#I think it’s kinda obvious that this is how the song is interpreted by most people(?) I guess

[an-american-crisis]

The thing that makes Memento Mori: the most important thing in the world by will wood such a vibey song is that instead of romanticizing death and attempting to make it poetic, it simply points out the mere absurdity of it all, (death, dying, being dead), as well as life itself. In this essay I will

[crispycreambacon]

You fill your head with thoughts you find you can't even feel

Try to make room in your skull, but it’s full of them

All of the things that you think and then think about thinking

I know it’s hard, but they're not who you are

They're white noise

— White Noise, Will Wood —

Welcome one and all to "Mashing Two Interests Like Playdough", the first episode is Puppet History x Will Wood, specifically the Substitute x White Noise 'cause holy moly. It fits him so well. Omg.

I had so much fun creating this poster! I'm really proud of how the poses and the rendering turned out even though both gave me a rough time at first </3 I actually had an earlier version of this poster, but I scrapped it because it wasn't doing it for me ngl :,D I'm glad I did though!

Anyways if you'd like to know more about why I think this song fits the Substitute, you can read my interpretation of the lyrics and how they can relate to him below the "Read More" button. You can also find the glitchless + filterless version of the poster there.

Note: A lot of this is speculation on my part, and you don't need to conform to this reading. This is just how I perceive him.

They paint the walls with colors that you're not meant to notice

They fill the halls with tunes you can't get into your head

Let's establish the obvious: The Substitute can't feel. The extent of his unfeelingness is unknown, but what is known is that he can't taste and can't have the sensation of touch. This may lead to him being isolated due to his inability to relate to experiences both humans and his fellow puppets seem to have, particularly the experiences of the one he is based on.

Yeah, it sorta sounds like a retro top-40 but wrong

You're not meant to sing along

It isn't that kind of song

It's white noise

Despite his unfeelingness, he still wants to have the experiences others have. After all, he literally almost killed someone just to have that chance, but his plan is not entirely well-thoughout. How was he going to dispose Ryan's body without getting caught? How was he going to sew the skin onto himself and dispose the rest of it? What was he going to do after he finally what he asked for?

In a way, he was doomed to fail. He was never meant to gain sentience anyway, let alone have the desire to feel like his counterpart. His existence is a complete accident. Now he has to deal with the consequences of actions he never even had a hand in doing.

But if you listen closely I swear, to God I swear

You can hear the ocean if you hold it up to your ear

This lyric directly inspired the pose of the Substitute listening to the conch shell. He has memories of some of the most wonderful sensations on Earth yet he can't connect with any of them. Perhaps when no one was looking, he tries to recreate some of them in a desperate attempt to find a scrap of semblance of feeling and gets increasingly frustrated with his inability to understand them.

Is it any wonder that he would do anything to regain that scrap of enjoyment? To end his torturous experience by any means necessary?

Its personality's a lack of identity

The entire second verse in general speaks about the meaningless of art and how people try to give it meaning anyway. The Substitute's only purpose was to replace the Professor either to console a dead mass or to continue the show. Now that the Professor is back... What can he do?

Moreover, he's also never allowed to have an identity of his own. Since he's meant to be a perfect copy of someone else, especially someone who's presumed to be dead, he can never really deviate from that role because it would break the illusion the puppets created to cope with their grief. No matter what his desires are, he can never really explore any of them because no one is allowing him to do so.

Also, the way the orchestra swells during this part kinda calls back to theatrical music for me. I feel like the Substitute would enjoy performace arts. His bombastic musical number implies he had a flair for the dramatics, and despite his lack of feeling, his expression of his ambitions is quite dramatic.

You fill your head with thoughts you find you can't even feel

This can relate to how the Subtitute is forced to relive the memories of the Professor despite not being able to experience the emotions connected with them. In a way, he has to so that he could remind himself of his motivations. Remembering the joy the Professor got through feeling would keep him going on this path in the hopes that some day, he could feel that joy too.

I know it's hard

But they're not who you are

They're white noise

This line can be taken in two ways. One is based on the speculated official meaning of the outro which is centered on intrusive thoughts. No doubt the Substitute deals with homicidal thoughts, but I wonder if he truly believes in them. Does he genuinely enjoy indulge in them, or does he act on them because it's all that he knows? For all the talk about him having the Professor's memories, at the end of the day, he was crudely coded for one simple purpose. His thoughts are very simplistic—as seen with how quickly he jumps to murder as the most logical solution for his problem—and I wonder if he was given a chance to grow beyond his purpose, he could've reliazed that homocide was not the right course of action.

The other way, which is likely more relevant, relates back to the Substitute being intrinsically tied to the Professor. His thoughts, his memories and his actions are all in a way influenced by the Professor. But it didn't have to be this way. As unlikely as it is, he could've had a life where he discovered his own interests and his own personality outside of being "the evil Professor". If he had gotten to learn more about the world on his own, if he had been able to act not as the Professor but as himself, he would've been able to develop more and find that joy he was missing. He could've had a life.

Unfortunately, he was never given that chance, and it is unlikely that he ever will be.

[accio-victuuri]

let’s start the new year with some good old cpn!

so glad that yibo’s stages all went well! as expected from a performer like him. i was kinda nervous that a bad hot search will come out but it was all good. from people being touched with his/dls song, wanghan crying, his clothes, the bystander stage, his high ratings and him seeing the green sea. i’m sorry to the other celebrities who got smeared in the hs but that’s just how it is, better luck next year.

now onto the clownery, if you clown today, it means you will continue to do so for the rest of the new year.. so proceed with caution 😂😂😂😂

starting with the most obvious one are the photos from yibo-official and the effect it gave — it was so little prince. something they both have connection with and a favorite among turtles. international or not, it’s already there and we are not the only ones who noticed the reference.

also the similarity to xz’s weibo night ( their wedding day outfits lol ) effect and little prince look. 👀

another “similarity” is this right here. i like how wyb is in black and xz in white because in cql wyb was the one in white for lwj and xz in black. and the drumming!!! 🥁

during the countdown, WYB was doing the chongya pose. similar to XZ. awwww. i love that this has really become their thing now, tho it really originated more with XZ. even if they didn’t spend it together, they still do it. they have the same hopes and attitude for the new year!

in the subject of the countdown, some are commenting on this incident where wyb didn’t hug the girl/s who were moving closer to him. lol. he is married! what are you all doing? 😂😂😂 kidding aside, i think that a part of it is he is not familiar with them. the girl’s skin was also exposed so maybe he didn’t wanna touch inappropriately. and well, he is wang yibo. people will slice and dice all his public interactions so he is also being careful so people won’t misunderstand.

another thing that fans were looking into was the type of flower he was wearing as a brooch! lol. turns out it’s a ginger flower and it means to keep memories in summer forever. ginger flowers bloom in May-June in summer. the flowers are pure white, the fragrance is refreshing when blooming, and the flowering period is very long.It's short-lived, but it's also accompanied by beautiful memories.

i’m sure we’re over interpreting here lol. but whatever. it’s the summer we remember! 🤍

THIS PART IS NOT CPN BUT TO MENTION THE TIMES the cpf related light signs made an appearance on the screen. So there is a small screen in the venue where they can zoom in on the audience and some of the stuff that made it there were cpf light signs. not to say that these people understand the reference, maybe they found it interesting so they focused on it.

you may have also noticed the lone red and green headbands in this scene! lol. as a casual viewer, you won’t be paying attention to it and if you notice, you won’t even know what they are. but it means something to us and it’s nice to see representation.

and this one, i’m pretty sure he saw that huge ass turtle light sign! 😂😂😂

Disclaimer: i am not trying to undermine what his so/os did today to make sure the green sea was there for him to see. they have worked hard and i’m sure yibo appreciated them showing up for him. this is a cpn post so i would post cpf related stuff.

Lastly, fans have tried to send them a message on weibo and this time there is an automatic reply of them giving a happy new year message ☺️

-END.

[jmdbjk]

Domodachi

Had some stuff going on these past few days but I finally got to watch the most recent RPWP MV: "Domodachi". The symbolism was too literal for me to just let it pass without commenting.

Young person, living his young person life, two innocent boys riding bikes. The Boy on Bike perhaps represents our Namjoon or a version of his journey.

It's dusk. Maybe a little late for young ones to be out. Where are they going?

Drummer dude is not drumming until Boy is even with him, then commences to bang away. The ever-present drumbeat going on in life.

The road turns from a gravel road to a paved road. Gravel road=rural, less sophisticated, simpler life. Paved road=urban, complicated, faster life.

An adult enters the scene and allows Boy to proceed. Younger boy is held back. Coming of age when not ready, immature mind getting swept away into adult spaces and places.

Boy on Bike continues on willingly.

Lyric: "I be slippin thru all kinda bullshit"

Boy rides through some sketchy dark place looking for something familiar and encounters other young people playing a ball and cup game, pass the ball to the other, but the image begins upside down, not really what it seems.

When I saw the cups I thought it was adults drinking until the images turned upright and I saw it was kids.

Lyric: "Ima lead ya to the heaven, play the pipe All my friends wanna get around in 0's (I interpret that as zeros as in lots of zeros behind a dollar sign) All my friends wanna take another pose (I interpret that as "posing" as something they are not)

Kids who might not be who they seem, young people perhaps looking for something more, something they might not be ready for. He is swept away with them.

Boy is thrust into a swirling confusion of adults pointing in all different directions. Boy is confused, doesn't know what to do.

A hand comes out of nowhere and snatches him out of the confusion.

A benign guide. Someone of similar age that guides Boy past the chaotic and slightly violent version of the world he finds himself in. Shows him the way to safety through a tunnel.

Lyrics: "We're all friends, let's dance here (I'll dance right now)"

But then Boy's world turns into some rat-race train-wreck nightmare. He's overwhelmed amongst the adults putting pressure on him from all sides.

Lyrics (Little Simz rap): "Watch I'ma go all out for my hitta I already told them I'm a gorilla Simz and RM, man it don't get bigger"

All those lines COULD rhyme with the obvious word instead of "hitta" if it was a western rapper's song. But a deliberate choice was made here. That's my take on that.

The train enters a tunnel and it gets dark, slam on the brakes, time to slow this train down and try to get control but it all crashes.

I did snort-laugh when I saw this train driver/person, Namjoon said "fuck you mothafuckin asshole Korail dipshit who shared personal info."

The train crashes and the eye of the lurking monster is there searching for its next victim.

The friend appears again to guide him away.

I think the benign friend of same age is himself. His wits, his will, his mind. He climbs the fence, not a difficult barrier to overcome. He's still able to be on both sides.

He exits the dark place, back to his previous life. His young friend is waiting. But when he gets there, Boy realizes he cannot go back.

He has lived too much, seen too much. He can't go back to where he was before. Sad but true. Innocence stripped away. He stops just short of the gravel road and turns around and leaves behind his youth and innocence.

That's what I got out of it from the second watch of this MV. After that second time, I also realized how prescient this is because of all the bullshit going on over at the Hybe building: "Mothafuckas wanna bigger growl, motherfuckas wanna take control... "

Anyway.

FESTA!!!!! BEAR HUGS FROM JIN!!!!! Oh wait, sorry, "light" hugs from Jin. He doesn't want to accidentally crush any ARMYs with his gigantic arms.

[heda-heather]

:nervously off anon: So I watched the Anti-Hero video for the first time yesterday (I know, I know...SO behind the times), and I'm so curious how Swifties are interpreting the very clear symbolism. Like, Taylor is two selves. One of them (the "villain") is her exact presentation out in the world right now. Taylor's lyrics match up with her real self. Her public persona doesn't match up with her lyrics. Swifties don't acknowledge this contrast?

Also, what do they make of the bottle she's drinking from? The one with the Lover video's family crest. Do they not wonder WHY that crest is in a video that is otherwise not about romance? Like, I feel like with close attention to lyrics + close attention to videos + an ounce of attention to how her persona changes from album to album + THE ENTIRE LOVER Era = AT THE VERY LEAST that she is not who she seems (and is most certainly under the queer umbrella).

An even deeper dive will lead you to "she is with Karlie; that crest is signaling Karlie; her songs signal Karlie; Taylor is likely identifying as a lesbian now." Yet somehow they don't see any of it that way, and I wonder how. Maybe willful ignorance. Maybe selection of detail to support their own thesis. Maybe it's the English major in me that makes me pore over this stuff.

My assumption is that many Swifties center their listening experience on how they relate to what Taylor's talking about, so it's more about their own experience and projection than what is actually being written. I know they'd say the same about gaylors, but there are CLEAR motifs in this discography. It's all fascinating but also driving me mad. LOL

Anyway, sorry for the novel. I am still a whole n00b to this fandom and mostly choose to engage with Taylor's world via this corner of Tumblr and through her lyrics. The wider fandom seems like actual hell. LOL

Whew ok I needed a minute to read and process before responding 😂

1. Swifties see the anti-hero more as her battle with fame I think, kinda missing the deeper meaning of her being a completely different person underneath that fame.

2. I doubt they think about the crest at all. I never noticed it until a Kaylor blog pointed it out and showed all the times it’s been displayed. They probably assume it’s just a random design.

3. Her persona changing from album to album actually gives them fuel to say she’s NOT part of the queer community because “the lover era was her activist era, just showing her support, then she moved on from it”

4. They’re NOT looking for signals to Karlie. And they take what she shows them (hanging all over football guy) at face value

5. Projection is a big piece of it. “Loving in secret” to us, is such an obvious flag to the experience of realizing you’re queer in a heteronormative society. I think a lot of them romanticize this instead. They see it as finding a love so special, you want to keep it to yourself. I think a lot of them are obsessed with her work because she describes this intense, earth-shattering love. It gives them hope to find it… but they don’t realize it’s a queer love. And the fact is… 2 women loving one another do share a different experience than a man and woman, because of how women express themselves and understand the universal female experience. Add that to the experience of being queer in anyway. So… they’re kinda holding onto false hope they’ll find a love like she describes. But also there is no other Karlie Kloss in this world 😍🥰

Anyway, my thoughts. Thanks for being brave enough to come off anon! Always love a good chat.

[toxxtt-kotlc]

Hello! If I may, would you be amenable to expanding on your "most of you are kinda racist" tag? I do have an idea of what you're referring to with characterization for character of color, and there have been several posts about that in the fandom in the past, but I wanted to ask for clarity to know what you, specifically, have noticed. To be aware of what's happening, talk about it, correct mindsets and actions if needed

Of course, you don't have to answer and can just delete this if you'd like. No pressure. Hope you have a good day :)

hi! mostly i was referring to characterizations of the song twins and wylie and maruca. obviously posts about the issues with linh and tam have been made many times before. for the most part i think that problems with the song twins come from canon itself, but i think people in general need to be more conscientious when looking at their characters and the stereotypes that are already in them :)

and for wylie and maruca, i can't really speak on stereotypes and biases that the fandom has for them as a non-black person, but i just feel like they get put aside by the fandom a lot despite being major characters (wylie in particular)

i really feel like wylie should be an incredibly popular character in this fandom. i mean, he's just got so much... angst about him. you guys love angst. i feel like people take what makes his character so interesting and the hurt and loss that comes with him and just slap it onto another non-black character.

obviously not everyone has to be in love with wylie. but i think the reason such a hurt-and-comfort fic generating machine is ignored so much is because as a black male, he's automatically viewed as more masculine than other characters. therefore he can't be the fandom's "boohoo sad wet sopping cat" character like fitz or keefe, even though HE IS LITERALLY THE DEFINITION OF SOPPING WET SAD GOT KIDNAPPED AND TORTURED DEAD MOM FUCKED DAD WHAT ELSE DO YOU GUYS WANT FROM HIM!!!!!!!!

anyways i wish this was more eloquent but i just wrote this really quick!! these are really specific examples but i don't know how to put the general overall racism that i see into words... i'll work on that!! i also don't know how to explain the issues with fanon maruca that i see so

tldr: the song twin's characters have pretty obvious bias and stereotypes that the fandom needs to be more aware of, wylie isn't popular despite his sad cat-ness because black men are seen as more masculine, maruca's characterization makes me uncomfortable in general but idk how to explain it

please tell me if anything i said was wrong or hurtful! i am not black so you should always listen to black people before me. also i am probably biased as a die-hard wylie fan so take anything i say with a grain of salt :) would love to hear other people's opinions on this!

*also, put this in the tags but i feel like its important to say here too: sad sopping wet meow meow wylie is NOT a good interpretation/characterization its pretty shallow but he still should be getting the same treatment as other characters

[comradekatara]

Hi, hope you're well.

Idk if you've listened to the new mitski album, but I think it's such a sokka album. There are so many songs on the album that remind me of sokka or sokka and yue like:

heaven and star are such yuekka songs to me or rather yuekka from sokka's perspective where he is both remembering their time together and mourning her death and kinda brings up how her death has fundamentally shaped him forever.

I don't like my mind, the deal and when memories snow makes me think of how exhausting it is to be sokka. All of his many problems that he refuses to (can't) acknowledge and the guilt he feels for those rare times he thinks of not dealing with his many responsibilities.

And finally, I'm your man and I love me after you really make me think of how sokka puts so many people before himself that he is willing to die several times over if it meant the other person's safety. I'm your man especially makes me think of sokka's worship of his dad and how he can't acknowledge that while his father left for the right reasons, it still hurt sokka and katara in very different yet fundamental ways (your father leaving the safety of your sister and entire tribe to twelve year old you will do that).

But yeah it's a good album I think.

Sorry this ask is so long, I just wanted to know your thoughts on this new mitski album + the gaang and others?

yes!! was wondering if/when someone would ask me this lol. i agree that a lot of songs on the album have sokka vibes. i'll go through the album in bullet points (out of order) to elaborate on how i think they fit various characters as i have done with other albums in the past:

"my love mine all mine" is THEE sokka/yue song to me. like the denial of agency/personhood outside of their love which must be hidden and ignored for the sake of duty but cannot be denied!!! and the invocation of the moon is just so potent, of course. if i had time i would make an amv, quite frankly

"star" is such a sokka/yue song from yue's pov specifically she is literally the shining light "burning so you can keep looking up" normally i hate when people compare stars and moons as if they are interchangeable bodies (this is why i cannot enjoy sun & moon dichotomies in poetry i am an insufferable pedant when it comes to astronomy) but i will make an exception in this case because it is just such a beautiful song and really does fit so well.

"buffalo replaced" is such an aang song to me. like not just because of the obvious buffalo (or is it bison?) imagery, but because of the evocation of not being able to catch up to the destructive progress of imperialist nation-building (replacing buffalos with railways, etc.) while simultaneously contrasting it with the liberty and love and freedom of the individual (and that whole verse about how much she loves her cat, that is so real and also so aang) that is so poignant and devastating yet celebratory and warm. maybe that's just my interpretation, but it just feels so aang.

"the frost" is a katara song to me and not just, again, because the imagery is so obviously evocative. there's also some aang themes in the first verse, but the "you're my best friend / now i have no one to tell of how i lost my best friend" lyric really hits because it feels like an address to her mother, but also to sokka. obviously kya was the most important person in katara's life (i assume this is the case for all children with their mothers, i know it's still true for me), but she also lost sokka as a friend when he became her sworn protector. i think katara is grieving the relationship she had with sokka but has no way to communicate it because he's right there, so instead she communicates her grief over kya and rage at the fire nation for taking her family away from her, because it's far easier to verbalize than grief over someone having changed but in a way that seems imperceptible. she calls what sokka does "playing soldier" because the idea that it's just a game to him is far preferable to the chilling alternative that he is prepar[ed/ing] to die. she is losing him in increments and has no one to tell because everyone in her family has either died, left her, or left her emotionally. "it's just witness-less me."

"bug like angel" is a song quite specifically about addiction (alcoholism in particular) but the themes of guilt, regret, and longing do evoke aang and zuko (separately, not as a dynamic) to me. the desire for family, comfort, and for life to revert back to its "original" state before mistakes were made that irreparably altered it (a "sunlit garden" if you will)

"i'm your man" is a sokka song it is also an azula song also a zuko song maybe even an iroh song? it's a song about staking your identity in patriarchal logic especially wrt to one's own father (especially if that father happens to be the leader of a state). it's about the contradictions of patriarchy and selfhood under patriarchy and worshipping at the altar of masculinity even as subsuming its logic destroys you. (will expand on this matter whenever i finally find time to finish my sokka nanami essay. btw)

"i love me after you" is a song that could apply to any number of them but i think it's most poignant if you imagine it as an azula song ("king of all the land" is quite literal, in this case), but also like, a version of azula in the future. it's an azula song someday. eventually.

"when memories snow" is an azula song wrt the line "and if i break could i go on break" and the "thousand hands that clap for me in the dark" but the imagery of memories as snowfall also evokes the black snow that triggers sokka and katara and feels like a metonym for ptsd and trauma. for such a short song, it has a wide range of highly specific applications.

"the deal" can apply to so many characters, as it broadly follows mitski's pattern of existentialist songs such as "abbey" and "door" that can be applied to any range experiences concerning the human condition, BUT, i find it most evocative when considering iroh and his relationship to lu ten and to the spirit world. i'll expand on this more if asked, but for now. just think about it

"i don't like my mind" is such a zuko song especially book 1 zuko who is so obsessively focused on capturing the avatar because he refuses to consider the obvious implications of his situation and is in hardcore denial and avoidance of the blatant truth. he needs this job it is all he has..... please don't take my job from me......

"heaven" IS a sokka/yue song but it's also a sokka/suki song and a mai/ty lee song and really just a universally applicable love song and maybe the most beautiful song ever i dont know. "now i bend like the a willow thinking of you" makes me go crazy every time i hear/think about it probably because i am so othellopilled i think of desdemona and start crying and gnashing my teeth... anyway. on that note!

i'd be happy to expand on any of these, as i recognize that some of my claims were cursory and vague. thank you for asking this and indulging my ramblings :)

[rhaaclaws]

How I go about making [Original] character playlists

someone in a server asked for some help on making OC playlists and I made a think piece basically on how I do it and realized this could help people outside the server so 👍

This is a long post, 1.6k words so it's under a read more.

for character playlists, I make a Venn diagram of like

“Would this character listen to this song vs does this character Actually listen to this genre vs what story is this song telling”

If a song is important to a character/influenced a lot in their making absolutely add it in

that's very obvious but ummm let me use an example song

ok this one. I'm gonna be relating it to Nikki's playlist since it's on there

Would this character listen to this song? Nikki has a darker aesthetic with a lot of gothic influences, both in how they act, dress, and decorate their own house. in this case, Nikki Would listen to this song because it has that general 'dark' theme 

Does this character actually listen to this genre? while Nikki has been around for 500ish years, they do listen to modern music and also prefer longer pieces. Nikki does listen to gothic music as they frequent lots of clubs that would play stuff like this. Also, she's canonically a type o negative fan

What story is this song telling? obvs this depends on your interpretation of the song and how this could relate to the character since lalala whole analysis thing I'm not gonna get into. but its generally about a (vampire) woman on Halloween/eve and just how she is. also the whole "loving you was like loving the dead'' thing that relates to another character I'm not gonna mention

The last part that I forgot to talk about but kinda goes into the last one: could you relate this song to that character and have it make sense? both in how it sounds and in lyrics. bc I've found songs that lyrically fit someone Perfectly but then it sounds like shit or it just doesn't fit the character

like ex: Disturbia by Rhianna with Chimera

sound wise it's not like the rest of its playlist but I do have my reason for putting it on there: lyrics that they relate to and because her best friend listens to pop music and would show her this sort of stuff.

I try to have a general Sound for a playlist but obvs there are some outliers 👍

Unfortunately, some songs fit a character really well but they wouldn't exactly listen to it/does nottt fit the general theme of their playlist

example: ayumu's playlist. it has a lot of just Glam music and it features mostly van halen, judas priest, kiss, etc just stuff like that 

there's one song, somewhat damaged by Nine Inch Nails, that fits him exceptionally well in terms of lyrics that relate to his backstory and how it's a slow progression with a climax at the very end. but I don’t have it on there because sound wise it would stick out like a sore thumb

Of course, not everyone is gonna have One Set Genre and Sound

and some characters I focus more on different categories

Ex1: Dani's playlist is fully made up of what he listens to and I did that on purpose because she's a character who is veryyyy focused on music [specifically metal] and also one who Makes music in canon. so I focused more on the sound aspect and what he actually listens to but still tried to vaguely match the lyrics to her backstory [and unsurprisingly, a lot of them are about anger in one way or another. while Dani isn't an angry person anymore, she still goes back to it since its an outlet] 

Ex2: going back to Nikki's playlist, it's made up of 3 parts. 

In the first part, the thing I focused on the most was How people perceive her/how she wants to be perceived. so I tried to go for more 'seductive' songs and also tried to keep a general darker sound. 

The second part is stuff that relates to her past/highly personal aspects, which is why its more hidden within, and probably wouldn't notice it if you quickly scrolled; in this one, I stuck to lyrics [and it mostly lined up to what Nikki listens to since their top modern band is Depeche Mode all the way through and for good reason]. 

The third part is made up of instrumentals, mostly classical music bc well this is what Nikki listened to for most of her life, so I wanted to reflect on it a bit. so here my biggest focus was Sound and trying to fit her theme

Ex3: Andros' playlist

while I of course tried to have a general sound, I purely focused on lore. the order of each song on here is purposeful because it's meant to tell his entire life story within a playlist. kinda hard to talk about it minimally because the only other way is literally sending that director's cut document I have explaining each song and why it's on there in that placement

this was the hardest route imo for a character playlist since its Hard to find stuff that relates to specific experiences, but it's very worth it if you have a character you have a full-on story for 👍

now for actually finding music

One of the first things I figure out when making a character is "If they had a character theme what would it sound like" and/or what bands/genre do they listen to

When I have a theme I usually go off on what I already know and try to see "ok what artist comes up the most for this" and then go to their discography or similar bands [ill send my fav resource for it in a sec]

if you already have a stand name/namesake though, try to stick to that [you don’t have to but its a base you can use]

Here’s my thought process using all that to make a playlist, with our playlist of choice being Jing’s.

Their stand is called I Talk To The Wind, which is a song made by king crimson. so my first thoughts were "ok I’m gonna go through their songs and see what's similar/what I could put on this" and I really only felt like putting Moonchild up next. 

next, I was like “ok what's the theme of this character”. The first thing I came up about them was being able to see ghosts so "ok I’m gonna find songs that relate to death, ghosts, and just that general theme" So now I got came back haunted, ghosting, La Mer, I'm looking forward to joining you finally, Bela Lugosi's dead, Otherside, and (don't fear) the reaper. for sounds, I also went on this Halloween ambient noise playlist and added Laila pt1, black venom, and scary spirits

ok, what would they listen to? well, I know that their fav bands are King Crimson, but i also want to add in New Order and someee Bauhaus. so I put in ceremony, procession, burn, etc

and now lore stuff. how do these lyrics relate to their character/what would it mean to them? this usually requires some general lore in hand but you can just listen to songs and be like. hm. it'd be interesting to make this relate to a character so then you go off that. on this category I added: new feeling, macro, introspectre, i get wild/ wild gravity, and who is she ?

obvs your thought process depends on your character and the music you already know

I am insane because I am constantly playing music or otherwise I’d die so I have a lottttttt of music in my mind catalog basically so I usually go off on that

if you want to know more songs and such or know a character would listen to this genre that you're nottt super familiar with here's what i do

try searching for general terms so you pull up playlists on spotify

if you have a song already you can put that bad boy in something like spotalike or any alternative you like

thissss beautiful website https://everynoise.com/

every noise at once lets you scroll through basically every single genre ever and if you click on it you get bands that are part of that genre

something you can also do is use the find artist search engine and see what genres they belong to so you can find similar stuff

obvs theyre not exact butttttt

say i wanna look in the industrial rock genre. if i double-click on it i get to this page

you can use the scan button at the top to get a general sense of the artist [since you egt a sample] and you can go in deep into an artist's discography

i used that website a lotttttttt for tyhis one playlist that is purely sound based/what this character would listen to 100%

but yeah this is my general process on making a character playlist 👍 I’m veryyyy thorough with it and you can literally ask me about any song on any character playlist and i can tell you exactly why i put it on there

is it a little excessive? sure but this is my way of doing it

[randomly--accessed--memories]

Another day of trying my damndest to connect songs to RAM because trying to connect song lyrics to stuff I'm obsessed with is a really fun way to appreciate music. Today's subject? Epitaph by King Crimson (Ha. My Jojo phase really did wonders for my music taste).

The wall on which the prophets wrote/Is cracking at the seams

I think for this one, it's quite easy to make a connection to Vox and Niffty's situation.

Upon the instruments of death/The sunlight brightly gleams

Referring to the fact that for a while, Alastor kinda just got away with doing this.

When every man is torn apart/With nightmares and with dreams

the image that being "torn apart with nightmares and with dreams" brings to mind is how Alastor tried to brainwash Vox into enjoying this ( the "with dreams" part) but that doesn't make it any less of a nightmare.

Confusion will be my epitaph/As I crawl, a cracked and broken path

To me, this one is pretty obvious. Vox is pretty much always confused.

If we make it, we can all sit back and laugh/But I fear tomorrow I'll be crying/Yes, I fear tomorrow I'll be crying/Yes, I fear tomorrow I'll be crying

To me, this brings to mind the heaven ending. Vox is in heaven now and he finally got better ("if we make it, we can all sit back and laugh"), but he can't really be happy about it because of everything that he went through and the fact that the other vees are dead ("but I fear tomorrow I'll be crying")

As for verse two, I don't really have any specific imagery for that one, so I won't put it here.

if you have a different interpretation for the lyrics of this one song, I'd love to hear it!

Also, I'm doing that thing where you imagine an animatic when you listen to a song, but considering the fact that the whole thing is almost 9 minutes long, I don't think it's something I'm ever going to make.

Interesting! In terms of the second verse, "Between the iron gates of fate / The seeds of time were sown / And watered by the deeds of those / Who know and who are known" could be something to do with Alastor and "Knowledge is a deadly friend / If no one sets the rules / The fate of all mankind, I see / Is in the hands of fools" could be referring to Charlie and how she spends most of the story completely ignorant of the reality of this situation and how she could put a stop to it at any time.

Yeah, a 9 minute song would be a BEAST of an animatic to make. Not gonna lie though, I think I'd cry real, physical tears if someone actually made an animatic for this AU, no matter the song or how short it was.

[luci-in-trenchcoats]

Good evening,

This is random but I was doing my nightly routine with music and the song against the wind by bob seger came on and reminded me of the spn fic I plan to write someday which story kinda follows the theme/lyrics of the song. And it just makes me think how crazy and unique the human mind is.

Cause for me I get most of my story inspiration from songs. For example, my current wip Life After Love I came up with cause I kept hearing that song and everytime I would comment to myself there is no life after love is gone and then my writer, dreamer brain started working and bam my story became a thing. But I remember you said a bit ago that story’s based off songs aren’t your thing. That’s totally fine it just makes me marvel at how different brains work. Having read most of your work I can’t imagine having come with it all by myself, especially those incredible and unique AUs. For me I find that I hear a lyric and start to think about what it means and the deeper meaning and if the meaning is something the boys could related to I begin to play with ideas and work it out from there. It just amazes me that there’s people who can write without that extra step to get the flow going.

Hey there! I have to put an asterisk on what I mean but stories based on songs aren't my thing. I listen to music ALL the time, in life and while writing. I think where it comes into play is it has to be a song I choose if I want to "base" a fic off of it. Even then, I don't really do that. I might get inspired from a line or vibe but that's generally how it works for me. Songs tell a story in a very limited amount of time. The way I always interpret those requests/ideas based on songs are write a story that fits that song. For me though that's kinda like, write a different version of the same story that's already been written? And that's just not as much fun for me and makes me feel boxed in. But I do always, always use music as part of my process, it's just not a very obvious part of it.

[dumping-ideas]

if u check the JP Twitter, the new wxs song/event trailer is out! I wanna see your thoughts about it if you can. I'm pretty sure it's an emu event judging by the theme and how the music sounds so upbeat! :D

After reading curtain call, I was wondering why we didn't know Emu's stance on how they're 'time together is running out', ie. the possibility of WxS disbanding (and I had a gut feeling that Tsukasa already had an internal war with himself behind the scene about it like always lol). I'm glad I'm right that we'll most likely have Emu focused event because:

Kino Hina announced it (they have some kinda pattern of letting the seiyuu of the character focus event announce it)

Dreamy, pastel soft, and dominantly pink, kinda like Once upon a dream

Theme park themed trailer -- we're already 2/2 for Emu event, why not for a third time?

As for the song itself, Kino said that it's a warm song despite its upbeat sound, and she also said that it was very difficult singing it (Hirose agreed lol).

As for interpretation, I like twt user @/nana654_'s one, although I can only understand about the attractions lol

If I'm not mistaken she tweeted about "how the merry-go-round (Emu) and ferris wheel (Tsukasa) are attractions that go in one direction endlessly and only stay in one spot. Meanwhile, the air balloons (Nene) and train (Rui) are attractions that move to different spots but have a "fixed" end and beginning points (air balloons can't go any higher while trains have its destination(?))"

So thinking about how the characters' relationship with their dreams, it was like Tsukasa's and Emu's endlessly going towards their dreams, and everything they do is just circulating around their unchanged dreams. Meanwhile, Nene's and Rui's dream keep evolving. I mean, if we look at the story it was obvious that Nene's and Rui's motivations keep getting bigger compared to the early parts of the story. Not saying that Tsukasa's and Emu's aren't, it's just that Tsukasa's and Emu's growth are in order to achieve their original dreams, while Nene's and Rui's growths made them aim for bigger dreams.

Interestingly, I think the twt user also implied that there's an end to Nene's and Rui's dreams, but I don't think so. It just means that Nene can go anywhere in the air once she's on the top, and Rui can just go to another destination after he arrives at his original destination. Their dreams can change directions, and the possibilities are endless--just like how Tsukasa and Emu can mindlessly and endlessly pursue their original dreams.

So, I'm crossing my fingers that we we'll get a heartwarming event and not a gut-punching one.

Also, I like how the ones aiming for worldwide fame (Tsukasa and Nene) are symbolized by attractions that move upward, while those who don't (Emu and Rui) are symbolized by attractions that stay on the ground. Better yet, Tsukasa the leader is symbolized by the ferris wheel, and we know how important that attraction is to Emu, Tsukasa, and WxS as a whole.

Plus, the trailer used the attractions in Phoenix Wonderland, so maybe it'd also focus on PWL and reality and its relation to dreams, linking it to Emu's storyline in Pop in My Heart and not directly to Island Panic.

[whateverimagination]

SO with the fact that we got Helluva Boss episode 4 of season 2, I wanna talk about the next episode to come! Which I am 95% sure is gonna include Fizzarolli, I wanna share my thoughts on a few thing we know! Even if I'm wrong and the episode has nothing to do with my precious Fizzarolli. I'm still gonna share my thoughts on a few scenes involving what we are expected to see! :D

As expected, there are spoilers for certain things, such as episode 7 of Helluva Boss and the upcoming episode where we are supposedly gonna see Fizzarolli again.

Episode 7, House of Asmodeus Song

First off, I think its an ongoing discussion of the interpretation of Asmodeus's words towards Stolas and his relationship with Blitz, and this is how I see it.

Of course we get the line of "I hope you didn't give it up, so you and him could get it up" which yeah, obviously leads everyone to the assumption that he is shaming Stolas, but honestly, I think it was a rhetorical question and that he knew absolutely knew that Stolas did, kind of give up a part of his life for Blitz.

The main reason for that thinking is because of his next line which is "You sold your life for a thrust!" Now stating he gave it up, as a fact. of course this is only addressing the first part, and I was analyzing the scene i noticed a part that had them in a background, where Verosika is talking about Blitz being terrible partner in bed. To which you see Ozzie lean over and kinda just nudge Fizz, which makes me immediately think that Fizzarolli has probably talked to Asmodeus about how Blitzo was if we were to say they were in some kind of relationship.

To add on to that, even if it wasn't anything romantic OR sexual, Fizz could have also talked to Ozzie about how Blitz didn't give as much energy in a friendship as Fizz did, seeing as one of the scenes in the trailer Fizz seems excited for something while Blitzo seems less so. But due to certain scenes like Fizz dipping Blitz down in a dance and possible musical number, I am belief there was probably a romantic relationship in the past, then again I do have the believe that his love language is touch, so maybe it isn't platonic, or maybe it is and his love language is touch :D

So basically I'm thinking when he was singing "So you and him could get it up" he could easily have been just referring to Blitz and judging Stolas as his chosen partner for giving up his "smoking wife", and his kid.

Next line to the song is "Now that's the spirit of lust" which honestly was the reason I've dug so deep into this so I can explain why I viewed this the way I do. So adding the other lines together, "I hope you didn't give it up so you and him could get it up, You sold your life for a thrust! Now that's the spirit of lust" , It is Ozzie praising Stolas for giving into lust and feeling it almost the same way Ozzie does.

Upcoming Episode discussion

Now then, time for slight spoilers for what is upcoming in the episode where we see Fizzarolli and Asmodeus again!

Most of us have seen the trailer containing the scene where we see in the news "KING OF OZZ A HYPOCRITE??"

A lot of people have also assumed the reason for Asmodeus being called a hypocrite was because Asmodeus was also with an imp, but even without my argument about the interpretation of Ozzie's words at Ozzies, I feel it should have been a little obvious he was being called a hypocrite due to the fact he seemed so lovey-dovey with a demon, considering he is the King of lust and has made it evident to the rest of hell he doesn't enjoy anything to do with love and such.

I don't think I have much else to say but I'm also thinking that the episodes with Barbie wire are ALSO connected to the episode with Fizzarolli, mainly because in one scene it sort of looks like Moxxie is singing, while in an outfit you see him wear while pushing back against Barbie wire trying to get someone else, and because of the scenes where Fizz looks like he's also singing.

Also because it gives Blitzo more of a reason to seek FIzz out, as we see him confront Fizz where he's wearing his green glasses, before that teaser we see FIzz wearing those glasses on a stage where he shoots out firework like things. So I think that after the performance Blitz talks to him and probably mentions either the newspaper, or Barbie, maybe even both and that lead to the scene in the car. Or Blitz just broke in, but I think he was invited.

Lots of possibilities but with or without FIzz and Barbie in the same episode, I am so excited to see Rolli again!

[jackinalex]

I haven't seen anybody talking about it, and maybe this is just my delulu brain kicking in, but I just realised there are similarities between Glitter&Crimson and English Blood

overall, they sound like a whole story, where g&c is about protagonist deciding to pursue his love and true self, and e.b. is when he already decided and now giving last 'apologies' and goodbyes to his old life (and lovers, or yknow, like... wifes)

there are mirroring lyrics too: (g&c) being less ain't good enough, but being us feels good to us - (e.b) and who I am is good enough for me (g&c) I wonder if you feel kinda like i feel, temporary - (e.b) 'it's temporary' uh, which part?

i kinda feel like writing a whole ass essay on it, but want to hear opinions first

Wait, it is honestly like y’all read my mind sometimes. I listened to eb the other day and noticed the temporary thing lyric!! I love this interpretation and I do think that it could be continuing the story. The only thing is, I did some research and I’m thinking that most of the lyrics double as references. I’m going to hyperfixate on this, I fear. But tomorrow, I’m gonna do a deep-dive on it because I didn’t realize how many references to other songs and albums there are in that song. I recognized the obvious ones, but a few, I did not.

[alienssstufff]

c dapduo

Roman talks about c!dapduo incohrently subtitle: im shaking im in brainrot an dd need to air this out /right nowwww/ a lot of it i kinda rehashed over twt and other spaces but never here and i think its time i subject you my hell as well <3 Note before I begin: I will be using it/its pronouns for c!Slime (see wiki)

>SLIMECICLE IS THE EMBODIMENT OF LAS NEVADAS "Slime, Wherever this box may find you, in life or in possible death, know that I will fulfil our legacy. -Quackity By extension technically Las Nevadas isn’t just the place but its the people - but Slime specifically it represents the traits of what the country is: they are new, they are facade but they are free and they are loved. From the lessons just like Las Nevadas, Slime is a product of Quackity’s work and places it as his equal and his life. “If this country dies I die with it.” and he does - jumping after it into the lava without a second thought... Why do you think the segment is called ‘Nothing Left’ after all.

>As Quackity said - Slime can be seen as a past version of Quackity. Him trying to revive it can be interpreted as a reflection of him struggling to let go of the past (but the attempt is still very cute). I’m glad though that throughout the arc he goes FROM only associating Slime as a reflection of his past /an asset TO seeing it as its own person, letting it go to do whatever and build upon their legacy beyond the skirts of Las Nevadas.

>"The people I really care about are the people I keep around me. You're the first person I've kept around me for this long." -- which is laughable because it’s usually everyone else who leaves Quackity before he could have a say in it. It’s interesting how despite Slime being the closest (ever) person to Quackity his reaction to it leaving (the hole) is resolve. No resentment like when Schlatt left him, no stubborn remorse like when Wilbur like left him, no denial like when Tommy left them (the server on permadeath), no bitterness like when KarlNap left him - just trust and acceptance. He trusts it. 

>’LOVE LIKE YOU’ IS A DAPDUO SONG Other than the obvious Mice on Venus - what’s great abt Love Like You is that the song can be interpreted as a duet and fit no matter who’s saying which line

>DAPDUO IS TWO PEOPLE LEARNING HOW TO BE PEOPLE TOGETHER dude they like come from very different backgrounds (from the core of the chaos vs the sheltered observer) and have very different outlooks on life when they meet and from then on it’s like they (/p) complete each other bro.  -Slime learns how to be human: ppl portray it as stupid when realzies its very wise and a walking encyclopaedia of the dsmp - it knows a lot ,,, it just doesn’t know what to do with that information nor fully understand the weight of that information [As shown especially with the “We all turn to dust” mentality]. Quackity teaches it this, the feelings -whether by his own words and actions- behind why people do the stupid things they do -Quackity learns how to be human /again/: Pretty self-explanatory in the stream itself

>The way they were theoretically inseparable from each other throughout most of Las Nevadas arc. They run that country together.

>If we’re speaking homestuck terms - they are like moirails

I’ll probably add more underthis post as I think about them  anyway if u read all of that thx i am open to questions and stuff i love talking abt them

[k-white]

hello peeps!

I am finally making my personal interpretation of the songs in the playlist Jojo made for OF and how I think they relate to the characters

So I put on my investigation glasses and listened to the songs wile reading the lyrics to be sure of the meaning of the song(I did this for now only for the english songs cuz spotify doesn't give you a translation but only the lyrics written in the characters for that language like a thai songs lyrics are in thai and a english one in english so I would have to look up a translation wich I will try to do but for now only english)

Mind you this relates to the trailer and as we know mock trailers are just an overall presentation for the series and might change! and also this is subjective to me!

The order in wich I am doing this is the order in wich I listened to them

Here they come:

-Memories by Conan Gray- Listening to this I got the feelings it relate the most to Mew and Top, it doesn't fit the other characters and how their relationships where presented, Mew loving top but having to let go of him because of the hurt Top put him trough and Top being selfish and clinging to Mew making him unable to move on, could relate to San and Ray in a way but San feels more strongwilled and less prone to wallow in sadness and self pity!

-Who'd have known Lily Allen- this could relate to Mew, San and even Nick so here the reason: the first one is kinda obvious but the others less so, for San the "are you mine?" could be he asking himself and I say this thinking back on San and Ray and how he says he doesn't want to be one of the choices, for Nick it looks like he has feelings for Boston but the relationship they have is more of the just phisical type but he wants more, and in a way both San and Nick pararrel eachother tho it is debatable that this is a much more softer and sweeter song and it would suite Mew and his more idealistic and naive views on love and sex and how he wants a "real" relationship

-Can you love me tonight? KAIRO- this one was trikier, I felt like it could refer to both Top and Ray, but by the end it felt more like Ray than Top, and it felt like it could be meant to both Mew and San, like in 2 different stages of Rays life: at the beginning It was meant for Mew even if the song implies a past relationship it still a song about being loved by smeone that seems to not want to tho as time passes it shift to San, and specifically in a period where they are not together cuz Ray couldn't realize his feelings and San left but he realize after loosing him that he is in love but it's too late but he still wants San to love him but it's too late, I wrote this a wile back and I do still stand by the idea that this could be very much so be Ray but it does fit a lot for Top as well cuz we know he is gonna screw up with Mew so him wondering if Mew can love him still after he screwd up can fit the song

-Somebody that I used to know Gotye Kimba- NOT THIS SONG🤣 the most overplayed song ever! I still like it tho... ok so! This is a dialogue between 2 people that used to date and had a major fallout and I don't think it refers to none of the couples(no RaySan and MewTop tho they could in a way fit as well but to me the sock doesn't fit that well) we see in the trailer other than Boston and Top: Boston relates to the Gotye part and Top relates to the Kimba part, and I feel like this is after Top starts dating Mew and Boston gets jelous and bitter about loosing someone he had a pull over, so Boston playing kind of the victim and still being hung up on Top but Top just wanting out from it; but It could also fit with relationships that wheren't shown in the trailer, but thaks to Jojo we got a relationships chart for the characters and got shown that San is more connected to the other characters than we originally thought, so this song could refer to San and Nick or San ans Top tho I cam only speculate who each characters relate to on the duet Gotye or Kimba? I feel like San could be the one still holding on the the others and that influences how he feels about being "just one of the choices"

-Be my Mistake 1975- Ok this is a BostonTop song! like come on! what else could it be? "you make me hard but she makes me week"? This literally fit the narrative of Top hooking up with Boston wile he is dating Mew, falling in love with the second but still sleeping with the first! nobody else fit this come on!

-You know I am no good Amy Winehouse- this could be Boston to Nick, they have something going on between them but he still sleps with other people and they both know it, cuz I don't feel like this fit with Mew And Top cuz clearly the fact that Top was still having sex with Boston was a secret, and for San and Ray... San does seem to be involved with others either romantically or sexually but we still don't know if it's a past thing or present and if we go with what he says to Ray about not wanting to be one of the choices... I don't know if he would go and hook up with others and be open about it but he could be a huge hipocrite for what we know, anyway my best bet is BostonNick

-Traitor Olovia Rodrigo- this one I feel like is the one song that is up to the most interpretations! The obvious one San about Ray and his feelings for Mew even if Ray and Mew never start something cuz the line between them is onesided, or Boston about Top starting a relationship with Mew and Boston being bitter about it, Mew fit the least this song cuz it is about your lover leaving you for a friend and less about Cheating so his storyline with Top doesn't fit that well cuz we know Top is probably gonna cheat on him with Boston and Mew is gonna dicover probably the hard way...Tho I do have a little treat tho it is a stretch but hear me out! Ray about San leaving him for Nick! Ray wasn't able to admit his feelings for San so this decided to ask Nick to pretend to be his new lover to make Ray jelous and realize he loves San! And make Boston jelous as well! This are probably catles in the sky but it is fun to imagine!

-Take me Home Jess Glynne- Always liked this song a lot! it's a sad and beautiful song about vulnerability and a person relying on someone else in the moment of need when they are at their lowest... so the only ones that resonate to me with this song are Ray and San to be honest... I don't know but they feel like they are the most lost and broken in the group and they just need to find their confort and maybe they will help eachother in that sense, being there for each other during their worst moments taking confort in oneanother, the others don't really fit here maybe the only other one is Top refering to Mew

-Anti-Hero Taylor Swift-(finally learned where the "I'm the problem it's me" audio came from! in my defense I don't listen to Tswift!) Ok this to me is both Ray and Boston, if I think about it Mew is probably the only genuine person in this whole shit show of a friend group and he snaps only when he reache dhis limit, San feels like he is headstrong and take no shit but isn't the nicest person, Top and Nick live their lives for themselves tho not really making up a front to please others so Ray and Boston I feel fit the AntiHero vibe! For Ray it's about how he lives his life but also how his relationship with San develops, and how he goes about life masking his actions as genuine wile he has ulteriors motives, like with Mew, he acknoledge his flaws and but basically does nothing to get better, and Boston as well he plays the part of the good helping friend for Mew but on the sides still sleeps with Top and he also does nothing to be a better person, tho I feel at the end Ray could came out of this whole story as a better person tho Boston on the other hand I feel could end up burning himself.

-Kill Bill SZA- I don't wanna even think about the implication this song could have lol! like I hope it is taken in a more metaphorical sense and a character has so much unbrideld hate and rage torwards his ex that he imaging killing him but never really doing it... I hope... tho it would be a cool twist, we saw violence and killing in bls before but the context was VERY different!

-abcdefu Gayle- well this could basically be any character like: Mew, San, Nick even Boston! refering respectively to: Top, Ray, Boston and Top again! it is such a fun song! I can imagine the betrayed ones singing it to the betrayers! It could be a fun scene if the wunded ones sang it wile drunk to the others!

Drunk Text I am pretty sure people on twitter said something regarding this song and how it applied to Ray if I am not mistaken I have no way to check so we'll never know🤷🏻‍♀️ so here my interpretation: This for me represent both Ray and San! Ray and his feelings for Mew how he is safe and confortable in their friendship but he's in love with Mew and he hopes Mew cpuld feel the same that maybe if he was braver and risked it he could be with him, for San it's about Ray and how he is starting to have feelings for him but they are still just sex friends and he knows Ray loves Mew but he started to be more boyfrendy with San blurring the lines, bonus points if this also could be a drunk Ray crushing at Sans appartament after a night out and spit out all his feelings for Mew to San too drunk to realize!

-Drunk Ed Sheeran- Mmm I am uncertain about this song🤔 this could be Ray about Mew but before he meets San, or San about past relationships before he meets Ray, it could also refer to drugs and not just alchool cuz from the trailer we know drugs are involved in the boys lifes, tho it could also refer to Top if he and Mew have a fight and they split up he could be drawning his sorrows in alchool and drugs cuz he feels guilty for being the reason of their break up but it's hard to be a better person(also Top is the only character that we actually see take pills pointing to a possible addiction)

Ok I am gonna stop here for now cuz this is already waaaay too long and I had already did them and I still have half of the playlist to do so I will do a part 2!

[flockrest]

Because I am way too anxious to bring this up off anon, I come to your inbox bearing anonymous musings.

Something I don't see a lot of is.. Link being anxious about the child prodigy that Tulin has always been. We see in HW: AoC and TOTK that Tulin, from a young age, has a lot of talent, and abilities most Rito don't have. Teba is a skilled warrior, but I can see Tulin, in his prime, easily surpassing that.

And Link gets to see that. Link gets to watch Tulin grow, helps the fledgeling grow, nurtures the adventurous warrior spirit of a boy who'll certainly fight alongside him someday, and someone he'll be proud to have there.

But the problem comes when ToTK comes around, and Tulin becomes a sage. I personally can see Link, maybe intentionally, maybe not, projecting who he once was, kinda still is, onto Tulin. This child prodigy, amazing with his favored weapon from the very start, slated to save the world, and all too willing to do it. And Tulin makes it clear that Link inspired Tulin's willingness, helped the fledgeling become fearless.

I think about the paralels between Tulin and Link very often. And, in my interpretations, as proud as Link is of Tulin for becoming a fine young man.. He can't help but remember how he used to be, when he pulled the Master Sword. And in the final battle, when Tulin is knocked out with the rest, I wonder if he thinks about how he brought a child, practically his little brother, into a situation where he could so easily die.

Sorry for the ramblings- i've been scrolling through your blog and thinking about your color hc especially and. I guess it sparked a bit of a brainrot "^^

first off: hello, hi! please don't ever be sorry for sending in an ask like this — i love discussing meta with others, especially on a level of engagement like this. i wish it'd happen more, really! genuinely, if you have more thoughts you'd like to share, i'd love to hear them out!!

okay okay, time to address your delicious content. i'm a botw and totk link enjoyer more than i am writer, so i can't give too many thoughts about him from my end ( would be stoked to hear any input from actual link writers though...eyes emoji ), but you came to the right place for tulin brainrot [rubbing my hands together]

you're right in a lot of aspects, particularly about the parallels between link and tulin. it's why i find their dynamic so compelling and crave to always play around with it, because it's at once they are fambly!! and this is who you could've been if given unconditional support and love — that you partake in because you are what you're trying to ensure he will never have to grow up to be.

( tulin also notably shares many parallels with revali! one in particular that tickles me silly whilst also making me emo is like. how irreverent they are? because they put so much stock in hard work and meaningful results...revali has his knight with the darkness-sealing sword that he can't fathom putting such an alarming amount of faith in as the "key to defeating calamity ganon" when all he's done to earn that title is pull a sword; tulin has his stormwind ark that his people are pinning all their hopes on for no reason other than it appears in a Song, when they're basically starving and struggling and could be doing something actually substantial ( disclaimer: they are both unreliable narrators ). aside from age and other obvious character intricacies, they're pretty much one banger support system removed from being each other...but that's a ramble for another time sldfkjld )

and yes, totk made it very clear that tulin and link are familiar to that extent! i am still so thankful for it! we'll never know the specifics, but honestly, the mere act of giving tulin someone else — someone more present and tangible than revali ( at least until aoc sldkfjdf but after that as well! ) — to chase after and strive to be like would've been impactful enough on its own!! and yeah, he has his dad too, but what teba represents is very different from what link represents!

link projecting onto tulin in that way is a concept i'm glad you brought up, because it would for sure add another great layer to their relationship! all those complicated emotions...yessss, i eat it all up!! and i can definitely see how far link's feeling of responsibility over tulin would stretch, both as someone caring for a kid and as someone caring for his little brother, but the thing is...tulin would be doing his damnedest to be there even if link — or anyone, including his parents — said no.

tulin's hierarchy of people i want to be like and surpass is still, to this day: 1) revali <- 2) teba <--> 2.0001) link. and while link's absolutely been a huge inspiration in important departments, tulin's pluck, drive, and eagerness to do whatever he can is and has always been all his own. link may help enable him, but tulin has consistently not been able to stand by and do nothing if he can help it! combine this with his legitimate skills and cultural values — i.e. how integral warriorhood is to the rito — and you get a preteen who is going to be there with you 'til the end, as he promised, whether you or anyone else likes it or not :')

WHICH, you know, could feed into the parallels...and hence the projection...they would benefit from a real sit-down-and-talk, probably slfdldk and if nothing else, i hope link takes heart in the fact that tulin has a sincerely great support system in his family and community — there will be really bad days to the really good days, of course, but he gets to be a kid ( no matter how much he refuses to acknowledge this ), and he gets to work through his traumas and insecurities in full, and he gets to heal. i promise you, he gets to heal!

i have other murky thoughts i cannot properly collate right now, but i think i got the bulk of what i wanted to say out lskfjldg thank you so much for sending this in!! it was a pleasure to read through and answer ♡