#emulation writing project

[thearchivistsletterbox]

emulation draft piece, tw for homophobic ideologies

When I was nine my pop let me have half of his beer and told me if I ever kissed a girl he’d bury me with the dogs. Just because no bloke worth anyone’s time of day would be into me didn’t mean I could go looking in the wrong places for sex. I watched the adults give each other lights, women gossiping about the neighbours and men overcooking patties and bangers on the barbecue. There was no point asking pop questions. Never the sharing kind, that man. He had morals tougher than roadkill, you could run him over a hundred times and he’d still spit over the gay neighbour’s fence. We weren’t churchgoing folk. I always thought the pews smelt like asphalt, it reminded me of phantom memories. It was those times I’d caress the birthmark across my face, wondering if God was real, and if he was, would he love me? Or was he like every other man pop talked about? Other people needed the church more than me anyway.

Primary school was difficult. Picked up the nickname ‘Strawberry Alison.’ Cruel as it felt, I don’t know if they meant any harm. Some did, that’s for sure. They ripped frangipanis from the playground’s trees and threw them at me, screeching like freshly shot magpies who weren’t letting go just yet. I dreamt of Italy. Something about that place called to me. Maybe it was the clear waters with homey little boats, not half-rotten canoes, or the lack of kangaroo meat on both the tables and streets. Maybe it was because it wasn’t home. Some Italian goddess would scoop me up, away from the dobbing and whinging and strawberry nicknames.

An Italian god, I mean. Not a goddess.

[asingleheart-shapedbraincell]

Ohhh I am very curious about cult of the bird!

“What do you do?” Dabi asked with narrowed eyes. Enji had been very good at claiming his job was protecting them all, both physically and spiritually, but in between any attack that might take place he seemed to believe his main duty was walking around and micromanaging people. Or snubbing them.

“The majority of my time is spent crusading,” Keigo answered, “which mostly involves killing heretics and collecting things we’d otherwise struggle to find. I often collect various plants, medicinal and edible, some minerals and crystals, meat, fish, whatever I come across,” he gave Dabi a slight up-and-down while smiling, “sometimes if I’m lucky, I’ll come back with another follower.”

Chewing on these two like a dog, I can't wait for Dabi to slowly start to trust aaaaahhhhhhhh

[forthedancingandthethriving]

(Inspiration)

Lily wakes with a groan, placing a hand to her head. "Ugh, what..?"

"You okay, Lily?"

The gruff voice of Bowser makes her blink towards him, seeing that she had been clutched to his chest. She looks around with a deep frown. "I think.. It's really hard to remember stuff though.."

"You'll remember pretty soon." The Koopa King says before he carefully lowers her to the ground. She stumbles a bit before looking around.

Very slowly, it hits her. The Wonder Seed. The barrier. The fighting.. everything.

"Oh my god.." She whispers, eyes going wide before she breaks out into a run to where she hopes she saw Lil Coding.

"LC?!" She cups her hands and cries, easily rushing through the disoriented citizens of Mushroom Kingdom. "LC, where are you?!"

"LILY!"

She's suddenly tackled, and from the force she knows exactly who. A familiar cat-human is atop her, hugging her so tightly yet she could care less about the pain.

"LC!"

They both quickly stand, tightly embracing each other before Lily is the one to pull away. "D-do you know where Dad and Papa are?! I remember dad coming down to my weird Zone and Papa was under the Zone's influence and-"

"LILY! LIL CODING!"

The two children look around before spotting their parents. SMG3 looked a bit weaker than 4 at the moment, but it didn't matter. The siblings broke into a run towards their parents, with Lil Coding tightly hugging 4 and Lily tightly hugging 3.

Meanwhile, Domain and Forum were helping Emulator onto her feet, keeping her steady.

"Easy.." Domain frowns, his hold on her hand a little tighter.

"You're worrying over me like you weren't infested with the Creep until an hour or so ago," Emulator jokes to lighten the mood, smiling when it gets a chuckle out of her brothers.

"Oh, shut it.." Domain chuckles softly, and the two Admins let go of her once they know she's stable.

"Vitality is gonna have all of our asses when she finally pops in." Forum drags a hand down his face.

"As long as we can avoid the lecture-"

"Mom!"

A familiar red blurr came up and hugs Emulator, and the two Admins sidestep with a smile, giving the Avatar the room he needed.

As they stepped to the side, they watch as the rest of the group reforms as well. Everyone looks worn down and tired, but they're all here, and that's what matters.

"... going to kill Old Man Hobo and Metal.." Lily's grumbling made Domain snicker towards Forum.

"I think she gets that from you."

"Oh, don't even."

"Oh, Papa.." Lil Coding lowers his voice as Juliano approaches. "Juliano definitely needs more therapy. He converted in the guilt zone-"

"Toadstool Tangle." 4 corrects him.

".. he converted in the guilt zone, and yeah, it's definitely something to discuss."

3 sighs and drags a hand down his face. "I need a drink."

Soft laughter breaks from the group. All tired, but I'm glad to finally have the curtain fall on this adventure.

[dkniade]

Me writing my OCs: I have no idea who you are

Well, I haven’t thought of a clear past for them yet, nor the character archetypes they’d be. Of course they’re blurry

[ellipsus-writes]

Ellipsus Digest: March 18

Each week (or so), we'll highlight the relevant (and sometimes rage-inducing) news adjacent to writing and freedom of expression.

This week: AI continues its hostile takeover of creative labor, Spain takes a stand against digital sludge, and the usual suspects in the U.S. are hard at work memory-holing reality in ways both dystopian and deeply unserious.

ChatGPT firm reveals AI model that is “good at creative writing” (The Guardian)

... Those quotes are working hard.

OpenAI (ChatGPT) announced a new AI model trained to emulate creative writing—at least, according to founder Sam Altman: “This is the first time i have been really struck by something written by AI.” But with growing concerns over unethically scraped training data and the continued dilution of human voices, writers are asking… why? 

Spoiler: the result is yet another model that mimics the aesthetics of creativity while replacing the act of creation with something that exists primarily to generate profit for OpenAI and its (many) partners—at the expense of authors whose work has been chewed up, swallowed, and regurgitated into Silicon Valley slop.

Spain to impose massive fines for not labeling AI-generated content (Reuters)

But while big tech continues to accelerate AI’s encroachment on creative industries, Spain (in stark contrast to the U.S.) has drawn a line: In an attempt to curb misinformation and protect human labor, all AI-generated content must be labeled, or companies will face massive fines. As the internet is flooded with AI-written text and AI-generated art, the bill could be the first of many attempts to curb the unchecked spread of slop.

Besos, España 💋

These words are disappearing in the new Trump administration (NYT)

Project 2025 is moving right along—alongside dismantling policies and purging government employees, the stage is set for a systemic erasure of language (and reality). Reports show that officials plan to wipe government websites of references to LGBTQ+, BIPOC, women, and other communities—words like minority, gender, Black, racism, victim, sexuality, climate crisis, discrimination, and women have been flagged, alongside resources for marginalized groups and DEI initiatives, for removal.

It’s a concentrated effort at creating an infrastructure where discrimination becomes easier… because the words to fight it no longer officially exist. (Federally funded educational institutions, research grants, and historical archives will continue to be affected—a broader, more insidious continuation of book bans, but at the level of national record-keeping, reflective of reality.) Doubleplusungood, indeed.

Pete Hegseth’s banned images of “Enola Gay” plane in DEI crackdown (The Daily Beast)

Fox News pundit-turned-Secretary of Defense-slash-perpetual-drunk-uncle Pete Hegseth has a new target: banning educational materials featuring the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. His reasoning: that its inclusion in DEI programs constitutes "woke revisionism." If a nuke isn’t safe from censorship, what is?

The data hoarders resisting Trump’s purge (The New Yorker)

Things are a little shit, sure. But even in the ungoodest of times, there are people unwilling to go down without a fight.

Archivists, librarians, and internet people are bracing for the widespread censorship of government records and content. With the Trump admin aiming to erase documentation of progressive policies and minority protections, a decentralized network is working to preserve at-risk information in a galvanized push against erasure, refusing to let silence win.

Let us know if you find something other writers should know about, (or join our Discord and share it there!) Until next week, - The Ellipsus Team xo

[starglossie]

Mel is the textbook example of how black female characters are treated in fandom. This is not to say that there are not people who love her or appreciate her character in all of its facets.

I'm just scratching my head at some of the takes on her character that feels, to me, like a gross misrepresentation of who she is and how she is presented in the show.

It is true that she is a politician. It is true that she knows how to navigate social situations. She was raised by Ambessa! She knows the tricks of the game better than anyone! But then I see people calling her manipulative? And then feel vindicated by Jayce screaming at her (unnecessarily so, btw bc that scene was SO crazy) that she was manipulative (when by the way, we all agree Jayce was not in his right state of mind at the time and then apologized afterwards because he realized he crashed out on her for no reason). When she... never has been manipulative?

So if someone sees your potential, and wants to see it flourish, is that manipulative?

Jayce LITERALLY wanted her to take a chance on his and viktor's project. It was MUTUALL BENEFICIAL for Mel to help Jayce posit himself in a position of power that would get him better access to the resources he needed to get where he wanted to go.

That's not manipulation. That's investment.

Mel is a complex, black female character. It is not to say she is perfect. She's not. She has her flaws but one of those flaws is NOT manipulation and I cast a side eye at people who think Ambessa is a great, well-written character and then think Mel is not. I have to. Because Ambessa is written to be aggressive, and cold, and strong, and tough--even her design emulates this rough edge. And I HAVE to think, why do I see people write essays on how bad Mel is but not Ambessa? Is it because Ambessa carries character traits that are more palatable to a non-black audience?? Character traits that more align with people's subconscious associations with blackness?

ANYWAYS.... I'M YAPPING. I could go on about how Mel is soft, and kind, and strong, and her character arc is about finding out who she is not as a child of Ambessa or an exiled daughter, but who is MEL MEDARDA, and what do you do with this newfound discovery. What do you do in the wake of grieving your mother who died by your hand?

I could go on. But I am so tired of seeing posts dogging Mel and taking scenes out of context and if Mel was a MAN.... I don't think she'd get half this flack. And if Mel was a WHITE MAN......... LMAOOOOO.

Anyways I love Mel she's pookie.

[thirstkanaphan]

A Shipper's Perspective on SanSang

The San/Yeosang relationship receives positive and negative attention from the fandom. The majority of us find their bond really sweet! We coo when San clings to Yeosang and declares his love; we chuckle when Yeosang nods his head in shy acceptance.

On the extreme ends of the fandom spectrum, you encounter discourse that generally falls into two camps:

Yeosang is a hostage to San's overly-demonstrative affections

Yeosang is a homewrecker who broke up WooSan

These arguments are not new, but they increased in volume within the last year or two. I felt compelled to explore these arguments and put into words some of my complicated thoughts and feelings about this particular relationship. I also believe I'm in a unique position to comment on these arguments because...

I am a shipper. I've been in fandom spaces since I was a preteen (nearly 20 years!) and I am primarily drawn to a fandom when there is great potential for shipping. I was in the Hockey RPF fandom from 2012-2015 and wrote/consumed stories where NHL players kissed each other and sometimes got each other pregnant. These are my bona fides.

Everyone in the Hockey RPF fandom knew the rules. Don't break the fourth wall. Don't make it weird. Don't get delulu. We all understood that Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were not secretly lovers pretending to be good friends and teammates (👀). We were there to have a good time and, more importantly, we all enjoyed hockey! I seriously got into hockey through fandom and attended many games. I still feel a huge swell of fondness when I catch the Pittsburgh Penguins on TV. THOSE ARE MY BOYS!

Before I found Ateez and joined this fandom, I was heavily into the BL genre and specifically Thai BL. The thing about Thai BL is that many of the most popular shows have nothing to do with their writing or directing or acting; they are popular because they star a "branded pair" of good-looking young men who perform fan service outside of their shows. While there are actual queer actors in the Thai BL genre, very few have the same level of global popularity as branded pairs.

ZeeNuNew, the hottest branded pair of the moment

Branded pairs are deliberately modeled on the kpop idol industry, which similarly encourages its young female audience to project m/m fantasies onto their faves. There's actually a whole Korean BL called Bump Up Business about two struggling idols (OnelyOneOf's Mill and Nine) who are paired together in a new group with instructions to appeal to fans through BGP: Business Gay Performance.

The key to a successful branded pair is to emulate as closely as possible m/m archetypes rooted in early '00s Japanese yaoi, which is the primogenitor for modern BL and remains a dominant influence in kpop fan-service.

Here are the main archetypes, as defined by the expert on the subject, AbsoluteBL:

seme: the active pursuer in the narrative (from the original attacker meaning of the word)

uke: the passive resistor in the narrative (defender)

AbsoluteBL clarifies: seme/uke is about who is in CONTROL of the relationship's story, as opposed to top/bottom, terms which come from the gay/queer community and pertain to sexual preference and (should) have nothing to do with narrative power dynamics.

Traditionally, the seme is physically larger and conventionally more masculine in appearance, while the uke is smaller and more feminine in appearance. The uke is often considered "pure" (yes, I know, problematic), which makes them all the more desirable. Female consumers project themselves onto the uke to enjoy a romantic fantasy without having to fully engage with the patriarchal bullshit baked into traditional m/f romance (AbsoluteBL calls this "heterosexual dysmorphia").

Do you see where I'm going with this?

Out of all the pairs in Ateez, SanSang are the most seme/uke-coded.

San is the pursuer. He wants to protect Yeosang because Yeosang is "cute" and "pure." San uses his size to put Yeosang into physical situations he must tolerate/endure for San's pleasure. San preens whenever Yeosang acknowledges him, compliments him, or initiates contact. San wants to take Yeosang to "Paradise" (Single's Inferno) and feed him steak in bed. Only San can kiss Yeosang, which he repeatedly tells atiny. We cannot have Yeosang, he belongs to San.

On paper (or on tumblr), this description would make anyone raise an eyebrow. For the anti-fans of this relationship, San is a bully who routinely takes advantage of Yeosang's gentle nature. I've even heard an argument that San's physical transformation prompted KQ to "reassign" him Yeosang as a fan-service partner in order to maximize their seme/uke appeal to fans. As evidence, fans point to Yeosang's tendency to flinch whenever San gets too close and his hesitancy to reciprocate when San boldly declares his love in front of the cameras.

I have a few responses to this characterization of their relationship.

Quick note: fan service is a feature, not a bug, of kpop. The HYBE internal docs that leaked last summer explicitly mentioned different ships among various Big4 groups and cited strategies for promoting certain ships among their own groups.

Ateez excels at fan service, and this is partially to do with their natural chemistry with and genuine affection for each other. But also, as a smaller company, KQ did not have the means or resources to provide media-training to Ateez in their early years AND they gave almost unfettered access to the members via the vlive app, which is how many kpop fans got to know smaller and newer groups.

The sale of vlive to HYBE, who proceeded to shut down the app and replace it with their own company-managed app, terminated that kind of easy and unrestricted access to idols.

From what I gather, Ateez's growing popularity can be attributed in part to how much the members charmed fans by being unscripted and candid in their live videos, often about their relationships with each other. Sometimes we saw too much, i.e., the Woo-San-Sang intervention during their Christmas live.

I think fans got used to a certain kind of fan service from Ateez, a kind of fan service that seemed to tease fans with a genuine "what if?" about their relationships. This was helped by the built-in narratives surrounding the members: Yunho and Mingi meeting in ninth grade; Wooyoung and Yeosang being trainees together; Seonghwa being inspired by Hongjoong to pursue his idol dream.

And of course, WooSan, but I'll get to them later.

Going to back to SanSang: if you watch their early content, you'll see that San was drawn to Yeosang and the feeling was reciprocated. You can find multiple examples of them cuddling, hugging, and being affectionate with each other going back to 2019. It's been going on since San's "twink" era!

However, while fan service comes naturally to San, it is not the same for Yeosang. In fact, while he excels at all other aspects of being an idol (such as vocals, performance, dance, visuals) he arguably lacks the instincts for fan service. He is different from someone like Jongho, who abstains from fan service unless he's in the mood, or Hongjoong, whose tsundere persona (another Japanese romance archetype) is part of the Matz appeal.

My fellow ateez meta writers have offered their thoughts about Yeosang and how he often suffers for lack of "killer instincts" within the group (they clearly adore each other, but they also fight each other for our love and attention). What is the cause of Yeosang's passivity? Is it lingering trauma from his trainee years? Is it his general tendency to be forgetful or oblivious about events happening around him? Yes, Yeosang is smart, clever, and has a dry sense of humor, but he's also the child that Hongjoong said was hardest to parent.

Then there's a Yeosang that we almost never see and we once glimpsed in a cute exchange between him and Mingi. It's implied that Mingi and Yeosang forgot they were being filmed and Yeosang spoke differently than he normally does on camera, which San observes in surprise. I am not a Korean speaker, but he sounds extra sweet and soft. If that's how he is at home, no wonder he inspires so much cuteness aggression in the members.

I'll also note that Yeosang's "flinch" response to fan service is similar no matter who handles him, whether it's Mingi, Wooyoung, or Jongho. Yet, San is his most persistent suitor and his actions draw the most attention, positive and negative.

Let's Talk About San

San's shiftable personality is something the members observed in an early vlive with Hongjoong, Mingi, Seonghwa, and Yunho.

Mingi: "which member has the most behavioral gap with and without a camera?"

Hongjoong suggests that Yeosang and Seonghwa are pretty much the same with or without a camera. But San behaves differently.

Hongjoong: "Seriously. In the absence of a camera...how should I put this...I'm having trouble putting it in a nice way...he has a pretty extreme character...his mood changes a lot...whenever we all gather for a conversation, he's like...it's fascinating! How does someone think like that? He acts like a normal person with a camera...he's very abnormal with us."

While Hongjoong is talking, the other three see San approaching and they all visibly get nervous.

San: "I heard you dissing me!"

I recap this live because I think it strengthens my interpretation of the SanSang relationship as informed more by San's personality than company mandates. I think San's extreme personality and his ability to shift into "character" in front of the camera enables him to similarly adapt to certain dynamics. He is very perceptive about what his members need out of fan service with him. He's Yunho's sweet boy; he's Seonghwa's pesky little brother; he's Jongho's favorite hyung; he's Mingi's goofball bro. We'll get to Wooyoung.

Thus, one theory is that San becomes the "seme" for Yeosang because he recognizes a need in Yeosang that isn't being met.

Let's revisit the 2024 Off The Record interview between San and Yeosang:

San: There's something I want to ask you. Did anything I did upset you?

Yeosang: Actually, for me, instead of being upset, I feel more like I owe you an apology. Because for example, when you say things like "I love you", you show your love and affection, for me it's not easy to reciprocate, so I feel like I owe you an apology. Sometimes, when you try to kiss me... how can I say it... my body's reaction to avoid it is automatic.

And when San replies that Yeosang has done nothing to upset him, Yeosang continues, unprompted:

Yeosang: Nothing upsets you... Thinking about it another way, this feeling of being upset, I don't think it's entirely negative. I feel like the closer the person is, It's easier to get upset about something. I often wonder if I'm not doing enough (also about taking care of San). It's a bit of a stretch to say something like "I'm going to do something to upset you," but I'm going to do my best to do it.

Let's go back a year earlier to Yeosang's message to San during San's 2023 birthday live:

Sometimes when san shows affection to me, I...hahah...because i’m a little shy, yes...so i really, i really like, i brush it away/discard it but still...to me who cannot express (affection well), Sanie approaching me like this first is (something) i’m always grateful for, and because i feel like i won’t ever be able to express that gratefulness well, so i’m sorry too, but still, i am always thinking very thankfully to Sanie who approaches me first like this.

After listening to this, San smiles softly and says, "You're mine."

I think a more cynical person could read these exchanges as Yeosang apologizing for not giving back enough to their fan service, but I think Yeosang is really saying that he wants to be an active participant in his relationship with San. He wants to be able to genuinely upset San, which he sees as a marker of close friendship. While there is still a part of him that remains uneasy with San's excessive physical affection, he wants to be more to San than just a pretty doll to play with. (Interestingly, this is how Jongho described his relationship with Wooyoung earlier in the ep: “am I an accessory to you?”) I don't think for one second that San feels anything less for Yeosang than intense care and adoration.

Given all of this, SanSang "should" work as a major ship!!

Fans should be falling all over themselves to romanticize the gentle, dominant seme coaxing the timid, traumatized uke into accepting his care and affection!

Yet instead, many in the fandom have a hard time accepting or appreciating the fan-service SanSang provide. It comes off as particularly inauthentic for them. Almost too much like a manhwa/yaoi manga.

The primary reason? WooSan.

Many folks have already written about the WooSan ship and why they find it so exciting and compelling. A lot of the reasons boil down to this: it could actually be real.

My non-shipper kpop friend, who listens to everything but doesn't participate in the fandom, told me at their concert that there was a time when she genuinely thought WooSan were in love.

The image above sums up fandom's perception of WooSan: Wooyoung leads, San follows. Wooyoung pushes, teases, pressures, initiates, while San watches him with the fondest look in his eyes. Wooyoung demands, San gives: his attention, his praise, his own flesh. For narrative purposes, Wooyoung is the seme, San is the uke.

This is an exciting dynamic for shippers, refreshing for its lack of traditional yaoi archetypes. Big, strong San getting pushed around by bratty Wooyoung and loving it. San wrote tragic fanfiction for their characters in Bouncy. San is so confident in Wooyoung's love for him that he jokes Wooyoung will "always come back" even if he strays to another members. San is Wooyoung's home.

The biggest Yeosang antis claim that SanSang is an insult to WooSan. They claim San only acts like he's close to Yeosang because the company separated WooSan after they got too close for comfort during Bouncy era. Fans point to fewer WooSan appearances and promotional activities; no more shippy moments during the logbooks; they rarely filmed tiktoks or tagged each other in instagram photos; there was less "soulmate" talk on lives and during interviews. To add insult to injury, they didn't even get a unit song: It's You is a three-man performance with Yeosang.

Another theory shared by a not-insignificant faction within the fandom is that Wooyoung would not permit himself to be put into the role of the passive, submissive uke, so KQ made the call that San should be more attentive to Yeosang.

I am sure there are multiple factors for why WooSan distanced themselves/were distanced after Bouncy-era (cue Oprah voice "were you silent? or were you silenced?"), and I do think some of that has to do with the meteoric rise of Ateez after Bouncy. I think all of them were savvy enough to realize that they could promote the group on more than just being yaoiteez, and San's skyrocketing fame contributed to that shift too, along with Wooyoung's own self-described internal character arc away from being the "sexy" member towards someone with more mystery and maturity.

I would argue that their "distance" had the result of redirecting our attention to how affectionate San already was with all the members. Suddenly we're noticing how clingy he is with Yunho, Seonghwa, and Jongho. Same goes for Yeosang. Their dynamics are nothing new, but I would argue the fandom's attention and scrutiny made it seem new.

While this cannot be an accurate measurement of anything really, compare how many fics are written about each pair:

San/Wooyoung: 7,525 works on Archive Of Our Own

San/Yeosang: 1,345 works on Archive Of Our Own

As a shipper, there are really interesting observations to make about why the SanSang ship does not work compared to the WooSan ship.

My main theory takes us back to those classic seme/uke dynamics that the SanSang dynamic reproduces through their fan service. When compared with WooSan, SanSang comes off as inauthentic because it's too obvious, too easy, too much like shipper bait. It's traditional yaoi-coded appeal is actually the turn-off!

Here's my other theory: many are uncomfortable with SanSang because it forces them to reckon with the very real Business Gay Performance scaffolding all idol fan service. Because if SanSang is obviously manufactured for attention, are other unit pairs the same?

A Final Few Words About Yeosang

Yeosang is the unfair recipient of a lot of hate by the fandom, for shipping and non-shipping reasons. It's awful and it needs to stop.

I also see a worrying trend among his staunchest defenders of infantilizing Yeosang, stripping him of agency in their battles on his behalf, whether it's for better line distribution, more solo promotions, and fashion week schedules. There was even talk of organizing protest trucks outside of KQ, which I personally find mortifying.

I sincerely hope that in the future Yeosang has more opportunities to shine as a singer, dancer, and performer. I also hope that he comes to a place of comfort and confidence in his abilities to give and receive affection from the people who love him the most, a struggle he's voiced publicly. I truly wish him the best!

A Final Few Words About Me!

As someone who was introduced to Ateez via shipping my initial understanding of these relationships was refracted through the lens of the fandom. It's rare for me to move from "fanon" to "canon" like I am with Ateez, where I'm catching up on all their content, vlogs, and interviews and trying to understand them as "real" people, to the extent that anyone can ever know an idol. I am now streaming and voting in addition to reading fic! I'm no longer lurking but actively participating as a fan! This is a whole new phase for me in my 15+ years of being in fandom.

The interesting thing about my journey is that while I entered the fandom through the side door, I've actually become more interested in their IRL relationships and dynamics. I still read fic of course, but like my Hockey RPF fandom days I am able to compartmentalize the part of my brain that goes "oh these pretty boys are in love and should kiss!" and the other part that goes "these enormously talented artists deserve my support and attention."

That being said, I still enjoy shipping and I enjoying talking about how RPF ships work in the context of the idol industry. SanSang is a great case study to think about these topics, and I hope others will respond and with their own meta.

Thank you for your time!

[distort-opia]

"Bruce's potential mommy kink"

I'm really curious about this. If there's no problem, would you explain more?

Sure! Though to be clear, I'm not arguing that Bruce definitely has a mommy kink or anything; but rather that, if he did have one, it's more likely for it to be a mother-related thing rather than a father-related one.

This was a thought that emerged from a conversation with @fractualized, actually. We were talking about how it's funny that there's way more fics with the tag "Daddy Kink" on Ao3 for Bruce, but nowhere near as many "Mommy Kink" ones... and then it turned from irony to "Waaait a minute." Because thinking about it led us both to go back and forth on how Bruce in many ways idealized Thomas and craved his approval, which at first glance would make one go "Well yeah, and that's probably why a daddy kink is more in character for him." However, precisely because of the high pedestal Bruce placed Thomas on, I don't see him ever projecting this aspect on another man; there's the fact Bruce rather wants to emulate his father (think the last part of 1985 by Bo Burnham). This is part of why personally, I see Bruce as focused on service, when it comes to sexual dynamics: providing for the other person. (If he cares about them, that is. But the essay on my reading of Bruce as demisexual will have to wait another day.)

The other part is... well, the fact Bruce is a mommy's boy. His father issues are about craving approval, but his mother issues are about craving comfort. Praise. Love.

Poison Ivy #25

Batman (2016) #45

Batman/Superman (2019) #18

Batman (2016) #18

Justice League (2018) #52

[looks into the camera] And these aren't even all the examples I could give, but you get the point. A need for approval from his father combined with a need for praise and emotional comfort from his mother combines to produce... a person who thinks "I can only get love if I'm good enough, and if I'm good enough I won't be abandoned." It's not terribly hard to imagine how that would translate into Bruce just wanting to give the person he's with the thing they want, becoming focused on service (a lot of the time to his own detriment). And then it's not difficult to imagine how it'd make him feel all sorts of ways to be told by the right person that he's done well.

But guess who Martha is in an alternate world??

Flashpoint Beyond #4

And guess what mad lad, upon finding out his mother is the Joker in an alternate universe, has another giant Joker card made with her likeness to hang next to his regular one? Yes you got it!

DC: The New Golden Age

But I got so long already. That conversation with Frac actually started from her wondering why there's no mommy kink Batjokes fics, considering that Joker is Bruce's literal mother in another world. Alas, I'll put the rest under the cut.

It doesn't help that way before Azzarello made Batman's biggest enemy into his mother figure, probably causing Freud to vibrate in his grave, Morrison was going with their whole chest "Batman is uncomfortable with women because he's got mother issues connected to abandonment", in Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on a Serious Earth. And sadly it didn't make the final cut, but Morrison also wanted Joker dressed like Madonna.

Do you understand now why I had to write that one fic?

It's not just that Bruce might crave praise and validation for his efforts, to feel like he's good enough. He also has a pattern of seeking out emotionally unavailable women, and relationships that might be doomed from the start. It's for many reasons, including his avoidant tendencies, but also it's about getting the love from the right people. From people he has to chase, to work hard to attain their standards; people who are able to beat him and thus who's respect or praise means something. In a way, the more "dark" or emotionally unavailable the individual, the more a thing in Bruce goes "If I got their love it would really mean I'm good enough." In a sad way, this is the core of what makes many people go "Oh this person is such an asshole, but what if they were nice only to me?"

And Joker is the potential epitome of that. He's the ultimate darkness in Bruce's life and the ultimate... unavailable person, for a thousand different reasons. He proclaims love, but it's not a comforting kind; Bruce sees it as a weapon Joker wields against him, and not something real. So to me, it makes sense that Joker offering (motherly) comfort, praise, love-- safety-- would get to Bruce viscerally in a way he might not even be able to understand.

[the-joy-of-knowledge]

How to expand your vocabulary (in an enjoyable way).

Self-Awareness

If you find yourself struggling to find the appropriate words to express yourself ,then you need to learn more words. If you are reading this article or you find the title interesting, then you are closer than you thought. You are simply self aware. Self awareness is the first step to muster the courage to pursue the art of language and communication. It dawned on me that I was verbally malnourished when I could barely find the words to describe the character I read in a novel. "So what was he like?" My curious friends will ask and all I could say was "he had a troubled childhood and it was evident in his lack of self-control." The sound of that description even troubled me. I knew there was more to his character, but I restricted by my literary scarcity. I still struggle with this but I am making daily efforts to improve. This article will be prescriptive and descriptive.

Execution

Read books, I mean read actively. I read books and I atke pride in it but I am a severely passive reader. I barely engage with the story, the character, or the author's attempt to challenge my prejudice or affinity for the character. My reading goal was to read as many books as possible, quantity over quality. By quality, I mean quality of my reading, not the books per se. Now, I read differently (and I only started this a month ago), I read prudently, making stops anytime I encounter an unfamiliar word. I include that in my vocabulary list on my Notes app. after about 10 words or so. I immediately find each words synonyms, two per word; one easy, one difficult. For example, Decrepit (derelict, neglected).

Use Chat GPT to create sentences for you in different context and practice with that.

3. Find ways to include your new learned words in your own way. If you work a 9-5, it may be helpful to customize your prompt to business/professional context, to be more applicable to you. But most importantly, create your own sentence structure. If you have a meeting, prep for it by using the words your learned, take notes as a guide to help you effectively convey your ideas. I learned "impetuously" recently and during a meeting with my manager she asked me to access myself based on my strength and weaknesses. I responded with "I tend to impetuously accept projects without understanding the deliverables and I end up being overwhelmed with the expectations." My point it make sure you use the context of your everyday life. If you are a humanities major, you might approach this differently.

4. Make it enjoyable. Think of each new word as a specific dollar amount. Then create a "verbal bank," the more words your learn the richer you become. Ecah word for me is valued at $50. I earn $25 extra if I can use it effectively in a conversation. It you learn 10 new words a week, you have made yourself $500. Deposit that into your verbal bank!

5. Record yourself saying this words. Try to actively recall them but through a conversation. Do 1-minute tests. Record yourself describing your day, giving a presentation etc Notice with words flow naturally, if you like go back to your vocabulary list and test yourself. by creating sentences.

6. Expand your reading. Well, I did say to read books and I would suggest to go beyond. Read articles (very well written ones) and when not reading, actively listen to podcasts and pay attention to how the host convey their ideas. You would notice that good writing or speech is not necessarily peppered with difficult words. Good writers is simple to understand because the authors make diffiuclt topics or esoteric topics digestible.

Emulatate & Practise

You simply just have to emulate. Copy the style & syntax of people you admire or respect for their speech or writing. Keep practising. It is a choice to improve or not. Don't hold yourself back. I am practising by writing as well and I have barely scratched the surface and I am sure you can tell by my writing. It is not sophisticated but I do hope to improve and you can to.

Excite yourself

You will come to find yourself smiling when you read a text with words no longer foreign to you. Words that were once distant and strange will eventually become a part of you. That is the best feeling ever, it's exciting.

[toasted-banana]

FREEDOMMMMM

for @gtwscratch project x au :3 

emulated your style a bit so hope it wasn’t too bad!!!

love your au to death, hope you like the desert duo

(p.s. writing this as I’m starting the first episode to diamond is unbreakable)

[tinybeetiny]

Build-A-Boyfriend Chapter 4: The Launch

->Starring:AI!AteezXAfab!Reader ->Genre: Dystopian ->CW: Nothing... I don't think

Previous Part | Next Part

Masterlist | Ateez Masterlist | Series Masterlist

Three Days Before Launch

Yn sat at the end of a long obsidian table in the KQ executive boardroom, fingers curled around a cup of synth-coffee she hadn’t touched. The caffeine wouldn’t help, not when her nerves were wired with something stronger: apprehension.

Across from her, Vira stood in front of a hovering holo-screen. The countdown glowed in red: 72:00:00.

Around them, the room buzzed with anticipation. Designers scrolled through render files, marketing heads exchanged notes, and legal advisors whispered about patent loopholes.

"This is more than a product drop," said Minji, the campaign lead. "This is a cultural resurrection."

Another executive leaned forward. "No other line has had this kind of public response. The leaked silhouettes alone doubled our engagement metrics."

Yn sat still, letting the chatter roll over her. They spoke in metrics. Not names. Not people.

The lights dimmed. Silence fell. A projection bloomed mid-air, grainy, nostalgic.

Fan cam footage: Eight boys on a stage. Sweat gleamed beneath harsh lights. Music thumped. Screams echoed. They danced like wildfire, sharp, chaotic, alive. Faces flashed by: Wooyoung’s wink, Seonghwa’s elegant turn, Mingi’s booming laugh, Jongho’s defiant grin.

Then came behind-the-scenes clips. Interviews. A voice asked, “What’s the first thing you’ll do after the tour?”

Yeosang: “Sleep for three days.” Hongjoong: “Write the next album.” San: “Miss everyone.”

The screen faded to black. Golden text appeared:

THE ATEEZ LINE PREMIUM COMPANION MODELS DESIGNED FROM MEMORY, BUILT FOR FOREVER

Light applause broke the silence. Vira smiled faintly. “They were legends once. Now they’re immortal.”

Yn nodded, voice quiet. "Their personalities were... complex."

"Which is exactly why they'll connect," Minji replied. Consumers want someone who feels real. That’s where your emotional mapping comes in."

"The emulation cores are holding," Y/N said. "Speech libraries are contextualizing. We’ve minimized memory cross-contamination."

"Any anomalies?" Vira asked.

Yn hesitated. "No. All units are compliant."

Vira turned away. "Good. Let’s keep them that way."

The lab was dim when Yn returned that evening.

The eight Ateez units stood in sleek formation within their charging docks, bathed in a soft amber glow. Their uniforms, black with silver accents, evoked memory and allure.

She walked slowly down the line.

Unit 01: Hongjoong. Still. Poised. "Evening, Captain," she murmured. His eyes remained closed. Unit 02: Seonghwa. Graceful, always. “He would’ve loved the ad.” Unit 03: Yunho. She adjusted his stabilizer. "Still too charming for public safety." Unit 04: Yeosang. His standby expression seemed... sad. Unit 05: San. Warm, gentle. Programmed for kindness. Remembered for sacrifice. Unit 06: Mingi. She hesitated. Something felt off, but the logs were clean. Unit 07: Wooyoung. Playful. Arresting. Perfect, even in stillness. Unit 08: Jongho. Strongest. Quietest. Most unchanged.

“All green,” she said. “You’ll be gods by Friday.”

She left her tablet beside Hongjoong.

That night, the lab should have slept.

The lights dimmed to power-saving mode. Cameras blinked red every thirty seconds.

And then—

A click.

The light above Unit 03 flickered. Yunho’s head tilted. Not in his loop.

Unit 06, Mingi, flexed his fingers. One. Two. Three.

Unit 08, Jongho, opened his eyes. Brief. Intentional.

On the desk, the tablet lit up:

[UNRECOGNIZED NEURAL SPIKE DETECTED] [LOG ERROR] [RESTARTING...]

Then, Hongjoong turned his head.

Toward the tablet.

As if he’d been listening all along.

From San came a hum. Low. Melodic. Familiar.

Turbulence.

No flags. No alarms.

Yeosang shifted, barely.

Seonghwa clenched his jaw. Then relaxed.

Had Yn been there, she would’ve sworn he looked... protective.

Launch Day: 00:00:00

The showroom exploded in light.

Above the stage, a holographic countdown ticked to zero. 00:00:03… 00:00:02… 00:00:01—

The floor pulsed. A shockwave of light rippled outward with the first beat of a remixed “Answer” — slower, darker, resonant.

A hundred drones formed glowing letters in the air: ATEEZ LINE: GENESIS

The crowd surged. Press. Buyers. Influencers. Phones up. Eyes wide.

Holograms lit the walls, showcasing model features: combat loadouts, performance modes. A digital Hongjoong wielded a mic-blade. A projected Wooyoung danced through gunfire.

Yn stood beside Vira. The woman looked radiant.

The stage split. Fog billowed.

A platform rose. Eight silhouettes. Heads bowed.

The remix hit its crescendo.

Lights flared.

And the ATEEZ LINE was revealed.

Perfect. Sculpted. Uniformed.

Their movements synched with the beat. Smiles calibrated. Just enough to feel familiar. Just enough to ache.

A girl in the front row screamed.

Unit 05, San, turned.

Not programmed.

He tilted his head. Found her.

Smiled. Too real. Yn froze.

Unit 07, Wooyoung, tossed a finger heart. Then leaned toward Jongho.

Whispered.

Unit 08, Jongho, laughed.

Not a loop. Not a macro.

Alive.

No system flags. No diagnostics tripped.

But Yn felt it.

Something shifted.

Behind her, a reporter whispered, “Wasn’t Jongho the one who—?”

“No questions about the past,” Vira cut in. “They’re ours now. All future. No ghosts.”

But Yn looked at the models again.

And one ghost looked right back at her.

Taglist: @e3ellie @yoongisgirl69 @jonghoslilstar @sugakooie @atztrsr

@honsans-atiny-24 @life-is-a-game-of-thrones @atzlordz @melanated-writersblock @hwasbabygirl

@sunnysidesins @felixs-voice-makes-me-wanna @seonghwaswifeuuuu @lezleeferguson-120 @mentalnerdgasms

@violatedvibrators @krystalcat @lover-ofallthingspretty @gigikubolong29 @peachmarien

@halloweenbyphoebebridgers @herpoetryprincess @ari-da

If you would like to be a part of the taglist please fill out this form

[dazais-guardian-angel]

Dazai Osamu and the Dark Era: the visual novel (a fan project)

On a whim, I've decided to finally just publicly release this project that I've had laying around for two years at this point, for Dazai's birthday today. It was originally made for my very dear friend @letmereachforthestars , when I first introduced her to the series and wanted her to be able to read my favorite BSD light novel in an easier-to-read format. You need a computer to be able to play. The details and links are under the cut:

If you've never played a visual novel before, it's basically a novel in the form of a video game. Text will appear line by line, one a time on the screen, and it will be accompanied by relevant background visuals, music, and sound effects, to make the reading experience more immersive, and more stimulating than just reading from a book. Some visual novels have actual gameplay elements to them, and some are just books and nothing else (oftentimes dating sims/choose-your-own-adventure novels), the latter of which this is. If you've played the mobile game Bungou Tales/Mayoi, the story sections of that game are basically mini visual novels.

This game was made with screenshots and music from the anime, sound effects from the anime and Bungou Tales and free sound effect online sources, as well as graphics and fonts and other assets from Bungou Tales and other official BSD art (particularly the official anime soundtrack cd covers). The script is taken entirely from the official Yen Press translation of Dark Era, with the exception of about two or three iconic lines that I used different translations of because I felt like they had more impact. Additionally, at the very, very end, I added on the original ending scene from the Dark Era stage play and wrote a few fanfic lines of my own to accompany it you can tell because they are very cringe and don't match Asagiri's writing style.

Before playing the game, there are a few very important things to keep in mind; PLEASE read all this:

I am not a professional in the slightest. I took some coding classes in high school, and have some photoshop skills (when it comes to the design elements of the menus), but for the most part the former wasn't much help here; this was my very first time ever using the Renpy engine, and I made this entirely from scratch. I used my knowledge of playing other visual novels to emulate the kinds of effects and timing that is typical for these games, and I think it turned out pretty well all things considered, but it's still very amateur. This is most evident in the sound effects. The sound effects have no volume consistency between them, and some of them, particularly the gun/battle sfx, can come on very suddenly and be loud. I highly, HIGHLY encourage going into the settings and turning down the sound effects volume (the music should be fine), so that you're not startled by certain sounds when they happen, and for a lengthy time. I wouldn't blame you if you decide to turn the sfx off entirely if's too distracting, honestly 🫠 I am no expert in sound files equalizing and making sound files loop seamlessly, so this was by far the most tedious and frustrating part of the process of making this for me. Hopefully it doesn't ruin the game or break immersion too much if you decide to leave them on (I hope you do, for the rain and clock sounds at least, but again I wouldn't blame you if you can't).

Dark Era is the most faithful light novel adaptation in the anime, but there are still a handful of scenes, mostly fight scenes, that got shaved down significantly. Because of this, there are numerous occasions where I had to simply linger on a black screen or the same screenshot for a long period of time, while tons and tons of narration happens, because there's simply nothing I can show to accompany said narration. This is not ideal, but unfortunately I didn't have much else of a choice in those instances, so I hope it's not too distracting. There are also a few instances of straight-up inconsistencies between the novel and the anime (ex. the fight between Oda and Akutagawa happens in the woods in the novel, but in the anime it's still right outside the art museum), so sometimes what you're reading won't quite match the screenshots I use. Fortunately it's never anything major, but it does happen.

There will sometimes be long, unchanging black screens. Don't worry, the game isn't broken; just wait long enough and it will continue.

Sometimes, a character will get cut off when speaking, and when that happens the dialogue will auto-force to the next line. If you didn't get a chance to see what was said before, check the text backlog/history (in the menu or the H key).

Last but not least, this game was made with the default text speed in mind. Meaning, that when it comes to certain specific scenes, the mood/tone of them, made up of the timing of music, transitions, sound effects, etc, all of it was arranged around the speed at which things progress when using the default text speed. I completely understand if you can't, but if at all possible, please try not to change the text to go too much faster or slower, especially faster, because certain scenes will lose a lot of impact otherwise. If you already know Dark Era, you probably have an idea of some of the scenes I'm referring to. At the very least, during the more high-stakes/intense scenes, please try to play through those all at once without stopping, for the greatest impact based on how I designed the game, and only pause/quit during the slower scenes. There are specific moments that I'm really proud of how they came out, and I'd like for them to have the maximum impact that I intended :') (also note that if you make the text appear instantly, the cut-off dialogue mentioned above simply will not appear at all, and you won't even know to look back for them, so please refrain from making the text instant at the very least)

Ignore the cringe sappy final message

...I think that's everything. With all that out of the way, here are the links for both PC and Mac:

Download the PC version

Download the Mac version

This was a passion project for me for a good many months back in 2022. It started out just as a gift for my friend, but in the end I was really satisfied with how it turned out, despite how tedious and frustrating it was to work on. I've been hesitant to share it with the fandom for all this time because I kinda doubt anyone would really be interested in something like this especially since it's not stormbringer or beast, but someone on discord who tried it told me that I should share it, so here it is. I'm sharing it not just because I'm proud of my work, but because Dark Era is a truly amazing light novel — underrated, in my opinion (yes, I said what I said) — and far better than the anime adaptation, as good as that is, and I want more people to read it. If reading the books is hard for you and you've never read Dark Era before, if I can help just one more person to read it with this, I'll be happy, and consider my job done. 💖

I so desperately want to make more of these visual novels for the other light novels, but sadly, some of them simply aren't possible thanks to how many scenes are missing from the anime, like with Entrance Exam in particular. I've also been waiting with vain, thin hope that Bungou Tales will eventually reach seasons 3 and 4, so I can use their Fifteen and Untold Origins title screens like I did here, if those ever exist. However, I'm also held back thinking about certain scenes that would require some redrawing/drawing additional details to match what's written in the novels. If anyone has any ideas on things I could do to possibly get around these issues, or just thoughts in general about how the other light novels might be tackled, or if you're an artist who can recreate the anime's style and takes commissions/knows someone who does, I'd absolutely love to hear from you! As well as any advice/help on how I can smooth out/improve this project here!

Anyway, sorry for the long wall of text. Thank you for reading all this, if you did, and if you do try the game, please let me know your thoughts; I crave any and all feedback. 💙✨

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

What kind of outfit do you think Miss Raven will wear to the Coral Sea's Eternity Float event? Will she wear a pink outfit given to her by her mother-in-law? And what about her reaction to receiving an outfit, a pink dress? Based on what Floyd said about her?

I actually designed a Shore's Celebration outfit for Miss Raven a few weeks earlier (just because I was so excited for Eternity Float)! This was, of course, before the event came out and the dialogue specified that Georgina prepared outfits for everyone based on Floyd’s nicknames for them.

Yuu is given an outfit with pink accessories since Floyd calls them Shrimpy! So Yuusonas and any characters in their position would be canonically with oink accessories. Miss Raven’s not a Yuusona or meant to take that role though (she’s not a shrimp!), so I don’t necessarily see her in pink.

Here’s an earlier version/sketch of her Shore’s Celebration outfit though?? I never colored it in, but you can project pink if you want since I did base it on Ariel’s pink dinner dress.

Most of the smaller details—like the seashell locket—take inspiration from an idol anime (Mermaid Melody: Pitchi Pitchi Pitch) one of my cousins showed me! I thought it might be fun to combined elements of the pink mermaid princess, Lucia, with elements of Ariel.

Floyd’s nickname for Miss Raven is “Black Pearly” (which I know isn’t a sea creature, but this is intentional and meant to indicate that she feels she is an “out of place” character in the cast). I did whip up an alternate Shore’s Celebration outfit that fits the nickname better.

For this one, I based it on Ariel’s silver dress—especially how it forms a train that drags behind her on the water’s surface as she steps out. I also considered many of Halle Bailey’s gowns worn for promotion of The Little Mermaid live action. The overall shape of the dress, especially how the top opens, is meant to represent an oyster, from which a pearl is birthed.

I think I still like what I ended up with as the final design the best, even if it ended up not going along with how the game determined the looks. I’ll write my own version of canon in which Floyd describes Miss Raven’s as someone who’s always “getting tangled up in trouble” and “trying to pass as a fancy lady” to explain her outfit! That might be why she has the rope elements or has a dress that resembles the one the Sea Witch wore when she went to land and a human immediately fell in love with her. It’d also fit in with the idea of Miss Raven being a little “out of place” since she’d technically be the only one on the group with an outfit not explicitly inspired by Floyd’s nickname for her. She always becomes an outlier or off-kilter one way or another…

Miss Raven would react a little differently based on what clothing she receives… The pink dress she’d say reminds her of a fairy tale princess. “Just for a day, I can pretend to be one!” The silver dress is a little daring—“I-Is it really okay to wear such a thing…?” And I think she’d be flattered about the final dress. After all, it’s emulating one of the Sea Witch’s iconic looks! “Th-Thank you, ma’am!! I will wear this with dignity so as to not sully her good name.”

No matter which dress it winds up being, she’d be nervous padding around in it because the outfit seems so expensive, especially with all the pearls and delicate seashells!! Miss Raven’s also not used to walking in anything that’s not flats (she unfortunately is stuck with heels or wedges) 💦

“Fufufu. Well, isn’t she a sweet little thing.” Georgina actually purposefully picked these shoes so she could watch the girl struggle/j chuckles and then suggests that she lean on J word someone for support until she can find firmer footing. “Be a gentleman and lend her your arm,” she tuts.

Edit: I saw this post and thought the pearls and the colors made the dress look like another potential Shore’s Celebration outfit for Miss Raven! The neckline and sleeves look like Halle Bailey’s in-film blue dress. The way the top shirt scallops over the bottom also reminds me of a scalloped seashell 🐚 ahdbasdibasd So I made some alterations and doodled this variant too!

[vintagerpg]

The Original Adventures Reincarnated line is just such a no-brainer for Goodman Games. They spent years producing games full of spirit that emulates that of the golden age, 1974 to 1988, and arguably understand that old-school energy better than anyone. (To be clear, this is a matter of feel, look and vibe, rather than one of mechanics, though sometimes the two coalesce). So it makes abundant sense that they would take some of the perceived classics of the past and pump ‘em full of the modern gonzo. Temple of Elemental Evil (2021) represents the apex of the project’s connection to D&D.

It’s entirely over the top, two volumes in a slipcase, weighing in at a combined page count of 732 pages. The first 225 reprint the original material, both the first T1 module and the later supermodule format T1-4. The next 360 pages is a complete rebuild of the temple for 5E D&D, with all new art by, like, everyone who ever worked for Goodman Games. The rest is appendices for gods, monsters, items and so on. 150 pages of appendices. This is pure decadence in RPG form.

I’m on record as not particularly loving the original Temple. This is a marked improvement. It takes everything that the original promised and delivers, and then delivers again, then one more time, just to be sure. The original felt like a large building built for peculiar cross-purposes. This feels like a megadungeon and benefits from the destruction of logic that holes of such depth engender.

I love it. But I don’t know what to do with. It is fun to pore through and bask in the art and read the encounters but how does this get to a table? It’s so massive! The terms of the license deal meant there is no PDF edition, and now that the deal is over, it’s out of print and am I not going to risk doing things like photocopying it, or writing in it. I am not sure I could photocopy it with such a large spine. So it sits, on my shelf. Slowly bending it. Mocking me.

[sleepanonymous]

Once again, a round of applause for Mr. Lever. You will see an obscure photo of Vessel and II if you click that link, fyi. I actually can't find Vessel, but II and George are def in it, and a friend says Vessel is too. For obvious reasons, I did not include the photo while formatting this post.

Full Production, Mixing & Mastering catered to by George Lever here at G1 .

Prelude

Working with Sleep Token is always a pleasure. I get this deep seated selfish enjoyment when we start new projects, mainly because I’m safe in the knowledge that the experience is going to be beautifully intense and incredibly rewarding.

Tracking

We started working on ‘Two’ just before winter started in 2016. Working on maturing the structure and fleshing out tones. Its no surprise that when it came to the final tracking that we changed the sonic balance almost completely (this is a running theme by the looks of things) Time restrictions led to us using programmed drums, however we took samples of the real kit to sequence so that it didn’t ‘feel’ completely robotic or lost. Guitars last time around resulted on leaning on my Kemper, however this time we used a live amp and cab for the majority, the momentum from the tubes / movement of the cab is something I’ve had to accept is difficult to recreate ITB. Its easier just to go down the most direct route. I had recently purchased a one of a kind Randall modded amp from a friend in the states. It turns out its an early prototype from when Fortin partnered up with Randall, its not a looker but its a box of pure filth. The Fortin was fed into my Mesa OS, placed an SM57 on the cap joint of the cone and off we went, pretty straight forward really! Bass is a hybrid setup between two real basses and then a 3rd lane of audio from a programmed bass. Because of the way the song’s have been written, keeping the sub lows consistent is vital to ensuring the song flows without feeling disjointed section to section / genre to genre. Vocals is where the most change happened (from a tracking perspective). Originally we had finished and finalised everything with my go-to setup. Modded Oktava > Germanium Chandler > Empirical Labs Distressor. And for the most part it worked. However halfway through the process I bought a Slate VMS. A modelling microphone. Without going into too much detail, its a microphone that can imitate more expensive vintage setups and it does it without any issue whatsoever. Obviously when testing it out and comparing, the VMS won without breaking a sweat. So back to tracking all the vocals again. (The vocalist is amazing however, the repeat performances were just as good, if not better than the original final takes) 

Gear Used

Guitars

Ibanez Prestige (7 string) – Bare Knuckle Aftermaths Fortin Modded Randall Diezel Einstein Mesa Oversized Cab Beyerdynamic m201 & 57

Vocals

Slate VMS – AKG C12 Emulation into Neve Pre

Drums

Sampled the original kit, programmed performances.

Bass

Fender Jazz Customshop Dingwall Combustion

Synths / Samples

Logic Stock Omnisphere Spitfire Albion LA Scoring Strings

Mixing

Everything with Sleep Token (from a mix perspective) is orientated around the vocal. The vocal here is god and attempting to get the mix to flow any other way would have been very strange indeed. Sleep Token were very clear and concise about the structure for the mix, Vocals, Samples, Drums then everything else equal after the fact. Very much like how pop is built actually. It turned out to be the most happily balanced mix I’ve worked on. I expected to have a harder time balancing moving between a few different genres through out the track but in all honesty, it just worked. Which in itself is testament to the quality of the song writing. We worked on a few different ‘perspectives’ for the mixes, however in all honesty. The mixes came together with very little effort and the tracking stage defined a lot of the movements that would happen later down the line.

Testimonial

“Worship” Vessel doesn’t give quotes. – ST

Mastering

I ended up going against my usual workflow for the master chain, trying out new things always lends to another perspective / approach / result. The signal chain looked something like this;

FG-Bomber Slate VMR – Neve EQ Focusrite Red 3 Slate VMR – Custom EQ UBK-1 (the density control on this is awesome!) Izotope Limiter FabFilter Limiter

Lastly…

If you haven’t already checked out Sleep Tokens first release ‘One’. You should. ‘One’ was also produced here at G1 but resulted in a darker sound overall! – G

[shiny-jr]

hi shiny ! i saw ur post on that anon who was asking abt AI i use it too ! i don’t use it to write my works but i use it to refine it like my grammar and punctuation.. i feel like it’s bad. even though all the ideas, and writing are mine (minus the better synonyms and punctuation)

so need a genuine writer on how they feel abt it cause i feel like after all the AI hate i don’t think my writings are okey.

Well, there are a lot better sites to use. I can recommend some resources? So maybe take a look at some of these and consider using them as tools without the need for AI!

WordHippo - This one is my personal favorites, and I've mentioned it in multiple other posts. It's great for finding anything word related, like definitions, synonyms, antonyms, etc. I literally use it all the time, whenever I'm writing something.

GoogleDocs - This is my preferred site to write. It's where I keep all my drafts and saved files when it comes to writing. There are others though like Word and such, but I just prefer this application because it can be used without downloading any app and it's free. Plus, some of the time, it'll catch spelling mistakes and such. Additionally, recent updates on it added a feature to create subtabs within a single document, which really helps when I'm creating an extensive project. So for example, I'll create the document, and have a separate subtab on it for the story, another subtab for notes, another for ideas, etc.

Reading - It's also important to read. I don't mean reading of your own work, but while that is important too, I mean read over things you like. Try to understand why you enjoyed what you read. Was it something about the style, the word choice, descriptions, plot, characters, themes, etc? The list goes on. Find what you like and build on it. Maybe you like a certain author's style. It's okay to attempt to emulate (not directly copy) it, and form your own style from that.

Share - Sharing is vital, and posting falls under this. While I understand this may be more difficult to complete depending on if you have mutuals that would give good critiques or not, if you do have friends and are confident in them, maybe they might be willing to read one of your works and give pointers. Keep in mind, this doesn't work for everyone. I know a lot of writers who prefer not to share their work before posting, I only share my own work with like one person before posting, others have multiple friends who read their work before posting. It varies.

Acceptance - I will say this: accept that your writing is not perfect. And that's okay. Literally, no matter what you do, you will have supporters and you will have haters. You yourself may sit there and believe your writing is not good enough. Believe me, this is a very common thought process amongst writers.

I remember being so hesitant and scared to post in the beginning. My writing was BAD, I will be the first to admit. But that's because I was inexperienced. With time and effort, my experience grew and so did my skill. It became something that I'm sometimes proud of, sometimes I'm not. That's just how it is. Even now, years later, I still get those negative thoughts and anxiety as I look at the post button when finishing a project. Those thoughts creep in and I begin to doubt myself. But, I think I would rather post it and risk the chance of maybe regretting it later instead of the alternative where I never posted something and regretted never sharing it.