#enjoy your Tags Essay

[rainbowchaox]

Analysis of Pissa So Far.

This is a essay looking at our favorite death dads and how their relationship changed and their different nuances from to start to most recent. This will primarily look at the major three times we had Phil and Missa interact from the start with being paired for the eggs to recently the Mexican Independence Party. So bare with me and come with me down memory lane.

I rewatched day 1 of the pairing up of pissa to mainly cope with CERTAIN lore that happened recently. And yes it’s as fluffy and cute as I remembered. But let’s start at the beginning. Before the pairing up Missa and Phil knew of each other casually like acquaintances. In real life along with in general their characters/cubitos. (Again major thanks for the server in general bringing all these wonderful creators together.) Anyways the first time Phil met Missa was when he jumped off the wall and gave them food. I like to imagine missa had a non-serious crush on the man. But they didn’t really interact. And it’s fair to understand why.

But then the egg event happened. Which honestly in my opinion was the best event to bring the Spanish and English sides together organically. And looking back now it WORKED. So back on track everyone goes to the adoption center and like most Qsmp events it’s total chaos. Phil chooses his ticket and when I rewatched it Missa literally like spammed clicked it to break it and get Phil. Atleast that is what it looks like to me. So we already have the seeds of simp Missa from the very start. Also can we all take a break and just realize they both got tickets with D? And literally they are Deathduo? The more I rewatch the pairing lottery the more I think it was rigged by the admins and not actually by chance. Every duo either had similar humor or charm.

Immediately Phil and Missa find out they both have D. And it’s casual no romantic undertones the cubitos are still getting to know each other. But Missa being a sweetheart immediately is like you can choose whatever egg. And I think this is when Phil starts to soften and gets majorly endeared towards the clumsy reaper. Like not a crush. Not love. But the seeds of the adoration and love we see from Phil down the road. The fact of the matter Phil let Missa choose Chayanne name. The fact literally the newly formed death family was being fluffy and saying chayanne will be the best egg while literally everyone was screaming in the background. Its the main thing that would later define the dynamic of the ship. The gentle understanding and teamwork. That would later be a staple whether you ship them platonically or romantically.

And chayanne is the best way to show why pissa was meant to always work. Chayanne personality and hobbies all came from his two dads (Literally the reason chayanne was interested in cooking so much was because Missa taught him to cook). And like Phil once he was thrust into parenthood with Missa immediately found him endeared by his assigned husband? The amount of times he laughed because of Missa. Another theme so important to why pissa works so well.

Missa is Philzas calm balm. He relaxes Phil so much. And that’s so rare for that to happen. So of course a hour or so in taking care of their son. Phil visibly softens and gets endeared to the man. Phil immediately starts worrying about missa when he left. Missa may have fallen first but Phil fell harder. Like more time Phil spends with Missa the more comfortable and at ease he gets. Missa fully was like I have the best husband ever let me casually call you pet names.

Not to mention two popular scenes burned into the minds of fans. The moment when Mariana called Phil my love and tried to steal him. And Phil being Phil immediately was I’m okay with my partner thank you very much. And both Missa and Phil cuddled close. I still think Missa fell day 1 but Phil was quickly getting a crush on his assigned husband. Secondly Phil literally invited Missa to bed.

Their dynamic was one of like relaxation of trust and just both trying their best for Chayanne. They easily slid into a cute dynamic as both got endeared to the others. And also in day 1 Phil never said platonic it’s only after day 1 he started using that. And only when he wasn’t with Missa. He is a repressed romantic guy struggling with a crush. Not to mention the crows practically grew so attached to Missa it was insane to see.

Anyways like most couples they had to both take care of chayanne until Missa canonically got kidnapped by wolves for four months. During the time Missa was there he was pining HARD for Phil. Calling him his love and darling in Spanish. Phil meanwhile keep saying it was platonic and most of the fans accepted that. But then Missa was gone.

And cubito Phil missed him so fucking much. It’s at this point I fully believe is when Phil finally realized he loved him. He kept referencing Missa. He made armor for Missa. He dyed his backpack black with a skull because of Missa. It’s truly my belief that Philza realized he fucking adored the man in Missas absence. He never gave up waiting for Missa. And Missa eventually kept his promise and came back to his family.

And this is when you see some of nuance or facets change slightly in their dynamic. The core is the same all the way back from day 1 but it does change. It somehow becomes softer and domestic. Sure Philza even before his grand realization in Missa absence SPOILED missa. Missa made him soft. But when the reunion happened? Somehow Philza softens even more. Somehow he spoils Missa even more. This is why I believe that Philza finally realized he loves Missa. Because there is a clear increase in the affectionate displays between them.

Philza and the rest of the server went on the mission once Missa appeared. It was legit like Philza forgot that he was a mission. Philza when Missa appeared immediately softened so much. Of course Philza isn’t angry he’s gone. He just missed his husband. And voila once asked by Cellbit “oh this is your husband?!” He immediately agreed. This is important because for months if someone asked about who is Missa he would always and never fail to say Missa is his platonic partner/husband.

But in the reunion Philza just said husband. Because in my opinion Philza fully thought of Missa his romantic partner. The fact that Philza showed everyone including Missa the skull on the black backpack almost like a bird showing off his feathers. And Missa was immediately all gushy. The fact he only looked at Missa when he said you can go into my boat. And felps not realizing the sorta of energy the two of them was having immediately was cursed to be a third wheel.

Like literally felps was in the back of the boat being all “just ignore that I’m here” when literally Philza and Missa were lost in their own fucking world. Gently flirting with each other. Felps was regretting majorly getting in the boat with them so no wonder he bounced as soon as possible. And literally they were left by themselves still on a mission to save people. But I won’t lie it was a date.

Just them loving in each other company. And Philza being so gentle and loving and protective towards Missa. Their dynamic at their core is the same yes. But it’s undeniably more romantic. And Missa side of the dynamic also changes. He starts trying his best to protect Philza. The man who has from the start been protecting him and their son.

Missa slowly starts to become more brave and actually comments on how attractive Phil is in front of him. (I can see your pecs….yes Missa we get it you love Phil). They are closer than ever. Phil also immediately accepts Missa as Tallulah other dad. Do you guys know how massive that is? He trusts and loves Missa so darn much to let him easily be part of his whole family.

And eventually Missa had to go for a bit. But the amount of pissa interaction we get during the renuion stream doesn’t end. We have loads more to dissect. Missa comes back in hope to see his son and new daughter but sadly they were sleeping but later on despite showing Tubbo around. Once he saw Missa was whispering to him in chat immediately left as soon as possible to get to his husband. Also Cellbit who was with him and tubbo was immediately like “oh you need to help your husband understandable” while tubbo was just like so confused.

Meanwhile before this Missa was crying wanting to go back to Phil. Phil is his safety blanket. Phil never fails to make him feel safe and secure and protected. There’s reasons why Missa fell so quickly. And they met up. And to bring up my earlier point above. What Phil does nest is one of my primarily reasons why I believe Phil fully realizes he loves Missa.

Yes Phil spoils Missa. It’s his love lanuage but all the gifts and upgrades he did late at night (which Phil made a mission to give stuff to Missa before he logged off.) and even the armor he made so long ago. The amount of spoiling and pampering just screams love, adoration, and affection.

And of course they get sorta matching backpacks. And of course Missa says he loves him so fast so the translator doesn’t pick it up. This leds to when Missa showed up by himself had a loony toon day before being called out by roier. He fully says he loves Philza. LOVES PHILZA. TE AMO. Romantic.

Most of the fans knew because just look how Missa acted. But once it was confirmed Missa feels romantic feelings for Philza? That’s when the majority starting fully accepting them as romantic soulmates. And started seeing Philza actions how they are. Romantic. (Though if you prefer them as platonic that’s also very valid).

The only reason a pissa wedding or confession haven’t happened is because Missa loves Philza so much he doesn’t want to make him uncomfortable or burden him with his feelings for him. If philza said let’s get married he would accept immediately. But knowing Phil he will say nothing about loving Missa because he is scared he won’t be able to be protect.

And more recently. The Mexican Independence Day party. I won’t lie the times they were together they were always flirting. They were so cute. And both in my eyes were getting brave with their love for the other in their own ways. Missa literally screaming VIVA TE AMO on stage when Roier said Philza. Or Philza making sure he follows Missa during the dance. The fact Philza was so gentle explaining the recent egg disappearance and made a comment of being shock that Missa came back (he misses Missa so much each time he is gone.).

And their dynamic switches slightly again. Because Phil the whole time was worried and hovering around Missa when ingesting everything lore at once. And Missa is again getting brave he fully said he going on a date with Phil. It’s romantic. There’s no way I can personally can see it otherwise (though again if you like them platonic you are hella valid). At the start there was seeds but their romance has grown. They love each other. They need to confess for my sanity. And I fully trusts that Missa will have some sort of role in saving his love. And maybe perhaps we can get a confession or wedding in the future-

[lightningidle]

Fig's line "I don't think I'm an artist, I think I'm just a good friend" has not left my head at all. Just...

You're Fig Faeth and your horns came in over the summer and you pick up the bard class as a form of adolescent rock 'n' roll rebellion, and it works! It's exactly the outlet you need! You give a guy you just met drumsticks and you start a band and it's good enough that within a year and a half you're touring. You are, in every sense, good at being a bard.

And then, finally, your junior year, you start to take it seriously. Your art goes from an outlet and a form of rebellion to a practice. A discipline. (Can rebellion exist within a discipline?) Your classmates know what they want to do with their work. They all have a thesis statement. And yeah, there's cohesion in the music you make, but you've never had to think about why you make it. You've never sat down and dissected what it is about bass that speaks to you. You've never poured over your lyrics to pick at any deeper meaning. Why should you? You don't play music for a grand design, you do it to... huh, why do you do it?

(Your art is the one form of self-expression that feels as safe as Disguise Self does, because even if you're pouring your heart onto the page and then screaming it in front of thousands of people, it's not like you're really making yourself known. You can sing I'm lonely, I'm scared, I'm furious, and your fans will sing it right back, and there will still be the distance between performer and audience to keep your heart safe.)

Now you're being asked to look inward to explain the artistic choices you're making, and you can't help but recoil at that, because you'd rather do anything than look inward. Meanwhile, your classmates have no problem with it, so you start to wonder if you're a real artist at all. Can your art be authentic if it only exists to bolster a thesis statement? Has your art been unauthentic this whole time because you've never really thought about a thesis statement before? Is that what makes it art, and not just the next track on somebody's teen angst playlist?

You can't think about yourself— acknowledging your own existence makes you want to puke. So if your music is an extension of yourself, (and it is, even if it's just because the spotlight reveals only what you want it to,) you can't think about your music. You can't. You have to. Your grade depends on it.

You're Fig Faeth, and you keep multiclassing because you'd rather be a good friend than a great artist. If introspection is what great art demands, then fuck it. You must not be a bard at all.

[lightbulb-warning]

so has anyone figured out WHY there is the Need To Share our Artworks™ or is it just the vibes and our Soul apparently

[amoneki-ramblings]

some random doodles that have been sitting on my computer 👍

[eolewyn1010]

@bookshelfdreams tagged me to

make a poll with five of your all time favourite characters and then tag five people to do the same. see which character is everyone's favourite!

So... I shall try to limit myself to 5.

@str4wanzerin @chrisoels @mutantenfisch @cricrithings @bibastibootz if any of you feels like it?

[carryon-countdown]

❄️COC 2023 Wrap Up🍂

Hello everyone!  

The Carry On Countdown of 2023 has sadly come to an end. We hope that everyone who participated had a wonderful time. The admins sure had a blast feasting on all of the fabulous content from this year's countdown.

We hope everyone will remain inspired to create even more fantastic Carry On related content into the new year.

But before we say goodbye to you all, it’s time to welcome new people onto the Page of Honour!

What you need to do to get your place on the Page of Honour:

You need to have completed all 30 COC 2023 prompts on their set days (If you posted a prompt within a day or so of its set posting date that’s perfectly fine, but, for example, if you posted a prompt for Day 8 on Day 11, that’s a bit too late)

You need to DM @carryonmylovelies ​with an explanation/link of where to find all of the work you posted for this year’s countdown (Can be simply saying what tag everything is under on your blog, or a link to your ao3, etc.)

You’ll also need to let @carryonmylovelies​ know whether you want your blog or another platform where you posted your content (such as ao3 or instagram) linked on the Page of Honour. You can only choose one.

We hope we made this clear, and please remember our ask box is always open for any questions you may have :)

We wish everyone who celebrates a very happy holidays, and we hope everyone will have a terrific 2024.

With lots and lots of love,

The admins of the 2023 Carry On Countdown ❄💘

[llitchilitchi]

western, native english speaking internet needs to be more normal about broken english. like genuinely. there are tons of posts talking about how english is such a hard language and how non-native speakers "shouldn't apologise for not speaking english fluently because they are making an effort"

and then when we turn around there are posts and youtube videos making fun of broken english. "this story is so hard to read ugh this is such poor prose I don't know what the author meant half the time" well maybe the author doesn't speak english so well. maybe the author never had to write long prose in english before. maybe the author wanted to share something they love with a wider community and the easiest way to go about it is writing in english because that is the most commonly spoken language in fandoms. maybe the author is trying their best and you are mocking them for it not being Good Enough for your standards as someone raised with the language the author started learning two years ago

it's not even in writing, really. it's the mocking of accents or the incorrect tenses and strange grammar, the strangely worded set of instructions posted online

everyone always talks inclusion and how this should be fine but the moment they actually see someone not do well and don't have it spelled out to them that the author isn't a native speaker? the internet turns to ridicule. and that needs to stop

[astralazuli]

So there's that D&D class quiz going around, & I took it & was so deeply offended I got Paladin.

& so I have had conversations with both Bestie & Birdfriend about this grave insult & they both were like, "Well... They have a point?" & informed me that my desire to absorb hits meant for others & deep drive to help whenever I actually can & strong convictions make me a bit Paladin-coded.

& I am just so... Idk. It's just interesting to get glimpses of yourself from other people's POVs. To be told that my defining characteristics are protecting & healing others & being incredibly fighty about the things I care about... Especially as someone whose brain specifically fixates on whether I care enough, do enough, give enough... Yeah. It's just kinda wild.

Anyway, I'm now adjusting my self-perception to include the fact that if I were a D&D character, I would be an Oath of the Ancients Paladin & not a wizard & that actually that's okay.

[andi-o-geyser]

i talk in the tags it's how i show love

[kavehater]

I wish I could inject pasilyo into my brain so I can have permanent happiness

[yantao-enthusiast]

MY COMPLETE TTPD PREDICTIONS

disclaimer: this has been posted on february 9th so whatever information comes out afterwards i will not be privy to so don't flame me if something contradicts any of this (or if something has already come out and i'm just. stupid). and this is also predictions so likely most of it will be wrong. so

(also this is really really REALLY long so be prepared if you wanna read!!!!)

general predictions:

k so just gonna put out there first my vibe check: i'm thinking definitely florence and the machine (obviously) and noah kahan and "carolina" vibes for the album. all very instrument heavy, alternative folk vibes. that's my two cents on that

so now for the extensive part. i have this theory that ttpd and midnights will be sister albums? like evermore and folklore, i imagine they're in the same realm of themes and songwriting of each other, like hindsight and reflection and this solemn isolation, while still having completely different production styles like rep/lover. there'll be a comparable amount of literary prowess (yes english major!!) like shown in midnights but deffo full power this time. i think ttpd will be much more mature than midnights, as i believe most of it will be written about the more recent times of her life, rather than midnights having lots of references to events long past.

one of my reasons for the sister album theory is the track "who is afraid of little ol' me?". to me, this reads "anti-hero", "sometimes i feel like everybody is a sexy baby and i'm a monster on the hill; too big (another parallel?) to hang out, slowly lurching towards your favorite city", sort of the antithesis to that idea that she's this scary looming figure or someone who comes in and ruins their time at a football game for just existing perhaps..... but i'll get into that more later about my analysis of each track

reason numero dos is the track "down bad", which could be an obvious reference to "hits different" since they're both obvious slang.... yeah this once i don't really need to explain

now three i will once again be using "hits different" as evidence (i will be using it a lot through this whole thing actually)!! during the bridge of this song, she mentions someone turning their key in the door, thinking it's her lover, or maybe the ever ominous "they" have come to take her away. a couple of tracks on ttpd could definitely connect to someone taking her away, like the tracks "fresh out the slammer" and "guilty as sin?", which following this timeline, would make perfect sense, wouldn't you think?

four is because... joe alwyn. the "tortured man" himself. midnights, the moments they weren't about the obvious past, many have made the point of connecting them to joe. and many of them were about how they got there, some pieces that weren't included in rep, lover, folk, ever, and some about how they inevitably fell apart until "you're losing me". which might just be the perfect transition into ttpd. where even in the titles, there's a desperation there to fix that relationship. the one where in many past albums (rep/lover and folk/ever ALSO sister albums btw), and midnights especially, she writes about clearly putting so much effort and time and love into. in "hits different", she says, "moving on was always easy for me to do," yet throughout that song and in the ttpd tracklist, her grief of this relationship is obvious, much more than even most of her albums via the tracklist alone. does this sound emotionally devastating to you yet? because it does for me!!!! (joe alwyn count your fucking days)

five, and final for now: "the manuscript", a bonus track and also the final track in this bonus edition. now, this might be a stretch but i'm sure you're familiar with "dear reader", the closing track on midnights (3 AM edition)? this manuscript could very very well be what this dear reader has been reading perhaps..... or definitely some sort of parallel in that respect. there's a couple different definitions to manuscript, which are:

a book, document, or piece of music written by hand rather than typed or printed. 

an author's handwritten or typed text that has not yet been published. 

now this could mean "the manuscript" is something written by hand, which could easily fit into the poet era. but it could also be part of "dear reader", a sort of p.s. addition that she didn't say in that song. both of these theories? very plausible but we'll have to see...

now that we have that out of the way...

TRACK PREDICTIONS:

this track list is, as i'm sure everyone is aware, insane. and everyone who has been invested in this relationship, thinking that they were gonna get married and everything, screaming off the walls april 2023, is preparing unhealthy amounts of tissues. so i guess now is the best time to put out an opinion!!!

once again, all predictions which means probably not true and might not align with any information that comes out at a later date! and this is all my interpretation!!! i'm just putting it out there!!!!! okay!!!!! okay!!!!!!

Side A:

"Fortnight" featuring Post Malone

maybe this is starting off strong but i have NO idea what the vibes are gonna be. post malone??? maybe it's like a noah kahan situation but other than that? no idea since i don't really keep up with post malone or know how he'd fit on this track

i've heard theories here and there so i don't have much to say personally other than hearing the theory about how it might be how she had disappeared for a two-week period in between eras tour shows. i think it could also be a reference to "exile" or "the great war", how those are terms often heard in similar situations. my ultimate prediction for the production is something like "cowboy like me" and "safe and sound" in a way? like lonely guitar, tumbleweed in the middle of the desert energy. it's likely a more mellow track to start off, an introduction to the album.

"The Tortured Poets Department"

the title track!!! i obviously was excited about the album title alone and the placement makes me wonder how "fortnight" will be sort of the more palatable opening track and this track will be more harsh .

the title is likely a reference to the recently resurfaced interview talking about how joe alwyn has been in a group chat with some other actors called "the tortured man club", which i referenced earlier. which i'm not gonna be mean. but i hope taylor will say it for me.

maybe it's just my hope but i hope this is a song that builds, similar to "your needs, my needs" by noah kahan. maybe it starts out quiet, the calm before the storm, trying to be nice, then it sort of delves into this idea that she's a writer, made to write scathing lines and beautiful cuts in the form of metaphor. you're the "tortured man"? she's this tortured artist, writing like it would kill her if she didn't. she's absolutely fucking insane. all this escalation with the production swirling in a storm with her. do you see the vision??? is the vision visioning yet???? is this thing on

"My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys"

now this is one of the tracks where it's very clear the bargaining starts.

this is a common thing in toxic/abusive relationships, where "i hurt you because i love you" rhetoric, or the "tough love" concept. where it's "yes, he hurts me but i know he does it because he loves me", which is a horrible idea, of course, but to the victim, they may think that all relationships have flaws, some give-and-take.

now, this song could be about someone else from taylor's past. she could be referring to more mental/emotional abuse, breaking being more of a metaphor, i'm not sure. but i'm definitely very intrigued and concerned. (lowkey, i think there could be a connection to "high infidelity", just from the things mentioned in that song but there's no real evidence)

i think my prediction, from the title, it might be similar in vibes to lana? i don't listen to as much lana, i've only started really listening to her recently, but it could be like something from what i've heard from her "ultraviolence" album, both in themes and production.

"Down Bad"

as i mentioned before, there's obvious similarities in title name to "hits different". once again, per my midnights/ttpd sister album theory, i believe this will be the flipside of "hits different". "oh my! love is a lie"? nope, she's down bad baby!!!

there might be similar themes but my prediction will be her thinking she won't be able to move on, as seen in "hits different", and does everything in her power to make sure the two of them stay together, even overlooking things that hurt or disrespect her, like in the previous track.

as for production, i'm thinking once again lana del rey style but i don't think i could give you more than that, sorry y'all

Side B:

"So Long, London"

gee i wonder who this is about. i really really really

okay so track five. the awful, godforbidden, heart-wrenching track five. with the title "so long, london". rip london boy. rip cornelia street. rip lover.

i don't think i can say much here. it speaks for itself. the fandom has gone nuts enough. i'm going nuts. production? sad. "i hate boston" renee rapp vibes. i'm not fucking ready for this y'all

"But Daddy I Love Him"

back at it again with The Bargaining. also the reference to ariel (i'd seen this theory elsewhere) where she had traded her voice for a chance with this man.... aha..... i wonder if mayhaps we could be hearing about never talking about joe directly, keeping them on the down low......

maybe we'll be hearing the production pick up to be sassier, maybe even her playing a bit of a character/story in this song? or this could be a really really sad one where she's begging that she loves him and she doesn't want to leave and it's almost like a lullaby, like "last kiss" or "new year's day". either or. this album might wreck me btw

"Fresh Out The Slammer"

as mentioned before in my connection to "hits different", it was the metaphorical police after all, because of course joe wasn't there. now, of course, this theory could be completely wrong.

the prison metaphor, which could definitely be a callback to "he can be my jailor, burton to this tailor", as now most happy things in that six relationship have soured. an additional interpretation could mean she had escaped this slammer of the relationship and "hits different" is the grief coming back, trying to be happy about escaping but she's really not. but Who Knows. i'm making shit up. i'm also an insane writer. take it with a grain of salt.

this i'm excited because it's giving southern badass, it's giving first taste of freedom, get me a rifle, a pack of cigarettes, and my cowboy boots, time to exact my revenge of all y'all who put me here!!!!

"Florida!!!" featuring Florence and the Machine

if you couldn't tell from my excessive y'all's, i am indeed a floridian.... can you believe it.

honestly i have very little idea what this might entail but the exclamation marks give me hope i won't be sobbing. there's a theory out and about how she went to florida soon after the breakup for the tour so i'm wondering how that connects, what she's talking about in particular or if she just really loves disney world

my only indication is florence and the machine so i'm hoping it's something in that realm because i do like their songs!!! oh it might also be country-adjacent, considering florida (derogatory) (but it's fine since i like taylor swift country)

Side C:

"Guilty as Sin?"

back at it again with potential prison metaphors. also perhaps a religious reference. which might be relevant to people calling her "demonic" or that she's "strayed from God" or whatever radical Christian bullshit they're on today... or perhaps joe or someone had tried to put the blame on her for something and she's like ????

anyways this could go a few different ways but the question mark has me thinking this might defy my expectations. idk i don't trust it

i honestly have no clue on the production. gun to my head if you asked me for the correct answer, 9/10 my brains will be painting the adjacent wall. but bc this is silly and jolly i'm gonna guess this is gonna be a bit of a classy clapback song since i'm going with the midnights sister album theory and there's a bit of those in there

"Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?"

i've basically already given my thoughts on this. she's literally just a girl. a grown woman at a football game. an international superstar who sings her silly little songs that she wrote with her super serious english major. she's putting so much carbon in the air by flying private? aww sweetie are you trying to blame taylor swift for something you should be blaming on big corporations AGAIN? silly you! educate yourself :)

anyways. so moral of the story is she's literally just a girl. and i hope it's not sad but it could be, like "anti-hero"'s sister.

i hope there's some sort of nature-esque feeling to it. like crickets chirping in the background, leaves rustling. i think it could definitely be like the vibes of a little girl who you've heard urban legend about like carving out the bowels of anyone who disturbs her but she's actually the sweetest little thing. that could be poetic asf. maybe i should be a writer (has not touched my long-term project document in a month)

"I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)"

and you know what. she's so real for this

as a certified attempted fixer, i feel qualified to say this will be a banger. lowkey. i'm begging for a little sexy guitar and drums action. maybe even something a little sultry idk.... gives me that vibes

also yes. more bargaining. but she's SURE she can fix it. and if i know anything, i know i trust taylor swift

"LOML"

see guys, she fixed him? see? see? she so fixed

um so yeah i'm mostly piggybacking on others' theories about this about "loml" not standing for "love of my life" and instead perhaps "love or my life" or "loss of my love" or something adjacent... so um ackshually this will 99% percent be depressing

i have strong feelings about piano here. i think piano will be the main instrument. one: because joe. joe piano. joe piano exile. joe exile. okay. two: because ballad. piano ballad..... guys this is basically a formal essay if you haven't noticed

Side D:

"I Can Do It With A Broken Heart"

so guys i'm starting to believe there may not be happiness on this album. if there is, there is "happiness" by taylor swift and we all know how that goes.

this is sad but badass. she's writing albums, she's on the highest grossing tour ever, she's fucking heartbroken. y'all. an icon. round of applause. i want to give her a hug.

i'm thinking it could be something a bit like "billie bossa nova"??? i have no basis for this assumption. none of this is based on anything. but that's my guess

"The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived"

once again putting the L in joe alwyn.... ricky when i catch you ricky when i

if i hear anything. anything at all about joe needing to belittle her to feel bigger. if there was ANY sort of attempt to make her smaller because he was insecure about his life. i will not be responsible for what happens

it's giving piano, once again, for obvious reasons. but it might be a bit of a builder. but like a soft building song. like "you're on your own, kid". obviously different productions but yk what i mean.... me and my sister album theory bullshit

"The Alchemy"

girl you can't say "never beating the sorcery allegations" then put this as a track like you're really

i don't really have too strong opinions on what this is going to be like except this maybe having some connections to "labyrinth" and "glitch"? my initial thought is something about her and joe's chemistry, maybe about how it died, or something to that extent.

and also no idea on what it might sound like but i'm thinking we might lean into more florence and the machine vibes so yippee

"Clara Bow"

hey so if you know anything about clara bow, or if you're like me, you've seen so many tumblr girlies tell you about the emotionally devastating life of clara bow due to this track name. um

this will definitely be an amazing closing track (at least for the standard edition). it might kill me in the process. but if taylor does one thing right, it's her usage of historical storytelling, as well as the ties and connections to taylor's life will be immaculate. and from what i hear, i might be sobbing my eyes out as well so that's great

i'm feeling strings on this, like violins and all that, soft and tragic. i know clara's story, at least what i've heard, reminds me of "the lucky one" so that might be thrown a bit in there but overall i have a feeling that she's about to call the orchestra

Bonus track: "The Manuscript"

me and the cd i ordered bout to go crazy

i don't really have much else to say since i said most of my piece earlier, connecting it to "dear reader" as per my theory. maybe we'll be leading into a more hopeful note, considering her relationship with travis, or maybe i'm just delusional and i know i'm gonna cry to this

my thoughts on the production i think, as per "dear reader", a bit more minimal, soft like a nurturing hand. it might build but i think overall, it might be the light at the end of the tunnel, the "hey, i know you think it's the end of the world but p.s. i love you and you're gonna get through this". (watch it end up ripping my guts out and spitting on my body)

FINAL THOUGHTS:

though i swore i wouldn't clown, i did think rep tv was about to be announced on grammy's night. i think many of us did. but this is easily just as amazing of an announcement and whether it's like my predictions/wishes or exactly the opposite, i'm really excited to see what world she's invented next for the swifties to dive into! please if anyone has any predictions that are different or adding on, give me your theories.... i want to know...... and ofc thank you taylor for being the gift that keeps on giving and giving (the amount of albums she has released within the past two years alone... insane) (WHILE DOING IT WITH A BROKEN HEART!!!!) and please pretty please have at least one kind of not sad song on this album please okay thanks i love you

[frienderbender]

gonna celebrate today the only way i know how. aside from drawing stuff. essays!

anyway since i get to be louder than usual today about my fave character i thought i’d link a bunch of stuff i’ve written on him since today’s all about celebrating our favorites and talking about why we love them. so here’s links to a bunch of stuff i’ve written about the one and only sober king, rikki kixx!

King for a Day (my ongoing backstory webcomic about him) (18+)

Rikki’s Personal Style Evolution from the 90s into the mid-2000s

Family Lore Post

An In-Depth Look at the Kikkin’ It Rehab Center

A Very Shortened Ramble on Why I Love Him

[gildedmuse]

Despite all appearances otherwise, I'm still (like barely) alive. I'm actually all caught up with the anime right now and there is just so much I've been needing to scream into the electronic void talk about. (I've even got screenshots/gifs for most of it, it's just a matter of finding a time when work doesn't drain every inch of my health by the end of day.)

But I didn't stop by to complain! No, I just wanted to share a minor clip from one of the more recent episodes. Nothing big or spoilery or anything, promise. It's just this small, otherwise unimportant, entirely missable scene....

You know, the one with Zoro being so unbelievably sexy that I haven't once stopped thinking about it in DAYS.

Just look at him! That smirk! (Are they sure Enma is the sharpest blade because that smile could cut right through a Mihawk's cold, haki infused heart.) Actually, you don't even have to look at him, that voice alone is easily more powerful than Gears 1 through 3 (and hey, I won't claim it could take on the god-like powers of Gear 4, we don't really have enough material to judge. Oh, here's an idea! Let's put them both in front of Law, see which one destroys him faster. I don't care if Gear 4 is Buggy-Bunny-But-The-Rock, The Rock still has to wind up his punches. But that look directed right at you? The devastation is likely immediate and irreversible.)

Like, the way he starts out almost defeated, the gravity and soberness in that initial "No" as he turns to face this seemingly unbeatable force. He's put the weight of Luffy's dream and the promise he's made to his captain on winning this battle, and taken along with how serious and direct he's been with Franky so far it helps create an expectation we're going to see that determined, unemotional, unbending Zoro from Thriller Bark or his battle with Kaido. He'll probably say something somehow very self centered while appearing selfless with that grave steeliness he gets when he's resolved against all odds like, "No, I have to do this alone" or "No, what good am I as a swordsman if I can't do this for my crew and our captain?" or if he wanted to go with the typical overly dramatic swordsman tone: "No, Luffy is trusting me - to defeat this man, and make him king of the pirates!" And we'd all swoon because even though Luffy's default introduction/greeting/phrase to yell out regardless of the circumstances is, "My name is Luffy D Monkey and I'm going to be the king of the pirates!" when it's someone else saying it, fans get all emotional. Especially if it's one of the core characters who has a reputation as being more mature or is typically more reserved and private or is, I don't know, someone who tends not to waste his breath correcting stupid people who are being stupid because what does Zoro he care what these nobodies think, Zoro he knows with unshakeable certainty that what Luffy says is true and has enough confidence in both his captain and his own abilities that other's opinions aren't worth addressing.

And even though Zoro turning all seriousness and focused marks some amazing moments in battles, the way that at the last second he is staring straight ahead at this natural disaster level foe and that smile just cuts across his face, completely slicing through that more serious mask Zoro sometimes wears to reveal that bloodlust and pure unadulterated love of the challenge is so absolutely gorgeous and perfect and satisfying.

Like, yeah, of course I love when Zoro gets all Business-Only, For-My-Crew-Name-And-Captain and just doesn't back down or lose focus because he understands this is something he has to do and only he can take on this fight. It fills me with so many, many emotions all of which Zoro is doggedly ignoring because it's all about The Fight but in my heart I know it's because he feels so much for his friends that he's decided that this is his role on the crew to act as both attack and guard dog and take/deal the hits they can't. Beautiful.

But man, oh, man, can anything beat when Zoro goes full "fucking brat who thought learning to hold a katana between his teeth and stumbling his way through a handful of forgettable bounties meant that when the worldwide champion, a warlord, a man so unmatched he's become bored of the very art he master just happened to be passing by he immediately thought to himself, yeah, I'm MORE than ready to kick this asshole off his throne. Hell, just last week I was stabbed and nearly killed by some shitty clown but look how that turned out. I can take on anyone, this bastard included. For fuck's sake he's only got one sword. Fucking amateur."? And whose sole reaction to having his chest sliced in half was, "yo, captain, if you've got a fucking problem with me being fucking UNSTOPPABLE speak up while you can because after this, it's all kicking ass all the time."?

Like, man, you are one cocky little idiot. Never change.

And he didn't.

[mooshkat]

.

[shittywriterbrain]

apologies to everyone who has to interact with me today or tomorrow because i just CANNOT be normal about hamlet and i WILL be doing this inside my head

[fruitsofhell]

[still talking about this but i feel like this would be lost if it was just a reblog addendum]

For real my greatest regret with my time in this fandom is not finding enough people who talk about Kirby STORIES nor doing that enough myself. Like its always kinda just between "ah my adorable and/or tragic blorbos" and "MOST FUCKED UP KIRBY LORE!" as I've complained about 100 billion times now, but I really wanna talk about the evolution of the series' storytelling under Kumazaki's direction more and how you can really feel them finding their footing on What Kirby "Lore" Means.

Ever since Robobot the games have tackled more direct themes and science fantasy tropes and it's also when it's really started coming into it's own. Return to Dreamland and Triple Deluxe and wonderful but you can see where the team holding back on detail and leaning into more cliche platformer-y things didn't let them reach full potential. Robobot and KatFL on the other hand excel at the more sci-fi themeing because they really let that more out there stuff absorb into the fabric of the gameplay and visuals, and while I've touched on KSA not being as lush as those other two, it makes up for it with sheer volume of content in the end. Evil cults are more fantasy than sci-fi so it didn't have ideas as extreme as those other two to latch onto, but it could still be more purposeful with the levels in the middle yknow. But still, the writing of the Jamba and the design of Void Termina have a lot packed into them that make it work once you unpack it.

RTDL and Tripluxe you can maybe say theres like a theme of greed in a nebulous sense, but it is genuinely fluffy platformer fair with an interesting villain thrown in at the end, Robobot, KSA, and KatFL are like actual great sci-fantasy stories wrapped up in fairytale-like bow. RTDL and Tripluxe become good when you fill in blanks*, but the last 3 just Are Good, Straight Up*.

*I know some of you people out there think pause screens are supplementary but it is literally The Game's Text, so I mean good with the pause screens.

Like Kirby "Lore" HAS gone from What If There Was A Platformer Villain But Really Fucked Up to actual really cool commentaries on imperialism/industrialization, bonds and religion, and life. I think its really fucking cool and what actually has kept me a Kirby fan. I can find a platformer that gets really complicated the more you look into it's flavor text, or one with cute character designs, or sad moments, but you don't find one so often that like cares. That really cares about the characters and the world and stuff, but about saying something confidently. Kirby storytelling may not come off as confident to people because it's not overt, but the confidence is in the details that surround and support those ideas that in any other series would just be pedantic "lore".

Like Robobot doesn't have "lore" about Susie and Haltmann, it has a backstory complimenting a power struggle in the plot's climax that ties into the idea of imperialism being a cannibalistic pursuit. Star Allies doesnt have "lore" about doomsday cults and gods, it has a story about how real bonds and connections can form even in dark places and its important to cherish those and not let circumstances corrupt them (or something, it has been a whilehgjh). And KatFL doesnt have "lore" about ooooo all the humans are dead this IS THE DAHKEST KIRBY GAME!! Its fucking aboyut how animals and joy and whimsy will reinherit the earth!

im justfuskdgs WHOS DOING THE KIRBY LITERARY ANALYSIS?? Where are they? They have to be out there im so fr ghsf