#but my friends takeaway from it being so different from me made me feel an isolation from the world at large

[peacereturnedtothevalley]

really want to talk to someone but like . How do I talk about this

going to ramble in the tags but don’t read if you’re having a good day (I am not actively suffering in a material way that will require peoples concern and and active help) (I repeat keep scrolling if you’re just chillin)

[katsu28]

can I request “Baby’s Breath - a wholesome moment” with our favorite grump remus? maybe just some domestic fluff?

i've been delving deeper into my marauders phase lately so thank you so much for this request <3 he's not too much of a grump in this one but i can give u soft bf remus today i hope that's okay

remus lupin x reader, 1k, fluff fluff and more fluff

Remus never thought he’d ever have a life like he had now. He’d always thought he was destined to live a life of solitude, a life where nothing good and nothing pure ever dared come his way. Sure, he had his best mates and they were more than he could ever ask for, but he wanted…more.

He always felt a tiny gnaw in his gut thinking about Lily and James, Marlene and Dorcas—they were happy, they were as infatuated with each other as the day they met. He didn’t resent them, he wasn’t jealous of them, but he wanted what they had. He wanted a love as strong as theirs with someone of his own. 

Never in a million years did he think he’d get the chance to have something like that. 

Then you came along, and you were good and pure and about a hundred other things Remus adored. You were kind and caring and made his heart thump a little faster and a little harder against his ribcage. It took a bit of time for him to fully let you in, to fully trust you with everything he had, but you were patient with him. 

From there, being with you was something straight out of his fantasies. You had your ups and downs like every healthy couple, but you always talked it out like the mature young adults you were and made up quick.

He now understood what it felt like to love someone more than life itself, to love another person so much that he couldn’t imagine a world without you in it.

Fast forward to present day, you and Remus had recently moved in with each other. It was nothing special, just a small flat in central London—but it was special to Remus. It was where you’d begun the rest of your life together only a few months ago, tiny (some would call it cramped, but you and Remus didn't think so) and a little bit weathered, but it was yours. It was home. 

There were still a few half unpacked boxes laying around, but for the most part you’d settled in nicely. With that new home came a new routine too, with Remus juggling his jobs at the old secondhand bookshop down the road and handling the finances at Sirius’s auto garage. He came home late sometimes, exhausted and smelling of motor oil despite being cooped up in the back office all day. 

“Rem!” You greeted him happily like you always when he stepped through the door, making your way over to where he was hanging his scarf on the coat hooks to hug him tightly.

It was always the highlight of his day, getting to come to you. His bones ached and he felt sticky and grimy, but then you kissed him and it suddenly didn’t feel like the worst thing in the world. 

“Hi, love,” He replied softly, sinking into your embrace with closed eyes.  

Your fingers curled into the hair at the nape of his neck, scratching gentle circles that had him melting just a little bit more. “How was your day?” 

“Same as always. Paperwork, paperwork, more paperwork.” He pulled away from you, lacing his fingers through yours to tug you along behind him into the kitchen. “James brought by some Peruvian takeaway for lunch though, really good stuff—we should try it one day, I think you’d like it.”

“Oh! That reminds me, Lily rang earlier, asked if we had any time tomorrow to pop by theirs for something? She wouldn’t say what but I think she’s pregnant.” 

Remus chuckled, amused. “What makes you say that?” 

“Sirius said he could smell something different about her.” 

“And you trusted him? He’s a knob.” 

“He’s your best friend.” 

“Still a knob.” He replied, pulling open the cupboard to grab a mug. “Tea?” He grabbed another one at your eager nod, busying himself with filling the kettle and setting it on the stove to boil. 

You’d moved to the countertop in the meantime, socked feet swinging, thumping against the cupboards below with each movement. You were smiling warmly at him when he turned back to face you, watching him shuffle around the tiny kitchen like you’d never seen anything more interesting. 

“What?” 

“Nothing.” He arched a brow at you. “Nothing, I’m just…really happy. Here. With you. In our own home.” 

Remus brightened noticeably, coming over to run a light hand down your arm until your fingers were intertwined. He brought it up to his lips and kissed your knuckles. “It’s nice, innit?” 

“Everything’s nice with you.” You were quite aware of how sappy you sounded, but it was true. Just existing in the same space as Remus, sharing a space with him, was so lovely and comforting and everything you'd ever wanted. You traced along the scar bridging his nose, following it down his cheek until your arms found their home looped around his neck and you pulled him in even closer, kissing him softly. 

He wasted no time kissing you back. He never did. Remus loved kissing you more than he loved a lot of things in this world, and he made sure you knew it with every single one. 

Somewhere in the background you heard the kettle whistling over on the stove, but you didn’t really feel the need to pay it any mind. Not when he was kissing you like this, like he wanted to get lost in your touch, like he always did. It wasn’t until it started to annoy you that you splayed your palms against the soft wool of his jumper. 

“You better get the kettle before it boils over.” You murmured against his mouth, barely giving him an inch of space between the two of you. 

Letting out a gentle huff, Remus fumbled for his wand in the pocket of his trousers, pulling it out and mumbling an incantation under his breath with the flick of his wrist. The kettle fell silent. “Right, now where were we?” 

“Pretty sure your mouth was on mine.” 

“Ah yes, how could I ever forget?”

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[marvel-ousmondays]

Iron Man (2008)

As mentioned in last post, when I went to Iron Man I literally had no idea that such a superhero existed. (I thought Sherlock Holmes with RDJ came out first but apparently not so I had essentially no knowledge of the actor either.) My friends and I decided to spend the day out at the nearest town big enough to have a book store, craft stores, and a Target, as well as a Drive-In movie theater. I was now a college student and enjoying the freedom of no curfew, rebel that I was. I'm pretty sure the movie prior to Iron Man was the Narnia: Prince Caspian movie. I mention this because I hated that movie. It bastardized the book something awful and after the first movie was so faithful an adaptation, this was incredibly disappointing. However, this meant I was doubly primed to appreciate the awesomeness that Iron Man ended up being. I've watched it a few times since then, but usually as background to something else. I decided for this challenge I did REALLY want to watch the movies/shows. No other distractions- just it. I can take breaks (it took me 3 days to finish Iron Man due to various constraints last week) but when I'm watching, I'm JUST watching.

Here were my takeaways this time

The differences in Terrence Howard's Rhodey and Cheadle's Rhodey are always a bit mind boggling and part of what makes Iron Man feel really different from the later films. We're also just starting MCU so while they aren't LACKING budget, it's not the level it would be later. This doesn't hurt the movie at all for the record, if anything I think it meant the story had to be more well-developed and the actors better.

But this first film has a seriousness and a somberness that most of the other films only flirt with (notable exception being Infinity War of course).

The scene where Tony goes back to help Gulmira, Yinsen's home, and we see the 13 year old boy screaming and crying as his father is pried away from their family, the soldiers clearly planning to execute him and all the other grown men. The young boy tears himself away from his mother to his father, determined to keep him, to save him. His father, begging his son to go, so that he will live even though he knows- he KNOWS he will not. This moment of utter terror made personal just before Tony shows up is incredible and all the more so when put into historical context. The U.S. was still in Afghanistan and Iraq at this time and it was easy for citizens here to paint everyone in those areas with the same brush. But in this moment you CAN'T. You HAVE to see the family ripped apart right alongside the terrorists and be forced to realize that race, ethnicity, language don't make terrible people- actions do.

A common criticism of Marvel movies is they don't let a moment sit- that they always break a serious moment with a joke. But this one doesn't do that. There are multiple heavy moments- after Yinsen's death for one and when Pepper nearly quits (because she can't watch Tony self-sabotage and possibly die) and he tells her:

"I shouldn't be alive... unless it was for a reason. I'm not crazy, Pepper. I just finally know what I have to do. And I know in my heart that it's right."

This moment sits between them so clearly, so starkly and it is not ended with a joke, but with Pepper grabbing the flashdrive and asking what to do. (Thinking back, I'm wondering how many of those MCU "broken" moments are by Tony. He's the one uncomfortable with emotion. Him breaking those moments with humor is actually 100% in character. Something to pay attention to as I watch.)

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, some of the key themes of this movie just strike to the heart.

Death from a distance is easy to ignore or even be complicit in, but death up close rips us apart. Tony sold weapons that he knew took lives for years but it wasn't until he watched Yinsen die that I think he really understands what that means. Yes, his parents had died before but he wasn't THERE, he didn't SEE it. This death, this is the one that makes him really know what it means.

You don't have to change everything to be a better person. Tony is still self-centered. He still likes attention. He's still arrogant and as we will see next movie, open to playing the field as Pepper and him haven't committed. But not only has he stopped being complicit in the deaths of the innocent, he's taken on the mantle of protecting them.

Lastly, who the good guys are is largely a matter of perspective. This obviously gets hit harder again in Ultron (oh that glorious train wreck- I'm looking forward to writing about you), but it matters here. Tony was fine manufacturing weapons because he assumed he was supporting the "good guys", the 'Muricans. But not only was Obadiah dirty dealing, he is forced to learn the good guys aren't always as discriminatory with their weapon use as they purport to be. That it's easy to start painting with broad brushstrokes in areas where precision is actually called for.

Overall I'm really glad I PAID attention to this one this round. The grittiness and the depth really hit the way they did the first time or even more so. Onward to The Incredible Hulk, even though it's only semi-canon now.

Note for me:

Directed by: Jon Favreau

[catboybiologist]

Are you comfortable with questions about your journey to HRT?

Like, mentally how you took the leap of faith from femboy to needing something more / different. Asking for, uh, *a friend*, yeah 👀

Holy shit, this got long. This springboarded me into a massive writing about how my life influenced my personal gender philosophy, and is probably more than you bargained for. But I hope it's helpful in some way! I actually had a similar conversation recently with an NB, not on HRT friend of mine. What's the jump that makes you want to do HRT?

I don't think my experience parallels that of a lot of people's - everyone's is unique. But I do think there are good takeaways from my thoughts on this. Now that I have an Adderall prescription and my quarter is about to end, I've started writing some kind of more cited and developed essay or video essay, but that's random future stuff. This post itself is gonna be a little rambling, and a little personal. Sorry!

Vaguely, I think that the *push* to start HRT was a distinct force from tearing down the internal barriers associated with HRT, if that makes any sense. For many people, I think they have some sense of a mild preference of the gender they would "want" to be, but it doesn't bother them enough to actually break down the barriers to transition. For me, breaking those barriers, both internal and external, was as important as the motivations to transition themselves.

One of the major barriers in people's heads, often without them realizing it, is some kind of inherent belief in the "sanctity" of their body. For many people, "permanent changes" are terrifying, "unnatural", and even if they don't have medical risks, intrinsically *feel* like a medical risk they're taking on some level. It's an offshoot of purity culture in a weird way- it's the same root as a fear of psychiatric medicine making you "not you". Much of this is intrinsically religious, but a lot is actually not. I had a little bit of this growing up. Being raised atheist certainly helped in this regard, even though it was still a queerphobic slavic atheism.

The tiny bit of this I did have was sanctity of my mind, which internally, I still viewed as a separate entity from my body. This was 100% incited by crushing academic pressure, which influenced how I think and my own morality in a lot of unexpected ways. I grew up in a kind of infamously high pressure education area. It sounds unrelated, but it's really not. My mind, academics, and thinking kind of got put on a pedestal on my mind. My personal image of myself was basically a detached orb of thoughts and public speaking. I had 0 connection to my body. But since my mind was everything, both psychiatric medication and HRT were these vile things that could alter how I think and my mood! Gasp!

The final, crushing blow to both of these mentalities was studying biology. And WOW there's so much I could say about how studying biology has influenced how I think about this idea, which I want to talk about a lot more outside of the scope of just a tumblr post. But to summarize- it's not even about finding a biological "reason" for transness. It's about how I saw a living thing as a detailed, dynamic, intricate, constantly changing system that is as much a function of its environment as it is any intrinsic factors. And this includes the mind. So since I'm a shambling mass of chemicals anyways..... Why not be a shambling mass of slightly different chemicals?

The "detached orb" image isn't entirely accurate, though. Because, from an early age, I did have a self image that made me happy. And it was a female one. I shoved this deeply out of my mind in shame, leaving behind the "orb". This was my "push", as I called it before. In addition to a weird separation between my mind and my body, an additional factor contributed to my detachment- a growing distress around developing male traits during puberty, which coincided in the worst ways with academic pressure during teen and preteen years. Looking back, I now recognize this as dysphoria. I don't think my dysphoria was ever as extreme as many other people. But this is why I'm emphasizing taking down barriers as much as the weight of dysphoria itself. It has always been easy to distract from my dysphoria, but it's always been my "resting state" without realizing it.

Linked a bit to the second point is also how I felt shame about exploring any aspect of my life other than academic and professional achievement. Being raised in a high pressure environment means that any exploration of my queer identity felt like a distraction from the "real" things I should be focusing on. The final thing that tore this down, which I don't recommend for ANYONE, was an almost traumatic set of events during the pandemic/my masters degree that made me have a wake up call. I wasn't structuring anything in my life for my own happiness. Going through that made me realize I was going to continue being miserable unless I changed that. So... I started taking the idea of transitioning to actually work on my happiness very seriously.

Being a femboy was actually how I tried to reconcile these things in my head. It was my attempt to "compartmentalize"- allow myself to gently indulge in gender nonconformity and the happiness associated with it, while still not making the "commitment" to fully transition. It helps that most of my existence as a femboy was crossdressing during the height of the pandemic- spending hours on analysis and writing while living alone during my MS, wearing femme outfits while I did it. And of course, taking pics to kick off this whole online persona. I also kind of liked the idea of cis gender nonconformity as a concept, and still do. I love how femboys fuck with gender, and I wanted a slice of that for myself. It wasn't enough long term, and my new commitment to happiness overcame my desire to compartmentalize.

The final barriers were practical. By the end of my masters in 2022, I knew I wanted to transition, I just needed to get my social and financial shit together. Cue moving to my PhD university, becoming active in the queer community here, having an accepting professional environment... and yeah. Here I am. Still gotta socially transition outside of my queer circles, but now, I even have a plan for that. I still got a long way to go, but for the first time, I feel like I'm going in the right direction. And I'm very, very happy.

A lot of this is not applicable to everyone. It's mostly my personal experience. But if there is one thing that I think should apply to everyone here, it's this: kill bioessentialism in your mind. Kill the concept of complete sanctity of your mind and body. Break the barriers and then let yourself move freely across the new landscape you've opened up. At the very least, you'll come out with a more healthy relationship with your cis identity. And at best, you'll find a new part of you that needed to be found.

The other thing I think is broadly applicable is this: when initially figuring things out, stop thinking about what you "are", and start thinking about what you want. Would it make you happy to grow breasts, curves, have a femme face, estrogen regulated emotions, and other transfemme HRT changes? Because those are the actual, physical effects of HRT. If the answer is yes, start it. There's no reason not to. Your identity can come later. You deserve to be happy *for the explicit purpose of being happy*. You don't need to validate that desire through some other random factor.

This got WAAAYYYY too long, but if you have any questions, please, please ask!!!!

[xamiipholia]

let Aysenur Ezgi Eygi radicalize you

In 2019 I spent 94 days in the West Bank as part of a group of international volunteers. I wasn’t with ISM (the International Solidarity Movement) like Aysenur was, but I knew a bunch of their people well and worked with them. We had different parameters to work within - ISM was allowed to agitate to a greater capacity - we had (meager) UN funding and were tasked with checkpoint monitoring around schools whereas they were able to go wherever they felt was needed. They’re good, brave, people.

I’ve never been downrange from live IOF fire but I’ve been close. I’ve watched them open fire in residential areas. I’ve seen them torture kids in broad daylight. I’ve had snipers pass their sights over me. I’ve been tear gassed and stun-bombed, interrogated, and had a nice loooong chat with a TSA agent in a locked room after I got back to JFK. More than a few settlers have wished me bodily harm and they are FAR bolder than they ever were. What’s happening now is magnitudes worse than every horrific thing I saw.

I remember being afraid they would shoot me in the head. That some 18-year old jarhead absolutely brainrotted with Zionism would pull a trigger and erase everything that made me me in an instant. I know Aysenur feared that too. I got to come home. She never will.

I need you to be outraged by this. The takeaway is not that our lives are more valuable than Palestinians. They are not and will never be. But I need you to understand, especially my folks in more marginalized communities like me, that when the chips are down, the Democratic establishment does not give a fuck about you. They will let Israel murder “their people” and then give the IOF a pass to investigate and declare themselves not guilty. They will pay lip service to queer inclusivity so they can feel self-righteous at brunch but the *instant* we become politically inconvenient to their sense of civility and order, they will turn on us. If you feel the need to vote for them to stave off, at bare minimum, climate disaster- I get it. But these monsters are not your friends.

[pleaseeeimjustagirl]

Reinvent Yourself In 2024

The new year Is almost here and it is time for us to lock in on our goals babes! This upcoming year is a fresh start so whatever has happened this year that hasn’t benefitted you can be left behind and what was beneficial we will take into the new year. I know many of us are on self-improvement journeys and working on connecting with our higher selves. This is my guide to help us reinvent ourselves<3

Takeaways from this year 

♡ Reflect on this year. Did you face any hardships? What growth did you have? Have you made any new friends? Write down how your year has been so far and the takeaways from this year the good and the bad.

♡ Look back on your goals. What goals did you set for this year and did you achieve them? If you didn’t achieve all your goals it is okay to take them with you into 2024 if they align with your higher self.

♡ Accept this year for what it was. This year has happened and maybe it did not go the way you thought it did or maybe it did but either way come to terms with what has happened this year release it and go into the new year with a clean slate.

What does your higher self look like?

These are important questions to ask yourself when trying to reinvent yourself. The person that you want to become who is she? What does she do for a living? Where does she go? What does she eat? What are her hobbies? Who are her friends? I advise that you write down an outline of your higher self answer all of the questions and add anything else that you think of. Script out her daily habits and schedule. You can write a paragraph or more it is all up to you babes<3.

Setting goals for the new year

♡ Write out your goals for the new year. Be specific are you trying to lose weight? Learn a new language? Get your driver's license. Go back to school? Whatever your goals are big and small just make sure to write them out and make sure they are realistic and attainable.

♡ Create a vision board. Vision boards are super important it is always good to have a visual of your goals and higher self. You can create a physical vision board using magazines/printed-out images and craft supplies. Or you can create a digital vision board using Canva/Pinterest. Keep your vision board in a place where you will see it every day my vision board is on my MacBook because I use it every day I'm using it right now to type this post so ill have my goals always in front of me.

What you need to let go of 

♡ Scarcity mindset. Believe in yourself and your goals. There is enough room for everyone to be successful even you! You can read my blog post on how to have an abundance mindset for more details<3.

♡ Social media. Take a break all of that scrolling isn’t healthy. Social media can take up a lot of our time without realizing it. If you can, look at how much of your screen time you spend weekly on social media. 

♡ Learn to enjoy your own company. "This year is all about your personal growth. Sometimes, we tend to use other people as shields to avoid facing reality and to feel safe. However, you need to learn how to enjoy your own company. Try out different hobbies until you find the ones you like and enjoy.”

♡ Negative self-talk. You have to be your biggest cheerleader this year. So learn to speak kindly to yourself through affirmations and gratitude journaling. When you have a negative thought about yourself combat it with two nice thoughts. And remember when you are being mean to yourself you're being mean to the child version of you.

♡ People pleasing. This year is about you babes! Put your waist and needs first. Stop people pleasing at the cost of your comfort. To achieve greatness you need to put yourself first. I'm not saying to be extremely selfish no of course not. But do not do things that make you uncomfortable to make someone else comfortable.

♡ Friendships that do not serve you. If you are in a friendship that is toxic or you feel undervalued and do not see the benefit from the friendship end it now. Do not take people who do not align with your higher self into the new year they will drag you down. Don't completely ghost the person but surely distance yourself and move from friends to more acquaintances.

♡ Masculine Energy. We need to rest in our femininity this year. And felinity looks different for everyone aesthetically but I'm talking about resting in that soft energy and letting our femininity ooze out this year.

My final thoughts  

♡ There will be people and habits that you will have to leave in 2023 and that is okay 

♡ Be kind to yourself! Talk to yourself with love this year and focus on bettering your mental health. If you need to go to therapy invest in therapy, read the self-help books, and have fun this year don’t be super strict on yourself.

♡ Be very intentional this year about where you go, who you hang out with, what you eat, and so on.

You can start planning for the new year now if you haven’t already we have a couple of days till New Year's Eve (12/31 my birthdayyy i’m turning 21 im super exciteddd). I'm so happy to be going into the new year with you girlies and I can’t wait to see what this year bring us<3.

New year book recommendations

♡ “The 12 Week Year” by Brian P. Moran, Michael Lennington. I highly recommend this book helps us break our year into 4 quarters so you can effectively achieve your new year goals.

♡ “The Mountain Is You” by Brianna Wiest I've recommended this book in my You’re Postponing Your Dream Life blog post. This book is perfect for anyone dealing with self-sabotage I've been reading it and I love it the author opens you up to a different view of self-sabotage. 

♡ “Atomic Habits” by James Clear is the perfect book for any of my girlies who want to be able to build and maintain habits. I highly recommend it because the habits that our higher selves have are usually habits we don’t have in this book, the author teaches you how to accomplish more by doing less.

♡ "How to Survive Your Childhood Now That You're an Adult: A Path to Authenticity and Awakening,” by Ira Israel this book is for my babes who have childhood trauma and would like to heal those wounds in the new year. The author explains how to let go of negative habits, thoughts, and behaviors that may have developed in childhood.

[inspector-montoya-fox]

You know sometimes i like using my tumblr as like a brain rot bank? Like a time capsule for thoughts and opinion that cater to no one but everyone is welcome to enjoy and partake. And today i'll be doing just that because i have finally finished The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles. If you've been following me for a while you know that this is lowkey monumental because (a) it means that i have officially played all Ace Attorney games, and (b) i have been struggling to finish these two games since their bundled release three years ago. So, i just wanted to share some general thoughts, some tier lists, and feel free to let me know what you think if you read what i have to say!

Ok so, my main takeaway from playing the two games is that... Dr Courtney Sithe is a bad bitch deserving of the same praise as Franziska, Lana Skye, Justine Courtney, Dee Vasquez and Calisto Yew. I genuinely love her so much. Miss Buttplug Hair got her PhD in being a girlboss and i'm so upset she was only in one case. For such a cool character with an amazing design, she was criminally underdeveloped. Same goes for my other fav, Rei Membani. Soon as it was mentioned that Professor Mikotoba and Judge Jigoku were on their way to the UK, i was one hundred percent sure she'd accompany them, and i was ultimately disappointed. To have her right next to Susato on the game's cover art and give her such an amazing takedown of Raiten Menimemo... and then just not have her be anywhere else was such a shame. I need more Dr Sithe and Rei !

The rest of the games' characters were a bit of a mixed bag with some obvious (and some unexpected) stand-outs. Here's my tier list:

Notes:

The biggest surprise that came when i was making this is how high i placed Herlock. I started off hating him so much and then he just suddenly grew on me so quickly, i hadn't even noticed. One of my favourites for sure.

I think we can all collectively agree that we have, at some point in our lives, embodied Pop Windibank... poor guy...

I don't know what Kazuma's deal is. He starts off as Ryunosuke's Mia Fey before um... just becoming a jerk? Why does he have beef with his best friend who was literally mourning him for almost a year? Can't lie though, the bitch looks hot in his white uniform.

Some of the jurors made a bigger impression than actual characters/ witnesses, just by having cool designs. Mainly the green lady, who rightfully earned her spot in the third tier after i found out she's supposed to be a reincarnation of the teacher from PLvsPW !

Eggert Benedict or whatever the fuck that rich breakdancing asshole is called, cannot be a final villain i'm sorry. Seriously, what were they thinking?

The two redheads are such a shameless rip-off of the Skulkins. Two ruffians taking the witness stand for the game's climax AGAIN !? And during the credits, they pose in their prison cell with "Gossip" in the middle the exact same way Eggert and the Skulkins did in the credits of Adventures, like no thank you.

I love how my overall bottom 3 are an annoying str*ight couple and a child.

If Stronghart wasn't in the second (very coveted) tier, he'd be in the bottom of 'like !' because he was ok. It's blatantly obvious he's the big bad from the second he's introduced but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Also, i need him and Damon Gant to have a fat titty bounce-off.

Moving on to criticisms, i can't help but feel like the fact that Shu Takumi decided to split his original script into two games only served to hurt the entire project. Because, for starters, each game has a different feel and the two don't match. Adventures is reminiscent of PLvsPW, Takumi's whimsical and eccentric love letter to the UK that hinges heavily on exposition. Resolve, on the other hand, is a bit of a mix between its predecessor and traditional Ace Attorney, its cases focusing more on driving the narrative to its conclusion rather than experimenting on the classic formula (as with the first game). It also echoes aspects of the first Investigations, bringing in diplomatic immunity, international relations, "tracking down and going against the head of the evil organisation" (the Reaper storyline is very similar to the Yatagarasu one). Personally the two vibes don't mesh, even when Resolve tries to latch onto Adventures with Memoirs of the Clouded Kokoro, for example.

Then, the pacing in both games is all over the place. Adventures is just so unreasonably and unashamedly long-winded and slow, it's the reason it took me literally three years to get into it. The game repeats the same lines of dialogue again and again until they're made painfully clear, subsequently making the player (or at least me) feel like an idiot who needs to read the same thing 13 times in order to get it. This, coupled with the fact that actual gameplay was almost nowhere to be seen and that progression in the courtroom almost always relied on not pointing out inconsistencies but pressing the witnesses adjacent to the one testifying, made the game such a slog to get through. And once the game started to pick up, it was over before i even knew it and in a very unceremonious fashion no less. In comparison, Resolve is very streamlined, albeit a bit too fast-paced. With the exception of Memoirs, which felt like shameless filler, it's clear that they wanted to waste zero time and crammed so much stuff into the episodes, to the point where it became difficult to keep track of everything going on. Because, keep in mind, the second game was tasked with tying up all the loose threads from the first one.

This leads to my final criticism regarding the split: inconsistencies and unresolved mysteries. I think it reads as careless writing when questions keep sprouting everywhere and their answers are reserved for the final two episodes of the second game. Even Unspeakable, a final case, introduces mysteries tied to the overarching narrative just for them to be shelved until Twisted Karma, leaving the player with a sense of dissatisfaction when the game ends. Not only is it frustrating to keep track of all the unsolved mysteries, a chore which good writing would not expect from the player, but it also has you questioning whether or not some of them will get answered at all. Why was the selection of jurors obviously rigged? Why did Van Zieks stop appearing in court five years prior? Where did he lose his gun in Twisted Karma? Why didn't Stronghart assassinate Madame Tusspells as well? Why is Kazuma fully exonerated after admitting to his involvement in the assassin exchange? I grouped the unresolved mysteries with inconsistencies as one problem because the latter is a result of the former. The majority of mysteries spills over from the first game to the second, giving way to different phrasing, details getting glossed over and the plot's consequences getting ignored. There's a very apparent shift in Gregson's character, for example, going from uncooperative and rigid in Adventures to more forgiving and helpful in Resolve, all the while his misconduct from Unspeakable is seemingly forgotten and met with zero ramifications. There's also the government's secret message about the assassin exchange Herlock deciphered at the end of the first game, which sets up the second game nicely but then doesn't get mentioned until the very last day in court. Like, come on now. It feels like Resolve continues Adventures' story without wanting to acknowledge it because, in the grand scheme of things, McGilded and Eggert Benedict seem to not matter at all. And then there's Memoirs, which... Inconsistency City, honestly. This episode's lack of impact on the overall story allowed it to be literally anything else. It's such a bizarre choice to have it be something which only achieves in taking away from the first Clouded Kokoro case! Like ok, i can get behind it being a case no one wanted to talk about so it didn't make the first game. I can turn a blind eye to the inconsistent character development and timeline, whatever. But it absolutely drives me nuts that, for an Ace Attorney game where the murders are explained in full detail, they couldn't stay consistent with the direction Olive Green was walking in. Hate. Loathe. Get it away from me.

That pretty much covers it in terms of complaints, because otherwise i enjoyed my playthrough quite a bit actually. I know i've just spent like 3 mega-sized paragraphs complaining but the games have great elements as well. The Deduction dances are easily the best thing about the gameplay, especially when you didn't see them coming. They were so much fun to play, very animated and cartoony with amazing banter, and effortlessly accelerated the investigation segments. Equally, i loved Judicial Findings. Undoubtedly my favourite part of the courtroom sections and a welcome change of pace. I tended to stall a lot because the jury's music fucks so hard. While on the topic of what i liked, Ryunosuke and Susato's chemistry rivals what Phoenix and Maya have going on. Susato leaving at the end of Adventures was a genuinely effective point in the plot, even though i knew she'd be back.

Now, let's take a closer look at the episodes. Here's my overall tier list of all Ace Attorney cases, the Great Ace Attorney ones being highlighted in yellow:

Notes:

Blossoming Attorney gobbled the rest of the girls right up (a court-only episode, no less). They gave us Susato gameplay, what more can you ask for? An amazing case. Gay Women in STEM !!

Return kinda strikes a nice balance between the different feels of the two games i mentioned before. You've got exposition and world-building with the whole Great Exhibition, turn of the century mad science thing, but also classic Ace Attorney with tracking down Drebber (very Matt Engarde's apartment) and Madame Tusspells as just some witness (very Lisa Basil). A very fun case right before the clusterfuck of mysteries ensues. Also, Dr Courtney Sithe !!!!! Girl you're such a star and you don't even know it spit in my mouth

Was tempted to put Unspeakable in the second tier but i think it's earned its high placement on its own merit and not because of personal bias. It's a great case. Maybe not for a final one, but it's still great. It tries its hardest to tie up some loose ends before the game ends and that's worth something.

Resolve of Ryunosuke is objectively better than Twisted because i could not give less of a fuck about the purple guy's headache and Espella Cantabella selling firecrackers, but they're both very much one single package. Extra points to Resolve of Ryunosuke though for having its villain sit at the judge's seat. That was neat.

The two Clouded Kokoros are giving stinky Bri ish culture with the whole apartment building background, like Ribena, bad teeth, rusty Union Jack, horseshit breath at the pub, you awrite luv? Slander, i'm sorry.

Slightly unrelated but when i was making this tier list it became so obvious that Investigations 2 is the crown jewel of the franchise. Like it has two cases in the top 5, how can you even argue against that?

Arriving to a conclusion, i'd say both games belong on the same level as Apollo Justice: a blend of good and bad. My experience playing the Ace Attorney franchise has followed this trend of attaching each game to a pivotal moment in my life. I finished the first game while i was still a soldier, Justice for All during my first year at university, Dual Destinies during Covid lockdown, Investigations while helping my parents set up their shop one summer. So i know i'll look back at playing The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles right after handing my dissertation very fondly. In other words, despite not quite sticking the landing, it's left a very pleasant aftertaste. Thank you for reading!

[sunderingstars]

For someone who has never played honkai impact 3rd can you tell me what was that conversation between welt and archeron?! I could feel it out with the context and vibes but I wanna actually know the lore please

ʚ 💌 ɞ hi !! thank you for the ask :3 i may miss a few things due to the complexity of the lore, but this is my current understanding of it:

⟡ 2.1 spoilers ahead ⟡

(hsr = honkai star rail, hi3 = honkai impact 3rd)

°˖➴ i’ll only be talking about their first conversation here since i haven’t finished the rest of the quest yet

short answer — acheron is this dimension’s version of someone welt knows from his home dimension (hi3) and as such there’s a bunch of conflicting feelings from him in this scene. he recognizes her face but ultimately understands he does not know the motives of this version of her, so stays on his guard to protect the express.

long answer below the cut:

⟢ hsr welt is the same one from hi3 — he exists in both games, starting in hi3, then traveling across dimensions to hsr which is where he is now

⟢ acheron closely resembles raiden mei, someone welt knows from his home dimension (hi3). basically, acheron is another version of mei in this universe (there’s some debate about the specifics, but this is the simplest way to put it!). she’s in a similar vein as bronya, himeko, seele, etc. if you’ve seen the discussion about those characters linking to hi3 as well.

⟢ so, it creates this situation where welt recognizes acheron as being a version of someone he knows and cares about, while she doesn’t recognize him at all. that’s why he looks so surprised when he sees her, because he’s seeing a familiar face.

⟢ however, he’s on guard during the rest of the conversation because he understands that while she may look like the raiden mei from his dimension, this is still a different version of her. he can’t be sure what her motives are yet, or if she wants to help or harm the crew. in my mind, i see him as wanting to trust her because of his connection with the mei from his dimension, but ultimately knowing he can’t let his guard down.

⟢ another interesting tidbit is that acheron is able to point out the true nature of welt’s cane as a weapon of godlike power. while we don’t have many answers as to why or how she knows in-game, it immediately reveals to welt that she does know, which calls into question what else she knows and the possibility of that knowledge posing a danger to the express.

⟢ side note: as for the connection between welt & the mei from his home universe, my main takeaway from it is that he’s a sort of mentor figure to her. not as close of a mentor as he is to other characters, but enough to know and care about her wellbeing. i would also say that they’re friends and have mutual respect for one another. (at least that’s my interpretation of their interactions in hi3.)

⟢ overall, i feel it was a very jarring conversation for him since he was suddenly seeing someone so familiar yet so different. from acheron’s perspective, it must’ve also been weird to see his reaction since she doesn’t know him at all. she knows how powerful he is, but has no personal connection to him beyond that — meanwhile he’s just having his “!?!?” moment while she stares on in confusion.

anyways, i hope that made sense! the hi3 lore can get pretty complicated, especially when it crosses over into hsr, but i tried to put it the simplest i could — i also may have missed a few things because of how complex it can get, but i tried my best to include everything important.

i’m happy to answer any additional questions, and once again thanks for the ask — i love doing nerdy lore analysis stuff! .𖥔 ݁ 🪐˖

[andforthecoating]

► Accidentally domestic

also on ao3

Summary: five times you and jack are domestic without realising it

inspired by a prompt list, though I lost the op!

Word count: 1267

1.) buying the other’s coffee for them without thinking

You walk into the Jeffersonian at the usual hour, your heavy bag slung around your shoulder and two cups of coffee from your favorite café a few minutes away in your hands. It doesn’t differ too much from your normal routine but you can feel Angela’s eyes following you as you make your way toward the office space.

Zach waves at you from where he’s sitting hunched over a piece of bone down the hall and you throw a happy ‘hey’ his way before continuing over to Jack’s desk.

“Hi,” you greet him, a bit breathless after your walk from the car- you’d had to park at the parking spot the furthest away from the building and the 10 minute walk had been agonising with your bag strap digging into your shoulder.

“Hi,” Jack says and turns to you with a small smile on his face. “Is that for me?” He gestures to one of the coffee cups.

“Yes, it’s from that café I was telling you about the other day. It’s probably the best coffee I’ve ever had.”

“Don’t oversell it now,” Jack teases before his expression mellows into something genuine, “no, but thank you, y/n.”

You smile and set down the cup you hadn’t drunk from beside him on his desk.

“Really, it's no big deal. You have to tell me what you think though.”

“Of course!”

You salute him jokingly as you walk over to your own desk. They’re not really far apart, just a few meters away, but they’re turned so that you sit with your back to him. You start unpacking your bag and taking out some of the research material you’ve been working on when Angela comes up by your side.

“Good morning, y/n!”

“Morning, Angela.” You say

“I see you brought more than one coffee today,” she says in a suggestive tone that you can’t quite read.

“Yeah, I was at this coffee place I really love and I realized I’d told Jack he should try it sometime.” You nod over to where the man in question is sipping from the takeaway mug. His face is concentrated and you smile, just as a thought belatedly hits you. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry that I didn’t buy anything for you guys, i just-“

“It’s no problem. I get it. It was a Hodgins exclusive,” she winks at that and you inwardly cringe. For all her smoothness, Angela hasn’t quite mastered the art of a subtle wink without scrunching up her nose yet.

She’s wrong though. You had just stopped in to buy your usual latte when you’d seen they had a special new blend. Thinking that it had Jack written all over it, you had bought that as well and walked out of the café with two steaming mugs in your hands instead of one.

“There’s no such thing as a Hodgins exclusive,” you say decisively.

“Hey!” Jack shouts from his desk, clutching his hand to his chest, “I’ll tell you I can be very exclusive.”

“I’ll believe that when I see it!” You counter and Angela rolls her eyes. She’s used to your antics by now and you know there’s a lot of love packed into the exasperated sigh that follows.

2.) knowing each other’s passcodes

“Oh I know! We should text someone from Hodgins’ phone,” Angela giggled as she eyed the phone Jack had left on their table in the bar as he’d made his way to the restrooms.

You reach for the phone, tapping a few times before conspiratorially pushing it toward Angela.

“Go crazy,” you say and take a sip of your drink.

Angela looks at you, her brown eyes wide with wonder.

“You know his passcode!?”

“Yeah?” You inquire, not understanding what she’s trying to get at, but before long she’s started tapping out a message to Brennan and the two of you collapse into a heap of giggles.

3.) always talking about each other to their other friends

“… because of that Jack has this thing now where he’s trying to see how many times he can make up fake facts before Goodman is onto him. It’s really funny actually.” You finish the anecdote you’ve been recounting to your long distance best friend on your weekly ‘catch-up’ call.

“You know you talk about Jack a lot, y/n,” she says and you stop in your tracks.

“What do you mean?”

“You bring him up in every conversation,” she explains, “I think I know more about what Jack Hodgins did today than I do what I did at work.”

“That’s- well I spend all my time with him, so it’s not that weird.”

“You spend a lot of time with Angela too but I don’t hear you mentioning her new bug experiment.”

“Well, Angela doesn’t work with bugs,” you say even though you know that’s not what she meant, your tone leaving no room for argument.

You can almost feel your best friend’s eye roll through the phone line.

“Sure,” she amends, probably tired of the topic, “so what are we doing for Halloween this year?”

4.) complimenting each other’s outfits

“What’s got you all dressed up?” Angela inquires as Jack walks in. He’s wearing a black button down with his beige chinos, which you know are his special occasion pants. He smiles guiltily.

“That obvious, huh?” He asks as he drops off the file you’d forgotten at his place yesterday. It’s his day off, so he really shouldn’t have, but you can’t say that you aren’t eternally grateful.

“I think you look really good,” you say as you reach out to fix his collar that’s slightly askew, “very hot and mysterious.”

He flashes you a grin at that.

“Are you saying you’d hit this?”

“Never in a thousand years.”

“But you’re saying there’s a chance,” he says, wiggling his eyebrows. You swat him lightly across the arm and he yelps, a look of faux annoyance on his face.

“In your dreams, Dr Hodgins.”

5.) always sitting together rather than across from each other

The team is meeting at Booth’s noodle place after a particularly difficult case but so far the only people in the booth are you and Jack. You’d arrived ten minutes before the decided time and he had joined you just a few minutes late, apologizing until he realized you were the only one on time and then he’d just sent a small smile your way.

Now you’re sitting next to each other on the tacky red bench, you resting your head on his shoulder.

“What time is it?” You ask him as a yawn almost escapes your lips. You feel his shoulder shake with barely restrained laughter.

“It’s just past 8.10. They’ll probably be here any minute.”

“Good,” you say, subconsciously nuzzling into his shoulder even more. It’s been a long day and all you had wanted was to be at home with your cat and a cup of tea, but the team (mostly Angela) had insisted on this after-work.

After another few minutes the two of you decide to order, letting the owner pick out what he thinks is best. As your meals arrive the others still haven’t arrived. You and Jack share a look and you shake your head, shuffling closer to him in an effort to relax your body.

You sit there for another hour before Jack decides you’re too sleepy to drive home and offers to take you. You give him a grateful smile as the two of you part from the restaurant hand in hand.

[carriagelamp]

Early Spring (March - April) Books

My main takeaway from the books I read over the past couple months that by god if you're going to do something, at least commit to the bit. I would say the books I liked the most this month were the "cheesy" ones or the oddballs, and my least favourite were just... profoundly average. So basic and uninterested in its own premise as to be offensive. At least if you're over-the-top you're making me feel something! Which is more than I can say for some of the books on my list...

Dumplin’

I’ve seen this book frequently in bookstores, and I know it was fairly popular at the time so after my mom watched the film and recommended it to me I decided it was about time to read it properly. 

The plot follows Willowdean, a fat girl who is generally fairly comfortable in her skin — or who has always seen herself as such. But with her former pageant queen mom getting into the latest pageant season, her best friend getting more and more involved in romance, and Will finding herself enamoured with a coworker she is struggling more and more with complicated feelings about how she views herself and how others view her. In an effort to fight back against it, she decides to sign up for the most recent pageant.

It was decent! I can’t really complain. I got the audiobook and it was fairly chill, low-stakes listening. High school drama is never my first choice, but there were enough good things about this book. My biggest complaint is that the ending was very anticlimactic. This is the sort of book where I want the big, cliche, over-the-top satisfying finale! It's about misfits taking over a small town beauty pageant!! I want it in the style of Hairspray or Legally Blonde or something!!! But the book was so painfully self-aware that it really tripped itself up in “therapy talk” and "realistic" endings that just took the wind out of its sails, rather than asking what the satisfying ending is. Still, worth the read if you enjoy a YA coming of age story.

Fence v1

Christ all mighty folks. I feel like I’m being gaslit here. This comic had some rave reviews on goodreads so I grabbed the first couple books from the library and it’s? actually just awful? I figured, hey, this will probably be done in the style of a sports manga, right? I enjoy a sports manga from time to time, especially a queer one. And you can tell that that’s what it’s inspired by. But holy SHIT is it boring. Like the art is AGONIZING. It’s stiff and uninspired and emotionless. I’ve read manga that’s managed to make the fucking board game go look like a high-stakes action adventure, and this book managed to make TEENAGERS WITH SWORDS boring as hell. I don't know enough about the author to tell if this is indicative of her usual work, or if the fault lays in just the blandest art imaginable but seriously, what the fuck. Don’t read this. I’m gonna go reread Haikyuu instead and remind myself that some people know how to draw sports scenes that are capable of making me feel things. Jesus.

Fullmetal Alchemist

A reread ♥ I stumbled across an FMA fanfiction by pure chance at the beginning of March and it made me dig out my books and reread the first few volumes. Always a cozy story to return to. If you've never taken the time to read Fullmetal Alchemist... honestly I'm not sure what rock you've been living under but you should do it. An unshakeable classic for a REASON

Home of the Brave

I picked this one up because I really enjoyed Applegate’s free verse novel Odder and I heard this one was written in a similar style. I knocked it out in a single day, it was a very quick read but a very heartfelt story. I can't say that I think everything about it was done perfectly, but for the style and intended audience, it was pretty solid. Made you look at things from a different perspective, had some really heart-wrenching realities to consider, and a lot of feel-good heart.

It followed Kek, a young immigrant from Sudan who has come to live with his aunt since his father and brother were killed and his mother is missing. It explores Kek’s adjustment to living in the United States, how the trauma continues to affect him, and how he begins to make friends — with a neighbour living with a foster family, an old woman, and her cow.

Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid v1

I’ve seen gifs of this around, and found a copy of it in the used bookstore so I figured… why not. Is it a good book? No. Not sure I'd bother reading the second, but it was weird enough to have made it worth reading. If nothing else, the premise was strange, art took me by surprised at time, and managed to make me chuckle along from time to time.

Kobayashi helps out a dragon who is now determined to live with her and help her out in an effort to seduce her repay her kindness. The story starts with the dragon being completely heartbroken that Kobayashi would honest rather just take the train on her commute rather than ride a dragon to work because scales are frankly uncomfortable.

Murder Most Puzzling

A fun little book of brainteasers! Each mystery includes a short story description (based around a private detective and her harried assistant) along with hand-drawn art. Between these two things, you’re supposed to deduce who the culprit of each crime is, with all the answers in the back of the book. It was pretty to look at and fun to work through, especially with a friend.

My Happy Marriage v1

Quite enjoyed this one! Is it a really well-written book? No. It’s very simple. But the plot is exactly the sort of sweet, cheesy story that I enjoy.

A very Cinderella-esque story, Miyo is from a noble-born family but suffers under her abusive family: an indifferent father, a cruel step-mother, and a selfish, haughty step-sister. She is treated even worse than a servant, and has resigned herself to existing like a meek, cringing shadow in her own home — her lack of magic that people in her class are expected to have makes her feel like this is entirely earned and inescapable. The story kicks off when she is callously married off to a young nobleman who is notorious for scaring away brides within days; he is said to be cold and cruel. Miyo is perfectly prepared for this new home to be no different than her last home...

Old-Fashioned Cupcake with Cappuccino 

A sequel to Old-Fashioned Cupcake, in which Nozue and Togawa begin to navigate the more complicated aspects of a relationship that has progressed beyond outings as friends and casual dates, to spending nights and a growing interest in living together. A homophobic society and their own hang-ups make this a complicated topic to navigate and there’s a lot of ups and downs, but it’s ultimately just as sweet as the first part.

Railsea

My favourite read from spring so far — absolutely deranged, I’m going to have to read more by this author. I saw a tumblr post that described this as a dystopian Moby Dick novel crossed with Treasure Island… with giant mutant moles rather than whales and trains instead of ships. Frankly, if that doesn’t also grab you by the throat and make you want to read it, I don’t know what to tell you. The author’s writing style is very distinct, and mimics what you expect from something like Moby Dick or Treasure Island, and he doesn’t bother holding your hand as he introduces this strange world to you. The world-building is really top tier, it’s completely bizarre and yet it feels very natural once you see how it works. The underlying themes are also just breath-taking. It was a masterfully written book and just a pure delight, especially once the second half kicks off.

The Serpent and the Wings of Night

Speaking of books that got rave reviews and that I feel are gaslighting me…

This came to me highly recommended and the goodread reviews seemed to agree… and guys, just wholly shit. Pure opposite of Railsea. Boring trite language, world-building that made absolutely no fucking sense, and characterization that felt like negative space. A pure void of characterization that sucked my entire will to live into it like a black hole. Like, this book so clearly did not actually give a shit about its own premise and didn't make a single effort to create a cohesive world or narrative... it leaned on tired tropes so heavily that it creaked. I had a couple mutuals that got to listen to me liveblog this and I couldn’t get through more than a couple paragraphs without losing my shit. Complete garbage, clearly riding on the coattails of A Court of Thorns and Roses without understanding what actually made that series compelling. I absolutely did not finish this book. The little bit I did read nearly killed me.

Heaven Official's Blessing (TGCF) v6

I continue to be completely enamoured with Heaven Official’s Blessing. The only reason I’m not tearing through these books faster is because a) I don’t want it to end and b) it keeps making me want to stop and write fanfiction about it instead. Getting to learn more about Xie Lian's past, the fall of Xianle, and the complete collapse of his life was just... ouch. My heart. Had to stop and cry about Xie Lian and Hua Cheng a LOT during this one folks.

The Wild Robot Protects

The third installment of Roz’s life on her island with her son, Brightwing, and her various animal friends. This time a deadly tide is sweeping through the ocean, killing any living thing that comes in contact with it, putting enormous strain on the resources of the island as animals try to move inland to escape it. Roz takes it upon herself to venture north and find the cause of this tide.

It was… meh. A middling book. Not bad, good for kids who are enjoying this series, a good lesson about how pollution, the inter-connectivity of nature, and marine conservation. But given how good the first two books in the series were, I was a bit disappointed with this one. It felt long winded and boring, with nothing of note actually happening until literally the last couple chapters.

[wishcamper]

loving acovav and your family systems posts, it puts into words and pulls together so many problems that exist within the ic and relationships in the book xx

though i just have to say it absolutely KILLS me that sjm somehow accidently created such interesting and complex character dynamics (even though there is still a fair amount of inconsistency)

Thank you so much! I was glad to find I wasn’t alone in being baffled/infuriated by the books lol

I think sjm does have the ability to identify the conditions for conflict, but kind of all of us do. Blending families can be hard, involved power struggles. Entering a new world creates cognitive dissonance and grief. People react to trauma differently, and don’t always understand others’ reactions. Romance inside a friend group creates tension. These are things we all know if you think for a moment. But her weakness is that she’s often bad at predicting how people would react to these conflicts, and she definitely doesn’t understand why and how people change.

On the whole, the “themes” she explores are pretty universal. That’s why her premises have so much potential but don’t go anywhere emotionally satisfying. And universal stories are satisfying, that’s why we tell them over and over a la the Hero’s Journey. ACOTAR is Beauty and the Beast. ACOSF is essentially The Taming of the Shrew with more push-ups. But where a different telling like 10 Things I Hate About You says something new about that story- that we are more than stereotypes and can find authentic connections when we transcend them - her conclusions are straight up weird. Like, ACOSF says: be who everyone wants you to be and life gets better. Uh?? In what world is that a hopeful takeaway??

That’s why even her own characters seem out of character, because the inciting events and the reactions they elicit don’t make sense half the time. I think it’s because she doesn’t have equal compassion for her characters (some none at all) so the ones she likes get every motivation for their actions upheld as worthwhile, and the ones she doesn’t like are either two dimensional or have to suck up to the characters she likes for redemption. But she doesn’t recognize that this communicates something, even if it’s unintentional. It’s like she doesn’t realize there’s a subconscious story underneath the surface one, that we can see her thought process through the choices she makes AND the ones she doesn’t.

I know she’s talked about how she puts a lot of her own experience into the books and I think that shows but mostly through her internal and external biases, unfortunately. She only ever affirms her own beliefs through the text, and ultimately says something obvious or straight up distasteful without meaning to (I hope). Other people have detailed her misogyny more thoroughly than I can here, but the disdain for her female characters is so obvious. And that’s not even starting on the racism. There’s a very clear thread of personal responsibility that ignores all the systemic, identity, and cultural factors that make us feel, think, and behave in certain ways.

All this is to say: agree, it’s so annoying because it’s like she had all the ingredients for a cake and somehow made a pizza instead because she likes it more. It doesn’t make sense. I don’t know how you got from there to here Sarah, and you seem happy but I still want cake!

Anyway, thank you for the ask, and letting me indulge in affronted literary criticism, which is my favorite thing to do 🤓

[vgbndangel]

Mild trauma trigger warnings with depression + probably more about me than you ever wanted to know.

I promise this might be the only super serious post I make. Maybe.

But I see a lot of stuff around and figured I wanted to write something on a more serious note, imagining that it might maybe slightly help even one person.

I'm not here to judge or shame anyone--quite the opposite really. Life is hard. We all cope in different ways. (And often develop traits or even kinks from our experiences--me included I have a lot of darker kinks even, and that's okay 💕)

I might not even post this tbh since some of it I've never told anyone but I'll keep things a bit vague.

*** Actual stuff 👇 ***

From a young age, I was cripplingly, embarrassingly shy.

Like can't talk on the phone, play with people on the playground, make friends shy.

I'm not really sure *why* but I just felt "different" and found it impossible to really connect with anyone.

This led to me being in my own head a lot and over analyzing everything.

As you might imagine I had no friends growing up. (Shocking I'm sure)

None. Zip. Zero. Nada.

My parents didn't understand me, my brother didn't understand me. I just felt completely alone.

Naturally, I read a lot.

Mostly fantasy books about other worlds, magic, adventures, friends, and romance.

Every novel I could find at the library. (I was also obsessed with Harry Potter fan fiction oops, don't @ me, no one irl knows this and that's how it's gonna stay)

I started to wonder a lot about "the meaning of life" and really didn't understand what the point was--everyone around me always seemed so much happier.

I desperately wanted to leave and go to any of these worlds that I read about. I thought if I died would I be reborn in a better, happier world. That's how I became suicidal at 14 - no external trauma, just a self-fulfilling prophecy of depression and loneliness.

I never tried to act on these thoughts or tell anyone. I would just spiral downwards whenever I was alone.

Now fast forwarding a few years, I went off to boarding school--for academic reasons not behavioral ones.

You'd think putting a lonely, depressed kid to live on his own would be a recipe for disaster. (Also my parents had no idea I was depressed since I never talked to anyone)

But actually it wasn't! The school had a lot of structure for forcing people to interact even for someone like me.

I made a few friends and started to see some happiness in life.

Around this time I started dating someone for the first time (all of my knowledge of relationships came from books and fanfictions mind you).

As you might expect, this person became my entire world.

There was a lot of drama of course--we were teenagers in boarding school what do you expect? We broke up, got back together, had a lot of sex in risky places, and made very many unreasonable promises.

We dated for two years before graduating.

We went to different universities far away and talked about making it work long distance.

A week after she moved away, she broke up with me by phone with no real warning.

I was devastated and was actively suicidal for the first time.

Three years went by - we talked on the phone every month or so (she would talk to me whenever she was lonely as a last resort and I would eat up the attention).

If you take anything away from my post (if anyone made it this far)--don't ever do this to yourself. Block them until you've gotten over the relationship!!! You deserve to be somebody's first choice.

I started to feel happy for the first time getting away from school during an internship. I didn't know anyone and I started learning how to be happy by myself and with myself. For the first time, I found myself living in the moment rather than imagining a better moment.

Second major takeaway I want to impress upon you dear reader--focus on baby steps to feel better rather than "visualizing yourself at the finish line". For basically my whole life, I had wanted to get better and not getting to this imagined "happy" led to constant downward spirals.

I have had a lot of ups and downs since then. But measuring my progress instead of focusing on how far away an imagined, moving finish line is has helped me immensely.

A lot of time, people treat happiness as a very concrete thing. You're either happy or you aren't. The things we read and experience create "checklists" of happiness for us. And mostly it just feels so far away -- there's always something "missing" or not perfect which sours everything.

I'm not perfect now--even today as a highly functioning adult I have (many) days where I want to just stay in bed. I have insecurities and oddities. And that's okay.

Life (and relationships) is about learning and growth. Trying to be a better person and finding small happinesses in small steps.

Finally, if you're struggling with depression or trauma try talking to someone you can trust--a therapist, partner, close friends, a help hotline, anyone. My biggest regret is silently struggling because it could have ended up with the worst ending.

You matter and have value 💕

[Sorry if this came off as kinda soap boxy. I know I'm writing from a position of immense privilege. I could also probably cut out some of the personal background, but I didn't want to. ily for reading this whole thing.]

[thenocturneofanightshade]

Soo First post, here.. about this AU I have for LMK. I'll just Info Dump a lot of it. Anyways, still new to LMK so a lot of this could change or be similar.. I mainly just wanted to share this AU Idea and Plot Points..

This AU was somewhat inspired by 'Stone Monkey AU' but I have my own twists.

So here's me trying to say it all while making it easy to read.

Firstly, some backstory inspiration for life on the mountain before Wukong's quest for Immortality comes from the Monkey King 2009 series. An English Translation for about 14 episodes (subbed) has been done by a channel called 'Monkey Servant'.

My main takeaway is that Liu'er has been kidnapped a lot and Wukong often came to their rescue (and they used to have fresh snow-white fur and their Ears look very much like their 2009 counterpart)

(Here's an image from the show I found.)

Major changes with MK and his place in Canon. I'll start with this for now since I feel their character and role will have some of the biggest changes short of Wukong.

Qi Xiaotian/MK is a Stone Monkey who is technically Sun Wukong and Liu'er Mihou/Macaque's kid(Though the Latter is unaware). They have Four Ears and have basically the same powers as Canon(May add more because of Mac but we'll see.) The main difference between this MK and Canon is that 1, he has had more training done by Sun Wukong, and he is a few centuries younger than Red Son. And he misses his Baba. (I'll get more into that MK later.) (May also make Trans but ??? I'll make a poll later to let people decide.)

Sun Wukong has learned a lot from being a father and HAS told MK about Mac, he tells the truth about the situation and how through his own actions he shattered the precious jewel he held so dear and it was his biggest regret because he is certain that if Mac lived they would have been their other Parent, their Papa or Mama.

So ShadowPeach was once Canon but not really anymore. (But who knows~)

After JTTW Wukong became very Isolated with only pop-ins, or visits between them.

Tripitaka also at some point during JTTW realised how much he had at times over-done it with the fillet and apologised. (Also during the Journey when asked how he was doing so well with the Kidnapping stuff he decides to be vague as fuck and say 'Oh, I have experience.' The Pilgrims believe he means he has kidnapped people before. Not saved them.) As Centuries went on the Pilgrims passed on, Tripitaka was first because Mortal, Sha Wujing and Zhu Bajie were next passing about the same time before finally Ao Lie.

Ao Lie only told Wukong about the fourth ring on their Death Bed, When the Celestial Realm called for DBK's Death (Likely also Red Son's too.) and ordered PIF back into their courts. Hearing about this Wukong made a deal with them to let him seal DBK and spare Red Son and PIF. The DBF has no clue about what Wukong has done and after sealing DBK under the Mountain they leave from the views of many basically sealing up Flower Fruit Mountain for good. Mainly this is because in the Original JTTW story, Wukong clearly shows a lot of care for their friends and respect for DBK and his family.

Now between JTTW and DBK's Sealing during Wukong's depressed spiral, a Stone Egg hatched and out came MK!!

There were ups and downs to single parent life but Wukong made it work. He taught MK everything and trained him well (I should mention MK never held his Father's staff once during this period of time.)

About a few years after sealing DBK Somethings has been attacking the Seals and Wukong has been using his own power to keep up. Collapsing in front of MK Wukong turns into a crystal the colour of a Vivid Orange Sapphire. (MK Gains his first bit of Trauma!!!)

(Anyways this part is left in the air because idk why he became like this. I mainly put this down for plot.)

Because of the Bridges Wukong burned and how many people would likely try to attack FFM to destroy the crystal if word got out the Kingdom decided to not ask for aid from anybody, unsure who to trust or who they could even reach let along reach out to (As nobody is even sure how to reach Guanyin and they don't rlly wanna owe them anything..) as by now all the original Pilgrims have passed on and MK is unsure if their families could even help them in the first place.

So he goes out to research and find a way to save his Baba in secret with little help or aid. All under glamours and Shapeshifting, while some look possibly promising the required living sacrifices and MK doesn't think his Baba would like that he killed somebody to save him. The Crystal is kept under constant Guard on FFM with many flowers, fruits and carved items placed around it.

He eventually goes to Megapolis, to follow leads. (He avoided it mainly because of DBF and not wanting to run into them.) After arriving about a few years before Canon. Transforming to look like young child (About 12 or so) they start looking around the city mainly to get a lay of the land when they get caught in a storm and a car hits them with muddy water.

Pigsy finds them, brings them in and asks MK why they were out in the storm at this time of day panicking he tells Pigsy that "Dad's really sick and.." MK doesn't elaborate, Pigsy asks MK if he has anybody to call, nodding MK quickly steps out and makes a clone to pose as an 'Uncle' as he quickly comes up with a cover story. The "Uncle" arrives a few minutes later, they tell Pigsy that they recently moved to the city for hospital reasons as 'MK's Father had fallen into a coma and he hadn't taken the news well.' After Eating the two leave as MK decides to use the old shrine his father had gotten years ago when the Pilgrims had still lived and renovate it while he stayed there. After he was "16" he got a drivers License and worked for Pigsy as a delivery boy. AND NOW WITH THOSE MAJOR CHANGES OUT OF THE WAY!!!

Now, we get to the main part, as we all know Pigsy, Tang and Sandy are 3 of the original Pilgrims reborn (Mei is up in the air for this AU. May make an "Uncle" for her and make her take over MK's role but that's for later.) The Main thing about is the three(Four?) of them remember their past lives as the Pilgrims. None of them knows MK is a Demon Monkey let alone Sun Wukong's Son, Now it starts off the same as MK takes the delivery to the DBF house but he decides to make a Clone to head back to Pigsy's as he goes to check out what they were doing after curiosity got the best of him. And in his monkey form, he steals his dad's staff. Giving them the name Qi Xiaotian. Now we have Pilgrims remembering their past lives + Secret Vigilante MK + Turned into Stone(Crystal)Wukong. I may add more onto this later but for now I hope you enjoy this idea.

[quinloki]

Whats a unpopular op opinion that you can get hate for? Yamatos gender don't matter because Yamato is still Yamato duh

I mean, with as long-running as One Piece is, and with as massive as the fandom is, and with as wide a range as the ages and locations of people in the fandom, I have to say you could probably get hate for pretty much any One Piece opinion.

Some people are just looking for a fight, after all, and some people thrive on stirring up drama over the strangest things.

I'll do a for instance, I'm not a huge fan of Trans Crocodile - I have nothing against it, I just hope/think the secret Ivan knows about should be something completely unrelated to what one expects with Ivankov involved. But even in not being a fan of the theory, I do *love* the theory and a lot of the stuff created because of it.

Honestly, as long as someone isn't trying to hammer their opinion in the form of Indisputable Gospel™, then I'm a pretty live and let live person and feel like others should be too. It's all fiction anyway, there's nothing worth getting that worked up about.

I will say, as a trans person, Yamato's gender does matter, not in like an end-all be-all way, but because it's not a head canon, it's not an item that's open or vague or debatable. It's a canon statement that Yamato is a guy - Even his own dad canonically refers to him as his son.

And because being a guy can be visually nebulous it makes his declaration all the more important. Same with Kiku. At no point in the story are either of their identities made out to be some huge deal - it's not an ordeal Kaido suffers to call Yamato his son, and there's no "oh I called Kiku my sister for so long" from Izou, king that he is. And Izou too! Who has a decidedly feminine appearance and is entirely a man.

One Piece isn't trying to be a discourse on gender, but in some ways it is - and after finding out that the Queers were basically vetted by a close queer friend of Oda's really puts that whole thing in a different light. It used to bother me, it felt like a mockery, but I see it very differently now. A kind of "laugh if you want, we don't give a fuck" sort of vibe.

One Piece is certainly a story about freedom, and having a right to exist as we are, and not within government mandated parameters. *Stares at the camera for a minute*.

So I love that there's a lot of against the grain characters in the show, and it's never their weirdness or differences that are ever contested. Sanji isn't supported for his reaction to the Okama, but he's not derided for his opinion either. He's free to bitch about them - but even with how he grumbles, they still showed up at Shabody to help the crew.

I'm digressing and getting into my own vibes, but I guess the important takeaway is that you can get hate for just about anything, even a popular opinion. At the end of the day the important thing is that you aren't sending death threats to people for having a different opinion.

[desultory-novice]

Got your reservations, eh? (Feel free to DM or disc if you'd rather not air 'em in public)

Oh no, I'm HAPPY to talk salt about the novels!(1)

(1) Prepare to find out why my nickname is "Salty Dess"

...Now, I probably shouldn't be. I really hate to complain about someone's work when I know that alllll sorts of stuff go into the creative process. Including real human stresses about life and deadlines and having to meet various corporate imposed standards. Writing in accordance with reading levels, brand image, etc, etc. Even with all those piled on top, we're not yet in the dark future where AI writes everything and that should be celebrated! Even an author with flaws/hangups means they're still human and it's human-made art I want to see discussed, studied, and cherished! 

Though...

...Man, just WHAT is up with Takase-sensei's treatment (or lack of??) of Magolor and Kirby's friendship! Why is it like this?? Where is she GOING with this for three, or really, five books now!! (2)

(2) I mostly ignore Dreamy Gear and Kirby Clash in this lengthy rant, but those don't treat Magolor much better.

-

Actually, before I get started, brief tangent:

Probably the thing that gets the most groans from me is Takase-sensei's Meta Knight bias. Back when everyone was speculating if we'd get a Magolor Epilogue novel or not, I was so CONFIDENT it wouldn't happen I would have put real money down on it, because there was no way for her to work Meta Knight in. And Takase-sensei always works Meta Knight in. Usually in a leading role. Lo and behold, the Magolor Epilogue novel didn't happen. Now, I'm not the person to talk bad about having a character bias :cough: Marx :cough: Magolor :cough: so I won't, but I also won't hesitate to note that she is showing a pretty obvious bias there.

-

So, back to Magolor and Kirby. By now, it should be clear I'm someone who thinks really highly of their bond. I've always thought of (the original) RtDL as a tragedy. I just refused to believe that the takeaway of that game was supposed to be "And that's why you should always be cautious around strangers, kids!"

I suppose there was always the turn-around that Magolor seems to be in trouble but it was actually the ship that was in trouble the whole time, but that "rescue the princess" narrative went out the window a year later when Magolor and the Lor are depicted as loyal partners again in Dream Collection. A bond that is staunchly re-affirmed in Star Allies.

If the point is not to save the Lor from Magolor, what is?

Now, I also think that RtDL DX's many (subtle) changes to the narrative were informed by a desire to grow Magolor's character after a decade of fan speculation and brand growth. And I think he was consciously MADE into more of a tragic figure as a result.

...True Arena...

But there always had to be something to inform that growth. And even in the original, he has that "Let's always stay friends!" line.

So, RtDL gets adapted in book form and Takase-sensei seems to do her darndest to like... write Magolor out of his own story? Which becomes especially weird when you take into account the Labyrinth novel, where Magolor is a villain all the way through.

Now, unlike most other Magolor fans, I actually kind of like that book. I thought the idea that everyone calls Magolor out on being sus in the beginning was pretty cute coming so soon after his villainous turn.

I think the joke where he uses the mirror to become all powerful but just becomes a giant, funny-looking squeaky toy is hilarious. I think the fact that Takase-sensei highlights that Magolor does.not.know. the different between fighting Kirby and playing with him is probably the smartest thing she's ever written about him.

It is, in fact, something that informs my own characterization of Magolor. At least, the implication that he's been too alone for too long to know how to socialize with people properly.

And there's his breakdown in the end that it's not fair that he lost because he's never had any friends! (Marx: "......") The fact that this appeal causes Kirby to spare him and then he runs away and steals Kirby's cake was also cute in a Saturday morning cartoon freeze-frame ending.

It wasn't an amazing novel (what I really dislike in it is how Takase-sensei characterized Claycia. What the HECK was up with that? She's just...crazy and mean about art to the point that she leaves her girlfriend best friend in tears randomly every other week, I guess?) but it was fine on it's own...

"If only the story ended there..." to quote Smash Bros (EU)

So yeah, Starcutter and the Lying Wizard once again gives Magolor like one or two moments of interesting pathos, generally involving the Lor. But then Takase-sensei refuses to let Magolor build any bonds with the mains or let the mains bond with him.

Nope, we have to spend an unnecessary amount of time in Raisin Ruins with Meta Knight explaining to Kirby about how dangerous that mysterious new power might be when, oops, it never actually turns out to be dangerous! 'If you put the gun on the mantlepiece in act 1, someone has to fire it in act 2' is one of THE oldest pieces of writing advice in the known universe...!!!

And it's not just the wasted time on red herrings. (Or skipping Egg Engines....) It's the the whole concept of her leaving Kirby and Magolor becoming friends on the table that I just.don't.get.

If your heroes have no emotional stakes involved in fighting the big bad, that's... bad. Everyone knows one of Magolor's keywords is "betrayal." He "betrays" Kirby and the others. But not in the novel. They barely know him. He used them, but he didn't betray their trust or their friendship. Because he didn't HAVE either of those things to begin with. (Anyone remember the scene where Magolor calls the others "friends" and NO ONE responds to him? Because I do.)

Heck, I'd go so far as to say that the Lying Wizard barely LIED to them there. (Especially if you buy into him possibly being a secret descendant of the Ancients, born off-world.)

His offer to have Kirby be his lackey comes so out of nowhere. His offer to Chilly to rule the galaxy at his side in the manga, despite being based on a joke relationship, came off as so painfully sincere there that there are dedicated MagoChilly fans to this day!

And Kirby doesn't engage with him during the fight either. He responds to the things Magolor says with this "eener-neener nuh-uh" tone that is just... weird. I think most people have noted that Kirby comes off a little more mature in the novels than in other media. Still a "youth" by definition, but he talks and is capable of deep thoughts. But in the fight with Traitor Magolor, Kirby almost slips back into being an anime-esque infant. No thinking, no willingness to engage or even look at what he's fighting. (His one comment about the eye is almost embarrassing given the lack of everything till then.)

...Oh and DO NOT get me started on the fact that Takase-sensei specifically make the gang fight Magolor Soul and then changes his last words so it is now a meaningless groan of defeat?! I was SO upset at that choice (why not stick with his regular form in that case) but I told myself, hey... it's not like we know with definitive proof what Magolor Soul is actually saying...

...

Oh, NEVER MIND, WE DO. And we know via the end-of-book text that Takase-sensei had access to everything she would have needed to write an informed Magolor Soul battle.

No. For whatever reason, making Magolor unrepentant in Labyrinth, making Kirby disinterested in the person who would later go on to say (... in the remake) that he hoped to be Kirby's most reliable friend in this or ANY dimension, and, oh, lest we forget...

There's the Samurai Kirby novel...

So, I mentioned above that I knew there wouldn't be a Magolor Epilogue novel. But I had to admit I was a little surprised we'd get an adaptation of the Samurai Kirby game to go along with the release of RtDL DX. It felt like an odd choice at the time.

Slightly less so once you know the plot so, okay... Here's what's weird about Samurai Kirby. And I'll try to keep it short and vague but talking about Magolor's role in it necessitates SPOILERS.

...

Magolor is the bad guy. Again. Yes. And he makes a passing attempt at getting Kirby to be friends with him this time too and Kirby once again refuses to engage with him and then, Magolor says to himself that he could never imagine being friends with Kirby.

...

I just want to point out once more that this novel came out two weeks after RtDL DX. We go straight from a game with Magolor using his vast magic powers to help Kirby out of pits and bring him food at regular intervals, a Magolor who, at his worst, begs Kirby for help while Kirby's own inner voice encourages him to "...save a new friend" and also a Magolor fighting through a hell-parallel to get back to "...his friends." And just...

Why would you write that, Takase-sensei?! Why would you write that book NOW?

And now we come to the present. And I've gone from upset to...mildly curious. Because the most interesting things about Magolor in the Samurai Kirby novel is that A) He says he gets the feeling maybe he and Kirby knew each other in another life and B) His goal is to get to a place that is OBVIOUSLY Halcandra. It's not written in Katakana but the place name and the methods Magolor wants to use to get there make it really, really obvious. It's either Halcandra or the Samurai Kirby equivalent. Except that I think he really IS trying to get to THE canon Halcandra.

DX has now canonized Magolor as "the dimensional traveler." So it's not strange at all if these curious AU worlds and events start to occur around him/because of him.

While I'm currently pretty apathy for the way Takase-sensei writes Kirby and Magolor's friendship currently, I can't help but wonder if this dimension stuff isn't all building up to something...?

At the very least, canon Magolor built Magoland for Kirby and friends, so either this novel will HAVE to acknowledge that or...no one will mention that and we'll have another book where Magolor is the villain (...because come on, he's probably going to behind everything in this book too. After being consistently sus through all his novel appearances, it would be weird and jarring if he were completely innocent this time) and it'll end with him and Kirby coming to an "agree to disagree" relationship.

Or maybe this time, things will be different and it will end with Novel Kirby and Novel Magolor actually becoming friends in a way that mimics their game selves.

I really can't say for sure. But those...

:pauses to take a breath:

...are my reservations.

-

Brief Bonus: So, before you file everything I wrote up above as the ramblings of a crazy aspie, I am not the only one who has taken notice of Novel Kirby + Novel Magolor's non-friendship.

A couple of fanartists I follow on Twitter have even begun drawing humorous comics about things like "...threatening Magolor with Novel Kirby if he doesn't behave and it working" or "...Novel Magolor complaining to Game Magolor that he just can't get Kirby to like him." So, the vast difference in the treatment of their friendship (or lack of one) is something others have taken note of.

I'm not going to say anything like "I expect this novel to let me down too" in regards to Magolor. Nothing of the sort, really! I've come to terms with what the novel is, and I mean it that I'm curious if these Novel Magolors who continually fail to make a connection with Kirby will build up to something. Maybe something truly fascinating!

And hey, in lieu of (ever) having Marx appear, I can enjoy a villainous Magolor just in the meantime. (But seeing other people make fun of "Novel Magolor" definitely helped take the sting out of it.)

Phew...

I didn't realize I had as much to say about that as I did, but apparently, it was something I needed to get off my chest!

-

...Before everyone goes, just because I don't know when I'll next have leisure to rant about novel-verse problems but...

I want to say that I'm also a little :side-eye: about Takase-sensei having Meta Knight give us "word of god" evidence in the novel that the Master Crown wasn't evil, it was just Magolor's OWN inner wickedness that made it that way when A) even Star Allies casts aspersions on that theory and B) the remake brings out some credible evidence for the theory that the Master Crown is, in fact, AMAZINGLY EVIL. There is even reason to believe it was brainwashing Magolor almost from day one!

...But that's a story for another essay.

[ejenvs3000w24]

Finding Music in Nature

Hey everyone, welcome back:) This week I am going to dive into analyzing nature interpretation through music.

Where is music in nature? I think in order to answer this question we must first understand what defines music to be considered music. The Oxford dictionary defines music as “the art of combining various sounds to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion” and this ties nicely with Gray, P. et al (2001) definition; music can evoke “emotional, social, cultural, and cognitive responses from patterns of sound varying in pitch and time”. I think the main takeaway from these two definitions shows how music is simply any form of frequency loud enough to be heard, that in some way or not elicits some type of emotional response. This thought can be backed up from the thoughts of Silene (2021), who states, “when we hear music we first get a feeling and then thoughts''. When I first read that quote, it made me realize how true it was and how many times that happens to me when I’m in nature. And so, I think music in nature is found in any audible frequencies whether that be leaves blowing in the wind, the sound of rain hitting the floor, or the abundance of wildlife calling throughout the night, that makes you conscious take time out of your day to pause and listen; to feel before you think. 

A well-timed hike and bright sunshine = listening to the amazing sounds of lake trout splashing their way up stream

Where is nature in music? Similar to many factors of life, I believe nature is a precursor for the creation of music. The latter can not be perceived until the former creates tangible vessels for which the latter can be heard from. This thought can be explained from a more literal standpoint to a subjective one, i.e., music without words could not have been created without the tangible resources of nature (literally). While subjectively, nature provides inspiration of sounds that can be translated through an instrument or voice. Gray, P. et al (2001) references how closely tied a modern-day orchestra is to the ambient sounds of an environment; “the voice of each creature (or flora) has its own frequency, amplitude and duration…to which occupies a unique niche among other musicians”. I think this quote sums up nicely how nature is found in music, each organism is its own unique instrument, some can be grouped together but have different pitches and forms, similar to the plethora of brass instruments producing different pitches and sounds, such as baritones and trumpets.

While speaking of nature and music, I can’t help but think of times when music has enhanced my own experience with nature. One song that immediately pops into my mind when I think of being immersed in nature is “Pure Imagination” sung by Gene Wilder. At first glance, the song does not necessarily reference nature, but it is the context of where I listened to it that matters. It was on a warm summer's night, accompanied by four of my closest friends, lying down under a flowering crabapple tree at 2am in the morning. The combination of my environment just transformed my experience listening to this song. Feelings of nostalgia, being a kid again, not having a worry in the world but focusing on the warm summer air and the fragrant perfumes of the crabapple flowers. I will forever remember that feeling of pure bliss as the music and ground coarse through my body. 

References:

Gray, P. M., Krause, B., Atema, J., Payne, R., Krumhansl, C., & Baptista, L. (2001). The Music of Nature and the Nature of Music. Science, 291(5501), 52. https://link-gale-com.subzero.lib.uoguelph.ca/apps/doc/A69270354/AONE?u=guel77241&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=fb9366a8

Hooykaas, A. (2024). Unit 7: Nature interpretation through music. University of Guelph. https://courselink.uoguelph.ca/d2l/le/content/858004/viewContent/3640021/View

Oxford languages and google - english. Oxford Languages. (n.d.). https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/

Silene, A. (2021, February 20). Spiritual values of protected areas of Europe: Workshop proceedings. [pages 129-132] https://www.silene.ong/en/documentation-centre/spiritual-values-of-protected-areas-of-europe-workshop-proceedings#Proceedings_Spiritual%20Values_PAs_Europe.pdf