#a theme can be present in a work without the author's intent

[sith-shenanigans]

[tumblr wouldn’t let me edit only the tags for some reason and i had more to come back and say with them]

"A story doesn't need a theme in order to be good" I'm only saying this once but a theme isn't some secret coded message an author weaves into a piece so that your English teacher can talk about Death or Family. A theme is a summary of an idea in the work. If the story is "Susan went grocery shopping and saw a weird bird" then it might have themes like 'birds don't belong in grocery stores' or 'nature is interesting and worth paying attention to' or 'small things can be worth hearing about.' Those could be the themes of the work. It doesn't matter if the author intended them or not, because reading is collaborative and the text gets its meaning from the reader (this is what "death of the author" means).

Every work has themes in it, and not just the ones your teachers made you read in high school. Stories that are bad or clearly not intended to have deep messages still have themes. It is inherent in being a story. All stories have themes, even if those themes are shallow, because stories are sentences connected together for the purpose of expressing ideas, and ideas are all that themes are.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Setting the Mood

Setting the Mood in Your Novel

Mood - goes beyond the atmosphere of your novel.

It is the feeling your novel inspires in the reader.

Whether your reader comes away from the novel with a chuckle, or a heaviness of heart—it’s likely to be the mood that’s responsible.

Mood can influence context, how you experience the story, and what you take from it. Example:

In a story where people are stranded on a desolate island, the mood could be Gilligan’s Island, or it could be Lost.

Similar circumstances, but the two stories produce a profoundly different emotion.

Mood Changes

Through the course of your novel, the mood will change.

It’s likely to shift, as the reader connects with the narrator, develops empathy for the protagonist, and experiences the ups and downs of your exquisite storytelling.

Your story’s mood can jump from jubilant to sorrowful and then back again.

Remember that mood doesn’t have to be constant, but it does need to be ever-present.

The Importance of Mood

You must create a mood that enhances the story you’re telling, whether that story is sad, terrifying, romantic, or joyful. When you tell a story, you want people to feel a certain way when hearing or reading it.

Example: If you’re relaying a funny story to your best friend--you want your friend to feel happy and even laugh while hearing it.

It’s the same way with a novel. You can do that by first striking the right tone, which will then create the right mood.

Mood also enhances the reader’s experience.

As a writer, your goal for the reader should always be emotional reaction.

The reader needs to feel emotionally attached to the story, the characters, the plot, and the possibilities.

The right mood will help the reader immerse completely into your world of characters. It will give them a personal and visceral connection to the story.

Mood vs. Tone

Mood deals with the reader.

Tone deals with the writer and/or the narrator.

The tone of a story is how the narrator feels about what’s happening in the story.

Sometimes, it can be connected to the mood, and in other times, it can be in stark contrast to the mood.

Example: You have an unreliable narrator who happens to be a serial killer. He or she may use a matter-of-fact, or even humorous tone when depicting events. As the reader, the tone may make you feel uncomfortable, unsettled, or weirded out-- that’s the mood.

And that’s also an extreme example.

Generally, if the narrator can be trusted, the mood and the tone will be similar.

Mood vs. Tone vs. Voice

Voice is different from tone.

Your writer’s voice is your own.

It’s the unique style in which you tell your stories.

You’ll carry your voice with you to every book your write.

It’s tethered to you as an author and doesn’t change. However, tone can change from book to book, character to character, scene to scene.

Remember the old saying “tone of voice”. Your tone can change, but your voice is uniquely and consistently yours, no matter the tone.

The Right Mood

What do I want the reader to feel when reading my novel?

Is the answer: Delighted? Suspenseful? Hopeful? Helpless? Desperate?

Whatever the targeted sentiment, be intentional.

Write towards that emotion.

During the self-editing process, check your work against that specific emotion.

After a peer critique, inquire about the reader’s emotion.

Is it the same as the emotion you were hoping to create?

If not, edit until you get the right emotion.

The Importance of an Emotional Goal

Emotions tie the reader to your story.

Finding the right emotion(s) will also strengthen your story, and make it more engaging. Without a defined emotional goal, your story will feel loose, unfocused, and unintentional.

4 Ways to Establish Mood in Your Novel

Explore Theme

The theme of a novel is its big idea.

It’s the meaning of your story, and the interpretation you’re hoping to communicate.

A few popular themes in literature:

The circle of life

Empowerment

Fading beauty

Love and sacrifice

Self-reliance

True love conquers all

Oftentimes, the theme of your novel can set a mood for the reader.

When you choose a story that focuses on the theme true love conquers all, your reader may feel angry, optimistic, melancholy, nostalgic, and ultimately gratified.

By focusing on the theme, you can create the right mood for your reader.

Use the Setting

Setting can set the mood.

Example: Your protagonist is lost. As darkness falls around her, she reaches...

A dilapidated mansion overtaken with weeds and ivy. It’s seemingly abandoned except for the one faint light the emanating from an upstairs window.

A well-built log cabin that’s nestled deep in the woods. Smoke billows from the chimney, and she can hear a sitcom playing in the background.

In both of the above examples, the protagonist reaches a house, but the mood is different.

You can use setting to make the reader feel a sense of foreboding.

Or the setting can suggest safety.

And depending on the journey you’d like to take the reader on, the mood you create could betray and misdirect the reader.

Choose the Right Language

The choice of words you use make a huge impact on how the reader feels about the characters and each scene.

Example: A character laughs.

You can choose a term like “cackle” or “giggle” to describe the laugh.

One (cackle) suggests a shrill, unpleasant sound.

The other (giggle) suggests an innocent, or even nervous, sound.

Your word choice directs the reader on what to feel about the character, the scene, and more.

Set the Pace

Pacing captures the energy of the scene.

Example: When you choose short, terse words and sentences, you’ll cultivate a rushed mood in your narrative.

You may choose short words to indicate a range of emotions from excitement to anger. Alternatively, if you use lyrical, long-winding sentences, you can cultivate a contemplative mood.

Wordiness will slow down the narrative and has the subtle power to make the reader feel hopeless, trapped, or completely immersed.

Source ⚜ Writing Notes & References Writing References: Worldbuilding ⚜ Plot ⚜ Character

[yuurei20]

remember when you compiled a list to show evidence on Crowley inducing the over blot? can you do one main focused on event to show Crowley's untrustworthyness because there are alot of hints.

Hello hello! Thank you for this question! 🐦‍⬛

How suspicious Crowley is may depend upon whether or not you suspect he is actually competent but pretending he isn’t in order to distract from his intentions, or if you suspect he is exactly as incompetent (if not more) as he is presenting himself to be :> 

(the following is not meant to be definitive proof of anything, just some screenshots of the support that there is rumored to be for this theory! Only fan-based speculation~ 📝 )

And it is important to keep in mind is one of the game’s themes, stated explicitly by Malleus in the main story: “Sometimes, what you see with your eyes is the complete opposite of the truth.”

Malleus was describing gargoyles at the time but this also applies to most, if not every character in the game, including Crowley, who has been named “disastrous” with a word being pronounced as “beloved” (more here ↓)

An interesting point of Crowley’s suspiciousness is how his words generally do not match his actions—or do they?—and it seems like he is not trying to hide it—or is he?

Approaching this from the angle of “We cannot believe anything that Crowley says,” things get very complex very quickly:

--

Point 1: The Prefect

For example, in Book 4 Crowley makes a point of both claiming that he is still trying to find a way home for the prefect but also describing what he claims are certainly not his “refined and indulgent” vacation plans.

What are we supposed to believe? 📝

・Crowley is not trying to find a way home for the prefect, but pretending he is? ・Crowley is trying to find a way home for the prefect, but pretending he is not? ・Crowley is going on vacation but pretending he isn’t? ・Crowley isn’t going on vacation but he wants people to believe that he is, possibly to distract from where he is actually going and what he will be doing there?

--

Point 2: Manipulation

Crowley’s manipulation is so obvious (examples provided: Book 2, Book 3, Glorious Masquerade) that Ace even comments in-game on how Grim is “a born sucker” for letting Crowley bribe him into stoking the fireplaces during the winter holiday.

Crowley describes the job as a task “so critical, the very survival of Night Raven College hinges upon it,” and this critical task is then performed by the Ramshackle ghosts without needing Grim or the prefect at all.

Which asks the question, why didn’t he just go to the ghosts already employed by the school in the first place?

In the novel, Yuuya asks himself a similar question about the spelldrive team situation: 

‘But we do not have enough players to make a team, do we? That is what Professor Crewel said.’ ‘By my authority as headmage, I will simply work something out.’ Yuuya’s concern has been dismissed in an instant. If it is as simple as that, it seems as though he should have just considered including Ramshackle Dorm from the start. Yuuya finds this suspicious but Grim does not seem to care, bouncing about in pure joy and making dust fly from the sofa that they only just cleaned.

Towards the end of Book 4 Jamil reveals that he had been using Grim and the prefect to enrage the Scarabia students to the point of ousting Kalim.

Jamil's failure resulted in his overblot, but he wouldn’t have been able to make the attempt if the prefect and Grim didn’t happen to be in the cafeteria and seeing to the fires, which they wouldn’t have been if Crowley hadn’t assigned them a task so simple that could have been easily done by anybody else.

Which ties back into the “Crowley is causing the overblots?” Theory.

--

Point 3: The Dark Mirror

It is possible that Crowley has sole control of the dark mirror, and this asks a lot of questions. It was only introduced to NRC 100 years ago: did Crowley bring it in himself, replacing NRC’s previous method for selecting students with one that he controls?

More details about this possibility here: The Ramshackle Theory

Also here: The Loop Theory (aka, NRC’s Blastcycle Club)

--

Point 4: Character Inspiration

There are fan theories that Crowley was based on Maleficent’s bird in Sleeping Beauty or the Evil Queen’s bird in Snow White, or possibly both, and both characters fill roles of observers/spies.

While those characters were working for other people pulling the strings behind the scenes Twst’s characters are almost never one-to-one recreations of existing Disney characters. Far more often they are combinations of various sources, so being based on a character who spies for someone else does not automatically mean that Crowley must be doing so as well.

But if someone wants to go in the direction of “Crowley is just acting on someone else’s behalf,” their claim would not be so farfetched, as we know there is supposedly someone out there to whom Crowley supposedly defers: NRC’s chairman.

(Whether the Chairman actually exists or is a diversion created by Crowley so that he can defer responsibility is another question 📝)

--

Point 5: Money

Explained in more detail in an earlier post, Crowley’s supposed love of money is inconsistent.

Is he actually interested in donations to the school from Idia and Kalim’s parents, or is that a part of his ruse to make himself seem incompetent, so that suspicious students will dismiss him for being simply money-hungry and useless and therefore not a threat?

More here ↓

--

Point 6: Timing

Crowley only appears on-scene the first two of the first six overblots, expressing delight over Riddle regaining consciousness in Book 1 and presumably being fetched by Lilia in Book 2.

But he was actually on-site for the entire process of Riddle’s overblot and intentionally left, not returning until it was over. And while Lilia left to fetch him at the start of Leona’s overblot, Crowley did not appear until the issue was concluded.

Very curious for someone who is claiming to run the school as diligently as he can, but also impossible to prove that it was on purpose: he was evacuating students to safety in Book 1, and Lilia is so notoriously poor at finding people/things that it is listed in his profile, so it was possibly not Crowley’s fault at all that he was too late to intervene in Book 2.

The fact that Riddle sent Lilia, who may be the one character who struggles with finding things, is another interesting coincidence 📝

--

Point 7: Grim

Crowley expresses curiosity in “a black, stone-like object” after Leona’s overblot, but when no one mentions having seen it he dismisses the matter instantly.

At the end of Book 6 Crowley seems curiously intrigued by Grim’s health, saying, “I'm truly glad that you —ah, that is, ALL of you — made it back to the school safe and sound” in a way that is so suspicious that even Grim notices.

Crowley’s interest in the stone in Book 2: was he making sure that Grim had found it? Did he want Grim to eat it?

--

Point 8: Toboso Yana

Yana is the author of the main story (in addition to being the creative director for the entire game), and anyone familiar with Yana’s other work is likely aware of one of her favorite things to do: have a character present themselves as incompetent, only to reveal that they are actually very, very good at what they do, oftentimes with an overarching plan that was only made possible by how no one thought to suspect them until it was too late.

We have already seen this in Twst with characters such as Leona, Trey, Jamil and more, and it will be interesting to see if the trend is being continued with Crowley 🐦‍⬛

[arminthada]

Ahead of the Spare Me Your Mercy Finale premieres, here's an interview with screenwriter Lux on the portrayal of Euthanasia in the series

(source: mgronline; machine translated with minimal edits, my apologies for any inaccuracies)

The series "Spare Me Your Mercy" (Thai title: การุณยฆาต), airing on Channel One31, is approaching its conclusion. Starring Tor Thanapob Leeratanakajorn and JJ Krisanapoom Pibulsonggram, the series is based on a novel by Dr. Sam Isaree Siriwannakulkorn under the pen name Sammon. Known for works such as Manner of Death, Triage, Bite Me, and the recent 4MINUTES, Sammon's novels often intertwine themes of BL (Boys' Love) with medical narratives.

However, in this Channel One adaptation, the producers emphasized that the focus is not on the BL aspect but primarily on the medical themes. Lux Sirilux Srisukon, the creator and scriptwriter of Spare Me Your Mercy and a skilled member of the production house, explained the reasons behind adapting this story and delved into the nuances of the plot. Even though euthanasia is not yet legal in Thailand, the story explores how patients may make end-of-life decisions without violating medical ethics.

“Sammon's novels are mostly BL novels and include numerous love scenes. However, we deliberately chose not to present it as a BL story. While the characters are two men in love, we approached it with a dark drama style. The characters are gay, but we don’t offer [fan]service in every episode or include NC (explicit) scenes. This was our intention from the beginning when we started making this series.

We did this not because of censorship, airtime or actors. But because what we are trying to tell was heavy and serious. Having NC would steal the attention of the story because what we were going to talk about was dark drama and euthanasia. Some fans of the novel might be disappointed, but we think we have other fun things to offer, even if there’s no NC scenes. Our way of thinking is that this is not like a series that serves [the audience] (t/n: I understand Lux is trying to say that this isn't a feel-good, healing vibes serving drama).

For instance, in traditional male-female dramas, if the protagonists fall in love, they simply do. Similarly, this story is like any typical drama—it’s not about portraying same-sex or opposite-sex love, but it is just two people who love each other. We depict love scenes the same way we would in any regular drama. Viewers will see that these two characters love each other because we don’t see gay love as different from heterosexual love. It’s just two people finding each other, forming a bond, and falling in love.

When we spoke with the original author, she was also very supportive of this shift because she also wants to highlight the theme of euthanasia. Sammon's focus is also in line with the adaptation but since she is also a Sao Y and a BL novel writer, she understood her audience and enjoyed writing in that style.”

Lux says that she wants to clear up the misconceptions that many people may have that euthanasia must be caused by illness/ medical conditions, not because of life dissatisfaction or laziness and want to inject death.

“We wanted to portray what euthanasia really is because there are many misconceptions. People often misunderstand it in two extreme ways. First, they see it as equivalent to suicide. Second, they see it as an escape for those dissatisfied with life. For instance, some on X (re: Twitter) think, ‘I don’t need to think about the future; I’ll just live my life and then get an injection to die.’ That’s not possible anywhere in the world. That's a misconception.

Euthanasia doesn’t mean you can request an injection to die simply because you’re tired of life. Even in Europe, where euthanasia is legal, there are strict requirements. You must have a certified medical condition specified in the law, endorsed by at least two medical specialists, and the illness must be truly incurable and that you are waiting for death. The purpose of this law is to prevent these individuals from suffering. Instead of suffering for another year, they can die. It's not about being bored with life or lazy to live or not liking yourself when you're old, so you let them inject you with a lethal dose. They don't do that. Many people misunderstand that if you don't want to live, you can go for euthanasia.

But on the other side, some people say they wish the law would pass so they wouldn't have to take care of themselves when they're old. I'm bored, so I'll just go and get an injection. That's not how it works. Even in countries where it's legal, they won't do it. Or if a father has an illness that is still treatable, they won't allow it either. It’s only available for those truly nearing death, as certified by medical professionals. In cases where it is allowed, in countries where this law has been passed, as I explained earlier, and they only provide euthanasia to the relieve suffering of patients who are waiting for death.

And there are some countries that have already passed the law on euthanasia, and they have changed their minds and gone back to using the old law. The term 'euthanasia' itself is not beautiful. There can be many legal loopholes.

For example, a patient is very sick and old, but they don't want to die, but their relatives don't want to take care of them. They go and arrange for euthanasia. But if there aren't laws for it, there will be legal loopholes to allow murder. Some people may not be able to move or walk, but they still want to live. They don't want to die. The most important thing about euthanasia that doctors must discuss, which we will demonstrate in this case, is the patient's wishes. You must do it with awareness and a genuine desire to do it yourself, not pressured by relatives.

It's not like, "Mom, I can't take care of you. You're such a burden. Let's take you to get an injection." We understand that this is a sensitive issue. We don't want to cause arguments, but we want you to understand what we're trying to convey. Think seriously. Because if the day comes when the law needs to be changed and you don't understand it, when you ask yourself if you really want the law to be changed, we won't be able to answer because we don't really understand it.

Euthanasia in Thailand — Is It Suitable?

“Euthanasia is a thought-provoking topic. We interviewed doctors, and they said that euthanasia isn't suitable for wealthy people. If you ask a doctor in an expensive hospital, he will say that euthanasia is not suitable for Thailand because [the hospitals] already have everything that patients need to get through their final days well. But the condition is that you need money.

However, for poor people, just getting painkillers once a month is difficult. They have to endure the suffering. The doctor who wrote this article is the one who visits patients' homes. In small hospitals, when they encounter such cases, they think, 'Maybe there really needs to be something. Isn't euthanasia a necessity?'. Poor people with terminal cancer, in excruciating pain, but there is no one to take care of him, bring him medicine, or take them to see a doctor. Do they have to lie down and suffer like that? How are they supposed to live?' The accessibility to and public health welfare of our people are not equal. This is what we really wanted to convey.

I understand that BL fans might be disappointed, but if we focus on NC scenes to make people swoon, the core of the story will change. The weight of the story will go more towards that than the presentation of euthanasia.

The series will also feature other things to consider, one of them being a ‘living will,’ which has been legally recognized for decades. You can write a letter of intent stating that you are seriously ill, unresponsive, a vegetable, and do not need to be resuscitated. It is similar to a will, a 'patient's will', however, if you become unconscious and don't have full mental capacity, you won't be able to do this. And the doctor cannot not save our life because it is unethical. If doctors do not help, it will become a criminal offense, which is the same as letting us die.

This is legal and there's laws for it, but no one knows about it. It can be done without a lawyer, just with witnesses. We make one copy for ourselves and another for the hospital where we receive treatment. If we have the symptoms listed in the document, the doctor can let us go without providing treatment. We have to do it ourselves, relatives can't do it for us. This is not a legal loophole, there is a law for it, it's just not promoted. This is legal tool that can be used instead of euthanasia because it comes from the patient themselves. Everyone can become terminally ill. Cancer can happen to anyone. And when you're in those situations, how would you deal with it if euthanasia is not legal? You have to think ahead about what you will do."

tagging @recentadultburnout who can help vet for me if there are any inaccuracies from these machine translations

[genericpuff]

Not to be nitpicky or anything, but I notice you occasionally critique LO for its lack of Greek culture, but reading Rekindled, Greek culture isn’t very present in it either minus some outfits, which is basically the same case as LO. It seems to also suffer from a lot of Americanized butchering of cultures.

Again so sorry if this is rude but I couldn’t help but notice it

I cricitize LO for its lack of Greek culture because its non-Greek creator claims she's a folklorist and that her knowledge of Greek myth is more advanced than everyone else's.

I myself am also a non-Greek person who is currently creating LO fanfiction with the intent of honoring the original themes of the its source material (especially The Hymn to Demeter) but that requires the additional layer of keeping it within the original restrictions of LO as it was first established back in 2017/2018 (i.e. I can only make so many creative differences without it going against the nature of it being an LO-retelling, so that often means some of the flaws of LO still have to stick around in Rekindled for it to still be an LO rewrite, if that makes sense).

Therein lies the difference, at least in my own humble opinion 💀😆 By all means, I'm not opposed to criticism of Rekindled for not being 1:1 with Greek myth either, but Rekindled wasn't created to be 1:1 with Greek myth, it was created to re-interpret what LO attempted to be while cleaning up the story, making the character designs more consistent, and actually tackling the plotlines that were dropped back in S1. If I wanted to do my own built-from-the-ground-up retelling of Greek myth, I would have, but my goal was more so to retell Lore Olympus in and of itself because that's where my interest lies. And that means working in the same context as LO, keeping what I like and reworking what I didn't like.

There are loads of creators who also do their own Greek myth re-imaginings that aren't 100% accurate to the myths but the works themselves are still incredibly entertaining and worth reading (and even the ones I'm not a diehard fan of I still don't have strong criticisms for). None of those creators claim to be an authority on Greek myth which is what I (and many others) specifically criticize Rachel for.

If LO had remained a fluffy office drama with low stakes, I probably wouldn't have had so many bones to pick with it in the end. It's the fact that its creator has built an audience around herself that treats her as the authority on the subject - which she has even gone out of her way to declare herself as - but then in practice can't even write a coherent story, let alone a coherent retelling based on the myths she claims to be so educated on. That's what made her work so subject to criticism and analysis more so than any other Greek myth retelling on the platform. That's what makes people such as myself expect better of her.

[marmota-b]

Glitch IS meant to be Force sensitive, here's why

Clone Trooper Glitch Who Is Definitely Force Sensitive.

As far as I can tell, everyone has fallen in love with that idea and everyone is now saying "Glitch is Force sensitive and you can't convince me otherwise."

Listen, what if I can actually convince you he is, with literary analysis?

I don't think I've ever seen this particular angle discussed (not that I have looked too hard, but no one ever brings it up when talking about Glitch). Everyone just loves the idea that he's Force sensitive because it's a lovely / exciting idea. And, okay, it's never stated outright in the source material, so there's some room for doubt. (And it was obviously intentionally left open-ended.)

BUT

I think the subtext, for those who know what it is, is so thick it might as well be an open admission of authorial intent. You see, Glitch's comic, Defenders of the Lost Temple, is drawing heavily on the Knights of the Old Republic comics in its lore. The Gauntlet they're sent to recover comes from that series. The moon where it resides is named after one of the characters from the series and likely is the moon he moved to at the end of his arc, and there's a statue of him there. There are all these deliberate, easily proven links to the series.

And there's also the less direct but still present parallel of questioning whether Jedi should be fighting in a war at all - Knights of the Old Republic (comics) takes place at the beginning of the Mandalorian Wars when some Jedi went to fight and others argued that wasn't their place, and some people get caught in the conflict without ever wanting to. That's a more dubious connection, and may not have been deliberate, but...

That is - the writer knew what he was doing here, in relation to previously published material.

The main protagonist of that series is Zayne Carrick.

Zayne is a sort of off-beat Jedi (well, almost-Jedi). He is just about Force sensitive enough to be admitted to the Jedi Order. He has "a special relationship with the Force." His special relationship with the Force mainly manifests in him being very clumsy and having the worst sort of luck. No one really thinks he'll make it as a Jedi. His own fellow padawan friends don't think he'll make it as a Jedi. But he's so good and caring and trying. And in the long run, he learns to work with his bad luck, and it turns out it's not so much a bad luck as the Force working... as a sort of swing, around him, with a balance of good and bad events. Things rarely work out as expected, but he learns to expect the unexpected. And once he does, and learns to ride the waves instead of trying to swim against the current, it actually works mainly in the heroes' favour.

Does that remind you of anyone?

Yep.

I'm pretty sure Glitch is a deliberate callback to Zayne Carrick and his special relationship with the Force.

I don't know if he started out that way from the start, or if the idea of "what if a clone was Force sensitive" came first and this theme just slotted into place later (honestly, the latter is probably likelier). But it's undeniably there; with all the other references to KOTOR, it's unlikely the author would have missed the main protagonist's character arc re: Force sensitivity.

Glitch has a special relationship with the Force exactly like Zayne's. He just has, unlike Zayne, also the bad luck of never having been tested for Force sensitivity. (This is all EU/Legends. Don't expect New Canon to stick to any of the above.)

[tmwcs]

 ₵Ⱨ₳₱₮ɆⱤ Ɇł₲Ⱨ₮ : PLAYMATE

Series: The Otherside

Warnings: mentions of suicidal ideations, kidnapping, hostage, mentions of cannibalism, yandere theme, toxic love, abuse of authority in a relationship, hints of non-con sexual acts, threats, mentions of murder, corruption, I think that’s it. This series is one of gore and terrible acts so read at your own will. Despite what you’ve read so far, the story is going to get better. Not proofread, sorry. Trying to get this story finished so I can get to work on all the asks/requests in my inbox ❤️

Note: This is all in the POV of Sunghoons y/n. Jake’s y/n is labeled as ‘h/n’ (her name). As explained before at the start of the series, the story features three different y/n’s. In certain POV’s of a y/n, the other two y/n’s will be labeled as h/n. I hope this is not confusing anyone lol.

“You two play nicely.”

Jake presents softly and in a laconic sense as he sits across from Sunghoon, both enjoying the view of you and the lonesome girl across.

It had been months since you found yourself isolated by the deranged man, the one who calls you his ‘darling’ and dressed you in pastel lace and chiffon. Despite knowing his monstrous tendencies of eating human flesh, he never carried out the act of consuming his meals in front of you. At least you could be thankful for that. The thought still terrifies you and since he had kept you imprisoned in the luxury and comfort of his hollow home, you’ve been nothing but disgusted and terrified. Ever since your entrapment you experienced the worst nightmares and never could rekindle the feeling of uninterrupted sleep. It was bad enough that you had trouble doing it, but once you finally drifted off through your hourly sobs, you’d find yourself waking only after one hour of rest. It was, next to everything that happened that night with the cult and your capture, the worst feeling possible. You couldn’t lie to yourself, you’ve prayed that you would fall asleep and never wake back up. This was all complete torture. You’ve tried to escape countless times but it was impossible to do without knowing the code to operate the elevator.

You wondered how your family was dealing with all of this. Since he sealed your knowledge of the world behind these windows, all by eradicating any source that dispelled information such as the news, social media, and even disposing of your phone, you would have no way of knowing the ongoing police search conducted in your name. It would break your heart even more so had you find out that they called off the search after the third month since your disappearance, and no longer actively searched for (Y/n L/n).

You can’t count how many times you’ve cried and felt despair, to the point where you thought of just ending it all. But he made sure that everything possible that would motivate or trigger you to act out on a moment of courage, was all locked away. Not that it would matter, the man kept you under his eye like a hawk, and the only moment of privacy you had was in the shared bedroom when he would tuck you in, and twist the key that secured the lock of the ankle bracelet attached to the bedpost. It confused you greatly, to see a man so sick and infested with demons, enough to crave human flesh, and yet every waking minute of your continued existence, he praised you. He expresses it so oftenly; how much he adores you, loves you, that he keeps you because he wants to be the one to care for you. He tells you that the world is ugly, non-sensible, and filled with distrustful idiots that would choose to do you harm, and reminds you of it through the example of how he met you.

He never told you of how he felt that night. At first, it was a moment of pity that caused him to stab his way through living flesh to ease your fears as he witnessed offhand of what was about to happen. Yet, when he realized that you discovered his digging of corpses to feed his cravings, his intentions changed, and he knew he couldn’t take the risk of leaving you to drag the police and find clues at the gravesite. A single strand of hair would lead the authorities to his door, and despite having a powerful hold on the police department, all thanks to his father, only a certain circle of them could ever know of his secret, thus covering up his tracks and ensuring that they were the only ones assigned to any case that he was ultimately responsible for.

He took you in, not exactly knowing what to do with you. But something started to grow inside. It all started when he saw your diligence in displaying such devoted obedience when he witnessed your struggle in placing the blindfold over your eyes. You were so trusting. For all you know, he could have deceived and finished you off, yet you carried out his demand without even so much as questioning him. The first one to ever place such trust in him, aside from his two friends. It was something Sunghoon wasn’t used to, but grew fond of the feeling of something so feminine and delicate to rely on him. You never strive to be considered lovely or gorgeous, but in his eyes, you were life and breath. When you got caught red handed trying to make your first escape, but was stuck at the elevator, he melted at the sight of your adorable wide eyes. How cute. You were so helpless, so frightened, but you still obeyed. Through your waterfall tears, you still were his good little girl and did what he told you. You did it out of fear for your own life, after seeing his capability, you figured you couldn’t put anything past him. And there was a part of him that knew that but there was a part of him that felt something deeper. As much as you would hate to admit, you are the one that inadvertently sealed your fate.

He did everything to make you comfortable, aside from having his meals in his private lounge after he tucked you into bed. He fed you the finest foods, never once forcing his sickness on to you. After all, he necessarily ever wanted to be sick in the first place, had he been given the choice, he would love to be one that developed a palate for food, the kind that everyone else enjoyed. The pressures of his fathers greed and lust is what turned him at such an early age. Since his old man controlled the city as a major political figure, it authorized destruction in Sunghoon’s emotions and mentality. He’d never forget when his father had committed his first murder, it was his opponent after the election. When his father realized he wasn’t going to win the election fairly, he ensured he was going to do so through dishonorable matters. Sunghoon was only six at the time, yet at such a tender age, he knew of his fathers corruption. Then again, the man never did much to cover it up, even in front of his only son. In fact, as he grew, it nearly seemed that his father enjoyed flaring his dirty deeds. Does anyone have a clue how it felt to be a child growing up with a murderous and selfish father? No…no one knows of his pain. Not even you. Although some day, when the time is right and you are ready, he knows that he will be able to confide in you of where his evils stemmed from. For now, it’s okay for you to think of him as a monster, so long as you stay.

You hands grip the excess material of the fluffed skirt and its laced edge. No one could ever understand how much pain you were in. You present a side eye and view the two men across the room. Quickly, you retract your sights back to the young girl before you as soon as you see Sunghoon staring. He’s always staring.

As the two enjoyed their drinks in their velvet seats, you and the other girl were displayed in front of a large painting, portrayed like small dolls at a small tea table with fine finger foods. This girl, h/n, looked to be as miserable as you. A quick glance over to the one who brought her in, the one named Jake, who Sunghoon explained was a close friend, made it easy to figure out why the girl was uneasy. Like Sunghoon, the man's eyes feasted her. He wasn’t just watching over her—no. Those eyes of his, he was desiring her just as Sunghoon desired you.

You whispered quietly and softly as you topped her tea cup. “How long?”

H/n lifts her head with glazed eyes. She looked at you sympathetically and helplessly. “How long since he took you?”

Noting that the two men were caught up in their little side conversation, h/n dips her finger into the small container of fruit preserves. On her plate, she spells out her answer before scooting it over. Six months.

Your heart sank as you felt the rage of fresh tears forming in your eyes, but withheld the urge to sob, after all, he liked seeing you cry. He constantly claimed that he will forever be responsible for your happiness, pain, and your future.

You leaned in, grabbing the Madeleine cookies off the tray as a way to communicate with her. “Is there anyway for you to escape?”

She shakes her head shamefully. “I tried…he’s made it impossible for me to leave.”

She quickly looks over to ensure that his attention was still towards Sunghoon. “If I do it again…he’ll catch me. I can’t take any more punishment.”

You raise a brow in confusion as you force her to elaborate. “Punishment?”

She nods urgently while the tears escape and drip down her face. “For breaking his rules.”

An electrifying shiver jolts up your spine. Rules?

“What type of punishment?”

She looks at you with pleading eyes. She shakes her head, signaling that she could not speak of it, or maybe she didn’t want to. You nod subtly as you shift your hand over hers, grabbing hold of it to comfort her. “I understand.”

H/n returns the handheld embrace before asking you a question that brought you back to a harrowing memory, one that you’ve tried to forget. “Has he…has Sunghoon…”

She couldn’t find it in her heart to finish her question, but the shift of her eyes traveling to the bedroom door and right back to you was all that was needed for you to understand where she was going with it. You release a deep breath. “Not all the way…not yet.”

You wanted to cry. After the first couple of weeks in being held against your will, Sunghoon inched his way to become closer to you, against your wishes.

It produced countless nights where you screamed and cried, pushing him away whenever he felt bold enough to kiss you. He forced you in his arms and embraced you lovingly, but you were disgusted by the scent of blood on his hands. No matter how many times he lathered them with soap and rinsed away his sins, you could still smell it. It was enough to make you vomit. Your mind races to the night when he laid atop your body, inhaling your kisses as his filthy hands traveled up and down your torso. You shuddered at the memory of it.

When he placed his hand under your nightgown and reached for your panties, you grew desperate and mistakenly revealed your vulnerable truth. “Stop! Please don’t do this! I’m a virgin!”

His eyes widened while his grin grew wide. You really are so pure.

He grew ecstatic, and lavished you with kisses as he remarked how you both were meant to be. Using your virginity as proof that he was the one who was fated to take it away. ‘You’re mine. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure we do it the right way.’

You snap back into reality and look into h/n’s eyes. “Not yet. He is going to make me marry him…”

Releasing a single tear, you gulp and bit down on your lip, finding strength within yourself. Keeping a composed face, your tears travel down, creating a feature of contradiction exposure. “He’s going to make me marry him, and then he is going to take everything away from me.”

H/n shakes her head as her brows furrow sympathetically. “He already has.”

More tears spewed as you faintly nod. Squinting your eyes, you keep in your whimpers. She was right. He already has taken everything. Sealing your existence away from society, taking you away from your family and friends, and forcing you to live in a tower filled with corpses…yeah, he already has taken everything away from you.

“Has…Jake?”

H/n shakes her head in relief, though you could see there were some reservations. “He’s done awful things…he treats me like a toy, but says he wants to take things step by step, and do it differently than how he used to do it.”

You issue a confused look. “Differently?”

H/n stares into your eyes. A stoic look graces her face as she whispers. “Then how he usually did it with other girls….he says that unlike them, I have meaning.”

“Them?”

She breathes out. “The other girls…Jake used to—“

“H/n, baby girl. Time for us to go, say goodbye to y/n.”

You both snap your heads up as Jake’s voice startles you. You watched as h/n quickly wipes away her tears and stares back down to the tiles floor. Nodding her head, she grips the edge of her denim miniskirt and stands. “What do you say, darling?”

That pet name….

“Thank you for having us. Let’s play again soon, y/n.”

You bite down on your tongue. This was all so sick. A sentimental urge ruptured within you and you quickly stood and grabbed onto h/n’a hand. Seeing your eyes, she returns the hold as you both scream and cry, yearning for each other's comfort as you share the same pain. You knew that Sunghoon would be displeased by your action, much less Jake with h/n, but it didn’t matter. You both did not care, even when they pulled you by the waist as they pry you apart. You fell apart and drop to the floor as Sunghoon gripped your hair while Jake drags H/n away. Her constant cries of your name echoes through the hall, when suddenly it all stops the moment he gets her through the front door. “H/n?…h/n?!”

Kneeling down, Sunghoon tightens his grip on your locks while pulling your head slightly back. Forcing you to face him, you gasp out frightfully as you witness the look of malice in his eyes. They were wide, his pupils shrink, causing him to look psychotic; it was enough to make you heed his warning.

“Don’t ever…EVER, do that again. Understand?”

You nod.

“You belong to me. The only name you will scream out is mine. Don’t test me. I love you, and if I have to make you understand that love, I will.”

“I-I-understand.” You struggle out your words as you felt his grip fisting your strands, growing tighter as you feel the harsh sting of the pull. Wincing in pain, his eyes begin to soften. Placing a kiss to your lips, you pin them shut, refusing to let him enter. He pulls back, all the while keeping his hold on you. “Kiss me. If you wanna keep your mouth shut, I can find another way to get inside you.”

His fangs exposed though the slick grin as he spoke out his poisonous words. Your eyes widen with fear and shock. You knew better than to call his bluff, he would do it, married or not. As he stated before, the act of marriage was a courtesy in your honor, should you give him a reason to not abide by it, he wouldn’t hesitate to take you in an instant.

Maybe you should be grateful.

Taglist: @nshmrarki , @lprww , @baekxo07 , @m7omo@nikstrange@heeshees@moonmoongi@heesitation@heeseung-min @nctsslut @heeseung-min @addictedtohobi @strxwbloody

[a-helluva-rewrite]

In my previous post I talked about what my main issues when Beezlebub’s characterization are.

So what would I do to fix this?

At one point, Bee’s father is killed (I don’t know exactly how since I know killing demon royalty is a bit of a difficult task, but my working idea is maybe a coup in the Ars Goetia killed him due to his relationship with a hellhound threatening hell’s hierarchy and thus their power). This leaves Bee to inherit the title as the Sin of Gluttony, and although she’s perfectly capable of the job as she has the exact same powers her father did, hell does not respect her authority since she is part hellhound. She has very little authority outside of her own ring and is often berated and shut down by the other sins. She has to fight twice as hard as the other sins to maintain her authority, but even then she still struggles to have a voice in major political discussions as she is often disregarded by the others entirely. In Mastermind, which I intended to cover more in depth eventually, I would have Bee try to advocate for Loona only for someone like Mammon or Satan fo accuse her of pushing her “hellhound agenda”, forcing her to remain quiet. This would also address one of the biggest criticisms toward Bee, which is that she does nothing to help the hellhounds who are locked up in abusive adoption agencies. My idea is that she genuinely tries her hardest to fight for hellhound rights, but is unable to make an impact outside of her own ring because of other forces, mostly the other sins, not allowing it.

I’d start with making Bee the daughter of the sin of gluttony. Her father was the sin of gluttony, and her mother was a hellhound, making Bee a hybrid between a deadly sin and a hellhound. She’s just as powerful as her father, meaning her hellhound genes don’t make her any weaker, but her very existence is rather taboo. A deadly sin and a hellhound being in a relationship is a HUGE scandal in hell, and them having a child makes it an even bigger deal.

Bee is a very unpopular figure throughout hell and is seen as radical by many, but she is adored by the hellhounds. She is seen as a woman of the people (or a woman of the hellhounds in this case). Although Bee’s political efforts are more often than not shut down, she provides hellhounds with an escape through her parties. She may not be able to uproot the oppressive system, but she can provide hellhounds (and imps) a safe space where they can get drunk and have fun without the judgement of their oppressors. Bee, while in a much more privileged position than pure blooded hellhounds, still suffers discrimination and abuse from the hierarchical system and similarly seeks an escape from the system and her failed efforts. This is where the gluttony aspect of her character comes in, Bee copes with her struggles through overindulgence. She gets wasted to forget about her pain the same way Blitzø does in the original episode, and she encourages others to do the same. She’s not actively malicious and does have good intentions, but she’s very self-destructive and encourages others to be as well because she believes that’s the only way to cope with the world presented to her.

How I think this would improve the story:

-Further establishes the hierarchical themes previously established in the show by showing that even a deadly sin faces a type of discrimination because of how strong prejudice against hellhounds is. I think this is an especially good idea if the show makes the Stolitz drama such a major part of the plot.

-Gives Bee more depth and explains why she’s able to interact with and even date a hellhound so casually. She is already seen as a hellhound activist, and her existence as a hybrid in power is a much bigger deal in hell then her dating a hellhound. Her relationship with Vortex is expected.

-Addresses and fixes the criticism that Bee doesn’t do anything for the hellhounds despite the narrative trying to push her as a “good guy”.

-It keeps Bee’s well meaning nature that so many fans love while actually giving her gluttonous tendencies.

Anyways I intended to do a full Queen Bee (episode) rewrite next, it might take a while because I wanna try maybe doing a storyboard :)

Feel free to leave any feedback or criticism I’m kinda crazy hyperfixated on HB and rewriting it rn lol

Thank you for reading! ~🐝🍬

[dichromaticdyke]

Brendon Small’s Galaktikon and Metalocalypse

before i start, i want to thank @eternallyblight and @mariaclarareincarnate for bringing the potential connections between the “Murmaider” trilogy and Galaktikon to my attention. this post exists because of you both. this was also brought to you by too much caffeine. click here to enable me.

contains spoilers for all of Metalocalypse, including Army of the Doomstar. if you'd prefer to read on Google Docs, you can find that here.

Introduction

okay, my loves. Brendon Small’s Galaktikon.

here’s the thing—going into this analysis, i gave myself two rules: one, anything Brendon Small has said specifically about Galaktikon and its relationship to mtl does not matter. i didn’t even look up if he had said anything regarding it for that exact reason. i take a very death of the author approach when it comes to literary analysis, and that’s not because i think authors’ opinions don’t matter. i do, and i think it is important that we know what authors’ intentions were when it comes to their works. however, an author’s intentions also don’t matter once that work is out in the public. because in order for a text to continue to move and evolve once it has been published, readers need to continue to interpret it. if we focus solely on the author’s interpretations, that limits our own creative analysis and criticism, making the text stagnant. any analysis is valid, even if it isn’t what an author intended, so long as it’s not in direct contradiction with the text. that’s why i hate posts that are like, “you think the text is about x but it’s ACTUALLY about y.” if x isn’t a direct contradiction of y, then it can be about both.

secondly, because of all this, when i first started listening to Galaktikon and reading the lyrics for this post, i had this idea that i was going to keep it completely separate from mtl. yes, Brendon Small made both projects, yes there are common themes between the two, yes it’s impossible to listen to Galaktikon without hearing Nathan or Pickles or Ishnifus Meaddle. but i’m of the opinion that, if Galaktikon were directly related to mtl in any way, it would have mtl or Dethklok branding.

so—i’m looking at this from the perspective that Galaktikon, unlike the Murmaider trilogy (read my post analyzing those songs if you haven’t yet, this post serves as a continuation of it), is not important to understanding mtl or its lore. however, all this being said, i can’t deny that the parallels do still exist, that there are still common themes shared between the two projects. and that’s why this post is so long—i’m breaking down both the Galaktikon albums and pointing out the parallels between that story and the Murmaider trilogy. i have been told Galaktikon II’s story was Brendon’s original plan for the mtl finale, so i’ll look at parallels between that and AotD as well [note from the future: i wrote that before actually starting to analyze Galaktikon II! wow!! i underestimated everything!!! the sleeper has awakened!!!!]. but that’s what these are—cinematic parallels. it’s like, when you look at The Doomstar Requiem and Ishnifus Meaddle was killed and hung on a crucifix. that’s a parallel to jesus christ, but that doesn’t mean Ishnifus was jesus christ, or even this universe’s equivalent. no, that was Nathan.

hope that all makes sense.

another important thing: my dears, if you’ve read either of my previous song analysis posts, you’ll know i like to break down the entire song, get full context for symbolism and themes before analyzing. however, that’s just not going to be practical here. instead, i’m going to primarily summarize the stories presented in each song, with sparse lyrical citations where i feel necessary, and analyze from there. the lyrics are taken from Metal Archives. a lot of the primary summaries will be a bit redundant, especially if you’re familiar with the Galaktikon albums and stories, so try to at the very least make note of every time i use a pin emoji (📌)—those are the most important parts to my analysis. and final disclaimer, this is based solely off the music. i look at the Galaktikon briefly for small references, but it doesn’t matter to me.

sorry for the longest prologue in the world. let’s get started. pin count: 0

The Story of Galaktikon I

Triton

we begin with our protagonist (whom i'll be calling Triton since that's his name in the comics) racing through space, passing several star systems, constellations, galaxies along his way:

serpantis [sic] sextonis [sic] sersinus [sic] delphinus orion octonus [sic] andromeda poseidon

despite misspellings (thanks Metal Archives) these are all real areas of space that exist in our world: Serpentis, Sextans, Circinus, Delphinus, Orion, Octantis, Andromeda, and Poseidon. those last two i want to note right off the bat. Andromeda, which mtl fans will recognize andromeda as a reoccurring theme in the show, and Poseidon, which could either be referring to the NASA satellite or it could just be the greek name for the planet Neptune. i’m inclined to believe the latter at this point in time. but we’ll come back to both of these when it comes time for the analysis. for now, enjoy this: 📌 actually, we need two of those. 📌

Triton is unwillingly stepping into his role as protector of the universe, now that the gods have seemingly disappeared. Triton then speaks to someone who seems to be similar to him: someone who is

indestructible he is a man with god like [sic] strength the faster [he] flies the stronger he becomes

i would be inclined to believe this was just a pov-shift, but the following lines tell me that these are two different characters:

yes I must fly on gonna fly away cause you're gonna fly on too anyway

for the time being, i’ll refer to this other character as Triton’s rival (this is temporary don't worry).

the song ends with Triton looking to get out of where he is and get advice for his ongoing mission.

Prophecy of the Lazer Witch

this song is from the point of view of the titular Witch (Phyllis). she’s telling Triton that this “Black Love" (Lizyra) he referred to in the previous song is in danger and “will be abducted in dreams.” Phyllis tells Triton to let this all play out, que será será.

Phyllis also warns Triton of “a Beast [Beastblade] on a mountain” who is hiding his malicious intent so that he can manipulate Triton. Beastblade wants Triton’s power, and he wants to become immortal. Triton angrily leaves Phyllis, unwilling to believe her.

Beastblade

this song is from the point of view of Beastblade (duh lol). he is on the hunt and has just killed something (or someone). he then speaks about a “her,” someone he wants to claim. it seems though that he’s not interested in her specifically, but instead he just wants her to hurt someone else:

I'll own her I'll rule her it's over and I promise you that I'll take away the things that you trust the things that you love I'll find a way to share all my pain with you it's so easy for me she's so vulnerable

he’s talking to Triton here, in my opinion, and that’s where it becomes clear that Triton’s rival and Beastblade are the same being. so this “her” he’s referring to is Lizyra. this gives us a total of four characters.

Deathwaltz

BEASTBLADE IS MAKING THE MOVES ON LIZYRA AND IT GIVES MY DYKE ASS THE ICK. “my god I’m so into you” go to THERAPY. [i wrote this line before reading the comic and wee that there actually is therapy in this world, i'm literally so fucking smart.]

definitely comes off like he’s just gonna charm her, but she’s not into it, so the manipulation starts :) he clearly wants to try to make it seem like this was her choice, but he’s. very transparent in his intentions:

i can read your thoughts you're mind's made up you know you've got no will you're mine to break it's your chance you better take it now

Truth Orb and the Kill Pool

the toxic gossip train is pulling into the station (reference that will age poorly, i’m sure). word around the galaxy is Beastblade and Lizyra are getting it on. Triton is totally fine guys he’s totally fine with it. he’s fine. this is fine. he’s fine.

anyway once he’s done being a jealous idiot, he realizes she’s in danger, obviously, but saving her would put him in danger too! cry me a fucking river.

this whole section is here is fascinating to me

your identity is known kill the deity right now it's moving forward will no one help her she's begging screaming they just stand there you know it's gonna get darker you know that a storm will brew you know you're gonna lose everything how can you do it when you know she wouldn't do it for you

so…Triton knows what he has to do. he had to save her, he has to kill Beastbladethe Beast, no one else can do it. but he’s terrified, and he’s also convinced that she wouldn’t do the same for him. whether this is because of his jealousy or because his feelings for her were always one-sided, i don’t know yet. but, see this? 📌 i’m jabbing this through this section. here’s a few more: 📌 📌 📌 we’re gonna fucking need those.

You Can’t Run Away

Beastblade is now taunting Triton. he’s trying to manipulate him, put him “under [his] control,” by telling him that he’s stalking him, he knows everything about him, he has Lizyra. but at the same time, if Triton wants to put an end to it, he’d be risking his life and Lizyra’s. [edit: the comics show that this is mostly Beastblade taunting Lizyra. close enough, doesn’t change much.]

Arena War of the Immortal Masters

this song could be from both Triton’s or Beastblade’s pov. i’m honestly not sure—both, maybe? it doesn’t matter, it’s just about them finally meeting and getting ready to engage in this epic battle.

Dangertits

this song is instrumental. so, why am i even bringing it up? i don’t know. maybe the song title is funny. maybe because Brendon has a habit of giving characters names that are just [noun]-[body part]. 📌 

On My Way

look at what the first fucking verse of this song is:

And now poseidon is dead and i spread black love like fire and i have killed all desires i am a machine

POSEIDON. Beastblade was Poseidon this whole time. Brendon Small, you really got me, thinking in that first song that Poseidon was another space reference. no, it was just the god of the sea, no big deal. except that this actually didn’t answer anything, take this: 📌

anyway, now Triton is all fucked up. he won the battle, but at the cost of most of his physical form, becoming part machine. he also now has this reputation of being a hero, and others want his services—

apparently now I'm needed and none of the warnings heeded now I'm in this too because of you.

he’s haunted by the ghosts of this adventure, Beastblade and Lizyra, and it’s taking an immense mental toll on him:

who will i battle this time is it the beast or she i can't believe I'm still learning that I'm my worst enemy every time.

and the song ends with Triton saying goodbye to Lizyra and moving on from this. almost like Lizyra didn’t mean to him what he thought she meant. 📌

———

and that, my dears, is the story of Galaktikon I. pin count: 9

Galaktikon II: Become the Storm

Some Days Are for Dying

we’re starting off swinging boys—bloody star in the sky threatening the planet. but Triton really doesn’t want to deal with this end of the world nonsense, doesn’t even feel like he can do anything to help.

The power of my words They mean fucking nothing

he’s unsure of who to trust, only knows he has to drown Beastblade.

The planet will be drowned in a sea of cosmic metal

[deep breath in, deep breath out] 📌📌📌

Icarus Six Sixty Six 📌📌

now this one is fairly standard all around. Triton is flying his ship through space. his ship starts to break down, so he lands, calls his ship mother 📌, and, well…

fasten the cable The speakers check out And the AMP is able Stereo stereo 📌

anyway he gets his ship back working again and heads out.

The Agenda

a voice is speaking to Triton. or, maybe not our protagonist? they are telling him that they understand him when no one else does, that all his friends hate him. 📌 the voice suggests that Triton turn away from his friends and his duty, manipulating him with dreams of grandeur.

The Ocean Galaktik

more voices, my loves! this time it’s sea creature voices ooohh. not even gonna pin this one, we all know. we ALL KNOW. the majority of this song is just expressing the aesthetic of having visions of underwater friends, so let’s look at the actually juicy part:

Though we all must die we don't all live See the world below reform Speak the words and call the storm In this waking dream I feel a pulse I see a heart of steel and gears that move Just like a clock Bodies on the ocean floor fade away Replaced by the queen of this fantasy The voice of this god has revealed herself I bow unto the beast queen alive (And she said) We are the sky We are now the dust from the stars We are the rain We own the light I'm ready to serve my planet now

my loves, do you even need me to analyze this? i’m asking this in earnest—am i wasting your time alongside mine? truly, what are we doing on this earth. oops, all pins 📌📌📌📌

My Name Is Murder 📌

tone shift, darlings. now we’re doing some fun killing. this person we’re following almost certainly isn’t Triton. not just because this story seems to be a continuation of “The Agenda” as opposed to “The Ocean Galaktik,” it would be a wild shift from “let’s help the planet” to “hey let’s kill.” for now let’s just refer to them as the Traitor.

anyway, hey let’s kill. we get word of blasphemers and false gods. this character is told by…someone….to just kill as many fuckers as possible. they are also very much aware that their actions are going to shock everyone, that this is a betrayal. 📌 

Become the Storm

The army destroyed now Yet we still survive

damn that’s crazy i’m running out of pins so you don’t get one here.

anyway Triton and his friends have barely survived this betrayal and now they gotta figure something else out.

Fuse the elements With thunder and lightning Become the storm

they are willing to die to defeat Beastblade at this point, pushing him from the land to the water. they still don’t consider themselves soldiers though, just people achieving their destiny.

Nightmare

whoever this is now (i’m unsure at this point [edit from the future: I KNOW NOW], feels like it is most likely the Traitor) laments their current state. they used to be something else, something better than this, but they have fallen so far. they say they’re not Mephistopheles but others think they are. huh okay 📌 they call themselves the darkness that Triton feels, they are

half of what i used to be 📌

and they say that they will wait and see how their life unfolds.

Could This Be the End

climax time! Triton and his allies are about to stand off against Beastblade.

i forgot to mention the falcon imagery in this fucking album and in mtl but this is TOO LONG YOU DON’T GET ANY OF THAT.

ANYWAY

The star is getting nearer Spin the wheel It's a coffin for them all Make them kneel Submit or be gone

it’s getting to the point where it seems as though they might not win this fight. Triton and his allies (THERE’S APPARENTLY FIVE OF THEM WOW OKAY COOL) are going to be sacrificed for Beastblade to gain his ultimate power, and they have accepted their fates. 📌 

To Kill a God

Triton and his allies are going to continue this fight, no matter what. using the power of the ice, snow, and ocean, they start to surround the beast. 📌 Triton is referred to as a warlock. the sky opens so that Beastblade can ascend.

Exitus

they’re gonna drown Beastblade out of the Traitor GUYS 📌 i know y’all already knew this i was so late to the Galaktikon party.

anyway, the seek to drown Beastblade even if it could mean death. they drown out Beastblade, fighting to make sure the Traitor doesn’t die.

And now we stand here believers A pentagram of black faith And now we pity the demons And now we march forth that way Our darkened ship will sail on now our flag will fly in display And we own our strength now And with our sword we will reign

they’ve managed to defeat Beastblade, and they are alive. the five of them. black faith. etc. 📌 📌

Rebuilding a Planet

this is an instrumental song. so…they rebuild their planet after it survived the war with Beastblade.

———

wow. Galaktikon II is really fucking familiar ISN’T IT.

pin count: 31

Bonus

Ghosthorse

this i just wanted to include because wow Brendon Small is a horse girl isn’t he.

Analysis

my loves. i feel insane. this is less of a fully formed analysis and more of rambles regarding all the moments i felt were significant.

let’s start by taking each of these pins out, one by one, song by song, and see where it leads us.

“Triton” (2 pins)

these pins are for the mentions of both Andromeda and Poseidon.

to make a long story short, Andromeda’s mother brags that she [it’s actually unclear if this is referring to Andromeda or her mother] is more beautiful than the sea nymphs (known as nereids) and Poseidon doesn't like that. he floods Andromeda’s and her family’s home island and sends a sea monster (Cetus) to ravage the island. Cetus won’t be sated until Andromeda is sacrificed to him, so her dad chains her up naked as a sacrifice until Perseus (an iconic hero figure who shows up a LOT in greek mythology) kills Cetus and rescues her. that’s her story. so, when the figure of Andromeda has shown up in mtl, it’s been in two very important contexts: one, she was the namesake of the song Dethklok had to write on the spot when they were abducted in season 4, and it played while a harem of dozens of abducted women escaped and killed all their captors; two, she was ALSO the namesake for the new deepest part of the ocean where dethklok recorded the majority of their album with Abigail (Andromeda’s Crevice). so in mtl, we see Andromeda associated both with women escaping captivity and with water—this matches her original myth fairly well. as for in Galaktikon, this is likely just a reference to the real life andromeda galaxy, but pointing out this specific galaxy when Brendon has had a history of referencing the Andromeda myth is significant. oh, one other small thing: uh, Andromeda references seem to go hand-in-hand with Abigail, don’t they? they appear in both her introductory episode and the episode wherein she (inadvertently, not her fault, i’m not blaming her in any way) drives a rift between Nathan and Pickles, and the rest of Dethklok in tandem. again, as i first alluded to in the prequel, i don’t think Abigail is meant to be a direct analog to Andromeda—that just doesn’t work. but the connections to the water and being used as bait/a sacrifice for something they had nothing to do with are pretty clear links. i have more i can say about Andromeda specifically, but that will have to wait for my full breakdown of Dethklok’s entire discography. but regarding Galaktikon specifically, that’s pretty much all to say.

as for the Poseidon connection, this could be as simple as a reference to the water god—Brendon used the more recognizable term Poseidon to specifically reference divinity, as opposed to the term Neptune which is more commonly associated with the planet. in my “Murmaider” trilogy analysis, i hypothesize that the water god of the mtl universe is Salacia. so that would be the parallel, too. but i also mentioned the NASA satellite Poseidon. guess what guys. guess what this fucking satellite is for. IT’S FOR MEASURING THE TOPOGRAPHY OF EARTH’S OCEANS. (this will also come up later in my full analysis of Dethklok’s discography, which probably won’t come till 2024, sorry.) SO, regardless of what Brendon was intending for this Poseidon mention to be alluding to, it all comes back to the goddamn water.

“Truth Orb and the Kill Pool” (4 pins)

Lizyraso, let’s start with the obvious—for the most part, Triton is a parallel to Nathan, Lizyra is a parallel to Abigail, and Beastblade is a parallel to Salacia. the first thing i point out in this song is the rumor that Lizyra and Beastblade are hooking up, when in reality, he had abducted her. this doesn’t line up exactly in mtl, as in mtl, Abigail is abducted by Magnus and the Revengencers, and there aren’t any rumors about any elicit affairs (thank GOD). however, this is why i didn’t want to make any explicit statements of which Galaktikon characters are analogs for which mtl characters. because Galaktikon, the first album anyway, is more interested in the typical dynamic of a male hero having to save his female love interest from the Big Bad.

because even though Abigail IS someone Nathan is concerned with saving, she was never important to it. if anything, she was just additional insurance on the off-chance Toki wasn’t enough. but Toki WAS enough. Nathan shows concern for Abigail for like ten seconds because she’s not there to suck his dick, but the rest of the narrative focus is on Toki. i’m not gonna get into how fucked that is, it’s not important right now. but that’s where the parallels between Beastblade and Magnus and Toki and Lizyra start manifesting—Magnus manipulates Toki into trusting him. so Lizyra can represent both Abigail and Toki, just not both of them at the same time; same with Beastblade representing both Salacia and Magnus, but not both at the same time.

Brendon also fucks with the typical “man save woman love interest” narrative in Galaktikon. as far as we can tell, Triton and Lizyra are not actually romantically involved. [edit: they were, but the comics begin with them literally getting divorced.] he likes her, but it’s completely one-sided. and that mirrors Nathan and Abigail, for sure. but you know what else i think about when i look at this song, specifically the lyrics i isolated earlier?

[William:] “Because if that were me in there, none of you would come to save me anyhow.” [Nathan:] “You’re out of your mind. Because if that were you inside, I’d use every breath and risk my life for you.” all i can think of during this song are, of course, the first act of The Doomstar Requiem when Dethklok are just fucking around and refusing to help save Toki and Abigail because of their own fears (despite the fact that the anxiety about those two being kidnapped are clearly affecting them), but then William. William being so convinced that his family wouldn’t risk their lives to save his the way they’re doing so for his sister. “you know it's gonna get darker / you know that a storm will brew / you know you're gonna lose everything / how can you do it when you know she wouldn't / do it for you” in this moment, i don’t see Triton as Nathan—i see him as William, angry and scared and insecure about his own place in the band. Nathan does tell him he’s wrong, but i’m sure that William isn’t buying it at first, both because he’s slowly being possessed by Salacia and because all those insecurities are still present come AotD.

all this to say, Triton is anxious about his relationship with Lizyra, and this draws two parallels back to mtl—Nathan and Abigail, and William and the rest of the band.

“Dangertits” (1 pin)

hey remember how i said i was just bringing this up because Brendon has a bad habit of naming characters [noun]-[body part]? and remember how this song takes place in between the protagonist finally going in to face off against the beast and the victory? you know what else happens in between a moment of self-doubt and the ultimate climax? the fucking scene on the roof with Murderface. just another fun parallel, that’s all. just thought it worth pointing out.

“On My Way” (2 pins)

so, this song confirms that Beastblade was Poseidon—or at least, a god of the sea. that would absolutely prove my Murmaider theory if it weren’t for the fact that in Galaktikon I, Beastbladeis primarily a parallel to MAGNUS NOT SALACIA. so i don’t take it as proof of anything, except a further connection of water gods being villains in Brendon’s works.

the other thing here is the ending. Triton and Lizyra are separated, and Triton cyborg-core now. this foreshadows Nathan’s and Abigail’s “breakup,” but obviously only in hindsight, since the ending of The Doomstar Requiem initially implied that they were in a real relationship now (thank GOD THAT DIDN’T HAPPEN, I CAN’T STRESS THAT ENOUGH). but Triton is left with so much self-doubt, still imagining he’ll have to face off against Beastblade or even Lizyra. and, again, this foreshadows AotD with Beastblade taking the form of Salacia and Lizyra being, well…Abigail, in a sense. but…also Dethklok as a whole. but we’ll be right back with that soon.

so, Galaktikon I parallels The Doomstar Requiem pretty clearly. Galaktikon’s narrative is a bit more straight forward for sure, and it’s missing some crucial parts in DSR, such as the separation from Charles, the Depths of Humanity and broke musicians sequence, etc. but again, that’s to be expected—these are two different stories just with similar narrative beats.

anyway, Galaktikon II made me wonder if i should even bother making this post since it’s so goddamn obvious. but i made a promise that i would look into it, so…let’s go.

“Some Days Are for Dying” (3 pins)

the bloody star is the doomstar, moving on.

Triton is very clearly a parallel to Nathan here i won’t even beat around the bush—Brendon even performs most of the songs about the protagonist with death growls, what can i fucking say (this is gonna be important later). Triton doesn’t want to be a hero anymore, and he’s incredibly insecure of his own abilities.

just like Nathan, Triton knows that he has to use the power behind his words to stop Beastblade. because if he doesn’t, metal will melt the earth.

“Icarus Six Sixty Six” (4 pins)

before we even get INTO THE LYRICS OF THIS SONG i have two things to say.

Icarus. another Greek mythological figure. he and his dad were imprisoned on and island, and they came up with the plan to make themselves wings to fly off the island. they made the wings out of wax and feathers, and they worked. Icarus’s dad was like, “yeah this works but they’re still wax so don’t be an idiot.” his dad escaped, but Icarus was too busy enjoying flying that he flew too high—he got too close to the sun, and the heat melted the wax, and he fucking died. so here, when we see Triton flying around in space, there’s the risk that he too will get so carried away by his power that he leads to his own downfall.

six sixty six. 666. the number of the beast, according to the Bible. uh-oh guess Beastbladeis still here.

this one isn’t important, just Triton associating his ship with the concept of motherhood. where have i seen that before? oh yeah; Pickles being the Dethklok mother and also being depicted as a pilot in MULTIPLE instances—piloting the hover drums in “Rehabklok,” piloting the “Hatredcopter” (along with Nathan), piloting the ship in the music video for “The Galaxy,” and, of course, piloting the dethjet in AotD (“Toki be a good boy and go bring mommy his scotch, i got this”).

and then Triton gets his ship working again by reconnecting some cables, checking the speakers and the amp…in AotD, those are being used to connect the speaker to project the Song of Salvation to the rest of the world. again, it’s not a one-to-one parallel, but it does reinforce, yet again, the theme of music being used by the protagonists in Brendon’s works as their own power.

“The Agenda” (1 pin)

this is a parallel to Murderface being possessed by Salacia, someone is being possessed and having their will manipulated. moving on.

“The Ocean Galaktik” (4 pins)

this song is so obvious to me about its connections to AotD, i don’t even wanna look at it because i know you all see it too. but eternallyblight brought this song up specifically in the tags of my Murmaider analysis. so, let’s look at it through THAT lens.

Triton is getting messages from an aquatic being. she does have immense power, and is likely a deity of some kind—Whale Prophet tease.

Triton sees a heart of gears. a clock. once again, the gods of Brendon’s worlds are associated with time’s arrow. i could write another post as long as this one just about the clock symbolism. but here’s the important thing: both Triton and Nathan having to accept the fact that time doesn’t stop for them, and instead they have to play their part in life.

the deity in this song is referred to as the Beast Queen. so this ties her to Beastblade, at the very least in name. in my Murmaider analysis, i theorized that Salacia and the Whale Prophet, though enemies now, were tied to one another via the sea, that Salacia had been the water god long ago. and in Galaktikon, Beeastblade and the Beast Queen have a similar relationship. we don’t know if they had a similar history, but they are connected to each other. Brendon uses the term “beast” to refer to gods of immense power, gods related to the ocean and to space. now, if you think i’m bringing this all up to draw a parallel to “I Am the Beast”…that would be hilarious. but i’m not—that song has nothing to do with this, that song is about Nathan doing puppy play. no, i’m bringing this up because of a line that the Whale Prophet said to Nathan during his vision with her in AotD that has haunted me for nearly three months now and that i never see ANYONE MENTION: “You are the beast daughters of the apocalypse.” i’m sorry, you WHAT. the Whale Prophet is likening Dethklok to beast figures, particularly in reference to the apocalypse. so—if Brendon has a habit of reusing certain symbols across his projects, that would make Dethklok gods as well. wow who the fuck would have thought.

the Beast Queen makes this explicit to Triton, telling him that he and her are the same—they are forces of the ocean and of space. and that is enough to make Triton ready to do what he has to do. and this is a sharp turn away from how this scene went in AotD. while Nathan does leave his conversation with Her ready to perform the song, he performs the wrong song despite knowing it was the wrong song. that doesn’t seem like someone who was ready to serve his planet, the way Triton is at this point—that instead seems like someone who is still terrified and insecure of his own abilities, desperate not to help but to just make all this world-saving shit end.

“My Name Is Murder” (2 pins)

his name is murder? damn that’s crazy William Murderface Murderface Murderface anyway.

so, possession time. the interesting thing, though, is that it’s easy to look at Murder (that’s what i’m calling this character it’s his name he literally told me so) seems to be a different character from Triton. and that’s like…obviously. Triton just decided he was gonna save the world, but Murder is being possessed by Beastblade to do the opposite. and in the context of AotD, yeah, those are two different characters—Nathan and William. but also…in the context of AotD, William isn’t acting on Salacia’s will the entire time he’s possessed by him. he’s still going along with the band to Deus Keep, doing those trust exercises, working on the songs. he’s helping to save the world. he’s also betraying them. so do you know what i’m getting at here? Murder and Triton are the same person. damn, bet you didn’t think i’d be using Metalocalypse to explain Galaktikon, huh? thought it would be the other way around, didn’t you? surprise bitch, hold on, there's more to come.

“Nightmare” (2 pins)

so i initially pinned this song as being from the pov of Murder—the Murderface analog, if you will. but now that i think that those two characters are both Triton, where does that leave us? it leaves us with a goddamn motherfucking Mephistopheles reference. Mephistopheles is a German demon who first appeared in the story Faust—Mephistopheles is the devil’s agent who mediated the deal Faust makes with the devil. SO. if this character is Triton, who has just betrayed his friends and led to this ultimate destruction of the world, then right now his friends are looking at him at someone with demonic connections, with someone who had tried to get them to destroy their own souls for this life. and now this was the price they were paying. but he’s not Mephistopheles. he wasn’t trying to manipulate anyone, he was the one being taken advantage of. drawing to AotD parallels again, this does naturally diverge yet again—Dethklok wasn’t angry at William for his actions for even a second because they knew it wasn’t him (funnily enough, whoever it was that William met in the Depths of Humanity in The Doomstar Requiem was actually our Mephistopheles analog). and again, that’s why i see this character as Triton—because if we look at him as the current analog of Nathan, Nathan is the one whom others are angry at after the destruction, namely Pickles. because fucking of course they would be—he didn’t write the right song, and he knowingly performed the wrong song because he let his own insecurities get to him. but simply in the context of Galaktikon…Triton had to live with the fact that he used to be a hero, but he threw all that away while under Beastblade’s control.

this song is sung entirely in clean vocals. entirely. this and “The Ocean Galaktik” are the only two songs like this, with “My Name Is Murder” being the only song sung entirely in harsh vocals. every other song in this album (except “Rebuilding a Planet,” of course) utilizes both vocal styles to varying degrees. i’m pretty fucking sure Brendon reserves the clean singing for moments that are directly tied to Triton, harsh singing for moments that directly tied to the Beast—this includes moments following whomever it is that the Beast has possessed while they are enacting the Beast’s will. my biggest evidence for this is that “The Ocean Galaktik” is sung completely in a clean style, and “My Name Is Murder” is sung completely in a harsh style. so, in pointing all this out… the entirety of “Nightmare” is sung clean. all of it. “Nightmare” is about whomever it is that has been possessed and has betrayed Triton’s goal in saving the world. and “Nightmare” is from Triton’s point of view. i very firmly believe this. this is the absolute primary difference between Galaktikon and Army of the Doomstar: this is like if it were Nathan who had gotten possessed—or, even more delicious, all of Dethklok. but again, this ain’t about them. but there’s my evidence, you can’t change my mind. [editor's note: also look at this panel from the Galaktikon comic i found right before posting this, i'm literally correct:]

“Could This Be the End” (1 pin)

it’s the scene with Dethklok on the death march towards Salacia’s Falconback thing. whatever. it’s that whole scene, we get it, moving on.

“To Kill a God” (1 pin)

so the reference to the power of the ocean obviously mirrors the reoccurring themes of the sea and going into the water and the whale prophet in mtl. something something, Murmaider trilogy theory. but the ice and the snow have less of a clear mtl parallel. i would say it is most directly connected to the fact that this battle takes place in Batsfjord, Norway, in a snowy expanse. oh but also melted ice is a theme in “Horse of Fire,” a song that to me is also very clearly about the climax at AotD. but i still haven’t done my Dethklok discography analysis yet, so i can’t tell you exactly what it’s a reference to—look, snow and ice and the ocean are all different forms of water, that’s all that’s actually important.

“Exitus” (3 pins)

so here is where we see another stark difference in the order of events between Galaktikon II and AotD, if we were to take them as direct, literal analogs.

now is where they’re finally submerging Murder in the water until Beastblade is driven out of him. we all were fucking broken during that scene with Murderface in AotD, i don’t gotta get into it. but, see, i had put forth the idea that Murder and Triton are the same character. i still firmly believe that, here’s more evidence.

the fact that this happens AFTER the climactic battle with Beastblade. like, think about it, really—why would Triton go into battle against Beastblade knowing that one of his allies has betrayed him? now, you could make the argument that the protagonist didn’t know, but “Nightmare” makes it pretty clear that Murder has been found out. my theory is this: Triton was discovered to have betrayed his allies, and this conflict is what drove the ridge between them that allowed for Beastblade to capture them, even momentarily. next question i expect y’all to ask is, “but if Triton is Murder, why is the narrator of the song (presumed to be Triton) speaking to him?” well…i relistened to both Galaktikon albums while working on this, and i made note of every time Brendon used clean vocals and every time he used harsh vocals. he utilizes various different styles of both i need his vocal cords so goddamn bad, so my rule of thumb was basically, if he sounds more like Pickles or Ishnifus, it was clean, if he sounds more like Nathan or Magnus, it was harsh. you might have noticed some of the lyrics i cited were in bold—those were lyrics that were sung in a harsh vocal style. this verse i’ve isolated features both clean and harsh vocals. even as Triton is proclaiming his victory, the Beast is reminding him that he’s still here. but guess what?

the lines i’ve bolded aren’t just harsh vocals, they’re harsh backing vocals to the primary clean vocals. and during this whole verse, the harsh vocals are fading. the Beast is finally leaving. they won, but they couldn’t win until they had destroyed the primary version of the Beast, leaving behind just a small enough fragment of him that they could drown him out.

ADDRESSING THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM (Murmaider)

eternallyblight, who originally helped to inspire this analysis, first posited the following: Where do I think “The Ocean Galaktik” fits into my Murmaider theory?

and. wow. that original question REALLY got away from me, i’m so sorry that i promised you this answer WEEKS ago and just made you read over 6,700 words to finally get to it.

ultimately, my Murmaider theory burns down to this: Salacia, who was also a god who lived in the water, murdered the Whale Prophet’s child, so mermaids attempted to kill him in revenge. they failed, but they did leave him near death and at only a fraction of his power, splitting the Four Souls from him. the Whale Prophet, disguised as a shark to manipulate him, kept tabs on Salacia as he tried to gain his power back, and he went on a reign of terror until he started to get paranoid. he fled the ocean when he felt the Whale Prophet closing in, and he was warned that in order to gain his strength back, he has to align himself with the Four Souls, the Tribunal, and Dethklok. however, he doesn’t ally himself with Dethklok the way he does the Tribunal, and in trying to use their divine power for evil, it backfires, and when Dethklok use the Dethlights to force Salacia over the water, the Whale Prophet is able to finally take revenge. my Galaktikon analysis is very firmly in the idea that these are two separate stories, despite their parallels. but, if we do look at Galaktikon II as a rough draft of Army of the Doomstar (which mariaclarareincarnate informed me it essentially was)…then i’m fucking right in my theory. i’m fucking correct, let’s go.

as i mentioned when i covered “The Ocean Galaktik,” Triton calls this analog to the Whale Prophet a “Beast Queen,” inherently aligning her with eastblade…and then, in parallel, aligning the Whale Prophet with Salacia. despite their current differences now, these two godly figures are ultimately of the same origin. going even farther: “You are the beast daughters of the apocalypse.” [0:41:00, Army of the Doomstar]

Dethklok were divinely conceived by the Whale Prophet. all of them were, not just Nathan. Nathan, for whatever reason, was just the one who was closest with Her—maybe because he grew up closest to the ocean, in Florida. i would be inclined to say, “because he’s the frontman,” but all of them have the capacity to be a vocalist. Pickles could’ve very easily have been the vocalist if he wanted to (and i guess if they weren’t a death metal band, but…y’know). anyway, despite Nathan being Her favorite little babygirl, this doesn’t change the fact that all of Dethklok are Her babygirls. this isn’t just me being quirky guys—She called them the BEAST DAUGHTERS. i’m going fucking insane, why has no one else talked about this??? i’m sure someone has i just haven’t seen it, i am but one autism creature.

Skwisgaar wasn’t just being an egotistical diva when he said he was immaculately conceived and when he calls himself a guitar god: he’s right.

and isn’t that the perfect revenge? Salacia had killed the Whale Prophet’s child centuries, if not millennia, ago, and now her new children are going to fucking eviscerate him.

Final Thoughts

yeah, you’d have to be a fucking idiot to miss the parallels between Galaktikon and Metalocalypse. Galaktikon I is The Doomstar Requiem, Galaktikon II is Army of the Doomstar, blow me, whatever. but the thing that i ultimately find most interesting about this are the ways in which these stories are different. Galaktikon is a space epic, Metalocalypse is an aquatic horror. Galaktikon is about one man, Metalocalypse is about a family. Galaktikon is ultimately more of a traditional monomythic story than anything, and Metalocalypse, while also monomythic in essence, is far more interested in the interpersonal relationships between the band members than anything else—the mystic lore underlying the majority of the series and ultimately inciting Army of the Doomstar kind of doesn’t matter. because if we take away all the otherworldly elements of Metalocalypse, do you know what we’re still left with? we’re still left with five idiots who learned to openly love each other, we’re still left with Nathan telling Pickles that he needs him in his life, we’re still left with them all sacrificing their own safety to rescue Toki in The Doomstar Requiem, we’re still left with them calling each other brothers and their family. we strip the mysticism from Galaktikon, and we don’t have a story…at all.

neither of those are inherently good or inherently bad. they’re different. Galaktikon is just more open about being a fantasy/sci-fi epic, whereas 95% of the time Metalocalypse is “haha horror comedy about death metal” until they slap you in the face with intense found family love and codependency or the very complex lore.

if i have any conclusion to this analysis, it’s that Brendon Small is based as fuck for not forcing heterosexual romances into narratives that imply as such. thank god he’s consistent in giving women characters the agency to reject the men protagonists’ advances. Brendon Small, lesbian ally of my entire life.

thanks for reading. i have more mtl analyses planned in the future. if you liked this, i hope you share it, and if you didn’t like it, click here. and click there if you loved this, also.

[the-ampersand]

About sandbox campaigns

Let me tell you a story.

Last year I went to a big sci-fi/fantasy con in my country. I had been planning to go for years because there is a big emphasis in talks with authors and there were many relating to ttrpg topics. There was one about sandbox campaigns! I was excited!

But sadly, I left many of the talks very disappointed. The one that hurt me the most was, precisely, the one about sandboxes. In it, a national expert in the ttrpg industry explained how there are two (2) kinds of sandbox campaigns, either open world or "social". Maybe three if you also count urban campaigns as sandboxes.

"Ok," I thought "I completely disagree, but let's see where this goes".

Then, the speaker proceeded to explain her prep process. In a social campaign she firts creates the factions. She likes Legend of the Five Rings a lot, so she usually uses the five usual clans of the settings.

"Alright. That's reasonable".

Then, she proceeds to populate their factions with about seven to ten NPCs per faction.

I left at that very instant absolutely astounded.

In my personal opinion, sandbox campaigns don't need to be an exercise of immense prep from the GM. They can be and if it works for some people I am glad for them and I hope they have fun with that prep. But I don't think that's a really reasonable way to manage this kind of campaign for the majority of GMs and even less so for the majority of tables. (And giving a talk about it without properly disclaiming it can set up an impossible standard that might discourage many novice GMs that would consider sandbox campaigns as too labor intensive).

I believe sandbox campaigns should play with the interest of the players. As a GM one should set up an interesting backdrop to explore and interact with, with a varying degree of prep according to one's own interests. And then the players are the ones that will guide the prep needed for the next session by stating their intentions. I have seen several people here clamouring for the many benefits of asking one's players "So what's your plan for the next session, then?". And I think those benefits double when playing a sandbox campaign!

It allows for a true feeling of discovery, not only for the players, but for the GM as well! The GM doesn't need to know everything from the beginning, they can discover it in a fractal way, following the interests of the table (which includes the GM themselves, let's not forget that).

Let me give you an example.

I am currently starting a sandbox campaign based on Skerples' Magical Industrial Revolution. I am mashing it into my DIE campaign, but that's not important. This setting revolves around technology and the grave danger it poses when left unatended to the whims of idealistic inventors and shrewd investors looking to make a fortune. I did as much prep as I wanted:

Being a urban setting, I made small sheets for different neighborhoods and points of interest of the city. I also got the help of my players to do this with a small session of i'm sorry did you say street magic by Caro Asercion.

I set up small scenes to present to the players the different pre-apocalyptic inventions that will destroy the city if left unchecked. (And I added a ninth invention for DIE reasons even though that breaks the number 8 theme in the module)

And that's that! We are already three sessions in and we had an impromptu heist into the university, spent a day selling turnips in the market and met a guy who knows he is inside a narrative (DIE stuff). Next time we are going to attend to a flying machines engineering duel because that's what one of the players asked!

Admittedly, a lot of the prep in this campaign is already done by Skerples, shared with me through the module. But I could have gone with a vibe, a list of cool places to visit, a list of things loosely going on on the setting and a list of names to invoke when a new NPC appears. And you could probably do without any of those things!

What you need to set up a sandbox campaign is not a huge load of prep. Is just enough to present an engaging premise and to answer confidently enough to whatever shenanigans your players throw themselves into.

I have yet to write a single faction sheet. Or a NPC background. I possibly will. But that will be whenever I consider it fun enough.

[aokuro-san]

One of the books in the series that's making waves online: TAMING 7, by Chloe Walsh. Yes or no?

Let's see, I didn't even expect to find myself reading, much less finishing, a BOYS OF TOMMEN book… But here we are, haha. Curiosity got the better of me (I try not to close doors, okay? But it often goes wrong, so why lie) and the truth is, all things considered, it surprised me in a positive way. But also in a negative way (or rather, that's what I expected). So… Since I have quite a few things to say, we'll try to do a decent review of TAMING 7 by Chloe Walsh (with the caveat that it's the only one I've read in the series so far. And yes, it's also the most recently published; no worries about chaos!).

To start, I must say that the author has a VERY GOOD story, characters, plot, and overall concept to work with, and it could definitely have gone further and been much better than what was offered here. Because —with the exception of the middle section of the novel, which was brilliant, in my opinion! I couldn't stop thinking about the book and wanted to continue—TAMING 7 seems to me to be more of a rough draft than a book that was "loved," so to speak. The beginning is A FUCKING MESS, the ending is unsatisfactory, and there are so many mistakes and filler that, as a writer, I SEE, it really drives me crazy that anyone said this was meant to be published. And yet, I couldn't give it less than three stars, because there are parts that I thought were excellent (whole chapters, in fact!), themes that are well covered through the character of Gibsie (in particular), and it's a book that makes you interested in knowing what will happen, in knowing MORE not only about the two protagonists, but about other characters, despite the fact that, it also seems to me that many are blurred. Specifically: the adults and antagonists (as I say, it lacks work and affection!), as well as the setting (God, we're in Ireland! And all you can tell me is that there's a beach, a table, and a street… Don't fuck with me!), and the plot twists that, apparently, no one saw coming except me (from the very beginning, in fact), hahaha.

Speaking of the main characters, I have to admit that, generally speaking, I liked their friendship and romance up until the end of the story, where, by highlighting and rewarding the selfishness, hypocrisy, and forced love of Claire Biggs (a character that up until that point I had really liked and thought was as interesting as Gibs, but without working on the fact that she doesn't know what it is to love someone, or to be in love, and takes the worst advice from the people who should be least willing to share wisdom in my eyes, well…), I feel like everything went to hell and that they should have continued as friends (or not). The concept of love that the author presents to us is… Worrying, in my opinion (let's just say that she's not entirely wrong, but her way of approaching it is even cruel, and very defined by sex and a dividing line where Gibs always screws up, but Claire's screw-ups are always justified and made with good intentions. Hmm). And there's also a certain amount of sexism, in my eyes (both for men and women). However, I think the worst part is that they left so many interesting topics unexplored or forgot that Gibsie has more than one trauma (in addition to Claire's family situation) and that the author could well have worked through both (individually) or as a couple (their relationship since childhood).

In conclusion? Like most contemporary romances these days, broadly speaking: good idea, poor execution (and a pen that could use some improvement). But I've gotten the bug (because as I say, it does things right despite everything! And I feel like I won't forget the book or its characters so easily, which is an achievement in itself among so much "fast-food") and it's possible that I'll give the others a chance (even though I'm much less interested in the pairings. Especially Aoife's… I admit I disliked her incredibly much xD). But Gibs has earned my appreciation and, the truth is, I want to read more of him, haha. And BOYS OF TOMMEN isn't so bad, either. 3/5.

[ahiddenpath]

Fic writers say reviews are important, but what do I do if I don't know what to say?

This is a valid question! Apologies for sitting on it for a few days. I am concerned about coming across as guilting people or making something sound easier than it is, but I do think it's a great q. So...

Disclaimer: My desire to guilt readers who don't review is exactly 0%. My desire to earnestly answer this q in good faith is 100%. I can only give my subjective personal opinion. And I will do so beneath the cut!

Reasons why readers might not review:

Readers are not necessarily writers

Meaningful analysis of a narrative (character analysis, discussion of theme, discussion of narrative structure, etc) is difficult. And like... Even if a reader has those skills, they might be reading the fic for entertainment, and not want to utilize that skill/do that work.

Solution

Short, simple, encouraging reviews. Something like, "Great job, I love this!" or "What an interesting story, excited for more!" or "I've been looking forward to this, thanks for sharing." As a reader, you don't need to approach reviewing as a critic or an analysis. Just offer simple encouragement. This reassures the writer that their work is being read and enjoyed, which enforces that sharing their work is worthwhile.

Readers are afraid that their reviews will be misconstrued or interpreted in bad faith by the author.

Existing online is becoming more harrowing and confusing by the day. There have always been trolls, which I define here as people looking for a fight with no real interest in the reason for the fight. But these days, it's even worse than that.

We've probably all encountered folks online who police the phrasing and supposed intentions of another person's posted content, whether it be a fic, an analysis, or a comment. As you read above, I made a disclaimer to say that I am trying to present a good faith presentation here that respects everyone. The fact that I felt the need to say that really speaks to the status of online discourse right now.

We all encounter things online that we find offensive/objectionable/triggering/not to our tastes. The healthy response to that is to add those tags to our block list so those posts won't show up on our feeds, or to block the user if they don't tag in a predictable and consistent way. As "in real life," we can only control our own behavior. Attempting to argue with the poster will either make you look like an ass if it turns out that their intentions were good, or start an argument with someone who actually IS being a jerk, or at least who has heightened emotions and is volatile right now.

It's just a poor use of our limited time on earth.

Solution

As fic reviewer, the way to avoid unintended offense is to stick to simple, positive reviews when reviewing an author you have not interacted with before. As you get to know them, you can begin branching out if you'd like.

We live in late stage capitalist hellscapes, fascism is rampant, and I am a little bean who is so so tired.

God, do I feel you on this one. I am also a little bean who is so so tired. I won't use the solution tag here because like. Hahahhaahaha. A solution??? To this???? Related to fanfic?

But I suppose, as a fandom writer, I'd gently remind readers that the folks who make fandom related art in all formats are also tired little beans. Without encouragement, we might stop sharing our stuff, not out of spite, but out of sheer exhaustion.

I'm going to pivot topics from why readers might hesitate to review to what I think fandom writers are looking for from reviews- and what we are not looking for. I can only speak for myself, so please take this as my subjective opinion.

My thoughts on constructive criticism from readers

If the writer specifies in an author note or summary that they welcome constructive criticism, go for it! If not, simply ask the author in a review before proceeding. Meaningful constructive criticism is a skill, and it takes a lot of time and thought, so don't put yourself out if the author is not interested.

A lot of fic writers are here to play; AO3 and FFN are not creative writing workshops. A lot of us are interested in growing, though, so please feel free to ask!

What is and is not constructive criticism?

I don't want this to become an essay, and I am wary of treading into the "assuming bad intentions" zone, so I will be brief. Constructive criticism explores literary concepts like characterization, theme, narrative structure, etc. Constructive criticism is not telling the author your personal preferences. If you tell the author that you prefer w theme, x trope, y character, or z ship, this can read as asking for a free commission. Kindly find someone who is open for requests or commission a writer. It's okay and wonderful to be excited about where the story might go and to speculate! But if someone gifts you chocolate chip cookies, maybe uhhh don't mention that you prefer snickerdoodles unless they ask.

What is the "best" kind of review?

The best kind of review 1.) exists and 2.) is positive and encouraging. This is (what I personally believe is) the most broadly applicable statement. For folks who specify that they want constructive criticism and/or proofreading help, then it's that.

I personally think that the best way to review is to mention something specific from the update that stood out to you. Even if you don't have the spoons or desire to articulate why, knowing what is resonating and working is awesome! But what most fandom creators need is to feel that they are being heard, so the simple reviews ("I love this! This is great! Thanks for the food!" etc etc) are treasured.

That's all I can think of! It's kind of you to care and to ask.

[thehorrortree]

Deadline: April 1st, 2024 Payment: Royalties Theme: Speculative Fiction about Tarot Tarot cards have long been looked upon as a window to the past and future of human existence. Fortune tellers of old have utilized the power within the cards to advise or warn away inquisitive souls from the potential folly of their choices. What happens when the power of the cards escapes into the realm of humanity with the desire to play out their core intentions on the unsuspecting? A mortal once controlled the power of the past, present, and future. In his innocent desire for companionship, he made a mistake: he got too close to his creation and lost control. The foolish mortal’s artistic magic escaped the confines of the cards and trapped their maker to pursue their magical intent. Walking carnations of the major arcana of the tarot are free to roam and manipulate the mortal world without the constraints of their maker, who has been recreated as The Fool. The Magician, the first excommunicated card, will do anything to free his friend from the confines of art. But can he convince the others to put aside their petty urges and use their magic to help, even if it puts their livelihood at risk? Or have the cards become too accustomed to life in the modern world to allow anything, or anyone, to send them back to a one-dimensional life? The tarot is the only magic left in the mortal world, and they’ve had their way with it for a long time… We’re looking for new, previously unpublished stories that take us on an adventure and leave us wanting more. Genre: Speculative Fiction Word Count: 5,000 – 10,000 Opening Essay by: TBD Edited by: Charity Ayres Anchor Author: TBD Due Date: April 1, 2024 Email submissions to: threeravenspublishing @ gmail dot com with “Tarot” in the subject line Payment: Stories selected for publication in the upcoming Anthology(ies), will receive a percentage of sales divided equally between the contributing authors. MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION GUIDELINES We are looking for amazing stories from any genre that are fun to read and will take us on an adventure of epic proportions. Please download our standards template by clicking here ***NOTE*** We publish genre fiction with aspects of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. If your work does not include one of these aspects, we are less likely to pick up the title unless it is of exceptional quality. What we are NOT currently accepting: Poetry Single-author collections of short stories. Hard and fast rules of what not to send: Fan-fiction: Just simply don’t. It will be immediately deleted or tossed into the recycle bin. Gratuitous Sexuality: (i.e. smut, softcore porn) (Please, we know that there is a market out there for stories in this genre, but it’s not for us. Contact our affiliate, Tanglewood press for submissions in this genre at tanglewoodromance (at) gmail.com Gratuitous Abuse/Violence: While we at Three Ravens Publishing understand that graphic situations can alter or otherwise move the plot forward in ways that the reader may not expect when properly used, these elements should not, however, be the primary focus of the story. (i.e. torture porn). Discrimination: Again, whether racial, religious, social, etc., when used properly as a plot device can become a powerful tool in the authors arsenal, but should in no way become the focus of the story unless you’re writing something along the lines of “Schindler’s List”, “To Kill a Mockingbird” or “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. And we do understand that to be perfectly accurate, period pieces will contain such things because historically, that is what happened. It’s sad, but it’s the truth. Message Fiction: While we understand that everyone has their own stance on a myriad of subjects that can become very emotional and heated, we will not publish message fiction. Message fiction is defined as: Fiction that attempts to convey a sociopolitical message, as opposed to mere escapism. That being said, message fiction can crop up from many different topics.

The cut and dry of it. If it doesn’t add to the story, don’t do it. If the story itself is a platform for you as the author to get up on your soapbox, then don’t bother submiting the piece, because we don’t want it. Special Note: RPG and game-based stories: We do accept these types of stories; however, your submission may not violate any game’s copy written, or trademarked, content. (refer back to the line above on fan fiction. We do not want it and will not accept it.). As an example, you might have a character running around in one of the popular online multiplayer games. You might want to write a story about your character’s adventures. That, in itself, is fine. Do not mention characters, creatures or the game world itself. Rename them to something of your own creation. We do understand that the muse may strike at any time and that ideas can come from anywhere. So please, before submitting, ensure that what you have submitted will not violate any copyright or trademark laws. Reprints/previously published: We accept previously published works as long as you have the rights and can provide proof (if necessary). Other than that, we really want to see what you have. Payment rates: To be determined at the time of the contract and will be in the range of 50-70% of sales, and competitive with other publishing houses. The hard and fast rules of Submissions: If sending a Query letter, include a full synopsis of the story, the first three chapters as a writing sample and links to your social media pages. Response time may vary. Expect a reply within 9-18 months. We would prefer to see complete manuscripts that have already been somewhat edited by the author. Note: A contract offer will not be made based on a Query alone unless the work is of exceptional quality. Offers, in general, will only be made on completed works. Your submission must include your (Legal) name and your (Publication) name if using one, email address*, postal mailing address, and telephone number on both your cover letter and the first page of the manuscript. Include a plot outline if possible. *Also include links to all of your social media pages Spelling and grammar checkers are great, but they are not foolproof. Review your work for flow and content prior to submitting it. Minimal formatting, please! Indent paragraphs; single or double-spaced text is fine, though we prefer to use 1.15 spacing, with no extra lines between paragraphs; center chapter headers and scene break indicators (###, ***, etc.); use page breaks only at the end of chapters. For emphasis, choose either underline or italics and use it consistently throughout. Use straight quotes and apostrophes, … ., –, etc, no special characters, please! Times Roman 12pt is highly preferred. Make it readable, or we won’t read it. It’s that simple. If something specific requires special formatting then explain it in a cover letter. Please download our standards template by clicking here. Electronic Submissions: Neither disks or thumb drives will be reviewed, so do not send them unless requested. Our preferred method is by electronic submission, but we will accept a printed hardcopy. Attach the manuscript as a Rich Text Format (.rtf) file. Any other format will not be considered. Send the manuscript as a single file (do not break it into separate chapter files), so any synopsis and contact info needs to be in the file with your manuscript. NOTE: Any viruses attached to your submission will send your manuscript straight into file-13. (For non-military members, that means the trash can.) Hardcopy Submissions: (for those who cannot submit electronically) Standard manuscript format only: double-spaced, one side of the page only, 1/2″ (i.e., 0.5″) margins on all four sides of the page. We will consider photocopies if they are dark and clear. Title, author (last name only is okay), and page number at the top of each page are mandatory. Include your name, mailing address, and telephone number on the first page.

Hardcopy manuscripts identified as “disposable” will be recycled. Disposable submissions should be accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped, letter-sized envelope for our reply (please ensure proper postage has been supplied!). Manuscripts intended to be returned should be accompanied by self-addressed packaging and sufficient postage. We will not be responsible for any manuscripts lost or damaged in the mail. Return packages will not be insured, tracked or otherwise paid for by Three Ravens Publishing. Via: Three Ravens Publishing.

[avonsdrabbles]

Hi! I seem to have rambled on to your blog

Weird question! How did you get into (if you ever did) examining and taking apart literature?

For us it's Merlin BBC cuz nothing new has come out for it in over a decade. It's 5 seasons long but at some point you just run out of content but yk, still wanting to talk about it we started drawing on narrative themes picking apart and inspecting the dialogue to figure out each character's intention. I'm glad to say it held up really well

& we're asking people whom have interacted with the degree that forces literature upon you how they started cuz it's interesting

On ask? On my main? It's more likely than you'd think--

Anyways, hi, love the snakes, love the planet, love the ask! It's unsurprisingly a little complicated for me, so bear with me.

I knew I liked English in middle school, but that wasn't dissecting text, that was writing. But that's where a love for language formed, and I started writing more and more. Back then, tho, I HATED dissecting literature, because it felt so pointless. "What did the author mean by this?" I don't know, I can't ask them, Margie! Ugh.

But then, I had the worst English teacher in my entire life in high school. She was, simply put, batshit. She rambled on and on about how fairies were going to take her soul and stole kids things, how cameras were the work of the devil and could also take your soul, how English would heal people's souls...

Really obsessed with souls ngl. Bit weird.

Anyways -- she was god awful. And she changed the curriculum multiple times so we could read what she wanted. The year I was supposed to read Romeo and Juliet, we read Midsummer Nights Dream instead. And by god, everything this woman said pissed me the fuck off. SHE FOCUSED ON THE IMABS? IMABIC PENTAMETERS???? I'm sorry, woman, can we discuss the puns here?! Can we discuss the authorial context of Shakespeare making this play within a play something commoners could enjoy while mocking nobility and the scandals at play, while (sorry, foaming at the mouth in rage and lust over literature).

Needless to say, I dove straight in. I'm one of the lucky ones who could understand Shakespeare without trying. It didn't take any energy on my part to parse the iambs, and I found a lot of beauty in the poetic nature of it all.

The next year, I was ready to fight, but I promptly had the best English teacher of my entire life, the one who taught me more about teaching than anyone else, and who I cite as the reason I became an English teacher. And she really fucking opened my eyes to the intricacies of subjectiveness in English. See, I'm a very stubborn person, and I'm very my-way-or-the-highway. I used to be very mathmatically inclined because there's only one right answer. Sure, you can get that answer a lot of different ways, but only one thing is right. English frustrated me because it seemed like I could say any fucking bullshit and have someone nod and say "Profound."

This is the teacher that taught me that's a feature, not a bug.

Through a little something called Waiting For Godot.

It is, by far, the worst play I've read. It's also my favorite. What sort of 10th grader gets to read an analysis of God that features pet play BDSM? THIS one. (This was also outside of the standard curriculum, but it was the end of the year, so all bets were off I guess).

This was the play where we dove in, read it, and without any discussion of the play, had to write an essay about the theme the author was presenting. All of us felt so lost. The symbolism didn't make any sense. There seemed to be no theme, beyond maybe "Waiting for someone who will never come is painful."

And then, the day before we had to write the essay... We had a substitute, following her lesson plans, and he was one of my favorite SEIAs (special ed instructional assistants). He was the exact same level of batshit as I am.

He SLAMMED his hand on the whiteboard, stared at us as we looked back in shock, and screamed, "ABORTION." He then went into a 40 minute diatribe about how the author of the text was very clearly explaining pro-life VS pro-choice mentality, leaning pro-life, but conversely making a pro-choice argument through the use of the discussion of Christian free will. He used sources. He used text evidence. By the end of the talk, all of us were nodding, clapping, acknowledging that he HAD to be correct!

And he stopped, stared at us, and laughed. "That was all bullshit."

He'd pulled it all out of his ass. And it made perfect sense to us all.

That's when I figured out that literature is what YOU make of it. Literature is all about interpretation; sure, there's tropes to follow that help guide our interpretations, but at the end of the day, words mean whatever you think they mean.

THAT'S what got me into lit analysis.

(And, oddly, homestuck)

[carmenized-onions]

reading this chapter was truly an emotional journey for me - i wrote a page of notes while reading that are completely incoherent but i will recount here anyway

firstly, of course chip is a pun girly we have known this forever, but every time she makes a joke i laugh out loud like yes you are so funny

my next focus was him forgetting to turn his location off - i hear the black dog by taylor swift playing in the background. i need this girl and this boy to realise that neither of them hate eachother because this cat and mouse game is getting on my nerves (in the best way no offence to you author)

wondering why i wasn’t invited on the richie carmen road trip - mainly because i want to hear their conversations and secondly because it would be the perfect opportunity for a tag team

as soon as i read the bit about the chance that they would interact being low i thought ,,,, ooo this will be disproved by our favourite author extraordinaire and i was right!

random request but can we have a christmas / holiday themed chapter i just want to see all the presents chip gives out i love her

also enjoying the use of kitchen as a verb when talking about richie being bad at kitchen - it’s giving ken’s job being beach in the barbie movie

thankful that you gave us some sydney/chip moments and some richie/sydney/chip moments plus some marcus later as i don’t know if i could have handled this chapter without seeing my babies having a sliver of joy for at least a couple of lines

i could be completely off base with this but was the reference to cherries when chip talks about carmen doing her prep an intentional callback to her favourite ice cream flavour? i could be majorly reading into it but if im right you are a genius and if im not you are still a genius without even knowing it

the knife tattoo being the hand she focuses on is a metaphor a mother figure english teacher should explain to me, but i am too tired to fully comprehend the meaning of this right now

sorry but who puts their wedding cake in an uber, creds to marcus for saving the day my small boy

i can’t even explain the neil fak moment but it is so fucking classic for him to misread a situation SO SEVERELY, i wish this was an actual scene because i need to physically see the facial expressions

and then we get to uncle lee. i had to put my phone down when carmen said his name, genuinely i let out a singular clap. we have never seen chip like this and i don’t know if we ever will again. this interaction consolidated the chip being a sponsor theory for me as it is so clear that she cannot stand the way people talk about drugs and addiction - especially regarding mikey

a callback to the italians loving their unions, you love to see it

i wrote very minimal notes on the carmy chip interaction at the end of the scene as there is really nothing for me to comment on except for how beautifully you wrote it. it is so peaceful but so angry i don’t know how you manage to do this every time. such a great reveal (despite the theories) as it did feel like a suprise to me still!!!

amazing work once again, i am sorry if this is completely incoherent i dont know how else to say this hahha

I DID GET THIS ASK!! I just took ten years to get to it, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE LOVE!! It's all coherent dw let's fuckin LOCK IN!!!

list format let's fucking go

I remember when I first read this (the pun thing) it really had me kicking my feet because it just sounds like-- Like when a girl will laugh at fucking anything someone she has a crush on says. everyone be honest do you have a crush on tony? I'm moving the keep reading down so everyone legally has to answer.

AND THE LIST RESETS BUT IF I SIMPLY JUST PRESS ENTER ITS LIKE IT NEVER HAPPENED

I'm not a huge taylor girl but I will put it on in the background as I write the rest of this answer lets fuckin goo. These two really needed the under the counter talk we were TIRED

LMAO So many people wanted to come to that road trip-- You all dodged a bullet. Also so did I. because i didn't want to have to figure out how it would've gone. that sounds like so much work and i just wanted to have cute wedding time. sometimes we do time skips because we just want to have cute wedding time and no one admits this

of course it'd be disproved!! and

SHHHHHH you babies always be making requests, I DONT PUT GUNS IN THE FIRST ACT FOR NOTHING YOU KNOW ME!! but SHHHH!!!

he SUCKS at kitchen! Sometimes I use terms as verbs because it seems like how kitchens do things and i want everyone to think i know what it's like to work in service and i'm NOT just googling it and asking my bartending/server/linecook friends how it is. that's definitely NOT what's happening

ive said it a million times, who really cares about this carmen guy in this carmen fic. it's all about literally everyone else.

100% it's a call back! I reference cherries honestly more than i could ever expect. it's the flavour of the series now.

The knife tattoo thing though that was just me and my thing with hands. i have a thing with hands. so canonically tony also has a thing with hands. she just thought he was hot. but also about referencing it twice i did think-- or i guess wrote it-- i just think it's interesting how Carmen put his hand on her mouth and then ran that same hand through his scalp. just think thats interesting. just. thats something huh? or this could mean nothing

YOU'D BE SURPRISED I'VE HEARD HORROR STORIES OF PEOPLE HAVING THEIR CAKES DELIVERED BY UBER THINKING IT'LL BE SAFER THAN GETTING IT THEMSELVES AND THEY EAT SHIT ON THE WAY OVER

I wish so deeply I was a writer or director on the bear and could film this man. MATTY!! MATTY ARE YOU OUT THERE!!? HIRE ME BABY PLEASE?!?!?! I WENT TO SCHOOL FOR IT AND EVERYTHING COME ON!

Putting the phone down I think I've heard is one of the highest honours one can achieve? I've been told. AND A CLAP!? Let's fucking go. I won. I won boys! I can't think of a moment in which we will ever see Chip get this particularly hyphy-- Not to say she won't get mad in the future, but this was a very specific type of mad. genuinely if this wedding wasn't a lovely wedding it would've been so over.

The Union Italians scene was so much longer in the original version in my brain-- But I condensed it upon writing because it didn't really add much. But it was essentially gonna be Tony tired and then while ordering they look at her and go "wait,,, have you taken a break?" :( "no" "WHAT??? KNOW YOUR FUCKING RIGHTS!!!!"

This makes me so happy that I nailed that feeling, I was worried honestly that it was too peaceful? But that peaceful sort of like tempered anger is exactly what I was trying to go for. Like we're trying to problem solve and it's all kind of funny but I am still so mad.

AND ONCE AGAIN I THANK YOU FOR YOUR THOUGHTS I EAT EM FOR BREAKFAST LUNCH AND DINNER LOVE YOU!! I hope you love the next chapter it's a fucking DOOZY that I honestly think is going to throw everyone for a fucking loop. I'm so excited to see immediate reactions as they come through.

[themagikmirror]

🔥✨Aries Full Moon Lunar Eclipse : Let's Talk Power & Putting Yourself First!

Not only is this the finale of October 2023 & Eclipse Season, but it's also the last Eclipse in 2023 and in a series of Aries eclipses in general! This Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Aries offers sudden exposure and crystal clarity like never before! It's important to pay attention to what has been revealed to you in the month of October and within this moment. The eclipse officially happens October 28th, 2023. Since 2022 Sidereal Aries has been teaching us about POWER! In the video recording for the Eclipse (Let's Talk Power! : available on my Facebook Page) I discuss this and other topics like AUTHORITY & LEADERSHIP . These must ultimately be checked & balanced through other parties--relationships-- but ultimately through Spirit and the relationship within ourselves.

Are you comfortable with the amount of power you're giving up or (vice versa) the amount of power that you are taking away? And is this what Spirit wants?

🔮General Messages :

We need to tighten up our ancestral work this Fall.

We need to be present throughout the rest of 2023 vs. skipping & rushing ahead to 2024.

I reviewed a track record of messages I’ve channeled through the Aries energy from 2021 - now. Aries has challenged us in the following ways..... Consider how these themes have played out within your life over that time span :  EMBRACING THE JOURNEY. Realize there is always gonna be a new level & a new devil. We have to be comfortable with the challenge of starting over and starting new things, even when we feel like we’ve been through or mastered so much. EMBRACING SOLITUDE. This doesn’t mean cutting people off unnecessarily or blocking yourself from having meaningful relationships and exchanges, but it does mean feeling secure in one’s self & not letting other people hinder what you are doing/wish to be doing. Stepping into your power means learning how to operate with/without other's support, encouragement, validation and helping hands. BEING MORE INTENTIONAL Actions need to match intentions and intentions need to match actions, period. Simple. Otherwise it’s wasted energy & effort that may also yield messy, painful & undesirable results. Spirit knows when intentions don’t match the actions. We cannot disguise unaligned energy for long. Make sure not only are you being intentional, but the people you around you are intentional too. TAKING YOUR POWER BACK & PROTECTING YOUR ENERGY From people & situations that are abusing access to you & from abandoning yourself. This process starts with being present to our bodies & FEELING our needs, even if that includes feelings of complete rage. What is that telling you? This is also about not letting challenges completely shut us down and make us quit things that we have a desire for through perseverance.  EGO DEATH, MOVING ON & SURRENDER Let the dead weight & baggage go, its holding you down & blocking movement. Free & unstuck yourself! Not everything will go our way not only because it’s not what’s best for us, but also not best for the people around us. Power is not just about realizing what you CAN do, but it’s also having a pretty good idea on what you CAN’T do as well. Sometimes community & relationships are God’s way of showing us our limits. There are some things that are completely out of our control, even about ourselves. So how do we expect our ego & will to force things for someone/something outside of us always? Ego, Pride & Force is not a master key. TAKING THE LEAD & FACING FEARS Not being afraid of stepping up, embarking on new things, taking down old challenges, following our passion and putting ourselves out there. Being a leader not just for others, but for ourselves. Again, sometimes it’s just you & God at the front line. Remove (self) doubts & move mountains!

The easiest way to check & balance POWER is to PUT YOURSELF FIRST. When we are centered within ourselves, we establish a right relationship with responsibility to ourselves & others . There's a lot of healing & transformation available at this moment. This is a time of CHANGE where we may see results & manifestations kicking in, but it's also high time to heal the abandonment wounds & not just show up for others, but to continue showing up for ourselves. It's equally time to stop robbing people of rightful seats at the table in your life & places in the spotlight. It's also time to stop feeding the very ego that may be harming you & others.

This final eclipse is equally about SURRENDER as it is about change. Those topics are 2 sides of the same coin. In order to experience CHANGE, we must SURRENDER.

CHANGE + SURRENDER = FREEDOM.

Knowing When to Throw in the Towel is not a sign of weakness, it's a sign of wisdom. It's quite foolish to keep pushing something into fruition when you are being drained. If calling it quits saves us from destruction… it may be time to do so....

Note : ITS NOT ABOUT GIVING UP, ITS ABOUT USING YOUR ENERGY WISELY 

In this reading ✨Spirit once continues to command us to :

SAY NO!

Spirit needs us to STAND BEHIND our Boundaries, needs & desires right now! This moment is about not backing down. You can see the "Strength" card, which literally has a pillar on it.

Its giving "STAND FOR NOTHING, FALL FOR ANYTHING"

In this moment, know exactly what you stand for : YOURSELF

who/what is trying to rob you of the power you personally possess or conduct an unfair exchange?

Or, for some : is the leadership, the pedestal & the spotlight worth some of the sacrifices? Do you need to tell some people to back up, chill out & try doing it themselves?

POWER is something that we all possess in unique ways. The powers we possess are exchanged to survive, create and enjoy life. Although we all possess personal power, there's still things and people that can either fuel or deplete & diminish it.

✨Spirit asks us :

Please examine the ways you may need to pull back, reject, deny & refuse....

This is once again to remain CENTERED within Spirit & ourselves! It's also to check & balance power and authority in our relationships & engagements. To control others, you have to be completely out of control. Is that what you want? LEADERSHIP is not at all about controlling others, but being a change agent, example & a guide. Consider what you are able to exemplify, change and guide for others.

This entire eclipse season has been about the importance of

CHANGE : REFUSING TO REPEAT PATTERNS THAT DON'T WORK, BOUNDARIES, SPEAKING UP, STANDING UP, SELF LOVE & REFUSING TO ABANDON YOURSELF FOR THE NEEDS & DESIRES OF ANOTHER PARTY...

*especially when you are not getting a fair exchange*

When there's fair exchanges of power , no one has to abandon themselves, because everyone is getting treated how they would treat themselves or better!

✨Spirit says :

It will take Strength to be a disappointment or a let down to others / stand up for yourself / relinquish responsibilities/ not abandon yourself -- ESPECIALLY if this is what you are used to doing! But being a little vulnerable is the key! Utilizing the power of reflection, showing your truth & returning energy (power & responsibility) back to sender will set you free from burdens.

THIS IS ABOUT FREEDOM.