#fansong analysis

[betweenlands]

i am so deeply emotional about sbk right now. how the hell does a server this good exist

[doomspiral]

I learned to draw bcs its been a lifelong compulsion. I learned to write so i could one day write a 100k fanfiction about ivan and gilbert and im not kidding. Write fic badly and improve. Draw art badly and improve. Make edits and fansongs and poetry and bind books and run events and exchanges and leave comments and post meta analysis. Just do something. Do not be passive, even cheering others on and improving at giving feedback is sharing the joy, and is creation.

[astralexpressarchives]

Dan Heng, the Imaginary, and the Lunarescent Depths

So I was recently discussing lore with a friend of mine and we came to a very interesting conclusion about Dan Heng that just makes a little too much sense for me to not make post about.

Dan Heng is an artist who uses the blood of Long to paint imaginary realms into existence and also Long is probably an Imaginary Aeon

Okay hear me out.

So everybody has the 4 star version of Dan Heng on their account. Everybody would have seen his ultimate ability and should be quite familiar with his line:

This sanctuary, is but a vision... Break!

The animation begins with a zoom in on his sphere - very likely the same sphere he uses in his Dan Heng: Imbibitor Lunae form for his spells. He closes his eyes.

Now, the camera zooms out quickly so that we can see the sanctuary that is but a vision.

Then he attacks the enemy, his weapon trailing black splatters of...

Ink!

Alright, now let me back it up a bit for a brief intermission and introduce you to the Judges of the 10 Lords Commission. The Undestroyed Notes makes this statement about the Judges:

A sister among the disciples once described to me one of the judge's brushes — it could write talismans out of thin air, which would make the written words come true.

Of course, we now know this is likely a reference to Hanya as her recent promo material shows her using a magic brush:

She specializes in reading the karma and sins of criminals, and records their crimes and punishments with the Oracle Brush.

It's unclear is this Oracle Brush is in fact the brush that can write things out of thin air, but it's worth noting regardless.

The point is that there is precedence in HSR for characters using brushes/painting/writing to make things real.

Back to Dan Heng, though. It doesn't stop at his 4 star variation, either. Dan Heng: Imbibitor Lunae's ultimate is a very similar story.

A zoom in towards his sphere, his eyes are closed - this time, the (drawn!) clouds are circling him.

Then a scene where the entire thing looks painted! But it doesn't stop there.

Dan Heng and Blade

Now, as with any analysis of Dan Heng, it's basically impossible to make one without also mentioning Blade since Hoyo is obsessed with them:

Blade's sword graveyard (the Hellscape, as he calls it) is very similar to Dan Heng's heavenly moon realm. I believe this is because these locations are mirror images of each other - that is to say, the mountainous area is a real location and one or both of their ultimates are mirror/s of this location.

Also note that he also accesses this location by "slicing" it out of thin air with his Blade.

Also note the drawn aesthetic of the spiderlilies, I think this is implying they are in another realm - same as when he is in his ult and the spiderlilies are projected on his attack! In that same scene, if you look very closely you can spot some lotus the water (extra credit to my friend for spotting this one!)

The realm keeping commission has this image of a dragon's face over the moon between two sets of mountains, one set is upside down mirroring the other set.

A few more examples of Dan Heng and Blade as mirrors:

Blade in the reflection of the water. Note the presence of the moon and leaves surrounding Dan Heng vs the Arbor roots surrounding Blade.

We also know the arbor roots are a real location because we fight Phantylia there beneath the Scalegorge:

The Azure Dragon enters through a circular cloud formation and arrives at the mountainous location on the Xianzhou.

Blade in his fansong shown at the circular clouds swapping identities of Blade vs Yingxing (this happens when he is "marastruck" as seen in his trailer). In his fansong, the clouds lead to the red moon.

This is important because Blade is the creator of Cloudpiercer - the weapon attached to the orb Dan Heng uses to paint his imaginary landscapes - and Blade also created the sword he uses that cuts open the portal to the hellscape. It's unclear if the connection is the weapons or something else, like Dragonheart theory would would mean Blade's blood contains Long's blood which could be the triggering tool.

Anyway, we know these mountains are a real location because Dan Feng was imprisoned there. I believe this location is the Lunarescent Depths Delve below the Scalegorge:

We also know there is a moon present at Blade's Hellscape:

Keep in mind that this splashart features the moon (piercing through the clouds, very subtle Hoyo), destroyed arbor roots, the sword graveyard, and the spiderlilies. Now compare these images:

This is the same area before and during/after the sedition. Note the arbor roots that were present in the reflection of Blade, the water, the chains, the moon (eclipsed, too) that he is drinking the power of...

To drive the point home even further, here's Blade seated during Kafka's companion quest, courtesy of my friend:

Doesn't that painting look... familiar??? Other than in this location, the painting only shows up in two other locations on the Xianzhou one of which is the Realm-Keeping Commission office (which is literally covered in Vidyadhara mountain references - seriously go check it out for yourself).

Hoyo is definitely hinting at something with this set up, lol.

Genshin

It's hard to talk about a Hoyo game without mentioning Genshin Impact. Honestly, a lot of the Vidyadhara story mirrors the story in Genshin, especially Fontaine, for example:

Special water, potentially people made of water

Water dragon making rain in idle animation

Small female child contained by local scientists might have the soul of a god or could be a scam

And more... but the point is people who play Genshin might be familiar with the story of the melusines who were created with the blood of a dead dragon and they live inside it's corpse and also one of them is a painter using the blood of said dead dragon and also fiction is real and they can enter it in an imaginary space?

Yeah... I think they might have copied that idea and applied it to Dan Heng, allowing him to paint using the special water (probably the Blood of Long) and allowing him to create imaginary spaces. "This sanctuary is but a vision" a vision he literally painted!

I swear I'm not crazy.

Long the Permanence

Now here's an additional theory I have about Long the Permanence.

Long could be an Aeon that exists within the Imaginary space.

By this I mean the reason noone has met him or knows where he is or what happened to him is because he's always been imaginary. His scions exist in the primary reality, of course, but Dan Heng's power comes from the Imaginary element in his Imbibitor Lunae form.

This is further supported by the fact that the moon in reality (outside of the mountain scenery) only shows up briefly at key moments for corresponding characters.

It shows up briefly in Fu Xuan's trailer when she recites lines from a poem about the moon but otherwise is absent. Note how she has Long's constellations on the back of her outfit and dragon heads on her tools.

Jingliu's power is also moon based and you also see the moon in the reflection of her ice/nearby water. The reflection of the moon is actually the real power behind her attacks and the moon that appears behind her is a mirage projected from the reflection (not the other way around!). And in the recent Jingliu Myriad you can tell at the start that the moon only just appeared because the moon flowers are only just blooming! IRL these flowers only bloom at night time, presumably in the moonlight, so the fact that they only just opened implies the moon was not present earlier in the scene. This is the same flower eternally bloomed on her shoulder.

Also note how both scenes where she is drawing upon the moon's power also becomes drawn in an inky art style! Just like Dan Heng.

I might stop here because this post is already very long but I might do a whole post dedicated to dissecting Jingliu's lore and symbolism in greater depth, especially as more Jingliu content is released over the coming days.

[toytle]

Hi! I love your art style it's like. Breathtaking. And your hcs on barry are some of my favourites of all time?

What do you think of "The Ballad of Barry Allen by Jim's Big Ego as an analysis of Barry's character?

are you asking or are you telling me 🤨 lol THANK YOU i put all my headcanon power into him <3

for the ballad, i love their song stress, and this isn’t bad at all as far as fansongs go. but there’s a reason i don’t include it in my barry playlist, and it’s ultimately bc it doesn’t fit my narrative haha

the song was made in 2003 and i haven’t read many comics before then, so idk how well it aligns w barry’s characterization prior to flashpoint, but i’m basing my playlist off post-flashpoint, so that’s where a lot of the differences will lie

for starters, the song only includes one half of barry’s relationship to his superspeed, and it’s important to me that a barry interpretation includes both sides of that coin. instead, it’s playing on the idea of the dark side of the hero fantasy, an inherently optimistic genre. which, fair, being a superhero sounds like a nightmare, but that angle is less novel to me when that’s the extent of the analysis (and i’m a little over the whole “i hate being a superhero” storyline in general, personally). the song is basically abt how much it would suck to have superspeed bc the world slows to a crawl and you’re left behind bc no one else can keep up w you. and it’s true, that is a very real setback! especially for someone like barry who’s already prone to self-isolation and time management issues! but what does the song actually have to say abt him as a character?

the thing is, barry isn’t a “i wish i wasn’t a hero” kind of guy. he’s a “could i be so strong [to give up the flash]? or do i love the thrill of these powers too much?” kind of guy. he’s a “knowing what i know now… if i could go back in time… maybe i would’ve been somewhere else the day lightning struck my lab and electrified those chemicals, ready and willing to forfeit a life of dodging deathtraps and battling villains… who am i kidding? there’s no going back. no do-overs. like everyone else, superheroes can only follow the path destiny has laid out for them, whatever lies ahead.” kind of guy. yes, barry is caged by his superspeed, but it would be misleading to not present it first and foremost as the very thing that frees him. it’s a double-edged sword that gives him purpose, and that freedom in obligation is what motivates him to keep going. as a wise man once said, “all you can do is go forward.” (“thanks.” “superman is pretty smart isn’t he.” “hm.”)

i think the real kicker for me was this lyric: “i’ve got time to think about the past… how my life was so exciting before i got this way.” my sincerest apologies to mr. allen, but he does not feel complete to me without his mother’s death or his father’s false imprisonment. this backstory contextualizes everything for me. his life was NOT exciting before his superspeed, it was lonely and full of escapism, either in his sci-fi/comics or his dedication to finding justice. i am of the belief that barry didn’t truly start living until he got his superspeed, over 2 decades of waiting around before he rly understood freedom and what it meant to live for himself. i get what they’re trying to do here, but this is what i mean when i say it feels like the song characterizes barry around the concept of his speed rather than how barry’s speed defines him as a person

ik i can’t expect a 4min song to include every aspect of a character’s timeline/development/nuance (esp before some of that even existed lol), but my issue isn’t that it doesn’t cover enough ground—it’s not bad that they had a theme and stuck by it, i actually love the lyrics from a speedster perspective. my issue is that i don’t think this is a good framing for barry’s character as a whole. for all his regrets and suffering, barry is optimistic to the point of denial. choosing this to be The theme to represent barry just. doesn’t feel like barry to me. it’s more like barry is the placeholder subject as an excuse to sing abt superspeed

if this was somehow less overtly a “BARRY ALLEN FANSONG” and maybe more metaphorical or even non-fandom, then it would be a dif situation and i might have dif opinions. at the end of the day, this has more to do w my pickiness than the quality of the song, and the fact that it even exists is so exciting for me as a barry allen enjoyer first, human second. but if you’re going to call smth a character study, i Will be getting my hopes up

[aurae-rori]

Have you listened to the Aventurine fan-song "Gambler"? Thought it might interest a fellow character analyst.

THERES AN AVENTURINE FANSONG? HOLDON I'M RUNNING SO FAST.

that reminds me that i gotta finish my aventurine analysis.. might wait until i finish the end of 2.2 quest though just to make sure i nail everything...

[shawmlinsitly08]

I have been considering making an Asriel/Flowey side-blog for a while now. Analysis, headcanons, fansongs (maybe remixes, too), fanart, theories, and general brainrot on his Goddamn character (+ AUs). Complying those posts in one place. Along with my own posts, too.

No mischaracterization. No misconceptions. No fandom-mandela shit. Mostly true and canon-compliant to his character.

Yes, this includes Aro/Ace interpretations of him. Gender identity included, too!

One more thing: it's okay that he can't feel love. Loveless people exist. And it seems that monsterkind puts Love, Hope, and Compassion on a pedestal (their equivalent of "Love is what makes us human), and maybe one of the reasons why Flowey cannot connect the same way as monster culture does.

[Anyone who ships Asriel with Chara can kindly Fuck Off. </3]

[syn4k]

I am once again going insane over a Minecraft series that I cannot get into currently but the levels of autism radiating off of my phone are making me insane anyways

This is like when I learnt all the dsmp stuff via osmosis (mainly fanfiction, fansongs, animatics, and my beloved character analysis video essays) and was feral over certain parts of it despite never watching any of the source content (I've seen 1 tales from the smp EP and was there for like maybe 5 minutes of a Tubbo stream towards the end but that's it)

I applaud you, it is a special skill to be so insane about something that someone else becomes insane just by hearing you talk about it

to love something so uniquely and fervently that you inadvertently cause others to love it as well is an honor that i drape upon my shoulders with trembling hands.

I am messy, and I am chaotic and I am alive, and in the midst of the disjointed rambles and the fluttering hands i am glad that the humanity at the core of it all shines through in a way that touched ya.

hopefully you get around to watching this sooner rather than later whoever you are though because my back's kinda starting to hurt from carrying an entire fandom on my back,,,,, LSLSDKKSFNJSFJSKDK

[fictionfixations]

Not My Turn to Die | YTTD Fansong | Theme Analysis Essay (Rough Draft)

Have you ever thought about how intense situations, can lead to unforeseen changes? How the desire to survive can lead to harmful tendencies? Or how it could hurt allies?

The song “Not My Turn to Die” by Mcki Robyns-P is about a fictional character called Sou Hiyori, the secondary antagonist, from the Japanese horror game, Your Turn to Die -Death Game by Majority-, by Nankidai.

In the game, you play as Sara, in, as self-explained, a death game by majority. More specifically, by majority vote. The theme of the song, in my opinion, is about the encompassing need to live, that suffocates you and pushes you to do things you hadn’t, or maybe wouldn’t do prior, only for the fact of how it can backfire in the worst of ways. It might not even be worth it in the end.

Around the start, it speaks of how the “odds are going to laugh at me anyway”, and continues to say, “I’ll copy that cruel tone and laugh back in their face”. Mix this with another line a quarter in, which states, “Suffocated by an all engulfing Zero. “So, Sou…” “How far are you willing to go?” When you mix this with the actual context, it provides an incentive for how and why he is. Hiyori Sou, or more accurately, Tsukimi Shin at the time, was brought into a death game. The first trial tends to vary a little, but his was being forced to listen to Sue Miley (the floor master, who’s a doll, or more accurately, a robot with an AI. Note that they’re usually based off real people in-game.) speak in excruciating detail about a simulation conducted by AIs based off the roster of participants. From that, chances of survival were calculated, and Shin was at a very low, 0.0%. This caused a break in his personality, “suffocated by an all engulfing zero”, and in his desire to live, he took the name of someone who was once a friend but someone who he now hates, Sou Hiyori.

Shin Tsukimi is assumed to be a timid person (based off a future interaction with Shin’s AI in Chapter 3, Part One.), while Sou Hiyori (The original will be referred to as Midori) on the other hand is a bit paranoid, and is willing to do just about anything to survive. He has a friendly mask on at first, but he’ll go as far as to manipulate those he cares about to ensure his survival. More specifically, he imitated Midori’s personality, even though it was uncomfortable to deal with before the game.

The next verse continues to say, “Since the fate of this ‘me’ is to get betrayed - Before anyone can, I’ll throw that ‘me’ away! - If the truth is I’m not worth enough to survive - I’ll lie and I’ll lie, till the truth can’t decide what’s right! - Whether or not you hate this me - It’s not my turn to die”.

It’s a bit packed but let me explain.

The first line is about how he doesn’t trust anyone (note that Shin also says something about betrayal in the massacre ending), specifically saying ‘this me’ as if there were other versions, or perhaps facades. It’s possible  that Shin could’ve been betrayed in the simulation, which, “I’ll throw that ‘me’ away” (also an allusion to the 2nd main game where he confesses, "I threw Shin Tsukimi away!!") But note too that he’s especially paranoid around kind people like Sara, who he believes to have an ulterior motive. It’s possible he saw that ‘him’ as weaker, which only strengthens the idea that he shut off any part of him that could’ve lowered his survival chances. Continuing, the line about lying is most likely a reference to the first main game. Or more specifically, before it, where he went through the trouble of hiding certain cards (which technically determine your role). There’s not an exact reason besides ‘playing the cards’ right. In fact, he played it to where Kanna found the Sacrifice. He then traded it for his commoner, before hiding it again, but that could lead to them thinking he’s the sacrifice. …But then he also lied and claims to be the Keymaster. Two very separate roles. (If the keymaster is voted, everyone dies. If the sacrifice is voted, everyone BUT the sacrifice dies, and they can choose one other person to live too. Otherwise, the sacrifice dies as well as the voted. It is possible though that he was just trying to get rid of the sacrifice card while also getting favors where he can, but what had happened was that Sou claimed to be Keymaster, in which Kanna claimed to be the Sage, who can verify that.)

Besides that, though, “whether or not you hate this me”, is because he’s the reason Joe, who had the sacrifice card, who is also Sara’s best friend, died. He also gave a bit of whiplash by a sudden personality change where he ‘snaps’ while accusing Sara. And of course, it’s not his turn to die (despite the fact that people did try,) due to Kai earning two more votes than him. Remember, it’s a death game by majority.

Last but certainly not least, is farther then halfway but certainly not 3/4ths in, is “Gloomy turmoil overflows - Facing my ally who believes her life’s worth Nothing. - “So, Shin…” - “How long until that facade caves in?”… - …The fate of this ‘me’ is to get betrayed - But I still couldn’t throw all the weaknesses away - If the truth is only one us can make it out alive - I’ve lied and I’ve lied, so it’s better to kill me, right? - Because I know you hate this me... - It’s my turn”.

In the second main game, there are four participants to be chosen for the ‘finals’. Keiji, Kanna, Sou, and Nao.

Keiji is the Keymaster. Nao is the Sacrifice. Kanna and Sou are the only commoners, and that means that they are the only ones who can be voted without leading to everyone’s death. There’s a problem here, and it’s deeper than ‘little girl vs adult male’, or ‘emotion vs logic’. Kanna is Sou’s sister. (Asunaro, the organization in charge of the death game, gave consent forms, where "I agree to devote myself to Asunaro for granting my wish." That’s it. No specifications or fine print. His was to meet his sibling.)

Kanna is also Sou’s only ally in a sense. Kanna was the one who stuck by him when everyone else was distrustful of him. Kanna trusted him, and you can only last for so long until a person like that is someone you care deeply for. “But I still couldn’t throw all the  weaknesses away.” Kanna was his weakness, and that conflicted with his need to live. When you want someone else to live too.

He confessed to everything.

“I... rewrote the blackboard... and also... I destroyed my own monitor in the Monitor Room!! I've told you everything! Just like I swore!! So please... save me... Win us an extension, please...!!”

Notice the use of us after he laid himself bare, after he confessed to it all, and then he had genuine trust in Sara to keep them both alive. This is because there was an error. Gashu, the host of the second main game, made a transgression.

"He'd try to kill a "non-candidate"

This is because of the roster of survival rates, Shin pointed out that they said candidates, not participants. That means of the four not listed.

The only one not listed in the final note is Nao, who has the sacrifice. Gashu was the one who tampered with the sacrifice, because "There's someone among us who doesn't have the right to victory... a non-candidate?" Note that the only ones left are the people on the roster. The only one who wasn’t was Nao, and that meant she didn’t have an AI. Therefore, it would mess up their ‘perfect’ simulation, and that was why he’d try to kill her.

..This is all for naught, because the game does not end.

"[4] If there is misconduct during the Main Game, it either proceeds with the transgressor's death, or must be retried 24 hours later!"

He kills himself, and they’re back to square one.

In the game, there are two paths that branch off here. Sou lives or Kanna lives. In the song, Sou is the one to live, and Kanna is the one who dies. The thing is, is that Sou is the one who begs for Sara to vote him, telling Kanna, who was speaking about voting her instead, and that Sou deserved another chance, to shut up. "Sara!! You hated me from deep down, right?! Aren't I awful?!" (from the game) “Because I know you hate this me...” (from the song)

So. Sou, or rather, Shin Tsukimi survived. He did everything in his power to last, to prove the simulation that taunted him wrong. To do so, though, he manipulated and lied. He hurt and he taunted. He changed his name, and he put on a mask. He did it! And for what? He left his past behind, made an ally out of a girl he manipulated and tricked. ..And when it all backfires, the one moment he stops caring about his own, and instead of another.. It didn’t really change anything, did it? He lived.

And to you, reader, I have one final question to leave you with.

Was it worth it? (and who would you choose, but that’s not much of a thinker, and “one final question”. Well it is, but the ‘was it worth it’ is partially to what sou did, as well as “was whatever decision you made in game worth it?” Sou or Kanna. Logic vs Emotion.) honestly this sucks

anyway this was helpful cause im actually writing a shin pov oneshot

[danmeichael]

i write a lot of prose and analysis for a guy who's listening to fnaf fansongs while reading yaoi

[akuma-homura]

also, with me and dsmp, i'm not following it anymore and ultimately my interest with it was always MAINLY with ranboo, technoblade and the syndicate

also the music. a lot of the fan music kicks absolute ass.

since technoblade is... gone, and the rest of the syndicate group aren't continuing onto the next season, there's no reason for me to attempt to follow it along.

not to mention uh, other things and all going on, to where this is a good time to stop watching, but.

I still enjoy seeing c!techno and syndicate related things musings / analysis / art / ect ect though, thus why I'll still reblog those.

plus still listen to some songs. again, a lot of the fansongs slapped hard.

[thatradfailure]

I decided to assign songs I like to various TF2 characters sue me

Administrator: Snuff Out The Lights (Cut song from The Emporer's New Groove) I just think it's as vain as she is.

Engineer: Red Solo Cup (Toby Keith) While it's alcoholic tones may lead one to assign it to Demo, it's noticeably Southern. The guitar and easy sing-along nature of the song means I can see Engineer whipping out his guitar at a party and singing it.

Sniper: Godzilla (BLUE OYSTAR CULT) My dad introduced me to the song, and it turns out, I think Sniper has music taste similar to my dad. Aside from that, I can see Sniper listening to this while he's taking a nap, imagining himself as Godzilla and destroying a city.

Spy: This Comes From Inside (Five Nights At Freddy's: Security Breach fansong by The Living Tombstone) Burning down what's around you. Uncovering secrets you were never meant to have. Regrets about the past, sorrow for it, yearning to take what isn't yours. That's what I get from the song (surface level, I'm aware- I'm not good at having in-depth analysis of songs yet), and I think all of that can easily be applied to Spy.

Soldier: Dare To Be Stupid (Weird Al) I will not elaborate (but it is one of my favorite songs).

Medic: Like A Surgeon (Parody of Like A Virgin by Weird Al) Medical Malpractice.

Hale: How Bad Can I Be? He's not remorseful enough to qualify for the better, cut version of the song, Biggering. I'm not linking the song because 1. This is Tumblr and 2. I don't feel like looking it up right now.

Pyro: Sweet Tooth Stomp (Moshi Monsters) Song about an evil nonbinary clown causing havoc with sweets and candy. Yeah that sounds about right for Pyro.

Demo: West Country Man (The Dreadnoughts) Every time I listen to this song my brain creates a funny little music video with Demo for it.

Heavy: Lullaby For A Princess (My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic fansong by Ponyphonic) Boiling down the song to it's bare essentials, it's about a sibling who feels regret for sending their sibling very far away. For Celestia, it's banishing Luna to the moon. But I can also see it for Heavy, leaving his sisters and mother in Russia while he's off fighting in the United States. It's a deeply melancholic song that I think fits his loving, caring nature for his family.

Scout: Crazy = Genius (Panic! At The Disco) He thinks he's way more than he actually is. Like the song.

Miss Pauling: The Production Line (Lethal Company fansong by The Stupendium and Dan Bull) She works so hard. She has one day off a year. She's Admin's personal assistant, she handles weapon deals with Saxton Hale, AND she cleans up after the mercenaries. But that's just what we get to see her do. She may seem like she enjoys it, but surely it eats at her.

[erigold13261]

I really didn’t know if I morally should assign theme songs to your OC Ilia but I have to:

There’s this song called “Hito Mania” by Sasuke Haraguchi

English cover here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bGc8ZH28WTY

Although the lyrics make little sense, people theorize it’s from a POV of an AI who is making fun of humans. The AI sees humans as fucked up, but still encourages them to keep living because the AI is a “People Mania” (like Ilia) (I think Ilia ends up adopting a more cynical attitude towards humanity, especially after joining the curses)

the instrumentals also have a very non-human vibe to them, making it very fitting for him

Ooooh! I really like that song a lot! (Also for me I don't care if you want to assign my OCs or personas with songs! I like seeing how others interpret my own creations and songs are an easy way to see that, so if you think a song fits and OC or persona, then you can send that in and I will get to it at some point hopefully!).

Also also not gonna do my usual line by line analysis this time because I don't have time or energy to do so.

But anyway! I like that theory about the song being from an AI's perspective a lot! Like a morbidly curious AI who loves watching humans do human shit BECAUSE humans are fucked up.

And honestly, that's basically what Ilia is like. He loves the weird ass humans who are not "conventional" or do crazy shit like extreme sports, but slowly he ends up having a mindset like Mahito where seeing humans pushed to the limit is just fun to watch (you know Ilia has shown all the curses a shit ton of horror movies).

He still loves humanity, but is more in line with Mahito's kind of thinking of changing them. Though he doesn't particularly take pleasure in seeing people in pain like Mahito, he does like the advancements in power and forced evolution that Mahito is making (kinda like how I see Moira and Liv not particularly getting pleasure in causing people unjustified pain, but the two love seeing science and humanity progress even if it causes pain. Which is unlike Mahito and Medusa who DO find pleasure in pain, especially if it also causing an advancement in their research).

The instrumentals of the song is definitely the type of music that I see Ilia listening to (mainly because I like the idea that he and Hanami will listen to experimental/glitch EDM or hyperpop which can sometimes barely sound like actual music and instead sounds like clanging machinery. The kind of music that is the complete opposite you would find in a forest full of nature, but the sounds you would find in an industrial site of a city full of humans and machines).

For some reason, this song made me think of the My Little Pony fansong "Anthropology." Not in the vibe of the song, but in the context is given thanks to your ask. Of an AI obsessed with humanity the same way that Lyra as a pony is obsessed with humans. Ilia is obsessed in the way of not wanting to BE a human (like Lyra or possibly the Eriverse curses would still want), but to be with them either as equals or above them to just sit and watch them do their fucked up little shit (like watching an ant colony work).

But yea, Ilia ends up with a much more cursed mindset than he originally had (especially with Mahito's influence). And this song really just captures both of their mindsets together in my opinion!

Really good song! Definitely gonna listen to it a lot more!

[astralexpressarchives]

Dan Heng 4 Star Fansong Analysis English Captions!

My friend has been working on uploading the fansongs of Dan Heng and Blade with captions for the EN fans. She has finally completed the Dan Heng 4 star fansong which you can watch on youtube here!

Please also read her analysis on twitter where she explains each line more clearly! Chinese poetry is often intentionally formatted in ways that it references external content so it is hard to understand the intended meanings when translated literally. The ambiguity of this method is also what allows them to get past censorship laws as seen in the raunchy in-game poetry.

These fansongs are important because they've played a big role in uncovering the lore of Dan Heng, Blade, and the Xianzhou in general. People suspected very early that these songs were commissioned by Hoyo because of the way they predicted events that hadn't been revealed yet and had clearly been worked on for some time prior to publication. They were also created by a large studio and they wouldn't do that sort of thing for free, especially considering how many of these were made - there are 12 fansongs total that can be viewed here.

Now, we know that is most certainly the case because Hoyo recently promoted them on Spotify:

[ruby-whistler]

hi, here's a short (long) analysis of this song which you should at least give a watch in my opinion! you might not like it, but you also might, so i say give it a shot.

anyways, here's my personal interpretation of the lyrics i (co)wrote. ani might have a completely different one, but you know.

beforehand, i need to point out that the first half of this was written before c!wilbur's revival and the second one was written after.

so, starting with the title

my motivation for it was c!wilbur's general role in shaping the narrative of the server, as well as cc!wilbur often joking around about scripts and other plot elements.

another thing was a clip of him talking with philza about how he thought the server's storyline was becoming very scattered, and i got the idea that maybe when c!wilbur comes back, he might try to rewrite the plot to his benefit as he has done time and time again.

hence, the idea for the song was born in my mind as i was falling asleep one night, because that is the only time i get good ideas.

the first half

"history, history, s'told by the winners, made by the sinners"

this was a reference to wilbur quoting the famous line "history is told by the victors". the reason i chose to use this set of words is because although the winners (wilbur) are the ones telling the story, the people who actually make the impact are often flawed, and genuinely invested in the cause (rest of l'manberg).

while c!wilbur knew the cause of l'manberg was false, he let the "sinners", or people he considered lower than him, since he was the one "telling" the story, win the war for him and make history as he altered the finished "story" in his own favor.

"so lie that you'll free them, s'long as you lead 'em"

this one is pretty self-explanatory. wilbur promised the revolution freedom in return for total loyalty to him, his power, and his country.

i'd also like to point out the use of "you" in this song - this was written, once again, before the revival; it was however expected that dream was going to bring wilbur back at some point. and i'm pretty sure ani doesn't know this, but writing this, i intentionally made the "you" wilbur is singing to be dream.

in essence, wil's telling his newfound ally about how powerful he is due to his abilities to "rewrite the script" - picture this being your usual villain monologue song after a dramatic return, since wil's always had a knack for the theatrics. keep this in mind for the rest of the explanation of these lyrics.

"the ink doesn't dry 'till time blows by spin a silver web and they're comply"

i absolutely loved this lyric, i couldn't stop gushing about it. ani came up with this one completely, so i don't know whether or not it has any deeper meaning, but i wanted to point it out because it sounds hella cool. the second part is about c!wilbur spinning lies until people would listen to him and do what he wants.

"smiles in the mirrors, reality's a game"

this line was meant to give an idea of just how screwed wilbur's perception of the world and people around him is, in that he treats everyone's lives as a narrative, as a symphony, as something that belongs to him and is free for him to play with.

smiles in the mirrors can be taken in a lot of ways, but one interpretation i like is that wilbur and dream as characters are parallels in their actions, but no one realizes it because the narrative paints them in different lights and the tragic hero and puppeteer respectively, when it's moreso the other way around.

"with help from the spinners we can shift all the blame"

spinners are the people wilbur uses to "spin" the tales for him. and, well, he's always been very good at shifting the blame and making himself out to be a victim.

seeing as he's talking to dream, in this line he is also reassuring him that he has people on the outside that can help them "rewrite" the current narrative and shift the blame away from dream and wilbur, in order to change the public's perception of them, which is at the time overwhelmingly negative.

"and if the world hunts you down out your mind and around we'll set their precious world adrift, adrift"

this is the most obvious pointer that wilbur is singing to dream. he is directly telling him that since the people of the smp have "hunted" him (or would, if he were to escape), and have hurt him mentally and physically in the prison, wilbur would work with him to destroy their lives and their world as they know it for their mutual gain.

it also brings forth his views of possession and power; in essence, he sees himself as in charge of the lives of everyone in his story, hence finding their realities fragile and fully his own to mess with. he finds it amusing that he has full control over something so "precious" to them, and mocks this sentiment in the last line.

"and if you don't like what's shown and you feel like no one's grown just, rewrite the script!"

this was the first lyrics for the song, which ani wrote, after i proposed the idea. this begins a trend in the song where wilbur will alternate between talking to dream and the viewers themselves.

here he is directly addressing those who don't like the way the smp has been since wilbur has stopped writing, and who call out the lack of character development in certain people's stories. he is reassuring them that now that he's back, he will rewrite it to be more entertaining - for him, that is.

the second half

alright, now we're going over what i myself wrote the day wilbur was revived after getting a surge of inspiration.

"screams, broken voices poor writing choices"

this starts off with revived wilbur's opinions on the new storyline he has come into. the first line refers to the torture dream is going through in prison, and the second is him simply commenting on how he finds the plotline inadequate after his return.

"dreams of redemption caught my attention"

the interesting thing about this is that wilbur, as has been shown before with eret, doesn't believe in people's redemption.

this line insinuates that even if there was any chance of the circumstances changing and dream getting better, now that wilbur was back, he wan't planning to let that happen, as he finds it one of the aforementioned "poor writing choices".

it caught his attention as something he finds interesting - since he's always had a twisted fascination with people's hopes and goals, finding ways to use them to his advantage - but in the end, naive, since his outlook on the world has always been quite cynical.

"train wheels screech on the rails in the end, my world prevails"

this was an attempt to shove a reference to the stream i had just watched into the song. the train stopped in limbo, and it came to get him back out to the world of the living.

the second line is him boasting that he knew all along that his efforts to gain people's loyalty would would pay off in the end, and hence his "word" prevailed even over death.

"i've got tales in store, of loss and of war it's a shattered world for me to restore"

see, this entire sequence is quite the oxymoron, and it's meant to be confusing, showcasing once again just how twisted wilbur's outlook on the world is.

he finds the story "shattered", which is a reference to cc!wilbur saying he prefers more centred stories than what the dsmp is right now. he is promising to fix this, finding it another game for him to play, another puzzle for him to solve, however, his definition of "restore" is proven by the previous line to be a contradiction at its core.

he has plans from his time in limbo, and just like all of his stories so far, they're tragic and traumatizing to the people playing in them. he plans to perpetuate war and conflict in order to make the story more lively and dynamic, while using loss as a tragic element to push the "characters" in their lives further towards development.

in the end, the way he's planning to "restore" the world is by rewriting the narrative in such a way that it wouldn't stagnate, or work itself out naturally, but continue endlessly for him to write and control.

"villains and heroes, traitors and moles when push comes to shove they'll burn the world for their goals"

the second part of the first line was meant to be "interchangeable roles" instead, but we switched it out so it would be easier to sing.

it's talking about how after all, it doesn't really matter to wilbur who the villain or hero is, as long as they are part of the narrative that he has power over.

"and if i harness the flame their hope will blaze all the same no time for interests to conflict"

this is confirmation of the previous point that he can use people's feelings against them and in order to perpetuate his own "interests". as long as he can make people think he's helping them, even if their goals are different, there won't be room for them to truly conflict.

the people on the dream smp all burn with hope and passion and human emotions he can exploit and use in favour of himself and his story, and even then they won't get any weaker. he sees them as an endless fuel source he can take from, essentially.

"so when you're blue and betrayed by all the choices you've made just, rewrite the script."

the last lines of the song, and here he is speaking specifically to the characters in the story. all of them have made mistakes and been "betrayed" by their choices to trust others, which left them or others grieving or hurt.

wilbur is in essence mocking this, by pointing out, once again, how simple it is for him to "just rewrite the script", and take all of their "blue" away - while also making it clear that he only plans to use this power to take further control by driving those he sees fit further down their path of revenge and villainy.

epilogue

thank you all for reading, whoever did! this song was truly a passion project for me to work on, and i loved coming up with deeper meanings to the lyrics, by using my own personal interpretation of the character. i get that this is not everyone's interpretation, but i like it. i also really can't wait for what wilbur's up to now that he's back. either way, have a nice day!

[trashyinfernomusic]

Our L’Manberg: What Was I Thinking Pt 1

So here’s a link to the song if you haven’t heard it, yet:

Do we have that out of the way? Awesome. Let’s do this.

If ya don’t know me, the name is Inferno. Trashyinferno. Yes, there’s a story to the name, no, I’m not here to talk about it. I’m here to talk about this ^, a song I wrote way back in July of this year. It’s the first thing I’ve ever published, but I get a lot of questions about it - so this is me answering some of them. This is going to be in parts because wow do I have a lot to say.

The song begins with Wilbur, as most things in the L’Manberg era did.

“You may think we’re down, You may think we’re out of the fight You may think the armor’s not enough. You may think we’re not in the right.“

Simple words from the leader of a not so simple nation in a not so simple server. Here’s the thing, this is probably the most generic opening I could have come up with. “Oh no, we’re the underdogs. People don’t think we can win, but let’s show them!” All we’re missing is Shang singing about the dark side of the moon for this to be the opening of a Disney song, but that’s okay I think. It’s allowed to be a little campy, I think.

“But even as the flare goes up and people pick a side: His or ours? Are you willing to die? The proof is in the spirit, In the heart and the soul Are you ready? Ready to go.”

Okay, now we’re getting into some meat here. Fun fact about the L’Manberg v. Pogtopia war - it’s not the first war for L’Manberg. (You probably already knew that, but... meh. Felt like saying it again :D). So why did I write this the way I did? Wilbur, to me, is a character all about picking sides. He’s been betrayed so deeply (Eret) and watched his friends lose so much (Tommy, Tubbo) that he’s become definite. There’s black and white sides here. Outwardly, anyway. When Wilbur says side, I don’t really think he means it when he says “ours” in the song. I don’t think he believes it. I think he is really saying, “His or mine. Will you die for me?” But that’s not particularly inspiring at the moment so he goes with the ours.

But, dear reader, that’s my interpretation. That’s the way I imagined Wilbur when I wrote these lyrics for him. But, every song has its own interpretation, and I’m not going to say no to someone else’s.

Another question people ask me is why this song is so mellow? Well not necessarily mellow, but for a war song, you’d think it would hit harder, be more energetic. But see that’s the thing, I mentioned it before, but Wilbur, Tommy, Tubbo, Fundy - they’ve all been through war before. They’ve seen the horrors of it, they’ve seen what people can and will do in war and they’re tired. Wilbur is tired, and broken, and weathered down by conflict after conflict and while this is the final battle can you blame him? So no, someone who’s seen war isn’t going to be excited for it. No battle ready rock songs that make your blood pump. This is a steady rhythm of doing what we know must be done. Nothing more. This is rallying the battle weary troops for one last push.

Our L’Manberg is a song that’s very not like what I’ve ever written. It’s not rock. It’s not fast. It’s steady. The soul of it, the rhythm, is rock solid against the frenetic energy of war. I think that’s what makes it special.

This is only part one of... six? Maybe? There might be more because the last forty-five seconds of the song are a complicated doozy, but we’ll see. If you didn’t know, Our L’Manberg is on Spotify, Apple Music, Youtube, Deezer, Amazon Music Unlimited... Anywhere and everywhere you stream music, I’m there! So please, if you like the song, subscribe to my channel, check me out on YT and Twt and Insta and whatever - I appreciate any kind of support!

[tmmyhug]

*shoots up in bed* if we r canon to the dream smp as citizens of l'manburg and the dream smp and whatnot then the analysis posts are just like news channels debating politics... the fanarts are like war paintings and photos... the fansongs are like rallying ballads or musicals a la hamilton... the joke posts are like comic strips and comedy sketches... someone called vice president tommyinnit a scrunkly in the newspaper today

SOMEONE CALLED VP TOMMYINNIT A SCRUNKLY IN THE NEWSPAPER TODAY HDJANDHD also anon you might enjoy my #we the people tag