "My Movie Odyssey" (an index can be found here). MOABOS is one of my blog's year-end traditions, and just a smaller part of a larger one. On my blog, the Movie Odyssey Awards honor some of the best achievements from movies that I saw for the first time this calendar year (the "Movie Odyssey") with an Oscar-like ceremony. I choose all the nominees and winners from each category, save one: Best Original Song. It is the only category that does not require you to watch several movies in their entirety. MOABOS is my way to say thank you for your friendship and moral support no matter how long I've known you. It is, sneakily so, a way to introduce all of you to music and movies I enjoyed this past year. And you might learn a snippet of film history through this!

INTRODUCTION

An unspecified number of songs have already advanced to the final round. 24 songs will contest this preliminary round in two groups – Group A and Group B. Longtime participants may notice immediately the lack of newer releases this year, similar to the MOABOS editions from 2020-2022. I saw plenty of new releases in theaters, but very few original songs I deemed good enough to get here. In addition, I think this is the first edition of MOABOS in some time where there is no prohibitive favorite on paper (perhaps as far back as 2015's MOABOS III). The field is wide open for the taking, I think.

Two years after a monolingual slate, 2024 is even more multilingual than 2023. This year, across both groups and an unidentified song and movie that qualified straight to the final round, we have a record number of languages: seven. These non-English songs come from, interestingly: one Old Hollywood movie from a studio celebrating a centennial; an industry-defining film that burst forth across boundaries and remains stratospherically popular in the former Eastern bloc; one of the greatest "what if's" of martial arts cinema; a most pleasant surprise from Viet Film Fest (VFF); an underseen piece of sci-fi animation filled with thematic intrigue and fully-realized worldbuilding; and a film about religion that also gifted us one of the best film scores of the 20th century.

The record 44 participants in last year's prelim were in an upset-minded mood, with stunning early eliminations for Barbie (2023) and both Top Gun movies. Lesser-heralded songs from Brazil, France, and India advanced at their expense. The cold streak for Shirley Temple movies at MOABOS finally broke, with a Shirley Temple song finally advancing from the prelim. What might be the narrative this year? Though I've said there aren't prohibitive favorites, there are still a number of songs I consider favorites and underdogs. Which ones fall unexpectedly? Which Cinderellas will continue to the Big Dance?

2019's MOABOS (MOABOS VII) preliminary – the "I Dug a Ditch" year, as some folks call it – was finally surpassed last year for the amount of chaos that ensued. 2023's MOABOS had a three-way tie on points in one group and the upset of the round in the other (Top Gun's "Take My Breath Away" eliminated by two points). I'm not expecting similar nailbiters yet again, but you folks like to make it dramatic!

INSTRUCTIONS

Please rank (#1-12) at least seven of your group's songs. Please consider to the best of your ability (these are only suggestions, not strict guidelines, and is largely how I consider my own rankings): 

How musically interesting the song is (incl. and not limited to melody, harmony, musical phrasing, and orchestration);

Its lyrics (incl. and not limited to lyrical flow, invention, and poeticism); 

Context within the film (contextual blurbs provided for every entry for those who haven't seen the films)*;

Choreography/dance direction (if applicable; I know that almost none of us have a dancing background, but please do not discount this aspect entirely);

The song's cultural/sociopolitical impact and legacy/listenability outside the film's context (if applicable, and, in my opinion, least important factor)

* Should a song that only appears in the opening and/or closing credits, but has no bearing on the film's score or the body of the film itself be penalized? Some say yes, some say no. I have no official position here.

A notice on audio/video quality and colorization of black-and-white film: Because it is sometimes difficult to find clean recordings of much of this music, imperfections in audio and video quality may not be used against any song while you are drawing up your rankings – you're on the honor system on this one. In addition, in respect to personal and blog policy, I will not provide (nor encourage you to seek) colorized videos of films that were originally in black-and-white. You can call this snobby all you want. But to yours truly, film colorization of B&W is disrespectful to the artisans who plied their craft and made decisions based on the fact the film was shot in black-and-white. It is essentially redirecting a movie without consent.

You are encouraged to send in comments and reactions with your rankings – it makes the process more enjoyable for you and myself!

The top six songs in each group automatically advance to the final round. Unlike previous years, no at-large wild card picks outside the top six will advance to the final.

The deadline for submission is Sunday, December 15 at 11 PM Pacific Time. That is 9 PM Hawaii/Aleutian Time. That deadline is also Monday, December 16 at 1 AM Central Time / 2 AM Eastern Time / 7 AM GMT / 8 AM CET / 9 AM EET / 2 PM Indochina Time. This deadline - and some of you have joked with me that this is inevitable - will be pushed back if there are a large number of people who have not submitted in time.This deadline may be pushed back if there are a large number of people who have not submitted in time. However, I very much do not wish to extend the deadline because the final round is more intensive and usually involves more participants. A small group of longtime MOABOS veterans will be asked to do both groups, if possible (but they are required to complete their assigned group first before moving on) – they are generally selected for their longevity of MOABOS participation and promptness. Tabulation details are under the "read more".

Please pay attention to the groups you have been sorted into, and please only submit rankings for the group you have been assigned. For your convenience, the YouTube playlists for both groups follow:

PLAYLISTS: (GROUP A) / (GROUP B)

Group participants were randomized to ensure a roughly equal gender spread in both groups. The twenty-four songs in the prelim were placed into groups based on a pre-ranking that I always perform before MOABOS – anticipating how all of you, collectively, would rank them, #1-24. Based on those pre-rankings, I balanced the groups and, as needed, separated songs that appeared in the same film.

Feel free to listen as many times as you need and perhaps take notes, and I hope you discover music and movies that inspire you to find them. With profound appreciation from this grateful classic film fan, here are your group's songs.

"Song title", composer and lyricist, Film Title, country/countries of origin if the film is not predominantly in English and not from the U.S.

GROUP A

“Amor de Gitano (The Love of a Gypsy)”, music and lyrics by Morris Stoloff and Fred Karger, The Loves of Carmen (1948)

Performed by Rita Hayworth

Lyrics in Spanish (rough translation)

In this adaptation of Prosper Mérimée's novella Carmen (which also served as the source material for Georges Bizet's opera Carmen), this number appears late in the film after the turbulent relationship between Carmen (Hayworth; whose character is Romani) and Don José (Glenn Ford) of the Spanish dragoons. At this point, Carmen has escaped her earlier poverty (and Don José) and is now living comfortably in Córdoba as the partner of a bullfighter.

Hayworth, an actress of Spanish Romani and Irish/English descent, began her career in minor roles at 20th Century Fox before moving to Columbia. While at Columbia, she became the studio's top star and a pin-up icon to American soldiers in WWII. Despite frequent clashes with chief executive Harry Cohn over roles and pay (contracted Hollywood actors had little freedom to choose their roles until the 1944 court case De Havilland v. Warner Bros.), she single-handedly catapulted Columbia into financial stability for years to come, dashing any remaining beliefs that Columbia was not a major studio. The Loves of Carmen was to be her final film for Columbia, due to her impending marriage to Prince Aly Khan (they divorced, and she came back).

“Belleville Rendez-vous”, music by Benoît Charest, lyrics by Sylvain Chomet, The Triplets of Belleville (2003, France/Belgium/Canada/United Kingdom)

(French original with translation) / (English dub version)

Performed by Béatrice Bonifassi and Matthieu Chedid

Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song

From Sylvain Chomet's absurd, darkly comic, and disgustingly original animated feature debut (“disgustingly” is used here with admiration, because of the intentional ugliness of some of the animation). The film features an aging group of singing triplets who attempt to help another woman find her grandson after the grandson was kidnapped while competing in the Tour de France. The song first appears in the opening, is reprised a few times during the film, and repeated a final time in the end credits. It forms the basis for the film's score.

“Broadway Rhythm”, music by Nacio Herb Brown, lyrics by Arthur Freed, Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935)

(part 1) / (part 2)

Performed by Frances Langford and company; danced by June Knight, Nick Long Jr., Eleanor Powell and company

This number is the third-to-last scene of the film. At a dinner-and-a-show club, radio star Langford (playing herself) sings the title song of the stage musical that producer Robert Gordon (Robert Taylor) has been trying desperately to open for the entire movie. His failure to cast a lead actress – despite his high school sweetheart, Irene Foster (Eleanor Powell), excelling in her audition – and other shenanigans have gotten him to this point. All that singing on the offbeats! If this song sounds vaguely familiar, it might be because it forms much of the mid-film ballet sequence in Singin' in the Rain (1952; "GOT-ta dance!").

Between parts 1 and 2 provided here is supposed to be a dance between siblings Buddy and Vilma Ebsen, but I could not find a video of it online.

In part 2, two of the film's antagonists (not villains, just antagonists), played by Knight and Long, dance with each other. Then, Irene appears to Robert's surprise. It is implied she is cast for the lead role in the film's final scene, as well as rekindling her relationship with Robert. Eleanor Powell, who plays Irene, was approaching the peak years of a relatively short film career, and was considered by many to be the most accomplished female dancer in Hollywood history (incl. Bill "Bojangles" Robinson and Fred Astaire, who said she was in a league all by herself).

“Camp Isn’t Home”, music and lyrics by Ben Platt, Noah Galvin, Molly Gordon, Nick Lieberman, Mark Sonnenblick, Theater Camp (2023)

Performed by the child cast members of the film

In this mockumentary of a summer theater camp (I can already hear the groans from some of you), the kids – many of whom are regulars at this camp – put on a show in order to save the camp from being repossessed. The montages you see in this particular clip are not featured in the film; the film itself simply shows the performance. To explain the final moment in this video would be to spoil a film-ending punchline.

“Dam Bhar Jo Udhar Munh Phere (I Wish the Moon Would Look Away for a Moment)”, music by Shankar Jaikishan, lyrics by Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri, Awaara (1951, India)

Performed by Nargis and Raj Kapoor (dubbed by Lata Mangeshkar and Mukesh, respectively)

Lyrics in Hindi (turn on the CC's in the provided video for translation)

In Awaara, Raj (Raj Kapoor) and Rita (Nargis) are childhood sweethearts who were separated when Raj could not afford the fees for school, resulting in his expulsion. Years later, after Raj turned to a criminal gang to support himself and his mother, the two reconnected. He has been trying to tell Rita, indirectly, that he has turned to thievery and is attempting to leave his criminal life behind, but she's unable to connect the dots. After a beachside first date, so appears this number – the rekindling of their relationship, in spite of the length of their separation, class differences, and another factor that would spoil the moral framework of the entire film.

“El Dorado”, music by Nelson Riddle, lyrics by John Gabriel, El Dorado (1966)

Performed by George Alexander and the Mellomen

The opening theme to this American Western film. Appears in the opening credits and quoted occasionally in the film's score. Edgar Allan Poe fans will note a lyrical reference to his poem "Eldorado" (the poem is quoted a few times in the film by James Caan's character). At its heart, this Western is about male friendship amid personal foibles (John Wayne's character has a physical ailment; Robert Mitchum's attempting to overcome his history of alcoholism, Caan is overconfident in his abilities) as the three protagonists attempt to protect a humble family from the illegal and violent machinations of a wealthy land baron.

The portraits you see in the opening credits are from Danish American painter Olaf Wieghorst, a noted 20th century artist who specialized in scenes of the old American West. Some of these portraits were done for the film, and Wieghorst's stock in the art world has gradually risen over the decades.

“Game of Death” (Mandarin version), music by Joseph Koo, lyrics by James Wong, Game of Death (1978, Hong Kong)

Performed by Roman Tam

Some rather blurry subtitles of a loose translation are in the provided video (to my Mandarin-speaking friends, may I ask if you can provide a more accurate translation?)

Appears as the opening credits song to the final film featuring Bruce Lee. Game of Death was incomplete at the time of Lee's death, and a "complete" version was released in 1978 with re-edited footage from his previous films. Roman Tam, the singer, was a major figure in the Cantopop music scene, He was also controversial – his on-stage flamboyance and his voice (which was not as masculine as some of his fellow Cantopop peers) were frowned upon by conservative Hong Kongers.

The Cantonese release of Game of Death occurred at the same time. It also has a title song, with the same composer, lyricist, and performer. However, it is a markedly different song (and is competing in the other group). The Cantonese version is considered the "original" and is competing in the other group.

“Goodbye Girl”, music and lyrics by David Gates, The Goodbye Girl (1977)

Performed by David Gates

This song appears in this romantic dramedy's finale as it transitions to end credits. Unemployed dancer Paula McFadden (Marsha Mason) and ten-year-old daughter Lucy (Quinn Cummings) are forced to take in a struggling actor (Richard Dreyfuss), who is the friend of Paula's now-ex.

Those of you who saw The Last of Us season 1 may have noticed The Goodbye Girl featured in the sixth episode of that show during a "movie night". From my perspective, The Goodbye Girl is about learning how to trust again after being abandoned (whether once before or repeatedly). Very apt for that certain episode of TLoU.

“A Million Miles Away”, music and lyrics by Fred Avril and Philippe Monthaye, Mars Express (2023, France)

Performed by Alice Lewis

Appears as the only song in the end credits to this French animated cyberpunk noir. The lyrics make (relatively non-spoilery) reference to the violent events that transpired in the finale. Not quoted in the film's score. In Mars Express, private detective Aline Ruby and her android partner Carlos Rivera are investigating a homicide – leading both of them to a horrible conspiracy that might shake the foundations of 2200s human society.

Dropping objectivity for a moment... for all of you who are fans of the likes of Blade Runner (1982) and Ghost in the Shell (1995, Japan), Mars Express is 100% for you. And even if you haven't seen either of those, this is the one animated movie from outside the major American and Japanese studios competing in this year's edition of MOABOS I highly recommend to all, with a small warning here for the film's severe violence.

“Puppet on a String”, music and lyrics by Sid Tepper and Roy C. Bennett, Girl Happy (1965)

Performed by Elvis Presley

None of the videos on YouTube have the "correct" audio alongside the images, but the provided version is as close as it gets. Apologies.

In film #17 of 31 in his acting career (1956-1969), Elvis plays the lead singer of a band. The band is normally cooped up in Chicago, but it's Spring Break, and their nightclub manager boss (Harold Stone) needs someone to make sure to watch out for his college senior daughter (Shelley Fabares in her first of three appearances as the leading lady in an Elvis movie – a record). The boss wants her protected from the "30,000 sex-starved young men" also vacationing in Fort Lauderdale. Florida (the boss' words, not mine). The two leads eventually fall for each other, and fully realize this with this song (which became Elvis' most successful single from this film).

“Something’s Gotta Give”, music and lyrics by Johnny Mercer, Daddy Long Legs (1955)

Performed by Fred Astaire; danced by Astaire and Leslie Caron

Starts in earnest at 1:17.

In this, the third (!) adaptation by 20th Century Fox of Jean Webster's 1912 young adult novel of the same name, Daddy Long Legs sees wealthy American magnate Jervis Pendleton III (Astaire in his first widescreen musical) secretly paying for the college education of young Frenchwoman Julie André (Caron), after he, by chance, spotted her tending to children at a French orphanage. Julie calls her unidentified benefactor "Daddy Long Legs", based on a faraway description given to her by her fellow orphans. As she writes to Daddy Long Legs, she nevertheless falls for him – sight supposedly unseen. And he, to his surprise, starts falling for her.

The biggest hurdle to this movie is the obvious age difference between Astaire and Caron. However, Daddy Long Legs fully acknowledges this reality throughout – and gifting viewers some hilarious lines to boot at Astaire's expense. I've seen much worse (re:age difference), and it helps that Astaire moves and dances as well as he does. Your mileage may vary, but I don't read the narrative as predatory.

This is a Great American Songbook standard and was covered by many artists, including Bing Crosby (F:NV fans?), Frank Sinatra, and Ella Fitzgerald.

“You Are My Lucky Star”, music Nacio Herb Brown, lyrics by Arthur Freed, Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935)

(initial version; begins in earnest at 1:00) / (reprise, part 1) / (reprise, part 2)

Initially performed by Frances Langford; reprise performed and danced by Eleanor Powell

If you're vaguely familiar with this song, that's because either you've seen the end of Singin' in the Rain (1952) and/or Alien (1979). Stage producer Robert Gordon (Robert Taylor) is putting on a radio special to promote his upcoming Broadway musical. Robert is also having trouble casting a lead actress for his musical. Frances Langford plays herself here – she was principally a radio star who made only a handful of appearances in films, usually in supporting or bit roles. Langford would be a key fixture in Bob Hope's USO performances during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.

In the reprise, Robert's former high school sweetheart, Irene Foster (Eleanor Powell), has just arrived from Albany to audition for his stage musical. She imagines herself onstage – singing and dancing in a fantastical ballet sequence. Powell, approaching the peak years of a relatively short film career, was considered by many to be the most accomplished female dancer in Hollywood history (incl. Bill "Bojangles" Robinson and Fred Astaire, who said she was in a league all by herself). And here, she shows she can do more than just tap dancing.

The folks assigned to GROUP A include: @cokwong, @demenshah, @emilylime5, @halfwaythruthedark, @maximiliani, @rawberry101, @theybecomestories, . You are also being joined by 17 others including myself and my sister.

GROUP B

“Aren’t You Glad You’re You?”, music by Jimmy Van Heusen, lyrics by Johnny Burke, The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945)

(in-film version) / (soundtrack version)

Performed by Bing Crosby

Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song

In this sequel to the Best Picture-winning musical Going My Way (1944), Crosby (at the height of his career) reprises his Oscar-winning role as Father O'Malley, who has just been transferred to a big city parish and to oversee its underfunded, nun-run private school. One student, Patsy (Joan Carroll), has been dropped off there by her financially unstable single mother. While seeking for advice about a writing assignment one night, Father O'Malley urges Patsy – who has not been fitting in at school – to be herself and approach the essay uniquely, leading to this song. Quoted a few times in the film's score. The soundtrack version and all covers are usually a lot more upbeat than the original.

“Farewell Amanda”, music and lyrics by Cole Porter, Adam’s Rib (1949)

Performed by David Wayne

In this romantic comedy, prosecutor Adam (Spencer Tracy) and defense attorney Amanda (Katharine Hepburn) are married. He's a traditionalist; she's a feminist. He's prosecuting a woman who shot (but didn't kill) her adulterous husband; she's defending that very same woman. Their neighbor, pianist Kip Laurie (David Wayne), has been romantically interested in Amanda for some time and, over dinner, premieres this song. The song becomes a hit later in the film.

For MOABOS veterans, you know that I include a "troll song" in MOABOS every now and then. This is the closest thing to a "troll song" this year because "Farewell Amanda" appears multiple times through Adam's Rib in unexpected and hilarious contexts (to Adam's annoyance).

“Game of Death” (Cantonese original), music by Joseph Koo, lyrics by James Wong, Game of Death (1978, Hong Kong)

Performed by Roman Tam

Some rather blurry subtitles of a loose translation are in the provided video (if you know someone who is fluent in Cantonese and is willing to provide a more correct translation, please let me know)

Appears as the opening credits song to the final film featuring Bruce Lee. Game of Death was incomplete at the time of Lee's death, and a "complete" version was released in 1978 with re-edited footage from his previous films. Roman Tam, the singer, was a major figure in the Cantopop music scene, He was also controversial – his on-stage flamboyance and his voice (which was not as masculine as some of his fellow Cantopop peers) were frowned upon by conservative Hong Kongers.

The Mandarin release of Game of Death occurred at the same time. It also has a title song, with the same composer, lyricist, and performer. However, it is a markedly different song (and is competing in the other group).

“Giấc Mơ (Dream)”, music and lyrics by Túng, Before Sex (2024, Vietnam)

Provided version (which is mildly NSFW) performed by Túng; performed in-film by Nguyễn Lê Việt Hưng

Lyrics in Vietnamese (very rough translation that I know the Viet Film Fest crew is gonna pick apart)

The provided soundtrack version is part of the film-ending montage of this raunchy coming-of-age romantic comedy.

The song's first appearance (not provided) is much more instrumentally simple, and appears during a comedic fantastical sequence. Before Sex opens with two groups of friends discussing their opinions on sex, one-night stands, how to "win over" someone, and love before splintering into three storylines. Say what you will about how the film gets to its endings, but I saw Before Sex as a springboard into discussions about what is healthy in a relationship – rare for a major Vietnamese studio romantic comedy.

“Girl Happy”, music and lyrics by Doc Pomus and Jerry Ragovoy, Girl Happy (1965)

(single version which also appears in the opening credits) / (end-of-film reprise)

Performed by Elvis Presley

This number appears in the stylish opening credits and in the final scene of the film. It is occasionally quoted in the film's score. In film #17 of 31 in his acting career (1956-1969), Elvis plays the lead singer of a band (shock!). The band is normally cooped up in Chicago, but it's Spring Break, and their nightclub manager boss (Harold Stone) needs someone to look out for his college senior daughter (Shelley Fabares in her first of three appearances as the leading lady in an Elvis movie – a record). The boss wants her protected from the "30,000 sex-starved young men" also vacationing in Fort Lauderdale, Florida (the boss' words, not mine). The two leads eventually fall for each other, despite this exceptionally strange situation and further drama with another love interest, Deena (Mary Ann Mobley). If you think that sounds like a crazy plot for an Elvis movie, you haven't seen enough Elvis movies.

Girl Happy was made by MGM as a response to the popularity of the "beach party" movies made by American International Pictures (AIP). The beach party subgenre was a 1960s craze with low-budget comedies of teenage/young adult characters getting into zany situations often involving elements of '60s teenage culture – poor romantic decision-making, dance parties, days at the beach (Californian surf culture especially, though Girl Happy is set out in Florida), rock-and-roll, car culture, excessive drinking with comical consequences, and more. AIP's Beach Party movies are also one of my guilty pleasures.

“I’ve Been Kissed Before”, music and lyrics by Lester Lee and Bob Russell, Affair in Trinidad (1952)

Performed and danced by Rita Hayworth (dubbed by Jo Ann Greer)

Nightclub singer Chris Emery (Hayworth) is based in Trinidad and Tobago, still a British colony in 1952, and has been embroiled in an investigation into her late husband's murder. Her husband's brother, Steve (Glenn Ford; first seen at 0:43 in the provided video), has just arrived on the island and is seeking answers. This performance comes at significant risk for Chris, as it is being held in the estate of one of the primary murder suspects (to explain why she is taking that risk is a major spoiler). This song marks the point in the film in which the web of murderous schemes and the local authorities' investigation that define this entire work finally comes together.

Rita Hayworth, of mixed Spanish Romani and Irish/English descent, was considered one of the pin-up girls of 1940s Hollywood. She retired from filmmaking after her marriage to Prince Aly Khan, but when that marriage collapsed, she made her heralded return in this film noir, made at Columbia Pictures (where Hayworth was contracted to before the marriage).

“I’ve Got a Feelin' You're Foolin'”, music by Nacio Herb Brown, lyrics by Arthur Freed, Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935)

Performed and danced by June Knight, Robert Taylor, and company; brief reprise by Frances Langford

Winner of the Academy Award for Best Dance Direction

As Broadway producer Robert Gordon (Robert Taylor) commiserates with the fabulously wealthy young widow Lilian Brent (June Knight) over the fact he is having trouble opening his show on Broadway, the two begin flirting with the other, in addition to suggesting a business arrangement to help open his show. The flirtation continues with this song. How about that furniture? Reprised briefly by Langford later on during rehearsal.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) awarded a competitive Oscar for Dance Direction for only three years (1935-1937). Choreographer Dave Gould won the inaugural Dance Direction Oscar for this number. This category was discontinued because of political pressure from the directors' branch of AMPAS. The most recent honorary winner for an Academy Award for choreography for work on an individual film was Onna White for Oliver! (1968).

“Même plus l'amour (Not Even Love)”, music and lyrics by Fred Avril and Philippe Monthaye, Mars Express (2023, France)

Performed by Barbara Carlotti

Lyrics in French (somewhat literal translation)

In this French animated cyberpunk noir, private detective Aline Ruby and her android partner Carlos Rivera are investigating a homicide. Their investigation leads them to find the murder victim's roommate, who is being followed by persons unknown. Despite their best efforts, Aline and Carlos fail to protect the roommate while trying to make a getaway. This song plays muted, under dialogue with lyrics somewhat not perceptible to the viewer, while Aline – a workaholic and a recovering alcoholic – drinks away her sadness at a bar. Not quoted in the film's score.

Dropping objectivity for a moment... for all of you who are fans of the likes of Blade Runner (1982) and Ghost in the Shell (1995, Japan), Mars Express is 100% for you. And even if you haven't seen either of those, this is the one animated movie from outside the major American and Japanese studios competing in this year's edition of MOABOS I highly recommend to all, with a small warning here for the film's severe violence.

“River Song”, music by Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman, and John Williams, lyrics by the Sherman Brothers, Tom Sawyer (1973)

Performed by Charley Pride and chorus

Produced by Reader's Digest (seriously) and distributed by United Artists (UA), this is a musical adaptation of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. This movie comes early in John Williams' film scoring career (this is two years before Jaws, four before Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind) and just past the peak Disney years for the late Sherman Brothers, the three collaborated for this opening credits song – establishing the setting for this film (shot on location in Missouri).

Pride was the first black country music superstar and, at this time, Pride's presence (even for an opening credits song) was a massive get for this production. This was Pride's second and final performance on an original song for any movie.

“Sing Before Breakfast”, music by Nacio Herb Brown, lyrics by Arthur Freed, Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935)

Performed and danced by Eleanor Powell, Buddy Ebsen, and Vilma Ebsen

After going to her former high school sweetheart's office to inquire about auditioning for a Broadway stage musical he is producing (and not finding him there) the previous day, aspiring singer/dancer Irene Foster (Powell) has breakfast with her friends. Siblings Ted and Sally Burke (the Ebsens, both making their film debut; Buddy would go on to have a long film/TV career while Vilma stuck solely to the stage) provide Irene with support during their occasional appearances in this film.

Why is Buddy Ebsen wearing a Mickey Mouse sweater in an MGM musical despite MGM having their own animation studio at the time? No clue.

“Tere Bina Aag Ye Chandni (Without You, Even Moonlight is a Scorching Fire)”, music by Shankar Jaikishan, lyrics by Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri, Awaara (1951, India)

Performed by Nargis and Raj Kapoor (singing dubbed by Lata Mangeshkar and Manna Dey, respectively) and chorus

Lyrics in Hindi (turn on the CC's in the provided video for translation)

In Awaara, Raj (Raj Kapoor) and Rita (Nargis) are childhood sweethearts who were separated when Raj could not afford the fees for school, resulting in his expulsion. Years later, after Raj turned to a criminal gang to support himself and his mother, the two reconnected. He has been trying to tell Rita, indirectly, that he has turned to thievery and is attempting to leave his criminal life behind, but she's unable to connect the dots. Awaara comments upon class, feminism, and what a genuine redemption looks like – though it's not apparent in this musical number, the film's dramatic and comedic moments were inspired by the silent films of Charlie Chaplin.

This song is part of a dream sequence depicting the struggle between a potential romantic future and Raj's criminal past. The scene follows a date between Raj and Rita and immediately follows a tense exchange between Raj and his knife-wielding gang boss (seen at 9:09 in the provided video), who fully expects Raj sto steal from Rita and her family.

“Wave-a-Stick Blues”, music and lyrics by Ozzie Nelson, Ozzie Nelson & His Orchestra (1940 short)

Performed by Ozzie Nelson and His Orchestra

This comes from a 1940 Vitaphone short film that most likely would have appeared between feature films at a Warner Bros.-owned theater. The film is solely a musical showcase of the talents of Ozzie Nelson and His Orchestra. Nelson was a bandleader who would become best known for his starring role in the TV sitcom The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952-1966).

Before the United States v. Paramount (1948) Supreme Court decision, the major American studios owned theaters and theatrical chains. And back then, if you wanted to see a movie at one of the studio-owned theaters, you often bought a ticket for a double feature. The "B-movie" would go first. Following the B-movie, you would be treated to some combination of a serial film, short film(s) (like Ozzie Nelson & His Orchestra!), and trailers. Then your "feature presentation", the A-movie, would play. Moviegoing was far more of a community event then, and a double feature was considered normal to audiences in those days.

When the major American studios lost the Paramount case, they had to sell off their theaters. And as such, the major studios pulled out of making serial films (essentially, a predecessor of television) and short films. By the end of the 1950s, the live-action short film had essentially become extinct among the majors. The Paramount decrees were repealed by the Department of Justice under the Trump administration in 2020

The folks assigned to GROUP B include: @addaellis, @cinemaocd, @dog-of-ulthar, @idontknowmuchaboutmovies, @machpowervisions, @shootingstarvenator, @stephdgray, @umgeschrieben, and @yellanimal . You are also being joined by 17 others including myself and my sister.

Would you like to know something more about a song or a movie featured above? Do you have a question or comment about MOABOS's processes? Feel free to ask me! If you are having difficulty accessing any of the songs (especially if region-locked) or if there are any errors in the links above or the playlist, please let me know as soon as possible.

You will be contacted for the final round regardless of your participation or non-participation in the preliminary. If turnout in one group is lagging behind compared to another, I will ask some of the more senior participants to participate in the other group, too. Do not worry too much about this if you cannot participate, although I will be checking in as the deadlines near.

Once more to all of you here, my thanks for your support for the Movie Odyssey, the blog, and for me personally over however long I've known you. It's a privilege and a pleasure to share all these movies (well, excerpts of them) and musical numbers with you. I hope not only do you learn something about film or music, but that you personally enjoy listening, too! My deepest appreciation to all!

TABULATION FOR THE PRELIMINARY ROUND

This preliminary round uses a points-based, ranked choice method which has been in use since MOABOS II (2014). A respondent’s first choice receives 10 points, the second choice receives 9, the third choice receives 8, etc. The winner is the song that ends up with the most total points. The tabulation method described here for the preliminary round is used only as a tiebreaker in the final round (more on how the final is tabulated when we get there). 

The tiebreakers for the preliminary are:

total points earned;

total #1 votes;

song(s) which is/are ranked higher on more ballots than the other(s);

average placement on my and my sister's ballots;

tie declared

[mybodyfails]

han - recap 2023

(tumblr user @mybodyfails' ramblings under the read more)

jan

230120 manila: stay with bench - fanmeet

blue jeans, dress shirt AND beret?! we're off to a great start.

he was hitting the dougie too. of course.

feb

230213 skz-record: volcano

definitely my soty! when the drums come in and the song explodes? literally erupting like a volcano? 🫠

honorary mention:

230226 chan's room ep. 199

i keep coming back to this stream whenever i feel down, they were just so hyper and giggly!

mar

230311 manila: maniac world tour - day 1

the one where he had to sit out bc he was sick. who knew you could slay a performance like that. in the end all of us were seated i think.

also gave us this beautiful moment: beethoven who

april

230401&230402 los angeles: maniac world tour encore

toddling around in his gigantic dungarees and adorable hat, han quokka clipped to him. all i need tbh.

may

230523 bbl: life advice

tape the blanket to yourself and you won't catch a cold, apparently.

but also, not a specific month - but i'm putting this on behalf of all the mini concerts he did for us on bubble, taking suggestions for covers or writing songs on the fly 🥰

june

release: topline mv feat. tiger jk

aka the day where jisung got adopted but was too shy to get his number. 🥺 LOOK AT HIM! elated hamster! fanning himself w his fake money!

jul

230701&230702 3rd fanmeeting pilot for 5star

the life-size skzoos and their interactions were such a cute surprise 😭 rmbr when he kept gently smoothing down han quokka's velvety fur 😭

230722 paris: lollapalooza

he was on fire that day. HOTTER THAN HOT.

aug

230816 fukuoka: 5star dome tour begins

and with it came his 'don't say' solo stage and him playing the fucking guitar. wasn't just me, we all lost our marbles over this.. right?

honorary mention:

august was also the month were han didn't open an individual ig account 😸

sep

230924 new york: global citizen festival

they were five members short but 3racha gave it their all. i am a big fan of the hoop earrings, personally.

oct

231013 lil durk release: all my life (skz remix)

they took that song and gave it a very distinct flavour, especially jisung.

231015 skz-record: want so bad

minsung and their gay little song, didn't expect anything less from thems two.

nov

231111 mbc show! music core & mini fanmeeting

life-altering duality, wearing that CROPTOP on stage and turning into the sweetest babushka right before our very eyes immediately after..

dec

231214 manila: asia artist awards

what's with jisung and his best moments happening in the philippines?! that's the third time this year! petition for skz to move there. 🙏

3racha winning the best creator award was already a highlight, but hannie en route to the bathroom.. running back.. having to hold his pee for the acceptance speech - a classic.

now please come to me and tell me your fave jisung/your bias/skz moments of 2023!

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

reading update: august 2023

wow what a month!!! I turned 27, I got to do so much work on a documentary on queer style, and most importantly I read a batch of really cool books that I'm so excited to ramble about. so let's cut the bullshit, here's what I've been reading!

Condomnauts (Yoss, 2013; trans. David Frye, 2018) - thank you to, who else, tumblr user @condomnauts for the recommendation! the premise of this book is so sensational: humankind has taken to the stars and become part of a bustling galactic community, with a catch: politeness demands that when different species get together to trade, they open negotiations by sending members from each crew to have sex with each other. these "condomnauts" are highly in demand among humans, since it takes a very particular kind of person to figure out how to bone down with someone who isn't even remotely human. but it's not all fun or free-wheeling space orgies; our protagonist, Josue, is up to his eyes in unresolved trauma from the miserable violence and poverty of his upbringing (seriously, look up those trigger warnings; it gets pretty yucky out there) and has definitely never been to space therapy. ultimately this book isn't as much of a romp as I might have hoped and does fall a bit more into "let's explain at length how the sci-fi tech works" than I usually like, but. BUT. I have to say, the payoff at the (deep sigh) climax of the book (and it is, in fact, a climax) took me totally by surprise and made me SHRIEK with delight when I realized what was about to happen; huge props to Yoss for bringing that particular plot point so perfectly full circle.

Raw Dog: The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs (Jamie Loftus, 2023) - I'm a huge fan of all of Jamie Loftus' nonfiction podcast series (go listen to Ghost Church, like, immediately. stop reading this an go do it) so I was naturally pretty fucking stoked for her first foray into nonfiction books. the premise is simple enough: driven by a need to consume a truly terrifying amount of hot dogs for research, Loftus and her boyfriend set off on a cross-country road trip, sampling hot dogs across America so that Loftus can alternate descriptions of the most iconic contemporary hot dogs with an investigation of the hot dog's sordid past. as is pretty much the signature of Jamie Loftus' work, to me, the end result is much funnier, weirder, and sadder than the innocuous-sounding premise would suggest; in addition to the perils of colonialism, capitalism, COVID-19, and factory farming, Loftus does a remarkably tactful job documenting the the downfall of her own relationship as she searches for the perfect dog. cannot recommend enough, an incredible debut.

Yellowface (R.F. Kuang, 2023) - a couple of months ago I read my first R.F. Kuang book, Babel, and thought that it couldn't possibly live up to the amount of hype that it was getting at the time. and I was wrong! Babel was tremendous! but surely R.F. Kuang, that crazy son of a gun, couldn't pull it off twice in one year. and yet! Yellowface was a book I found hard to put down, because with each chapter came some fresh new BUGFUCK CRAZY BULLSHIT from our terrible, terrible protagonist. maybe the plot hinging so much on extremely online book discourse will make it inaccessible for some readers, but as someone who used to spend a lot of time on lit twitter I got it and felt seen. honestly, if this kind of discourse broke loose on twitter tomorrow - a white author stealing the work of her Chinese-American friend? publishing it after her friend's tragic premature death?? changing her name to sound more racially ambiguous??? - I might go crawling back to X dot com just to gawk. this is a satirical thriller of the highest order, and if you love mess as much as me you will gobble this shit up.

The Prisoner's Wife (asha bandele, 1999) - and now for a totally different vibe than I've been bringing you so far! bandele's memoir is an absolutely wrenching account of falling in love with Rashid, a man incarcerated for murder and the ensuing fight to build a life together. bandele is a poet and it shows; her words flow beautifully even in the ugliest of circumstances. this is no suffering porn but a nakedly honest account, all of the good and all of the bad in her relationship. the struggles are never limited to the inhumanity of American carceral system, and the reader is also witness to the usual growing pains of two people learning how to love each other heightened by the enormous obstacles of stolen autonomy. but for every moment of difficulty there is love, such an enormity of love that you at time feel the need to look away from someone being so vulnerable. but I'm so grateful bandele shared the way she did. even reading the book two decades after its publication, with the knowledge that she and her husband Rashid would ultimately divorce, did nothing to dull the love. the love was real, and bandele captured it with devastating precision.

Clay's Ark (Octavia E. Butler, 1984) - god, I love Octavia. just when you think you know where she's going with a story of a creepy codependent psychic cult she zags on you and introduces a SECOND creepy codependent cult, this time in the form of a bunch of HORNY PARASITIC SPACE WEREWOLVES hiding out in the desert! there was no mention of Mary and the Pattern! where are they, Octavia? why are they sending people into space? what does it mean that aliens are in play now? are they going to fight in the next book? god, I hope they fight. there was some gruesome shit in Clay's Ark, but man was I compelled.

My Wandering Warrior Existence (Nagata Kabi, 2020; trans. Jocelyne Allen, 2022) - this was a really exciting new turn for Nagata's graphic memoirs! this one is a great reflection on ✨romance✨ as Nagata begins the arduous work of trying to figure out what romance means to them and what she'd actually want out of a relationship. there was a lot that I related to immensely, although our outcomes may be different - in my case, I realized that building so many mental hurdles for myself because I didn't want to be in a relationship at all. watching someone else navigate that journey at a later age than people are usually expected to is so cool, especially doing it so thoughtfully and with such candor and coming from a place of queerness. I don't know where things are going for Nagata Kabi, but I'm excited for the next translation of her work to be released in November. and I really recommend this graphic memoir to anyone trying to figure out their own romance situation, whether or not you're read the preceding volumes; it can stand quite well on its own!

Love, Hate & Clickbait (Liz Bowery, 2022) - guys. listen. I was so prepared to hate this romance novel, but "a governor forces two of her male staffers to fake date each other to win #woke points" is pretty heinous premise! and it SUPER doesn't help that one of these guys, Thom, is a stone cold manipulative bastard who's chronically online and obsessed with his job to a generally terrifying degree. (the other guy, Clay, is just kind of a doofus who's been, I think, accidentally autism-coded.) but by the end [SPOILERS] Thom has uuuuuh suffered complete and total ego death and renounced his entire life, and it kind of rules? idk, the fake dating might be kind of long and tedious if you're not into fake dating, by which I mean it was tedious for me, but the climax really catapulted it up the list of romance novels I've read this year. also I regret to say the sex is pretty good.

Docile (K.M. Szpara, 2020) - god almighty I put off actually getting to this book for YEARS but I'm glad I did, because I don't know if I would have had the range to appreciate her back in 2020. the basic bones premise - a slightly future dystopia in which those in extreme debt can take a drug called Dociline to become a passive blank slate and sell themselves as servants for the ultrawealthy - barely scratches the surface; it's an intoxicating story about power, control, cobsession, consent, vulnerability, exploitation, capitalism, and loss of self in so many different ways. also I once again regret to say that the sex is pretty good. I completely understand why this book wouldn't be someone's cup of tea - jesus CHRIST read those content warnings - but I couldn't read it fast enough.

Carnal Knowledge: Sex Education You Didn't Get in School (Zoë Ligon and Elizabeth Renstrom, 2020) - what a fun book! for those of y'all who don't know Ligon's work, she's the owner of Spectrum Boutique, a Detroit-based sex toy store that I endorse wholeheartedly and as often as possible! Ligon has put together a great little book of beginner's sexual affirmations, covering everything from body image to pubic hair to relationship styles as well as, naturally, sex toys. it's a great read for anybody, and Renstrom's whimsical, vibrant photos make it a delight to flip through. I'd recommend it for anyone, especially my many anons over the years who have asked how to start getting more comfortable thinking and talking about sexuality. it's a great place to start, a gorgeous little safe space of a book that welcomes everyone to think more widely about pleasure and how to find it.

[ask-de-writer]

WIND MEETS THE ROM : Part 15 of 27 :

MLP Fan Fiction

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WIND MEETS THE ROM

Part 15 of 27

by

De Writer (Glen Ten-Eyck)

Cover art by @wind-the-mama-cat

54212 words

© 2023 by Glen Ten-Eyck

Writing begun 06/01/18

All rights reserved. This document may not be copied or distributed on or to any medium or placed in any mass storage system except by the express written consent of the author.

//////////////

Copyright fair use rules for Tumblr users

Users of Tumblr.com are specifically granted the following rights. They may reblog the story provided that all author and copyright information remains intact. They may use the characters or original characters in my settings for fan fiction, fan art works, cosplay, or fan musical compositions.

All sorts of fan art, cosplay, music or fiction is actively encouraged.

///////////////////////

New to the story? Read from Part 1, here!

///////////////////////

Wind overheard him say, “At least he did not open the cases, try to do all the work and present you both with all the business ready to sign!”

Midnight chuckled, “That was only two centuries ago! The Baron Thurwood incident!”

Tia added, “Right. Remember Thurwood's defense? Mere mares obviously could not handle Vital Affairs of State!”

They settled down and began to play again.

With the fair beginning the next morning, they called a stop early.

After a good breakfast, Hanar invited Wind to help her in her booth, selling her fabrics. She entreated, “I know that you promised to help watch over the Sky Dancers, Wind. I set my booth so that you can see their crowds. I could really use the help.”

Wind was able to watch the crowds that came and went as the Sky Dancers did their first two sets. She kept hearing ponies commenting on her unusual appearance and supposed prowess. “I think that they made up that story. I mean, look at it. Only one foreleg and it stands up on its hind legs. How strong or fast could it be?”

She was laying out one of Hanar's satins on the measuring table when she noticed the near transparent glow of a unicorn trying to keep his magic stealthy! Her leap out of the booth passed over one of the ponies disparaging her abilities! She hit at a flat out run for the stallion, dodging or leaping over any pony in her way!

She jumped to his back and grabbed his horn, claws out! She raked down to his forelock and lunged for his muzzle! She grabbed and pulled his head about!

He collapsed under her, landing on his side, kicking feebly! Wind jumped free as he fell and yelled, “Medic!”

Black Lotus came charging out of the dancing pavilion that she shared with her mother! She had her field medical case carried in her magic. To the surprise of the onlookers, she skidded to a stop and took Wind into her magic!

In tones both desperate and worried, she called, “Warrior! Are you safe? Is the Rage under control?”

Wind, actually shaking from fear that she had seriously injured the pony, replied, “I am OK. It is under control for now. See to the pony.”

Black Lotus set her down and let her magic suffuse into the neck of the fallen unicorn. In a relieved tone, she said, “Just a sprain that is putting some pressure on his spinal cord. I have pushed the bones back into position. Could you please pull gently on his head? There, that is just right. The pressure is off entirely now.”

At that point, a blue uniformed Royal Road Police pony came cantering up. He obviously recognized Black Lotus because he asked her, “What has happened here, Mam?”

She gestured at the fallen unicorn. “You heard about the double murder of the Sky Dancers, last fall? This fellow just tried to murder their children on the morning of their first public performance. He was watching them and trying to gather stealth magic.

“Warrior Wind was helping in the fabric booth of Hanar Na Kili when she saw it happening. She ran through the crowd and jumped to his back. She raked his horn badly enough that he will need magical pathway surgery to be able to use magic again. She pulled his head around and he collapsed.

“His neck got a fairly bad sprain that temporarily paralyzed him. Between Warrior Wind's help and my magic the sprain has been fixed. He should regain mobility in about a half hour to an hour.”

The Royal Road Policepony turned to Wind. “You got from over there to here in time to stop him? Impressive. If you had already raked his horn, why did you twist his head?”

Wind shrugged. “I am not from a place where there are any unicorns. I never had to disable one before. I did not know for sure that his magic was disabled, so I turned his head, trying to spoil his aim.”

The RRP cop was adding to his notes. “I see. In the excitement, you pulled hard enough to sprain his neck?”

Wind shrugged diffidently, “I was just trying to shift his aim, so I didn't try to pull hard.”

Black Lotus interjected, “She does not look it, but when Wind was allowed her harness for Pulling, after her physical battle wounds were healed, she proved to be stronger than any horse of our band.”

“I get it. Spraining his neck WAS a gentle pull. Let's get this jerk to the RRP tent and forwarded to the jail.”

As Wind made her way back to Hanar's booth, fair goers parted for her like magic! Many had seen her sprint and take down of a unicorn. The quiet buzz that she overheard was no longer filled with doubts. Especially the bullies among them wanted nothing to do with a creature that could fight like that!

As the day passed towards lunch, Hanar offered, “Wind, I could go to the camp and bring lunch for both of us. If you wanted, we could both eat here.”

Wind looked up from counting coins for a length of lace trim. “That would be good, Hanar. What about our customers, though? How will they react to my eating meats?”

Hanar wrinkled her nose playfully, “Oh, the scent? I will bring you some of those pasties that don't drip. They don't have much odor, either. If I hurry, there will still be some of the blackberry pie to split.”

“Blackberry Pie? What are you waiting for? Sunset? Food! Food! Go get it!”

Snickering, Hanar got.

Lunch, when Hanar returned, was actually excellent. Besides the pastie, which was a lovely trout one, she brought Wind another bread bowl filled with scrambled eggs and cheese. And of course, a big container of the Rom black tea, along with two mugs for it. The blackberry pie was the perfect topper for the meal.

Down the way, far more respectful audiences were watching the Sky Dancers. There was still some quiet buzz about Wind's recent take down of a unicorn.

She and Hanar had several customers who, more than the cloth, wanted to see how a creature like Wind, standing on hind legs and with only one foreleg could handle bolts of cloth and accurately measure them. The dexterity of her hand and how well she managed without any apparent magic was a source of constant curiosity and wonder.

Overall, the fair was going quietly. The music of the Rom was everywhere. There were buskers out. Most of the Rom foals had a blanket spread out and played their favorite instruments, often in groups of four, with three playing one of the several types of lyre, the Rom's cleverly made drums and usually a flute singing over the rhythm and strings. The last one of the group would be doing one of the Rom's many dances to the tune played by the others.

Rose was busy selling her many clever and beautifully made boxes. Her husband, Myest, was selling some beautifully made but extremely functional forged iron work. Besides kitchen knife and tool sets, he had fine harness fittings, blades for scythes, wood carving chisels and many other useful things.

Across the midway from Hanar, was the booth being run by Tia and Midnight. Midnight's Munchies, the banner proclaimed! The long lines told better than any crier that the booth's fine fried and baked treats were worth more than the mere copper and silver charged for them!

In fact, the scent, wafting across the way was making both Wind and Hanar hungry! Again.

Wind observed, as she sheared a length of fabric for a customer, “Aside from that one jerk earlier today, I have not seen any ponies that are even rude.”

Hanar smiled as she made change for the cloth, “Most ponies are actually quite nice. The ones that we mostly have any problem with are the ones who run the towns. Becoming officials seems to select for the ruder and meaner ones. I am not sure why that is.”

Wind grinned back, “They have to stuff their shirts with something! Egos full of hot air sound like just the ticket!”

There came the drumming of small hooves on the run, coming from the foal's play yard. A colt charged by, a filly's bonnet in his jaws! Behind him was a filly calling out, “Give me back my bonnet, Charley!”

Wind leaped past the counting board and had the colt by the neck, pulling him to a stop! She said softly, “Yes, Charley. Give her back her bonnet.”

The filly yelled, “He's my brother! Don't hurt him!”

Wind looked up mildly, “I haven't hurt him, just stopped him.”

She took the bonnet from the shivering colt and handed it back to the filly. The filly looked at her bonnet and cried, “You ruined my nice new bonnet, Charley! It has your big old teeth dents in the brim! How am I going to save up enough to buy another one before Hearthwarming?”

Wind looked at the bonnet and was reminded of how clever Rose was with her hoof magic.

Charlie looked down and scraped the sod with his hoof in an ashamed way. “I didn't mean to ruin your bonnet, Sarie. I was just messing with you. You can have my allowance if it will help. I got eight bits, most of a silver. Won't have nothing left for the fair, but I owes you.”

Wind made up her mind. “You both come with me. Might be able to fix this. Don't know for sure but it never hurts to ask.”

They found Rose, in her booth, but proudly watching the latest Sky Dance. When the Dancers alighted from their last set, Wind showed Rose the damaged bonnet.

“Charley was just playing around and did not think. He grabbed his sister's new bonnet and ran off. When he did, it caused these tooth marks in the rim of it.” Winking and making a sort of pass with her hand, she added, “I thought that you might have a smoothing iron in the back. Don't know if you can, but could you maybe fix Sarie's bonnet?”

Rose nodded thoughtfully. “I am not sure if any of my smoothing irons will work but I will look to see, Wind. Watch my booth while I am in the back, please.”

Wind settled herself behind the sales board, inviting the youngsters to sit in the shade of Rose's awning.

Charley offered, “I hopes that she can fix Sarie's bonnet. I know that my eight coppers ain't enough to buy her a new one but I owes her.”

Wind nodded agreement. “You do, Charley. Glad to see that you know it, too. You are a good credit to the ponies that raised you.”

A quiet voice joined the conversation, “Glad to hear that. Don't really hear it often enough. My son's a good colt, but sometimes impulsive.”

Wind looked up at the butter yellow earth pony with a neatly roached mane of light red. She smiled and offered, “Show me a youngster that isn't and I will show you a colt that's not worth much. Charley has offered all that he has to fix Sarie's new bonnet that he damaged. I hope that Rose has a smoothing iron to fit and that she can do it for free.”

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[mx-piggy]

Almost forgot it was new Futurama day until I came across a post about it. Thank you, random Tumblr user. Spoilers ahead!!

I hadn't really expected much from Related to Items You've Viewed, and it was probably one of the episodes I had the least excitement for. But, I really was pleasantly surprised! It's not in my top 10 Futurama episodes of all time, but it's pretty strong on the whole compared to the other episodes of this revival. I can definitely see people not liking it by virtue of the fact it's basically 'the Amazon episode' (not to be confused with the Amazonian Women episode, Amazon Women in the Mood) and plenty of fans will go into it not wanting to like it, but I personally came out of it thinking it was pretty decent! With the last topical episode (the crypto episode), I saw some people on here dislike it just because it was 'about crypto' and they were like 'crypto episode bad', because they equate topicality with being bad, even if the way the episode did it was pretty unique and clever. And, it's valid not to like something. But, some people on here have such unnuanced opinions it's kinda laughable.

Like I said, I think everything about it- story, humour, sci-fi concept, characters- are all very strong, compared to, say, Children of a Lesser Bog, that was very strong character-wise but had some story issues at the beginning, or the Impossible Stream, which had some really funny jokes but had a sci-fi premise I found kind of boring.

Admittedly, I'm only vaguely familiar with Amazon and the poor treatment of its workers, but I think this was a decent commentary on it; if you're more informed about this kind of thing, feel free to correct me. Even if Amazon and the invasive nature of our devices is kind of an overdone thing and seems kind of late to be seen as fresh in a 2023 Futurama episode, I still think it simultaneously worked as a story within the Futurama universe as well, if that makes sense? Like, even if it is meant to be a commentary on Amazon, I think you could watch it without having much knowledge about Amazon and it still works as a Futurama story, too? No idea if I've articulated that in a way that makes sense (I tried!) I think that the sci-fi premise of the warehouse being able to expand on its own was pretty neat and worked with the commentary they were making.

Outside of the Amazon stuff, the story was pretty standard but it was still enjoyable, at least for me as a Freela fan. It's great to see the writers committing to Fry and Leela's relationship, and I think it was natural for them to do a story about Bender being jealous of them (I'm also a Freeler fan, if you couldn't tell). I think it was fun for them to go and rescue Bender from the Momazon warehouse, and I like that, throughout the episode, the characters really do care about one another. Fry being so concerned about Bender was really sweet.

I think these really nice character relationships elevates this revival over a lot of the episodes in the Comedy Central revival, which, at times, felt pretty mean-spirited. I really like how this revival is very sincere in the character relationships it protrays.

My only major issue with the episode is the fact that I don't think Mom had as big of a presence as she did in the original run, and she felt under-utilised. I wished we'd gotten an interaction between her and the Professor- I love their dynamic and it felt odd that they didn't really interact. I'm hoping that we get to see more of her because she's one of my favourite recurring characters, and I'd love to see them build on the reveal in Bender's Game that the Professor is Igner's father.

But, that's a very minor issue! The episode was really funny, had some really good character dynamics, and I really liked the sci-fi premise! Also, I adore the Moon setting as a fan of the Series Has Landed, so it was neat to see that again, as well as the Luna Park mascot. Also, shout-out to the Moon conservative and his three robot daughters.

There are so many good jokes in this episode I won't list my favourites this time.

Overall, I think this might be my second favourite episode of this season, with first place going to Children of a Lesser Bog (which I adore despite those expositional issues that I've complained about every week since lmao). That said, I'm really prepared to enjoy episode six, because Johnny 2 Cellos said on his podcast with Toonirific Tariq (Cartoons that Curse; go check it out if you haven't already) it was his favourite episode of the revival out of the first six episodes (he had early access to them all) and I trust that man's Futurama opinions. After my disappointment with Parasites Regained, it feels really good to be so positive about this episode!

[sukea69]

where the dreams are

He really looks like he belongs here, like he was born to skip rocks by this river.

for day 1 of @hashimada-week 2023 and the prompt childhood crush

Read here on ao3 (for logged in users)

Or click the read more to read on tumblr

Hashirama sneaks towards the river, coaxing the brambles aside with his hands and a friendly brush of chakra. They feel happy today, in the way the plants near the river do, roots reaching for the water and leaves soaking up the sunlight between the branches of the trees far overhead.

The sounds come before the sight of the river, water over rocks, the splish splash of stones being skimmed over the surface, and the little noises a human makes. Hashirama stifles a delighted giggle and puts on his quietest feet, silent between the twigs and things littering the ground. Madara is here!

Hashirama peeks out from behind a tree to catch a glimpse of his best friend. He’s got a little pile of flat throwing stones next to him and a ferocious scowl on his face as he picks another one up, weighs it in his hand, and sends it skidding across the water. It’s a pretty good throw, too, eight skips before it sinks, almost to the other side. Hashirama can imagine the noise Madara makes when it doesn’t make it, the funny little ‘tsch’ that sounds like it should be coming from an elder, not from a boy two years younger than Hashirama himself.

He really looks like he belongs here, like he was born to skip rocks by this river. His hair is so dark that the sun can't touch it, the golden light absorbed into the unruly waves. The back of his neck is flushed bright red, and Hashirama knows he'll be resisting the urge to wash cooling chakra over the burnt skin later. He's grown since Hashirmama saw him last, just the week before. The sleeves of his robe ride up well above his wrist bones and his trousers are so short Hashirama can nearly see his knees. If Hashirama had tried to wear trousers that short, the aunties definitely would have yelled at him about how unbecoming it is on a clan heir to be so immodest!

Sometime he wishes he could complain about that to Madara, but there's no way he could without giving himself away. It doesn't really matter though, because it's far more important to flop with Madara in the afternoon sun and talk about their lives and their loved ones and their dreams for the future.

Madara carefully selects another stone, looking it over for bumps and imperfections before smoothing one hand over and readying his stance. He releases the stone and it skims across the water, almost to the other side again, sinking right before it reaches the bank. Madara grumbles under his breath and picks up another stone. He sets himself up again with a look of pure concentration on his face.It's very funny, actually. Skipping stones means nothing, but Madara is putting his whole grumpy heart and soul into getting it right.

Hashirama tiptoes out from between the bushes and creeps up behind Madara. He’s just about to release his newest stone when:

“Nice shot!” Hashirama says, from directly behind Madara.

“AHH!” Madara screams, twisting on the spot and hurling the stone right at Hashirama’s head.

“AHH!” Hashirama responds, and ducks so it sails over him, but it’s a near thing.

“Don’t DO that, Hashirama!” Madara says and his face is turning colours like it always does when he’s surprised. Hashirama collapses from his crouch into a laughing puddle at his best friend’s feet and feels like the whole world is brighter.

He’s spent the last month pulling mission after mission for his clan, and he’s seen so many people die. His healing is still kind of shaky and he doesn’t always know how to put the pieces of people back right, and sometimes his clanmates die wheezing in his arms while he tries one last, desperate time to stitch them together.

Some die so far from home that he can’t take them with him. He buries them in the warm embrace of the earth and coaxes bushes and flowers to grow above their makeshift graves. He takes their armour and weapons. After all, they can still be useful.

But here with Madara there is none of that. They dying is a hypothetical, far away from this place where the green things cradle them and the river rushes steadily down. Hashirama feels like nothing can touch him when Madara is near.

Nothing, that is, except for Madara himself.

He crouches down and grabs Hashirama by the front of his robes, shakes him, his face still red and eyebrows set in a grumpy line. He’s just so cute, like a little hedgehog. Hashirama lets himself be jostled and thinks the way his laughter sounds when Madara shakes him is very funny.

“Sorry! Sorry!” Hashirama feels like a summer morning right now, his hands coming up to rest gently on Madara’s bony wrists. He doesn’t promise not to do it again and Madara notices, grumbling under his breath. When he stops shaking Hashirama, they just sit there, Madara’s fists in Hashirama’s clothing, and Hashirama’s hands over his.

There’s a slow blooming awareness happening, an unconscious realisation of something. Of the way two things belong together. Like the leaves seek the sun, Hashirama sways towards Madara. Deep inside him there’s something vital that needs the thing inside Madara, though he doesn’t have any kind of understanding if what this means yet. He just knows that like this, skin to skin, they’re right.

He tightens his grip on Madara’s wrists and gently pulls him down, until Madara is in his lap, and they’re face to face.

“I won’t scare you again.” Hashirama says. He strokes a thumb up the inside of Madara’s wrist, can feel the delicate veins under his fingers, the blood and chakra circulating through him molten to Hashirama’s touch. Hashirama thinks there might be something wrong with him. The heat of Madara’s body is too much, it’s making him blush, and Madara’s heart is beating rabbit quick.

“I wasn’t sc- I wasn’t scared!” Madara says, and his voice breaks halfway through. He’s so cute. He’s SO cute, it really isn’t Hashirama’s fault that the only proper response is to wrap his arms fully around Madara.

[quincyhorst]

Y'know, even if I talk a lot about EuroB, I feel like I should have talked about this sooner...

For some context, back on 2022 the game Megaton Musashi (Also made by Level5) added some references to Inazuma Eleven in the form of team emblem stickers as to decor the player's robots. At least that's what I know. Here's a thread with the images if you're curious.

A lot of the choices are clear obvious why they were used (Raimon, Aliea Teams, Teikoku, Ogre, etc). There are some which are a bit more unusual but I can see why they are here (Knights of Queen, Unicorn). And then there's the odd ones out, Euro B + Team Garshield.

I think EuroB's addition will forever confuse me. They are not very popular teams except for like 3-4 Tumblr users and some Pixiv artist (?), and the treatment of L5 towards them has never been the best. So this is a surprise for me.... I think the same could apply to TG too (?

But nonetheless, I appreciate it, if it means us getting a no-pixel HD emblem of these teams 🚬🚬🚬🚬🚬🚬🚬

Though. Let me say. Lately I've been thinking of these emblems an entirely different way.

What if.... Knowing what we saw back on 2023, with ALL teams being confirmed for VROH.....

These emblems were some kind of foreshadowing?

[tartigglez]

Hello tumblr user that I don’t know

May i please suggest Zhongli and the orange heart emoji? xoxoxoxoxox

~tulip anon (i cant get to my emojisss)

"ten-twenty"

tartigglez 100 follower event!

・❥・hello dear tumblr user who i also don't know! i hope this is satisfactory

・❥・zhongli x gn!reader

・❥・0.5k

・❥・zhongli is sick (poor babie), food (soup for sick!li), zhongli doesn't understand mortal sickness, modern au, (idk why i'm warning for this but some people are grossed out by it) li blows his nose at one point

zhongli x 🧡

as an archon, sickness did not apply to zhongli. it was a problem that he never faced. so when his mortal form came down with a case of the cold, it was quite literally the most dramatic he had been with you in a very long time. 

it was actually quite funny, hearing his voice go all nasally and having such a graceful and uptight man laying on your sofa as you made soup for him. of course, he didn’t find it very funny when you giggled at him. 

“dear~ please stop laughing, i feel so… what’s the thing you say? ippy?”

you couldn’t control your laughter, “icky, zhong. icky.” of course you wouldn’t laugh at him if something was seriously wrong, but right now he was just a little under the weather, and would be walking around liyue like nothing had happened in a couple of days time. 

“i finally understand what you mean when you say that. it’s not nice” 

“i know its not nice dear, here.” you brought a bowl of the soup over to him, as well as a box of tissues. giving him a moment to sit up, you got the thermometer off the coffee table and checked his temperature again, and to your surprise it actually wasn’t too badly out of range. then you handed him the box of tissues so he could blow his nose. 

“so, what is it i do again? just, exhale into it?” gosh he was clueless, how adorable. then again, how could you blame him? it's not like archons are built the same as humans, nor do they have the same bodily functions or needs, it's just a change for him, that’s all. 

“yes, but hard, so you can get all the icky out”

“i can’t help but feel like you’re using that word wrong” 

you looked at him with mock insult, mouth wide as you placed your hand on your chest. “well excuse me, master of linguistics!”

“haha~ i jest my dear”

after eating the bowl of soup, and making yet another pathetic attempt at blowing his nose, zhongli asked you to come back into the living room, inviting you to sit beside him, which you humbly declined, much to his dismay. opting to sit on the armchair opposite him instead

“dear, why won’t you sit near me?”

“‘li, you do realise… how sickness spreads… right?”

“uhm… yes”

“tell me how”

“well, when mortals…”

“when mortals…?” you gazed at him, raising an eyebrow.

“fine, it is in fact… a gap in my knowledge. but, i did read somewhere, that a true loves kiss cures all ails”

“archons, ‘li. you do know those books are fiction right?” you giggled at him again, laughing at his cluelessness. for someone who has spent his whole existence protecting mortals, he doesn’t seem to know much about their actual workings.

“uhm… well… you should try it anyway! kiss me better!”

let's just say, the day ended with a very long winded biology lesson about the transmission of viruses....

© tartigglez, 2023. do not copy, translate or repost

[hxhbigbang23]

HxH Big Bang 2023 Info

Hello and Welcome to the Eighth Hunter x Hunter Big Bang!

Sign-ups open January 14th, so below are some important updates and info. Scroll to the bottom for this year’s timeline and links to the Guidebook and our Carrd, keep reading to check out important information and updates!

So, what is the Hunter x Hunter Big Bang?

A Big Bang is an event that pairs artists and writers together to create content for a series, ship, or theme. Writers will complete a longer story and artists will complete at least one piece of artwork based off of their writer’s fic. The goal is to create new, complete works that will inspire and add to the fandom! This will result in an influx of new works for the HxH fandom to enjoy and, as an added bonus, it will encourage collaboration between fandom writers and artists.

Authors will sign up to write a fic, and after they know what they plan to write, submit a summary of their story. Artists will then be able to claim the fic they want based ONLY on the blind summary. From that point the writers will be given a deadline to finish their full stories and then the artists will be able to make their accompanying piece.

How will this work?

Signups open on January 14th, for both authors and artists.

Just like last year, we are implementing a Writer Waitlist to ensure that we don’t overwhelm our wonderful and talented artists! For the last few years, we’ve had more writers than artists sign up—which, while amazing, makes it difficult to assign artists for each fic.

The waitlist means we will be accepting an equal number of applications for writers and artists on a first-come, first-serve basis until January 28th. After this date, writers will be placed on a waitlist while artists continue to apply until signups close officially on March 31st.

Collaborations, you say?

Yep! As before, artists will have the option to collaborate with their author or keep it under wraps until the reveal. Collaborating just means that authors will be keeping their artists updated on their progress periodically, the final art will still be a surprise on reveal day!

Artists who choose not to collaborate will have their pairing kept secret until the reveal—surprises are fun! 

When is reveal day?

The main reveal date for 2023 is July 1st, with a late posting date on July 15th.

For multi-chapter works: Only your first chapter must be posted on July 1st, but we do ask that your full fic be posted by December 31st. 

Where is all of this happening?

Our main and only form of communication with participants will be via Discord, so you will need to make an account if you do not have one already. All important announcements and check-ins will be done through the Discord server. No pressure to participate excessively in the chat, but we’ve put a lot of effort into our server and we’d love to see you there!

Posting will take place on your hosting site of choice (AO3, ffnet, etc.) and should be linked on Tumblr or Twitter so that we can reblog and retweet your awesome stuff.

With everything happening on twitter, we may not be able to use it as we have in the past. It’ll be a learning curve, but we don’t want to discourage any twitter-users from participating regardless!

Phew! That was a lot... Keep all this info handy with our timeline and some useful links.

Click here for the Guidebook! This will be your one-stop-shop for any and all information regarding the Big Bang. Everything from role requirements to nitty-gritty details and mod contact info is there!

Click here for our Carrd! This will have all of our links centralized in one place and will be updated as deadlines come to have nifty countdowns to keep you on track.

Any questions? Feel free to send an ask here or message any of our mods: @shalnarkonice, @storybookprincess, or @clood​

See you soon, and until then—Happy Hunting!

[hapuriainen]

Hapuriainen's animation, comics & games of 2022

It feels every year these get shorter and later... but better late than never!

Anime: 

Ranking of Kings, Magia Record s3, Machikado Mazoku s2, Futari wa Precure Max Heart, Delicious Party Precure, Spy x Family (part 1), Tiger & Bunny s2 (part 1), Yashahime s2, Magic User's Club, Tokyo Mew Mew New

Overall Yashahime was a disappointment but at least the Moroha stuff was good. As for Tiger & Bunny it was a delight to have Kotetsu back since this was my number one series back when the first season came out, but the netflix release model really killed all momentum it could have had and I still haven't managed to watch the second half.

Webcomics: 

Magical Mom, Cloudy Wondrous, Apricot Cookie(s)!, Strawberry Seafoam, Miss Guillotine

This year I read a lot of webcomics, which has been documented on my magical girl tumblr. On the manga front there wasn't anything new but I still continue with many series from past years. A shoutout to One Piece for having its worst year to date but at least the Wano arc is now finally over.

Movies: 

Encanto, Turning Red, Lightyear, some Precure movies, Children of the Sea

Games: 

Zelda Skyward Sword, Link's Awakening, New Pokemon Snap, Hyrule Warriors DE, Pokemon Let's Go Eevee, Pokemon Scarlet

Overall this has been a Game year (rather than anime or manga). I learned that nowadays games save on the console and not the cartridge so I could borrow games from the library and only buy them myself if I liked them enough (and then continue on the same save file). Unfortunately this was after I spent money on Skyward Sword which was not worth the 60€, meanwhile New Pokemon Snap and Pokemon Let's Go were enjoyable for the price tag of 0€ and Hyrule Warriors I had to get for myself and now I have over 100 hours on it. And Pokemon Scarlet was surprisingly fun too.

The awards:

Best work: I guess I have to give this to Hyrule Warriors since I've played it unexpectedly much, the story was dumb but I'm having a lot of fun in Adventure Mode.

Best music: Tal Tal Heights from Link's Awakening, Hyrule Warriors in general having a lot of good music, Area Zero music from Pokemon. Also the Bruno song.

Best visuals: Strawberry Seafoam for reminding me of retro girl shows

Best character design: Cloudy Wondrous, a very cute and creative magical girl look

Best OP: Spy x Family, the song is mellow and fun and the visuals are great

Best ED: Spy x Family for the visuals, no real standout songs this year

Biggest WTF: Children of the Sea overall, what even happened in that movie??

Best Girl: Kuroe from MagiReco

Best Boy: Ehh let's go with Bruno

Best Side Girl: the queen from Ranking of Kings being a surprising highlight of the whole show

Best Side Boy: Arven from Pokemon seemed super cringe at first sight but his bread storyline turned out to be the best part of the whole game. Also Groose from Zelda

Worst Girl: No total duds this year, let's go with Yui from Precure. Or Yuuko from Machikado Mazoku

Worst Boy: n/a

Worst Side Girl: Cia from Hyrule Warriors with her dumb outfit. Or (I'm sorry I know she's popular) Iono from Pokemon kind of annoys me... Oh right also Fi

Worst Side Boy: Trace from Pokemon Let's Go was a major disappointment for a final boss and it didn't really feel anything beating him. Also Porun from Precure

Best romance: For the first time in years I have a ship (botw Link and Zelda) but since I didn't play it this year, let's say that Loid and Yor are always a delight to see in how positive and respectful their relationship is

Best non-romantic relationship: the Spy x Family family stuff

Worst romance: Hyrule Warriors making it a plot point that the game's Link and Zelda will end up as a couple but giving them zero chemistry or development

Worst non-romantic relationship: Yashahime for keeping the new heroines separate from their parents 99% of the time

Plans for 2023:

Botw 2 can’t come out soon enough

Until then I’ll probably keep playing Hyrule Warriors

Pokemon Arceus

Hirogaru Precure

Overall expecting a very Precure year, since they revealed new sequel seasons and I have to watch the originals by then

Evangelion has been on my watch list since 2014, maybe I’ll eventually get to it if I keep including it.

Tiger & Bunny & Spy x Family part 2

TMM New s2

[ask-de-writer]

WIND MEETS THE ROM : Part 6 of 27 :

MLP Fan Fiction

Return to the Master Story Index

Return to MLP Fan Fiction

WIND MEETS THE ROM

Part 6 of 27

by

De Writer (Glen Ten-Eyck)

Cover art by @wind-the-mama-cat

54212 words

© 2023 by Glen Ten-Eyck

Writing begun 06/01/18

All rights reserved. This document may not be copied or distributed on or to any medium or placed in any mass storage system except by the express written consent of the author.

//////////////

Copyright fair use rules for Tumblr users

Users of Tumblr.com are specifically granted the following rights. They may reblog the story provided that all author and copyright information remains intact. They may use the characters or original characters in my settings for fan fiction, fan art works, cosplay, or fan musical compositions.

All sorts of fan art, cosplay, music or fiction is actively encouraged.

///////////////////////

New to the story? Read from Part 1, here!

///////////////////////

Wind responded by putting her mug of tea in the middle of the plate and arranging her pasties around it, so that she could manage the whole thing with her one hand. Just then, a filly that Wind remembered from the game yesterday trotted up.

She gave Wind a curtsy and asked, “Would you like to eat with us? We foals noticed that not only did you play the ball fairly, you are learning to talk, read and write. That means that you are one of us!”

Wind looked over at Black Lotus, who looked on to Hoof Dancer, who nodded an emphatic yes.

Wind looked at her new acquaintance and picked up her plate. “Lead the way! I am Wind, um, Wind Whisper.”

The foals were sitting quietly in the shade, near to a neatly boxed in spring with open water tank for the use of ponies and horses that stopped at the wayside. Wind appreciated the how well the wayside was laid out for the convenience of its users.

The foals were happily chattering away in Gyptian, pausing anytime that Wind showed any sign of confusion or misunderstanding to explain or show her the meaning of what they were saying.

Wind was sorting out Gyptian's interesting view of “caravan” being any device that hauled things OR any group of such devices. You could say one particular caravan in a caravan. You could even say how many there were in a caravan. She was both amused and bemused by the amazing idea that there was no plural for caravan.

The foals were amused by Wind's amusement. Quiet trills that the Rom used for applause greeted her sorting the matter out. One filly explained, “Ponies always have trouble figuring that out. You got it in only a few minutes!”

They all fell silent at once. Wind, following their stares, saw a plain brown earth pony whose mane and tail were only a little darker brown pulling a heavily loaded wagon down the access road into the wayside.

The first sight of the stranger caused her heart to skip a beat. He was the exact same color as her friend Penny. It was quickly apparent that he was nothing like Penny.

First, he barged into the Rom camp, dragging his wagon and dropping the hitch as if he was part of their camp. Second, he tried to just help himself to their breakfast.

Wind and the foals could hear Marchhare's voice as he demanded, “Right of Privacy in our camp! You must find your own camp spot and fix your own rations.”

“I ain't movin' til you fixes my sour wheel and gives me a good breakfast! Got it?”

Wind's eyes went wide with surprise as Black Lotus just asked, “Mom, will you get this worthless pony out of our camp? I have his caravan.”

Soft looking blue magic from her horn enveloped the intruder's wagon and lifted the several tonne load up off the ground. The squalling pony was also lifted by Hoof Dancer's magic. Both of them carried their burdens to a well shaded camp space with a fire ring and supply of firewood. They left him and his wagon there.

Utterly sour, the brown pony stomped over to the wayside's boxed spring. He was starting to demand, “You brats get away from here!”

Wind quietly stood up and laid her hand on the side of his neck. She said in a gentle tone, “If you try to bully these foals, you could wind up all scratched up by the bramble.”

Just as he was blustering, “There ain't no brambles here! What are you talking about?” Wind flexed her hand slightly. Tiny trickles of blood ran down his coat from her finger tips.

Smiling, to show her fangs, Wind replied, “I am the Bramble. Get your water in peace and you will have no problem with me.”

Grumbling, he went around the foals, eating in the cool shade. “That Waller lied to me about everything! Said Rom on the road was generous and would fix wagons with problems and share meals and all. Lies, every bit of it.”

One of the fillies raised her eyebrows and asked, “Waller Left Leg?”

“That's him! Not a word of it true!”

The filly smiled. “For him, it is all true. I bet that he told you to always be polite and never intrude on our camps too, but you just left that out, didn't you?”

He actually looked down and scraped the grass with his hoof before answering, “Well, yes. That part don't make no sense. I means, you is all Rom, not even proper ponies. Why would anypony be polite to you?”

She batted her eyelashes at him and chuckled. “Last that I looked, courtesy costs nothing. It would have been repaid with an invitation to eat and the repair of your cara ...” she paused, “wagon. Well worth the price, I would say.”

Wind looked about and smiled, a cheerful mouthful of fangs. “We are done with breakfast! Let's take our dishes back to camp for cleaning! I understand that we are going to be on the road today!”

Happy foals charged across the wayside grass to their camp. Wind paused only long enough to say, “Hanar was right, you know. About courtesy, I mean.” She loped away to the Rom camp after the foals.

By the time that the brown pony had got his water and returned to his camp, the Rom were putting away the last of their now cleaned cookware and utensils. Lockers were open and rigging parts for hitching up to their caravan were being selected and set up.

The filly Hanar was showing Wind the parts, naming them and laying them out. Wind was linking the parts together as well as learning the names of the pieces.

Hanar looked up from the setup and smiled. “Wind, you are learning Gyptian far faster than anyhorse that I have ever heard of. From what I am hearing, what you need most is just to build up your vocabulary.”

Wind nodded. “I have a gift with learning languages. It really helps my adventuring. I learn most languages in only a day or two. Like Gyptian, I will still need to learn new words but that is pretty automatic as time goes by.”

Hanar nodded to herself as she finished her Pulling set up and used her magic to latch her harness into place. She gestured with her horn to a place beside her. “Hoof Dancer was very particular that you walk alongside me today. I will be leading off the Road Songs. We sing to keep cadence and the Pull even. The songs also help the kilometers to pass. We are going to visit mother's Lake today. It will be so nice to visit her again. Our Loved Dead are Always With Us but I feel her most strongly at her Lake.”

Wind reached into her pouch of holding and pulled out a nice reddish pebble. “I was told something of Laying the Stones. While we were breakfasting, I noticed this one in the outfall stream from the wayside water box. Would it be proper? I mean, Shansa Na Kili wa, I mean, is your mother. You would know best.”

Hanar's magic took the stone delicately from Wind's fingers. It turned this way and that under her scrutiny. “That would be perfect, Wind. It is a small carnelian with most of the cortex worn off by water and other pebbles. That is just the sort of thing that we look for.

“Look! Everyone is hitched! It is time for the starting cadence!” In a loud clear voice, she called out, “Lean Left! Lean Right! Pull Left! Pull Right! Pull! Pull!”

The whole caravan of Rom got underway, all of them in perfect step and cadence. Wind was impressed. As they hit the main road and turned south, Hanar called out, “Shehan Ja Rom!” Moments later the melodious voices of the Rom filled the roadway.

Wind listened closely and began humming first, then softly, so that her errors would not disrupt the others, filling in with words and guesses for words. The singing made it easier for her to add to her vocabulary and, incidentally, learn the origin of the Rom as a race.

It helped that she knew some of the story but the song filled it out and put muscles on the bare skeleton that she knew. She thoughtfully filed away that she could see the eyes of a good number of her new friends and they were all showing signs of tears. The song came to an end and the mood changed!

Red Roan's Lullaby had nothing to do with sleeping! Wind picked up the chorus quickly and the short verses had her giggling.

Another was almost a tone poem about the road and its nature and how much the Rom loved the road as their true home. Hearing it, Wind recalled her conversation with Black Lotus about finding a place to settle. Now she understood the black mare's reaction far better. The Rom were settled, just not in a single place. Home was the road and the caravan.

They turned into Royal Road Red Branch Section Wayside #6 well before noon. There was a party there before them. There were pegassi in armor and carrying weapons. Their leader ordered the troop, “Stand Down! This is the caravan that we have been waiting for!”

Lounging in the shade of a tree were two more Rom, or so they appeared. A pure white, horse sized unicorn lay quietly beside another, slightly smaller horse of deep blue. Both wore the unique headdresses that the Rom called Freedoms and they were in lovely sashes and harnesses.

They sprang to their feet and virtually charged forward, calling out, “Marchhare! We got away from our Duties early! We have been waiting for you! We are ready to set up camp with you!”

Wind saw the other Rom all eagerly greeting the newcomers with, “Tia! Midnight! We hoped that you would be able to join us! Will you be with us for the Haymarket Fair?”

“Try to stop us! We got our schedules cleared all the way through to Monday!”

There was the happy clatter of hitches being taken apart and stowed. Even more promising, was the different clatter of cooking equipment being set up. Having already learned about Rom priorities, Wind got busy helping Hoof Dancer to set up griddles, grilles and a portable oven over the wayside fire pits.

While she was busy, she noticed that her enthusiasm was not shared by at least some of the pegassi. Two were stopped by the officer in charge as they started to stomp over to the encampment being set up. There was some sort of disagreement before they returned to ranks.

Wind noticed that the newcomers, Tia and Midnight, were already hock deep in Ka'chek flour and rolling out the dough with delight. Wind's shyness was broken by Black Lotus calling, “Wind! Come over and meet Midnight and Tia! They want to see you in person. Reports are so often impersonal!”

Wind trotted over, muttering, “Did that old blue unicorn tell everyhorse in the kingdom about me?”

Tia's lips twitched up in a bit of a smile. Midnight snickered, “Not at all. He did put a note about you into the Chronicle but it was that lovely old dead donkey over there who sent us the reports.”

Wind sent a small not really glare over to Marchhare. He snorted and retorted, “An army may march on its stomach but the life blood of a kingdom is PAPER!”

By then, Wind was already stirring up thick apricot filling for some of the pastries to come. There was a pot of berry filling waiting for the final stirring and, to Wind's surprise, there were pastry fillings with both fish and fowl ready to go too.

Midnight noticed Wind's casual look at the feast preparations and replied to her unspoken question, “We know that you are a carnivore, dear. Both Tia and I are skilled surgeons. Things like meat and blood do not bother us. We know and entertain the Gryphons from time to time also. Fixing you properly savory food is not only no trouble, it will show Shansa Na Kili that you are truly a member of Marchhare's band.”

Tia put in casually, “I have a couple of questions to ask her myself. She is such a good friend and shares her knowledge so willingly.”

Wind nodded. “So I have heard. I want to thank her for the fine weaving of my new cloak. I found her a nice pebble for the Laying the Stones. Hanar told me that it was a good one.”

Midnight's eyes softened as she kneeded more dough and replied, “That is wonderful. Hanar loves to visit her mother.”

Suddenly soft looking many hued magic sprung from Tia's horn and shot over to edge of the wayside! One of the armored pegassi was snatched from over near the woods and slapped to earth hard, in front of Tia and Midnight both! He had a sling with a stone in it. The stone, a nice, shiny petrified wood, bounced free of the sling pocket.

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