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rebloged-content · 4 years

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Recommended Sanders Sides creators

Marry Christmas, everyone! And a wonderful December day to all of you who don’t celebrate Christmas, too. Let’s be honest right off the bat, though: I’m only using the date as an excuse to do this list anyways.

So. Throughout the time I’ve spent as a part of this wonderful corner of the sanders sides fandom over here on tumblr, I’ve often found a new creator and wished I’d found them sooner. It kind of makes me wonder who else I might miss. If you do to, here are a few creators I’d love for you to check out. You’ll probably recognize some of the names, if not all, but maybe you’ll find a new favorite creator here?

And to the creators in question, I really love your content. If you’ve made it onto this list, you’ve definitely cause one or two sleepless nights of reading for me, because who needs sleep if I can have this, right? XD Whatever you’ll find written next to your name is the impression you’ve left on me and… Well, just know that you’ve made some days of my life at least a little happier, all of you. And I hope to repay the favor by telling you how much I appreciate you releasing your content into this world… Well, repay the favor at least a little, I suppose.

Let’s begin, then, shall we?

@5am-the-foxing-hour Because this? This is who you go to if you want to read good Janus-content. You are in a mood to read sympathetic Janus? Wanna see the danger noodle just casually interact with other sides? Go to their short stories. I mean, “the cult”? Prime example of how to tell a story with impact in just a few words. 8 paragraphs, but boy did I read that one on repeat. Or “water spray bottle”, this one is fun, short and will make you laugh. An energy drink for the fander heart, so to say.

Then there’s their mafia-au, “there’s more in me than precious metals”. Six are out so far, and I adore every single word of every single part of this. Protective Remus, sassy Janus, angst, comedy relief, destruction, Roman-Remus-sibling-rivalry, braincell Logan, survival instinct Virgil, working together over a common enemy… This fic has it all, believe me. Take your time and read it, because you will read the entire thing in one go once you start. At least I did, and I didn’t even notice.

And their advent writings? Those had me squealing and jumping around in a way I will deny if anyone ever sees it. I don’t even know what else to say, they are fucking fantastic and that’s that.

So, yeah. Go check them out, before I start fangirling about them even more. You know my personal favorites now, so just go there. You won’t regret it.

Next up is @coconut-cluster. Ah, yes, Lexi. Lexi, whose uni-AU started as self indulgent and has become the loceit story on tumblr. We all know her, or at least most of us do, and we all love her too. And while I also drop everything I do at any point of time I possibly can once I realize the uni-au has any form of new addition, there are a lot of other fics created by her that you should check out as well.

Did you, for example, ever want a sappy prinxiety one-shot with the sappiness only being implied, a mutual understanding of “we’re-not-saying-we-care-but-we-both-know-we-do” born from joking reassurances and a not-a-date-nope-only-a-break? While that may seem to be a tall order, that is exactly what “before the sun goes down” is. Plus there’s ice cream. Or maybe you’re more of a logince fan? Do you want a fic where Roman isn’t the prince but serves His Highness? Do you like sincere talks while you’re procrastinating showing your face to the subjects you don’t really want to rule over? In that case, you really should read “Viva la Vida”. Careful, though, this one is so sweet you’ll probably get a toothache… There also is an analogical fic that I’ve enjoyed very much: “Cracks in the Ceiling”. I love it, because it’s just calm. Fears creeping up on you, thrown away by a trusted friend with a few words, just by being there and playing into the metaphors you head created this time around. It’s calm, and there’s not really a climax or anything, but it doesn’t need one. Because it’s just a glance into everyday life. It’s beautiful in its own right, really.

What I’m saying is, Lexi has a lot more wonderful stories to tell than the uni-au. It’s the most popular one, sure, and it’s one of her best works. But you really should check out her other fics as well. Lexi herself once said that she writs fics she’d like to read. I would figure it’s because of this, but her stories are mostly things you don’t really find anywhere else. Dynamics, stories, world building, all of those are aspects you may find somewhere else. But Lexi is just one of those people who see what they miss in a fandom and create it themselves, and among these creators Lexi is my favorite. She just has that certain skill that makes that approach to writing result in the most enjoyable reading experiences. Lexi’s fics are special, because they’re different, because they are authentic and you can feel that when you’re reading her work.

@djpurple3 is another talented individual I want to talk about. I have to confess, DJ is, as far as original content goes, almost exclusively locked in my brain with the fiction “I just keep loosing my beat”. 23 Chapters so far, one better than the last. It’s a bitter-sweet story following Remus and his children, after the bitch of a mother has been brought behind bars. Abusive piece of shit. Yeah, I don’t like her much. But the story is so full of love and support, everyone trying their best, everyone seeing how much the others deserve the world and wishing they could give it to them… Roman and Remus have a sibling-dynamic I would die for here, too. Patton is just the most adorable friend to Deceit - here Damion - Virgil is a precious bean, Logan is cute and the teacher we all wish he’d had ourselves and… god, I could keep gushing about this fic forever. I’ll stop now, though, before I’ll start spoiler things. Wouldn’t want to do that, especially since I really, really, really want more people to give this a go. It’s not underrated, I just think everyone who doesn’t is missing out by a lot, so… Go over there and read DJ’s fic right fucking now, if you haven’t already read it at least once. Thank you.

@delimeful, our wonderful lime-friend with a cute cat making a terrifying face in his header. First of all, there is the WIBAR universe, short for “Watch it burn and rust”. 5 chapters in act one, 4 intermissions (one of those with three chapters), one chapter of act two, as well as three extras and an au of this au called “the end of being alone”, and I’ve lost count of how many nights I spent reading those instead of sleeping like I should. (Or interacting with family. Or being productive. Or… It’s really a good story, okay?!) WIBAR is a deathworlder au. So a space au in which humans are regarded as dangerous deathworlders who can survive on a deathworld like earth. In other words, Virgil is the only human, and boy does that scare everyone around him. And the best part? You can feel the development, the shift in mentality regarding Virgil, feel the moment approach in which he isn’t a threat but a companion instead.

And, apart from the fic that inspired me enough to start writing “TINND!R?” over on my writing blog, there are a lot more amazing fics to read on lime’s blog. He wrote “How easy you are to need”, for example. It’s soft, it pulls at just the right heartstrings, it’s achingly hopeful and, god, the ending still has me in tears, even after the fifth - ? sixth? something among those lines - reread. This one’s a werewolf au, actually. Virgil is the werewolf, Logan, Patton and Roman are the humans.

Do you want yourself some of that pre-AA dynamic? I’d recommend “to taste your beating heart”. In this, Virgil gets separated from the rest of his group of vampire hunters and gets turned into a vampire himself, loosing his memories. And he’s “Anx” now, not “Virgil”, goddamnit! He isn’t their friend anymore, why don’t they understand that? Well, probably because they can still see Virgil’s old habits shining through. There’s a lot of tension, a lot of angst and a whole lot of frustration involved in this.

He also wrote some amazing one-shots. They’re mostly so well written that I’m almost sad not to be waiting on a continuation. There’s “the littlest mermaid”, in which Virgil goes to investigate a noise, finding a scared, tiny mermaid in need of help. In “community gardens” we have Remus being Remus, gaining the interest and friendship of the forest’s giant Logan. “Magical mutualism” tells the tale of a witch and a demon making a pact beneficial to both parties and opening the doors neither could have gone beyond alone. The way we’re all confused about our ships not actually having set sail yet comes to a hight in Virgil in regards to his friends in “amateur matchmakers”. And this is the point at witch I stop talking before I actually recommend every single one of lime’s fics instead of just my favorites as I had planed because I started to gush too much… XD

Let’s move on to @muppenthings. Mupp is an amazing artist and she created a giant mermaid au. There’s this one orca who’s just… We love her, but I actually don’t think she’s the brightest. I really, really love her, though. Virgil himself is being a little protective over his human friends and casually so. I love this comic series for the art style, but I also love the way it makes me crack a laugh at least once per work. Or appeal to my mother-instincts, if it’s about baby Virgil. Too cute for his own good, I tell ya! And the facial expressions! The detail, the jokes, everything about this is wonderful. You should at least take a look.

@whenisitenoughtrees. Cat got me with “This cup of yours tastes holy (This lie is dead)”. “A slow voice on a wave of phase” was next, later “Infinity and beyond”, “we are not alone in the dark with out demons” and “changing of the guard”. And then, suddenly, the night was over. I’ve read almost all of the fics in one go, and I’ve been semi-frequently visiting her master post ever since. When “There’s an endless road to rediscover” came out just a little while back, that lead to me re-reading through almost the entire list. I don’t regret it, my plans for that weekend would like to disagree.

These six fics I mentioned here are, by no means, the only ones I enjoyed. Those are just the ones I’ve found myself opening up again and again in sleepless nights. Those are the ones that pop up in my head and have me smiling to myself in the middle of god-knows-whatever-I’ve-been-doing-at-the-time.

Angst, fluff, hurt-comfort, you’ll find everything in that list. And something I’ve grown to like about Cat’s fics even more than anything else is the quick change between feeling perplexed, a startled laugh at certain wordings (you’ll know what I’m talking about when you see it) and apprehension. These fics will have you at the edge of you seat, swooping you away on an emotional roller coaster. And, god, the way Cat writes from Remus’ perspective? The introductions of her stories and the way she redirects to the main topic after going into detail on something? I saved a few paragraphs as screenshots on my phone because I love them and I want to read them again when I’m down. I just… Cat’s great.

Next up is @eliemo. Because Elias Virgil is the royalty of Virgil angst. From the touch-starved Virgil we’ve all had a head cannon of at one point in “Heart of Ice”, over ace Virgil panicking over telling his boyfriends that he his ace and didn’t think to tell them before in “Love our way” to so, so much more.

Mostly EV follows the story arc of an underlying feeling of dread at the beginning, which slowly grows into panic, exploding in a storm of angst and concludes in everyone, or at least whoever is around, coming to the rescue and helping to calm down, with the end being the hope for getting better in the future. They always manage to convey the confusion, fear or just the general thought process so well that you can’t help but get absorbed in the story. They know exactly what to say and what to leave between the lines to get the maximum effect. And, your heart will definitely be shattered after their angst. Still, the way the sides comfort each other and support each other so well every time is just… I love their stories, a lot.

I want to make two more suggestions if you want to check out this creator. A Janus angst fic, which can only be described as “ouch” you’ll find under the name “snake bite”. It hurts in the best way possible, because Janus gets the comfort he deserves.

The other suggestion gets a lot darker. It’s about Virgil having been abused by the “others” before he got accepted into the light side. The others are shocked to find out what has gone on behind their backs and they help Virgil in every way they can to recover. Of cause it’s a rocky path, though. This would be “Learned Behavior”. The series/au has twelve stories so far, one of which has two parts. You’ll find the master post for this pinned to the top on their blog.

If you like angst, you should also give @maybedefinitely404 a look. Ly has a soulmate-au going, in which they use the concept of “you hear the music your soulmate listens to”. "Music in my head” is a prinxiety fic, but the two of them have yet to meet. Four chapters and two mini-fics in. The reason I mentioned angst is because in this - spoiler alert for the first few chapters here - , Virgil gets put through conversion therapy. Luckily Janus and Logan are better foster parents than the ones who did that to him.

They also have a master list for all their soulmate stories, featuring different ships. Apparently they participated in soulmate month, if I understood that correctly. And to be honest, that was how I even found their account. I absolutely adore their anxceit fic, which takes place in a human au. It’s starting off pretty sad, but the bonding moments are absolutely wonderful. It’s a lovely story, and the ending is one of the best ones I’ve yet to read. Their logince fic took my breath away, too. A flower shop/tattoo artist au, and Logan is the tattoo artist. Stunning writing, wonderful world building, just the right amount of backstory to have everything make sense without overwhelming/drowning the reader in unnecessary details. Their moxceit fiction… Well, this one had me in tears within the first few paragraphs. It’s terrible and you feel for Janus, whose perspective this is written from. The ending, though… Gods! The ending was so indescribably cute. To be honest, all of the soulmate stories are great, these three are just my personal favorites.

Concerning their one shots, you’ll probably have to figure it out on your own concerning this. I haven’t been able to read all of them yet, as sad as that makes me. Definitely palling on doing it in the future, though. I did read two of them, though. “Pippity poppity” really was amusing, and I am so looking forward to the second part of “The Boy who sings next door”. The way they write the dynamics between the sides? I live for that.

Another creator I would like to recommend is @maybe-im-tired.They don’t have a master post, as far as I could see, but they only post their content anyways, so… “Can’t take my eyes off of you” is my favorite out of their fics so far. I mean, the way they managed to fit the sheer chaos that is intrulogical into this one short fic is amazing. And you could take about two thirds of what Remus said and put it up on your wall as out-of-contexts-quotes. Don’t worry, he says them out of context anyways, and they will definitely make you laugh.

The series of short stories for the human au that starts with “Glowing stars” is another au by them that you will almost certainly like. We have Logan and Virgil as kids (about 7 I think), Remus and Patton as single parents, Roman as the most adoring uncle, Emile as babysitter and Remy as his amazing partner. Remus is a great father, wonderfully chaotic as well. And a teacher! Imagine that, Remus as your teacher... He’s great with kids though, as long as they aren’t entitled villains come to make his precious Virgil feel bad, that is.

They also wrote a bunch of “random one shots”. They are all amazing, but my favorite has to be this one. It’s a logince one, once again human au. Patton may or may not tell his big brother’s crush about the feelings he wasn’t prepared to share yet. You know, as small kids do. It’s soft, it will make you smile as much as Logan does, and I love Remus in it. I generally like how they write Remus, okay? I know how much I’ve said it, but I’m not even exaggerating. They always write him differently, and all versions they write him as are so, so lovable and just… I wanna hug the life out of all Remus versions they wrote, okay? Take a look, you’ll know why.

Anyways. Let’s continue with @figurative-siren-song. This is the last account I’ve followed and I’m still sad about it having taken me this long to find them. Little salty, to be honest. (I’ll stick to they/them because they said just not to use she/her, and, well… consistency, you know? Don’t have much, so I have to get what I can XD). When I finally did find them, I went through their entire master list (at least all of the ships with characters I actually know. I’m kinda bad with the shorts characters, so I usually just… avoid them? Idk. Personal preference, I guess), and, well… I would honestly recommend every single fic on that list. They call themself “Repair Fluff King™️” and they deserve that title. But when they warn you that a fic will be angsty, it will be angsty.

I found them through the anxceit fic “A Deal”. Well, through an animatic by their friend on youtube that had linked the fic, but details. I’ve been reading this fic up and down again and again. It’s just so good! And when they talk in the second part and Janus explains why he proposed that deal. Or in the continuation, which i can’t talk about because I will probably spoiler things! So wholesome!

Also, their losleepxeity fic “We’re worth it”. So soft! The nicknames, the plot, the everything. It’s softer than clouds look, and we all know that means something.

But, really. Everyone will find something for them by this creator. So many ships, all incredibly well written, and soft and fluffy without getting boring in the slightest. It’s as energizing as coffee, actually. And, let’s be honest, this whole fandom drowns itself in angst most of the time. Take a break from that, repair your broken hearts with goof fluffy content that you’ll want to read over and over again. Go check this creator out. You will love them.

Last but not least… @myfriendsasthesides A blog by a creator who just takes the wonderfully chaotic dynamics of a friend group and using that to give us content of incorrect sides quotes. Maybe it doesn’t fit with me going on and on about fics here. I don’t care. Follow them and turn on those notifications, please, because seeing even one post of theirs on your dashboard will make your day. It’s funny, it’s absurd, it’s chaotic, it’s making you jealous of them for having friends like that. Believe me, you will want to see those posts. It’s just… the random shots of serotonin and dopamine out generation needs really fucking desperately 100% of the time.

That’s it with the list! Eleven creators I absolutely adore, and I’m sorry I was babbling so much all the way through, but… Well, actually I’m not sorry. And actually, half of the reason I even made this post is to tell them how much I love them and fangirl about them a bit. So… Yeah. Well.I love you guys and hope you’ll have a wonderful day! And to everyone else reading this: I hope this helped you ind some new creators you can enjoy. And a good day to you too, of cause.

Sincerely, Joy 🖤

(@joylessnightsky/@sanders-sides-fic)

#I hope it's okay to you I just went ahead and did this #if you don't feel comfortable with this or anything written in here feel free to let me know #also no I didn't check the spelling #I'm too tired to do that anyways #sanders sides #sanders sides fanfiction #recommendations #list

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etjwrites · 5 years

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OC Backstory Week 7 - Free/Secrets:

Here we are at the last week – thanks so much to @yourocsbackstory for hosting, I've had a blast! As always I've discovered a couple new WIPS I'm eager to learn more about, and I've had the best time digging into Bo's past and uncovering what goes into his prickly and standoffish yet unexpectedly delightful personality.

Bo is a viewpoint character from my current WIP Thorunn, which will be my second young adult novel, and my first published sci-fi tale, and I can hardly wait to share his further adventures with everybody in 2020. But without further ado, the last backstory! (Yes, I wrote my own questions.)

What secrets does your OC have? Is it something innocent, or something that would be their downfall if discovered? To what lengths will they go to protect their secret?

Haven't you wrung enough secrets from me already? Fine I'll bite. No, not literally. Tch. You people. Anyway, growing up I didn't really have much of a filter – still don't, much to certain people's, whats the word, consternations – so me and secrets didn't mix much. But uh, there's a couple things I can think of that were big enough for me to keep quiet about. (Hey, Ken, remember that time the Innah's ceremonial spinner-floss robes mysteriously vanished?)

Bo hadn't meant to take them, he really hadn't.

What he'd wanted, just a for moment, were for things to go back to the way they used to be. When P'rraa wasn't gone, and Bo would help him piece together the exquisite robes worn by the Tribe Elders on special occasions. He'd been little, but his father had had him fetch spools and tie knots and snip dangling threads. Together, they'd created delicate, shimmering garments that seemed spun of flowers and wind and sunlight. P'rraa had always squinched his eyes tightly together and purred deeply whenever he caught sight of an Elder wearing one of his creations, embroidered with scenes telling the wearer's personal history – their battles, their losses, their accomplishments – and Bo couldn't help but bask in his happiness. He'd always been happy when P'rraa was happy. He hadn't touched anything related to the craft since that awful day five years ago. And then he'd seen it. While playing hunters and prey with Ken and Seri at the Innah's loft Bo had discovered a hidden compartment cleverly disguised to appear as part of the wall. He'd slipped inside, grinning wide at his success; Ken and Seri wouldn't find him this time! He'd quickly grown bored of the waiting however, certain in his imminent win, and started quietly exploring. The space he'd concealed himself within was cramped but smelled pleasant, like fragrant flowers after a morning mist. Clothes hung all around him, and he felt his ears prick with embarrassment at realising he'd chosen a hiding spot inside the Innah's personal closet. But he'd wanted to win, so he stayed put and occupied himself by trying to read the histories writ in pictures on her many colourful robes. The very last spinner-floss garment he'd taken into his hands had forced tears to well up. He knew the cut of the cloth, the style of the embroidery, the peculiar placement of the buttons. Afterall, Bo watched Nyss slip on a similar set of robes before hurrying to his work every day, spent hours sitting amongst the forever unfinished projects hanging in his father's long neglected workshop. Why hadn't P'rraa stuck to stitching? Why did he have to call upon his dusty Igis training and go out to Ethaba with everybody else? The thoughts overtook Bo like the Laika river dragging storm-broken branches downstream, and he heard the rip before he saw the unwitting damage he'd caused. Eyes wide, he'd stared at the leaf thin garment irreparably shredded between his claws – but no, no it wasn't. He could fix it, P'rraa had shown him how to make them, and he remembered the process. And so that was how Bo had ended up in his current predicament, feigning a sudden cough to beg off playing, the priceless robe stuffed under his vest while he stole back to the cobwebbed space that was at once comforting and unfamiliar. He laid the ruined material on a dusty workbench and stared at it, close to tears at the extent of the damage. Hours, days worth of work, and he'd destroyed his father's most prized handiwork in a matter of moments. Slash marks tore right through the scene depicting the Innah being anointed Elder, and long trailing threads had pulled away from the fraying edges. But he could mend it, Bo knew he could, so he blew off the dust and cleared away the cobwebs and set to work. His first attempt was an utter disaster, wherein he made the problem that much worse, and lost several buttons which rolled away and refused to be found, no matter how hard he looked. He learned then, to test-sew on scrap pieces of fabric first. His second and third and fourth attempts were hardly any better, and he quickly learned to wear gloves to stop his claws piercing and damaging the flimsy bolts of cloth he worked with. But bit by bit, Bo improved, dashing into P'rraa's workshop every day after school before Nyss could return and ask what he was up to, and taking a sudden, avid interest in spinner-floss production. The ruined parts of the robes he replaced entirely, carefully cutting together pieces from what parts of his father's half-finished garments hadn't been moth eaten. Some of the Innah's story ended up missing, but he carefully drew it as best as he could remember, before following his dark lines with bright coloured threads. The better he grew, the faster he worked, driven by guilt and the memory of the night the robes had been discovered missing. They'd questioned everybody on the garment's whereabouts, as the Innah used them for all her most important ceremonies, and was not pleased to have lost them, and Bo had almost fainted after squeaking out that he knew nothing of the missing garments. Nyss had thrown a rather sideways look at him, but never thought to look in P'rraa's workshop. Afterall, Bo was known for destroying things, not trying to fix them. He started begging off playing at the loft, electing instead to take their adventures to the river and the mines, unable to sit still for an afternoon in the Tree of Elders knowing the Innah's jaggedly stitched robes sat stuffed into a box in the corner of his workshop. But the day finally came when Bo could do no more, and he climbed out of his window one night, trying to return the repaired mass of fabric before anyone could see him and discover his awful secret.

“I've been wondering when this day would arrive.” Bo froze, a dark shadow between the beams of moonlight slanting soft across the floor of the Innah's loft. “It's alright, child, come closer.” The Innah melted out of the darkness, a pipe in one hand and beckoning with the other. Terrified, and already caught, Bo did as instructed, almost shifting to s'hinoian form half a dozen times in his fright. “It was you. I thought so. May I see?” “It, it was an accident!” Bo stammered out, unwilling to part with his precious bundle right away. The Innah only waited, patience written in every crinkle of her smiling eyes. Bo gathered up what little composure he had left and shook out the cloth in his arms. Even as he offered it to the Innah, he could tell his best efforts hadn't been enough. The parts he'd added weren't the same colours, and where P'rraa had originally made the scenes life-like and vivid, Bo's attempts looked like a kit who'd just learned to glyph. “It was an accident,” he said again, trembling, his fur rising puffy from his skin. “I didn't mean to, I'm sorry.” The Innah took the garment from him, smoothing it over and inspecting every inch. Bo screwed his eyes shut, not wanting to see the loathing in hers when she discovered how badly he'd destroyed his fathers' handiwork, and what a poor job he'd done in repairing it. “You've worked hard haven't you?” Bo cracked open an eye to see the Innah still smiling at him, the robes now draped over the soft sleep-tunic she wore. “I do wish you'd come to me straightaway – the sooner one confesses their misdeeds, the less one has to live with guilt. But I forgive you, child. You've done your best to make amends, even if you don't quite have the touch with stitchery that your father did. Now go home and sleep, and come back and play with Ken and Seri in the morning.”

(Yes. It was me. Surprise!) I quit sewing again after that, but I never forgot how kind she was to a scared little kit who was convinced she'd throw him out of the tribe on account of his destroying and rather badly repairing her favourite robes. She never told anyone either, despite the looks she got the next time she wore her obviously altered robes to the next important tribal affair, and I was always honest with her after that. We're done now, right? It's been an. . . a not entirely awful experience, and I'm looking forward to coming back never. Jolene, Matt, Brett – thanks. You've not been terrible hosts, and if this whole thing helps humans be less afraid of klia'ans, I guess it was worth it. But next time, ask Seri?

@igotablankpage @musicofglassandwords @elaynab-writing @sheabutterskyes @alcego-writes @valdifarniente @writeanapocalae

#thorunn #writeblr #am writing #wip #yourocsbackstory #a bit longer today for the last one!#seriously this has been so much fun!#I very much enjoyed myself you do wonderful work Cirianne #I'm hoping to clean these up a bit and throw them up on wattpad at some point.#writblr #Bo #etjwrites #writers on tumblr #scifi #scifi writeblr

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camrenisforever · 7 years

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OUT - What happened to us (Camren Fanfiction) #5

CHAPTER 5

- This would be so much easier if Camila was here... - Dinah let out while they sit on a studio with notebooks on their hands and worked on their music. Their manager had left them with the task of checking the songs that would possibly be on their next album. They had a lot of lyrics to read and demos to listen to so they could define the tracks that would be part of a new era.

- Oh, that's true. - Ally replied with a smile on her face, remembering the ex band mate. - She's a very good composer. I mean, how does she have so many ideas? Where do they come from? - She laughed lightly and Dinah did the same.

- If it wasn't for her we wouldn't have "No Way" the way that it is. I really like that song. - Dinah shared. - Such a talented girl... - She said with admiration.

- Yeah, and she never claimed any rights for that. Remember when... - Ally started to speak with enthusiasm, but someone stopped her from finishing.

- I don't know if you guys have realized... - Lauren's strong voice made everybody stop for a moment. - But we have work to do here. - She sounded extremely rude, which caused Dinah some discomfort.

- Oh come on, Lauren, we were just talking a little, we gotta relax a bit too. Besides, the situation is very likely to make us remember...

- Camila? - She questioned before Dinah could even finish. The anger on her voice was starting to worry the girls. Those green eyes looked extremely dark.

- Well, that wasn't exactly what I was gonna say... - She answered in a defensive way.

- She left! Get over it! - She let out in a heavy way.

- It's not like we could erase the past five years and pretend she was never here. - Dinah started getting mad too and differently from Ally, she had no hesitation at confronting Lauren.

- I wrote some verses to "Dope" along with her and contributed to "No Way" as well, but who's asking for credit for that now? Perhaps I should leave too! - She shouted and got up from the floor, leaving the notebook behind and walking away in a very aggressive way.

- Lauren, chill out! - Dinah said. - We just... - Seeing how mad her band mate got, she tried to be nice to her in an attempt to get her to calm down.

- You grow up! She's not here anymore. Fucking pointless conversation about the past! - Dinah was shook by the amount of anger on the green eyed girl's voice. She saw the water on the brunette's eyes before she left the room.

- Oh my God! - Ally said in a whisper when they were the only ones in the room. - I had no idea she was so hurt and sensitive about it. - She expressed her concern.

- It's Lauren... - Dinah answered. - We never really know, Ally.

- Small advice... - Normani, who watched everything quiet, finally spoke. - Don't bring Camila up whenever Lauren is around, unless you want to see her getting mad. It's a very easy way to trigger her, so if you guys want to see her blow, do it, if not, act like that girl never existed.

- But it's ridiculous, Mani. - Dinah answered. - We have nothing to do with what happened between them, she should control herself.

- Tell me when Lauren controled herself... - She rolled her eyes like if she was saying something extremelly obvious.

- Whatever... - DJ let out, clearly upset with the situation. - And what was that about her writting some verses with Camila for those songs? Wasn't Camila who did it all and presented to us?

- Lauren did stay with Camila on the day she was doing it. - Ally mentioned. - We all went out, but she didn't.

- I thought she had stayed because she simply preferred Camila's company. - Dinah commented.

- Well, I thought she was interested on making out. - Normani let out an evil laugh at the end of her sentence. - I even thought she wouldn't let Camila do anything and on the next day she'd have nothing to present.

- Yeah, I remember what you said when we left. - DJ said while she looked directly at Kordei. - Now I'm feeling curious about it...

- Ask her. - Normani said in a simple way.

- Guys. - Ally called. - Let's change subject, she might just come back. - The oldest girl in the group wanted to avoid any kind of fight and she knew that if Lauren heard the things the girls were saying at that moment there would be a terrible fight there. The green eyed girl had showed she could get brutal easily that day.

Lauren walked out of the room, but she couldn't walk away from her own mind. The memories would follow her wherever she went and in a matter of seconds she was taken back to a time in which her heart hadn't come to know such strong pain.

- Perhaps if we changed few things about the song we could include it on the album. - Camila said during a discussion about the songs that would be part of their latest album intitled 7/27. They were in a great moment and the producers were giving them more voice over the production of the CD.

- Do you have any practical idea of what to do with this then? - One of the producers asked her. - Because I don't see this song being sang by you guys. It's just not good enough, I don't see pontential to be a success.

- The fans usually apreciate emotional songs. I mean, they love "who are you", perhaps we could give it a shot. I kind of have an idea, but I don't know how to put into words. - The brown eyed girl said.

- Fine, Camila. - The producer agreed. - I better just give you a chance right away, otherwise you'll keep on talking for a while trying to convice me and I really like you better singing. - He laughed in a slightly shady way. - We have a deadline, so give me something more concrete tomorrow and we can vote. - Camila nodded.

- What about "Good"? - Cabello asked.

- I have more sympathy for this one than I have for "No Way", but I think it's a little weak too. - He answered. - I can tell you're feeling inspired today, do you have an idea for it too? - He had a slightly mocking tone.

- Actually, I do. - She answered lowly.

- Have them, do whatever you want.

- Ok, thank you.

- Alright guys, now let's go have lunch, it's time, I'm hungry. You all can have the rest of the day off, though I think Camila is not gonna take the day off, she seems to want to work a little more. - He noted with some irony. - We'll see each other tomorrow morning to continue.

Leaving the studio they had lunch together, without many worries, since they had some time for themselves. Right after finishing their meal, Ally, Normani and Dinah decided to go out and breathe some fresh air.

- Are you sure you don't want to come? - Normani asked Lauren when they were about to leave.

- Yeah, I'm sure. I'm gonna give some moral support to Camila. - She answered.

- Of course you are... - Normani commented in a suggestive tone.

- I mean, she's possibly already locked in the studio by now. - Lauren noted.

- She ate really quickly. - Dinah noted.

- Yeah, she did. - Lauren agreed laughing lightly. - You know how she is.

- I do... - Dinah answered.

- You guys have fun. - Lauren said.

- You too! - Ally said back.

Lauren went to the studio she figured Camila would be in.

- Hey. - She said getting in the place, the brown eyed girl was sitting on the floor.

- Hi, Lauren. - She answered with a smile on her face, focusing her eyes on the girl in front of her, no longer looking at the notebook she had on her hands. - What are doing here? - She kept the smile on her features.

- I came to give you moral support. - She explained as she closed the door and walked towards the younger one.

- Moral support? - She asked laughing.

- Yeah. - Lauren said giggling. - Moral support. - She sat in front of her, still giggling.

- You know that I'm gonna put you to work if you stay here, right? - She said with a great mood, among laughters.

- It's not like a cared. - Lauren answered smiling. - I love it anyways. - Camila saw a glow on those emerald eyes.

- Are you seriously already hungry? - Camila asked looking at the packs of food and the two bottles of water Lauren had put on the floor, beside them. - We literally just had lunch! - She exclaimed laughing.

- Oh, that's for later. I know you're not gonna want to leave this place so soon, so we better have something to eat here. - She explained. - This one is mine. - She put one bottle of water closer to herself. - And this one is yours. - She placed the other next to Camila.

- Thanks. - Camila said in a very sweet way as she stared at the girl in front of her, who smiled as someone that said 'no problem'.

- So, what do we got so far? - Lauren asked interested.

- Well, I'm just trying to feel the song, you know? - She explained. - It's like there's something a little out of place, or missing... I'm just trying to feel it.

- I get you. - She said staring at the brown eyed girl. - Press play. Let me try to feel it too. - The intensity of her gaze started to increase as she looked at Camila.

- Alright. - She said simply, not staring back at Lauren.

After a few hours and some attempts to make that song worthy of being on the album, they were both getting tired and frustrated.

- Ok, now I'm hungry. - Camila expressed herself. - Give me something to eat. - She said staring at her band mate, who had some things to eat near her.

- I'm right here. - Jauregui answered while opening her arms and smiling in a playful way.

- Lauren! - The brown eyed girl spoke in reproving way.

- Oh, come on... - The brunette laughed.

- That's not what I meant. - She explained laughing. - And you know that.

- Fine. - The green eyed girl said putting her arms down and taking a pack of chips, which was thrown at Camila's direction.

- Gracias. - She thanked.

Lauren quickly finished eating some cereal bars, while Camila still ate the chips she received from the girl that kept her company that afternoon, who couldn't stand being quiet having the latin in front of her.

- Give me some. - The older girl asked, approaching.

- This is literally ending. I'm not giving you the last chips. - The brown eyed one answered and ate faster with a playful expression on her face, making it clear she was into joking. - You already ate.

- Oh, but it wasn't chips... - She said getting closer.

- This is the last one. - Camila showed the food between her fingers. Lauren made a puppy face, indicating she was asking for that, which caused Cabello to laugh in a light way. For one second she really thought about giving it to the black haired girl, but she felt like teasing at that moment and so she simply threw it on her mouth in a swift movement. The surprise on Lauren's face made the act worthy.

- I can not believe it! - She let out laughing. - I actually though you'd give it to me.

- I was going to, but then I couldn't resist denying you this. I knew you'd make a funny face. - She said after swallowing.

- I wanted to feel the taste. - Jauregui explained, with a disappointed expression.

- I still feel it... On my mouth. - She let out in a playful and suggestine way. Lauren didn't take long to get the message and found the brunette's lips in a fun kiss, followed by laughter.

- It's actually better like this. - The green eyed girl commented with a smile on her face, to then close the distance between them again in a kiss that grew in desire at every second. Lauren had always been a huge dependent of Camila's touches, who wasn't any different, but the older one expressed it differently, being extra sexual at times. - You're dope. - She commented among kisses on the younger's lips, to then find her neck in sensual touches. Camila always had an immediate reaction to that specific touch provided by her band mate, her body moved in response to Lauren's mouth while her skin showed chills. - You're pretty fucking dope... - Jauregui let out in a whisper, close to Camila's ear, her raspy voice sounded extremely pleasant, almost like a song and Camila's brain worked extremely fast.

- Wait! Say that again! - Cabello said backing off, which caused Lauren to be surprised.

- What? That you're dope? - She asked laughing.

- No, you said "pretty fucking dope..." - She noted while her brain worked on a thousand thoughts.

- Yeah, I said "you're pretty fucking dope". - Lauren repeated in a confused tone. - What's the point of it, Camila?

- I don't know what else to say, you're pretty fucking dope... - She let out and the older girl simply stared at her. Cabello started snapping her fingers in a rhythm. - I don't know what else to say, instead of you're pretty fucking dope... - She sang. - This is not right... - She pointed while thinking, to then go back to snapping her fingers. - I don't know what else to say, but you're pretty fucking dope. - She kept singing the sentence to make sure the rhythm was right. - I don't know what else to say but you're pretty fucking dope.

- Just so you know... - Lauren continued, following Camila's finger snap, who continued the act but stopped singing, allowing the girl in front of her to use her voice. - I've been thinking about ways that I wanna hold you close, just so you know...

- This sounds great! - Camila said stopping the finger snap. - I gotta write it down! - Lauren smiled at the girl's reaction, who quickly took her notebook and wrote the lyrics. - By the way, it sounds better when you sing it...

- Thanks... - A fool smile showed up on Lauren's features.

- So, instead of "I don't know what else to say, instead of baby you are so good" we sing "I don't know what else to say but you're pretty fucking dope". - Camila pointed. - And we add "I've been thinking about ways that I wanna hold you close".

- That's great, Camz, it sounds so good. You're really good at this. - She said honestly.

- Thanks, but I'm pretty much just using your words.

- You're making them musical. - They smiled.

- Just had an idea! - Camila shouted excited after a few minutes, Lauren simply stared at her waiting for the following sentences. - "And now I'm trying to find the words to tell you how I feel and show you that it's real".

- That's much better than "baby I wanna see us both building something real, having something real".

- Right? - Camila said with shiny eyes. - And then we can remove the following verses to repeat "and now I'm trying to find the words" and then go to the pre-chorus.

- Yeah, it sounds better like this.

- More musical, right?

- Yeah.

- We gotta do something about the beat too. - Camila pointed already thinking about something. - It's too light, it would sound better with some more base.

- Agree! - Lauren commented, letting herself be taken by the music too. - I liked the finger snaps, sounds pretty fun.

- Oh, that's true! - Camila said excitedly while snapping her fingers again and shaking her body softly to the beat of the song. - I guess "No Way" needs a stonger base too, to make it more meaningful, just like it's suggested by the lyrics. - She noted after disconnecting herself from the previous song.

- I didn't know you were so into "No Way".

- I am. - She said with a smile on her face. - Because you are. - Lauren's face blushed a little and she smiled in a fool way. - Let's work on it later, as soon as we finish... - She thought for a moment. - "Dope".

- Cool, now "Good" is "Dope". I liked.

- Yeah, because "Dope" is... Dope. - Camila said with a funny voice and they both laughed out loud.

The next hours provided them to make a huge progress on the songs but they couldn't consider it done yet.

- It's getting late, we should go to the hotel. - Lauren said, realizing it had passed 9 PM.

- But this is not done yet. - She objected.

- We can continue in the hotel room. - The green eyed argued. - We just need a laptop, which is something we have. - She continued as she realized Camila had a favorable expression on her face. - Besides, we need to have a real meal.

- Yeah, I think I'm getting hungry again... - She let out with a thoughtful expression.

- Come on! - She got up and offered her hand. - Let's get someone to take us there.

- Ok. - Cabello held her hand as she helped her to stand up.

They usually shared the room at hotels, which made things easier. The girls were already used to that, Camila and Lauren only stayed in different rooms when they had some kind of disagreement.

The idea of going to the hotel room was great. They got to relax a little, which allowed them to get more creative, they needed a little break. They laughed while having dinner and ordered a bottle of coffee, which according to Camila, was a necessary thing to keep awake.

- It's almost 4 AM... We're crazy. - Lauren pointed out looking at the time on her phone.

- Friends with insanity, my baby, because people sometimes suck... - Camila confessed in a playful way. - But insanity is quite faithful. - She laughed at the end of the sentence.

- Wait, I liked that sentence... - Lauren's brain worked fast and provided her a very good idea.

- Which sentence? - She asked with curious eyes.

- Friends with insanity...

- Oh!

- I guess we could put it on the song. - They had "Dope" worked out and at that point they only worked on "No Way".

- Let's review the lyrics... - Camila said while she scrolled through the computer screen.

Not sleeping at night got them to feel tired, but they were very satisfied with the work they had done with the songs, they were sure that after the changes they had made their team would agree on including them on the CD.

- You look a little tired. - The producer noted when they started the meeting in the morning. - Did you sleep last night? - His tone wasn't very pleasant and after working an entire night, Camila's patience level was lower than the usual.

- Is that important? - She shoot back, making him get speechless, he didn't expect for that reaction.

- Ok. Show us what you got. - He said, trying to be friendly, after realizing his comment hadn't been appropriate.

- So... - She started, making the move that was decisive to include those two tracks on the album.

Lauren's hands were shaking while she held a bottle of water and tried to control her urge to punch something while screaming and crying. She thought drinking some water would help her to calm down but it wasn't working. She got herself a cigarette and went outside, hoping that the drug would be effective. It was, but not enough to stop a few tears from falling, she was too angry to control that. The pain on her chest was real, she literally felt her body ache.

- Lauren. - Ally said behind the brunette, keeping a distance. - Everybody is there, it's just missing you to start the discussion. - She explained in a respectful tone. Brooke had always been the only girl who didn't confront Lauren and who always avoided any kind of fight.

- You can start without me. - She answered without facing the girl. - I'll go when I'm done here. - She raised her right arm enough to show the cigarette between her finger. Her voice showed no emotion.

- Ok. - The smaller girl agreed and walked back to the studio.

-----

This is one of my favorite chapters so far... I’m a sucker for camren interaction and the flashback got me really pleased, had a great time writing it ><

The next chapter holds some backstage of the girls after Camila’s leaving, exploring it a little, so wait for it, it’s gonna be worth it ;)

“OUT - What happened to us?” is my first camren fanfic (and first fanfic ever), it’s also available on wattpad. I’m @Alex-Unicorn and I hope you guys are enjoying it as much as I am ♥

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scrpturiens · 6 years

Text

State of the Writing #6

This has not been a good month for writing. Which is not to say that it was particularly bad either, but I certainly struggled to get words on the page this past month. School started, my new job swept me away with stress and grading and family events, and I hardly had the brain to writ anything at all. I tried, though. I even managed to write for a few minutes each day, if nothing else. What am I working on? For the past month I was mostly fiddling with a short story based on some technique work I did out of a writing craft book. It’s the story of a group of women who have run away from their home and stolen a spaceship and landed on a new planet. It’s a bit strange, and very much a shitty first draft, so I’m put it aside for now to set up so that I can go back and revise later. Otherwise I’m going to be using some Inktober prompts in the next week to try writing some flash fiction and push myself into writing a bit at a time. Words Written: about 7,700 this month High Point: Bringing together a mostly-complete draft of my short story. While it’s still very rough, I was happy to have brought all the pieces together and I’m looking forward to finally figuring them out. Low Point: Being too drained to write properly most nights. I pushed myself to work for just five or ten minutes at a time, and while I’m glad I did that, it was less than satisfying. Quote of the Week Month: I wrote a couple short poems this month despite the exhaustion, and I think they’re the best things I did. This one is called "a love letter to the almost-remembrance of mango".

Here’s to October; may it be much more productive, much less stressful, and altogether spookier.

l.m. | buy me a coffee

#state of the writing #my writing #poetry #poem #writeblr #writers on tumblr #poets on tumblr #mine #update #about me

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swipestream · 7 years

Text

Conan and the Critic

It is an eerie thing to reread the half-forgotten stories treasured in one’s youth. For better or worse, the hold haunts never look the same. The worse happens when eyes grown cynical with age will see tinsel and rubbish where once glamor gleamed as fresh and expectant as the sunrise in the Garden of Eden. And, to the contrary, the better happens when one discovers added layers of wonder, or deeper thoughts to savor, than a schoolboy’s brain can hold.

So I decided to read, in their order of publication, the Conan stories of Robert E Howard. I was not a devout fan of Conan in my youth, so some stories I had read before, others were new. But in each case I was surprised, nay, I was shocked, at how much better they were than I recalled.

In this space, time permitting, I hope to review each tale as I read it, starting with Phoenix on the Sword. But before any review talks about what Conan is, let me tell the candid reader what Conan is not.

As with HP Lovecraft’s spooky tales or with the adventure yarns of Edgar Rice Burroughs, the unwary reader often confuses the popularized and simplified versions of iconic characters, Cthulhu or Tarzan, with the character as first he appeared in the pages of a pulp magazine. Tropes now commonplace, endlessly copied, at the time were stark and startling and one-of-a-kind.

The original character who is later taken into a franchise or revised for comic books, film and television, or who is copied or reincarnated by the sincere flattery of lesser talents, is inevitably more raw and real than such dim Xeroxes of Xeroxes. These franchise writers, imitators, and epigones rarely do justice to the tale they copy, some, for whatever reason, do grave injustice.

And, of course, certain writers of modest talent and no memorable accomplishment delight to assume the pen and mantle of the art critics and connoisseur in order to diminish the stature of author they cannot match. They do a deliberate injustice to iconic characters, and further muddy the perception.

Here, for example, is a quote from the loathsome Damon Knight. If the reader is surprised I use so harsh a word for this well-known figure in science fiction, please reflect that he is not well known for any creative writing, only for his ludicrous claim to be a critic:

The Coming of Conan, by Robert E. Howard, is of interest to Howard enthusiasts, who will treasure it no matter what anyone says, and to students who may find it, as I do, an intriguing companion piece to L. Sprague de Camp’s The Tritonian Ring. Howard’s tales lack the de Camp verisimilitude – Howard never tried, or never tried intelligently, to give his preposterous saga the ring of truth – but they have something that de Camp’s stories lack; a vividness, a color, a dream-dust sparkle, even when they’re most insulting to the rational mind.

Howard had the maniac’s advantage of believing whatever he wrote; de Camp is too wise to believe wholeheartedly in anything.

This book contains the only fragment of a Conan story that I remember from Weird Tales – Conan tippy-toeing along a ledge with a naked girl held by the hair, and then dropping her carefully into a cesspool – which turns out to be neither as isolated nor as insignificant as I had supposed. Another naked lady friend of the hero’s, in another episode, winds up hanged to a yardarm with a rope of jewels; and for that matter, hardly anyone, man or woman, squeaks through the Conan saga without some similar punishment, except Conan himself.

All the great fantasies, I suppose, have been written by emotionally crippled men. Howard was a recluse and a man so morbidly attached to his mother that when she died he committed suicide; Lovecraft had enough phobias and eccentricities for nine; Merritt was chinless, bald and shaped like a shmoo. The trouble with Conan is that the human race never has produced and never could produce such a man, and sane writers know it; therefore the sick writers have a monopoly of him.

It would be a tedious task indeed to wade through this mass of sticky and malodorous bullshit to rebut each sly insinuation and answer each peevish insult as it deserves.

We need not dwell long here in the chamberpot of Mr. Knight’s performance as a critic. I am content with noting that there is not a word of actual criticism anywhere in the passage. It is merely a stream of insults against Robert E Howard, calling him everything from unintelligent to maniacal to emotionally crippled to sick, with occasional flippant insults against Mr. Howard’s fans and admirers, not to mention studied insults against other luminaries of the field.

(So is the candid reader to dismiss unread THE MOON POOL and SEVEN FOOTPRINTS TO SATAN and THE SHIP OF ISHTAR, which were seminal works of science fiction and fantasy, on the grounds that the author thereof was chinless and bald and shaped like a shmoo? Is the reader not to judge the work of Homer and Virgil and Milton until the details of their jawlines and coiffeurs are known?)

When Mr. Knight dismisses Conan as someone who does not exist, he betrays a faulty understanding of what writing fiction is about. This disqualifies him from his pretense of being critic.

Fiction writers are not newspapermen nor are we scientists, attempting dispassionately to portray the world as it is. All art is abstraction and exaggeration. The pen both ornaments reality and pares away distractions, to hone things down to their essentials. Adventure yarns contain romantic characters, that is, larger than life heroes and villains, meant to embody ideals and archetypes. The things are writ large to bring to our weak eyes what might otherwise escape us.

Just as characters in a horror story act more frightened and more helpless than real people would, those in heroic tales act more bold and forthright. This is because that is what the story is about. It is what story telling is. Stories are about the things in which we believe.

In scoffing that the truly wise believe wholeheartedly in nothing at all, Mr. Knight further disqualifies himself. He is no fit critic. I doubt he a fit member of the human race. The comment is either rank hypocrisy or a grotesque self confession.

Mr. Knight’s trick of merely asserting, without proof and without honesty, the shortcomings in the inner heart of a man he never met is a simple game, and anyone can play it. For example, a hypothetical unscrupulous commenter could claim that what Mr. Knight’s crooked comments betray about Mr. Knight’s own masculinity, when he so unconvincingly dismisses as unreadable the portrayal of a romanticized yet savage fighting-man like Conan, a figure of rugged proportions and gigantic passions, as some sort of impossible and unrealistic product of sickmindedness, is too obvious to bear repeating. The gelding hates the virile.

Does he likewise dismiss the portrayals of Achilles, Aeneas, Roland, Beowulf, Zorro, or any other man of action from myth, history, or story? No?

For another example, were a hypothetical commenter to play his game, he might loftily assert that one need make no comment about Mr. Knight’s obsession with a naked woman being dunked in a cesspool, which is, tellingly, the only fragment Mr. Knight remembers from a tale he read in the magazine. It is something only an sexually deviant mind would sees as interrelated. That another woman in another story is hanged as a pirate, or that other men and women in adventure stories suffer hardships, goes beyond merely being dishonest, smarmy and slimy rhetoric. It is an unwitting self confession. The neurotic invariably accuse others of his own neuroses.

Such things would be easy enough to write, were our hypothetical commenter to be as unfair to him, as Mr. Knight was to Mr. Howard.

Lest we be accused of unfairness, let us must amend the harsh statement above that no one remembers Mr. Knight’s failed fiction career. After herculean effort, I was indeed able to bring to mind a single story written by Mr. Knight: a short story called ‘To Serve Man’ made into a respectable episode of Rod Serling’s TWILIGHT ZONE, and parodied in THE SIMPSONS. It is, of course, a shaggy dog story, whose sole twist is based on a pun in English, which for some reason is the same language in which the space aliens write their cookbooks. There is not even the smallest trace of plot present, nor any memorable character, human or alien, nor any real science fictional speculation. It is basically a campfire tale a boy scout might tell to spook his fellow campers. One would think a man whose sole contribution to the art of criticism was obsequious love letters to authors he wishes to magnify or verminous libels against authors he seeks to demean would have attempted more serious craftsmanship.

The sad thing is that such character assassinations need only score a glancing blow to do their work. Even if the honest reader is disgusted that creatures like Mr. Knight are willing to libel a skilled author who commits suicide, and is appalled that Mr. Knight would spit on a man’s good grave merely in order to mock his work, and even if this reader thinks Mr. Knight is overstating the case, rare indeed is the reader able to see that the whole thing is false from stem to stern. We give even liars the benefit of the doubt. We assume there is a grain of truth beneath the libels.

Such a reader is likely to absorb, unquestioned, in his unconscious mind the impression that Conan is a simplistic figure from a boy’s adventure yarn, a caricature of schoolboy dream-dust, unintelligently portrayed, a guilty pleasure at best. None dare to admit he is one’s favorite character, and, even if beloved, none will say Conan is to be taken seriously. After all, the wise man believes nothing, does he not?

Such a reader will picture Conan as a man in a bearskin loincloth, inarticulate, grimacing, with a shapely dancing girl clutching his knee while he cleaves the skull of a devil-beast or giant snake with a bloody ax.

That reader will be as surprised as I was on rereading these tales, particularly the earlier ones from 1933.

In the first Conan tale, Phoenix on the Sword, Conan is the king of a turbulent but rich and powerful nation, facing a conspiracy of embittered and ambitious nobles, weary of the burdens of rulership, and, in the fight scene, he is properly accoutered in cuirass, with shield and plumed casque near at hand.

The sole mention of any dancing girls, clothed or not, is when Prospero, the king Conan’s advisor, is cautioned to be on seemly behavior when visiting the court of king Numa.

However, Conan does cleave skulls, of men and devil-beast alike.

The reader is like to be surprised at this first tale at how badly untrue are critic’s dismissals of Conan as unintelligent, dreamlike, unreal, et cetera et ad nauseum.

The setting and tone in Phoenix on the Sword, are grim, the theme is trenchant, particular in the era when it was written, in the island years of peace between two world wars.

Both the background world and the foreground characters are expertly drawn is a few bold and simple lines, and both Conan’s world and Conan’s brooding figure continue to loom in the imagination, eighty-four years and counting since the time he stepped forth, brooding, blue-eyed and black-haired, melancholic, stark, huge and terrible, larger than life in the pages of Weird Tales.

But a proper review deserves its own column.

Conan and the Critic published first on http://ift.tt/2zdiasi

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thesinglesjukebox · 7 years

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youtube

TAYLOR SWIFT - ...READY FOR IT? [5.79] After the last one, sure!

Katherine St Asaph: The old Taylor's not quite dead -- that pre-chorus is pure Nashville melody, from melody to bowdlerization ("you should see the things we do" is about as explicit as someone marveling over a particularly large pumpkin harvest.) Like her former/current/who knows anymore rival, "Ready For It" pumps up Swift's numbers by sounding like interstitial music for Big Sports -- premiered for the NFL, currently being stripped for instrumental parts by NBA promos -- but also like blood sports. The track's a bombed-out, post-apocalyptic version of 1989, the Yeezus to "LWYMTD"'s 808s. Or possibly approaching NIN: the pretty date machine of "Blank Space" gone rogue, locking onto someone arbitrary (the gossip algorithms still cross-referencing it against increasingly nonentity dudes) because "I see nothing better." It's romance only in the literal sense -- the jailer/thief scenario is even pulpier than "Bad Romance" managed -- and otherwise love reduced to plan and execution. The verses are alternatively tryhard, artificial and vaguely offensive, as if it isn't Taylor on the mic but Microsoft Tay. But the all-consuming, heat-seeking mania of a certain inadvisable sort of crush is palpable as adrenaline, and stokes the all-consuming, heat-seeking maximalism of Max Martin and team throwing every resource and songwriting trick into ensuring this is a hit. Petty points for Swift saying the word "island" this many times in a track with no trop-house whatsoever, and given that she's enough of an in-joker to come up with "Nils Sjoberg," I bet it's on purpose. [9]

Ramzi Awn: The most commendable thing about "...Ready For It?" is that it completely erases any memory of the single that preceded it. A confusing, feverish dash for relevance, the song makes Katy Perry's "Swish Swish" sound even more fun, an accomplishment not to be taken lightly. [3]

Alex Clifton: The rapping is an atrocity. The production is a slicker version of Sleigh Bells with half the heart. Taylor's enunciation is bizarre: "no one has to know" is such an awkward line delivery, second only to the nasally "he can be my jailor" and "let the games begin." Her vocals are a piss-poor imitation of Rihanna; at first listen, it's hard to find a shred of the Taylor I've known and loved. It's a travesty. And yet. It's 100% a Taylor production, overdramatic, narcissistic, full of easter egg references to old songs like "Haunted" and "Wildest Dreams". It's obsessive dark love writ large: "I keep him forever / like a vendetta" marries romance and vengeance perfectly. And the sheer force of that chorus makes me want to scream "IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIIIIIGHT" in public. I love the idea of sexy, dirty Taylor, less concerned with perfection and more with ghosts and robbers and gritty feeling, but the haphazard execution of the verses is so frustrating. Par for the course with all Max Martin creations, though, that chorus is a melodic masterpiece. I've got this on repeat and I'm upset about it. [6]

Eleanor Graham: Who would have guessed that the legacy of Taylor Swift's fifth album "reputation" would be to have production so DIABOLICAL that it makes "Welcome To New York" sound like "Heroes"? No one on pop's A, B or C list should come within 100 feet of something that sounds like this. I've seen comparisons to Yeezus, which is fair because they are comparable in terms of sheer nerve, but on tracks like "New Slaves" or "I'm In It", Kanye's sleaze is a feasible sparring partner for electro-roar. Taylor's Pennsylvania-goth-Bratz-doll-masochism-adjacent-revenge-core is not. You'd think that would be obvious! To, you know, anyone! I don't even know what's happening anymore. The 2 points are mainly for the way she says "go", which does something to me; no, I don't want to talk about it. [2]

Stephen Eisermann: Taylor's thrown caution to the wind and no longer gives any fucks. The provocative chorus and the weird, rapid-fire, off-putting rap/sing hybrid verses are the most prominent examples of her willingness to toss out all consistencies previously found in her music. None of this feels like Taylor and that's fun, but I'm not sure everything works. The verses especially, though lyrically fun, are delivered so oddly that the parts that should be "cool," instead make me cringe - the "Burton" line, specifically. I mean, I'm not sure what I was expecting based on the first single, but it certainly wasn't this, for better or worse. [6]

Ryo Miyauchi: Taylor writes her tried-and-true narrative of love as tragedy into self-parody. The bare-bones beat and the anti-chorus structure of "...Ready For It?" laughs at the many hits of 1989. Her self-satisfaction is maddening, truly: the snicker to "the Burton to my Taylor" is designed to drive everyone nuts. But I should remind: the real target is not exactly you but, as always, her exes, who she destroys without lifting her voice: "every love I've known in comparison is a failure" doesn't so much rip apart the journal pages where they're enshrined than it sets her entire bookshelf into flames like some great purge. [6]

Claire Biddles: Speculating who the 'real' Taylor Swift is is reductive and boring, but my favourite Taylor Swift is the wide-eyed, extra, romantic, saying-too-much-too-soon Taylor Swift that we get a glimpse of in the bridge, swallowed up before she even gets started by that sub-Kanye womp-womp in place of a chorus. There's a mutated version of her in the verses ("We'll move to an island/and he can be my jailer" -- I'm imagining she's just met the guy for full effect) but the self-conscious, sub-Lana Del Rey delivery dampens it. Perhaps I'm just being selfish, wanting for the Taylor who most relates to (and thus excuses) my embarrassing romantic tendencies, but Cool Girl Taylor's attempts at aloofness are unconvincing. [5]

Alfred Soto: A bad single, an uninteresting bad single. Mouthing "are you ready for it?" over synth bass farts comes off like preparing listeners for the punch line: Taylor Swift rapping with as little regard for cadence as Lou Reed in 1986. At least "The Original Wrapper" had the performer's rage as its subject, affected or not; Swift is writing bad bumper music. [3]

Will Adams: It's standard practice now for Taylor Swift to drop an incendiary lead single that gets the discourse a-churnin', only to reel in the masses for the more palatable, less batshit follow-up (and she's not the only one to do this). But for "I Knew You Were Trouble" and "Blank Space," there was still a distortion of who we thought Taylor Swift was (dubstep; dissection of public image). The distortion in "...Ready For It?" is... distortion. But it's hard to care about whether Swift is stoking more controversy when the song is so bracing. There's nowhere to run as blocks of drums stack atop the opening pounds and warped roars, all culminating in, finally, an actual chorus. Where "Look What You Made Me Do" was a firebomb kindled by thinkpieces, the fire in "...Ready For It?" comes from the song itself. [8]

Iain Mew: Like "Wildest Dreams" with the wild dreams added in. [8]

Joshua Copperman: A couple of years ago, I actually co-wrote a song where we used that phantom/ransom rhyme. Until that song actually comes out, here's Taylor being the ransom phantom instead of someone else haunting her. I wish that the opening line was "Loki was a killer/first time that I saw him," because that would be hilarious for her to bypass the "tilted stage" subtweets altogether and talk about how Hiddleston's now pining over her. These lyrics are also as good as anything she's even written, so a "Loki" joke would work better than whatever she was on about last time. What bugs me, though, is the empty space in the chorus. Taylor's best melodies are stream-of-consciousness, but "in the middle of the night/in my dreams.................... you should see the things we do" feels like something got cut out last-minute. I do love the idea though, the way it flips the narrative of Wildest Dreams in a really interesting way - now, she's seeing him in her wildest dreams. That's the kind of self-referencing and subversion I'd rather see Taylor do. [6]

Edward Okulicz: So many of the ingredients of Good Taylor Pop Songs are in this one -- dreamy and melodic chorus, don't care attitude, groan-inducing but quotable lyrics -- but the production feels really dated (to around the time of Red, in fact), stalling the track when it tries to accelerate. [6]

Sonia Yang: On one hand, this is generic pop I would have brushed off had it been any other artist. On the other, it's refreshing to see Swift step out of the zone of what I've come to expect from her in particular. I love the ominous synths and how the entire track has a spy thriller vibe. The best part is that breathy prechorus, you can really feel the "island breeze" as Swift delivers that line. The chorus, unfortunately, is a wisp of a thing that doesn't have any impact. The melody neither compels nor is purposefully anticlimactic. The lyrics, while not quite Love Story levels of awkward, are not great; the Taylor-Burton reference is campy at best and cringe at worst. [5]

Jonathan Bradley: Taylor Swift has rolled out singles from Reputation like trailers for the next release from a blockbuster film franchise: not only songs, "Look What You Made Me Do" and now "...Ready For It" (next: "Gorgeous"?) have acted as teasers for a new product launch. Unveiled during a college football broadcast, "...Ready For It" sounds like sports, like a pre-game huddle, like a highlights reel from last season building excitement to see how the new line-up will perform. "Welcome to New York" did the same for 1989 and was fine, but "...Ready For It" is better because it crams more into its pop overload: a rap that traces the "Empire State of Mind" flow, K-pop synth blasts, a gleefully audacious pun on Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, and a chorus about "dreams" and doing things in the night that throws it all in for the romanticism Swift has always been so resolved to earnestly commit herself. If Reputation should turn out to be her New Jersey album, and if all the stage-setting should ultimately overshadow the show itself, I hope we'll one day rediscover how good the songs themselves were. [8]

#Taylor Swift #...Ready for It?

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titheguerrero · 7 years

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Celebrating 10 Years of Health Populi, 10 Healthcare Milestones and Learnings

Happy anniversary to me…well, to the Health Populi blog! It’s ten years this week since I launched this site, to share my (then) 20 years of experience advising health care stakeholders in the U.S. and Europe at the convergence of health, economics, technology, and people.

To celebrate the decade’s worth of 1,791 posts here on Health Populi (all written by me in my independent voice), I’ll offer ten health/care milestones that represent key themes covered from early September 2007 through to today…

1. Healthcare is one-fifth of the national U.S. economy, and the top worrisome line item in the American family’s pocketbook. You can read more about this in Health Populi from day 1 in 2007 to late August 2017 with more evidence that health care costs are top-of-mind for U.S. health citizens. For the immediate future, patients will assume a greater share of health care spending given employers’ growing adoption of consumer-directed health plans — high-deductibles coupled with health savings accounts.

2. The Affordable Care Act worked to get health insurance to millions of uninsured Americans. But there is more work to do, and this week Congress re-convenes with some evidence of green shoots of bipartisan cooperation to fix, not repeal, the ACA. American workers highly value their health benefits, well-knowing how much it could cost them to fetch health plans on the individual market. As President Trump recently cut the Federal ACA budget for communicating health insurance marketplace options, the U.S. faces a situation where the nation’s President may be mindfully contributing to Americans’ reduced access to being health-insured by reducing access and on-ramps to consumers’ needed information. But State and local insurance navigators are working to fill this gap.

3. Sticker-shock is a mainstream reaction for American patients who fill branded prescription drugs. The course of a drug treatment to cure Hepatitis C reached $98,000 in 2014. The retail price of an EpiPen, $500 in 2016, driving angry patients in New York City to protest in front of Mylan’s offices. The latest entry into the pharma cost Hall of Fame is Kymriah, a new-new gene therapy treatment for treating young people with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, approved by the FDA last week. ALL is the most common form of cancer in young people. The list price will be $475,000 for a one-time treatment. Lowering the cost of prescription drugs is one health reform issue Americans across the political spectrum agree on.

4. Most patients’ personal health information has moved from manila paper folders with hand-written notes to digitized, electronic health records. Most patients want to connect with their physicians using digital means, but privacy concerns remain. Trust must be earned to garner health engagement, as I recently discussed in light of Aetna’s breach of peoples’ HIV status in a mailed letter. Still, we know from research via the PatientsLikeMe community and other patient social networks that people managing serious diseases are willing to share personal health information when there is a value-exchange.

5. More personal health information is being generated through wearable technology. In the past decade, I’ve attended the annual CES (the acronym once fully called out as the Consumer Electronics Show). Beyond big-screen TVs and tricked-out cars, one of the fastest-growing areas at CES is digital health. While Fitbit wrist bands and Withings Wi-Fi scales represented the early generation of wearable tech for health (or mHealth), shiny new things are emerging via Apple Watch and heart-activity enhancements that are gathering data that’s getting stored in clouds (Amazon Web Services and Apple to Samsung and dozens of others). Data are mashed into algorithms that can then inform patients, consumers, caregivers, and clinicians to coach and inform decisions.

6. Beyond wearing tech, our homes and autos (the so-called “third space”) are getting filled with “things” in the growing Internet of Things environment. Light bulbs, washing machines, refrigerators and, of course, voice-powered digital assistants (THINK: Amazon Echo and Alexa) have begun to collect data on our daily habits, and health is already growing its IoT chops.

7. Virtual health and telehealth have passed a tipping point for adoption. This very minute as I write this post, telehealth technology is helping thousands of people in Texas hurt by Hurricane Harvey get needed healthcare and medical attention sooner rather than later.

8. Health is social. Health is contagious. So are negative health behaviors. The research of Christakis and Fowler published in their book, Connected, demonstrates that people can kick-off a virtuous cycle of health for themselves that influences not only their immediate social network of friends and family, but positively influences their networks further out in the social web. This is at the root of public health: we are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, and this is the evidence for why social determinants of health are so powerful in communities. Loneliness is also a social determinant of health, as I wrote here about new research into our purpose and our wellness.

9. Health disparities continue to mar American health care. People of color and lower-income people have worse health outcomes, and for many conditions and procedures, less access to the latest evidence-based standards of care. This year marked 50 years since the 1967 Detroit riots, and 70 years since the Nuremburg Code emerged. Health care in the U.S. must confront these health inequities and bring greater “health symmetry” to all health citizens in the nation. Aside from issues of justice, a healthy citizenry is a productive one that generates tax revenue for a nation.

10. Patients are morphing into health care consumers, seeking transparency, management tools, information, and support from both health industry players and from each other, in peer-to-peer networking. Amazon has “primed” health care consumers, and will be taking its place among the new entrants helping to improve peoples’ health care experiences. Consumers’ most recent excellent experience in retail defines their current benchmark for expectations in all sectors — including health care.

I must thank two colleagues who first inspired me to launch the Health Populi blog: Matthew Holt and Bob Laszewski. Matthew, who founded The Health Care Blog in 2003, was my first close colleague to blog about health care. He provided early counsel to me on two issues: finding my authentic voice (which he certainly has), and warning against allowing the blog to be a major time-suck in daily life. Bob, a Washington, DC-based health policy expert, set an example of authenticity, passion, and fact-based reporting in his blog, Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review, founded in 2006.

Health Populi’s Hot Points: The ten milestones listed here drive home several things “I know that I know,” learnings I’ve derived from my many years of working with clients across the health and healthcare landscape — traditional healthcare organizations and suppliers (hospitals, physicians, health plans, medical device, and pharmaceutical companies) to newer entrants including consumer goods, food, electronics, and financial services, among them.

Healthcare is morphing toward health/care in a landscape where healthcare providers and traditional stakeholders (plans, suppliers, pharma) must inter-operate with new entrants — from Amazon to ZocDoc. That’s a good thing, because heath care consumers want care served up how and where we want it — and provided in a value-based framework. In that context, let me tell you what I know I know:

Noncommunicable diseases – heart, diabetes, cancers, among them – will kill most of us in 2017. These conditions are largely amenable through self-care and lifestyle changes such as quitting smoking, eating nutritious foods in right-sized portions, taking more activity and exercise, and moderately drinking alcohol.

To ensure healthy health citizens, spending money and labor on the social determinants of health are more important, dollar for dollar, than specialized tertiary healthcare services. See this article just published in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, on why investing in prevention, broadly writ, is crucial for a healthy nation. [It’s written by one of my favorite public health policy folks, Dr. Sandro Gallea.]

(Good) food is medicine. Starting people in life with nutrition, pre-natally and ongoing, is a huge health boost and a key social determinant of health for a lifetime. [My friends at SquareRoots, with whom I collaborated on a maternal and child health panel at CES 2016, are working on this.]

Mental health is core to overall health and well-being, just like heart health, gut health, bone health, and oral health. Bundling mental health into primary care would help improve America’s behavioral health crisis….coupled with greater resource allocation toward social care away from more expensive specialty healthcare spending.

The world’s developed countries that have invested in strong primary care backbones (supply of physicians, nurses, and other primary care provider types) have patients with better health outcomes. The U.S. spends relatively less per capita on primary care than these other countries, and our health outcomes fall well below those in Denmark, France, and even the UK — which spends far less per person on healthcare than the U.S. does.

As I look toward the next ten years of my work, trend-weaving and writing, I expect our houses (whether single family, apartment, or Tiny) will evolve into our true medical homes, where we take on greater self-care enhanced through Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and enhanced health literacy. What will underpin this is greater attention to designing care processes, “things,” and experiences that speak to peoples’ own health literacy, values and preferences. “Personalized medicine,” in terms of genomics, has gained a lot of attention and resources. A greater focus and resourcing toward “personalized health” that accounts for our individual values and belief systems, socioeconomic status and preferences, will bolster health outcomes for all health citizens in the U.S.

The post Celebrating 10 Years of Health Populi, 10 Healthcare Milestones and Learnings appeared first on HealthPopuli.com.

Article source:Health Populi

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