srl541 - Tumblr blog

[srl541]

I decided on posting this now since I don't have the greatest track record with keeping up and I'd hate to miss out on a chance to mention how enjoyable this fic and the art are. Here's the third and final track @invisobang helped motivate me to make for Contractual Obligations by @arzuera and @tathartiel, with incredible art by @currently-haunted.

This instrumental is called "Seize Control" and is a sneak peek at the chaos in some of the future chapters. If I manage to remember later when the specific chapter is updated, I'll reblog with a brief comment!

I really enjoyed working on music for such an engaging fic. The turns the fic takes are fun and exciting; the descriptive imagery is vivid, able to really immerse you in the story. I love the actions the characters take, how they struggle yet are active and really fit their characterizations. The art by the other assigned artist is so beautiful and hauntingly captures the otherworldly vibes from the two fandoms. Starting out, I didn't know much about Constantine, but this fic has made me more curious about his interesting character. Please check out the fic and art!

Links to earlier tracks: Track 1 || Track 2

[srl541]

Second track for @invisobang! Again, cover art by @currently-haunted. Fic by @arzuera and @tathartiel and linked here. They have just updated their newest chapter, please check it out! The scenes are so inspiring that I made a third piece that I'll post shortly. I also want to thank thesilentbard and lexosaurus for their tips and the mods for running the event!

I tried to keep the lyrics (which are under the cut) vague to open them to interpretation and other applications, but the general gist is that the song is from Danny's POV as he navigates some of troubles in the fic. He's a little angsty and confused as he feels the weight of his ghost king role, but maybe meeting someone new can help him with his current predicament and his feelings of loneliness -- if they can understand each other. Despite this all, Danny's pretty upbeat, and I wanted the song to show this. I also used the rhythm from Danny Phantom's opening theme as a homage.

Links: Track 1 || Track 3

Stealing back my soul

Heavy burns the crown, The ring a tight band 'round. I'm goin' ghost, alone, Yet on the throne.

Faults at ev'ry turn, I still have much to learn. Seein' dreams on replay, What's the right way?

My soul is in a bind, What answers can I find?

I'm Stealing back my soul, Stealing back my soul. Gotta seal my role Before the Zone's out of control. Healing back my soul, Healing back my soul. I feel halfa whole, But maybe we can share the toll.

Fin'lly had a word, You're not what I have heard Am I enough? Or is this a bluff?

Demons out for us, My core's cold, should I trust? A promise to Take care of what's due.

Y'know magic line by line, But your past's as dark as mine.

I answer the hero's call, Can I succeed or will we fall?

Will your words truly help my cause, Or do we hold too many flaws?

I'm Stealing back my soul, Stealing back my soul. Gotta seal my role Before the Zone's out of control. Healing back my soul, Healing back my soul. I feel halfa whole, But maybe we can share the toll.

I'm stealing back my soul.

[srl541]

Instrumental music to accompany the first chapter (Chapter 2 on AO3) of Contractual Obligations by Calix and Tathartiel, for Invisobang 2023. Quoted summary of chapter:

Danny's Ghost King Council meeting gets interrupted by an uninvited guest.

The parts represent the weight Danny bears as the Ghost King, the tense presence of the uninvited demon, and Team Phantom gearing up. I found the fic extremely enjoyable (I love the action and family bonding), and the art by @currently-haunted (including the wonderful album cover) is also amazing. Please check out the fic and the art! I will be posting my other music piece later as their posting continues!

Links to other tracks in the album: Track 2 || Track 3

[srl541]

Late to posting this Youtube link on Tumblr, but here's a song I made for thelogicoftaste as part of MDZS WIP Bang. Many moments of her fic are really sweet, and the writing has some incredibly beautiful description. Posting is every Sunday (with the last chapter slated for next week), and the summary on AO3 is quoted below. This post-canon fic centers on the reactions of LWJ and WWX as they help teach the Lan youth and are inadvertently drawn to a young child named Xiayi; because of various feelings such as guilt, deciding what to do isn't so straightforward. Please check out her fic!

the low sky, raining over by chibilwj (thelogicoftaste)

It is tragically characteristic, Wangji thinks, treading slowly between the low desks, for Gusu-Lan to hide its kindness beneath the veneer of rigidity.

The song is meant to represent LWJ's point of view, echoing the fic. A download link for the MP3 is here, and lyrics are under the cut. It took a couple of tries before I had melodies that I felt could represent LWJ: steady for the verses and more engaging for the chorus to represent his regal demeanor yet passionate inner feelings. I like writing vague lyrics (for easier generalization) and double meanings into my lyrics, and one meaning I wanted to point out was "named with longing" in the fourth verse which represents Lan SiZhui; SiZhui (思追) can be translated to mean "to recollect and long for." “Black and white” in the third verse also refers to WangXian’s preferred color schemes.

I also made a piano piece inspired by the ideas in this fic and will hopefully post this soon, as well as the other pieces I made for this big bang!

Lyrics:

Small hands try to match brush strokes. I feel a love this child evokes. Is this hope of one more start? This phantom choice pulls at my heart. Rain falls, muffling every sound. Still, comfort and accord are found. Can we proceed happily? I cherish this small family. Can we parent right? Would we uphold light, When hurts and fears from both our paths Still haunt our hope now cast? Can we have this right? I see this path as bright. Shaky hands, a stress-filled gaze. As partners, I know your name weighs. But, we're not just black and white; Believe me, this new path is bright. Poised air seen from far away, We pride in our child's own found way. Named with longing, even so He shines; look, we've helped others grow. Can we parent right? Would we uphold light, When hurts and fears from both our pasts Still haunt our hope now cast? Can we have this right? I see this path as bright. I hear you. What to do? I don't know how To bridge us now. Like the rain, Things can change. I hope you'll set In this duet. Let us bear this right. I see this path as bright.

[srl541]

1 - Blue Truth

2 - A circle’s round (and here we go again) || Link if the SoundCloud player does not show up: HERE. 

For @kaishinbigbang​, here are two tracks, an original song ("Blue Truth" in the YouTube video on top of this post, with lyrics and a download link under the cut) and an original instrumental ("A circle’s round (and here we go again)" in the SoundCloud player below the video), to go along with @myfriendsarerealidiots​'s entertaining yet sweet fic Time and Time Again.

Time and Time Again summary: When the day resets at every lie, how will two individuals whose lives are more lies than truth return the day to normal? Kaito needs to find Conan but the little detective seems to have pulled a disappearing act. (Wasn’t he the magician here?) Meanwhile, Shinichi is stuck as his teenage self, unsure how to approach Kid without revealing his secrets.

I laughed out loud a few times reading (which is unusual for me because I'm private and like to stay quiet), so I hope you also enjoy her fic! The instrumental was directly inspired by reading the scenes and trying to capture some of the feeling of fun shenanigans. I might change my approach if I ever do another reverse bang (e.g., avoid time loops which is a confusing prompt), but I had a lot of fun and enjoyed working with my writer partner @myfriendsarerealidiots! A big thanks also to @katsukifatale for such a well-managed and smoothly run event!

MP3 download link (for “Blue Truth”): Google Drive.

Lyrics:

One truth, Will prevail, Even as poisoned youth. (Or, will I fail?)

Mysteries, Cases closed. Still, Black makes my heart seize. (Are my loved ones safe this close?)

Justice, I seek in my kid disguise. Will I find mercy despite my lies? I aim my shot, use another voice. This will still be my choice.

(I'm alone with my lies.)

Showtime, Poker face. I'll do my father's crime. (Will I win this chase?)

Moonlight, Watch for red, Yet these thieved gems aren't right. (Can my tricks stop more bloodshed?)

Justice, I seek in my Kid disguise. Will I find mercy despite my lies? I aim my shot, use another voice. This will still be my choice.

(Is this really so wise?)

We've met, dueling at a clock, afar. Next, feinting with fireworks and false acts. Now, we loop 'til we know who we are. Stuck, alone, wanting to share facts.

Rivals, we're on reverse sides of law, Yet share likeness, perhaps too our foes. At heists, we chase and come to a draw. This blue truth shows we're not opposed.

(After all of our tries.)

Justice, we seek knowing our disguise, Unlike our loved who know just our lies. With our mixed skills, a united voice, We trust each other's choice.

(Now, we both know our lies.)

[srl541]

Preview of my music for @kaishinbigbang! This is my first reverse big bang, and I've had a lot of fun working with Raine @myfriendsarerealidiots. I think we've both put a lot of effort into our works, experimenting with things outside of our comfort zones, and I'm happy with our results. Posting of my music and her entertaining yet sweet fic Time and Time Again will be on August 9, 2022!

Lyrics featured:

Moonlight, Watch for red, Yet these thieved gems aren't right. (Can my tricks stop more bloodshed?) Justice, I seek in my Kid disguise...

We've met dueling at a clock afar, Next, feinting with fireworks and false acts. Now, we loop 'til we know who we are, Stuck, alone, wanting to share facts.

[srl541]

I’ve barely practiced for months but here’s a quick, unpolished cover I made of “Brothers” from Fullmetal Alchemist on the guzheng (I’m using it for something due today orz and I figured I might as well post it publicly, sorry for the fumbles). I added a short random intro only after + there was overmodulation with my phone mic in the second half so I did another take at a different position where video was then possible (meaning there’s only video for the short intro and the second half).

I used Kapwing to make the video, which is nice and free (but sometimes has issues like cutting off the text haha)!

[srl541]

Music: A Little More Time (Kill Me Later, Love Me Now)

I also had the great opportunity to work on @constallayetions‘s fic for @atla-bigbang! It’s a well-crafted fic with a lot of emotional scenes + a compelling approach to some serious elements + Zuko bonding with the Gaang ♡.

The Soundcloud player below plays an instrumental that goes with the first scene of the fic, a snippet of which is below under the cut (tw: hallucinations, prison mention). I also have another piece that I will upload in the next week-and-a-half when the scene comes up in the fic. Please read her full fic HERE as it updates! This is only a small snippet of the first chapter and skips much of her lovely text!

1 · PARANOIA (link)

Zuko hadn’t slept in 32 hours.

Even then, it was a three-hour nap that only happened because he had found a storage cellar that seemed untouched and unreachable from a painted off door. Said door may have slightly kinda ripped open a small part of his arm getting through it, but that was besides the point.

He was going to finish this last proposal and then go to sleep. Just this one. Just one more.

Luckily, it was going to be an easy one.

… All it leads to is strife and isolation to the point that even their own communities see them as monsters. And they will have to deal with the consequences of that mistake. Isn’t that right, dum-dum?

Zuko ripped his eyes away. He was wrong. He just...read it wrong. That’s all.

It was just one phrase. Just something Azula used to say. It wasn’t her. It couldn’t be her. This was from the Kyoshi warriors…

. . .

He would just check. Make sure it was fine. There was no harm with going through the prisoner list, right? He was just...curious.

. . .

But that would mean… This is Suki’s signature. Master Suki, Captain of the Kyoshi Warriors.

Suki was a part of this.

No, no, of course she wasn’t.

Suki planned this.

· (Excerpt from Chapter 1: Reunion, Part 1) ·

[Image description for SoundCloud cover art: Blue smoke covers a black backdrop. An image of a knife, with a tinted echo of red, is seen within the smoke. The title "Paranoia" is on the bottom of the image, and the title of the fic "A Little More Time (Kill Me Later, Love Me Now)" is at the top.]

[srl541]

[Video description: A short lyric video (length: 25 seconds) indicating how vocals fit a pop song snippet; a low-pitch synthesized instrument is the substitute for vocals in the music. In the video, the title, “Ashes,” precedes the artist name, “Zuko Lam.” The lyrics follow, appearing line-by-line, and are underlined according to the timing in the music. The first couple lines of lyrics are: “I shouldn’t have left / you like that; Someday, someday / I hope you can forgive me.” Synchronized with the music, the next line of lyrics, “Rather have a friend than,” pops up with a brown and rounded rectangular background shape, and then the last line, “Nothing at all, you see,” appears in black and quivers on the screen. A frequency-based waveform of the music is displayed in a golden yellow on the bottom of the video. The background is a dark red, and most text is stylized in black outlined with white.]

I really enjoyed working on @bittermoonswrites’s fic for the @atla-bigbang! Here are two pieces, “Ashes” (YouTube embed above) and “Fire” (follow the link, or SoundCloud embed below), that illustrate two scenes in her fic. “Ashes” is a pop snippet (with lyrics in the video from her fic) associated with Zuko’s in-fic music genre, and “Fire” is a jazz-inspired instrumental snippet representing Sokka’s genre.

  I didn’t realize how nice it was to work on a music-related fic, which made it really neat to relate to the scenes. Her fic is fun and excellent -- I felt like the aspects of social media and culture made the writing seem very real. Please check her fic out HERE!

Please also check out @pikachica‘s artwork for the fic, as well as the rest of the creative works from the big bang!

[Image description for SoundCloud cover art: Silhouettes of a clarinet and guitar are crossed (scale not to size). The clarinet and guitar neck are overlaid by the straight edges of a stylized, red-yellow gradient heart. The title "Fire" is set in classy script, and the background is gray with a gold border.]

[srl541]

[ID: Photo edit. This title card comprises a black-and-white photo of a tree branch, with its background blurred. A stylized outline of a red heart encompasses a hollow in the branch, and the section of photo outlined by the heart has a soft overlay of green and yellow. The title text “With a Heart of Scars” is green and glows yellow; with the red heart, these are Robin’s colors. A listing of the author, artists, and betas follows the title. First is the text “by Matina (@PreciousThingsArePrecious)” for the author. Next are the lists “Artists: Scarlet (@srl541), Eileen (@ dreamer-247re), Leap (@wingsdingsandpurplethings)” and “Betas: Auri (@battoad), Xenia (@xvivon), Lucy (@houser-of-stories), Areth (@brambleberrycottage).” Following these lists is the text “Batfam Big Bang 2020 (@batfam-big-bang).” END ID]

Here is a title card I made for @preciousthingsareprecious’s fic With a Heart of Scars for @batfam-big-bang! (The @ refer to Tumblr usernames.)

[srl541]

Music: With a Heart of Scars

The above is an embedded SoundCloud player; this plays a soundtrack album I made for @preciousthingsareprecious​'s With a Heart of Scars, as part of @batfam-big-bang​. I was very inspired by certain scenes in her fic, so if you listen please check out the accompanying excerpts linked in the AO3 work HERE (and of course read her fic)! The first excerpt is also below under the cut, and if the player doesn't work for you, there are more links in the AO3 link to the excerpts!

Matina is an amazing writer, and I just really felt things when I was reading her draft. In one case, I hadn't been planning on one of the pieces I made due to time constraints, but it was just there when I was reading and feeling the scene  — the writing was so nice. There's a lot in store, so again please check her fic out!

Also, another big thanks to the mods for running this event! I've really enjoyed participating <3.

1 · PICKING UP THE PIECES – WILL I EVER BE WHOLE AGAIN? · (link)

[0:00] Dick fumbled for a pillow, and pressed it to his face, sobbing into it and trying to just breathe, but everything hurt. It hurt so much he collapsed in on himself on the bed, curling around the pillow, like it could miraculously stop this. Stop the pain bleeding from his eyes and chest. Stop the empty gnawing hole where Bruce had been. Stop the fact that Dick was going to have to pull himself together and keep going.

He didn’t pull himself together for a long while.

. . .

[0:20] Every time he thought maybe he’d cried himself out, something started the flood again. He sat up, and caught his face in the mirror again, blotched and red, and started crying over the fact that it would make Bruce frown. Then it was the bed itself, the one B used to tuck him into every night. And then it was nonsensical things, a deep yearning, the ache that didn’t seem to stop even though he was sure he’d cried it out by now.

At some point the tears did stop, but Dick didn’t move. He’d wrapped himself so tightly around the pillow, just his toes tucked under a blanket tossed over the comforter. It felt like if he did move he might crack apart, or break the sudden stillness that had come over him.

[0:43] His door eased open, and someone walked in. Dick’s back was to them, but he always knew Alfred by the man’s footsteps. Alfred, unlike the rest of the household, rarely took silent steps. He announced his presence in his confident, but still quiet tread.

· (Excerpt from Chapter 2) ·

Thanks for listening! Again, the link to the rest of the excerpts is HERE.

[srl541]

I think the way the characters are written in the first chapter really make them seem real and part of a world that has a lot of thought put into it -- capturing a sense of the depth in the GUG AU. I enjoyed working with this team!

Young and a Menace 

Written for @batfam-big-bang with @crystalinastar!

Summary:

Stephanie Brown has decided to take the advice of her new friends Brad and Tiff and go back to school to get a pre-med degree at Metropolis University, and maybe even join the cheerleading team! Little does she know, her first month there will be plagued with relationship trouble, family issues, and fear. Back in Gotham, September brings its own host of problems for the Wayne family. Will she be able to succeed where she failed before, or will she crash and burn once again? And will the Waynes make it out of this as a family?

First off, huge credit to our amazing betas @battoad, @shelton-devers, @bondingrazzledazzletime, @meterokinesis, @darlinglissa, and @butterflyslinky!

There is also some absolutely gorgeous art created for this fic!

SoundCloud album from @srl541 ! Spotify playlist and album cover from @mininacl ! Mood board from @wingsdingsandpurplethings ! Art of Fat Bastard from @coravao ! Art of a TimSteph date from @wiitts ! Calligraphy from @xvivon ! Mood board from @bisexualoftheblade !

Read it on Ao3!

Chapters:

Chapter One

[srl541]

This link is to an AO3 post embedded with original instrumentals and short snippets of the fic. There are four total pieces in the album. The first snippet is also under the cut! I had the pleasure of working on @bisexualoftheblade and @crystalinastar's fic Young and a Menace for the Batfam Big Bang. I may have underestimated how chaotic this team was, but they are very nice and their fic is too! Please go check it out! What is below is only a short snippet of their first chapter. Also, please check out the rest of the works in the @batfam-big-bang!

1 — MAIN THEME · (Young and a menace (Main theme))

 "It's today," she mumbled, rubbing the grogginess out of her eyes. "Holy shit, it's today!" 

As if a firecracker had suddenly lit beneath her, she rushed to her closet to pull on the clothes she had prepared the night before. She couldn't fight the grin overtaking her face, nor did she want to, and a light, airy hope surged in her chest.

It was today. She was going to college today. She was trying again, and this time, she would succeed.

Steph drove her motorcycle to the Manor, wind whipping through her hair and sunlight warming her skin. She hopped off and dashed forward as she saw Tiff and Tim waiting for her in the door.

She went for her boyfriend first, leaning into his lips to give him a kiss. Next, she barrelled into Tiff's arms, murmuring, "Thank you." Without Tiff, she wouldn't have been given this chance again. 

"Hey," Tiff said lightly, patting Steph's back awkwardly, "no problem. I mean, you've given me..." She trailed off, like she was about to say something, then stopped and pursed her lips. "A lot."

Steph released herself from Tiff's hold and eyed the car they were "borrowing" from Bruce, one that he would probably wouldn’t miss. "So let's get this show on the road!"

· (Excerpt from Chapter 2: Born for This) ·

Full album — SNEAK PEEK · (Young and a Menace)

[srl541]

I don’t know The Magnus Archives, but I know the mods (from other big bangs I’m currently involved in) and they are very nice <3. The event can be a fun way to meet people and get involved!

Sign Ups are Open!

Hey guys, the day is finally here!! Sign ups for this event are open, and will remain open until September 11th! Please know that if you do not join the Discord server linked at the end of this form by that time, we will assume you are not participating in the event. 

For writers, we have our fic synopsis form linked here as well, please fill these out by September 12th!

As always, our askbox and dms are always open, and we can’t wait to see you all!!

Sign Ups Link: https://forms.gle/ZbNbhkn4f5Tnumz29 Fic Synopsis Link: https://forms.gle/WpcU9hU9AWnSyn8f7

-Mods Cai, Ren, and Shelby

[srl541]

Week 3: Stars

Two months late, but I finally got this done! I started this back in mid-May but got a little overwhelmed (making music like this in a week was a bit much I guess orz). I gave up on the musical references to DP because they felt forced and instead wrote a short one-shot:

----------

The beginning (drabble)

"3, 2, 1, . . ."

With each count voiced over the comms, Danny felt his heart pound harder. His core was a tangled mess of excitement and worry, amplified by the agitated state he could sense in his crewmates.

"Blastoff!"

The shuttle quivered. He felt as if a weight pressed his whole self toward the floor, even as his anticipation soared through the ceiling.

His dream, at last. Humanity was another step further in space exploration, and he would directly contribute.

When the weight disappeared and congratulations were passed, he let himself relax. He was glad they hadn't required his unique "skills."

--

1 month later (one-shot)

"Danny, when you have the chance, can you come check this out? The ecto-scanner is giving some odd readings."

"Sure, give me a minute." Danny carefully secured the glowing-green flask he had been inspecting and jotted a few notes in his lab notebook. In seconds, he was heading toward the cockpit.

Scott waved him over. "We're approaching an area with higher ecto-readings, but it doesn't look dense enough to be a formed entity. What do you think?"

Danny rubbed his neck as he scrolled through the readings. "Yeah, the ecto-energy looks a little weak. But I'd say the pattern is a little strange. See how it's clustered in a path and not spread out evenly? I'll prep and be on the lookout in case."

"Good point. We still have an hour, so you have some time." Scott gave him a friendly shoulder pat and turned back to the navigation instruments. He conferred with Commander Kay and announced a warning over the comms.

Danny checked the Fenton thermos clipped to his suit and headed back to crew quarters to change, as well as to hand out backup ecto-blasters.

When he returned, he stared at the view out the front. Even weeks into the journey, the stars looked too clear to be real.

He almost hadn't made it to space. Not because of what he'd initially feared. When NASA had found out about his ghost half, they had instead been ecstatic about the new scientific possibilities his powers introduced. No, his struggle came from his crewmates. NASA wouldn’t let a contentious crew on a mission.

"You feeling alright?" Danny asked.

"Yeah, I'm good."

The emotions picked up by his core confirmed Scott's calmness. He had come a long way from his fears.

"You know, I'm really glad you're here to deal with this ghost stuff. I don’t think I’ve said it enough.”

“Well, that’s my gig. Semi-professional ghost hunter here,” Danny quipped. “Of course, my real job is jar-opening. Can’t forget that.”

Scott chuckled. “Right, you helped Jenny with her stuck jar this morning. Intangibility really seems handy.”

Danny grinned. NASA particularly didn’t mind having someone who could make things intangible on hand. Flight was also an invaluable tool.

He was beyond fortunate; his crew had mostly been understanding about his secrets. Mostly.

It took a long time, but patience and a lot of conversation helped mitigate fears about the supernatural and repave trust. All that work led to a closer friendship. Scott was one of the easiest for him to approach now.

Danny felt a rush of cold air come up through his throat. He squinted at the view, now glowing a slight green, and pressed the button for the comms. “Actually, I think there is something. Kay, do I have permission to leave the ship?”

An affirmative was returned. He re-checked his gear, gave a jaunty salute to his friend, and phased out of the cockpit.

The wide expanse never failed to amaze him, but he had a job to do. He zoomed ahead of the ship and reached his senses out, following paths that looked slightly greener than others.

There. Danny floated closer. A bare wisp of a ghost, a faint echo of what must have been a powerful being to get so far from Earth.

Or at least, that was what he assumed. Theoretically, the ghost world was a reflection of the human world.

He spoke into his comms. “There actually is a ghost here. They’re too weak to do anything, though. Must have wandered too far away from Earth and ran out of energy to figure out a way back.”

“Alright, so there’s no danger. What is your recommendation?” Kay asked.

Danny unclipped his Fenton thermos. “I’m taking them back home. The ectoplasm they left behind is really cool, too. Some of it is stable enough for testing. Might give some great data for the energy source experiments.”

“That sounds great. Be careful.”

Sucking the ghost into the Fenton thermos was as easy as breathing. With oxygen, at least. He gathered some samples by the time the ship caught up, and then he phased back in.

Scott gave him a thumbs up. Danny smiled back, content with how helpful his skills were for the mission.

It was as if his space journey was written in the stars.

-- 

Extra

An invisible shape loomed, observing the earthlings. The ectoranium asteroids would shield it from detection until it was too late for the small crew. It was true that the ghost wisp had once been powerful, but its fall hadn’t been straying too far from Earth.  

----------

More notes: I tried to add more instruments to make the sound fuller, but maybe it was too much? Or maybe the reverb blurred things together excessively? I had liked the echo-y sound, but it might have been the wrong choice. I still have a lot to learn about mixing/mastering, haha (and I’m not even recording stuff yet I’m just using VSTs). 

Inspiration for this piece was mainly from the Space theme from Overcooked!. The hyper-space travel background of the video was from #AAfvx (https://www.youtube.com/dvdangor2011).

On the short fic, I don’t really sci-fi and I still feel super rusty with writing, but hopefully it tells a story that can go along with the musical piece. The extra didn’t fit with the music but I think would fit more with DP fanfics, maybe? XD

I’m really glad this event was held since it really motivated me to create things again! There was a ton of talent in the fanart and fanfic I saw. But, I’ve realized that though I still enjoy the fanworks I’ve mostly moved on from the Phandom. I might go back to leaving anonymous reviews here and there. <3

[srl541]

Week 2: Cold [Double Drabble]

So, idk where this drabble (x2) came from (I don’t write much anymore). This is in part inspired by @mostlikelynothuman’s awesome creation for Week 1; I really liked how the music worked and flowed with the images (and just really enjoy the progression and mood overall in his piece).

I think it inspired me in wanting to illustrate a story told alongside the soundtrack piece I made for Week 2, but I’m not an artist so I attempted writing instead!

(1)

Danny didn’t know where all the cold came from. It blinded him and left his ears ringing. It buffeted him every which way. It consumed him, even as it came from him.

What was his core, to cause such a tempest?

He knew he headed toward help, but each stagger forward felt like two lurches back. As his breath felt shorter, the wind pressed harder. He was out of control.

But, he was a hero. He had dealt with uncontrollable powers, his mysterious existence.

He forced his feet forward. The ice sparkled from the green glow. It almost looked—beautiful.

(2)

That snowflake—he made that. Sometimes his powers amazed him.

His steps became easy and he noticed the wind had died down. His body shook, but it was bearable. Maybe he wouldn’t need Frostbite this time. He was in control.

The white dissolved even more, revealing a maze of ice. While his limbs no longer shivered, they dragged. No intangibility. Sometimes his powers annoyed him.

He stretched his arms, pivoted, and sauntered the way he came.

Something small thudded his back. He found cold remnants. A snowball? A flash of green ducked and hid. It was game time, random ecto-inhabitant.

[srl541]

Week 2: Cold

The reference to DP in this one might not be enough to call a reference, but I’ll still point it out: part of the main DP theme occurs at 1:53! For the previous Week 1: Comfort, part of the main DP theme occurs around the 2:44 timepoint.

I had a lot of trouble figuring out what mood to capture this time around. I wanted to try something darker, but I tend to have a more positive feeling when I think of Danny and “cold” (I picture him playing with his ice powers for some reason; also some positive things happened in the snow in the episode that does not exist). So, I decided to try two different moods about winter (a lonely, harsh trek in an ice storm & playing in the snow aftermath -- although I think this part ended up sounding more like a leisurely stroll instead). I may have bitten off more than I could chew with this, but I learned a lot! orz

For this piece, I didn’t listen to other music for inspiration but did have some soundtrack music stuck in my head that might have been an influence: “人生若只如初见 / If Life Was Just Like When We First Met” from The Untamed (TV) for the beginning of the first half and a bit of “Snowy” from Undertale for the second. I just recently learned what a reference is for mixing is and tried to use “Checking Out the Cave” from Ice Age as a reference at the end of my attempt to mix.

I’m lucky that Windows Movie Editor has 3D effects that easily fit the theme, haha. The music visualizer part of the video is again made in MATLAB.